What relatively basic thing(s) did you learn way too late?

[Milo1974]

I've made a dozen or so posts in the "Misc" section of this forum before actually finally posting something related to bodybuilding. LOL.


In my interest in bodybuilding that began about a year ago, I've learned more than I've known about any sort of physical training for probably the rest of my life combined - and I'm 48!


Although I have long wanted to get more muscular and stronger and more physically attractive (for over 30 years now), I had little clue as to the actual "how" of such a thing for so long. I'm extremely bitter and resentful about that, but emotions are another point. I think one of the first things I learned...at some point in my 20s...is that of the relation of timing of eating to exercising. I've heard that about 2 hours after a full meal is the most ideal time to exercise, the worst times to exercise in relation to eating would be immediately after eating much of a meal or on an empty tank.


I think perhaps chalk up so much of my cluelessness to a number of factors: growing up in an information-scarce state (Mississippi); growing up pre-internet age; growing up thinking that I was innately physically inferior and that I just really probably *couldn't* gain much muscle/strength because it was pretty much set-in-stone and not have anybody tell me otherwise; having what I now realize all my life is low T (numerous physical complaints that I gradually 'catalogued' that were more common in women than men - and I finally put together that this was low T a couple of years ago); being bullied ----- the whole gamut of reasons are pretty much reasons that are likely to accompany each other, although I would say that mine were compounded on top of each other.


I really envy all of the access to information that today's kids in their teens and twenties have that I did *not* have at their age. They have no idea how lucky they are in that respect. I did learn how to do things at an age that many people maybe stop trying. One is that at the age of 37, I learned how to do a headstand. But I am nearly 50 now, and barely have any hope, much less motivation/desire to physically improve myself because by the time I could make much of any improvement, I will be in my 50s.


So, one thing (of *quite* a few if I really sat down to think about it and compose a more intense post) that I learned that I had no CLUE about until this year was that when it comes to bench-pressing, that arching your back really helps. I had NO idea about that. The few times I've ever tried to bench anything, it was with a flat back.


Does anybody have any similar such relatively basic things that they learned much later on that would have really helped had they known earlier?

[Sophus2]

Well to be perfectly honest OP I've made a dozen or so posts in the "Misc" section of this forum before actually finally posting something related to bodybuilding. LOL.


In my interest in bodybuilding that began about a year ago, I've learned more than I've known about any sort of physical training for probably the rest of my life combined - and I'm 48!


Although I have long wanted to get more muscular and stronger and more physically attractive (for over 30 years now), I had little clue as to the actual "how" of such a thing for so long. I'm extremely bitter and resentful about that, but emotions are another point. I think one of the first things I learned...at some point in my 20s...is that of the relation of timing of eating to exercising. I've heard that about 2 hours after a full meal is the most ideal time to exercise, the worst times to exercise in relation to eating would be immediately after eating much of a meal or on an empty tank.


I think perhaps chalk up so much of my cluelessness to a number of factors: growing up in an information-scarce state (Mississippi); growing up pre-internet age; growing up thinking that I was innately physically inferior and that I just really probably *couldn't* gain much muscle/strength because it was pretty much set-in-stone and not have anybody tell me otherwise; having what I now realize all my life is low T (numerous physical complaints that I gradually 'catalogued' that were more common in women than men - and I finally put together that this was low T a couple of years ago); being bullied ----- the whole gamut of reasons are pretty much reasons that are likely to accompany each other, although I would say that mine were compounded on top of each other.


I really envy all of the access to information that today's kids in their teens and twenties have that I did *not* have at their age. They have no idea how lucky they are in that respect. I did learn how to do things at an age that many people maybe stop trying. One is that at the age of 37, I learned how to do a headstand. But I am nearly 50 now, and barely have any hope, much less motivation/desire to physically improve myself because by the time I could make much of any improvement, I will be in my 50s.


So, one thing (of *quite* a few if I really sat down to think about it and compose a more intense post) that I learned that I had no CLUE about until this year was that when it comes to bench-pressing, that arching your back really helps. I had NO idea about that. The few times I've ever tried to bench anything, it was with a flat back.


Does anybody have any similar such relatively basic things that they learned much later on that would have really helped had they known earlier?

[rickminister]