ANSWER HONESTLY

[RONJON]

Yea I have friends who compare themselves with the pros and try to analyze Cutlers diet and training..or how much of this and that that these guys take or whatever. I believe that you have to be realistic in that not everyone can be a Pro bodybuilder. It is one of the hardest things to accomplish and many factors have to be in your favor. For those of us who dont have Flex Wheeler genetics, we have to use our dedication and work ethic and take our bodies as far as we can and be proud of what we can do whether it be to make it to a competitive level or not

RONJON

 

[nosmas]

WE ALL KNOW THAT NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRAIN THAT WE COULD NEVER LOOK LIKE WILT CHAMBERLAIN OR RUN AS FAST AS USAIN BOLT..........WHY ON EARTH DO THESE GUYS FEEL DISAPPOINTED IF THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE JAY CUTLER OR RONNIE COLEMAN? THINK ABOUT IT................GENETICS..................COMMON SENSE.

I think I get it....
When we look in a mirror we can tell right off we are not tall like a basketball player or thin and practiced in cardio speed running BUT... it takes a bit of time and work to learn whether or not you have the genetic potential to be a pro bodybuilder. With few exceptions we do not know right off and it is not until you work out for a period of time that you discover if you have the genetics to become Jay or Ronnie which creates greater disappointment.

 

[phatkid77]

i would "settle" to look like phil....lol

i guess it is denial. i do however know i have limited genes...wife even reminds me of it..." you are never going to loook like that, why bother" nice eh

i am realistic, if i can be 220-230 with abs....HAPPY.... i just want to IMPROVE myself...its all i can do..if i could shut off the voice in my head that says "so and so looks bigger then me"... i would be a lot better off

 

[PHIL HERNON]

get lean

Hey old buddy I have one for you..Ever notice how the pro basketball players all look like the have huge side delts..They don't workout and I do and mine suck..Think about it should I start shooting hoops or continue training the side delts with weights.

Lets get lean then we will see!

 

[TheCure]

we as people have been imbued with the idea that anything we want is possible if we are willing to work and sacrifice for it. therefore, the disappointment comes from the creation of an actual limitation in my opinion. People don't take limitations well, especially the type of people that are attracted to this sport in the first place.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I was just going to post up something similar. American media & culture has conditioned us to believe everything is possible if we work hard enough. I remember as a kid believing oneself can become the next US president is attainable if one works hard and smart enough. Hah! As we mature we realize life's truths. The truth is only a select few get to become the president or the next Olympia winner. One must be comfortable with the fact that most of us do not have what it takes. I personally feel content with pushing myself to better myself, not others. Someone else will always have better biceps, better bench, better whatever - if you keep comparing yourself with another's best qualities you'll never be happy. It's a loosing battle.

 

[Dangkolo]

I don't ever compare myself to any other bodybuilder than myself. I may not have the best genetics but I will make the best of what I have. Now I am not gonna sit here and lie that I would not like a freaky look, But it will be what my genetic potential lets me be capable of.

In the end I am happy working with what god has given me, And if I do ok at it then so be it, If not well I will always enjoy lifting weights and there is always learning how to bake.................

 

[nosmas]

i figure i should know by then what kinda potential i have.

I am glad you mentioned this. I have always wondered if someone told Dorian or Ronnie when they were at your point in their career that they should go all out and year round because they new they would blow up or did they just do it on their own to see if they had the potential.
I always wondered about that. Any answers would be appreciated.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

You're surprised? You want honesty? Do you see what this sport attracts? The sport definitely has a strong base of perfectly well-adjusted folks that just love to lift weights, be big, be strong, and be healthy. Those are the normal guys and gals that we speak with everyday.

But unfortunately, along with those seemingly normal folks, you get a whole laundry list of freaks. People with extremely low self-esteem that think they'll be complete when they just get that next 10 lbs of muscle on their frame. You have psychotics who have drifted so far away from reality that they no longer have any idea of what a normal life even is. You know, like normal things like having a job and no hypodermic needles in the house and no GH and slin lining the fridge. Don't forget the gay factor. Obviously, gay guys like muscular dudes. You've seen the audiences, I don't need to go there. Plus you have almost circus-quality people that have abused synthol so badly that they just... well, you've seen it.

Now you want these some of these same people to think logically about their own genetic limitations? GOOD LUCK!

 

[AWN2004]

I think there are good genetics for buidling muscle and then there are good genetics for bodybuilding. Those are two completely different things all together.

It has to look good. End of story. Now you might be able to get big but will it look good on stage? Big hips, narrow shoulders, short muscle insertions are all things that we can't control and ultimately end up determining how we are going to look. We can put more muscle on our frames but if your frame isn't built to support all that muscle, forget about it looking good. You do have to work hard in this sport but I have always felt if you are destined to succeed in bodybuilding you will. Take guys like Omar Deckard, Lionel Brown, or Adorthus Cherry. These guys were top NPC guys and are not even getting a second look in the pro rankings. They made it to that level, now what? It's a rough sport and one that requires being honest with yourself.

I think everyone has to set their own goals and then go from there. Who am I to look at someone and say they can't "make it" in this sport. I think everyone deep down knows what they are capable of and wether or not it's worth it. It's just hard to come to terms with the real answer sometimes.

 

[MilitaryMuscle]

man great thread! Just try to improve on what you have and be th best you can be. If it happens it happens, its just that. I have great genetics for baseball, just how it is. When i was playing ball i was topping out in the mid 90's. I never had pitching lessons or anything. I was a little shit to..... All these guys used to spend thousands o dollars on them and all the little gadgets, but it wasnt in their cards. I got it from the gene pool(my dad was a pro to), simple as that. Its the same thing with bodybuilding. The guys that look like they lift all the time but never touch a weight are the ones meant for it, typically.

I used to get depressed when i see some of the pics of guys on here, its just not my genetics, but i love to lift and improve. I get compliments all the time but it didnt really matter, then i found this pic i took before i started lifting and looked at recent ones..... i couldnt be happier, because i made some pretty sick progress for myself. Yeah i dont have the 20 inch guns that i want..... but who cares life is to short to worry about that.

check these out.... march 06 and present..... i didnt really start lifting till july 06.... i think i was 180'ish in the first pic (its the only pic i had with my shirt off and yes i thought i was a badass lol)and 245+ in the second one.

 

[Phidias]

One day you wake up and the truth hurts badly: your genetics are just average and you'll never be on that pro stage you've been dreaming of since your a teen.

Then you realize you've spent most of the last 10 years focusing on your body, enslaved to a highly uninteresting "lifestyle" (lol): eating, training, sleeping and taking a shitload of drugs. So many aspects of your life neglected TO JUST LOOK LIKE THAT... YOUR TYPICAL GYM RAT. In any case light years from Mr O.

That much personal investment, all thoses sacrifices over the years to never achieve something significant in the sport... HEART-BREAKING AND ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT.

But it's too late... these years are already lost.

REALIZING IT'S TIME TO STOP THE BREAKAGES, ALTHOUGH HARD ON THE EGO, CAN HOWEVER SAVE YOU FROM EVEN SADDER DISAPPOINTMENTS LATER ON IN THE EXISTENCE WHEN IT'S REALLY TOO LATE...

 

[buselmo]

Ok, this post is probably gonna be long and might make no sense to a lot of people, but the way i see it is this...

This is not a sport. It's more of a "work to be the alpha male" kind of thing. it's about instinct and most of us can't help it. If we could help it, we wouldn't want to be using super supplements in the first place. if it were about looking FUCKING AWESOME and attracting a lot of women, you just have to get down to 7% fat and have very little muscle mass (everyone can attain that look naturally) you don't even have to be proportional or symmetrical or whatever. but it's about the voice in the back of the head saying "I have to be big, then i'll be the no.1 guy in the room" regardless of anything else. it's like a primative way of unconcious thinking. for the big guys, ask yourselves "why am i fighting my health and my social life to be like this and look like this?"... most will have the simple answer of "because i want to"... any big bodybuilder who is asked "why do you do this and you know woman hate men that big?" the answer is "i'm not doing it for the women", when asked about health... "i don't care about health"... when asked about how much he's spending... "i don't care how much it'll cost, as long as i get big"... and the list goes on... you ask them why?... "because i want to"...
If someone doesn't have the genetics (most of us here), and he knows deep down inside that he can't do it, he will not accept it if he has that primative voice inside his head. i know people who lost money again, and again, and again... yet still follow the dream of being a millionaire while having no education, no outside help (rich father, wife...etc), no chances in that matter (whatever they are... country, family issues... bla bla bla)... and they still follow their "dream", because to them, money is power.
to us, being big is power. and our limiting factors are genetics. If you accept them, your journey is over and you just have to settle. 99% don't accept it. and we will follow this road to power no matter what... even if it doesn't mean shit to anyone else ...

I probably understood the question wrong... but if it's not about this, and about how the general public could think they could be as big as cutler if they used steroids and worked out for a year? well, it's just like employees who say "yeah, i can be a manager... i just have to kiss ass and step on everyone else"... ignorance is their excuse.

does that make sense?

 

[Phidias]

if anyone thinks this is a stupid idea let me know. i think 5 years of training under a knowledgeable pro like phil should be enough to know how far i can go and its not too long to hurt myself...?
-STEELE

HONESTLY?

When a guy is blessed with genuine "pro genes", it doesn't take him 3 years, much less 5, to attain an incredible physique... a few months of serious training/eating are usually enough to make a beast of him. If you've been training for several years and do not already display a huge muscle mass, do not fool yourself into thinking you'll put on tons of lbs from now on.

Lee Priest won the IFBB World Championships at 17 (before being disqualified but that's another topic)...

As for endorsments, you really have to have something special to get sponsors' attention, a LOOK... there are tons and tons of muscular guys around the world nobody has ever heard of. If you don't stand out forget about it bro...

Don't take it the wrong way, I'm just giving my honest .02, Steele.

 

[AWN2004]

One day you wake up and the truth hurts badly: your genetics are just average and you'll never be on that pro stage you've been dreaming of since your a teen.

Then you realize you've spent most of the last 10 years focusing on your body, enslaved to a highly uninteresting "lifestyle" (lol): eating, training, sleeping and taking a shitload of drugs. So many aspects of your life neglected TO JUST LOOK LIKE THAT... YOUR TYPICAL GYM RAT. In any case light years from Mr O.

That much personal investment, all thoses sacrifices over the years to never achieve something significant in the sport... HEART-BREAKING AND ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT.

But it's too late... these years are already lost.

REALIZING IT'S TIME TO STOP THE BREAKAGES, ALTHOUGH HARD ON THE EGO, CAN HOWEVER SAVE YOU FROM EVEN SADDER DISAPPOINTMENTS LATER ON IN THE EXISTENCE WHEN IT'S REALLY TOO LATE...

Best post in the whole thread. Sums it up perfectly.

 

[phatkid77]

i agree....i will say i hope i look as good as you steele come show time..we appear to have similar structure and height....and i dont like my genes...

but go for it, its your goal, but i would not kill myself for it...my guess is for a 3-5yr timeline... more MGS will be REQUIRED...

ALSO, phidias to be the devils advocate... the latest canadian pro waited what,? 12 yrs competing in the same show??? this just goes to show,,,
CONSISTENCY

phats

 

[eroc613]

HONESTLY?

When a guy is blessed with genuine "pro genes", it doesn't take him 3 years, much less 5, to attain an incredible physique... a few months of serious training/eating are usually enough to make a beast of him. If you've been training for several years and do not already display a huge muscle mass, do not fool yourself into thinking you'll put on tons of lbs from now on.

Lee Priest won the IFBB World Championships at 17 (before being disqualified but that's another topic)...

As for endorsments, you really have to have something special to get sponsors' attention, a LOOK... there are tons and tons of muscular guys around the world nobody has ever heard of. If you don't stand out forget about it bro...

Don't take it the wrong way, I'm just giving my honest .02, Steele.

Yeah I disagree, one of the guys here in town, Lee Banks, was average less than four years ago. And now that he has the right guidance he's on the verge of getting his pro card. Yes he has great genetics, but it took a while for him to get everything it order. I agree with Steele.

 

[oldfella]

AHHAHAHA, My friend Phidias,
Too true! i believe any, yes anyone. With the right training, consistencey, nutrition and yes drugs anyone can be big. But that's all you will end up with, is a great amatuer physique that is destined to go where??? State? National? maybe? But then we have what I call "THE LOOK". it is these guys like Jay. Ronnie, Our own PHIL HERNON. These guys not only were/are big but have that look. it all fits, it's all dense and it is this look that determines Pro Quality or not. So many of us just do not posess this LOOK. You will know in a fairly short period of time if you have it or not. Once you reach that point it is up to you whether you continue to do what you do or pursue other avenues. No point in beating a dead pony as they say. If you do have "THE LOOK" it will pointed out to you before you realize it yourself.

 

[tattoojr]

I think in my case I was a skinny young man and just wanted to put on some muscle, so I bought the mags and the supps and trained and trained just like the pros in the mag said they did. I saw some improvement and was pysched, so longer, harder, more , saw alittle more improvemnt but maybe not as much. Wonder what I was doing wrong and had no one to ask. Along comes the inter net and BAM theres someone with real answers sometimes and easy access to super supps and things start to improve again. Then reality sets in and you realize that though you look good you might not be as healthy as you seem and what your goals are starts to change, my did from BB to powerlifting, in my case I'm only competing with my PR's right now and will eventually do a meet but I know in my heart that I do not have the drive, dedication or the natural raw strength to be a ryan Kennaly or a Jim Hoskinson and will just have to be the best I can be myself. I still look for the magic formula but am less likely to believe anything but time in the gym will lead to any improvement. J.R.

 

[pesty4077]

I already achieve my goals, I have God in my life, a beautiful wife, 2 children, 2 businesses, a house, a nice motorcycle, etc, etc, Oh, Bpdybuilding? You see what I am getting at? What is really important to you? I lift to turn back the hands of time, and to still be young, physically and mentally. I look at other 48 year olds, Yep, I achieve that goal too. BodyBuilding isn't just a trophy, I tend to think it is something a little more, part of a lifestyle that should flow into everything else. But, don't get me wrong, I have a competitor's heart.

 

[tkav1980]

i think people in this sport are a different breed. even the most average of us attempts to achieve the impossible. and i think the mentality you need to have to do what most of us do on a daily basis requires a drive not seen in most people. personally i feel that if im ever happy with the way i look i might stop trying to be better. just because were at our own personal best does not mean we should stop trying to be better. just my humble opinion.