So I was sitting here, listening to Elbow on Grooveshark and a banner ad pops up with a picture of a mesomorphic male model and the headline:
“I Got Crazy Ripped in 4 Weeks”
And once again it got me thinking about fake promises and get big quick schemes, and the fact that people fall for this crap that plagues the internet and bodybuilding magazines run by supplement companies.
I’m still early in my muscle building journey, but for the past 3-4 months or so I’ve still picked up some positive habits and have made progress, so here are a few truths you need to lodge into your brain:
- It takes time! Seriously, just have patience and don’t be overly eager to become a juiced up bodybuilder in the next month (or at all). Training, eating more food and getting the rest you need can be a fulfilling experience in itself, if you let it. Make the choice to reach your strength and fitness aims and never – never! – give up.
- Most advice is a masked sales pitch. I’m not going to hide that, yes, I am a marketer and building websites is what I do for a living. But, I am very mindful of the fact that overly aggressive selling ruins good content, which is why I’m planning to be very unobtrusive when I eventually begin to monetize this website (but don’t worry, there will always be free content). Be careful who you learn from.
- You’ll need to work. Muscle growth is stimulated when you’re under considerable stress, and then perpetuated during your recovery period. Supplements, protein powder, or a fancy product from an infomercial will not do the work for you (and could actually take you a few steps back). Resolve the requirement of effort to avoid being overwhelmed to the point of quitting in the future.
Please don’t fall for muscle building scams. The quicker you hop off that train of doom the quicker you’ll reach your goals.