Beginners Be patient!

[Alex A]

Im starting to worry about this forum and this section in particular.

It seems to be bombarded with questions about gear.

Also, whats up with all these gear sights?

What happened to the questions about diet, cardio and training? Is everyone after a quick fix?

Well, bros, no offense but im going to break the bad new to many... It aint gonna happen!

Bodybuilding, especially for beginners is about hard work, diet, determination and dedication.

When i get ready for a show bros, its like going to war! of course I fight to win, but I have also prepared myself for battle!

Gear is just a fraction of the puzzle my buddies. For beginners it should be a very small fraction. Dont get caught up here!

Im finding experts all over this board when it comes to gear. Why? Bros, pay your dues and dont spend so much time learning about drugs. Especially if your not even close to jumping on stage. Because in my opinion you should not even be touching the stuff.

Train hard and diet hard!

[Rob Roy]

Originally Posted by Alex A

Im starting to worry about this forum and this section in particular.

It seems to be bombarded with questions about gear.

Also, whats up with all these gear sights?

What happened to the questions about diet, cardio and training? Is everyone after a quick fix?

Well, bros, no offense but im going to break the bad new to many... It aint gonna happen!

Bodybuilding, especially for beginners is about hard work, diet, determination and dedication.

When i get ready for a show bros, its like going to war! of course I fight to win, but I have also prepared myself for battle!

Gear is just a fraction of the puzzle my buddies. For beginners it should be a very small fraction. Dont get caught up here!

Im finding experts all over this board when it comes to gear. Why? Bros, pay your dues and dont spend so much time learning about drugs. Especially if your not even close to jumping on stage. Because in my opinion you should not even be touching the stuff.

Train hard and diet hard!

Good post!
You've just said what most veterans on this board are thinking, including myself. I see certain members (usually newer) consistantly poking and prodding about gear and not so much about, your points above being diet, training, cardio or most important the right mental attitude that it takes to develop a solid physique. What really blows my mind, is to hear about the heavy cycles of non-competitors. I'm not speaking of those who are just running the basics as HRT either. I'm talking about the young, in-experienced person who has been training for a whopping 2 years and hit a plateau. So, instead of spending the money on hiring a professional that will instill a higher level of intensity and teach new methods they choose the easy route. I started training at a very young age and the thought of taking anything hadn't even crossed my mind until I was ready to prepare to jump on stage. I guess times have totally changed. Hearing about highschool kids on gear blows my mind! Shit, put in the work!

[Dad]

Originally Posted by Alex A

Im starting to worry about this forum and this section in particular.

It seems to be bombarded with questions about gear.

Also, whats up with all these gear sights?

What happened to the questions about diet, cardio and training? Is everyone after a quick fix?

Well, bros, no offense but im going to break the bad new to many... It aint gonna happen!

Bodybuilding, especially for beginners is about hard work, diet, determination and dedication.

When i get ready for a show bros, its like going to war! of course I fight to win, but I have also prepared myself for battle!

Gear is just a fraction of the puzzle my buddies. For beginners it should be a very small fraction. Dont get caught up here!

Im finding experts all over this board when it comes to gear. Why? Bros, pay your dues and dont spend so much time learning about drugs. Especially if your not even close to jumping on stage. Because in my opinion you should not even be touching the stuff.

Train hard and diet hard!

Thank yuo, Alex, for echoing what some of us have been trying to get through to people for SO long!

[Dad]

Originally Posted by Rob Roy

Good post!
You've just said what most veterans on this board are thinking, including myself. I see certain members (usually newer) consistantly poking and prodding about gear and not so much about, your points above being diet, training, cardio or most important the right mental attitude that it takes to develop a solid physique. What really blows my mind, is to hear about the heavy cycles of non-competitors. I'm not speaking of those who are just running the basics as HRT either. I'm talking about the young, in-experienced person who has been training for a whopping 2 years and hit a plateau. So, instead of spending the money on hiring a professional that will instill a higher level of intensity and teach new methods they choose the easy route. I started training at a very young age and the thought of taking anything hadn't even crossed my mind until I was ready to prepare to jump on stage. I guess times have totally changed. Hearing about highschool kids on gear blows my mind! Shit, put in the work!

Another great post - I hope people are listening, Rob!

[6.8SPC]

I may be an exception, or just exceptionally fortunate but I linked up with a former INBF (natural) competitor through the new gym I just joined (training alone at home was starting to get a little dull) and I am constantly picking his brain for info on diet. In a way though, I'm glad I have a cycle under my belt. Just "getting it over with" (i used 250mg/week test only) helped me see aas for what they really are, a valuable tool in a bb'ers arsenal, but not the be-all and end-all of bodybuilding. Maybe I was just disappointed that I didn't become 250lbs shredded overnight , lol, but doing a mild cycle took a lot of the mystique out of it. It's as if I can say; wow, aas are powerful, but the key is not only nutrition and all-out training, but also just TIME. It was like a light went on and I understand this from experience now and not just in theory or people telling me. Building a winning physique takes patience and as I have heard others say is a marathon, not a race. I am now more focused than ever on just ENJOYING myself with the eating and workouts, I was treating it like a chore when it should be FUN. Thanks guys for the insight, having such a wealth of experience to draw from on this board is a HUGE help and is appreciated.

[Alex A]

Thanks Rob, Dad for backing me up on this, because it does sort of bug me when i hear so much talk about gear, especially from novice lifters.

I guess it is human nature to want to explore in this territory if you are a more serious lifter and have your diet down, reached a platue and plan on competing in the near future and even then I would invest far more time on learning diet and nutrition.

Yours truly, forked out some serious dollars about two years ago to learn from a conditioning expert and it payed off big time. That was money very well spent.

Im helping several guys with upcoming shows and some guys who want to just get in great shape thus the money i invested is coming back to me.

If you disregard everything i have just stated atleast get your diet on check before you start your cycle because im seeing guys at the gym and on the boards that are just looking way to watery, bloated and very unappealing. Going on a cycle of anabolics when you are overweight and have no idea how to diet, is just a big bloated waste of time. Not intending to offend, just help.

[AWN2004]

Great stuff to see. Diet, diet, diet, diet! Thats the key right there. I always make this joke about drugs and dieting......Congress has their panties in a bunch about this whole war on steroids issue. They should be making grocery stores illegal not steroids because the most anabolic substance on this planet is in every single one of those buildings. Eating right will yeild results beyond your wildest dreams.

[Alex A]

I seriously wish roids were never invented. Meaning, i wish no one could get their hands on them and everyone had to rely on their knowledge and hard work.

But since they are around and if you compete, you are basically forced to use them.

[BigJB]

Thanks for the post alex! I'm new into the bodybuilding and am pressured a lot by guys in the gym to take gear. I'm only 21, 5'10 and 213 at 11% bf. I've been putting on a couple of pounds per month for the past 3 months just eating a good diet and taking a few supplements. Everyone I talk to just wants to take the easy way out and use gear to get ripped quick and all that happens is they put on a whole bunch of water weight cause they dont know how to diet or use a treadmill. Its sad really. Thanks again for the post.

[deltaguy]

all very good posts... Alex, Rob and Dad.

I too have been in the body building game a long time - 20 plus years - however, I didn't use gear until I was in my late 20's and now it has been nearly 10 years.

I have seen sooooo many people come and go... the guys looking for the quick fix e.g. one cycle and since they didn't gain 100 lbs in 2 months they threw in the towel. Better that these guys don't last.

This generation is different though. All these kids want everything, right now... not tomorrow, not next week... but today! Unfortunately, it is the parents fault but it carries over into everything they do and that includes body building and gear.

I wish all the new peeps would heed this advice.

[oldfella]

Alex, RR, Dad, I might as well add my 2 cents to this. it was over twenty years of lifting with some hardcore PL'ers and then trained with pro and ex pro BBer's before I took the dark route to this sport. I keep saying to all just as Alex is trying to say, this is not about how much or how many chemicals it will take to build a great physique!! It is about intelligence and research, diet and training methods, about health and well being. Not about drugs at all. You newer guys and younger ones just don't understand the long term consequences of what you do now!! I too am conserned about the rampant use of aas by younger and younger people. Training for a solid year is nothing in this game, training on and off for 5 years means absolutely shit in the big picture. Try training consistantly and eating with consistancy and inteligence for 6-10 years, see what this will do for you. You will be stunned at the gains you can make without being "JACKED" to the eyeballs!! If you never plan on stepping on stage then you really do not need to use aas.

I, like so many of the older guys, OH sorry.....I mean veterans here only give out advice to stop some from really doing themselves a lot of harm, just because they think you need 2 grams of shit a week to grow. Guess what, You don't need any shit to grow, just sensible training and proper nutrition!! I sometimes wonder why i waste the energy on typing stuff like this when I fear that many will not get through the first sentence, but if it changes one mind about using gear for no real reason then I will galdly type this a thousand times, which means that at least a thousand will go and grow the right way and stop trying to take the easy way......because THERE IS NO EASY WAY!!!

Alex, Great thread bro. RR, DAD, and 6.8 all we can do is try!!

[Texas Ranger]

Originally Posted by 6.8SPC

I may be an exception, or just exceptionally fortunate but I linked up with a former INBF (natural) competitor through the new gym I just joined (training alone at home was starting to get a little dull) and I am constantly picking his brain for info on diet. In a way though, I'm glad I have a cycle under my belt. Just "getting it over with" (i used 250mg/week test only) helped me see aas for what they really are, a valuable tool in a bb'ers arsenal, but not the be-all and end-all of bodybuilding. Maybe I was just disappointed that I didn't become 250lbs shredded overnight , lol, but doing a mild cycle took a lot of the mystique out of it. It's as if I can say; wow, aas are powerful, but the key is not only nutrition and all-out training, but also just TIME. It was like a light went on and I understand this from experience now and not just in theory or people telling me. Building a winning physique takes patience and as I have heard others say is a marathon, not a race. I am now more focused than ever on just ENJOYING myself with the eating and workouts, I was treating it like a chore when it should be FUN. Thanks guys for the insight, having such a wealth of experience to draw from on this board is a HUGE help and is appreciated.

What were your weight & strength gains like off Test@250mgs/wk? I'm SERIOUSLY thinking of going this route.

[AWN2004]

Some of the best gains I have made, if not THE best gains were made the summer after college. I was broke. I was paying a student loan and working at a gym on Sunday so I didnt have to pay the membership fee. Looking back on that time period it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was training M-F and eating pretty clean (which was on accident because I couldnt afford junk food). I was eating tons of baked potatos, chicken, ground beef, canned tuna (I'd make tuna melts), and an occasional steak. I couldn't afford to eat out and really couldn't afford to buy protein powders or anything else. I was pretty driven. I stayed true to my diet and didnt miss workouts. I started at about 165 in July and by December was about 192lbs. If I had to guess my bodyfat at that time it was probably around 10%. I guess what I am saying is that I made incredible gains when I really put my nose to the grind stone. Everyone thought I was taking something but I could barely afford my bills much less AAS. It is possible to make gains if you really focus. I am really glad I did things the way I did because it created a base for me to use as I got older.

[drob29]

great thread.

In all honestly, I will never step on stage, it's not what I want. I am 44, and did my first cycle 2 years ago, after an honest 6 straight years of lifting, and many not so honest years of lifting before that. I carry more BF than I should but AAS have put me in a place where I could not get naturally, and I feel good and I believe I look great which is, quite frankly, all that matters.

I also agree on the huge doses and multi compound second and third cycles I see more and more. I dont have tons of experience with many compounds and I dont understand the need to rush to "the next thing" if gains are still made with what I have used in the past. My next cycle will be test c and deca. Nothing extreme. And I like it like that.

I post over at alinboard and others more than here, as I am not a pro, expert, or wanting to step on stage. But there are many great threads here and the experience is unparalleled on any board.

At 44, without AAS, I think natural gains would be hard to come by. With AAS I bust my ass, and like I said, I feel I look good. The young kids, who are 20 and want things N-O-W, just dont understand that AAS are not like OTC GNC crap that just happens to work better. And it's a shame they dont realize they can really make a mess of things very quickly.

later