Progression to Bodybuilding

[OldPhat]

Hi all, first post.

I haven't had much training in the gym. About 10 years ago I went at it pretty hard with the idea of competing in bodybuilding.
But I got a serious chest infection that took me down after only 8 or so months. In that time I feel I developed ok. But nothing ground breaking. And then it was off to college for a few years. And then Muay Thai and boxing. So I never got back into it.

Now that I am 30 and hitting my mid life crisis I have got the bug to try and compete again. So I was all motivated, starting getting things in line and shuffling around my life so I have the time and some extra cash to put in the effort. Then saw a vid of some dude praising how well some guy has done after one year of training. And the guy wasn't that impressive. And it has totally killed my buzz. I know it takes time and I shouldn't be rushing anything. But I thought by a year in you should be in a position to do a comp or almost be ready for a comp at that point. Since that was the track things were taking when I was training.


So it brings me to some questions.

Is a year or even a year and a half to short a time frame to expect anything to put on stage?

And the other is, do people go straight to bodybuilding? Or do they start with something like Men's Physique until they are to big and then progress onto the next division?

[txchipk]

Some tough love...

You can summarize your post by the following: "I really have a big goal, but big goals are hard and should I aim for something lower?"

If you want to do bodybuilding, you need to fix the mindset.

Bodybuilding is f*ing hard...It takes dedication, consistency, intensity, discipline, and a time. Men's physique was created to allow people a place to compete who wanted, in their own words, an "aspirational" and "attainable" look. "Attainable" is a nice way of saying "easier." Bodybuilding is an extreme goal...extreme goals are not easier. The mindset of someone who wants to accomplish extreme goals is to start tackling it, not finding less hard goals. [ I'm not knocking on men's physique contestants...I have many friends who compete in that. Some do it because they just want a lean and semi-muscular look. Many will admit that it is an easier path because they don't have to worry about intense leg workouts, the prep is hard but still easier than the condition required at a bodybuilding division, etc. ].

If you want to compete in bodybuilding, competing in men's physique only delays that. Competition prep for 3-4 months to get lean for a show will only take time away from developing your physique for what you aspire and thus delay achieving what you say you really aspire to compete in.

Hard goals are often intimidating, but they are the ones with the most reward.

As for where you will be in a year, no one knows. Growth is a function of many things -- genetics being a key one, how consistent with training and diet, and how hard you are really working in the gym will influence progress. If you are busting balls at the gym 5-6 days a week and following a proper diet every day, you will make solid progress.

Competing the first time in novice is more about conditioning than size at most local shows. Most first timers underestimate how lean they are or need to be. Even if most people outweigh you, if you are conditioned, you will beat many of them. Competing is also about personal accomplishment -- getting on stage after a hard prep when most people will quit along the way and never get up there. As well, the thought of waiting until you are "big enough" -- well, you will never feel you are big enough. When you compete, you will always want to aim for being bigger and leaner next time.

[OldPhat]

Thanks txchipk. That really helps a lot. I assumed on the way to body building, competing in fitness would be part of it. But what you say about prepping for a fitness comp affecting the end goal makes perfect sense. I don't particularly have an interest in fitness. And I don't like their legs. So I will skip it. As for gains in a year, I guess it doesn't hurt to push it in the gym and see where I end up. Then just reevaluate the situation. Thanks man.

[deltpecx]

....
Competing the first time in novice is more about conditioning than size at most local shows. Most first timers underestimate how lean they are or need to be. Even if most people outweigh you, if you are conditioned, you will beat many of them. ... .

So true...sticky this!