Has anyone in the history of strength training...

[Keltron]

gotten bigger than they wanted to?

My guess is a resounding fxck no.

Yet beginners still say, "Look, I want to put on muscle but I'm not trying to get huge or big" when they are prescribed something that's not appealing to them. Dafuq, m8?

[wave_length]

Isn‘t that what girls always say? Never heard it from a dude.

[OldFartTom]

I know people who need to look as unremarkable and instantly forgettable as possible. Looking big isn't an option.

These people are an extreme exception, but they do exist.

[eomrat]

gotten bigger than they wanted to?

My guess is a resounding fxck no.

Yet beginners still say, "Look, I want to put on muscle but I'm not trying to get huge or big" when they are prescribed something that's not appealing to them. Dafuq, m8?

That's beginner talk that translates as, "I went to get Big AF but do not want to work very hard.

[x-trainer ben]

gotten bigger than they wanted to?

My guess is a resounding fxck no.

Yet beginners still say, "Look, I want to put on muscle but I'm not trying to get huge or big" when they are prescribed something that's not appealing to them. Dafuq, m8?

Well ask yourself this, if you lift hard from age 16-48 shouldn't things grow large?

[Brackneyc]

Well ask yourself this, if you lift hard from age 16-48 shouldn't things grow large?

Not if the goal is to just do tonning and shapping.

[x-trainer ben]

Not if the goal is to just do tonning and shapping.

Ok, that is fair if that is your goal.

[LisaSkinnoble]

Isn‘t that what girls always say? Never heard it from a dude.

Every woman I know.

[Wackyrig]

Well ask yourself this, if you lift hard from age 16-48 shouldn't things grow large?

Depends a lot on how you eat. I have lifted for over 20 years. But am not "big" at 6'1" and 205. But much bigger than I was at 25 and 150. I don't eat to get big. Just don't have the dedication to do so.

[Karl_Hungus]

That's beginner talk that translates as, "I went to get Big AF but do not want to work very hard.

^^ This. It is a pre-emptive excuse to quit or explain away their lack of results.

"Nah bro....I had to quit lifting because I was just getting too huge. I couldn't find shirts that could accommodate my freakishly huge bi's".

[Aristotelian]

Isn‘t that what girls always say? Never heard it from a dude.

Honestly? Lifting has been fantastic for me but I never thought my lower body would start to explode in size. Not a problem really but...my wallet is crying. I wear suits every day for work, some of them were custom made...it's coming to a point now where I'm going to have to get yet another set of suits and try to explain to the tailor that I'd like them 10% bigger or something.

[OldFartTom]

Honestly? Lifting has been fantastic for me but I never thought my lower body would start to explode in size. Not a problem really but...my wallet is crying. I wear suits every day for work, some of them were custom made...it's coming to a point now where I'm going to have to get yet another set of suits and try to explain to the tailor that I'd like them 10% bigger or something.

Can't you ask your tailor to let out an inch in the seat of pants and top of thigh? If they were made in such a way where they can't be adjusted a little bit, then next time go to a better tailor

[Aristotelian]

Can't you ask your tailor to let out an inch in the seat of pants and top of thigh? If they were made in such a way where they can't be adjusted a little bit, then next time go to a better tailor

I guess for future bespoke suits I can ask them to cut them this way but in all honesty the response I usually got from my tailors was: 'wait until you fill out then get bespoke suits'. I'm not sure when I'll 'fill out' but it sounds like 'achieving the natty limit' which I still think I'm far from.

First world problems huh. I could probably start swimming on off days to shed some fat too in addition to lifting days and delay the inevitable pants busting moment

[Floyd64]

Women, as mentioned earlier tend to worry more about their body parts growing than men do (unless vanity interludes). But we bodybuilders and strength athletes are always wanting to be bigger and stronger, that's our goal in life and it's what we do; our "hobby" if you like.
Ask a runner if he wants to be faster. Ask a scholar if he wants to learn more. Ask a model railway enthusiast if he has got every signal box in the "00" scale yet....we all have ambitions. I'm 54, past my peak but I can still build muscle - if only I could retain it!

[smokinal]

I think that is possibly my biggest pet peve/turn off. When a woman starts training from ground zero and says, "But I don't want to get all big and bulky"

Like wtf, do they really think they are going to wake up one day and just look like Dana Linn Bailey on accident????

[mikieson]

who cares OP..we know what they are saying. no reason to try and belittle someone & make them feel stupid.

[Keltron]

who cares OP..we know what they are saying. no reason to try and belittle someone & make them feel stupid.

Belittling them would be more like, "Hey, has anyone ever seen one of these fxcking moronic idiotic newbie shxt-lords who think they're gonna get too big?? Give me a break! Those skinny, lazy, cowardly pieces of flung bonobo dung need to grow some testicles on themselves because any man who's scared to gain muscle isn't a man at all!!"

But I didn't do that. I did something quite different.

[NorwichGrad]

I don’t want to sound racist or ghey, but whenever I see you post I’m reminded of the story you shared about the Pakistani dude who was drying his ballz in the hand dryer at your gym.

What has been seen cannot be unseen.

The struggle is real.

[Keltron]

I don’t want to sound racist or ghey, but whenever I see you post I’m reminded of the story you shared about the Pakistani dude who was drying his ballz in the hand dryer at your gym.

What has been seen cannot be unseen.

The struggle is real.

It wasn't a Pakistani dude or any South Asian/Desi. It was actually an older Filipino gentleman. I think he also was into Olympic style weightlifting like me. He may have mentioned he was an alumni from some military academy
I purposely make him say words that start with the letter F for my own personal amusement. The other day, he said his bones have become too pragile for weight-lipting
good to see ya, m8

[smokinal]

It wasn't a Pakistani dude or any South Asian/Desi. It was actually an older Filipino gentleman. I think he also was into Olympic style weightlifting like me. He may have mentioned he was an alumni from some military academy
I purposely make him say words that start with the letter F for my own personal amusement. The other day, he said his bones have become too pragile for weight-lipting
good to see ya, m8

lol

What do they call Filipino aviators?








































Pliers

No hate; used to live in South Texas; my sister dated a Filipino named Jr
His mother made some great Lumpia

[NorwichGrad]

It wasn't a Pakistani dude or any South Asian/Desi. It was actually an older Filipino gentleman. I think he also was into Olympic style weightlifting like me. He may have mentioned he was an alumni from some military academy
I purposely make him say words that start with the letter F for my own personal amusement. The other day, he said his bones have become too pragile for weight-lipting
good to see ya, m8

LMFAO!!!

On spread as always.

[NorwichGrad]

Hahaha!!!

Good one. Spreading Skittles your way so I can hopefully give my favorite A-stanian some love.

lol

What do they call Filipino aviators?








































Pliers

No hate; used to live in South Texas; my sister dated a Filipino named Jr
His mother made some great Lumpia

[Keltron]

lol

What do they call Filipino aviators?


Pliers

No hate; used to live in South Texas; my sister dated a Filipino named Jr
His mother made some great Lumpia

LMFAO!!!

On spread as always.

LOL ok disclaimer. This is only ok because we have a filipino guy's permission:

My friend said that when they were kids, they had a dog named Frazier. Anyway, after hearing the grandma calling out to the dog constantly and scolding him, a white friend who was visiting asked him, "Dude, why did you guys name your dog 'Pressure'?" LMFAOOOOO Now go ahead and say it in your head!

[induced_drag]

I may actually say yes to this at times.... srs.


I know that most women dont prefer the overly muscled look. My wife is included in that group and really does not prefer my current state as her 'favorite'.

If I am honest with myself I feel I looked the best I ever have from an asthetic perspective when I was around 185ish. This was just under a year being back training. I still had 18" arms naturally and I did not look like a 'muscle head'. I had dieted down to decent definition, but not so much that I looked 'grainy' and overly vascular. I had a nice smooth but full appearance of my muscle bellies. I looked like a normal dude in real good shape.

The problem becomes, after dieing up and down for years, my muscles no longer look 'smooth'. It is what bodybuilders strive for, and yea....I think it looks cool, but truthfully it is a little gross. I have passed a point in development, that pretty much every person I meet, I have to work to let them see past my physique. That I am not a muscle head....etc.

So in that way, there is a part of me that in some way feels I should have just worked to be 'fit' and stayed there. The pics below were just 10-11 months training after 10 years off. Now 10 years into it, I have lost that ability to have decent muscle and still have non-centralized fat deposits. Pretty much no going back. You can see it in some retired bodybuilders. They lose their really lean state but some areas remain 'chiseled' looking. You lose that ability to have that soft evenly 'toned' look. Instead, you get hard dense and grainy.


You may ask 'why' then. Why train like I do. The short answer is I always trained for strength. I am not a bodybuilder. I was never overly worried about my size, but rather cared first about competing with myself to be stronger every day. Size is just a byproduct of that. Now, I have shifted my goals to just staying fit. But there is no going back really for me at this point. So I now look more like a 'bodybuilder' than I would have liked.

These are a few pics of myself at that 'fit' state. This was 185-ish and just under a year back training. This was 2010-11

[Brackneyc]

I may actually say yes to this at times.... srs.


I know that most women dont prefer the overly muscled look. My wife is included in that group and really does not prefer my current state as her 'favorite'.

If I am honest with myself I feel I looked the best I ever have from an asthetic perspective when I was around 185ish. This was just under a year being back training. I still had 18" arms naturally and I did not look like a 'muscle head'. I had dieted down to decent definition, but not so much that I looked 'grainy' and overly vascular. I had a nice smooth but full appearance of my muscle bellies. I looked like a normal dude in real good shape.

The problem becomes, after dieing up and down for years, my muscles no longer look 'smooth'. It is what bodybuilders strive for, and yea....I think it looks cool, but truthfully it is a little gross. I have passed a point in development, that pretty much every person I meet, I have to work to let them see past my physique. That I am not a muscle head....etc.

So in that way, there is a part of me that in some way feels I should have just worked to be 'fit' and stayed there. The pics below were just 10-11 months training after 10 years off. Now 10 years into it, I have lost that ability to have decent muscle and still have non-centralized fat deposits. Pretty much no going back. You can see it in some retired bodybuilders. They lose their really lean state but some areas remain 'chiseled' looking. You lose that ability to have that soft evenly 'toned' look. Instead, you get hard dense and grainy.


You may ask 'why' then. Why train like I do. The short answer is I always trained for strength. I am not a bodybuilder. I was never overly worried about my size, but rather cared first about competing with myself to be stronger every day. Size is just a byproduct of that. Now, I have shifted my goals to just staying fit. But there is no going back really for me at this point. So I now look more like a 'bodybuilder' than I would have liked.

These are a few pics of myself at that 'fit' state. This was 185-ish and just under a year back training. This was 2010-11

Fact is, I doubt anyone is looking at you in the way you think they are. I’m not saying some aren’t, but must people simply don’t care what the next guy looks like.

I know I could give two fcks what someone looks like. I simply do not care.

[induced_drag]

Fact is, I doubt anyone is looking at you in the way you think they are. I’m not saying some aren’t, but must people simply don’t care what the next guy looks like.

I know I could give two fcks what someone looks like. I simply do not care.

Well....I can tell you that you are not correct on this one. I have been self-employed for over 20 years and deal with all different types of people on many different levels. In the past, I also had as many as 60 employees at any given time. It is my business to understand and read people. My livelyhood also depends on people impression of my relitive intelligence and expertiece. My work has nothing to do with picking things up and putting them down.

My build is a very negative distraction from what I do for a living. I purposefully dress to hide it as it NEVER is of benefit. Think about it....what do you think when you see some big dude. Hell even I do it. I think dumb juice head! Really...we all do. I am not even that big, which is of benefit that I can mostly hide my build for professional situations.

Personal life...well, many many times over the years I have had people comment once they get to know me something like...."You are nothing like the person I thought you would be". While I am happy with my body, and I am flattered by comments, it can get out of hand at times. Think summer cookout. I am NEVER a person that brings up working out, but the topic ALWAYS comes up. Men mostly start with slef-deprecating jokes about themselves....like "oh yea....I think I need to get back in the gym". Women.....well it is a mix. Some are very flirty (maybe to make their husbands jealous...but others that I might not know mostly jump to totally the wrong conclusion about me. I have been told many times by a female friend of my wife's that another woman at a party would say something along the lines.....'boy I bet he loves himself'....etc.

I am telling you from everyday experience very few days go buy when I dont get some comment. From the grocery store, to the gas station...etc. Most all people are nice. But what you realize is it is how it is something people from all different backgrounds make note of. Many enough that they comment on it.

I am long past the point where people just ask 'do you workout'. You get to a point where people very much judge you (first impression) because of your build. It is not what I prefer because working out is such a very small part of who I am, and is probably the least of my accomplishments in life. But other people seem to take an obsession with it.

This is in no way sour grapes. But there is a part of me that looks back to when 25lbs lighter and has to admit, I probably looked better (against the standards of people who are not 'bodybuilders').

[Karl_Hungus]

Think about it....what do you think when you see some big dude. Hell even I do it. I think dumb juice head! Really...we all do. I am not even that big, which is of benefit that I can mostly hide my build for professional situations.

A tendency many people have is to assume that other people view the world through the same lens that we do....even when it is markedly not the case. Your physique and training is something that occupies a large part of your identity and you think about it often. It is something you value, and without realizing it, I think you are subconsciously assuming that others, even on a small scale, share that same value (a form of egocentrism). It is a natural human tendency.

I would suggest though, that Brackney is correct. Most people don't really care one way or the other. They just don't view that sort of thing with the same attention and value that you do. They might notice, and it might be an interesting novelty for about 10 seconds, but after that, I think most have moved on. As far as assessing intelligence, reasonably perceptive people can usually tell within a few minutes of conversation whether somebody has some gray matter between their ears.

[induced_drag]

A tendency many people have is to assume that other people view the world through the same lens that we do....even when it is markedly not the case. Your physique and training is something that occupies a large part of your identity and you think about it often. It is something you value, and without realizing it, I think you are subconsciously assuming that others, even on a small scale, share that same value (a form of egocentrism). It is a natural human tendency.

I would suggest though, that Brackney is correct. Most people don't really care one way or the other. They just don't view that sort of thing with the same attention and value that you do. They might notice, and it might be an interesting novelty for about 10 seconds, but after that, I think most have moved on. As far as assessing intelligence, reasonably perceptive people can usually tell within a few minutes of conversation whether somebody has some gray matter between their ears.

Karl with much respect as I think your post was sincere, this is not something in my head. I dont want to make a big deal out of it. No, it does not have me dressing in robes and hiding my existence. Many times the opposite. I am OK with the way I look. BUT, I am aware VERY clearly it can be very off-putting to some.

Let me draw an analogy that I think is pretty close. Imagine a fit petite woman, 5'4" 110lbs. She decided to get DDD breast implants. The idea that people wont notice is just silly. Say she has a professional job where she often works with couples. The wifes of the men I dont think would have a favorable impression of her 'visually' prior to getting to know her. Her figure becomes a distraction from what she does. It also draws generally negative ideas and stereotypes along with it. She may be a great person and the best in her field, but she becomes known as the 'boob' lady.

Another example might be of a professional with full body tatoos. None of this may make a difference in some people's lives professionaly, but having provided for my only living and running my own companies, I feel your appearance and how people percieve you is VERY important. Initial impressions can make or break you.

Having been in business for 20+ years I keenly understand the importance of strong first impressions. Often it is the only chance I get as to whether I get a project or not. Again....I am not hiding in corners, but I have learned that doing the best I can to hide my development (at least initially) if by far the best course.

In my personal life, I enjoy living in the body I do now vs where I was 11 years ago. But I do sometimes embarrass my wife and kids when they are with me....say at any public event where you are shirtless. My daughter cuts both ways. Her friends are all like...woa, your dad is huge. But sometimes like any teen, she just wishes her parents blended in the background. Needless to say, no tank tops at school functions My wife is VERY low-key and reserved. She is not a fan of the attention. Again, I am not overblowing this. We were on a quick weekend get away at the beach and there was this (very nice) older man that every time he would see me in the lobby was calling me lou ferigno and telling me about how much he and his son loved bodybuilding from the 80's. It is just things like that. Again, most people are very nice. I am not freaky huge so I can only imagine. Staying leaner means I can still fit in most normal clothes. I look pretty good in tailored suits when the occasion calls.

All in all I was just sharing experiences.

[drkelly74]

I would like to be bigger than I am. I would say 10 lbs, but I know if I made that happen, then I would probably want to be another 10 lbs bigger.

I have never met anyone in person who was into lifting that didn't want to be bigger.

[Keltron]

I would like to be bigger than I am. I would say 10 lbs, but I know if I made that happen, then I would probably want to be another 10 lbs bigger.

I have never met anyone in person who was into lifting and didn't want to be bigger.

It happens but yeah, it's rare.

I think the pump is a big factor. With the only solution being to just not look the damn mirror after a workout. It's hard for me because everything is a mirror to me at my level of jackedness.