Choosing a Goal, or Not

Are you big, small, in-between, or your own description?! Don’t worry, you can achieve your goal with a little bit of effort and patience.

Nearly all beginner work-out websites start off with the following: choose your body type (ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph). To set this straight, this is really only something you learn after you start building muscle and gain enough experience. Don’t be discouraged by this. With some dedication you’ll identify what you are without even knowing it. For example, I’m a mix between an ectomorph and mesomorph.

This bit of advice may be a bit counter-intuitive: It doesn’t matter what your goal is.

Just start going to the gym and eat appropriately. This has been one of the greatest pieces of advice that I have given when I’m asked how I got this big or when a friend asks me where to start. JUST HAVE AT IT!

If you are small, start working out and eating more. You’ll build muscle and you can begin to calibrate your regimen.

If you’re chubby, start working out and be accountable for everything that you eat. You’ll begin to build muscle and grow a calorie deficit. And even better, the muscle mass you start to build is thermogenic and metabolically demanding (i.e. it will help you continue to lose fat).

At the beginner level I am a firm believer in starting simple—as one of my professors used to say, “keep it simple stupid.” Start with the basic 3 sets of 10-12 reps for various exercises for a couple of weeks. Let your body get used to the gym, being sore, determining your strength, and what you like in the gym.

Head on over to the nutrition page to check out how many calories you should be consuming and how to develop the most important part of any gym routine—diet.