One of the reasons that people get discouraged with their bodybuilding program is lack of realistic goals.  I always say, aim high but you need to be realistic. For instance, if on the next 12 weeks you plan on losing 50 lbs of fat and replacing them with 50 lbs of muscle, then that is unrealistic.

Instead, settle for a loss of 1.5 to 2 lbs on the average per week and that will equate to 18-24 lbs in 12 weeks! After that, with twelve more weeks of dieting you will accomplish your long-term 50-lb fat loss.

When it comes to muscle gain however you really need to be patient. If you have 14-inch arms, do not expect them to be 18 by the end of 12 weeks. Instead settle for ¼ - ½ of an inch. If however, you are an advanced stage, like myself for instance, it took me a year and a half to get my arms from 18 inches to 18.5 inches. Therefore, the more advanced you are, the more patient you need to be.

In bodybuilding, patience and perseverance will be your best allies. For more information on goal setting and having the right bodybuilding mindset, please take a look at my articles below:

• The Power of Goal Setting
  
  
• The Mindset of a Successful Bodybuilder
  
  
• The Formula For Boybuilding Success
  
  
• Mind Over Muscle
  
  
• Top 5 Reasons Why Bodybuilders Fail to Achieve Bodybuilding Gains
  
  
• Bodybuilding FAQ - How Can I Get Big and Lose Fat at the Same Time?

I am often asked if it is possible to get a competitive looking bodybuilding physique from training at home. The answer may surprise you!

The fact is, that as long as you have the right equipment and perform the right routines, one can get an incredible physique from training at home. In this week's post I want to share some resources that will set you straight on the topic of home training for bodybuilding:

How To Start Your Bodybuilding Program By Training at Home

This article from Registered Nurse and natural female bodybuilder Cecile Bayeul covers the subject of how to get started training at home. While this article was written for women, the information on it applies to guys as well!

Best Equipment for Home Gyms

What equipment is necessary for a good home gym? Listed in the article below, with #1 being the most important, are the pieces that you will need in order to be a successful home gym bodybuilder

Home Gym Bodybuilding Training Routines

Finally, in this article, I will discuss how you can set up different bodybuilding training routines at home by using just a weight bench with a good leg extension/leg curl attachment and a pair of adjustable dumbbells.

More Dumbbell Based Bodybuilding Workouts

With a safe pair of adjustable dumbbells, there is a variety of exercises that you can do in order to keep your bodybuilding workouts going.

Muscle growth through bodybuilding occurs via two main mechanisms:

1-Muscle volumization caused by increased water and glycogen levels inside the muscle fiber cell. This type of muscle growth happens rather quickly.

2-Muscle fiber increase via increased protein content. This type of muscle growth happens much slower than the first one. It stands to reason that we need to stimulate both.

The loading phase of a periodized bodybuilding routine helps to stimulate the first one while at the same time prepping the body for maximum strength gains on the growth phase, which in turn will maximally stimulate muscle fiber increases. Alternating back and forth between them will give you the absolute best bodybuilding gains since the loading phase will always take you to the brink of overtraining so that when you cut back you will simply allow your body to catch up, gain strength and set you up for muscle gains in the form of fiber increase.

One of the most powerful tips that I can share with you for fast bodybuilding results is to keep a food journal. You can either use pen and paper or a program like Microsoft Excel (which is what I use). But being able to know what foods you eat and in what quantities is what differentiates the people that make the quickest bodybuilding results from those that do not. By having a food journal you can keep track of how many protein, fats and carbs you take in on a daily basis and thus, you can start adjusting your nutrition in order to make gains in muscle without gains in body fat, or in order to lose body fat while gaining muscle. You can also make notes as to which foods your body responds better.

At first, it takes work to set the journal up and you may not be used to measuring your food and then writing down the proteins, carbs and fats of every item but I promise you that the work is well worth it (as any competitive athlete can tell you) and it gets easier with time. So even if you don't do bodybuilding competitions but want to get in the best shape possible, implement this tip that us competitors use and you will see the difference that it makes!