He may have pulled this estimate out of you-know-where, but I read a Mike Mentzer article years ago in which he contended that 1/100,000 men have the genetic makeup (in terms of structure, muscle bellies, and psychological profile) to be Mr Olympia.
44, Will be 45 in May.
I’d stepped back from serious lifting with any goal in mind for a couple of years when we had my son (4yrs.) and just steadily declined. Lately I’ve been reconsidering my whole approach. Currently doing stability/mobility/work capacity stuff, and thinking about a longer term approach.
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Yeah, there was a now deceased permabulker, trainer (?), , to whom I never had anything against, and I’m sure you know who I am talking about, who never got on a stage but attempted to train pros (or perhaps did for a session or two), and who I believe claimed that if he were to diet down, would be a shredded 300 pounds onstage.
Then there is another very popular guy (practically everyone in BB knows of him), supplement company owner, famous program writer, permabulker, and hardcore BB fan, who for some reason, despite his love for BB never competed and when attempted to compete, simply opted out because he did not like the way he looked at a certain weight on the way down.
Both of these guys seem to be good guys, and I have nothing bad to say about them, but one might wonder why if they have so much expertise and access to all the inside knowledge, would not have just gotten onstage to know what the event they so much love is all about!
I had to wear hooded sweatshirts and beanies in some grocery stores at the end of Spring and in early Fall. I also wore long sleeve shirts to work because of the air conditioning and often wore a cap in my office to insulate my head (no lie).
If you like this stuff, you will LOVE prepping for and being in a show! Well, at least I think that. I think you should do it eventually. I don’t think 45 is so damn old for bodybuilding. Other sports, yes, but for BB, which I don’t even consider a sport, and rarely call a sport, I don’t think it’s too late at all.
Thanks. And obviously I tried to imply that drugs are part of the game in IFBB. If one can keep a handle on that element (it is an important element after all) of competing at that level, then so be it. I just think he should know what he is getting into.
I think OP is putting the cart before the horse. Being an IFBB pro in any of the men’s divisions isn’t something that happens over night and isn’t something you can forecast based on the size of your shoulders with such little training experience under your belt.
There are a number of members who have a wealth of experience that have commented on this topic. I would personally take any and all advice from posts buy Stu or Brickhead as they are not only VERY thoughtful but also spot on.
If you have a passion for the sport and are willing to put in the unfathomable amount of time and work in it then by all means, follow that passion with reckless abandon. Maybe work with a real coach (there was a great podcast, again involving both Stu and Brickhead) i recently heard about what to look for in one. Dedicate yourself to training for a local show and see how it plays out and most of all respect the process.
I’ve been a competitive athlete my entire life from basketball to boxing then to powerlifting until injury sidelined me. I was relatively successful at all and moved to this sport thinking it wouldn’t be too hard to get in great shape and compete…it’s been 2 years and I am just now realistically plotting a time for my first show in Classic (next summer i hope!) and that is with the help of an IFBB pro and 2017 Classic Olympia qualifier. Bottom line, this game is TOUGH. Repsect it and put in work and worry about pro cards and genetic potential later lol.
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You seem like you won’t consider this but I’ll throw it out there anyway, it might be more beneficial to wait. It’s hard at the beginning and impossible in the second half of a prep to grow muscle, if you’ve been training for less than 6 months, that means you’ll have barely a year of training under your belt before you start prepping, I can’t imagine anyone developing a stage ready physique in that amount of time, regardless of how stellar you believe your genetics to be.
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I agree with the above post by robstein 100%.Take this with a grain of salt as i have not yet stepped on stage but I can’t imagine you would be stage ready in 1 year. I think so many gym goers underestimate what it means to be stage ready. I also thought I’d be ready in a year, that was 2 years ago haha.
People also seem to take these Physique division pros lightly too. These guys have an incredible amount of muscle on them. I’ve trained with and around some of these guys and they aren’t just abs and pecs. It’s certainly more attainable than Classic and Open/212 but their upper bodies are packing on some serious muscular development.
@robstein, BTW your prep thread was very informative as someone looking to compete and your transformation was nothing short of incredible.
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There is supposed to be a body transformation contest on these blogs. Start it with that and go from there.
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These guys are more classic physique size. What doesn’t help is the MPD competitors have gotten bigger over the years. If you look at guys like Sadik, Mark Anthony they were smaller a few years ago.
Okay but I believe if you have great genetics you can be stage ready within 2 years. I could see it taking longer but it really depends on how fast you can put on muscle. The muscle mass is the biggest thing as I need to be a certain size to not have size be counted against me. Then you would have to get really lean. Probably take a few bulk and cut sessions.
Agreed! When you see them standing next to a 212 or Open IFBB pro, they look smaller by comparison, and it’s hard to judge a person’s size looking at a picture of them alone. But to be as big and lean as these guys are, they are still HUGE compared to the average lifter or bodybuilder, especially the top level Physique guys. Realizing this just comes with experience though, being around the activity, actually going to shows and not just being a keyboard warrior after looking at countless pictures online, and really just diving into the sport.
Dude thank you very much man, I really appreciate that! I’m glad the thread is informative, I’ve learned so much from these forums and other prep logs, and they motivated me to dive in. It’s never too late, if you want to compete and have the time to make it happen, go for it! At the very least, win or not, you’ll wind up in the best shape of your life.
S
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Not talking National level stage, just a local stage.
That’s true, but Arash Rahbar and Artemus Dolgin have done physique before, of course at lower weights. I was simply trying to show that the competition and genes and hard workers are out there.
But as I said, if you want to go for it, do it! If anything, you might just love the hobby and getting on a stage. And if you do, do so in shape, shredded!
There are actually some guys who got onstage at very young ages, as young as fifteen years old, and just got better and better as time went on. So if you got enough muscle on you after two years of training, go compete. That’s the way I look at it, although it is in disagreement with some people who I agree with 99+% of the time.