You must get adequate sleep. "I have a hard time with this one because of my occupation, so I make it a priority as much as possible," Dr. Osborn told us.

"Without adequate rest, your body won't recover from training. Remember, your muscles are growing while you sleep, provided there is adequate stimulus for growth and sound nutrition."

Educate yourself. Learn as much as possible about training and, more specifically, how your body responds to various training modalities. Dr. Osborn says forget about fitness or fashion magazines - the endorsed regimens there bear little resemblance to those actually utilized by bodybuilders.

"Don't lose weight for its own sake. Building muscle is the best way to burn fat, so don't pay attention to gimmicky and faddish celebrity fitness articles," he said.

Never quit! A well-timed hiatus from training is very different than quitting. In fact, Dr. Osborn says we need intermittent breaks as the majority of us are actually overtraining. Terminating all exercise is akin to quitting health.

"Push yourself through periods of stalled progress. Don't expect to look like a professional bodybuilder after six to 12 months of training," the fitness guru explained.

"Unless you're using anabolic agents, you won't look like that. But that's okay! The point is slow and steady progress, which inevitably yields a more muscular physique and, ultimately, better health."

Now it's time to hit the gym!