Why do you (or dont you) compete?

[DOGGCRAPP]

Damn you went to Polk High ?

Yep he wasnt far off from Bundy

 

[specter]

Yep he wasnt far off from Bundy

Damn football stars !

 

[Yousef12O2]

Not worth it. Too much time and effort. Bodybuilding is way more time consuming that any other sport there is.

I'd rather compete in another sport tbh.

 

[Yousef12O2]

And only about 20 men since the 1960s won the Olympia. Very hard to make it to the top. 20 people out of millions of bodybuilders. I'd rather buy a lottery ticket or something lmao

 

[bbxtreme]

Honestly man and this is not going to go over well in here. I went to compete twice. Both times because everyone was prodding me to do it and I was more like "well I guess if you want to call yourself a bodybuilder....thats what you got to do". First time if i remember right early 2000's I went from 296 to 258 with a I think 3 weeks left and TN was a 2 man operation at that time and i couldnt even think straight, I was getting behind in everything, business was suffering because of it, cardio 2x a day, low carbs, suffering to come in shredded, falling asleep at my desk and i was like "WTF am i doing? I am not pulling my 50% here!" I felt really unfair to my business partner and i was not doing my part. We both gave up careers to start TN, and I was screwing things up. I pulled out and went back to being a businessman and to what was fair to my business partner. Great decsion upon looking back. Second time maybe 18 months later early 2000's everyone on me again to do a show (wife was going to do show too)...292 to 263 with about 4 weeks left, father calls up " I have liver cancer son...." My wife and I pull out because its the right thing to do but to be realistic. Thank god! I didnt want to compete. I could care less about getting up onstage in posing trunks to be judged by others and trophies etc. Could care less! I have always been an individual who does not need reaffirmation of themselves as a bodybuilder. Its always been me vs me. The only person that i need to judge me is me. If i am not happy with myself as a bber, no trophy or show winning would rectify that. I dont need a jury of my peers to rate me as a bodybuilder.


And i an eternal Return On Investment person. I dont get killing yourself to get a trophy...I really dont. (especially drug wise at the highest levels) It doesnt bring money....and honestly nobody really gives a shit but yourself. There was a guy in my high school who everyone called "Touchdown Goguen" as a joke because all he could talk about for the next 20 years after high school was the touchdown he scored. Sometimes i see the same thing in bodybuilding. Guys talking about a show or trophy they won way back in the day and you look around the room and see that most people "could give a flyin F" and are instead into whatever is going on in their life right then. That husband and wife you just walked by in aisle 3 of the grocery store does not care you won your class in "Mr Golden State" back in 2014


Sorry to be so blunt...but thats how i personally see it. My true goals that were important to me because i came from meager means, and was absolutely dirt poor in my 20's (maybe poorer than 98% of you in this forum at one point with no car, no place to live and 64 dollars to his name at one point in my 20's after college)....was to be a very successful businessman, a father, a husband and a really good bodybuilder according to me. I accomplished all of that. I do not get the return on investment in competitive bodybuilding...I dont. I do get the return on investment with social media influencers, businessmen in bodybuilding, and people who create a career or great opportunity with their interest in bodybuilding. Winning shows does not do that. Being a gogetter with a never say die attitude to success does.


I am not disrespecting anyone here who competes and loves to compete. This is just my own personal view on things concerning this sport probably severely jaundiced by the number of people i have seen die, or created great harm in their life healthwise. Coming out to Cali and seeing pro bbers living in their car or who were dirt poor yet the facade was they were "living large" in the magazines....was pretty shocking to see. David Dearth comes to mind when i say that because the guy was living in his car...the mags were promoting him....what did he end up getting from everything in bodybuilding? Working on horse farms if I remember right in his 50's struggling to make ends meet and having a massive heart attack at 56 and dying.


Probably not going to be a popular post in here among the competitors but I have seen guys give up lucrative careers, screw up valuable relationships with their significant others because they went "all in" to competive bodybuilding only to regret it greatly later on in their lives. Obviously guys like Hawkmoon and others are not in that group...more power to you guys.


Just this last month I went off on a friend who came to me with a GFR of 37 and creatinine over 2 and asked for my help to get him healthy. I read him the riot act and started the process and out of nowhere he tells me about 3 days before the weekend that he is competing....and he did....and he won his class and is probably ecstatic to get that trophy. Me I look at that as complete utter stupidity. Because i know what he had to do to win that class and it goes directly against having healthy kidneys. So im am presently writing him an email of "Have you actually studied dialysis and what it involves?" and im going to rip into him.


So its things like that that really mold me on "return on investment".....its not across the board with everyone....but I guess with everything in life the question is always "Is that what you pursue...worth it in the end for the reward"

Seeing top pros living out of their cars was the best lesson I could have gotten when I was a teenager coming into this sport.

This sport is not worth that. This isn’t the NFL, golf or any other pro sport for that matter.

 

[pesty4077]

I started out in 1980. Different mentality back then and I didn't see the drug abuse like now. Up to 1994 I competed in 15 shows and never placing worse then 4th in my class. Winning 2 overalls, first and last. I am glad I did at that time. Taught me discipline and focus in life.

In my early 30s, my priorities changed. Between the drug abuse and politics, it wasn't worth it. Starting a family out was. I gave all that extra money to the direction of my family. Best decision I ever made. I also was able to afford better things, like vehicles, home, and start a business.

I am glad I did BB at that time, it gave me direction in life to do better things. Like Dante, I went into business, opening 3 corporations in 2 years. I am still part owner of two doing nothing now, just collecting a small salary on each. Now I am retired, still alive having the best time of my life. I travel all over Europe and parts of the world.

BB is OK to do, but not when it consumes you so much, you risk your health and are broke all the time. I hope everyone here has a long life and gets to retire comfortably. Your priorities should change when you get older. There is more important things in life. I am going to tell you what others told me when I was young and laughed at them. You will get older faster then you think and years will seem like months.

 

[jhende82]

I don’t because I don’t think my physique is good enough it’s mid

 

[specter]

I started out in 1980. Different mentality back then and I didn't see the drug abuse like now. Up to 1994 I competed in 15 shows and never placing worse then 4th in my class. Winning 2 overalls, first and last. I am glad I did at that time. Taught me discipline and focus in life.

In my early 30s, my priorities changed. Between the drug abuse and politics, it wasn't worth it. Starting a family out was. I gave all that extra money to the direction of my family. Best decision I ever made. I also was able to afford better things, like vehicles, home, and start a business.

I am glad I did BB at that time, it gave me direction in life to do better things. Like Dante, I went into business, opening 3 corporations in 2 years. I am still part owner of two doing nothing now, just collecting a small salary on each. Now I am retired, still alive having the best time of my life. I travel all over Europe and parts of the world.

BB is OK to do, but not when it consumes you so much, you risk your health and are broke all the time. I hope everyone here has a long life and gets to retire comfortably. Your priorities should change when you get older. There is more important things in life. I am going to tell you what others told me when I was young and laughed at them. You will get older faster then you think and years will seem like months.

BB has taught me alot about having control of my ego, my wish to always push thru and not slow down and let things roll natural, it also taught me alot about cooking, caus damn i couldnt cook for shit when i started, but plain chicken, rice and broccoli can only go so far

 

[Josefein421]

Wow. So many good perspectives here. It actually took a deeper turn than I anticipated.

Also, I thought the answers would be a little different. I thought there would be more people placing a higher value on competing.

Great to hear thoughts from Dante, Luki, BBxtrme, TheOtherOne, Hawkmoon… you old school guys who were around before social media and remember real hardcore bodybuilding.

And I agree and get what you guys are saying! So idk why I’ve tried to convince myself I liked something I didn’t or that it meant something it didn’t lol. Probably just something to do with being an overachiever lol.

That and I was in desperate need of this deload when I posted lol

This sport is such a mindfuck in so many ways. Glad to see so many at peace w their process and enjoying it.

 

[gulfcoast]

Like many have stated, I competed 2x simply due to peer pressure NOT because I had any desire to get up on a stage covered in oil wearing a thong. lol
I went to the gym for two reasons - 1) I grew up a tall skinny kid that got picked on relentlessly in middle school and high school and 2) I saw how much girls like the jacked guys.
Forty years later and those two reasons still haven't changed.

 

[Josefein421]

A thought I had earlier and maybe this is just me...

I dont view the fans or commentators, etc as less than the athletes on the field. Ernie Taylor is an amazing basketball analyst. Maybe better than Chuck, Shaq, etc who are Hall of Famers. Most promoters and judges, tons of high level coaches... they dont compete or havent in years and years. Some dont even train or never have. And they are still the most influential, passionate, respected people in the sport.

Sports dont require participation as an athlete to enjoy. Or the guy who plays flag football with his buddies religiously every Sunday morning has as much or even more joy from the sport than the guy in the NFL. He doesnt compare himself or isnt looked as less than. Sports are supposed to be fun outlets enjoyed however fits each of us. Bodybuilding seems to be an area where we put more pressure on ourselves to participate or belong perhaps because we dont feel the genetic difference is the same as me vs Nick Walker compared to me vs Lebron. Plus social media pressures.

I suppose another example of where confidence, self assuredness and authenticity with oneself go a very long way in finding joy. It is supposed to be fun not a work.

 

[cm]

Wow. So many good perspectives here. It actually took a deeper turn than I anticipated.

Also, I thought the answers would be a little different. I thought there would be more people placing a higher value on competing.

Great to hear thoughts from Dante, Luki, BBxtrme, TheOtherOne, Hawkmoon… you old school guys who were around before social media and remember real hardcore bodybuilding.

And I agree and get what you guys are saying! So idk why I’ve tried to convince myself I liked something I didn’t or that it meant something it didn’t lol. Probably just something to do with being an overachiever lol.

That and I was in desperate need of this deload when I posted lol

This sport is such a mindfuck in so many ways. Glad to see so many at peace w their process and enjoying it.

Wow. So many good perspectives here. _______________________

Im not sure I fully agree with that. Not saying "good" is the disagreement; but most perspectives here ::::: bodybuilding is bad.


Dress it up how you want, say your sorry before you type it out, rationalize it before you possibly insult someone, sympathize before you trivialize it

most of what is here, is saying--- been there, or almost been there, and happy I dont or happy I didnt.
Also in regards to your statement of thinking there would be more placing higher value on competing. If someone didnt actually compete, how can they place value? If it didnt go well, how can they place value? if it was hard, and took many detours, and to be found for some an insurmountable task to balance thier life with, how can they know, and again place value. I understand fully wisdom can be living and learning from others experiences and others mistakes, so you dont have to repeat them. I also believe people are full of shit, and in general, they are terrible, so why would thier vacation destinations, thier child rearing techniques, thier relationship advice, and --wait for it---thier competitve bodybuilding advice based on what they did or didnt do. Emphasis on DIDN'T.

With that said, who am I to say, who am I to you, to listen to, but: I hope you compete. I hope you see it through. I hope you go at it, all out, with no regrets. Hopefully afterwards there wont be sour grapes, and hopefully afterwards you can come to conclusion to do it again because it was worth it, you loved it, and you loved how you felt about you, by doing it

 

[Worldsfastestfatty]

Primarily because I have wayyyy too much anxiety and social awkwardness to ever expose myself like that on a stage Infront of people. Perish the thought!

 

[tokon]

The longer I’m alive, the more I realize that there are some people who I will just never understand

Was talking to a friend at the gym, mid 40’s on half a gram of test a week. He works a busy job and has 3 kids.

He’s not a big guy at all. You wouldn’t assume he was on gear or even lifted seriously

He told me his blood pressure was regularly around 190/120

I’m like holy shit dude, get on Telmisartan and nebivolol immediately

He’s like


Nah I feel fine

Perspective!

 

[tokon]

Thanks for sharing this, Dante. It’s an perspective that needs to be voiced, even if it runs counter to the majority forum narrative.
Going all-in on a pursuit has its place, but without temperance and a clear view of reality, the trade-offs rarely add up.

Regarding your mention of me - which I appreciate - I consider myself remarkably fortunate.
I was able to achieve what I did by remaining moderate, protecting my health, and keeping my career and family intact. Doing that while navigating life in a foreign country added its own layer of friction, but it kept me grounded.

I sometimes worry about sounding preachy or dismissive, which is never my intent. I don't claim to have the master blueprint; I've just been lucky enough to build a life that is "enough" across the board - professionally, financially, and physically.

". . . even if it runs counter to the majority forum narrative. . . . "

Does it? How many of the members here actually compete, or have competed? I'd guess it's actually a minority??

 

[Josefein421]

". . . even if it runs counter to the majority forum narrative. . . . "

Does it? How many of the members here actually compete, or have competed? I'd guess it's actually a minority??

Perhaps. But how many put too much emphasis on the opinion and validation of others... probably most. Which is what he is saying he is not motivated by at all.

 

[Josefein421]

As my Post Diet Crash Out (PDCO lol) wears off and I think about this topic with a little more clear perspective I have some final thoughts...

- I think we all extrinsically motivated be it by the stage, the photoshoot, the vacation, etc. I think that is ok as long as it isnt the main driver. Because if the show, photos or trip dont turn out as a "win" you end up with an empty "lost" feeling that strips the joy of the process you just went through that could. Process oriented > Goal oriented
- A pro friend of mine said, and im gonna paraphrase, that he thinks the disciplined lifestyle bodybuilder is more of a "bodybuilder" than the competitor because he is doing 90% of the same things outside the last 4-6wks of a prep and the actual show but he is doing them out of love and fun not an obligation or deadline forcing the accountability. I dont know if I agree 100% but the gist does give credence to "living the life"
- There is a gross over emphasis on competing due to social media. Everyone is on a "Road to Pro" and it seems if you ask someone it is always. for gone conclusion that they will win a pro card. Too many cards are given out at too many shows in too many divisions. It has come out of the niche and more mainstream but that makes it feel both diluted but at the same time even if half those people dont belong on stage development wise or are doing it from an unhealthy place the constant bombardment of it can make you pause and think "Why am I not doing that again?"
- I have a friend who just competed at Universe. Looked great but imo nothing says "pro" or "elite". Super successful businessman for a bodybuilding related company plus a very successful coaching business having turned multiple long term clients pro. Everyone hyping him up saying he's got the card in teh bag bc he won the local overall. His coach is well known on here though I am not a fan of the guy... hyped him up. Well of the 3 classes the best he got was 11. He got smoked. And it wasnt a peak/show day issue. He just isnt at that level of development. Well, as I watched I wondered "Why is he doing this? He has nothing to prove to anyone!". He took it pretty well publicly but I know he is really hurting privately. To ME I know he loves to compete so he does but if he had won his card how would his life have changed... not one bit. So I wonder... all the work and sacrifice he went through just to end in heartbreak. That is part of sports and competing and makes the wins worth it but man that is heavy to endure after a full prep, public eye, etc. I dont know how I would handle it honestly. I can see how the juice often just isnt worth the squeeze unless you really love the process regardless of the outcome
- I booked another boudoir photoshoot and gym shoot for fall with my girlfriend. I am no model LOL but they are fun and give me reason to stay on plan without the pressure of the stage. Anyone looking for similar I recommend looking into it if you arent a competitor and like a target or goal. I wish I had more pictures and videos from early days in the gym... but the tech wasnt quite ready yet lol


Just some thoughts after reflecting

 

[yukio]

I personally just enjoy my time in the gym along with keeping a disciplined routine. Never had a passion or interest in competing or watching it for the most part.

 

[tokon]

I started out in 1980. Different mentality back then and I didn't see the drug abuse like now. Up to 1994 I competed in 15 shows and never placing worse then 4th in my class. Winning 2 overalls, first and last. I am glad I did at that time. Taught me discipline and focus in life.

In my early 30s, my priorities changed. Between the drug abuse and politics, it wasn't worth it. Starting a family out was. I gave all that extra money to the direction of my family. Best decision I ever made. I also was able to afford better things, like vehicles, home, and start a business.

I am glad I did BB at that time, it gave me direction in life to do better things. Like Dante, I went into business, opening 3 corporations in 2 years. I am still part owner of two doing nothing now, just collecting a small salary on each. Now I am retired, still alive having the best time of my life. I travel all over Europe and parts of the world.

BB is OK to do, but not when it consumes you so much, you risk your health and are broke all the time. I hope everyone here has a long life and gets to retire comfortably. Your priorities should change when you get older. There is more important things in life. I am going to tell you what others told me when I was young and laughed at them. You will get older faster then you think and years will seem like months.

well done! great perspective.

 

[Testabolin]

First competition was at 19, I'm 51 now. I compete to stay in good shape, focus on something other than work, and to better myself. I'm goal focused and get lazy if I don't have a contest on the horizon.