Bodybuilder Calum von Moger Shares His Advice for Getting Started in the Gym

04:33 - 14 August 2024

Calum von Moger's Advice for Gym Newbies

Australian bodybuilder Calum von Moger is a three-time Mr. Universe winner who's been compared to Arnold Schwarzeneggerand <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a18210398/calum-von-moger-interview-arnold-schwarzenegger-bigger-movie/" id="3feb4344-0890-346f-aa8b-0154594a29d0"> even played him in a movie </a> but that lofty reputation didn't come without a lot of hard work, discipline, and patience. In a recent Instagram post, von Moger shared his bodybuilding tips for people who a...

View this post on Instagram What's my advice for someone just starting out in the gym? -> Practice good form/technique before trying to take on heavy weights. -> Warm up stretch properly before starting, drink plenty of water/bcaas, stay focused dont get distracted by people or CrossFit. -> Prioritize free weights and compound exercises in your program like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, barbell rows, dumbbell curls and presses. These ones help build a strong foundation for you later. If you wanna be big you need to do these ;). -> Stay away from cliffs and tandem bicep curls. -> Increase your protein intake, especially after a workout. -> And.. enjoy your workouts, have fun, dont rush. The gains will come it takes time. Just Be patient. Its a great feeling having muscles. I recommend them to everyone. A post shared by Calum (@calumvonmoger) on Aug 24, 2019 at 3:00pm PDT

He has some good advice. Here's some of the best:

Practice good form/technique before trying to take on heavy weights
Warm up stretch properly before starting, drink plenty of water
Stay focused dont get distracted by people
Prioritize free weights and compound exercises in your program like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, barbell rows, dumbbell curls and presses. [By the technical definition, moves with dumbbells aren't compound exercises. A compound exercise uses multiple joints and major muscle groups in tandem, usually with a barbell. That said, you should still be using dumbbells in your regimen].
Stay away from cliffs and tandem bicep curls.
Increase your protein intake, especially after a workout.

"And.. enjoy your workouts, have fun, dont rush," he added. "The gains will come it takes time. Just be patient."

Von Moger knows a thing or two about patience, having faced a series of setbacks in his own fitness. He tore his bicep in November 2017 trying to pull off the aforementioned tandem curl, leading to a lengthy rehab process, and was subsequently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and a serious blood clot . Later, he ruptured his quad and sustained other injuries in a cliff rappelling accident .

"I have to mentally block myself every time I think 'I cant' I have to tell myself 'I will'," von Moger said in a statement at the time. "The demons of doubt waged a war against my will to fight back, to be stronger then before... I will not give up on my goals or ambitions. Im going to fight to overcome each obstacle in my path. I will become stronger than before."