Things you wish you knew before you started (muscles, fat loss, lifting)

[Biscuits22]

I thought it might be useful if we made a list of all the things we wish we knew before we started trying to get into better shape. I'll start with the hardest lessons I have learned.

• I wish I had known early morning cardio is best for fat loss.
  
• Eating less wheat not only helps me to lose weight but makes me feel better overall.
  
• Getting the right shoes for the exercise you're doing can make a huge difference.
  
• PWO is an acronym usually reserved for post workout drink.
  
• Fitness magazines like Muscle and Fitness are pretty much useless.
  
• If I eat more meals and spread them throughout the day I avoid the after lunch bonk at work.
  
• Nearly all supplements don't work as advertised.
  
• The line ]Results not typical means exactly that for 99.9% of us.
  
• Low fat diets suck.
  
• Too much cardiovascular can be bad for you.
  
• Weight loss is not linear. It goes up and down but trends down
  
• Eating crazy low calories won't help you lose weight long term.
  
• You can't exercise out a bad diet. Credit to: reebo

Off the top of my head, that's what I got. Please feel free to add some and I'll edit the list if I forgot something important.

[reebo]

You can't out exercise a bad diet.

A day of rest/week = your body's friend

[Biscuits22]

How cold I forget you can't exercise out a bad diet? Doh...

[Azmordean]

There is no one size fits all in terms of an exercise program. Different bodies respond to different approaches. While there are, arguably, "wrong" ways to do it, there is no one right way to do it, and anyone who says otherwise is off base.

Pick a program that works for *your* body, *your* goals, and *your* schedule.

Also -- the best time to work out isn't the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. The best time to work out is when you'll actually do it .

[Luckyd609]

You cannot spot reduce.
Muscles will never show through a layer of fat....in other words if you want 6 pack abs your body fat percentage needs to be very low.

[Biscuits22]

Originally Posted by Azmordean

Also -- the best time to work out isn't the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. The best time to work out is when you'll actually do it .

Absolutely! Some of these are what I found to be true for me by trying so many different things. YMMV

[Biscuits22]

Originally Posted by Luckyd609

You cannot spot reduce.
Muscles will never show through a layer of fat....in other words if you want 6 pack abs your body fat percentage needs to be very low.

Good one!

[PachucodeOro]

Originally Posted by Azmordean

There is no one size fits all in terms of an exercise program. Different bodies respond to different approaches. While there are, arguably, "wrong" ways to do it, there is no one right way to do it, and anyone who says otherwise is off base.

Pick a program that works for *your* body, *your* goals, and *your* schedule.

Also -- the best time to work out isn't the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. The best time to work out is when you'll actually do it .

This right here lifting big arse weights is not going to make you bigger your just going to get hurt. And you have to eat right. Oh and work out the whole body not just the upper body

[carlitasway]

Muscle toning is just as important as cardio for the best results
Eating right is going to give faster results
Water, water, water
The right shoes and clothes makes things so much easier

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by PachucodeOro

This right here lifting big arse weights is not going to make you bigger your just going to get hurt. And you have to eat right. Oh and work out the whole body not just the upper body

Lifting heavy weights will most certainly make you bigger and stronger. Of course, what's heavy to one person might not be heavy to another. It's all relative. What gets you hurt is trying to lift more than you are capable of and poor technique.