also when you do get lean you’ll have a kick ass before photo to compare with.
I wish I had a shirtless photo from when I was 130lbs
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Yeah I am trying to maintain my muscle mass and get leaner to around 10-12%. Then I will bulk up to really pack on the muscle mass. I think I can still gain 2 lbs of muscle a month, could even be more if I have elite genetics.
My goal is 170 ripped for now.
I want to preface what I’m about to type with “in no way am I attempting to minimize your desire or motivation. In the least”
Even Dorian Yates has said that the most genetically gifted individuals, on the best “supplements” and with the best diets and training, can hope to gain half a pound of muscle per month in an ideal situation.
Still, if you realize, and not many people do, how much of a visual difference two, three, up to 5 pounds of actual muscle can have, then making a quarter of a pound of actual muscle gain per month after a year can drastically impact your physique.
S
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That’s fine for a goal. Keep that as a target, forget IFBB anything for now, just focus and do the work.
I didn’t notice it mentioned in other threads, but how old are you?
this is why it always worries me when you see people making these weird bulking recommendations like how you should be gaining 3lbs a month, or when someone says “I’ve built 10lbs of muscle in the last 3 months”.
You need to have some stellar genetics to even get close to that.
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Yeah,… I know there are plenty of other pros with genetics better than mine, but even with my … 7/10? Maybe 8/10 genetics AND doing everything “right” no matter how inconvenient, and what I like to believe were excellent preps In terms of muscle sparing, I was able to improve my stage weight 2-3 lbs during my best years.
That’s a pretty sobering reality.
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I might be wrong but can’t a beginner with less than 1 year of training gain around 2 lbs of muscle a month? Of course if a person has been training for 5+ years it will be much harder to put on muscle as he or she nears their genetic potential.
Oh I realize the whole “newbie gains” may exceed what most experts would expect in any other situation, but despite my own brother gaining 30 lbs his first year training (underfed 19 year old with a very well experienced older brother steering the ship), I have yet to see 30 lbs of pure actual muscle in even such an ideal circumstance.
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yeah, probably not… Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try though
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^this. No question, This 
S
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I pegged you for a 6.7 or so. Logarithmic, of course
Dude, I say this without sarcasm: what kind of pictures are these? Can you please post pictures of your body, legs, torso, and back included?
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This thread is what I would expect from a 17 years old.
What the fuck seriously.
Instead of just starting to go to the gym and see where it takes him this guy asks an internet forum if he has the ‘‘genetics’’ to be an IFBB PRO or whatever the fuck is, that no ones give a shit about anyway.
Fucking weirdo.
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25 fucking years old
Now you’re just starting to sound like a jack ass. That and the lack of photos isn’t helping your case.
OK, this right here shows the lack of mentality necessary to become a pro in anything! If you can’t show yourself in ANY condition in pictures on a forum, then spare yourself hurt feelings and don’t step on a stage, because when you do start competing, you’re not going to win everything provided you enter a number of shows. How’s that going to feel compared to being a little soft in a picture? You want to be a champ after all, right? So you don’t want to post a picture of your soft self on a forum in which people are willing to give guidance but you’re going to compete against guys equal to or better than you in the future in front of a panel of judges in public?
Highly unlikely, even with the best genetics past the first few months.
@jasmincar [quote=“jasmincar, post:38, topic:223023, full:true”]
Instead of just starting to go to the gym and see where it takes him this guy asks an internet forum if he has the ‘‘genetics’’ to be an IFBB PRO or whatever the fuck is, that no ones give a shit about anyway.
Fucking weirdo.
[/quote]
I can see why it would strike one as weird to question whether one has what it takes to be an IFBB pro when he is so ignorant on training and nutrition in the first place.
“… that no one gives a shit about anyway.”
I’ve seen people state this numerous times when referring to bodybuilders: e.g., “Why waste time on this when nobody cares?” Is that what you are alluding to? I am just curious. Apparently many people DO care about their favorite IFBB pros and last I checked every pro I’ve met has people who care about them. Perhaps I am taking your statement a bit personally, but I am just curious.
I don’t think his goal is ridiculous generally. If someone has what it takes, and is willing to put up with the shit (interpret this however you want, people) that goes with it, then he should try it.
Anyway, to be a bit crude here, pro cards are not as hard to earn these days as they once were. Indeed, becoming an IFBB pro is no easy feat–repeat: no easy feat, as it’s not an easy feat to even look like a respectable bodybuilder in the first place–but there are current pros who would not come close to earning a pro card back in the 90’s and early 2000’s considering there were just too many freaks to beat back then–eg, Mike Francois, Tom Prince, Chris Cormier, Phil Hernon, Craig Titus, Flex Wheeler, Paul Dillet, Mike Christian, and so on–let alone people from other countries that made it hard to succeed as a pro.
So what I’m saying is that it’s difficult to earn an IFBB pro card, but not as difficult as it once was. So the guy might have a shot. I’m unsure if he can endure the grueling preparation of competing if he cant even stand posting a picture of his soft self.
Side note: not every pro has elite genetics! Shelby Starnes publicly admits to not having elite genetics and he is an IFBB pro. Dusty Hanshaw does not have elite genetics. Dave Palumbo did not either, but made it to NPC Nationals (not a pro though).
Middle-of-the-pack genes with a BRAIN can take one very far–perhaps not all the way to the top, but better than most! Crappy genes? Forget it.
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Man, this in itself can be a whole topic. I think growing up in the 90’s when the level of competition was just so damn deep, when you;'d see the top 5 in an amateur show and they were all just lacking nothing,… well, it sets the bar pretty high in terms of expectations (meaning what guys like Brick and Me want to see when we hear “IFBB Pro”).
Now you’ve got guys pushing the drugs right out of the gates, “coaches” whose only real qualification is not dying from using PEDs themselves providing guidance to literal kids (have you seen some of the teens at higher level NPC shows lately?)
You also will see guys seriously entering every damn show throughout the year, just hoping and praying for a poor turnout so they can slip through the cracks and get a card. I’m not saying this to be mean or anything, but for those who follow the sport, you understand that the level of competition can vary quite a bit from show to show.
As such, the actual quality you see when someone is an “IFBB Pro” can be startling.
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I’m certainly no IFBB pro lol and never will be, but can offer my thoughts. I started when I was 26, now I’m 32, this took 6 years, taken shortly before a show in June of this year. Of course it would have been great to start earlier, but better late than never. 205 pounds in the left, 145 on the right.
Yes, it does take a long time to get serious results, with patience, consistency and intrinsic motivation. Currently you’ve been training for less than 6 months, and it’s certainly great to have motivation for competing down the line but IMO it would be best to focus on learning how to train and eat properly, consistently, and developing a well rounded physique for your goals. It is quite unrealistic to bank on putting on a solid 2 pounds of muscle a month and being obsessed with your shoulder or body part measurements isn’t really relevant right now.
Possibly, there’s no way to know for sure unless you get a before and after DEXA scan now and in a year. If you put on 2 pounds in month, there’s no way to know how much is muscle, fat, water, food, poop or what. The scale is a good guide but the mirror, progress pictures and your strength should also be good indicators.
I train bodybuilding.
It’s not about not wanting to build muscles and get lean because it’s rewarding in itself but wanting to get a card or a piece of paper that says something right from the bat. Very bizarre.