For the past month I have been thinking about successful people, as well as 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 learners who spend too much time mulling over different strategies and ideas regarding training and nutrition. I try to get their mind back to reality. Don’t overthink bodybuilding!”

This type of person is very knowledgeable and reads a lot. They are knowledgeable and have researched all the latest information on training and diet. They can discuss all the strengths and weaknesses of the different diets and training programs on the market. They can also tell you the latest news about various internet bodybuilding gurus, bodybuilding champions, and fit movie stars. Unfortunately, despite all your knowledge about bodybuilding diets and workout routines, it doesn’t seem like it’s doing you much good; his physique is often unsatisfactory. This makes me think: Is too much knowledge really disadvantageous to build a great physique? 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 clutter your brain with information about diet and training, how are you going to classify all of this and determine what you should and shouldn’t do? Everyone says their diet, workout, supplement or whatever is effective or better. The best diets and workout routines are rare and elusive. The overthinking bodybuilder is constantly trying to sift through all the information to find the “best” routine to follow.

The solution to the problem is to think less and act. When you complicate bodybuilding too much, you actually slow down your rate of progress. Too many options and too many lofty ideas create “overanalysis paralysis” where the bodybuilder is truly paralyzed from following a routine or diet because he continues to think that maybe he should follow a different diet or exercise routine.

So what should I do? Train hard, heavy, and often. Lift a lot of weights, do your cardio workouts. A true bodybuilder is pumping iron 3-5 times a week and using all sorts of different methods to strengthen and pump muscles. 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 be successful. A large and healthy diet is combined with intense workouts and cardio sessions to reduce body fat to the single digits. You have to eat clean food.

Supplementation and YOU! A well thought out nutritional supplementation 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 generate enthusiasm for the process and drive the achievement and maintenance of what needs to be done to obtain real and substantial results.

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

Thinking too much about nutrition. A healthy diet followed over time with consistency is all that is required to build muscle and lose fat. The constant change of foods, schedules and amounts of food will create instability both in the metabolism and in the mind. Constantly changing your diet will never let you know or understand what is working and what is not.

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

Overthinking supplementation. Too many people believe that there is a newly discovered, safe, all-natural miracle nutritional supplement that will turn them into Superman or Supergirl in four to six weeks. They believe that there is a 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 the alluring ads that promise it all, but the fact is this. Muscle, strength, fat loss and health are not a product, rather they are a product of consistency in healthy eating, exercise and a positive mental attitude towards life and life.

Do you want success? Start doing this today. Set 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 proper diet program and feeding schedule and follow them every day. Follow a solid, progressive and challenging weight lifting routine and cardio program. Stick with the program for at least eight weeks, no excuses. Take a top-of-the-line multivitamin and mineral tablet every morning and be consistent.

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