Preparing a workout plan is often comparable to New Year’s resolutions. Most of us give up on our resolutions within a day or two of the New Year. We don’t stick to our resolutions just because our goals are too unrealistic.

When we promise to quit smoking in the New Year, we ignore that giving up smoking is a gradual process and needs time. A smarter way to quit would be to smoke about four cigarettes daily, then bring it down to two and so on. Similarly, when you plan your bodybuilding regime, remember that it needs a set of achievable goals. You won’t turn into a Stallone in a month, so don’t intend to.

Remember, when you are just beginning, you will not have the kind of stamina of a professional athlete or an experienced bodybuilder. Don’t get disheartened if you can’t keep up with Arnie, who has been practicing for two years, on your first workout session. Don’t make your gym session an ego tussle, you have nothing to prove here. Take time to relax and judge your progress astutely.

Bodybuilding types of exercise include dumbbell bench press, standing military press, lying triceps push, side lateral dumbbell raise, etc. Meals should include proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables. For example, vegetable omelette, chicken or lean beef, one cup of yoghurt or a protein shake, and some fruits.

Lack of sleep can have an intoxicating effect on your body. According to the Journal of Applied Sports Science, being awake for 24 hours has the same physical effect as a blood alcohol content of 0.096, which is above the legal driving limit in most states. Just as you’d never head to the gym after drinking a few beers at your local tavern, you should never work out after not sleeping the night before. You’re better off waiting until the next day when your body has been adequately rested.

Bodybuilding is a great way to sculpt your body into shape and lose those extra layers of fat. Training with weights can help you speed up your metabolism and tighten and define your muscles. While that sounds easy, don’t be fooled into thinking that bodybuilding is a walk in the park.

Bodybuilding produces effects, thousands of people worldwide would readily vouch for that fact, provided you stick to your regime, stay disciplined and work hard.

Some people who take up bodybuilding often lose their patience midway and give it up altogether. It’s not easy to keep working hard without seeing any effect of all your hard work on your body. But obviously, the body takes time to react, and it won’t be prompt in responding just because we want it to.

Your bodybuilding plan is more than just lifting a few very heavy irons, gulping down some kelp and getting a tan to look macho. The first rule is to get the plan and get it down in black and white. From the amount of time you devote to exercising every day and how you manage to squeeze in that regime between your other chores. In time management, we refer to immovable activities like picking up your daughter from school, cooking lunch, or a violin class, etc.

It is crucial, however, to know when to stop. Most bodybuilding neophytes tend to keep working out till they almost collapse with exhaustion. Now, while pushing yourself is a good thing, overdoing it is certainly not.

Everything happens in its own good time, no matter how hard you train right on the first day, it is unlikely that you will see the effects immediately.

Also, intense exercises right at the beginning of the movement can cause you to get badly hurt. Remember, to keep your exercise programme interesting, ensure that it’s fun, or else you will not return to it every day and will start avoiding it by all means. Often, heavy exercising can leave you feeling fatigued and craving for a break. Under such circumstances, do yourself a favour and take a quick break.

Don’t worry, some time off will have nothing but positive effects on your body. It will use the time you spend away from the weights to recover its strength and start building new muscles, thereby ensuring that your return to the consequences will be far better. A break from exercising will also leave you feeling emotionally relaxed and at ease.

Do not spend time unnecessarily admiring your sculpted body in front of the mirror or swaggering around on the dance floor, showing off your newly chiselled body. It’s not the end yet, and while it’s not easy staying motivated, like in every other field of life, you can read books or listen to podcasts on motivation, time management, success and competition.

Nowadays, there are a number of fitness centres and gyms, to give you the body you dreamed of. Make a routine, consult a specialist, get proper nutrition and stick to your regimen. Your efforts will be rewarded in due time.

The writer is the founder of Builder Bangs, a multi-layer fitness and wellbeing company that focuses on fitness workouts, bodybuilding, taichi and Kungfu and meditation.