The Thread for Actual Bodybuilders

Training Bodybuilding
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[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Heres an interesting little experiment… by show of virtual hands, how many people here like to talk about their body building? This does not include talking shop with other guys in the lifestyle.

My hypothesis is that the longer you have been training, the less you tend to talk about it. I barely even bring it up anymore, and never jump into convo’s about weight loss or anything going on in the workplace… Hell, I almost go out of my way to NOT talk about it because people seem to put you down, or theres always the “well my trainer said…” or “thats not what it says is M&F Mag for Her”

[/quote]

Well, I’m probably not the best example because I’m a trainer. So I’ll get random friends, family members or just people in general who find out I’m a trainer asking me questions about building muscle and losing fat.

I love training and pointing others in the right direction, but I must admit it gets a little frustrating when you tell people the plain and simple truth and they refuse to listen (because they “know better”).

BTW, I’ll count myself as a BB’er here on this site. I’ve been training for nearly 10 years (several of which were dedicated to Martial Arts training, and a couple to gymnastics/bw style training) and have gained around 70 lbs of lean mass. I plan to keep going until I reach 100 lbs of lean mass gained (at least) and possibly even double my BW.

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[quote]B-Mac13 wrote:
Scotacus wrote:
And what is that so frightens you about debate, given that the debate is informed and respectful (which I have obviously been)?

I provided historical precedents, from the collective to individual, all of which are accurate.

It sounds like you will find this hard to believe, but I didnt jump on this thread to ruin your life (apologies since it appears I have done so). Simply to raise a question, which, so far, no one has answered, and if they did attempt a response, it was based on personal bias, without any references to the world beyond said bias.

You start a thread assuming everyone agrees with what a bodybuilder or bodybuilding is.

Fine. Was hoping to discuss some aspects of bodybuilding culture. I guess its the wrong forum, but youre right, I admit, I already knew that. :wink:

First of all guy, you don’t have a clue. Lee Priest fat in the off-season? While you’re probably referring to the infamous ad, you do realize he did this on purpose for the ad? While he may not keep as a lean as some, he’s certainly not anything near the portrayal in said advertisement. Also, you claim that Dorian kept close to contest leanness year round? Wow. For someone who seems to be preaching like a bodybuilding god, frankly, you don’t know shit, and your credibility is laughable.
[/quote]

Well stated sir, excellent points all round.

I didnt follow Yates around, just going by what he said. Priest isnt fat in the off-season? My bad. It still supports my point, since youre stating that priest gets between 4% and fat in the off-season, which was how I defined off-season for some, as in, not fat.

Must SUCK to be so frightened by discussion…

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[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Heres an interesting little experiment… by show of virtual hands, how many people here like to talk about their body building? This does not include talking shop with other guys in the lifestyle.

My hypothesis is that the longer you have been training, the less you tend to talk about it. I barely even bring it up anymore, and never jump into convo’s about weight loss or anything going on in the workplace… Hell, I almost go out of my way to NOT talk about it because people seem to put you down, or theres always the “well my trainer said…” or “thats not what it says is M&F Mag for Her”

[/quote]

Do you consider other competitive athletes that at least appreciate the lifestyle because they know what it’s like, as “other guys in the lifestyle?” If so, yes I talk bodybuilding quite a bit. If not, pretty much never, maybe when my mom asks me because she’s all curious why I do things the way I do(I can’t really tell if she’s supportive or against it, it’s like she’s still forming an opinion).

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[quote]1morerep wrote:
most recreational gym goers just can’t understand that. [/quote]

Even taking it further than that, there are people I know that put in a ton of effort in the gym, and still just don’t understand the dedication in the kitchen/at the table/etc. Until you’re sitting at the table trying to force down that final meal of the day, knowing that it could be the difference between growth and stagnation, washing it down with water(milk!?) because you feel like you can’t actually eat anymore; you just don’t know what it’s like. Plenty of people know what protein shakes are, but they aren’t dropping olive oil and peanut butter in there.

I think fighters/wrestlers are the closest people when it comes to understanding the lifestyle, they know what it’s like to battle the scale and the iron with a purpose, and not just so you can tell people “I lift.”

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[quote]red04 wrote:
1morerep wrote:
most recreational gym goers just can’t understand that.

Even taking it further than that, there are people I know that put in a ton of effort in the gym, and still just don’t understand the dedication in the kitchen/at the table/etc. Until you’re sitting at the table trying to force down that final meal of the day, knowing that it could be the difference between growth and stagnation, washing it down with water(milk!?) because you feel like you can’t actually eat anymore; you just don’t know what it’s like. Plenty of people know what protein shakes are, but they aren’t dropping olive oil and peanut butter in there.

I think fighters/wrestlers are the closest people when it comes to understanding the lifestyle, they know what it’s like to battle the scale and the iron with a purpose, and not just so you can tell people “I lift.”[/quote]

2x that! lifting is easy, diet is the difficult part. pounds of chicken a day or oatmeal several servings a day is the toughest part. I love to workout lol thats no problem. I would include that as a criteria for being a BBer. Documenting food, actually logging calorie intake counting macronutrients etc.

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egnatiosj, is dat you in your avator?

GJ

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Hey Scotacus, try staying on topic. DG didn’t ask for a discussion on the definition of a bodybuilder, just a roll call of people who think they fall under that title along with their accomplishments and plans for the future. And on that note I will now leave as I do not yet qualify to call myself a bodybuilder.

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SHUTTUHLLLLLL!!!

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[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
Lonnie123 wrote:
Heres an interesting little experiment… by show of virtual hands, how many people here like to talk about their body building? This does not include talking shop with other guys in the lifestyle.

My hypothesis is that the longer you have been training, the less you tend to talk about it. I barely even bring it up anymore, and never jump into convo’s about weight loss or anything going on in the workplace… Hell, I almost go out of my way to NOT talk about it because people seem to put you down, or theres always the “well my trainer said…” or “thats not what it says is M&F Mag for Her”[/quote]

How come I suddenly feel old, seeing the ages of some of the readers. However, I think it’s great that you have so many more resources (such as this website) than older lifters like myself.
I consider myself a bodybuilder. I’ve competed a few times for the last 11 years, but lifting regularly since 1993.

I also plan meals, do the shopping for my family and continually try to get better. It’s a continual challenge, since I have twin boys who are 4, and trying to best father / husband. However, my lifestyle still remains, since like any habit, my bb habit is hard to break. As I’ve gotten older, I also rarely talk about my habits. I try to stay “under the radar” screen at home and at work, since it’s easier that way. It may cause tension, judgement from other people, if I call attention to my lifestyle, so I just stay quiet and continue the bodybuilding passion.

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[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
120 to 200 pounds at 5’9" in about 2 years. I’m carrying some fat, but I deffinately would not be as strong as I am not had I not put it on. I plan on continueing powerlifting for the enxt few years. I eventually want to be able to be AT LEAST 242 pounder at my current height, and lean. If I grow 6’ or higher I expect 275 at the minimum.

I started out eating around 3500 calories a day at my original weight with about 250 grams of protein. I grew but soon stalled out. Now, I eat about 5000 calories a day and about 300-350 grams of protein a day.

Oh yeah, I want to deadlift more than Bolton too.[/quote]

insane progress!
did you eat a ton of carbs? i’m trying to see if anyone had good gains doin low carb

242 at 5’9 is sick1

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[quote]Scotacus wrote:
aussie101 wrote:
Scotacus wrote:
Professor X wrote:

If someone has 20" arms and a 53" chest and they happen to be in great physical shape, I am going to call them a bodybuilder.

Again, there is ambiguity in in great physical shape, but big arms and big chest do not a bodybuilder make.

Here is something I would like to suggest: a bodybuilder has a certain look, associated not just with size, but with symetry. You have to go back a long way in the pro ranks to see this, but likely Bob Paris was one of the last to obtain this.

Thus, bodybuilders tend to train differently, not training so much to see how much they can lift, but rather how certain movements contribute to the above mentioned goal of size with aesthetic appeal.

This pursuit is much more sophisticated than having 20 inch arms and abs. Sadly, since the 1990s, one can see how this point can be taken as heresy.

Are you saying that bodybuilders haven’t had symmetry since the 1990s? I’m pretty sure that Pro’s like Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath for example have symmetry. Therefore your only complaint I assume is that they’re too muscular (as that assumedly throws out there symmetry in your opinion).
Yes some may lack symmetry and proportion but the majority do not. .

Obviously we are both making subjective statements. I can only further exemplify mine by comparing the standard pose-downs of say the 70s and the 00s. In the former, it is much easier to tell who is who simply by the lines. Not so in the latter.

This is because once the physique gets so exaggerated, so characature-ized, it tends to fall in step with that prototype. Like marvel comic characters, the extreme muscle all looks the same after awhile. That is why to this day guys like Zane, Paris, all those names continue to stand out as individual physiques, more than most anyone in the last 20 years, and if anyone does stand out in the last 20 years it is for their freakish size.[/quote]

Well, if you put it like that ; ). Personally I am a fan more of the classic bodybuilders physiques also, with the current crop looking quite same samey to me also.

Back on topic, yes I would consider myself a bodybuilder. One that is starting out (relatively) yes, but still someone who has lived the life style for a few years, and lifted weights for many more.

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If I had to define a bodybuilder…it would probably be:

A person who works honestly and diligently in the gym and in the kitchen to improve their physical health and appearance and to achieve a muscular physique above and beyond the societal norm.

I like it.

I don’t actually fit this all that well, as I crank in the gym but lag on the diet end. I would, however, probably look the part in about 4 months when I finish trimming my excess insulation off.

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I’ll join.

32yrs old. Did my first show this past October after saying I was going to do one back when I was 20. Yup, 12 years later.

I think a lot of people say ‘Yeah, I am getting there, just another month or so and I’ll be ready to start training’ but never make it. If you’re serious about it, give yourself the time to do it and make the commitment. I personally made the “true” decision to myself back in January of 08 that this was going to be the year. I wasn’t in ideal shape in January but I laid out a plan that said I could be on stage in November of '08. (Attached Pic is January '08 and on stage October '08)

I did a trial run of my diet in April and May (8 weeks) and decided I needed 12 weeks for the real thing.

It’s a lifestyle, not a hobby, so make sure you can live in that lifestyle. It’s humbling in the gym when your energy levels are down do to lower caloric intake. It’s a mental game as much as it is a physical one.

I too am hoping this thread can become a resource for myself as well as others who plan on competing, or who have competed and want to share their experience with others.

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[quote]kickureface wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
120 to 200 pounds at 5’9" in about 2 years. I’m carrying some fat, but I deffinately would not be as strong as I am not had I not put it on. I plan on continueing powerlifting for the enxt few years. I eventually want to be able to be AT LEAST 242 pounder at my current height, and lean. If I grow 6’ or higher I expect 275 at the minimum.

I started out eating around 3500 calories a day at my original weight with about 250 grams of protein. I grew but soon stalled out. Now, I eat about 5000 calories a day and about 300-350 grams of protein a day.

Oh yeah, I want to deadlift more than Bolton too.

insane progress!
did you eat a ton of carbs? i’m trying to see if anyone had good gains doin low carb

242 at 5’9 is sick1[/quote]

Yes I ate a ton of carbs, protein, and fat.

Lots of burgers, pizza, and brauts. with squats and deadlifts.

:slight_smile:

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yes, I am learning a lot as well…

I vote DG comes back!!!

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[quote]Professor X wrote:

[/quote]

still looking that great 1 month post O.

Comparing him to Victor’s vid on that site I just can’t wait for next season! lol

DG

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[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Professor X wrote:

still looking that great 1 month post O.

Comparing him to Victor’s vid on that site I just can’t wait for next season! lol

DG[/quote]

Unless Kai Greene comes in and just destroys everything, it’s either going to be Heath or Martinez.

That is truly incredible. Anyone who claims these guys aren’t getting better has their head up their ass.

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started at 17 now coming close to 22 and in that time gained over 40lbs. i get withdrawal symptoms if i dont train lol.

would really like to start competing and will when ive put on more muscle and balance out any lagging bodyparts.

to the other bodybuilders…is there any good articles or material to help with posing?..the videos help but would like to learn the finer details of posing.

cevet

80

[quote]cevet wrote:
started at 17 now coming close to 22 and in that time gained over 40lbs. i get withdrawal symptoms if i dont train lol.

would really like to start competing and will when ive put on more muscle and balance out any lagging bodyparts.

to the other bodybuilders…is there any good articles or material to help with posing?..the videos help but would like to learn the finer details of posing.

cevet[/quote]

I’d recommend getting a coach to help with the posing.

Maybe you’re one of those people that can learn from video’s, etc, but having someone there to correct and critique you leading up to that first contest is paramount IMO.

If you’re going to compete, you want to win, no? Why not do everything you can?