It's interesting that there are people who are afraid of working out as it will supposedly turn them into behemoths. To be fair, for the general public and most intermediate lifters, the look of a pro bodybuilder does seem like a rather niche goal. More so because modern bodybuilding contests are full of contestants who have bloated guts due to pumping of HGH, human growth hormone. But the reality is that building muscle is a time-consuming and outright difficult thing to do. It takes years to reach close to the peak. And no, there's no need to worry about looking like a beer-bellied muscle man exogenous hormones and chemicals aren't utilized.

With this in mind, for a person who wishes to pursue a natural bodybuilding physique, it's absolutely important to optimize the journey in order to reach their natural limits faster and safer. Not to mention ultimately becoming happier and healthier. Here are some things not to do when going the route of natural muscle mass building.

· Go in blindly.

Beginners who fumble around in the gym with no direction is a common sight, especially at the start of the year where New Year’s resolutions are still fresh. Eventually, the number of gym-goers thin down because they don't have any proper routine to follow. There are two ways to avoid this. One is to hire a personal trainer and the other is to self-learn through numerous articles on the Internet and also to refer to video tutorials to understand and mimic proper exercise form.

· Cutting drastically

There are two primary phases in bodybuilding. One is bulking wherein eating more than usual is followed in order to build muscle quickly. The other phase, cutting, is done in order to reduce excess fat. Some of which may have accumulated due to the bulking phase. There's nothing stopping a bodybuilder from finding and following the best strategy for lean bulking. But a dirty bulk followed by a cut is more forgiving. On that note, cutting drastically or restricting calories too much might lead to muscle loss. Be careful not to overdo it when cutting.

· Sleep late

In this day and age where electronic gadgets and computers keep people awake way past midnight, bodybuilders must go against the grain and stick to conventional sleep schedules. Compromising sleep prevents the body from rebuilding torn muscle from lifting weights. This is because muscles don't grow in the gym, rather when the body is in its sleeping state. If the computer beckons, remember that all those hours and effort spent in the gym is going down the drain if not followed through with sufficient sleep. Not to mention that irregular sleeps negatively affect testosterone.

· Drink alcohol

Taking in plenty of proteins for weight loss is essential because the body will be able to retain muscle mass while losing fat at the same time. But one of the biggest oversights by even intermediate bodybuilders during their cutting phase is that they still drink alcohol. Alcohol itself has nearly the same amount of calories as fat, which is really something to be concerned about.