is competing worth it?

[get it in ya]

The thread should stop at bboy post, perfectly said!!!

 

[mytreefiddy]

OK here we go.

1. It's a hobby just like hunting or fishing, people I work with spend thousands upon thousands on a bass boat just to go fishing, I think it's kind of silly but it's their hobby and THEY ENJOY IT, IF YOU DON'T ENJOY IT THEN FUCKING STOP IMMEDIATELY.
2 it's one of the hardest sports, it's 24/7 non stop, the discipline required for this sport is simply mind boggling, if you are able to apply this immense discipline to other aspects of your life, you can accomplish some amazing things.
3. By default this sport and this lifestyle makes your healthier (if you don't abuse). Most normal people walking the street don't get blood work or monitor their blood pressure like my bodybuilding friends do, they don't care about nutrient dense food, and smart nutrition. This sport does not have to be detrimental to your health, it's up to YOU, and step one is being honest with yourself about your long term potential in bodybuilding, no amount of muscle you force upon your frame is going to make up for a lackluster shape and muscle insertions.
4. Last and not least being a mature adult will help you tremendously in your bodybuilding endeavors, being on low calories and lots of Cardio is no excuse for you to be an asshole to the people in your life and around you, this is called being a mature adult and taking ownership of your emotions and actions. Getting down to death camp body fat levels ultimately boils down to calories in VS calories out so you not being able to go to family functions or going out to dinner with your loved ones is just a bro bodybuilder copout. You can easily eat almost anywhere and almost 100% adhere to your calories or macros. Bodybuilders are babies and want everyone around them to think they are special little butterfly's that can't do this or can't do that. If you don't eat a meal in exactly 3 hours do you know what's going to happen? FUCKING NOTHING. Grow up and act like an adult if you want to pursue bodybuilding!

OK long rant for me, I'm usually a short and sweet type of post guy..LOL SORRY!

The more i think about this , the more i think my competing days are behind me.... I just don't really see any REAL reason to continue getting on stage.... Even if i bring my best package EVER i don't see cracking a Top 5 in a Open... granted im still 4 months away from my potential 1st show of the season but im just not charged up... maybe cuz i know it doesn't take me 16 weeks to get ready.... i'm not sure of the lack of enthusiasm...but its there... i have a few more weeks to truly decide.....

 

[Flex500]

I been waking up recently and questioning myself and this whole prep.
Is it worth competing if I’m going no where with bodybuilding even if I won ?
how about if it’s affecting my work, family and social life?
I have a career; why am I even focusing on something else that I’m going to gain nothing from ?
is the sacrifice worth it when I can put my energy in something else?
am I just a narcissist who loves looking at his shredded muscle in the mirror and show off his gains?
wtf am I doing? I already done 6 shows, what am I trying to prove?

it’s been one of these days man...

My 2 cents without reading the entire thread...you need to figure out if this is a bad day or a "bigger picture" change of your philosophy on life and your desires as a human. If it's a bad day disrupting your strategic plan I'd say keep grinding man!

If it's a "bigger picture" thing and in your core you don't want to do it...don't. I made that decision as well. It didn't mean I started sleeping in and was a lazy it. I continue to train and do my thing and also get up at 5am to work. In this world we tend to think people are lazy asses if you don't "hardcore compete". That's stupid. Also want to note I'm not necessarily directed that to folks on this site, just an overall comment.

 

[knucklehed]

If I could go back and give myself some advice, I'd tell myself to direct that effort elsewhere. But I probably would not have listened.I was pretty driven for years and nothing could stop me.

 

[Geardepot]

If I could go back and give myself some advice, I'd tell myself to direct that effort elsewhere. But I probably would not have listened.I was pretty driven for years and nothing could stop me.

I tend to agree with this.... but I know if someone would have told me to do this in my past I would have told them to fuck off or just thought they were a pussy and could not handle the grind themselves.
A few others have said this and I agree with them. 'The discipline you learn through bodybuilding and competing at a high level can transfer over to many different aspects of your life that will help you immensely'. I think anyone who has competed at any level can look back on their experience and use that new found ability to push through barriers in other areas of their life.
I don't think its correct to gauge it by how its effecting your personal life, finances, health or family. As bboy said there's a ton of guys who are into hunting, fishing, working on cars, riding motorcycles, climbing, skiing, etc etc.. I know guys/gals pursuing all of these endeavors and it def effects their personal life, finances and health. You can do any of those activities and be a fanatic but still keep your life in a decent balance. I like to look at my day/week/month etc as a pie chart. Split it up and see how many hrs your spending doing work, gym/bbing, fam, other hobbies etc and you can get a good idea if you need to adjust the load and balance things out more. If you're a normal guy, have a regualr job and your doing a show you have to understand that you ned to make adjustments in your daily routine and decrease time spent in other areas so you have more time for the gym, meal prep, etc while preparing for your show.

I believe the real question you have to ask yourself is "why am I doing this?".... and you may not know what the answer is initially.

 

[method2madness]

OK here we go.

1. It's a hobby just like hunting or fishing, people I work with spend thousands upon thousands on a bass boat just to go fishing, I think it's kind of silly but it's their hobby and THEY ENJOY IT, IF YOU DON'T ENJOY IT THEN FUCKING STOP IMMEDIATELY.
2 it's one of the hardest sports, it's 24/7 non stop, the discipline required for this sport is simply mind boggling, if you are able to apply this immense discipline to other aspects of your life, you can accomplish some amazing things.
3. By default this sport and this lifestyle makes your healthier (if you don't abuse). Most normal people walking the street don't get blood work or monitor their blood pressure like my bodybuilding friends do, they don't care about nutrient dense food, and smart nutrition. This sport does not have to be detrimental to your health, it's up to YOU, and step one is being honest with yourself about your long term potential in bodybuilding, no amount of muscle you force upon your frame is going to make up for a lackluster shape and muscle insertions.
4. Last and not least being a mature adult will help you tremendously in your bodybuilding endeavors, being on low calories and lots of Cardio is no excuse for you to be an asshole to the people in your life and around you, this is called being a mature adult and taking ownership of your emotions and actions. Getting down to death camp body fat levels ultimately boils down to calories in VS calories out so you not being able to go to family functions or going out to dinner with your loved ones is just a bro bodybuilder copout. You can easily eat almost anywhere and almost 100% adhere to your calories or macros. Bodybuilders are babies and want everyone around them to think they are special little butterfly's that can't do this or can't do that. If you don't eat a meal in exactly 3 hours do you know what's going to happen? FUCKING NOTHING. Grow up and act like an adult if you want to pursue bodybuilding!

OK long rant for me, I'm usually a short and sweet type of post guy..LOL SORRY!

Fucking love this!

 

[beastmode121]

I’m continuing to practice my fav hobby of bodybuilding. I’m still doing cardio and staying lean, and I’m not stressing about making weight or looking stage ready.. life is better this way.

 

[beastmode121]

I tend to agree with this.... but I know if someone would have told me to do this in my past I would have told them to fuck off or just thought they were a pussy and could not handle the grind themselves.
A few others have said this and I agree with them. 'The discipline you learn through bodybuilding and competing at a high level can transfer over to many different aspects of your life that will help you immensely'. I think anyone who has competed at any level can look back on their experience and use that new found ability to push through barriers in other areas of their life.
I don't think its correct to gauge it by how its effecting your personal life, finances, health or family. As bboy said there's a ton of guys who are into hunting, fishing, working on cars, riding motorcycles, climbing, skiing, etc etc.. I know guys/gals pursuing all of these endeavors and it def effects their personal life, finances and health. You can do any of those activities and be a fanatic but still keep your life in a decent balance. I like to look at my day/week/month etc as a pie chart. Split it up and see how many hrs your spending doing work, gym/bbing, fam, other hobbies etc and you can get a good idea if you need to adjust the load and balance things out more. If you're a normal guy, have a regualr job and your doing a show you have to understand that you ned to make adjustments in your daily routine and decrease time spent in other areas so you have more time for the gym, meal prep, etc while preparing for your show.

I believe the real question you have to ask yourself is "why am I doing this?".... and you may not know what the answer is initially.

Bodybuilding is a hobby like any other hobby, but IMO competing isn’t a hobby. There’s more to competing than just fun

 

[mytreefiddy]

I'm one of the few that probably disagrees with B-Boy on this when it comes to the "hobby"statement..... Yes, fishing , hunting , camping blah blah are hobbies.... But we (you and I) are PROS.... to me, there is a difference... we're at the highest level there is.... we compete against the BEST in the WORLD.. the standards are much different.... I could do an NPC show, show up at 80% and still win my shit.... on the PRO LEVEL there is no room for error... i can almost guarantee most of the top guys/gals in our sport DON'T view it as just a hobby... You think Flex Lewis, Shawn Rhoden, Raymont Edmonds, Shanique Grant view this as just a hobby?? Doubt it...
And i dont this people purposely become douches in deep prep... VERY low calories and certain drugs IMO bring that out... I don't "try" to be a dick but sometimes patience is non existent....I feel hungry, tired and drained...I'm definitely not gonna be a ray of sunshine.... I feel that just comes with the territory... IN MY OPINION i just feel at the PRO level its all or nothing..... If you're in the middle you'll get "squished like grape" ala Mr Miyagi...

 

[mytreefiddy]

I’m continuing to practice my fav hobby of bodybuilding. I’m still doing cardio and staying lean, and I’m not stressing about making weight or looking stage ready.. life is better this way.

THIS is where im at right NOW.... and LIFE IS GOOD!!!..... so im thinking to myself..... "why the fuck do i wanna suffer".... I mean shit, i STILL have people coming up to me at the gym and asking "you getting ready for a show"?.. even though, to me, im a fat fuck... but to the average gym goer i look AMAZING.... Im 100% with you Beastmode

 

[b-boy]

I’m continuing to practice my fav hobby of bodybuilding. I’m still doing cardio and staying lean, and I’m not stressing about making weight or looking stage ready.. life is better this way.

This is my current life^^ if I end up looking good enough to step on stage in the process of it all then I will pick a show and do it. This is no longer a stress in my life, the less fucks i give about bodybuilding, somehow, someway the better I become

 

[Fit2Serve]

I been waking up recently and questioning myself and this whole prep.
Is it worth competing if I’m going no where with bodybuilding even if I won ?
how about if it’s affecting my work, family and social life?
I have a career; why am I even focusing on something else that I’m going to gain nothing from ?
is the sacrifice worth it when I can put my energy in something else?
am I just a narcissist who loves looking at his shredded muscle in the mirror and show off his gains?
wtf am I doing? I already done 6 shows, what am I trying to prove?

it’s been one of these days man...

waste of time, money and health.
let it go. not worth it AT ALL.
one of my best friends is 45 yrs old and a personal trainer. will never be a pro. uses tren, eq etc etc year round for over 12 years now. i asked him if he watched the superbowl, he replied naw had to train legs. LMFAO what a fool lol all for a plastic trophy and an early grave.
stupid.
-F2S

 

[pheenix]

imo, bodybuilding at a competition level is a luxury, unless you got freaky genetics and making money at it.

 

[method2madness]

I did 8 shows over the course of 16years and competed nationally 3 times. I was prepping for nationals in 2012 when a shitstorm of life events one great and the rest quite bad kept me from competing that year. But through my entire competitive phase I never viewed it as a hobby. The hobby or pasttime is where I am at now. I could jump back in to competition physically in 16weeks but I'm not motivated to put myself through that

 

[hawkmoon]

I was obsessed with competing and being a pro when I was 18-19 (1989~) I was working with Lou Zwick and ended up writing for American Muscle Magazine. During that experience I understood this wasn't a career and kept training but stopped competing. I competed again in 1997 here in Japan. Had a good chat with Dennis Newman where we joked about being unable to "retire".

I did not complete until 2018 on a whim and did well. Did it again last year, but fully understood I would never do it again. My work performance was down, I wasn't the best spouse either.

It's an individual choice and you need to try it to know for sure. For me, ill never stop training and eating well but I can't make the physiological and psychological sacrifices anymore.

 

[Jon Vander Van Assche]

Eh come on guys it’s 12 friggin weeks of dieting, big deal Suck it up compete and have some fun! When it’s over you can take the whole year or two off from competing and do what ever.

 

[get it in ya]

Eh come on guys it’s 12 friggin weeks of dieting, big deal Suck it up compete and have some fun! When it’s over you can take the whole year or two off from competing and do what ever.

Say that to the guys that competed the whole 15 years you took off from competing. The break and rest might of helped your mind

 

[Ds3317]

I’ve never competed though I’m thinking about doing it in October. I’m not really caring about or thinking I’ll win but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. For me I want to see if I have the ability to actually put everything I think I know to the test. Also I’m just a huge fan of everything that goes into bodybuilding.
A lot of people here sound very jaded. Phil Hernon did as well. I think what a lot of guys forget is it’s a luxury to have the ability to access gyms, the supplements, the knowledge, the food, the capability to choose to sacrifice. I know most of you guys have been in this game for years and are burned out or atleast it appears that way, but honestly I have to wonder is it bodybuilding You view in a negative light or is it the choices you made and just put the blame on the sport?

 

[jeroendebleser]

I think we should collectively applaud these guys for being brave enough to be able to hang it up. It may seem like a cop out to some of you but I honestly think it's the harder decision of the two to make so hats off to them for making it.

 

[mytreefiddy]

Suck it up compete and have some fun!.

I would hardly call it "fun"... i took 2019 off...the 1st year ive taken off since i started competing.....and can't seem to get my mojo back...i just keep asking myself..."what for"? LOL..... just gonna take it day by day.... see what happens...