How big were you before you started training?

[MightyJohn]

I worked out in HS 105-125lbs(5'-5'5)

Grew 3 inches at Parris Island

Then seriously started working out in the Marine Corps, I was 140lbs then(5'8)

 

[Alzadosghost]

My 6th grade summer my mom who was a bodybuilder herself took me to an old dingy hardcore gym w her after I told her I wanted a chest like Arnold. She said “you can’t have his chest he already has it. But you can have your best chest which might even be better”. A few times going there w her I was hooked. Here I am 35 + years later chasing that dream. I was 125 lbs at 5,7”. By my senior year I was 175 lbs bench pressing 330 lbs and deadlifting 600+ pounds natural. Fast forward 15 years from there I was 250 lbs pressing 525 and deadlifting almost 800lbs. What a long strange trip it’s been!

 

[Ak47]

I was a super slim 145 lbs out of high school, despite being force fed by the Football coach. Got into Weight lifting freshman, by this I mean lifting on my own and not sports related. Put on a solid 15lbs of muscle freshman year. In my early twenties between panty chasing, then getting married and establishing a career working out became an afterthought. Got back into it in my late twenties, and got on the sauce at 31. Honestly have had the best memories since joining the darkside! Now I’m at 240, with visible abs and a 31 in waste (the one blessing of being a skinny kid my whole life)

 

[bad rad]

It's not very believable but here's my weird ass story.

9th grade start- 5' even
9th grade finish- 5' 1", I thought I was dwarfed at this point
10th grade start- 5'5", yep, 4" in three months
10th grade finish- 5'6", seriously, WTF?
11th grade start- 5'9", ok, nature has a sense of humor
12th grade finish- 5'10.5", sweet, I'm the shortest guy in my whole family.

I started weight training consistently in the Navy after getting sent to rehab at 22 yrs old. In 30 days I lost 30lbs of fat and gained 20lbs of muscle. I drank a lot back then and my coworkers were WTF when I came back. After finishing my selection pipeline I started powerlifting (26 yrs old) and gained 60lbs in one year. It wasn't all good weight but about half was muscle. I have a lot of stretch marks from that year.

 

[bad rad]

My 6th grade summer my mom who was a bodybuilder herself took me to an old dingy hardcore gym w her after I told her I wanted a chest like Arnold. She said “you can’t have his chest he already has it. But you can have your best chest which might even be better”. A few times going there w her I was hooked. Here I am 35 + years later chasing that dream. I was 125 lbs at 5,7”. By my senior year I was 175 lbs bench pressing 330 lbs and deadlifting 600+ pounds natural. Fast forward 15 years from there I was 250 lbs pressing 525 and deadlifting almost 800lbs. What a long strange trip it’s been!

Your Mom's quote is probably the best way to explain genetics to a new lifter.

 

[Big A]

127lbs at 5'10. I am 6' now.

First day in the gym, I couldn't press the 10lb db's.

 

[maldorf]

I started out lifting at home with a set of plastic weights from Sears. Didn't even have a bench. I'd bench press from the floor. Later bought a cheap bench. I was in the 9th grade. In the 10th grade I talked my parents into buying me a nice Olympic set and Olympic width bench. The bench I could also use for squats, legs, and pull downs. It was great.

First time I squatted I remember using 155 lbs. Was able to workout with 135 lbs on bench because I'd built some strength using those plastic weights.

 

[cage99]

I started out lifting at home with a set of plastic weights from Sears. Didn't even have a bench. I'd bench press from the floor. Later bought a cheap bench. I was in the 9th grade. In the 10th grade I talked my parents into buying me a nice Olympic set and Olympic width bench. The bench I could also use for squats, legs, and pull downs. It was great.

First time I squatted I remember using 155 lbs. Was able to workout with 135 lbs on bench because I'd built some strength using those plastic weights.

View attachment 151473

Was peeking around online for some used plates for sale and saw these! And people wanted like $1.50 a pound! Insane!!!! Those were the traditional weight lifting sets of every household in the 70’s/80’s. Plastic covered concrete. It’s what I first started using for workouts many years ago. Not gonna buy them though…. That’s cheap old school! Lol. Probably cost $70 for 150lb set.

Cage

 

[maldorf]

Was peeking around online for some used plates for sale and saw these! And people wanted like $1.50 a pound! Insane!!!! Those were the traditional weight lifting sets of every household in the 70’s/80’s. Plastic covered concrete. It’s what I first started using for workouts many years ago. Not gonna buy them though…. That’s cheap old school! Lol. Probably cost $70 for 150lb set.

Cage

You get more for you money with those Sears weights! Look at that picture. The plate is supposed to be 10 lbs but it weighs 17.8 !

 

[fastlife]

5’6 120lbs

 

[redz24]

In grade 11 I was 6’2 185lbs after a nice cut. Spent 3 months doing 2-3 hours cardio per day plus weights. I ballooned up to 241 dating this hypoglycaemic model that had to eat all the time. I got fed up and became a gym junkie and after the cut from 241 to 185 I was able to dunk which is still a pretty shocking thing. Now still at 6’2 I’m 263lbs 13%. I’ll never forget that agility at 185, never been sub 200 again....

 

[Norg]

Starting real training at 16, 1995. 180cm/58kg/90cm chest/30cm arms. 5'11/128lbs/35inch chest/12inch arms/20inch quads
Found my first training log a few months ago, cannot believe how skinny i was, and no sixpack

Many mistakes at the beginning, pre internet time.
Got to 180cm/93kg/122cm chest/43cm arms/70cm quads. 5'11/205lbs/48inch chest/17inch arms/27,5inch quads, with 28 years of age before i startet ped's for the first time.

 

[buck]

I was pushing 200 pounds in grade school and was bellow average height, can't remember how tall i was. Was a good 40 pounds lighter in HS and taller and was doing some lifting but only eating once a day to keep from getting fat again. Put on 40+ pounds with much better abs once i started lifting and eating at a height of 5' 7". But didn't use AS till later then got bigger and leaner. But unfortunately shrunk some over the years.

 

[Rainmanisback]

I'm 5'11... Started at 166 at 14 years old... I'm 45 now and my current weight is 235 at around 9% BF. My heaviest was 276.

 

[krman]

I was 135 pounds when I started lifting out of high school. I remember that my max bench was 115 pounds when I tested it. I had a really good guy that taught me so much when I started lifting. Form was everything to him and still is to me 30 years later. I now weigh 225 with about 12 percent body fat. The heaviest I have been is 255. I feel great at 225 though. I love how lifting has changed my life in everything that I do.

 

[Norg]

I started out lifting at home with a set of plastic weights from Sears. Didn't even have a bench. I'd bench press from the floor. Later bought a cheap bench. I was in the 9th grade. In the 10th grade I talked my parents into buying me a nice Olympic set and Olympic width bench. The bench I could also use for squats, legs, and pull downs. It was great.

First time I squatted I remember using 155 lbs. Was able to workout with 135 lbs on bench because I'd built some strength using those plastic weights.

View attachment 151473

My first bench sessions where on a skate board with a few little weight plates i got from my uncle, my first bar was a bicycle handelbar. Crazy but it was a beginning.
And i got two plastic dumbbells with ends shaped like a football, i fill them with water and other stuff to train with it.

 

[fisther69]

I was 205 with visible/blurry abs

 

[bigboy05]

Graduated high school 6"1" 155 lbs. 3 yrs later of lifting off and on and another growth spurt I was 175ish. Really started lifting at that time and the rest is history. Yesterday I was 250lbs on the dot. I still see the skinny kid in the mirror which keeps me going.