The AnimalPak Guy

Off Topic
42

At first I ignored this, then I decided to go have a look at this site, blog, etc.

What a melodramatic piece of trash. It reads like an insecure teenager’s diary and really, really bad poetry.

And who gives himself a code name of ‘Wrath’ when all he does is lift and stare at himself in a mirror? This is beyond parody.

I admire harcore lifting, training, and living - but the true tough guys don’t have to talk about it like this.

And as far as ‘getting it’, I get it - I just think you actually make yourself look weaker by acting like a narcisstic drama queen about your desire to have big muscles. Lift big, eat big, and be manly enough to be stoic about it.

43

This fuckin guy is crazy… 55" chest 30" waist and 29" legs… WTF!!!.. Time to hit the gym.

44

You should have kept ignoring it.

His name is Frank McGrath - Wrath, you dont have to like it. His boys gave him that name b/c he lifts like a maniac while in the gym.

You say you get it yet you call him a queen. I think you are just another internet tough guy who really doesnt have a fucking clue what it takes to get ready for a competition.

You attack a guy for sharing his thoughts and daily life as he gets ready to make it to the big leagues. Its not that he feels the need to talk about it. Its a journal that allows other lifters that go through the same thing, find some support in this brotherhood of iron.

I really dont expect you to know what the fuck I am talking about. You call the man names, I admire his work ethic and dedication and am glad to know I am not the only mofo out there that gets weary doing this shit day in and day out.

A

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:
At first I ignored this, then I decided to go have a look at this site, blog, etc.

What a melodramatic piece of trash. It reads like an insecure teenager’s diary and really, really bad poetry.

And who gives himself a code name of ‘Wrath’ when all he does is lift and stare at himself in a mirror? This is beyond parody.

I admire harcore lifting, training, and living - but the true tough guys don’t have to talk about it like this.

And as far as ‘getting it’, I get it - I just think you actually make yourself look weaker by acting like a narcisstic drama queen about your desire to have big muscles. Lift big, eat big, and be manly enough to be stoic about it.[/quote]

45

[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Those allude to reaching a pinnacle of accomplishment, then passing the knowledge and experience on to the next generation.

It’s actualy considered pretty healthy. Look up Eric Ericskon- Generativity vs. Stagnation. It is part of his theory of developement.

If you want to be productive and continue to grow as a person, you must pass on what you have learned. This is Generativity.
If you don’t, Stagnation.

Seriously, what good is a phenominal accomplishment if there is no one to share it with? The initial rush of a PB is great, but what then? No one to share it with, no one to help reach the same or better?

That would suck.
[/quote]

Good post. I agree on everything you said here.

In this case though, I don’t think he is really passing anything concrete on though. It seems more like a motivational speech, where he preaches his life choices and looks down on everything else in the process.

What I really like and respect about a guy like Ron Coleman (apart from his great achievements) is the fact that he still has his feet solidly planted on the ground, even though he is the top dog.

But maybe I’m just a “mediocre 99%'er”.

46

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:
At first I ignored this, then I decided to go have a look at this site, blog, etc.

What a melodramatic piece of trash. It reads like an insecure teenager’s diary and really, really bad poetry.

And who gives himself a code name of ‘Wrath’ when all he does is lift and stare at himself in a mirror? This is beyond parody.

I admire harcore lifting, training, and living - but the true tough guys don’t have to talk about it like this.

And as far as ‘getting it’, I get it - I just think you actually make yourself look weaker by acting like a narcisstic drama queen about your desire to have big muscles. Lift big, eat big, and be manly enough to be stoic about it.[/quote]

Really? Because I would put some of the prose from Machine and Wrath in the same category as Dylan Thomas and Hemmingway.

Honestly, its not meant to be a literary masterpiece, it is meant to motivate you. If you are above it, so be it, but countless others find it inspirational.

47

I travel the world have fun meet a lot of new people,have lots of sex,have lots of friends and i train like shit and look like shit and eat like shit.

but i would rather look like shit and have a good life than look like wrath and live in the gym and in the kitchen.

when he will tell his grandkids about his life what will he say:man i was an animal,i used to eat 6 times a day,train 6 days a week,I was hardcore,no no stop do not run kids i have more to tell you…LOL

48

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:
At first I ignored this, then I decided to go have a look at this site, blog, etc.

What a melodramatic piece of trash. It reads like an insecure teenager’s diary and really, really bad poetry.

And who gives himself a code name of ‘Wrath’ when all he does is lift and stare at himself in a mirror? This is beyond parody.

I admire harcore lifting, training, and living - but the true tough guys don’t have to talk about it like this.

And as far as ‘getting it’, I get it - I just think you actually make yourself look weaker by acting like a narcisstic drama queen about your desire to have big muscles. Lift big, eat big, and be manly enough to be stoic about it.[/quote]

I think you are putting too much thought into it. They are selling a product. Therefore, expect dramatization where there might originally be very little. It isn’t like I think every picture they posted was just taken randomly without manufactured lighting and posing.

As far as the mindset, I think anyone who has made a significant physical change knows that it takes an extreme mind set. You don’t gain 100lbs of body mass by being an “off and on” trainer. You don’t go from a high weight of 260lbs down to 200lbs or less by not making this one of the highest priorities in your life.

49

[quote]tumbeh wrote:
Couldn’t get the bra and thong off, even the polaroids of himself on the headboard weren’t enough, looking longingly away wondering if one more rep could have made him a man tonight. “Is the gym open yet?”

I can’t believe I came to this guy’s place. I can hear his parents upstairs laughing at a Different Strokes re-run, fuck! I thought I’d be unconcious by now having my head smashed against the headboard, but the biggest hardest thing I’ve seen tonight is this pathetic postcard of the Statue of Liberty. I knew this was a bad scene when I noticed this guy stores his piss under his bed.

Come on everybody, get creative with me.[/quote]

Well done!

50

[quote]M.B wrote:
I travel the world have fun meet a lot of new people,have lots of sex,have lots of friends and i train like shit and look like shit and eat like shit.

but i would rather look like shit and have a good life than look like wrath and live in the gym and in the kitchen.

when he will tell his grandkids about his life what will he say:man i was an animal,i used to eat 6 times a day,train 6 days a week,I was hardcore,no no stop do not run kids i have more to tell you…LOL

[/quote]

You happen to be on the other extreme. I have been to a few places few Americans will ever go to. I still put a lot of thought into my training. It is simply a part of my life. The guy you are speaking of in those photos is getting ready for a contest. That takes a little more focus than simply randomly training.

It is also not a constant as most competitors prepare for about 4 months. During those four months, there is more cardio and greater attention to diet. That doesn’t go on the entire year.

To hear you speak, I basically wasted my time getting an education because I could have partied harder and had more stories to tell. I have plenty to tell grandkids without losing my focus.

While we all may not put that much priority on contests when it comes to bodybuilding, the same focus displayed is the same focus that got me through finals, mid terms, and years of school. It is about priorities and one man’s passion shouldn’t be looked down upon simply because it exists in his life and not in your own.

I personally don’t put “doing a bodybuilding contest” at the top of my list of things I need to accomplish in life. I find that a little shallow if that is a man’s GREATEST concern. However, I still train hard and have taken it farther than most people will even if I am not in the single digits as far as my body fat percentage. Some would call that obsessive…and they would also be missing the point.

51

[quote]Amsterdam Animal wrote:

You should have kept ignoring it. [/quote]

Well, someone did post it on a discussion board to be discussed. And that is what I am doing.

No, I think I am someone who gets tired of bodybuilders have such thin skin they can’t even hear a critical point of view. If you’re supposed to be tough, then act like it.

My point was simple - truly big, tough guys don’t need to whine about how society just doesn’t get them or how super special they are. The point I made was that what he is doing actually accomplishes the reverse of what he wants - it makes him look weak, insecure, and all-too-worried about what other people think. That ain’t tough.

As for me being an ‘internet tough guy’ - nope, and I never said Wrath or Captain Awesome or whatever he wants his superhero name to be wasn’t dedicated, big, or strong. He is all those things. I commented that his writing was melodramatic garbage and it continues to make bodybuilders look like idiots because it reinforces the view that they are weak, narcissistic skinny guys at heart in desperate need of approval.

That ain’t tough, no matter how big your biceps get.

Bodybuilding is a positive force - increasing health and strength. It is not some spiritual sacrfice for a higher good, it is not curing any disease, it is not accomplishing any goal that history will remember. It is not a burden.

I never said he should take the journal down - I said it sucked.

As for the Brotherhood of Iron, the blokes I work out with a gym lift as heavy and intense as anyone - but they leave all the other melodramatics behind. The results speak for themselves, and they have no need to act so tragic about their desire to get strong.

Here is the difference for you - the guys I am referring to aren’t just strong from the neck down, they are just as strong between the ears. Make sense now? They have a real, unshakeable self-confidence, so they have no need to obsess about themselves ad nauseum in verbal or written form. There is nothing manly about constantly whining about the ‘sacrifices’ you make as a weightlifter. If the mantra is ‘shut up and lift’, then by all means: shut up and lift.

Oh, we all get weary - just some of us approach it differently. Every day I get to go train at the gym is a privilege - I have both the health and free time to do it. It is not a burden, not a sacrifice. No one is a martyr for lifting weights. Rather than think you are some kind of a hero because you worked out when you were tired one morning, realize yuo are lucky to actually do so. Realize that going to lift weights is a gift, realize that people with legitimate problems think a drama queen whining about how bodybuilding made him break up with his girlfriend is a life they wish they had, and learn that the “strong, silent type” never goes out of style.

52

[quote]Professor X wrote:

I think you are putting too much thought into it. They are selling a product. Therefore, expect dramatization where there might originally be very little. It isn’t like I think every picture they posted was just taken randomly without manufactured lighting and posing. [/quote]

Oh, I expect a little dramatization to push product - that is fine. When it goes further is when it is troublesome.

My gripe was never about the dedication or even the goals - it was about the noise made about it. It can be a top priority in your life without all the dramatic noise surrounding it.

Call me old fashioned, but I have always operated by a general rule - if a guy has to constantly remind me how tough he is, he isn’t all that tough.

53

[quote]M.B wrote:
and i train like shit and look like shit and eat like shit.

[/quote]

THen why the heck are you on this site? Go away lardo…

54

Believe it or not i know Frank “The Tank”. Not sure if people in the bodybuilding industry refer to him has that but that’s what my cousin use to call him in St. John’s, Newfoundland. My other cousin is one of his better friends and is also a bodybuilder.

For the record i thought he was “right on”. Has we sometimes say on “The Rock”. :slight_smile:

55

[quote]M.B wrote:
when he will tell his grandkids about his life what will he say:man i was an animal,i used to eat 6 times a day,train 6 days a week,I was hardcore,no no stop do not run kids i have more to tell you…LOL
[/quote]

Hahahahaha…methinks you’re right.

Personally, I find it a bit cheesy as well. I’m not a big fan of what I call the “meathead mentality”.

I love bodybuilding and take it seriously as a personal hobby of mine. I don’t consider it a sport. Honestly, I think the competitive aspect is idiotic. For one thing, there’s ZERO objectivity in the “sport”. Every so-called victory is questionable. And the things that people do to themselves before they step on stage are moronic.

Simply put, I don’t think it’s necessary to torture oneself in order to look good. Not just look fit, or lean, or athletic, but actually look like a bodybuilder.

The habits of pro BB’ers work against them in the long run. If you are constantly bulking or cutting and never maintaining a natural weight, your metabolism goes to shit and over time, it is going to take more and more work to get to the same level of conditioning. That’s why BB’ers who have been doing it for a long time are forced to use ever-increasing amounts of drugs and supplements.

56

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:
Professor X wrote:

I think you are putting too much thought into it. They are selling a product. Therefore, expect dramatization where there might originally be very little. It isn’t like I think every picture they posted was just taken randomly without manufactured lighting and posing.

Oh, I expect a little dramatization to push product - that is fine. When it goes further is when it is troublesome.

As far as the mindset, I think anyone who has made a significant physical change knows that it takes an extreme mind set. You don’t gain 100lbs of body mass by being an “off and on” trainer. You don’t go from a high weight of 260lbs down to 200lbs or less by not making this one of the highest priorities in your life.

My gripe was never about the dedication or even the goals - it was about the noise made about it. It can be a top priority in your life without all the dramatic noise surrounding it.

Call me old fashioned, but I have always operated by a general rule - if a guy has to constantly remind me how tough he is, he isn’t all that tough. [/quote]

I don’t really disagree with you on that end. I get it. I sometimes complain when I get stared at when at the store…or anywhere else. I also then have to remind myself that if I didn’t want anyone staring at me, I probably shouldn’t have built my arms to this size. I personally don’t think that “journal” is written for guys who actually pass as “built”. I think it is motivation for those who aren’t even close yet.

It is a little like the point made before as far as letting newbies know what they are actually getting into. The skinny guy logging on stating, “I don’t want to get too big” has no fucking clue about the effort it actually takes to get big. He thinks it happens by near accident. If anything, maybe it will let them know just a little about what it takes. That won’t be accomplished by not talking about it.

57

[quote]AlphaDragon wrote:
M.B wrote:
and i train like shit and look like shit and eat like shit.

THen why the heck are you on this site? Go away lardo…
[/quote]

compared to ‘‘wrath’’

58

[quote]thunderbolt23 wrote:
No, I think I am someone who gets tired of bodybuilders have such thin skin they can’t even hear a critical point of view. If you’re supposed to be tough, then act like it.

My point was simple - truly big, tough guys don’t need to whine about how society just doesn’t get them or how super special they are. The point I made was that what he is doing actually accomplishes the reverse of what he wants - it makes him look weak, insecure, and all-too-worried about what other people think. That ain’t tough.

As for me being an ‘internet tough guy’ - nope, and I never said Wrath or Captain Awesome or whatever he wants his superhero name to be wasn’t dedicated, big, or strong. He is all those things. I commented that his writing was melodramatic garbage and it continues to make bodybuilders look like idiots because it reinforces the view that they are weak, narcissistic skinny guys at heart in desperate need of approval.

That ain’t tough, no matter how big your biceps get.[/quote]

Wonderful post. I agree 100% with every point you made.

To be honest, if you spend time on some other forums that are more dedicated to the competitive aspect of BB’ing, you will see that this mentality is actually quite prevalent.

It’s especially commonplace among the so-called “natural lifters” – the guys who compete without taking AAS. These fucking idiots would like nothing better than to spend all day telling you about the pain, the sacrifices, and the hardships they endure – all because they “don’t have the drugs to rely on as a crutch”. They berate anyone who has even considered hormonal supplementation.

In general, I’ve found that most bodybuilder are idiots - the stereotype is true. You go to some of these sites and you see 16-year-old idiots trying to emulate the big boys, their idols. They often post whiney lamentations on the difficulties of living as a bodybuilder, such as “I started eating 15 raw eggs and 2 cans of tuna a day and ppl are talking about me behind my back. Why do other ppl always try to bring u down?”

Because you’re a fucking melodramatic loon who gets off on his masochistic practices, that’s why.

59

[quote]Raziel wrote:
yyyyyyeaaaah boi hardcore now let me buy some vitamins for $20[/quote]

LOL brilliant.

60

When talking about the whole tough guy or hardcore issue, I think it is important to realize that the whole basis for the physical self improvement (unless you’re actually training for practical use or health concerns), whether you’re trying to get leaner or build more muscle, evolves around insecurity.

The guy who adds 50 lbs of muscle because he didn’t like his skinny self had an insecurity about himself. That guy often continues to have that and projects it on to other skinny guys.

Same goes for the former fat guy who can’t stand to see other fat guys. He may be more disgusted by the fact, that those people reminds him of what he used to be and what he could become again.

Often I find that the motivational articles looks more like the author is really trying to justify and convince himself of his life style rather than the reader. Other times it looks like it’s an attempt to get a pad on the back from like minded people.

Either way I think it’s important to look at what it REALLY is that drives you and keep your ego in check. Much of the attitude should most likely be directed against one self.

Searching for a brotherhood or “fraternity” in this life style might show that insecurity of standing alone and the need for support. Look at the large amount of threads on this board where people either group up and look down upon different people or pad each others back, to feel like minded and bonded together. Nothing wrong with it but I think it’s important to notice.

I might be wrong here. Please, let me know what your opinion is.

61

[quote]SirPhisticated wrote:
When talking about the whole tough guy or hardcore issue, I think it is important to realize that the whole basis for the physical self improvement (unless you’re actually training for practical use or health concerns), whether you’re trying to get leaner or build more muscle, evolves around insecurity.

The guy who adds 50 lbs of muscle because he didn’t like his skinny self had an insecurity about himself. That guy often continues to have that and projects it on to other skinny guys.

Same goes for the former fat guy who can’t stand to see other fat guys. He may be more disgusted by the fact, that those people reminds him of what he used to be and what he could become again.

Often I find that the motivational articles looks more like the author is really trying to justify and convince himself of his life style rather than the reader. Other times it looks like it’s an attempt to get a pad on the back from like minded people.

Either way I think it’s important to look at what it REALLY is that drives you and keep your ego in check. Much of the attitude should most likely be directed against one self.

Searching for a brotherhood or “fraternity” in this life style might show that insecurity of standing alone and the need for support. Look at the large amount of threads on this board where people either group up and look down upon different people or pad each others back, to feel like minded and bonded together. Nothing wrong with it but I think it’s important to notice.

I might be wrong here. Please, let me know what your opinion is.

[/quote]

I think “insecurity” is the wrong word. I didn’t continue to get bigger due to insecurity. I may have initially entered a weight room in high school because I felt skinny or wanted to impress the girls, but that isn’t what drove me for the next decade. Whatever may have initially pulled you into the gym, the desire to see just how far you can go is what will keep you there.

No one does this shit to an extreme just because they feel insecure. They would never pull the strength from that to push that hard.