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The Question: There are a lot of ideas and information about fitness available on the internet and it can be a very beneficial tool for people trying to meet their goals. How can one use the internet to help with their fitness goals? How did bodybuilders of the past become so informed and successful with no access of the internet? What kind of impact has the internet had on your fitness/bodybuilding lifestyle, knowledge, goals, etc? How do you think your bodybuilding lifestyle would be different without the internet? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2nd place - 50 in store credit. 3rd place - 25 in store credit. To use your credit, e-mail Justin @ justin.podzimek@bodybuilding.com for more info.
There are a lot of ideas and information about fitness available on the internet and it can be a very beneficial tool for people trying to meet their goals. The internet is known as the "Information Superhighway" and has revolutionized just about every industry and hobby. Obviously, fitness is no exception, and countless communities have popped up to help people interact and reach their goals. Of course, if you're reading this right now, you probably already know that.
  Click To Enlarge. The Internet Has Revolutionized Just About Every Industry And Hobby.
There is a plethora of information available online about fitness - so much that it can be overwhelming. So where to start? That depends on what you're looking for. Here are a few tips, broken down by category.
Scientific journals such as the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research have articles and abstracts posted online for your perusal. However, some of this can be difficult to understand, so you can look for other places where this information is broken down and explained, such as the Studies and Research Blog here on Bodybuilding.com.
Luckily, you can go online and learn about supplements and read reviews before you buy. And most of the time, you can find supplements cheaper online than you can in stores, so it's really a win-win situation.
 Click To Enlarge. You Can Find Supplements Cheaper Online So It's Really A Win-Win Situation.
The internet makes it incredibly easy to find trainers and gyms near you, as most have websites that list hours, rates and locations. But if you don't know the name of any trainers or gyms in your area, head over to Google Maps and in the search box, type "personal trainer loc: [your area]" and you'll be able to see where trainers are and how to contact them, and even get driving directions! How easy is that?
 Click To Enlarge. There Aren't A Lot Of Stores That Sell Used Equipment.
While having a massive online community is a very cool concept, there is something to be said for the tight-knit community among bodybuilders of the past. Without access to the internet, ideas had to be spread through word of mouth and contact with others at the gym. This allowed for a lot of camaraderie and a lot of anecdotal information - you knew a method or training technique worked because you saw it in action. Of course, someone just a few miles away could have come up with a breakthrough technique that you wouldn't know about if it wasn't publicized, so that could be an issue. However, I think the lack of the internet made more bodybuilders "do it yourself" kind of guys who were extremely driven, dedicated and intense, because that was a sure-fire way to produce results.
Most of these hardcore bodybuilders would probably laugh at 'fad' workouts of today. The main difference though, comes down to community - while it wasn't as widespread, the old-school community was more involved, as bodybuilders saw each other in person instead of anonymously over the internet. This meant they could trust each other more and they probably had more meaningful relationships, which helped make up for the lack of breadth in the community.
The internet has had an incredibly large influence on my fitness lifestyle and knowledge. Without the internet, I wouldn't have nearly the knowledge that I have now. While there are a lot of books on the subject, the amount of free resources on the internet has been great in expanding my understanding of exercise science, muscular anatomy, supplements and nutrition. Also, books can be a great tool, but if you have a question or need clarification, you can't exactly call up the author and ask for a more thorough explanation. However, with message boards and chat rooms, it's very easy to get more information any time that you need it.
Additionally, when I'm not at school, I'm training at home, which can be a lonely pursuit. Luckily, I can interact with friends on the message boards, share my progress, get new ideas and meet new people with similar interests and goals. This makes things a lot more interesting and provides some motivation to work harder. I'm not sure I'd be working out as hard or as often if I didn't have the internet as a resource for communication and knowledge.
Lastly, I do all of my supplement shopping online, as not a lot of products are available in my area, and the stores that do have a decent selection are very expensive. Shopping online is very convenient, and I can easily compare prices and get the best deal, no matter what time I'm doing my shopping - often at odd times after I'm done with class and work. It's very hard to imagine how things would have been for me without the internet, but I'm sure they would not be as successful. Before searching around online, I didn't know how to create an effective split, or what to eat, or even when to eat to make the most progress.
Through emulating and adapting others' routines, I have developed routines of my own and have applied others' ideas about fitting exercise into my busy schedule. And because new ideas are coming out all the time, the learning never stops.
The internet is so full of information that achieving one's fitness goals has become so much easier due to all the knowledge and science on the internet. It is a useful tool for both beginners and the experienced, and it is always updated and always has more available for one to learn.
 Click To Enlarge. The Internet Always Has More Available To Learn. In order to reach ones fitness goals, you need to have a balance of exercise, nutrition, and state of mind in order to see optimal results, and the internet contains the appropriate details on achieving that balance. The internet really provides the fundamental science and information that can be the focal point to ones continued success in the field of fitness.
The internet offers numerous workout programs for beginners to start out with and as they develop, they can also find intermediate and advanced routines to continually challenge them. This also provides those already experienced with variations or new ideas to vary their routines.
The internet offers vital information on overtraining, cardio and its benefits, and other such aspects of health. It is so easy to keep logs and review other people's programs to diversify your own.
The internet will help you decide on the right foods for your health and goals and the right balance to assure you are as healthy and are performing to the best of your abilities. Along with the right types of food, it can also provide you with numerous healthy recipes or healthy twists on old favorites. One such area of nutrition I feel should be addressed is supplementation. The internet, while not only providing the cheapest supplements, it also allows for someone to research a product and decide whether or not it is right for them. Supplement science is important and you can be sure of a products safety, quality, and effectiveness by using the internet to analyze and research different products. You can research reviews or offer your own to help others. One of the most useful tools I can recommend is the Total Metabolism Forecaster.
If you are having any issues the internet (ensure you are on a reliable and safe site) provides an anonymous place to vent or share your experiences. Any struggles you face can be dealt with, or you can find quick access to professional aid.
 Click To Enlarge. You Can Learn The Actual Science And Research Behind All That You Have Learned. If you feel unable to follow through or unsure if you are training properly you can always use internet forums and e-mailing to contact those more experience who can provide a plethora of information and tips to help you on your way. You can even discover personal trainers or group sessions in local gyms. You can find cheap equipment online, vast scientific research, and it really just shortens many painstaking aspects of a bodybuilder's life like tracking food or keeping a workout log. It has simplified many aspects and has helped so many reach their goals through vast stores of information.
Many bodybuilders from the past would have loved to have such a database available to them, but unfortunately they were the ones inventing their own methods and devising their own styles. Rather than have the information and knowledge at their fingertips as we do today, bodybuilders would learn from one another and from trainers. They watched one another and shared their personal knowledge, which made the spread of information slower and more limited due to lack of communication.
They invented new methods and had to find out what worked for them by trial and error, and the science or research just wasn't available. Basically, they learned from books, trainers, their own experiences, and from one another. Information was passed down, observed, and invented.
The internet has had a profound impact on my life due to all the knowledge and information I had available. When I first began lifting weights, I had no idea what I was doing and I didn't eat appropriately. Needless to say I wish I had used the internet sooner. It provided me with the information that has allowed me to progress to such a degree as opposed to the progress I made without it. I learned about different routines, effective training methods, and other aspects of exercising. I used the internet to continually vary my routine and learn new styles and techniques.
I have become knowledgeable on proper nutrition and have developed a completely new diet due to the information received on the internet. I also achieved the motivation and drive to pursue my goals by conversing with others and asking for advice. I can also buy supplements much cheaper and of more variety, products that were previously unavailable are now optional, and all of the free services I can use such as calculators and the ability to contact professionals is unique and extremely helpful. Without the internet I would still be overtraining, eating far too little, and lacking the motivation to really progress and work with myself. It has helped me recover from an eating disorder and it is now helping me to achieve my goals of adding muscle to my frame. My success and my new lifestyle must be attributed largely to the information I discovered on the internet. I have completely changed my life and my progress has come from my new knowledge.
The vast amount of exercise and nutritional information can be a daunting task to learn for someone who is just starting out their journey to physical wellness. The knowledge of how to correctly diet and exercise to achieve various goals typically had to be either discovered on its own through trial and error and/or through someone else who was more experienced in physical fitness.
Fortunately, the internet has made obtaining diet plans, workout programs, supplement information, and input from others easier than ever for practically anyone as long as they have a computer and internet access. Being able to uncover this once elusive information with just a few clicks of the mouse has allowed more people to see success in their fitness endeavors than ever before.
Besides the vast amount of fitness information that can be found by searching for and reading through web sites, there are numerous tools that are available on the net that anyone can use in order to help them reach their goals, such as:
Thanks to the capabilities of the internet, what once used to take countless hours and effort in order to keep detailed accounts of, now takes mere minutes. With the addition of being able to receive personal feedback from other fitness enthusiasts from around the world, the internet has made it easier than ever for people not only to begin exercising and leading a healthy lifestyle, but to also see progress for their efforts.
Many bodybuilders from the past could have only dreamed of having access to the amount and variety of knowledge we have today through the internet. In order to obtain information on how to diet and train effectively, these athletes had to learn from other bodybuilders/mentors and through their own trial and error. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, had multiple mentors throughout his career. His first mentor, Kurt Marnul, was the reigning Mr. Austria and future Mr. Europe during the time he worked with Arnold. With such an impressive resume, Marnul obviously knew what he was doing and passed his knowledge down to Arnold.
Joe Weider would eventually take Marnul's place and continue to increase Arnold's knowledge base. Some bodybuilders, such as Rich Gaspari, got some of their bodybuilding information from reading books. Gaspari was able to take the knowledge he obtained about diet and nutrition from the books he read and implement it to not only help him build muscle mass but to also come in with superior conditioning during contests.
For me personally, the internet has played a huge role in my bodybuilding career. I first began looking to the internet for fitness advice when I was fourteen years old to help me figure out how to lose body fat. I was chubby when I was younger and had began to eat next to nothing while doing at least one-hundred push-ups and sit-ups a day. I was obviously not seeing much progress while on this program that I invented, but once I turned to the internet for help, I was able to change my routine, see better progress, and begin to slowly change my lifestyle.
 Click To Enlarge. You Won't See Much Progress Just Doing Push-Ups And Sit-Ups. Over the next few years, I began to lift weights and started to log my workouts on a bodybuilding forum where I received crucial input that helped me to continue to progress through numerous plateaus. There is no doubt that my lifestyle would be extremely different if I did not have the internet. Without easy access to fitness information, I would probably still be doing one-hundred push-ups and sit-ups everyday while eating next to nothing. Thankfully, I was able to learn enough about physical fitness and nutrition through reading forum posts and web site articles that I was able to make drastic changes in my lifestyle which have allowed me to not only become a healthier individual, but to also go on to compete as a natural bodybuilder and live a bodybuilding lifestyle.
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