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 Who I am...
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| Author | Topic: Who I am... |
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IronChick Amateur Bodybuilder (Total posts: 4) |
posted June 19, 2000 08:18 PM
  
I have been training for 11 years and competing for 4 years. I have never used any steroids or diuretics, so I am considered by most standards to be a natural for life bodybuilder. I am 5'8" and I compete at around 135 lbs - bodyfat is low, but who can really tell % - that stuff is just impossible - I just use the mirror and either the cuts are there or they aren't; offseason I'm 150 lbs. I started working out to look better and be healthier. I was pretty sickly and had the fat on skinny syndrome. I wanted to change all that, but knew nothing about being healthy or fit. I was not athletic and never touched a weight in my life. I made a conscious effort to put myself in the company of people who had this lifestyle and to learn as much as I could. Well, I've come a long, long way. I never set out to be a competitive level BB. That just evolved, but I loved the weights right from the start. I just kept at it and continued to learn more and more until I progressed far enough where I thought I had enough to get on stage. Then, I had to start the learning process all over as competition level BB was totally different than doing it recreationally. I am glad I chose that route as it brought me to a higher level and it breathed new life into my BB career. I am at a point where my physique is probably about as mature as it can get, naturally. So, I am contemplating trying some steroids in the mix. I am researching right now and won't be ready to do anything until I feel comfortable with what I am doing. Strange to be a beginner again. I always ignored all the steroid info in my reading - just didn't apply to me. So, I don't know much about them except for my recent research. I'm having a hard time finding people who have stayed natural for as long as I have and then incorporated steroids. It seems that most people start early in their career. I think it's better to see what you can do naturally and learn the discipline of contest level dieting and training and then when you have maxed out naturally, maybe try some enhancements. That's my approach, anyway. Well, that's where I am at....looking down the crossroads with some apprehension. A few fears: I am a known natural BB and I wonder how others have handled "the change." I know some who just lie and pretend they are still natural, but I don't think that's me. I guess a part of me is worried that people will say that I always used drugs and erase what I achieved naturally. I am very proud of what I have accomplished, but I am ready to move to another level. As a BB, I want to experience it all and good or bad, steroids are a part of it. I want to experience that intensity and that kind of growth. And the deep hamstring and quad cuts that a natural BB with the strictest diet technique could never match next to a seasoned steroid competitor. I want to experience those things. I'm having some mixed feelings about leaving behind an identity that has belonged to me for so many years. I feel excited about it and a little sad. Well, I feel relieved that I can talk about this in a fairly anonymous forum and maybe find others who can understand what I am going through or at least relate in some way. That's about it for now. Hope that gives you a little idea of what I am about and what I'm doing here. And it's always nice to be around fellow BBs....we're in such short supply.  ------------------ IP: Logged |
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MS Pro Bodybuilder (Total posts: 332) |
posted June 19, 2000 09:03 PM
Great to have you on board IronChick. I'm like you in many ways. Lifetime natural that doesn't want all my accomplishments tarnished by becoming unnatural. And I don't even want to get any bigger, just hold on to a bit more muscle when dieting. I've also reached an age where I feel all of my natural hormones are declining and know for sure I can't get any 'better' naturally. Unlike you, though, I have been working with men and women who use AAS for many years, and I have a lot of the theoretical knowledge that goes with a career in medical research. So I'm not 'afraid' to use AAS, just don't know if my goals justify it. Also different is my status amongst my peers. I think many of them ASSUME I've used AAS, so it probably won't make any difference from their point of view if I really do 'use'. But I'm old enough now I am not too concerned about other people's opinions. Whatever you decide, do it for yourself, not to 'win' something or to 'please' someone else. You can't go wrong if you keep that at the front of your mind when making a decision. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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Artemis Amateur Bodybuilder (Total posts: 35) |
posted June 20, 2000 12:12 AM
A totally different perspective one might not expect to read here: It is such a shame that proper HRT often carries such a big stigma. Believe me, it can become truly horrid to go through life with a mis-calibrated endocrine system. This 'natural' vs. 'unnatural' bit seems bogus if not schizophrenic in some ways. There are 'natural' people who are as yet fortunate to not require HRT, yet could have dental fillings/caps, plastic/reconstructive surgery, wear corrective lenses/hearing aids, and/or use contraceptive pills etc. ad-nausea... Notice that society generally does not allow people with significant refractive errors on the highways to see how well they might see 'naturally'... we are Not really being *natural* unless we return to a Pleistocene era. -or maybe to author Tad William's sci-fi scenario of Mirrorworld. I do not like the stigma that endocrine support be singled out as especially *unnatural*. And therapy should arguably remain a private matter between patient, doctor, and pharmacist(s) as the case may be? It is ludicrous that one might be forced to delay or go without necessary medical therapy simply to satisfy some sadistic whim of present-day political fashion. Hope readers understand my complaint here as I feel better having said this. IP: Logged |
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MS Pro Bodybuilder (Total posts: 332) |
posted June 20, 2000 03:20 PM
Well said Artemis, and you didn't even touch on Birth Control! But I personally distinguish between legitimate medical uses of drugs (ALL DRUGS) and what I consider recreational uses. Steroids or other performance enhancements used to 'get an edge' on the competition, or to 'give you more confidence' or to 'increase sex drive', etc.... when there is no deficiency to begin with is what I consider recreational. I don't like the term Natural either, but it is commonly used and universally understood in the bodybuilding fraternity (or sorority in this case). As long as society (as a whole) considers non-medical AAS use to be cheating in sport, we are stuck with the stigma and the legal consequences of using these substances. As I've suggested to another new member to this board because of her age, training and dieting history, etc... I think she should have all her endocrine functions checked out to see if she is deficient, or out of kilter. But I'm addressing a possible pathological condition in that case. Of course there is also a plethora of competitors that have used plenty of extra 'hormones' who still tell the world they're 'natural' and even compete in 'natural' competitions. That's blatant cheating. Anyway, I probably sound anti-steroid at this stage, which is not true. I'm pro-choice with all drugs. I just think people should be clear about why they're taking a drug. Make the distinction between "I need this" and "I want to take this". I think IronChick is very clear on this issue with regards to possible steroid use. ------------------ IP: Logged |
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IronChick Amateur Bodybuilder (Total posts: 4) |
posted June 21, 2000 07:08 PM
Thank, MS. I'm a few replies behind here, but I appreciate your responses. I think the reason I'm having a little difficulty with the opinions of my peers is because I have been somewhat of a role model to a lot of people. They respect me because of what I have done without the use of drugs. I guess I feel people will be let down by me turning to the other side. I also don't want people who look up to me to think that they should do this, too. I have so many reasons for doing it, but they have nothing to do with the average person trying to get in shape. I don't think drugs are necessary for that. I guess I'm just trying to find a way to feel OK about it, but that's probably just something I'll have to suffer through. I could say "screw them...who cares what they say?" but I think it's just human nature to care what your peers think on some level. It won't guide my ultimate decision, but it does impact the way I feel and how I conduct myself. Your response to Artemus - exactly what I would have said - really talking about two different things....HRT and use of hormones for a competitive edge. But, I have to say that comparison about driving without contact lenses....I couldn't stop laughing. The point is taken. But, as you say we are stuck with this "natural" "unnatural" connotation and it's understood by BBs as to what it means. Also, the "blatant cheating" you mentioned was another big factor for me. It is getting tougher and tougher to find contests with competitors who are not "touching." I can't compete with this. My last show was supposed to be natural, but as I looked at the line-up, I was the only one who was natural. The other women in my class made me look like a beginner. I have to compete as a heavyweight because I am 5'8." There were women that outweighed me by 15 lbs. That's a lot of muscle. The ones who were shorter by 4 inches were only 5 lbs less than me. And the cuts that the top 2 in my class had...hamstrings popping out, deep hamstring/quad split. The only time I have really seen that naturally was on the smallest BBs. Anyway, I am with you on being pro-choice, but I too, feel like I sound anti-drug. I'm not. I am just anti-drug when the show is advertised as a "natural" show. I have been involved in the natural side my whole career and I have watched it turn into something that is taken seriously. I remember when we used to get laughed at and there were not many of us around. Now, it has some notoriety and a lot of strange things have happened to it. it just took a different path from what I thought would happen and I am disappointed. There's a lot of politics going on with this, too, but maybe I shouldn't air all of my opinions at this moment. BTW, Mad Scientist (<~~I like that name) ------------------ IP: Logged |
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