For the last month I have been thinking about successful people and unsuccessful people in bodybuilding, health and fitness in general. I have a LOT of contact with people locally and globally and this is what I have noticed.

“There are a lot of smart trainees who spend too much time pondering different strategies and ideas around training and nutrition. I try to bring their mind back to reality. Don’t think too much about bodybuilding!”

This type of person has a lot of knowledge and reads a lot. They are knowledgeable and have researched all the latest information on training and diet. They can discuss all the pros and cons of the different diets and training programs on the market. They can also tell you the latest news about various internet muscle building gurus, bodybuilding champions and fit movie stars. Unfortunately, for all their knowledge of bodybuilding diets and training routines, it doesn’t seem like it’s doing them much good: their physiques are usually mediocre. This makes me think: is too much knowledge really a handicap to building great physics? Or it could be that they spend more time thinking about diet and training than diet and training.

So what good is knowledge if knowledge doesn’t translate into muscle gains? If you fill your brain with information about diet and training, how are you going to sort through all of this and determine what you should and shouldn’t do? Everyone says that their diet, exercise, supplement or whatever is effective or the best. Truly better diets and workout routines are rare and elusive. The overthinking bodybuilder is constantly trying to sift through all the data to figure out what is the “best” routine for him to follow.

The solution to the problem is less thought and more action. When you overcomplicate bodybuilding, you actually slow down your rate of progress. Too many options and too many lofty ideas create “over-analysis paralysis” where the bodybuilder is actually paralyzed from staying on one routine or diet because he keeps thinking maybe he should be on a different diet or workout routine.

So what should I do? Train hard, heavy and often. Lift lots of weights, do your cardio. A real bodybuilder lifts weights 3-5 times a week and uses all sorts of different methods to build muscle and pump. Don’t miss a workout unless it’s for a reason you really have no control over or an emergency.

Nutrition is the cornerstone. Without a disciplined approach to your daily eating regimen, you will never succeed. A healthy, hearty diet is combined with intense workouts and cardio sessions to reduce body fat into the single digits. You have to eat clean food.

Supplementation and YOU! A well thought out nutritional supplement program will enhance and accelerate muscle growth and fat loss.

You must have realistic, achievable and exciting goals! A good goal is a realistic, achievable and exciting goal. We all need to build enthusiasm for the process and drive to achieve and sustain what needs to be done to deliver real and substantive results.

Set a time frame for reaching a goal. For example, if you wanted to lose 15 pounds, give yourself 15 weeks to do it. Set the goal, make the plan, and say I can easily lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks. Then make a mini-goal, tell yourself that it’s a measly one pound a week weight loss, I can do it.

Thinking too much about nutrition. A healthy diet followed over time with consistency is all that is required to build muscle and lose fat. Constantly changing food, timing, and amounts of food will create instability in the metabolism and mind. Constantly changing your diet will never let you know or understand what works or what doesn’t.

overthinking training. The biggest mistake you can make in weight training is continually changing your training program. Train hard, train heavy and safely and continuously and you can make almost any training program a success. Once progress stops, take a break for seven to twelve days and start over with a different exercise routine. It’s that easy.

Overthinking Supplements. Too many people believe that there is a newly discovered safe and all-natural miracle nutritional supplement that will turn them into Superman or Supergirl in four to six weeks. They think there is some safe supplement that offers steroid-like results without any of the risk factors of steroids. Let me tell you the truth, that supplement does NOT exist! Yes, we can all get sucked into alluring ads that promise everything, but the fact of the matter is this. Muscle, strength, fat loss, and health are not a product, but a product of consistency in healthy eating, exercise, and a positive mental attitude toward life and living.

Do you want success? start doing this today. Fix in your mind a fixed goal, a goal that excites you and generates enthusiasm every time you think about it. Set weekly mini goals to track your progress. Establish a solid diet program and eating schedule and stick to it every day. Follow a solid, progressive and challenging weight lifting routine and cardio program. Follow the program for at least eight weeks, no excuses. Take a front-line multivitamin-mineral tablet every morning and be consistent.

Follow the program for no less than eight weeks and preferably twelve weeks. Each week strive to meet mini-weekly goals. Keep this course going for a few months and I guarantee you will see dramatic gains in muscle size, definition, fat loss and overall excellent health.