so i have noticed a common trend throughout body building or at least, a trend that is universal throughout the lifters i know; we never think we are large enough. now i am a measly 188 pounds and so i know i’m not large enough but it seems like none of us think we are large enough.
this is contrary to joe shmoe who only benchs and curls with 20% bodyfat and thinks that he’s gods gift to man.
so do you actually think your big enough? and assuming you don’t think so why do you think this mind set permiates body building?
[quote]chris05 wrote:
so i have noticed a common trend throughout body building or at least, a trend that is universal throughout the lifters i know; we never think we are large enough. now i am a measly 188 pounds and so i know i’m not large enough but it seems like none of us think we are large enough.
this is contrary to joe shmoe who only benchs and curls with 20% bodyfat and thinks that he’s gods gift to man.
so do you actually think your big enough? and assuming you don’t think so why do you think this mind set permiates body building?[/quote]
I think this line of thought trivializes my goals and borders on acting as if trying to get stronger and bigger is some mental disorder. I have no desire at all to be “normal”, whether that be in my education, my career choice, my personal life or my physique. I have always been that way. I personally think it would be insane for me to ever approach the size of Ronnie Coleman. Notice I wrote “for me”. That simply isn’t my goal, even though my personal goal would probably be beyond what many might see as “appropriate”. If your goal is to be a number or to fit in the crowd, so be it.
I like the fact that I have XXL-XXXL shirts in closet that actually fit me. I like the responses I get from other people for the most part. The positives for me outweigh any negatives…negatives that are based largely in the response I may get from some others in certain situations. In effect, that makes it their problem and not mine.
I don’t lift weights with a boundary in mind or a restriction. I lift weights to outdo what I have done before. If that makes me bigger than 70% of the people in the gym, 80% or even, God forbid, 90%, so be it. There are tons of guys who are bigger than me and stronger, people who have taken it far above and beyond any level I am at now. I look up to people like that in a way because it shows me how far away my limits might be.
Anyone who sits around worrying about whether they are too big not only misses the point, but they will probably never reach their goal due to the mental limits and blocks they create. I lift to get bigger and stronger. It works. If you don’t like it, obviously we won’t get along too well.
maybe i mis-spoke. i am not saying that i am one of the dumbass lifters worrying about getting “huge” ect. i am just pointing out the fact that when i was 140 pounds starting out 190 seemed huge. now that i am on the verge of 190 it seems small and 215 seems huge. but what then?
i am not limiting my growth or calling your aspirations of strenth and size a mental disorder, i am just curious if others have some of the same notions as i do.
[quote]chris05 wrote:
maybe i mis-spoke. i am not saying that i am one of the dumbass lifters worrying about getting “huge” ect. i am just pointing out the fact that when i was 140 pounds starting out 190 seemed huge. now that i am on the verge of 190 it seems small and 215 seems huge. but what then?
i am not limiting my growth or calling your aspirations of strenth and size a mental disorder, i am just curious if others have some of the same notions as i do. [/quote]
Size is relative. Any time you get bigger, “big” isn’t so “big” anymore. I’m not really trying to put on much more size, however, I think much of that has to do with my surroundings. I don’t live in a community that is geared towards bodybuilding like Miami is, Cali or even the way Houston is in some areas. If there were larger people around really into competitions, maybe my goals would change. I would say that in general perception, 190lbs isn’t huge. I am sure most people would associate “huge” with someone being over 220lbs at average height (as in around 6 feet tall or less). Anything lighter than that may fall into “big” to most people. When I weighed 150lbs, anyone bigger than me was “big”. My original goal was to just get as big as my cousin was and he weighed about 180lbs. He looks small to me now.
To the general public, anyone over 220lbs and muscular is a beast. They generally can’t perceive weight much beyond that unless they are really into bodybuilding. Once you get around 240-250lbs, they lose any sense of how weight relates to muscle mass.
Here is my veiw on this issue. The prof hit it right on. Who is to tell you what big enough or strong enought is …fuck them. When I played basketball in college I would practice for 3 hours a day year round and lift and condition, all in an effort to be the best. And people would critizie me, for being too dedicated. And its the same here at T-Nation we all want to be stronger bigger, faster. Not just sort of strong or strong compared to an average person. And peopel that dont understand that just hate people like us who have drive.
A lot of it is simple perspective: now that I’m at 180, I don’t know why I ever thought it was any kind of “magic number” that would make me “big.” And I look at guys with pics on this site who are my height (5’8") and 200+ lbs, and I think “I could carry 20 more pounds and not look freakish.”
I’m not in a “Race to 200,” but I’m lifting and eating in a way that is designed to make me get bigger, not smaller.
(Hmmm. “Race to 200.” Remember that? Anyone up for another?)
[quote]Professor X wrote:
chris05 wrote:
maybe i mis-spoke. i am not saying that i am one of the dumbass lifters worrying about getting “huge” ect. i am just pointing out the fact that when i was 140 pounds starting out 190 seemed huge. now that i am on the verge of 190 it seems small and 215 seems huge. but what then?
i am not limiting my growth or calling your aspirations of strenth and size a mental disorder, i am just curious if others have some of the same notions as i do.
Size is relative. Any time you get bigger, “big” isn’t so “big” anymore. I’m not really trying to put on much more size, however, I think much of that has to do with my surroundings. I don’t live in a community that is geared towards bodybuilding like Miami is, Cali or even the way Houston is in some areas. If there were larger people around really into competitions, maybe my goals would change. I would say that in general perception, 190lbs isn’t huge. I am sure most people would associate “huge” with someone being over 220lbs at average height (as in around 6 feet tall or less). Anything lighter than that may fall into “big” to most people. When I weighed 150lbs, anyone bigger than me was “big”. My original goal was to just get as big as my cousin was and he weighed about 180lbs. He looks small to me now.
To the general public, anyone over 220lbs and muscular is a beast. They generally can’t perceive weight much beyond that unless they are really into bodybuilding. Once you get around 240-250lbs, they lose any sense of how weight relates to muscle mass.[/quote]
So true, someone called me huge the other day in the gym and I turned around to see if someone was standing behind me, at 220-230 (ish) I feel so small, esp compared to some of the other guys on the team, and when I lean down to 210 or 215 for playing weight I’m going to feel like a twig.
It’s such a weird balance, geting bigger, leaning out, granted i’ve never been as strong as I am right now in my life, but I always feel as if I’m never where I need to be, I’m always just a few steps away. Maybe that’s what’s keeping me modivated?