1. The ultimate authority in bodybuilding is you. There is no "body" in" bodybuilding" without you; it's your body. It's your vehicle in life. Your job is to be skeptical of every claim or guarantee. Take all advice about training with a grain of salt, including what I write here. This includes any and all information from:
* bodybuilding magazines
* supplement companies
* weight-loss and diet companies
* professional and competitive bodybuilders
* so-called "natural" bodybuilders
* personal trainers who are certified
* the big guy at the gym who can lift heavy weights (powerlifter)
* your high school coach
* me
* etc.
Some bodybuilding magazines exist for the primary purpose of selling supplements. They are essentially brochures for selling supplements. Yet most (not all) supplements are nothing else but what amounts to very expensive urine or feces. I don't know about you but personally, I do not enjoy flushing money down the toilet.
Some of the people at the gym who lift weights are only there for one reason: to lift as much weight as they possibly can in one repetition. They are called "powerlifters" or "weightlifters." They are NOT bodybuilders. They only care about numbers, as in, *how much* they can Bench Press, Squat, or Deadlift. They rest for long periods between sets. It is unfathomable to me that someone would actually want to look like a powerlifter. Search the internet for pictures of the best powerlifters in the world and you will see what I mean. Mimicking what they do in the gym I don't suggest it.
Seemingly, these people make up the majority of weight room users. Some started with powerlifting as a specific goal. The rest were new to the gym, learned from observing what "everybody else" was doing in the gym. Many have been "lifting" the same way for years. Yet they feel frustration that every year they become more tubby and barrel-chested.
1. INFERENCE #1. The way you lift was learned by watching "everybody else" at the gym, including the person who trains like a powerlifter and rests for 5-10 minutes between sets.
Trainers may not be familiar with the results of new research, or might not communicate well (or maybe the clients don’t communicate well). Don't assume they know everything there is to know. Trainers can be useful however, for motivation, for changing your weights for you, commenting on your lifting form, etc. Ask questions and let them help you figure out what's best for you. Be wary.
I've overheard denizens of the gym ("gym rats,") give advice to people that made me cringe under the load of sheer inanity; total stupidity. Some of the people who hang out at the gym and make a lot of noise with their mouths don't know what they're talking about. And there are others who do know. Don't assume anything because some people appear confident about what they're saying. Sometimes people believe things wholeheartedly even though they don't remember the source or why they cling onto all these opinions without questioning them. Be wary.
Trying to define "natural bodybuilding" is harder than trying to define "bodybuilding." Testosterone is 'natural.' Growth hormone is 'natural.' So the term is ambiguous--depending on how one rationalizes it; it's still "natural" if one injects himself with these. I have wondered if using creatine is 'natural.' I take creatine periodically so I do not call myself 'natural.' "Natural" is more concerned about appearances and what others think; it's not necessary if one is honest with himself anyway. A "natural bodybuilder" might as well be a guy who goes out into 'nature' and lifts rocks and logs.
What "works" for others will not necessarily work for you. Bodybuilding is ultimately about finding out what works for you.
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