Q: Im 18yrs old and trying to break into the bodybuilding era and become professional How can I? and what are some real good supplements on the market you would recommend to put into my diet?

A: That's certainly a very lofty goal. First of all, you will need to educate yourself as much as possible about both training and nutrition. Read up my articles and search around the net for other reputable sites. Discussion forums tend to be the best for this kind of info, but even on those you'll need to learn whose advice to take seriously and whose to throw away -- there's a lot of garbage info out there and everyone claims to be correct, of course.

As you progress in your training you will want to enter local amateur bodybuilding contests. They will teach you about pre-contest preparation, posing, contest psychology, etc. You will lose several contests before you win one, but don't let that bring you down. Instead learn from it. As you become more and more advanced you will ramp up to regional, and eventually national contests. It may take you 10 years or more to get to that point, so you gotta be patient.

You will find many contests advertised as 'natural'. That means that those who enter are tested for anabolic steroids. Unfortunately such testing does little to prevent anabolic steroid users from entering natural contests -- using and hiding the use of anabolic steroids is both a huge industry and a science. I hate to say it, but a truly natural bodybuilder has very little chance in serious contests and certainly no chance of ever competing in Mr. Olympia type contests. I never used anabolic steroids, never will and won't ever recommend that anyone uses them. But if you are dedicating your life to bodybuilding (which is what it takes to become a pro) then you will have a choice to make about steroids at some point down the road. When that time comes you will hopefully educate yourself about the dangers of steroids as well as about their most effective uses if you decide to jump in. Do NOT consider using steroids now because you have years of natural growth in front of you and you will seriously jeopardize your natural potential by messing with your hormones through steroids. Not to mention all the health (and legal) dangers that go along with steroid use.

Right now, again, focus on solid natural training and nutrition. Become a sponge and soak in all you can about different training and nutrition philosophies. Then become a scientist and systematically try all of them to see which ones give you the best results. Everyone responds differently to different programs. Discover what works for you. It may take years, but it's absolutely necessary to achieve your maximum potential. Read interviews with pro bodybuilders, especially classic ones like Franco Columbu and Arnold and you'll see again and again how they tell you to learn your own body.

If you absolutely want to get a jump start on supplements, look into plain whey powder and creatine. Creatine especially comes in a million different concoctions and for each one you'll find people who swear by it and those who claim it didn't do squat. Again, you will have to pick and choose whose claims you belive and then become a scientist and see which ones work best for you. Both whey and creatine (at least plain creative monohydrate) are proven safe and effective supplements. But once again, please understand that basic training and nutrition knowledge cannot be replaced by any supplement, so focus on those two things more than on anything else.

Some good web resources to start with: here, here, here, here, here, here. There are many other great sites as well. Like I said, learn learn learn! That's the most important thing for you now besides eating big and lifting big. Best of luck to you!