[quote]MAS50 wrote:
I think the problem we’re getting here is that this isn’t for everybody, but everybody thinks that this is for them. Most people confuse lifting seriously with showing up. And it seems that on this site showing up makes you somebody who knows enough to give advice. The forums are becoming like some post-apocalyptic bizzaro land with no order.[/quote]
X2
One of the more sensible posts in this thread
[quote]Schadenfreude8 wrote:
and as someone who is about to be 21 i’m starting to learn how glad i am for finding this place. i think though that the reason the older guys (30-40s) tend to work harder is also because i think, at my young age, that the older you get the more you appreciate that time in which you have.
I think one thing older guys have going for them is that they tend to develop more self-discipline, patience, and hard work compared to when they were in their 20s. You see this in college, for example, where people returning for a second career usually get better grades than they did the first time around.
That may be enough to counter the disadvantages of having a slower metabolism and other health issues associated with aging, at least well into your 50s.
Of course, the best of both worlds is to have that kind of focus and self-discipline in your 20s. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the light until my 30s. I applaud the younger guys that are busting their asses in the gym, and hope you have the discipline to stick with it long term, even when the gains don’t come quite as quickly as you age.
[quote]forlife wrote:
I think one thing older guys have going for them is that they tend to develop more self-discipline, patience, and hard work compared to when they were in their 20s. You see this in college, for example, where people returning for a second career usually get better grades than they did the first time around.[/quote]
Add to that: We’ve given up on what everyone else thinks, and so we’re more apt to make an investment in ourselves. ‘Everyone else is doing it’ doesn’t mean shit anymore.
For some of us, the slower metabolism helps a bit.
Teens, man… teens. How about Omca, who just gained close to 100lbs in one year. 6’, 205lbs @16 years old? With relatively low bodyfat? I wish I had my shit together at that age.
Good point, I’m actually getting my kids into the basics of bodybuilding in their pre-teens. Starting from a solid foundation of working out and eating clean is so much better than wasting years undoing the damage caused by laziness and ignorance. I can’t turn back the clock, but at least I can get my kids moving along the right path earlier than I did.
[quote]forlife wrote:
tribunaldude wrote:
Look. The “add weight to the bar” mindset is STILL the most important factor here UNLESS you have terrible genetics.
Adding weight to the bar should be the most important factor, regardless of age or genetics. Obviously a 70 year-old isn’t going to have the same lifting capacity that he had at 30, but the mentality and action of constantly pushing and progressing is what makes a true bodybuilder.[/quote]
Sorry man but you telling prof x wat a bodybuilder is? if you have shit genetics and can never put on enough muscle for people to know you even lift you are not a bodybuilder. It doesn’t matter how dedicated you are or how much you want to be. I guess you call 40 year old 5 foot tall buisness men who play one on one with their workmates basketball players too?
My personal definition is pretty simple: Anyone who strategically adds muscle through weightlifting, i.e., builds their body.
There is a whole range of accomplishment along that continuum. You might be a novice bodybuilder, an advanced bodybuilder, or an elite bodybuilder. But as long as you are actually adding muscle to your frame through weightlifting, I consider you a bodybuilder.
Like I said earlier, a bodybuilder defines himself and doesn’t need anyone to do it for him. You may or may not consider the guy next to you in the gym to be a bodybuilder. I doubt he really cares either way.
[quote]forlife wrote:
I’m not telling anyone what a bodybuilder is.
My personal definition is pretty simple: Anyone who strategically adds muscle through weightlifting, i.e., builds their body.
There is a whole range of accomplishment along that continuum. You might be a novice bodybuilder, an advanced bodybuilder, or an elite bodybuilder. But as long as you are actually adding muscle to your frame through weightlifting, I consider you a bodybuilder.
Like I said earlier, a bodybuilder defines himself and doesn’t need anyone to do it for him. You may or may not consider the guy next to you in the gym to be a bodybuilder. I doubt he really cares either way.[/quote]
Very simplistic…but your definition now includes those little old ladies in the gym on Sunday mornings as long as they have some small degree of muscle tonicity from talking while sitting on the machines.
I don’t know about you but my intensity and progress are light years away from them, so no, being called a bodybuilder should mean something a tad more specific and advanced than simply “anyone who gains any amount of muscle in the gym”.
If you want people to respect the LEAST amount of progress, then I seriously doubt that you don’t need someone to define it for you…you need someone to inform you that you can call yourself anything you wish, just don’t expect anyone else to agree with you.
People who think like you are why this activity is now so watered down. I don’t applaud minimal effort or minimal progress.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Very simplistic…but your definition now includes those little old ladies in the gym on Sunday mornings as long as they have some small degree of muscle tonicity from talking while sitting on the machines.
I don’t know about you but my intensity and progress are light years away from them, so no, being called a bodybuilder should mean something a tad more specific and advanced than simply “anyone who gains any amount of muscle in the gym”.
If you want people to respect the LEAST amount of progress, then I seriously doubt that you don’t need someone to define it for you…you need someone to inform you that you can call yourself anything you wish, just don’t expect anyone else to agree with you.
People who think like you are why this activity is now so watered down. I don’t applaud minimal effort or minimal progress. [/quote]
As I see it, the rate of intensity, dedication, and progress defines where you are on the bodybuilding continuum. The little old lady lifting weights may only be adding a pound or two of muscle every few months, but she is still technically a novice bodybuilder. At least by my definition, you’re welcome to define it however you like.
I doubt anyone much cares what we applaud and what we don’t. Hopefully their motivation for improving themselves goes a little deeper than that. If your only motivation for bodybuilding is to earn kudos on a message board, you’re unlikely to make any real progress by anyone’s standard.
I think forlifes point is a good one (if ive understood it correctly) but hes rubbish at actually expressing it clearly. This is what I think he means:
In this thread I get the impression that people who are not genetically gifted, or young are being told that this is the wrong sport for them and they should quit now, because they will never be big enough.
But a lot of people don’t really care about being at Mr O size, they may be content with the size of say Vin Diesel (as one poster mentioned already). I dont see why they cant use this forum and use a bodybuilding routine to try and reach their limited potential, even if it isnt impressive to others.
(Note by “use” i dont mean give advice, but read and maybe ask a couple of questions)
This thread is funny. Do you think NBA players get mad when 40 year old, 5’ tall guys call themselves “basketball players”? Probably not. You can apply the analogy to any sport, or hobby. The ones who are actually there, and have made it and excel at what they do, don’t give a shit about some arbitrary term. The irony is, arguing about what constitutes some arbitrary term that you define yourself by, defines you more than the term.
[quote]markdp wrote:
This thread is funny. Do you think NBA players get mad when 40 year old, 5’ tall guys call themselves “basketball players”?
[/quote]
No, but they get mad when they call themselves “ballers”.
[quote]markdp wrote:
This thread is funny. Do you think NBA players get mad when 40 year old, 5’ tall guys call themselves “basketball players”? Probably not. You can apply the analogy to any sport, or hobby. The ones who are actually there, and have made it and excel at what they do, don’t give a shit about some arbitrary term. The irony is, arguing about what constitutes some arbitrary term that you define yourself by, defines you more than the term.[/quote]
You should pick a better analogy. This thread is about bulking, which is in one’s control. Regardless of age or height, it is possible to do to either a small or large degree. Being 5’ tall and 40 yrs old is beyond fixable. There isn’t anything you can do about it.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
markdp wrote:
This thread is funny. Do you think NBA players get mad when 40 year old, 5’ tall guys call themselves “basketball players”? Probably not. You can apply the analogy to any sport, or hobby. The ones who are actually there, and have made it and excel at what they do, don’t give a shit about some arbitrary term. The irony is, arguing about what constitutes some arbitrary term that you define yourself by, defines you more than the term.
You should pick a better analogy. This thread is about bulking, which is in one’s control. Regardless of age or height, it is possible to do to either a small or large degree. Being 5’ tall and 40 yrs old is beyond fixable. There isn’t anything you can do about it. [/quote]
Okay, you might have read the title, but I don’t think you read all of the posts.