I read a very cool and informative thread a while back called "What do you wish you knew when you started strongman?".

As we on NZBB are a little more generalist (BBing, Fitness, PLing, Strongman, Oly etc) I thought we could have a similar thread relating to training experiences & knowledge that you wished you'd learnt earlier.


Kicking it off:

* I wish I learnt earlier that continually smashing a body part into oblivion & chasing a 'pump' equated to nothing more than bad DOMs!

* The importance of long & medium term planning in training

* That prehab is king!

nate225 wrote:
* I wish I learnt earlier that continually smashing a body part into oblivion & chasing a 'pump' equated to nothing more than bad DOMs!

* The importance of long & medium term planning in training

* That prehab is king!

I cosign that shit 1000000%, esp part 1!!

i will also add

* how to eat!

To set proper goals that are actually achieveable

* For athletes, train movements not bodyparts

* There are no magic bullets, 300% gains claims only means one thing and it relates to $$$ not muscle mass!

* Lock down the nutrition basics first, then add supplements, not vice versa

I'm still a newbie, but I know a few things now that I wish I knew 9 months ago:

-Don't try and design your own routine after reading a couple of bbing articles online.

-You are not a hardgainer, you are just not eating enough.

-Be consistent and have a plan.


Only a fool never makes mistakes. If you make mistakes you are learning!

rimma wrote:I'm still a newbie, but I know a few things now that I wish I knew 9 months ago:

-Don't try and design your own routine after reading a couple of bbing articles online.

-You are not a hardgainer, you are just not eating enough.

-Be consistent and have a plan.


Only a fool never makes mistakes. If you make mistakes you are learning!

That is gold Rimma!!!!

* Don't overthink things.

* Time spent squatting (and benching and deadlifting and doing any lift that involves a barbell) is worth more than anything else.

* Don't max out all the time, whether it's a 1RM or a 10RM. Max efforts need to be infrequent. The bigger the lift, the more this holds true.

* Leave reps in the tank and train more often. Volume and frequency are better than intensity if you're natural and raw. Volume means lots of sets of low reps.

* Don't hung up on lifting heavy all the time. Lighter weights and higher reps are a good break and more joint-friendly.

* Assistance work is overrated. Not useless, but it needs perspective.

* Don't overthink things.

* Don't copy the guys with years/decades of experience. More complex training programs work for advanced lifters because they have a foundation built up over years. You are not advanced because you've been lifting for three months. Or three years.

* Don't copy people that don't have the same goals. If you want to increase your performance in a sport or athletic activity, bodybuilding isn't for you. Neither is geared powerlifting.

* Simpler training programs are almost always better than more complicated programs. Keep things as simple as you can. Most people don't like this because simple means "lots of squats" and hard work.

* Eat more if you want to grow. If you "eat all the time" and never grow, you don't eat as much as you think you do.

* Pay attention to (p)rehab. Better to stay on top of recovery and avoid injuries than to deal with them later.

* Don't be afraid to rest if you need it.

* Don't be afraid to do crazy things from time to time. You can always do more than you think. For a little while, anyway.

* Keep perspective. Lifting should be part of your life. Unless you're getting paid for it, it shouldn't be your life.

* Don't overthink things.

Food!!! Proper Diet!

nate225 wrote:

rimma wrote:I'm still a newbie, but I know a few things now that I wish I knew 9 months ago:

-Don't try and design your own routine after reading a couple of bbing articles online.

-You are not a hardgainer, you are just not eating enough.

-Be consistent and have a plan.


Only a fool never makes mistakes. If you make mistakes you are learning!

That is gold Rimma!!!!

quote of the month

Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition four years of good growing time went down the gurggler because I didn't have a bloody clue.

im still a noob, infact I just discovered how to do side lateral raises to their full potential! Now watch them grow

Pman beat me to it If I could have my first two years back I would focus on compound excersizes bench, deads, squats, leg press,shoulder press close grip bench couple others....I wasted a lot of time trying to define muscle with lateral raises and tricep kickbacks etc when really I never had the base to do this!!!!!!!!!!!
Food is key too many young guys ask "whats the secret mate" when I and others say eat like a man possessed most think pfft yeah right lol!

Gains made after 10 weeks are retained and egyptian preloads are gold so you should stockpile them.

Optimass wrote:Gains made after 10 weeks are retained and egyptian preloads are gold so you should stockpile them.

I didn't understand a word of that

Great idea for a thread btw, glad a get to read this while I'm relatively new to the game

ThePman wrote:* Don't overthink things.....


* Don't overthink things.....


* Don't overthink things.

yep...as the professor said!!!!

rimma wrote:I'm still a newbie, but I know a few things now that I wish I knew 9 months ago:

-Don't try and design your own routine after reading a couple of bbing articles online.

-You are not a hardgainer, you are just not eating enough.

-Be consistent and have a plan.


Only a fool never makes mistakes. If you make mistakes you are learning!

I second this

If I were to tell a 15 year old what to do I would say Olympic Lifting. I feel like I'm too old to learn the movements well and the top dudes are so ruthlessly strong. Don't mean to start a war but powerlifting just isn't very "athletic" and bbing is so aesthetically orientated. Oly Lifting balances incredible, functional, power with a pretty intimidating physique.

ThePman wrote:* Don't overthink things.
//et cetera//

100% pure, solid, unadulterated gems right there

* build a solid base of muscle and strength before trying anything fancy

* Listen to those that have come before you but dont take everything as scripture.

* To get stronger in the big three do the big three.

*Dont gain weight for weight gains sake

*Dont gain weight for weight gains sake

Agreed!
'Correlation does not imply causation'