Just wondering what everyone’s opinions are on tatoos. Do they look good or not, can they hurt a bodybuilder’s score during competition? Just looking for your humble or not so humble opinions.
-Peace
Just my humble opinion: before you go and get a tattoo, try to envision what it will look like on your body 40 years from now. Although these little identification pics are cute on young people, they look pretty dumb on seniors (I think). They are also permanent, as far as I know.
I prefer my bod to remain tattoo free. And as a bodybuilder (competitive), I am kinda bothered by tattoos on other competitors. I always wonder why they get 'em while they’re competing? Or can’t they hide 'em with body makeup? I mean, the judges need to SEE the muscle - how can you see it with a tattoo on the top (skin)?
Think twice. I wish I didn’t have mine, although I like what I have better than what I covered up. You can remove them with a device called a YAG Laser. It has to be tuned to each ink color, and you will need multiple passes at 350-500 per. Think three times.
I have a small one just over my hip joint. The only time it sees the light of day is when I have a bathing suit (or less) on. I think tatoos are fine, as long as they are tastefull and have some sort of meaning. I’m sorry, but Marvin the Martian flipping the bird and Calvin and Hobbes are cool when you’re 21 but they are gonna be really lame when you are 50. I designed mine and wanted it - literally - from about 5th grade. I got it when I was 21, and I figured if I had wanted it for over half my life I was not going to get tired of it any time soon. Walking into a tatoo parlor and picking something off of the wall is NOT the way to select the art that will be on your body for the rest of your life.
In answer to your questions and one more:
- I remember reading somewhere that tatooing can inhibit muscle grow in the area of the tatoo.
- Yes, judges do count off for tatoos. Having a tatoo is like not shaving (your body) before a competition.
- I not think they look good.
Best of Luck.
If you plan to put on a significant amount of LBM, you may want to postpone getting a tatoo as it will look different when your skin stretches after you add another couple of inches to your bicep. Another concern of having a good colored tatoo is getting the sun tan. Strong ultraviolet radiation will make your tatoo look old and pale in no time. There are special creams nowadays that protect tatoos from sun, I don’t know if they really help though. If you ever decide to remove your tatoo, keep in mind that the hardest to remove are profesionally made tatoos made with colored ink. Blue and black tatoos are the easiest to remove. Oftentimes a guy would get his tat in jale in black and blue and then after he gets out, he goes to the professional artist who adds colors to it.
Blah blah blah blah blah, goddamn this issue has been overdone, overdiscussed, and overexposed. Lookit, if you want a tattoo, get one. If you have to ask other people what their opinion of said inking is, then you may want to wait until you have a sturdy 'lil conclusion to call your own. I have two tattoos on my right bicep, the chinese zodiac sign for Monkey with my happy blue Monkey “Ted” hunched around it. DO I like them? Yes. Would I get them again knowing the consequences? Yes. Will I still have them when I’m 40? Unless I get one of those arm transplants, then yes, I will. If you see something that you really think suits you, inkit, if you have to think twice don’t think about it at all.
MBE: "Ask me about my titanium nipple rings. Since 1940."
-Eric
I have a couple. They take up most of my upper arms. They have a lot of detail and color and I like them. Some people, especially older ones, don’t like them but if I cared what they thought I’d be jamming to Frank Sinatra instead of Metallica. You do have to protect them from the sun. I use the highest SPF lotion I can find and apply it often. I can tell if the sun is effecting them because the area around the black lines gets puffy a little bit. They will degrade over time no matter what but you can also get them touched up to look new and colorful again. It’s a personal decision. It’s more important to be sure where you want it and that you want it rather than what you get because you can always cover it up with a better design, which is cheaper and less scarring than lasering it off when it looks immature and trite.
I have two, one on each shoulder above the level that a short sleeved shirt would fall to. I am glad I got them and like the way they look. If you are even asking the question, then why would you get one? I didn’t have to ask anyone before I did this because I KNEW that I wanted them and what other people thought about it didn’t matter. Most people with tatoos aren’t usually the type that give a damn what everyone else thinks anyway. As far as bodybuilding contests, that would all depend on how much attention they draw. I have dark skin so, while they are noticeable, they hardly jump out like neon signs and they can only be seen if I am wearing a tank top or shirtless. Flex Wheeler and Chris Cormier have tattoos and it didn’t seem to hurt their placings.
I like tattoos in fact I have ten of them and I don’t give a rat’s ass if nobody likes them. If you are asking for people’s opinions on them then you are not ready for one.
Thanks guys. Not that I’m worried about what other people think. More intersted in how it could effect my scores for competition, if i decide to compete. Thanks for the advice though.
-Peace
I have two large M’s on either of my butt cheeks. When I have gas, guess what that spells.
Seriously, the only tatoo worth having is a skull right in the middle of your forehead. You could also go with the Gettysburg address on your chest. You might want to tatoo and arm on your arm. I was thinking of adding a tatoo of an eye in between my eyes. Go into competition after tatooing all three lateral heads of your triceps on your triceps. That will get their attention. Hope I have helped.
Uhm…yeah, you may want to see if your protein has expired and turned.
MBE: “Shrugging that one off since 1932.”
-Eric
Dude, don’t hate on Sinatra.I’m inked up and I prefer jamming to ol’ blue eyes over Metallica.Although I must admit I like Dean Martin even more than Frank.
Tatoos are cool but you can get Hepatitus C that way. I heard on the radio that one in five people with tatoos have the virus. So be careful.