[quote]Professor X wrote:
I would ONLY call it late if someone was untrained…and I know of NONE who were literally small but became pros after age 25. They might not have been “heeeyyyuyooooge” yet, but 19" arms at 23 don’t indicate “beginner”.
Even Youngblood was a big truck driver who was just out of shape but probably carrying more muscle than most here before he got serious.
I would go as far as to say that if you aren’t “really big” by 25, you will not be doing any damage on that level.[/quote]
[quote]Professor X wrote:
I started off as a skinny kid too, but I have a pic of Toney at home in his early 20’s at a club and he was still bigger than most here (and lean) before the age of 25.
Lots of guys started off skinny.[/quote]
Yeah, I went back to Toney’s website to listen to his audio bio again, he said he started training in '88. That would make him 22 when he started training, which is younger than I thought. I think 3 years would be enough time for someone as gifted as Toney to progress beyond the average person.
[quote]DeltaOne wrote:
I read somewhere Branch Warren started late, early 20’s or so. I don’t know if this is true, as I read stuff on this site that says otherwise. Plus, I wouldn’t call mid 20’s as “late” by all means.
[/quote]
I thought I’ve seen/heard him talk about teen comps he was in.
The take home message is, don’t think you can start this super late and still get that big. Most of the guys even with GREAT genetics were already pretty fucking big by 25. I don;t know of any who waited until 25-30 to even pick up a weight the first time who still got that big.
Your body will not make the same progress if you sleep through the best initial growing years of your life which I would say for most are BEFORE the age of 25.
You can make “progress”, but we aren’t talking about just making progress.
It took Freeman almost 20 years to build a body like that…and that is someone who has better genetics than most here of anywhere else.
[quote]DeltaOne wrote:
Thank god I’m still young and still have years to work my ass off.
Even so I still get paranoid thinking I’m gonna start competing late.
This thread was gave me somewhat of a mental relief.[/quote]
I don’t think it matters when you start competing, it’s more about when you start training and if you are making progress…
[quote]DeltaOne wrote:
Thank god I’m still young and still have years to work my ass off.
Even so I still get paranoid thinking I’m gonna start competing late.
This thread was gave me somewhat of a mental relief.[/quote]
I don’t think it matters when you start competing, it’s more about when you start training and if you are making progress… [/quote]
Agreed. Many of these guys may compete for several years but they don’t go pro until their late 30’s. In fact, in NPC that is pretty common. It is RARE to see someone make it to pro level before the age of 30.
It isn’t about competing early. Unless you are a true genetic freak (which you would know by now anyway), most guys don’t hit their peak until their 30’s…it is just that very few will get that huge unless they are already stand out lifters before the age of 25.
If you are skinny and 30 and just started lifting, don’t assume you can be a pro bodybuilder.
Same thing with pro sports and to an even greater degree, Olympic sports.
In Olympic sports like sprinting, you’re a fuckin’ dinosaur at age 30. Linford Christie was a friggin’ senior citizen when he ran his last Olympics at age 31 or 35 if I remember correctly.
And even if Martin Kjellstrom was a distance runner beforehand, his conditioning did provide SOME base of physical conditioning for lifting. I agree with X - there are no guys who were nothing but beer guzzlers who first started doing ANY form of training at age 30+.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I think Phil Heath started in his 20’s,… but he was one of those naturally athletic looking guys. Most of the ‘late starters’ are people who always sort of looked like they probably lifted weights (at least recreationaly) anyway (ie. Heath was always being asked if he was a bodybuilder before he ever thought about competing).
S[/quote]
I believe he played basketball at the University of Denver.
So he was prolly doing some type of training maybe not bb style but definitely some intense training/lifting.
Obviously a genetic freak though with those arms [/quote]
Wow, I didn’t know that. Does anyone have any pictures of him from his basketball days? I can’t imagine a point guard being all that huge while playing.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I think Phil Heath started in his 20’s,… but he was one of those naturally athletic looking guys. Most of the ‘late starters’ are people who always sort of looked like they probably lifted weights (at least recreationaly) anyway (ie. Heath was always being asked if he was a bodybuilder before he ever thought about competing).
S[/quote]
I believe he played basketball at the University of Denver.
So he was prolly doing some type of training maybe not bb style but definitely some intense training/lifting.
Obviously a genetic freak though with those arms [/quote]
Wow, I didn’t know that. Does anyone have any pictures of him from his basketball days? I can’t imagine a point guard being all that huge while playing.[/quote]
no idea how to attach a photo we will see if this works
Well, Geez! looking at that pic (and I don’t think Heath is especially tall), it’s no wonder he says people were always asking if he was a bodybuilder -lol. Just more proof to show that the guys at the very top of the game today, usually started out much better along the genetic scale then most people (if only the young idiots at my gym who think that if they take enough AAS they could win the Olympia would understand this!)
