A very common theme especially for beginners is trying to have a body like someone else.  They want to look like a certain celebrity or athlete so they search high and wide for the training methods they use.  This has never made sense to me.  This is like trying to have someone else’s face.  You are born with a certain blue print.  The shape of your muscles and length of limbs etc. is determined by this.  It is foolish to think that if you workout just like Joe Athlete then you will look just like him.  Or if you follow the diet of Jane Sexygirl you will get her butt.  You are unique.  Some people respond best to higher reps.  Some respond better to lower reps.  Some can more carb tolerant than others.  Some can recover from more frequent workouts.  The trick is to find what works for you.  It is great to look to others for inspiration but thinking you will be like them will only lead to disappointment.

Another thing to consider is that when you read someone’s workout or diet, you aren’t reading their history.  Sergio Olivia was a great bodybuilder but he started out Olympic lifting.  Magnus Samuelsson was an arm wrestler before he was the world’s strongest man.  When you read a workout online or in a magazine you are looking at snapshot of what they are doing at the time (assuming it is a truthful article).  How many people do you know workout the same way year after year?  The work outs you read are good for ideas but you don’t have to copy it.  Just because it worked for them for a period of time doesn’t mean it is going to work for you. 

If it was that easy to look like someone else then the world wouldn’t be as interesting.  Think of how boring it would be if everyone looked the same.  Or if all singers had the same voice.  Or if all athletes ran at the same speed.  Embrace these differences and see where it takes you.  Maybe your physique idol lifts heavy and take long rest.  If you respond better to shorter, lighter workouts then do it.  It is great and necessary to experiment and find what works for you but don’t do something just because someone else is.  The principles of diet and exercises will stay the same.  If you want to be bigger and/or stronger you need to perform some kind of resistance training.  If you want to lose weight then you are going to need to restrict calories somewhat.  That’s it.  The rest is filling in the details.

A note to the ladies:

You are beautiful.  Maybe you need to lose weight or gain muscle or both but please stop trying to obtain something that isn’t possible for you.  Stop getting cut open and stuffing your body or getting fat sucked out just to look like someone you aren’t.  If you work hard you can be lean, keep your curves, and I promise you will look great.  It takes HARD work and time but you can do it.  You might not have the genetics for the perfect bubble butt you want but you can build a killer butt that no guy would turn down (or girl if you go that way).  Stop looking at other women.  Look at yourself, get to work and be amazed at what you can do with the body you were given.