Why guys aren’t competing

[CorgisOnTren]

If anyone wants free steroids and HGH for life, build one of the largest websites in the world for PED information and watch the email offers come in

Wrong thread?… lol

 

[bbxtreme]

Wrong thread?… lol

Read his signature guys… cmon. How am I the only one who got it.

 

[CorgisOnTren]

Read his signature guys… cmon. How am I the only one who got it.

I get it, I just have no clue what it has to do with the thread about why guys aren’t competing.

 

[bbxtreme]

I get it, I just have no clue what it has to do with the thread about why guys aren’t competing.

Read a few post back up, we got into how much we all spend on gear etc. he was referencing that little section.

 

[jhende82]

I’m turning 42 in February every year I say I will compete but back out thinking my physique isn’t good enough I think it’s in my head.

 

[bbxtreme]

I’m turning 42 in February every year I say I will compete but back out thinking my physique isn’t good enough I think it’s in my head.

I can’t think of one bodybuilder I know, including myself who thinks their physique is good enough. It’s what drives us.

On some level you have to always chase that. That’s why I compete as bench marks- the best version of my physique for where I am in this moment or chapter of my life.

Give it a shot and see it through. You’ll learn a lot about yourself in the process. At least I have.

 

[NorwegianMuscle]

Interesting thread. I competed almost all my life but I never turned pro. I competed not for money but because I fell in love with the sport. I easily could have but I was already signing contracts and working in the supplement industry making money. Thus look at my profile pic. I had a handful of friends that went on to get an IFBB card and turn pro but scrambled to make any money. No contracts no matter how hard they tried. They gave up and left. It's not about your card but your following on the internet and influence you have in the industry. My last show was at 43 exactly 10 years ago. I now live in Florida in an apartment my last company paid for. I finally moved on into a more stable career but I definitely spent years benefiting from the industry. The industry is unstable and rough to make a living in. A pro card doesn't guarantee you a paycheck.

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

Interesting thread. I competed almost all my life but I never turned pro. I competed not for money but because I fell in love with the sport. I easily could have but I was already signing contracts and working in the supplement industry making money. Thus look at my profile pic. I had a handful of friends that went on to get an IFBB card and turn pro but scrambled to make any money. No contracts no matter how hard they tried. They gave up and left. It's not about your card but your following on the internet and influence you have in the industry. My last show was at 43 exactly 10 years ago. I now live in Florida in an apartment my last company paid for. I finally moved on into a more stable career but I definitely spent years benefiting from the industry. The industry is unstable and rough to make a living in. A pro card doesn't guarantee you a paycheck.

thanks for your perspective man

also, per your sig block, RIP John, a genuine man who I love and miss daily...I cherish my interactions with him, and I hate the world for taking him from us

 

[hawkmoon]

I competed on and off since 1988. I thought bodybuilding was amazing at the start - I also though most were drug free (haha).

When i got involved with Lou Zwick I became disillusioned. I felt it was a good thing as he encouraged me to write for him rather than put everything into competing. He felt it was a dead end for all but the very few and I agree.

I never liked competing really, it's not my nature. I just go to the gym and train because I love it. It is who I am.
I'm fortunate enough to have chosen the right parents so that it worked out for me.

 

[bbxtreme]

I competed on and off since 1988. I thought bodybuilding was amazing at the start - I also though most were drug free (haha).

When i got involved with Lou Zwick I became disillusioned. I felt it was a good thing as he encouraged me to write for him rather than put everything into competing. He felt it was a dead end for all but the very few and I agree.

I never liked competing really, it's not my nature. I just go to the gym and train because I love it. It is who I am.
I'm fortunate enough to have chosen the right parents so that it worked out for me.

I just watched the Branch Warren interview with Hany and he had some great perspective on all this.

“I competed because I loved to train hard. I didn’t train because I loved to compete.”

Summarizes my stance on the sport and why I think Ian getting out with his health is so smart.

You did it the right way IMO. There’s nothing like competing, but it’s just a benchmark of my progress bc I love to train and would never jeopardize my ability to do it.

 

[bbxtreme]

thanks for your perspective man

also, per your sig block, RIP John, a genuine man who I love and miss daily...I cherish my interactions with him, and I hate the world for taking him from us

The sport just isn’t the same without him. His knowledge and videos will serve and help others for the next decade in this sport. That’s a powerful legacy. So much respect for him.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

“I competed because I loved to train hard. I didn’t train because I loved to compete.”

this is the best quote ever and how I feel.
I say this as I’m about 8 weeks out right now.

 

[bbxtreme]

this is the best quote ever and how I feel.
I say this as I’m about 8 weeks out right now.

Yeah I listened to it on the step-mill as I’m just under 4 weeks out right now (digging deep) and it was exactly what I needed to hear because it’s the damn truth!

That’s great to hear you’re 8 weeks out. I hadn’t seen that on here.

 

[Misfit246]

Good points made all through this thread. Little reward, political, etc....I use vacations and/or events as deadlines and set as goals to condition my physique and challenge myself.

 

[NeveReveN]

With all the critiques on here lately I thought it would be a good topic to throw out.

There are some crazy physiques on this board. Some of you have competed, some retired and others who look crazy yet never have.

I agree that if guys like Andrew Jacked are the best we get in today’s scene the sport is not what it once used to be. So why aren’t guys with killer physiques competing?

It’s no secret from the promoters that numbers are down and Lee Haney locally here is constantly trying to get people back into the sport.

This thread isn’t for the guys who are “bodybuilding fans” at home on the couch. It’s also not to start a thread on drugs and PED’s- that comes with the territory. Same for politics.

I am not the most genetically gifted bodybuilder. I love the process and discipline of prepping to step on stage the day of the show. To show what I have been doing in silence for the last 6,12 or 24 months… I don’t give two fucks about politics or think about it because I’d better look better than every guy there. Period.

So I’m curious to get everyone else’s take on this who is not a couch gym bro- why aren’t guys competing?

Me personally, I was willing to do most of what was necessary to be a bodybuilder. But I wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to compete in contests. I believe bodybuilding, even with the “supplements” can be a very healthy lifestyle. It has been for me for four decades. But competitive bodybuilding, what’s necessary to get there, I don’t know anyone who thinks that is healthy.

So while many non competitive bodybuilders can be very confident that they’ll live a long, healthy, strong and build life, that’s not so true for anyone competing. They know they’re risking their lives and probably taking many years off their expected lifespans with each contest.

Not for me.

 

[Fleezy]

probably taking many years off their expected lifespans with each contest.

Lol come on now..

 

[bbxtreme]

Me personally, I was willing to do most of what was necessary to be a bodybuilder. But I wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to compete in contests. I believe bodybuilding, even with the “supplements” can be a very healthy lifestyle. It has been for me for four decades. But competitive bodybuilding, what’s necessary to get there, I don’t know anyone who thinks that is healthy.

So while many non competitive bodybuilders can be very confident that they’ll live a long, healthy, strong and build life, that’s not so true for anyone competing. They know they’re risking their lives and probably taking many years off their expected lifespans with each contest.

Not for me.

Valid points. No right or wrong answers as it’s all perspective.

I think everyone can acknowledge that competing at the top to win can have health risk. For me personally it’s why I likely would never compete as a pro if I go for my pro card. I compete for different reasons and myself.

I find a lot of guys do use the excuse of “it’s so unhealthy” as an excuse to not compete (not saying you do).

My take is that bodybuilding and competing can be done “responsibly”. For many competitors I would ask the question “what would you be doing if you didn’t compete or weren’t a bodybuilder.”

We are extreme individuals and many would likely to turn to unhealthy relationships with food, drinking, smoking, drugs, extreme hobbies etc. I see it all the time when guys stop training hard and bodybuilding.

Now show me a person competing on a top level with PED’s, drinking, smoking, eating a shit diet in the off-season or drugs and I’ll show you a person on a fast track to major health issues.

Do blood work year round (on and off cycle), extensive heart testing, eat clean and be responsible.

Just my take on it.

 

[Fleezy]

Do blood work year round (on and off cycle), extensive heart testing, eat clean and be responsible.

And as Justin Harris said, ‘don’t be an asshole, take your blood pressure medication’ (paraphrasing)

Blood pressure, diuretics and dehydration for contests, painkillers (NSAIDS/opiates), bad health genes, untreated OSA, and just overall self neglect/burying head in the sand IMO are the root causes of health issues that bodybuilders face

 

[bbxtreme]

And as Justin Harris said, ‘don’t be an asshole, take your blood pressure medication’ (paraphrasing)

Blood pressure, diuretics and dehydration for contests, painkillers (NSAIDS/opiates), bad health genes, untreated OSA, and just overall self neglect/burying head in the sand IMO are the root causes of health issues that bodybuilders face

Totally agree. Blows my mind that people still forget to manage their blood pressure. So simple.

 

[marssel]

With all the critiques on here lately I thought it would be a good topic to throw out.

There are some crazy physiques on this board. Some of you have competed, some retired and others who look crazy yet never have.

I agree that if guys like Andrew Jacked are the best we get in today’s scene the sport is not what it once used to be. So why aren’t guys with killer physiques competing?

It’s no secret from the promoters that numbers are down and Lee Haney locally here is constantly trying to get people back into the sport.

This thread isn’t for the guys who are “bodybuilding fans” at home on the couch. It’s also not to start a thread on drugs and PED’s- that comes with the territory. Same for politics.

I am not the most genetically gifted bodybuilder. I love the process and discipline of prepping to step on stage the day of the show. To show what I have been doing in silence for the last 6,12 or 24 months… I don’t give two fucks about politics or think about it because I’d better look better than every guy there. Period.

So I’m curious to get everyone else’s take on this who is not a couch gym bro- why aren’t guys competing?

I dunno being on stage is the most addictive rewarding thing I’ve ever done no matter my placing if I got screwed, got a gift, or landed where I thought. This years shows are a joke as far as quality and depth and my guess is bc of money; prep costs a fortune and then just the show weekend travel, tan, entry, hotel is what $600-$700 so the economy has got to be why dudes aren’t right now. As to ingeneral competing that last week in particular is harder than just about everything I did in the military and most people just. Any handle it physically and even the ones that do that how many guys have you seen at the weigh in and then not the next day, a LOT