So it might surprise you that I enjoy going to the gym to lift weights. It's a little "hobby" of mine ever since playing JV Lacrosse in high school. I'm not sure what clicked, but ever since lacrosse I've never been the same with my physical fitness. I really enjoyed pushing myself to the limit. Now I don't consider myself a complete expert, but I really hate it when I see people doing things with weights that they shouldn't be doing. So many times I see people using more weight than they can handle and it just bothers me. I want to tell them they're doing it wrong, but there's just so many people and I don't want to rub them the wrong way.

1. I didn't start with the biggest weights, I worked my way up to them. It's the same for anybody; you take baby steps towards the heavier weights. Arnold didn't get big right away, it took a lot of hard work. I think that's the fact that many people fail to understand. Many people think that doing a lot of weight will make them get bigger or stronger, but they fail to do the exercise properly. It's not easy to get big and it does take time, but if you're dedicated and you do it right you will see results. I promise.

2. Get someone to go with you who has a clue at what they're doing. It's important to have good form on a lot of free weight exercises or you can pull a muscle or tear something that's not meant to be torn. I see so many people throwing their bodies around to get that last rep with weight that even I'm not comfortable lifting with good form. Slow and smooth movements are will give you better results and your at a lower risk of hurting yourself.

3. It's a common misconception that you need to feel sore after a workout for it to be good. You don't have to tear every fiber in your muscles to increase strength or endurance. So don't kill yourself out there with boat loads of weight. As you continue to exercise it's normal to not feel the soreness as much as when you first started.

4. Stay away from the protein and dietary supplements. They're not worth the risks and they really don't have benefits. I've done quite a bit of research in this area and my mother is a nutritionist. Stick to a healthy diet that follows the food pyramid and you'll have more than enough protein in your body. My Pyramid You only need 0.8 grams of protein per pound if you're a normal person, or up to 1.2 grams per pound if you're very athletic. So that's a range of 50-120 grams if your a male at 155 pounds. Your body doesn't process more than that. And just because something says it's herbal or natural doesn't mean it's good for you. Since when does being natural equate to being good? Poison from a spider is natural, yet it will kill you if you decide to take it as a dietary supplement.

5. Don't go exercising every day, your body needs rest. Make sure you take time to let your body recover between work outs. You're not going to get bigger if you keep tearing all the muscle in your body every day of the week. So take at least 2 days off a week at a minimum.

6. There is no such thing as spot fat reduction. You can do all the ab workouts in the world, but that's not going to give you the abs you want if you have some fat on your stomach. You need to do cardio exercise to reduce your bodies fat if you want to see anything.

7. Try push ups. They're one of the best exercises that only require about 6 feet of floor space and they're easy to do.

8. If you start something stick with it, you'll feel a lot better about yourself. Trust me, I do!

Hopefully that'll send you in the right direction. Everyone needs to be active; even the computer programmers.