Bodybuilding is much more than massive men and women standing in front of a crowd flexing and posing. I can say it works because I do it myself. But it requires hard work and dicipline along with access to the right kind of equipment.

The important thing with bodybuilding is to consume between 25-50 grams of protein (depending on your needs) every three hours. It can be hard and grueling, but through hard work and perseverance you can reach your physical goals. Success requires staying inspired and sometimes giving your bodybuilding plan a tune-up. With bodybuilding, not everybody has the same resources or reputation of an Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jim Lorimer, but their success should perhaps convince some that trying a little harder might be a good idea.

If I were you I'd worry more about my bodyfat percentage than my body mass index (BMI). Consider that there are many wildly different theories and beliefs about bodybuilding, even among so-called experts, but I personally feel the BMI is more important. Do some research online and make your own bodybuilding decisions, knowing that what works for one may not be best for another.

It's important to know that some knowledge of muscle-anatomy is essential, as it will help you know where to focus your efforts for maximum return. Knowing that should help motivate you to learn more about the various muscles.

Think about how to effectively pursue your musclebuilding goal. With bodybuilding, it helps to have a workout partner ready to slip plates off the bar or move the pin in a machine weight stack. Going it alone can be dangerous, because if there is an accident (a weight slips off or you put too much weight on the bar), there is no one around to help you. Unless, of course, you have access to machine weights that do not require manually adding or removing weight on a bar.

An interesting statistic about bodybuilding is that one out of two Americans will die of Cardiovascular disease