Those who are new to muscle building might look at Ronnie Coleman and say, "No way!" But the fact is that everybody has to do the hard part - START - before they actually accomplish anything.

These five golden rules of muscle building will help beginning body builders find a way to develop that sculpted body faster:

1. Don't go it alone.

2. Set reasonable goals.

3. Don't "juice!"

4. Educate yourself about how your body works.

5. Don't quit!

Rule #1: Don't go it alone.

Find yourself a mentor, but be sure to choose your mentor wisely. Devoted body builders are willing to help those who are just beginning.

It's important, though, that you choose your "go-to" guy with care. For example: Unless you are planning on "juicing" (taking steroids), don't choose a "juicer" as a mentor. Choose someone who has had some success without juicing and is a bit further down the road than you are.

Rule #2: Set reasonable and achievable goals.

Nothing succeeds like success - and nothing fails like failure. You must be reasonable in setting the rate at which you expect to accomplish your long term goals. Nothing happens overnight, and achieving baby steps keeps you motivated and positive.

Rule #3: Don't "juice!"

I'm not going to deliver the "avoid the roids" speech. You already know that doping might produce immediate results, but that it also produces long term health problems.

Assume that you arw going to have a life after 60, that you are probably going to want to experience it, and that "juicing" will create health problems that will cause major problems as you age.

Rule #4: Educate yourself about your body and how it works.

The body is amazing. It is a set of self-sustaining and interacting systems that no machine ever built by man has even come close to duplicating.

If you understand how your body works, you will avoid time spent on exercises that are not effective, money spent on equipment that doesn't work, and a whole lot of pain from injuries that didn't have to happen.

Rule #5: Don't quit!

You aren't going to walk into a gym, exercise for a couple of hours and walk out looking like Mr. Olympia - no way! Building muscle takes time and effort. There is nothing fast or easy about building muscle.

If anybody tries to tell you that there is an easy and fast way to build muscle, RUN... they are out to sell you something that isn't going to work or can hurt you long-term.

Champion body builders didn't come into this world with those well developed and perfectly defined muscles. They all walked into a gym for the first time. They ALL started. When you look at your skinny or flabby body and think, "NO WAY" remember that there IS a way, but you DO have to start.