The principles of building a physique at the start can seem like a very simple concept to grasp, right?
You’ve just got to hit the gym a few times a week,
Lug a few weights around,
Throw in a few protein shakes for good measure,
And suddenly, you feel like you’re on your way to looking like Arnie.
Most lads will think that this is the hardest part of building a physique
But the hardest part…Escaping the beginner stage
A stage, as I mentioned earlier, where you can literally do ANYTHING, and you will grow
Step one foot into the gym.
Touch a barbell
Or even the sniff of the cable machine
You will grow
Except right now!
You’re not in the beginner stage anymore.
You’ve been lifting for 5 years,
But your physique is still stuck at first base.
Why?
Because the beginner stage hides your bad habits.
During the first 1-3 years of lifting, your body is highly responsive
Even if your workouts are random.
Even if you ego lift.
Even if your nutrition is inconsistent.
Your body still responds.
That’s why many lads mistake beginner progress for good habits.
But as the years go on, your body adapts.
And suddenly those banter comments from your mates after grabbing your arms and asking:
“Do you actually lift?”
Turn into them, pointing at your belly instead.
Because really
Your physique hasn’t changed in months.
Why?
Because that same random stimulus becomes weaker.
Now these habits stop working:
- random workouts
- changing plans every month
- ego lifting
- inconsistent eating
- no progression tracking
Which then brings many lads, including yourself, to this point
Training regularly
But still not looking like they train
So to push past the beginner gains, structure matters.
Having a training plan
Following it for long enough to improve from it.
Not programme hopping because you got bored after four weeks.
Progressively overloading every week
Tracking your lifts,
Lift more weight,
Do more reps,
Improve performance over time.
Pairing all this with better nutritional consistency
Not “good Monday to Friday.”
Consistent enough across the whole week.
The moral of the story is that you need to stop training, living like a beginner, and still expecting elite-level results.
And instead
Up your standards,
Up your structure,
Up your game,
and you’ll get out of those beginner stages and start progressing again.
In my next blog I will dive deeper on what you need to do to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
Speak soon,
Michael
