What is the point of bodybuilding past a reasonable level?

[name1111]

I was thinking...why do i do it?

Doing physical activity is great. Achieving goals and staying focused is great. It helped me in other areas of life. Being physically fit and healthy is great.

BUT...all of this can be achieved by doing something else that's more practical, such as martial arts. I started jujitsu recently, it's alot of fun and i'm learning some cool stuff.

Good looks...well, i dunno...past a certain point muscles become less and less attractive. I hate how guidos look.

Being tough...well, a long distance runner or a boxer or hell, a skateboarder is probably mentally tougher than a bodybuilder. And physically, someone who knows martial arts well enough can **** you up whether you're a twig, a sasquatch, or a massive powerlifter.

So there's other activities you can do that make you tougher, if you're after that. Bodybuilding only makes you look tough. And personally i find being fit is more attractive than being HUUUGE. I'd rather look like bruce lee than lee priest. Reasonable ammount of muscle, low body fat.

And the thing about bodybuilding is eating is the key. I just started college and eating right is hard as hell. I mean i've been doing it but it's difficult, and i'd imagine it gets even more difficult with time. I'm going to run out of meals on the highest meal plan way before the end of the semester. And after college it'll be even harder...

So i'm thinking, why spend TONS of money/time on food and get massive when there's really no reason to do so, other than to look tough. Unless you're playing football or some ****. But even those guys aren't that big. Bodybuilders and powerlifters are HUGE but you don't see them dominating in sports...they're just showing off their muscles, not using them.

I'm not a big guy, i got tired of being small and i took care of that already. but i think i'm going too far now and i'm obsessed with lifting and eating. I'm seriously frustrated when i can't get my meals on time or lift as planned. I'm thinking about it and it seems like a pointless obsession...maybe it's time to cut the bf% a little and then just maintain the good ammount of muscle and low bf. What's really the point of getting bigger anyway.

[mikeccccc]

if u dont like bodybuilding then dont do it. simple as that. if u dont have the passion and cant see a point , then find something u do feel passionate about and do it

[Db88]

staying fit and looking good is pointless? i dont think so, builds confidence and keeps it there, maybe some people dont play sports, but i play ice hockey, so it is always benficial in that case.

You dont have to get bigger, get to the point where you are satisfied and stay there. Plain and simple. Once i get to where i want.. im just gonna work on maintaining it.

[slackajack]

Yeah, great article. I'm sure you'll get a great response on a bodybuilding forum... idiot.

[K_muscle]

Sounds like a cop out to me. Going too far with it eh...I guess you plan on taking the teen nationals next year too

[yellowadonis]

its just that others have different goals and priorities as you do.

My priority right now is to get healthy and fit, improve my physical and mental heath, so i can excel on the sporting field and academically.

Others want to be My Olympia.

[mikeccccc]

^^âgree with all posts

[slackajack]

its just that others have different goals and priorities as you do.

My priority right now is to get healthy and fit, improve my physical and mental heath, so i can excel on the sporting field and academically.

Others want to be My Olympia.

No problem with that. But the O/P was telling us (insinuating, anyway) that bodybuilding is a waste of time.

I think it's funny that he's started this thread on a bodybuilding forum expecting to get a positive response.

[hynox.rain]

You make a good point name1111,
about a month ago my first thread here was on exactly the same thing. I'm not too sure either. The reason I started working out was to gain some muscle on my legs so I wouldn't have knee problems as much. That has gone and my body has improved too. But I don't really see the point of doing any more. I'm also quite deterred by the vast amounts of eating and sleeping involved in this. It seems pointless to me too.

I guess you could reduce everything down to the same level of absurdity, in that it's all going pointless. But if you are focussing on this particular thing in that light, it's probably a good indication that you aren't passionate about bodybuilding, so maybe it's time to go and find something else to get involved with. I think i'll do the same.

Though a couple of strength training exercises like squats deads and benchs aren't a bad idea. Just to maintain , but it sounds like you do this anyway.

Thanks for the thread.

[slackajack]

And it begins...

[mikeccccc]

You make a good point name1111,
about a month ago my first thread here was on exactly the same thing. I'm not too sure either. The reason I started working out was to gain some muscle on my legs so I wouldn't have knee problems as much. That has gone and my body has improved too. But I don't really see the point of doing any more. I'm also quite deterred by the vast amounts of eating and sleeping involved in this. It seems pointless to me too.

yet ur still posting on a bodybuilding forum???

guys if u dont like bb'ing, then dont do it. play football or do whatever...but dont go on a bb forum and say its pointless

[Fo_real_deal]

Reasonable is defined by the user, not a group.

[matthor]

thread is lame

[Goofxta]

Perhaps someone likes extreme strength as he feels he can better protect himself and his family.

[wolvesrdogs]

Hes saying bodybuilders rnt mentally tough, dude r you retarted? Have you tried going to failure or anything yet, try that and youll see, and doing it slow and steady not fast and retarted.

[jack_of_all]

I was thinking...why do i do it?

Doing physical activity is great. Achieving goals and staying focused is great. It helped me in other areas of life. Being physically fit and healthy is great.

BUT...all of this can be achieved by doing something else that's more practical, such as martial arts. I started jujitsu recently, it's alot of fun and i'm learning some cool stuff.

Good looks...well, i dunno...past a certain point muscles become less and less attractive. I hate how guidos look.

Being tough...well, a long distance runner or a boxer or hell, a skateboarder is probably mentally tougher than a bodybuilder. And physically, someone who knows martial arts well enough can **** you up whether you're a twig, a sasquatch, or a massive powerlifter.

So there's other activities you can do that make you tougher, if you're after that. Bodybuilding only makes you look tough. And personally i find being fit is more attractive than being HUUUGE. I'd rather look like bruce lee than lee priest. Reasonable ammount of muscle, low body fat.

And the thing about bodybuilding is eating is the key. I just started college and eating right is hard as hell. I mean i've been doing it but it's difficult, and i'd imagine it gets even more difficult with time. I'm going to run out of meals on the highest meal plan way before the end of the semester. And after college it'll be even harder...

So i'm thinking, why spend TONS of money/time on food and get massive when there's really no reason to do so, other than to look tough. Unless you're playing football or some ****. But even those guys aren't that big. Bodybuilders and powerlifters are HUGE but you don't see them dominating in sports...they're just showing off their muscles, not using them.

I'm not a big guy, i got tired of being small and i took care of that already. but i think i'm going too far now and i'm obsessed with lifting and eating. I'm seriously frustrated when i can't get my meals on time or lift as planned. I'm thinking about it and it seems like a pointless obsession...maybe it's time to cut the bf% a little and then just maintain the good ammount of muscle and low bf. What's really the point of getting bigger anyway.

a few things that are easy to take issue with...

-bodybuilding is as physically demanding, if not more so, than other sports. When your squatting and deadlifting with a few times your own weight, you will understand. And the stronger you get the harder and heavier it is. to say that another sport requires you to be tougher is highly misinformed.

-someone who knows martial arts does not magically kick everyones ass. if you understand martial arts you know there are three distinct stages to a real fight, the stand up fight, the clinch, and the ground fight. strength and size are so incredibley important in the ground fight its not even funny, and virtually all street fights will end on the ground and in under 30 seconds. Some martial arts do train you at least a little for this, but its really the most important part of a fight.

-powerlifters don't use their muscles??? wtf.

-powerlifters and bodybuilders win at sports all the time. usually they are powerlifting and bodybuilding. to say football is a better measure of athleticism than powerlifting or bodybuilding is not really true.

-now you complain that its hard... yeh, thats why most people fail. welcome to most people.

[slackajack]

-now you complain that its hard... yeh, thats why most people fail. welcome to most people.

Quote of the week.

[mikeccccc]

top post Jack of all

[Solid0Snake]

I will reply to each of your paragraphs with something

The post is fairly long, if you don't want to read all of it, you could just skip to the bottom where it says in bold "Conclusion".

I was thinking...why do i do it?

Doing physical activity is great. Achieving goals and staying focused is great. It helped me in other areas of life. Being physically fit and healthy is great.

BUT...all of this can be achieved by doing something else that's more practical, such as martial arts. I started jujitsu recently, it's alot of fun and i'm learning some cool stuff.

Martial Arts could be fun to you, but to bodybuilders lifting weights and challanging themselves is even more fun. As for learning new stuff, in martial arts, you learn about the style, in bodybuilding, you learn about Biology, which is a science and could help you later in the future.

Good looks...well, i dunno...past a certain point muscles become less and less attractive. I hate how guidos look.

Being tough...well, a long distance runner or a boxer or hell, a skateboarder is probably mentally tougher than a bodybuilder. And physically, someone who knows martial arts well enough can **** you up whether you're a twig, a sasquatch, or a massive powerlifter.

For looks, everyone has a taste. Some like people cut at 165lbs, others favor 200lbs or more. Some people even train their upper body and neglect their legs because they don't like big legs. A matter of opinion, my friend.

As for toughness, yes, you could say that a boxer is tougher than a bodybuilder, since a boxer knows how and where to punch.
The thing is, bodybuilding allows you to enter other sports and have an easier time playing them. E.g. if you liked soccer and you were a bodybuilder, you'd find yourself shooting better because of the power in your quads.

So there's other activities you can do that make you tougher, if you're after that. Bodybuilding only makes you look tough. And personally i find being fit is more attractive than being HUUUGE. I'd rather look like bruce lee than lee priest. Reasonable ammount of muscle, low body fat.

And the thing about bodybuilding is eating is the key. I just started college and eating right is hard as hell. I mean i've been doing it but it's difficult, and i'd imagine it gets even more difficult with time. I'm going to run out of meals on the highest meal plan way before the end of the semester. And after college it'll be even harder...

Again, the looks is a matter of opinion. Some like cut people with low bodyfat, others like huge bodies.

As for the nutrition in bodybuilding, well, bodybuilding is not easy. It's not just lifting a couple of weights and waiting for your body to grow on itself, it takes dedication, it needs motivation. Lots of people here on the bodybuilding forums have dedicated their lives for it and have gained good results from it even when there are obstacles in the way, in your case, collage.

So i'm thinking, why spend TONS of money/time on food and get massive when there's really no reason to do so, other than to look tough. Unless you're playing football or some ****. But even those guys aren't that big. Bodybuilders and powerlifters are HUGE but you don't see them dominating in sports...they're just showing off their muscles, not using them.

I'm not a big guy, i got tired of being small and i took care of that already. but i think i'm going too far now and i'm obsessed with lifting and eating. I'm seriously frustrated when i can't get my meals on time or lift as planned. I'm thinking about it and it seems like a pointless obsession...maybe it's time to cut the bf% a little and then just maintain the good ammount of muscle and low bf. What's really the point of getting bigger anyway.

There's a certain quality that bodybuilders have or will develop throughout bodybuilding. That quality is loving yourself. Bodybuilding is all about loving yourself. You do not bodybuild to impress your friend or show off to friends or even to get girls, you bodybuild because you want to look at the mirror and say to yourself "I think I look good". The definition of good differs from each person to person, as some have it muscler, some have it athletic.

I congratulate you for taking care of yourself and accomplishing something with bodybuilding. Any person can be obsessed with anything, let it be bodybuilding, sports, video games, food etc.
The frustration you get when you don't get your meals on time or miss a workout is because you are determined to make yourself look better and you have failed yourself 1 day of it, but that's okay, 1 day will not affect much, a series of 1 days will.
If you want to cut your bf% and stay there that's your choice, as in bodybuilding, there are 3 phases, bulking, cutting and maintaining. At a certain point, some people will be very happy with their body and will decide to maintain. Of course, they will gain if they try to maintain unintentionally, but the amount of gain will be reduced 10 times than when they focus on gaining it.
As for the point of getting big, as I said, a matter of opinion.

Conclusion
To conclude, bodybuilding is all about loving yourself. Everyone has a different view about bodies, and some would not be pleased with a body that may look like a great body to you.
Of course, you find bodybuilders sometimes show off muscles or act tough, or even try their luck with chicks..all of these things are an extra benefit from bodybuilding, but not the main reason they do it.
If a bodybuilder's motivation was picking up girls or acting tough, he'll either quit or turn to steroids, because he will find himself not getting to his goals fast, because he thought he would've reached it sooner.


I hope you get what I mean and have a good day

[parkway drive]

a long distance runner or a boxer or hell, a skateboarder is probably mentally tougher than a bodybuilder.

what the **** man, bodybuilders have to be disciplined in every aspect of their life, simply lifting weight is not enough to be the best. You've obviosuly got no idea what you're talkin about, if you dont like bodybuilding then dont do it. simple. its all jsut a matter of perspective.

[WCC]

I was thinking...why do i do it?

1) it's fun
2) it has numerous health benefits - decreased risk of muscular injury, increased bone strength and density (reduced risk of osteoporosis, broken bones etc.), improved joint health, increased tendon strength and elevated hGH and testosterone levels.
3) improves self-confidence and mood
4) people are less likely to start a fight with you
5) being strong may come in handy in some situations e.g., moving furniture
6) improved performance in sports e.g. football, rugby
7) being muscular looks good to a lot of people
8) nice to stand out from everyone else

bodybuilding's very good for you.

[name1111]

Alot of people assumed i have no idea what i'm talking about and flamed, but that was expected.

Thanks to those who posted replies that made sense. I completely agree with WCC, those are all good reasons. Those are the reasons i'm still doing it.

And yeah deadlifts and squats are tough, pushing yourself to failure and still pushing it is tough. Still not as tough(mentally) as snowboarding. Or any extreme sports. Doing something where you got seriously injured before, and something that could kill you is much more difficult mentally. Yeah there's injuries in bbing but where are they ALOT more common, bbing or extreme sports. Or boxing. I mean, boxers are disciplined as hell too, but they fight and get knocked out. They could get seriously messed up in fights. Sure, there's squats and ****, you feel like you're gonna black out or something, but i think boxing would be alot mentally tougher.

And bbing helps in most physical activities, but then why aren't pro bbers destroying everyone at all sports? It does, up to a certain point. After that the extra muscle is not needed, or every athlete would be a bodybuilder

Defending yourself and your family or whoever is good, but knowing what you're doing is more important than having HUGE muscles when it comes to that. Again, the only place you see pro bodybuilders in martial arts are those fake wrestling shows...WWE or whatever.

Someone wrote "staying fit and looking good is pointless? i dont think so, builds confidence and keeps it there, maybe some people dont play sports, but i play ice hockey, so it is always benficial in that case.

You dont have to get bigger, get to the point where you are satisfied and stay there. Plain and simple. Once i get to where i want.. im just gonna work on maintaining it."

Well that's exactly what i'm thinking about doing soon, because i feel like i'm getting close to where i'm quite happy with my ammount of muscle.

[xxbigdavexx117]

People really need to stop referring to mass monsters as something anybody can reach

point where muscles become unattractive?? that's a point that nobody here and nobody without roids will ever reach

if you don't enjoy it, don't do it - it's pretty simple

I'm doing it because I'm driven to have the perfect body

arnold once said "the worst thing I could be is just like everybody else"

truer words have never been spoken

[Dallas68]

i love that above quote by arnold...
i want to achieve PAST my genetic potential BECAUSE i dont want to die looking like 85% of the world...i think it would suck to look like everyone...beer in hand and funnel the other...**** that i want to step on stage and to sweat my ass off to win a trophy to win pride and glory to show my hard work only attained by those strongly committed.

i fear not being great.

[shizapooh]

lol when you say a skateboarder,boxer is more likely to take down some1 not true at all ive whiped a skateboarder and a boxer but that was befor i was lifting..but i lift but i wanna be realy realy strong like my grandpaw! lol

[LetMeLive]

Well, alot of bodybuilders have a disorder; something that drives them forward. No matter how big they are they think they're small - Ronnie Coleman has it. Others just find it fun. I'm not a bodybuilder; mainly because i'm too young, but i enjoy lifting weights. Meh.

[K_muscle]

Why do you assume bodybuilders "want to look tough" thats not what a real bodybuilder wants. Thats a pretty assinine statement. Any serious bodybuilder doesn't do it to look tough or intimidating, its just a personal challenge for themselves, in alot of ways it is the ultimate personal challenge. It is a discipline...that is what you do not understand. Martial artists do not practice because they "want to be tough" they do it for the discipline. Get that through your head.

[LetMeLive]

Why do you assume bodybuilders "want to look tough" thats not what a real bodybuilder wants. Thats a pretty assinine statement. Any serious bodybuilder doesn't do it to look tough or intimidating, its just a personal challenge for themselves, in alot of ways it is the ultimate personal challenge. It is a discipline...that is what you do not understand. Martial artists do not practice because they "want to be tough" they do it for the discipline. Get that through your head.

I second that, too.

[jtbike2000]

I don't understand how anyone can claim one sport is harder than another. The level of intensity is solely based on the athlete. I race bikes, ruyn cross country and track and lift weight. As long as i am mentally prepared, a squat session will be just as hard as a bike race or cross country meet. Any sport can be as challenging as YOU make it, be it bbing, running, or even skateboarding. Anyway if you were only trying to make youself mentally tougher, it would probably be more effective to pour acid on your hands and watch it burn through your skin, or hit yourself in the head with a hammer. Every sport has its benefit and its opporunity for intensity.

It do understand what you are saying about having a limit for your bbing aspiration. If you get to that point you can maintain it fairly easily and then focus on another sport in which you feel you can improve. There is never a need to limit yourself to a single sport simply because you know it well. Every sport it hard, and takes dedication which is only limited my you. There is no need to put down any sport because you are moving to another one. Hope you have fun with martial arts and continue to hit the gym every once in a while.

[aston09v]

if you don't see a point in bodybuilding, then don't do it. it's all about having goals then acheiving them. building muscle and looking great and feeling great.