Good on you Austin!
Don’t ever submit to the tyranny of mediocrity.
[quote]trextacy wrote:
No, we have to start a thread saying he is going to get to over 300 lbs and compete in MR. FUCKING OLYMPIA…and some posters are giving him a “you go girl!” instead of thinking “hmmmmmmmm…this plan may be replete with fail.”
LOL.
[/quote]
I refuse to fall into that mentality. Its negative for all parties involved. Nothing comes from it. You tear someone down in a limpdick attempt at making yourself feel better about having a tiny dick and a lazy eye. As a victim of such comments I refuse to minimize someones goals no matter what they are. If Austin said, “I want to be the first Mr. Olympia on the moon!” I would have still told him to go for it. You just don’t know his potential to make such a call. Look at Centopani he was a FFB! And now he’s looked at as another young buck entering the mix at the AC or the O.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Ruggerlife wrote:
One other thing for those saying he shouldn’t use the “O” as his goal, but rather NPC Nationals, etc…
Who the fuck shots for the NFL Europe, Americain Hockey league or Double A Ball?
You set your dreams and ultimate goal at the top because nobody really cares what the side of Mt. Everest looks like.
Oh, Austin, I believe you also understand the usefulness of short term goals and have some, even if they aren’t listed here. So buddy, you can expect to be called out from time to time on your progress. 
Wow. Yes, you do shoot for the NPC or something of that level before the Olympia. There are people who look FANTASTIC who have never won an NPC contest because of the competition. Why would you shoot beyond that before you prove you can win that level?
Mind you, this is coming from someone who has actually weighed 300lbs (although not contest shape) so I am not sure how you are taking that as some kind of knock against his goals. I am pretty sure some of us replying have goals that would be considered “extreme” and many tried to tell me what I couldn’t do. Whether I compete or not will depend on if I have a chance of WINNING and not “just for the experience”.
If you haven’t even won a local contest, you do that first before you plan to win the Olympia.[/quote]
Oh, I absolutely agree with setting goals along the way and I am in no way knocking the physiques of the NPC Nationals. The top NPC / “new Pros” physiques are the ones I like the best.
The way I took his original post was, “Bodybuilding is my passion, someday I want to be a top level pro.” This is much like someone saying the want to play in the NFL or NHL.
It’s fantastic to dream and keep your eye on what you love, but to get there he better be realistic in short-term progress. I just didn’t see the need for him to give a timeline in this one thread.
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
trextacy wrote:
lol at you calling me a pussy, you fucking know-it-all. you STILL haven’t bothered to actually read my posts.
I never called you a pussy, I said you sound like one. I have read your posts.
I stated a solid (and ambitious) goal in my last post, hardly the lawn mowing analogy you described.
there is nothing wrong with giving an 18 year old who declares he is going to compete in the Mr. O advice that he may want to set lofty, but more attainable near-term goals first.
there is nothing wrong with making sure someone (esp. a teenager) is well aware of the sacrifices their chosen path my entail before they begin.
there is NOTHING inaccurate about noting that drugs and more importantly GENETICS (i.e. things outside of you control) will determine how successful you are AT THIS PARTICULAR GOAL.
I don’t “run and hide” at goals, nor am I content with mediocrity in any way, shape or form. It seems to me everyone knows there is a less than .01% chance of Austin stepping on stage at the O, but justify it anyways because the journey will be great/rewarding. You can enjoy the journey without setting bullshit goals for yourself, and I would suggest that set yourself up for some extreme behaviour and unhealthiness in the process. After all, he’s now “on record” as stating his goal.
By the way, if Mr. O= “being the best”, then why isn’t that your goal, or Prof X’s goal, etc.? It’s because that particular path chooses you…you don’t just eat and lift more than everyone else and get it.
The bottom line is this- ANYONE can go on a message board and type out a ridiculous claim. All I’m doing is trying to provide a little perspective and advice to an 18 year old. If austin were 25+ and posted this I would’ve just lol’d and moved on.
I do plan on being Mr.O someday and feel that the only thing stopping me is time. I’m young, genetically gifted, have the drive, and the knowledge. I do want to be the best a what I do…in everything that I do. Call it what you will but I’m just a competitive person.
unless you personally know austin how do you know his chances of becoming mr. O? what if he is some genetic freak. I mean the kid is 18yrs old with 17+ in arms and weighing in the 240s?
to me it sounds like you are attacking him instead of giving advice. And yes I read all of your posts on this thread and they all came out that way. It could be the ambiguity of the keyboard or your just not too great at conveying your thoughts online.
regaurdless, unless your an ex pro bodybuilder, I don’t think you have any right to give austin advice on becoming a pro bodybuilder. Do you even compete?
if in fact like ‘lanky mofo’ said your just telling him not to put his eggs in one basket…well you could have made things a lot more simple.
[/quote]
I was just trying to provide a different perspective. I don’t think I have to be an ex-pro bodybuilder to do that. If he has the drive, genetics and dedication to do it then great, he will digest my comments and move forward anyways. After all, it’s just words on a screen. More info and perspective is not a bad thing, and I wasn’t trying to poo-poo his plans, just trying to help. If he wasn’t a teenager I would not have said a word.
FWIW I don’t think the ambiguity of the keyboard or my ability communicate has led to our disagreement. Rather, it’s your knee-jerk reaction and defensiveness. There is an inexplicable “beseiged mentality” among many people on here, and I’m not sure why. It’s funny that “trolls” and “guise who want hawt abz” are to blame for all the site’s perceived problems, when it’s the regulars who are constantly menstruating that make 80% of the posts in these sorts of threads that break down into pissing matches.
I guess in your perfect T-Nation world, all of the responses would be “heck yeah Austin, go get 'em” and the thread would’ve died out in about 10 posts.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
If I fail, I fail. At least I went down trying.
[/quote]
Awesome brother…
[quote]Oleena wrote:
To austen_bicep:
I just skipped past the last page of discouraging/encouraging text after reading the first few.
I think you’re smart for expressing your goals so publicly, and hope that any discouragement will only fuel your drive to accomplish what you set out to do.
Maybe it would be helpful to break down your goal into several shorter term plans and write those here as well?[/quote]
OH SNAP! An Ole sighting outside the SAMA!
[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:
Oh, I absolutely agree with setting goals along the way and I am in no way knocking the physiques of the NPC Nationals. The top NPC / “new Pros” physiques are the ones I like the best.
The way I took his original post was, “Bodybuilding is my passion, someday I want to be a top level pro.” This is much like someone saying the want to play in the NFL or NHL.
It’s fantastic to dream and keep your eye on what you love, but to get there he better be realistic in short-term progress. I just didn’t see the need for him to give a timeline in this one thread.
[/quote]
I agree, and I’m not giving a timeline.
It’s sad how the thread was supposed to be “some positive shit” but instead just turned into a shit fest.
Quit discussing what Austin can and cannot do, and talk about your own dreams and goals, as was the original intent, or just leave the thread altogether.
All I have to say is that I feel the same way as you, it’s my only dream, only goal, only passion. Everyone probably thinks I’m doomed or whatever, but I’ll go down trying just like you said. At our height, 300 isn’t totally an outstanding goal, but it’s going to take work and dedication which I can tell you have. I know that I have a lot of learning but I found this a pretty inspirational post, well the original, the haters really should just go into RPM if they feel like dissing someone worthy of a good flaming lol
[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Ruggerlife wrote:
One other thing for those saying he shouldn’t use the “O” as his goal, but rather NPC Nationals, etc…
Who the fuck shots for the NFL Europe, Americain Hockey league or Double A Ball?
You set your dreams and ultimate goal at the top because nobody really cares what the side of Mt. Everest looks like.
Oh, Austin, I believe you also understand the usefulness of short term goals and have some, even if they aren’t listed here. So buddy, you can expect to be called out from time to time on your progress.
Wow. Yes, you do shoot for the NPC or something of that level before the Olympia. There are people who look FANTASTIC who have never won an NPC contest because of the competition. Why would you shoot beyond that before you prove you can win that level?
Mind you, this is coming from someone who has actually weighed 300lbs (although not contest shape) so I am not sure how you are taking that as some kind of knock against his goals. I am pretty sure some of us replying have goals that would be considered “extreme” and many tried to tell me what I couldn’t do. Whether I compete or not will depend on if I have a chance of WINNING and not “just for the experience”.
If you haven’t even won a local contest, you do that first before you plan to win the Olympia.
Oh, I absolutely agree with setting goals along the way and I am in no way knocking the physiques of the NPC Nationals. The top NPC / “new Pros” physiques are the ones I like the best.
The way I took his original post was, “Bodybuilding is my passion, someday I want to be a top level pro.” This is much like someone saying the want to play in the NFL or NHL.
It’s fantastic to dream and keep your eye on what you love, but to get there he better be realistic in short-term progress. I just didn’t see the need for him to give a timeline in this one thread.
[/quote]
Then we are on the same page. My own goals have always been to LOOK like I could compete and win a high level show. It is only recently that I am even considering actually stepping on stage.
I am not faulting the OP at all, I just think when it comes to this, putting all focus on bodybuilding at the expense of an education or some other “career goal” could be bad move in life in general.
I have had many goals and reached nearly all of them. I am not trying to get the OP to give up any goals he has.
[quote]I think the main point of what trex is saying is “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” which we can all agree on. Still go to school and get the finest education possible, have a backup plan, whatever.
However, he’s got that simple and good message bogged down with so much crap it’s unbelievable. [/quote]
Agreed. Austin’s been around the boards a while, made monster progress and shown everyone he’s got a damn good head on his shoulders. Why SHOULDN’T he shoot for the stars? He’s a helluva lot more prepared than some guys twice his age.
Just because you have aspirations to be a pro bodybuilder doesn’t mean you can’t be a healthy, well-rounded human being outside of it. Otherwise O contenders would be dropping dead left and right, instead of competing for decades.
As for the 300 lbs comment, I would have thought it was universally understood that he meant that as an ultimate goal and not an immediate one.
[quote]austin_bicep wrote:
Ruggerlife wrote:
Oh, I absolutely agree with setting goals along the way and I am in no way knocking the physiques of the NPC Nationals. The top NPC / “new Pros” physiques are the ones I like the best.
The way I took his original post was, “Bodybuilding is my passion, someday I want to be a top level pro.” This is much like someone saying the want to play in the NFL or NHL.
It’s fantastic to dream and keep your eye on what you love, but to get there he better be realistic in short-term progress. I just didn’t see the need for him to give a timeline in this one thread.
I agree, and I’m not giving a timeline.
[/quote]
You don’t have to post it here, but I totally recommend having one though.
Although, obviously you want to have other target dates in the coming weeks, months, and years to reach your goal. That doesn’t mean you’ll fail if you miss one, it just gives you a litmus on if you need to adjust.
Kick ass.
[quote]LUEshi wrote:
Why SHOULDN’T he shoot for the stars? [/quote]
Because it leads to failure and having your wife leave you and taking the kids and losing your house and then living in a motel 6 eating ice cream… Opps to much info
[quote]Professor X wrote:
I am not faulting the OP at all, I just think when it comes to this, putting all focus on bodybuilding at the expense of an education or some other “career goal” could be bad move in life in general.
[/quote]
As far as I know Austin is going to college this fall or has already started this past year (not sure) - I believe he’s majoring in some allied health specialty…
So, he’s got that covered.
[quote]SkyNett wrote:
Professor X wrote:
I am not faulting the OP at all, I just think when it comes to this, putting all focus on bodybuilding at the expense of an education or some other “career goal” could be bad move in life in general.
As far as I know Austin is going to college this fall or has already started this past year (not sure) - I believe he’s majoring in some allied health specialty…
So, he’s got that covered.
[/quote]
I’ve noticed I have trouble with this. I tend to focus so much on my physique goals that I am kind of apathetic towards everything else. It’s hard when you don’t know what you want to do with your life outside of bodybuilding.
Props to you guys who can multi task and be successful with all that stuff at once.
Props to you man. I was recently told that at 6’3", I needed to get up to the 308/SHW weight class for powerlifting, so I am in a similar boat. Are there any special foods that you have been eating to gain muscle, besides the usual beef/chicken/eggs/potatoes/whole milk deal?
I don’t give a shit about anybody whose goal is to be average at whatever they do.
Being competitive and wanting to be the best at something is a trait that not everybody has. Being competitive isn’t something that can be taught… and those that aren’t competitive just don’t understand it…
I’ll always recognize somebody for trying to rise above mediocrity.
Props to you for aiming high.
end psuedo rant
[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
SkyNett wrote:
Professor X wrote:
I am not faulting the OP at all, I just think when it comes to this, putting all focus on bodybuilding at the expense of an education or some other “career goal” could be bad move in life in general.
As far as I know Austin is going to college this fall or has already started this past year (not sure) - I believe he’s majoring in some allied health specialty…
So, he’s got that covered.
I’ve noticed I have trouble with this. I tend to focus so much on my physique goals that I am kind of apathetic towards everything else. It’s hard when you don’t know what you want to do with your life outside of bodybuilding.
Props to you guys who can multi task and be successful with all that stuff at once.[/quote]
Not being able to afford all of that food will make you focus real quick. I spend so much on groceries now that I am assuming most pros NEED sponsors just to eat.
I am sure I could feed a small family of 4 on what I eat every week.
[quote]optheta wrote:
LUEshi wrote:
Why SHOULDN’T he shoot for the stars?
Because it leads to failure and having your wife leave you and taking the kids and losing your house and then living in a motel 6 eating ice cream… Opps to much info[/quote]
What makes you think this will happen because he is pursuing bodybuilding?
I (for one, it sounds like) appreciate your input here trextacy. Especially your first post in this thread.