Your BBing Demons?

Training
41

[quote]howie424 wrote:

[quote]E901 wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]howie424 wrote:

[quote]E901 wrote:

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
@E901: Depression is just terrible. But you need some kind of action plan, no?
[/quote]

Ive been trying a lot of things… therapy, meds, etc. Doesnt seem to help so far.[/quote]

I haven’t had much success with therapy or meds either.

I’ve been at points in my life where I’m doing almost everything right! Eating/sleeping/training, working a great job, fishing and other hobbies, extensive therapy/medication, etc - but the depression is still right there. Having the willpower to do this stuff is easy for me, I’m a stubborn person, but enjoying any of it is the hard part.[/quote]

I made the mistake awhile back of starting to question “what’s the point”, and ended up cutting a lot of important stuff out of my life. That was probably the worst thing I could have ever done. Since then, I’ve found that just doing stuff, even if you don’t really want to and don’t enjoy it, is still better than doing nothing. Here and there is a moment where you do enjoy it, and that’s better than you’ll ever get from neglecting things. (Nevermind the guilt from the fact that you let things fall apart.)

It’s just so bizarre because when everything else looks like it’s going well, and everyone around you thinks your happy, it means nothing. Some of that dissonance is tough to deal with.[/quote]

Definitely in the same boat. I have been able to force myself to do things and even when everything seems right, I still feel like shit. Nothings ever good enough for me. I think I have actually came a long way, especially anxiety wise. I actually made a thread on here last November saying there were times when I couldn’t even leave my dorm room. Still searching for whatever it is that will make me happy I guess.[/quote]

I know that story all too well.

I didn’t make it past a year of college because I did not leave my dorm room except to go to the gym or to go buy groceries. I ended up flunking out.

I feel that I’ve come a long way since then, but I still feel that I’m in a huge hole. I’m still pretty anti social, but going out just makes me feel more depressed (too many people, too self conscious around girls, drinking? forget about it).

Everything could be so much easier, considering none of it really matters in the long run. Be a good person and that’s all that matters. Easier said than done though.
[/quote]

Yup anti-social tendencies and social anxiety still get the best of me too. Continuing the cycle of depression. Best of luck to you.

42

Money, which ties into the next part unwillingness to bend on my nutritional selection (organic, etc).
Health, I put health among a lot things in my life, not just BBing… that said, I have been less worried lately.

I also don’t think I push myself hard enough during workouts, has been a bigger issue in the past, I’m getting better but still feel I hold back.

43

My “demons”, if you could call them that:

1.) Checking my ego at the door - for a lot of movements I use too much weight and sacrifice form. I’m getting better at this though.

2.) Beer, Wine and Whiskey: I enjoy all three. I could probably be making better progress if I abstained. Not going to happen though - I like having a balanced life.

3.) CMT (Charcot-Marie Tooth Syndrome): This runs in my family and I’ve been experiencing the symptoms for about 2 years now, and they’re slowly but surely getting worse. To put it scientifically, my nervous system has decided to be a complete dickhead asshole to the nerves which innervate my Tibialis Anterior. This will eventually lead to flaccid dropfoot, meaning I will be unable to dorsiflex my feet. This in turn leads to equinus foot and completely shitty calf development. Not the end of the world though - just have to wear AFOs (ankle foot orthoses) and accept that I will eventually have the calves of a 12 year old girl.

44

@E901

Best of luck my friend.

45

I pre make my meals for the weak, i study nutrition, ppl at work are amazed at how healthy I look, but I just lose it and binge just enough to not cut any weight. I seem to consistenl put muscle on, but cutting, now matter how much I want it, I cannot stay totally consistent long enough to see my entie six pack and evaporate my love handles totaly. Mind you with my clothes on, ppl ofte assume I have a six pack and I think I look better than most. But my ultimate goal is elusive.

46

[quote]MiJuggernaut wrote:
I pre make my meals for the weak, i study nutrition, ppl at work are amazed at how healthy I look, but I just lose it and binge just enough to not cut any weight. I seem to consistenl put muscle on, but cutting, now matter how much I want it, I cannot stay totally consistent long enough to see my entie six pack and evaporate my love handles totaly. Mind you with my clothes on, ppl ofte assume I have a six pack and I think I look better than most. But my ultimate goal is elusive.[/quote]

Can you identify any patterns surrounding your binges? Any particular triggers or particular circumstances in your environment? For example, abnormal exposure to stress at work, happens only weekends with friends out, when “feel” smaller, etc.

I for one find it very easy to be strict during the day, but I am most vulnerable at nights on off training days and the 2nd meal after training (at night). Thinking about it now, I believe my chance of eating bad stuff would be greatly reduced if I prepared a clean BUT TASTY meal before those vulnerable moments. I often leave it too flexible to fuck it up.

Anyone else have thoughts about this?

47

[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
My “demons”, if you could call them that:

1.) Checking my ego at the door - for a lot of movements I use too much weight and sacrifice form. I’m getting better at this though.

2.) Beer, Wine and Whiskey: I enjoy all three. I could probably be making better progress if I abstained. Not going to happen though - I like having a balanced life.

3.) CMT (Charcot-Marie Tooth Syndrome): This runs in my family and I’ve been experiencing the symptoms for about 2 years now, and they’re slowly but surely getting worse. To put it scientifically, my nervous system has decided to be a complete dickhead asshole to the nerves which innervate my Tibialis Anterior. This will eventually lead to flaccid dropfoot, meaning I will be unable to dorsiflex my feet. This in turn leads to equinus foot and completely shitty calf development. Not the end of the world though - just have to wear AFOs (ankle foot orthoses) and accept that I will eventually have the calves of a 12 year old girl.[/quote]

The good thing is that (2) and (3) are not really “problems” you have to think about, because there is nothing you (want for 2) can do about it.

48

Anybody familiar with muscle dysmorphia? I may get laughed at or mocked for this but I’m just curious.

49

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:

[quote]MiJuggernaut wrote:
I pre make my meals for the weak, i study nutrition, ppl at work are amazed at how healthy I look, but I just lose it and binge just enough to not cut any weight. I seem to consistenl put muscle on, but cutting, now matter how much I want it, I cannot stay totally consistent long enough to see my entie six pack and evaporate my love handles totaly. Mind you with my clothes on, ppl ofte assume I have a six pack and I think I look better than most. But my ultimate goal is elusive.[/quote]

Can you identify any patterns surrounding your binges? Any particular triggers or particular circumstances in your environment? For example, abnormal exposure to stress at work, happens only weekends with friends out, when “feel” smaller, etc.

I for one find it very easy to be strict during the day, but I am most vulnerable at nights on off training days and the 2nd meal after training (at night). Thinking about it now, I believe my chance of eating bad stuff would be greatly reduced if I prepared a clean BUT TASTY meal before those vulnerable moments. I often leave it too flexible to fuck it up.

Anyone else have thoughts about this?[/quote]

I never ever keep junk food around the house. I get cravings but am basically forced to eat clean. Sometimes I do break down though, at which point I buy basically whatever I’m craving and I eat myself into a coma. I don’t think it hinders me real bad but it can’t be good either.

50

Despite the fact that most successful modern day bodybuilders train each body part 1X per week, I always seem to gravitate toward using low volume high frequency. Over the past year however, this style of training has led to injuries and very sore joints, and also some lagging body parts (bis and shoulders) due to the fact to the fact that the programs that I used focused so much on the big lifts and not enough on isolation moves.

To this point, I’m happy with my physique, but I can’t feel that I would have a more well rounded physique and less joint pain if I had just been doing what the majority of bodybuilders have been doing. I also feel that I’d be more productive in the gym knowing that I don’t have to squeeze 4 or 5 compound lifts into one session.

To try and combat this, I’ve started using Yates old 3 day split a couple of weeks ago. This has allowed me to use slightly more volume with a little lower frequency (training everything once every 5 days as opposed to 3). Even in just the past couple of weeks I have seen some of my weak points start to fill out and have had less joint pain. I hope to eventually be able to transition to a 4 or 5 day split training everything only once every 7 days, though as stupid as this may sound, it’s been a mental struggle because I subscribed myself to the high frequency low volume fallacy several years ago and can’t seem to get over that.

51

[quote]howie424 wrote:
Anybody familiar with muscle dysmorphia? I may get laughed at or mocked for this but I’m just curious.[/quote]
yeah…basically if your want for building muscle is interfering with your life in a bad way (misusing PEDs, hampering social life in a bad way, causing excessive mental distress, etc) then it’s an issue.

I think looking in the mirror and thinking you’re too small/weak/fat is good to an extent. I know I’ll never mess up my life in the pursuit of all this, but to an extent I need to keep myself humbled this way in order to really “want” it.

52

1.) My diet is holding me back the most. I’m vegetarian and moved back with the family because I quit working and am finishing my graduate studies. ATM I’m broke and rely on what the family buys for foods. This means I get my protein from GOMAD + legumes + some eggs + full fat dairy. It’s possible to gain mass this way but I know I won’t be that lean.

2.) Get a job/move out…which will be in less than a year. I stopped spending my remaining few bucks on beer and hookah and now use it on eggs and lifting equipment like chalk, a belt, bands, etc. I’m starting a cut today, all I did is buy ~5lbs of cheap whey so that my protein sources are lower in carbs and fat for a couple weeks. The goal is to stay under 10% and then stay somewhat lean. Really the only solution to this is finish my studies, move my career forward, and start making money like a big boy. Good bbing foods aren’t expensive, but when you have no income you make do with what will at least move you forward.

53

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
1.) What is holding YOU back from being the BEST BBer (making the best progress - fat loss and/or muscle gain) you can be right now?

2.) What do you think you can do about it?

Simple questions that might generate some interesting discussions. The key for this thread to work is SELF-REFLECTION, HONESTY, and DETAILS.

Of course the point of this thread is also that other posters offer helpful suggestions.

Let us bring back some quality to this forum.[/quote]

Question I:

  1. Worshiping strength acquisition more than bodybuilding (although of course I love muscle hypertrophy and subcutaneous fat loss).

  2. Fear of Off Days / Muscle Atrophy.

  3. Not appreciating the pectoral muscle (I’m serious). I dig working on every other muscle but I never liked the look of big pecs, feel like they take away from that “Greek God Physique Style”.

  4. Arms (Elbow Extenders mostly [triceps]) + Anterior and Medial Deltoids. In great reason because of point number 3, which lead me to start training the bench press after doing for some years all the other “Royalty Exercises” (Deadlifts, Squats, Oly’s). Great exercise, but not for rotator cuff health if you train with low reps like me.

  5. Hyporexia (Low appetite). Occasional cannabis has helped.

  6. Studying Medicine. You practically get Cushing’s syndrome and testosterone levels lower than a modern “male” from working more than 36 hours straight with 0.5 hours of terrible sleep quality and crap food.

  7. Alcohol. I have had some of the best nights, adventures, memories and sexual experiences while consuming alcohol, but there is no question that it is not compatible with bodybuilding.

Question II (In the same order as ths drawbacks):

  1. Consider having higher rep days.

  2. This one is hard. It’s part of the iron game addiction.

  3. Bench Press + its variations.

  4. Bench Press + its variations.

  5. Smoke cannabis more often. Just kidding. Quit bitchin’ and eat more.

  6. Can’t help that one for now.

  7. Drink alcohol only when necessary (In order to fuck a chick that needs a little alcohol ingestion in order to be fuckable when there is no better option, occasional celebration with good old true friends).

Great post bro,

As you mentioned, thinking about this is helpful. Definitely a quality one.

Cheers,
Carlos

54

[quote]giograves wrote:

  1. My long term success will be based on how badass I can be in the kitchen with an apron on.

I cant stand traditional bodybuilder prepped foods (boiled chicken, broccoli and rice) So I’ve attempted this whole “gourmet” bodybulding thing which has actually allowed me to eat clean 98% of the time for the last 3 months. But gourmet “clean” nutrition takes toooooooo much time! When the cards fall and I wont have 10 hours extra a week for the kitchen, I fear I’ll be back to burgers and fries, 5 guys style.

  1. Learn to pinch my nose and down boiled chicken, broccoli and rice. ggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr [/quote]

you do realize it isnt a must to eat nothing but chicken and rice. do a search on IIFYM.

55

Travelling from one end of the Earth to the other and then having to make do at a pretty shoddy gym doesn’t help much.

56

I really need to eat more! Im so fucking lazy sometimes!!!

57

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
1.) What is holding YOU back from being the BEST BBer (making the best progress - fat loss and/or muscle gain) you can be right now? [/quote]

While I have no desire to ever sound negative in regard to my training, I realize that age (will be 40 in May), and injuries are the great equalizer at this point in my life. I’m certainly not the youngest Pro stepping up in the Open classes, and trying to still make noticeable progress year after year, is no guarantee at the level I’ve reached.

Also, to be honest, it’s rare for any trainer, no matter how smart, and careful they may be, to reach 35+ and have no training injuries, even minor ones. Then factor in how stressful competitive bodybuilding can be on your body, and take stock.

Still, things that hold us back, are simply obstacles for use to find ways of overcoming. Either working around, or simply powering through. I for one would not be able to look at myself in the mirror knowing that I had ever not given my all at anything I had undertaken.

Train smarter and harder, be objective and stategic, and know at the end of each day that not a soul alive could have done any better than I did with my circumstances.

S

58

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
…I realize that age, and injuries are the great equalizer at this point in my life…[/quote]

This X 1000!

It’s so frustrating and tiring trying to stay above it. I do have days where I just want to quit and do something more “passive”. But I have a tenacious nature, which I believe is a strength, but also probably the reason I continue to get injured and not realize it until I’m too beat up to continue.

59

[quote]infinite_shore wrote:

[quote]MiJuggernaut wrote:
I pre make my meals for the weak, i study nutrition, ppl at work are amazed at how healthy I look, but I just lose it and binge just enough to not cut any weight. I seem to consistenl put muscle on, but cutting, now matter how much I want it, I cannot stay totally consistent long enough to see my entie six pack and evaporate my love handles totaly. Mind you with my clothes on, ppl ofte assume I have a six pack and I think I look better than most. But my ultimate goal is elusive.[/quote]

Can you identify any patterns surrounding your binges? Any particular triggers or particular circumstances in your environment? For example, abnormal exposure to stress at work, happens only weekends with friends out, when “feel” smaller, etc.

I for one find it very easy to be strict during the day, but I am most vulnerable at nights on off training days and the 2nd meal after training (at night). Thinking about it now, I believe my chance of eating bad stuff would be greatly reduced if I prepared a clean BUT TASTY meal before those vulnerable moments. I often leave it too flexible to fuck it up.

Anyone else have thoughts about this?[/quote]
Good idea. I seem to binge after stressful nights at work, which sucks cuz I work at a level one trauma center as a nurse. I also work twelve hrs night shifts which means my sleep is jacked up and it’s hard to schedule meals cuz I am not sure when I will be awake. It also means I will awake in the middle of the night while everyone else is asleep providing boredom, loneliness, and idol time, my other triggers for binging.

Finally I drink every Sunday and some Saturdays when football is on as I host football get togethers. So if I avoid 85 percent of my triggers, I will still binge just enough not to lose weight despite cardio and weight training 6-7 days a week and pre cooking most of my meals. Thanks for this opportunity for self reflection. I think it may have been very helpful.

60

[quote]browndisaster wrote:
1.) My diet is holding me back the most. I’m vegetarian and moved back with the family because I quit working and am finishing my graduate studies. ATM I’m broke and rely on what the family buys for foods. This means I get my protein from GOMAD + legumes + some eggs + full fat dairy. It’s possible to gain mass this way but I know I won’t be that lean.

2.) Get a job/move out…which will be in less than a year. I stopped spending my remaining few bucks on beer and hookah and now use it on eggs and lifting equipment like chalk, a belt, bands, etc. I’m starting a cut today, all I did is buy ~5lbs of cheap whey so that my protein sources are lower in carbs and fat for a couple weeks. The goal is to stay under 10% and then stay somewhat lean. Really the only solution to this is finish my studies, move my career forward, and start making money like a big boy. Good bbing foods aren’t expensive, but when you have no income you make do with what will at least move you forward.[/quote]

Good luck with all of that. When I was in a similar situation (but not at home; cheap apartment, temporary low-paying job, just trying to make things meet), I lived off 20lb bags of rice, milk and bulk quantities of eggs. I learned a lot about ways to cook eggs, and about spices and sauces. Definitely a useful learning experience.

If I went back, I’d probably eat less rice and eat more cream.