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Too Many Books, Supplements and Programs

by: Marc David

After working on a short autoresponder series about 17 Burning Questions About Training and Nutrition, I started to wonder if there is just too much information on the subject of fitness or not enough? And then I started thinking in more general terms of literature itself.

If I read 1 good valid murder mystery book, would I really want that to be the ONLY book on the subject? If my 8th grade history book was considered to be accurate by the majority would I really want to be limited to only knowing one author's thoughts on the subject? Or how about browsers and music players? Do I just want to use IE? It gets the job done well enough.

So what's the difference between those analogies and fitness ebook, supplements and programs? Really there's no difference to me.

Let me explain as I know there's a million web sites, book, supplements, and training programs. And for a beginner it's like:

Where do I start?!

When I first started off, there were a few major books on the subject (Arnold Encyclopedia) and of course the main muscle magazines. That is where I learned my information from. And locker room chat and so called friends. I was on the quest in the 10th grade to put on weight. A guy who was bigger then me gave me some golden advice. He said "Just eat everything man. Candy bars whatever." With that, I agreed that in order to get bigger and more muscular, I needed to eat. So at break, I ate an Snickers bar every day. Needless to say, I didn't get any bigger, I probably put on a tiny bit of fat and the dentist was happier. But when you don't have a lot of resources, it's pretty hard to judge.

I look back on that memory fondly. With the power of the Internet and the people coming out of the woodwork as experts, now there's so much information, sometimes it's the same situation, only there's many voices.

But I still like the fact that I have many choices.

If a person was ONLY to read the Max-OT guide, would they be alright? I'd say they would be better off then nothing but, they wouldn't be a good, well-rounded fitness type. And I'm not making any negative judgments about Max-OT. I love that program!

But think of the person who:

* Reads this message board for as much information as they can (conflicting or not)
* Buys eBooks and reads thru them to understand many perspectives
* Understand nutrition on a basic level as well as more advanced
* Knows of many training programs (can workout in a full gym or at home with nothing)
* Visits other sites to see videos of proper techniques
* Listens to advice in the gym but has a foundation to tell if the advice is accurate or base-less and * Knows of research outlets if it warrants further debate

The person in the first example only reads 1 eBook. It's a great eBook and it's free. But it cannot possibly cover everything. While this person will do well, they won't be as versatile as the person who's read thru many books, posts and forums to really understand how the body works, nutrition and more importantly, how it will affect them and their goals.

I remember asking people what they thought of this whole sport.

The majority were disenchanted by the slew of supplements, the million training programs, the 500 ebooks on bodybuilding and the paper classics. It's like they wanted to know out of the 1 million resources, which ones were the ones they should read. And it better not be too many.

But the problem with having somebody else choose for you obvious. And the problem with too few choices is obvious as well.

Having so many choices is actually quite good. Many DB members who have read over the posts, visited the sites linked to and talked about and purchased the eBooks that get talked about often have a very well rounded knowledge base. They also start to see a lot of repetition. 6 meals a day is the way to go if you are on a weight gain or weight loss program. It just depends on what you eat for those 6 meals that determines the outcome.

I look at my bookshelf and I see many fiction works and I see many books on supplements and vitamins. I look in my computer folders and I see well over 30 ebooks on fitness subjects. And I look in my supplement closet and see various programs and such. And I'm not confused. I like choices. I like different protein powders. Some shakes I love. Others give me an upset stomach. So having choices is good. And thru experience and time, I can pick and choose the best ones to suit my needs because after all the reading, the posting the debating with members, and just reading what people post, I get better and better at being able to pick out what will best work for me.

Do not get discouraged when you walk into a supplement store and see 30 different types of bars. Nor should you get angry or upset when you go to various places and see yet another book on fitness. Having choices benefits you. And thru reading and learning and talking, you will figure out what is hype and what is real. One man's bullshit is another man's placebo to a 400 lb bench press.

Keep learning and don't look for the ONE program or the ONE supplement or the ONE book that will tell you the golden truth. Fact is, if you only had 1 of everything, you'd be very limited in knowledge.

Keep reading!

About the author:

Marc David is a bodybuilder, writer, and author of the the e-book "The Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding" (BGFB): What Every Beginner Should Know but Probably Doesn't. Please visit his site at:

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