how is bodybuilding for yourself?

[jeremys]

i used to train for mass then i started training for powerlifting. i got to thinking, how is bodybuilding for yourself? other people's opinions are what drives your motivation. that doesn't seem like a worthwile thing to pursue. all i can see is that the person
wants attention. this seems like a very ignorant way to view something so help me out here

i'd love to bodybuild if there was a good motive/reason. i have a very decent base, but i also have a very decent strength base to start powerlifting so whatever

 

[casualbb]

yeah it's pretty vain. I guess it's just mental. Say I'm gonna approach some girl...it'll certainly help me get up the nerve to do it if I can say to myself "I look good naked."

So it's not that I actually look better but moreso the confidence from knowing that I look better.

 

[BlkWS6]

Hell I like looking better for myself. I rarely go to the beach or a pool and I never really work out in wife beaters or tank tops. I just like to take my shirt off at home and look in the mirror and think "hey it kinda looks like you lift weights." In fact this type of situation was the sole reason I started to cut a while back. I was sitting in my computer chair typing away when I turned away and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I thought "wow I look awful." No one told me I looked bad, no one commented at all, I just saw the way I looked when I was all alone and decided I needed to do something about it.

 

[jeremys]

i figured it was mostly (all?) in vain. not sure i wanna take this road or not

 

[vinylgroover]

Is there really that big a difference.

At the end ofthe day we all train for size......bodybuilder or powerlifter, whether it's our explicit aim or not.

I don't bulk nor do i diet.......steady as she goes. For me as long as i keep building muscle i really don't care how long it takes.......i just enjoy lifting.

 

[spatts]

Sometimes people train a certain way because they enjoy it, not for the end to the means.

 

[jeremys]

Sometimes people train a certain way because they enjoy it, not for the end to the means.

you're referring to the people that do it for the 'pump' and stuff, no? or use training for venting their anger, etc?

 

[jeremys]

oh i see vinyl's post now. this post order problem could really get fixed. i see what you mean though.

i'm talking about competitive bodybuilding though

 

[revexrevex]

hey spatts, can there be people who just like to lift heavy weights?

 

[BlkWS6]

Originally posted by jeremys
i figured it was mostly (all?) in vain. not sure i wanna take this road or not


Just playing devils advocate here............is there some greater "cause" to powerlifting that makes it less egotistical in your mind then bodybuilding? I mean both involve an effort to improve oneself in one way or another, right? Why is it worse to be concerned with lets say......aesthetics then how much weight one can push/pull?

 

[spatts]

Some people like a 4 day split, 3 moves per muscle, 3 sets, X reps....some people just enjoy that type of workout. Not necessarily for the pump, they just like the workout, the way it feels, etc.

 

[jeremys]

Originally posted by jeremys
i figured it was mostly (all?) in vain. not sure i wanna take this road or not


Just playing devils advocate here............is there some greater "cause" to powerlifting that makes it less egotistical in your mind then bodybuilding? I mean both involve an effort to improve oneself in one way or another, right? Why is it worse to be concerned with lets say......aesthetics then how much weight one can push/pull?

true. though powerlifting is more of an actual sport in my mind.

 

[SeanHolmz]

I bodybuild for both reasons. What other people think of my looks and what I think of myself. I like looking in the mirror and seeing my progress. It makes me feel better about myself. Also, when other people compliment me on my gains it makes me feel better about myself. It also helps in picking up better looking women. Sorry folks but I'd rather be fit and pick up a hot looking chic than being fat and not getting any. All in all, it just makes my life better knowing I and other people are proud of my accomplishments.

 

[spatts]

revex, I just like to lift heavy weight. Specifically, I like to find out how much weight I can move today. So, yes. It's possible.

VG, I am not the least concerned with hypertrophy beyond how it benefits my lifts. I just happen to grow from training for strength. I don't have a single teammate interested in it either. In fact, we'd all be a lot more noteworthy if we could lift the weight we do at a lighter bodyweight.

You want my .02? This is getting out of hand. There are a disproportionate number of threads lately that compare one sport to the other in a negative light. If we spent more time talking about how our training styles compliment eachother, or could benefit eachother, we might all come out ahead.

 

[jeremys]

You want my .02? This is getting out of hand. There are a disproportionate number of threads lately that compare one sport to the other in a negative light. If we spent more time talking about how our training styles compliment eachother, or could benefit eachother, we might all come out ahead.

i started the two threads, as you can see. i'm not starting any crap and i stated that in the other thread. i dont see the reason in saying it again. i thought it would go without saying on this board.

i'm not trying to compare anything to anything in a negative light. just trying to find the differences, similarities, and seeing which i'd like to personally pursue.

 

[louden_swain]

I train like an athlete, but I still look like a bodyuilder.

I love it because

- its challenging
- promotes better health
- stimulates the appetite

I don't care what anyone says, bodybuilding or powerlifting is no where near as hard as professional cycling or NCAA collegiate wrestling.

 

[spatts]

I know you don't mean to, but the threads are made up of other people besides you, and that seems to be the way they're all going.

That said, if I were a bodybuilder, I would find this a bit offensive:

"...other people's opinions are what drives your motivation. that doesn't seem like a worthwile thing to pursue. all i can see is that the person wants attention."

A strong bodybuilding base will be excellent for powerlifting; likewise, a strong powerlifting base is good for body building. Better yet, be a powerlifter that doesn't neglect hypertrophy or a good diet, OR be a body builder that doesn't negelct strength. You are pretty gifted, if you ask me. You could do just about anything you want. You may even have plenty of decades of time to do everything you want.

 

[jeremys]

I know you don't mean to, but the threads are made up of other people besides you, and that seems to be the way they're all going.

That said, if I were a bodybuilder, I would find this a bit offensive:

"...other people's opinions are what drives your motivation. that doesn't seem like a worthwile thing to pursue. all i can see is that the person wants attention."

A strong bodybuilding base will be excellent for powerlifting; likewise, a strong powerlifting base is good for body building. Better yet, be a powerlifter that doesn't neglect hypertrophy or a good diet, OR be a body builder that doesn't negelct strength. You are pretty gifted, if you ask me. You could do just about anything you want. You may even have plenty of decades of time to do everything you want.

you're right, again

oh and about that quote from my first post..i re-read it and it does sound terrible. i apologize to any BB bros/broettes

 

[sk*]

Whatever you do, in the end you do it for yourself. Even if you give money to the homeless, you do it for yourself. Think about it guys ...

-sk

 

[vinylgroover]

VG, I am not the least concerned with hypertrophy beyond how it benefits my lifts. I just happen to grow from training for strength. I don't have a single teammate interested in it either. In fact, we'd all be a lot more noteworthy if we could lift the weight we do at a lighter bodyweight.

That's the point i was making. Whether you pursue size/muscle for size's sake as a bodybuilder does, or whether you pursue strength as a powerlifter does, both will still lead to the same result........your mscles will get bigger. Although i take the point that you guys always strive to maximise your strength gains while minimising 'weight' gain.

 

[Becoming]

as far as "i'd love to bodybuild if there was a good motive/reason. " I would say sk* got to the meat o the issue above "Whatever you do, in the end you do it for yourself."

I think this is really the only reason, if you dig it, keep doing it, if not, do something else.... if bodybuilding makes you feel the best, keep it up, if you like to lift a lot of weight, do that...

There really does not need to be any other kind of motivation or justification beyond that....

 

[spatts]

Gotcha, VG. It just makes me cringe to learn that at the end of the day, I may have just trained for size, intentionally or not (just stab me in the heart with a dirty stake!!!!).



You are the type of person I was referring to, WRT training for the joy of training.

 

[hellboy]

I'm neither a powerlifter OR a body builder. I just want to be bigger and stronger. Why do we HAVE to be in one group or the other?

 

[jerkbox]

i'm getting really fucking sick of these threads bashing bodybuilders.....


i lift weights for a number of reasons, and one of them is to look better. That doesn't make me a vain person. if that were the case, anyone who gets hair cuts or takes showers is vain as well.


i like lifting weights
i like looking better
i like being stronger
i like being healthy
i like being more confident

i don't particularly want to get up on a stage in my underwear, but hey, if that's your thing do it.

do I want to do everything in my power to be able to dead 700 lbs? not really.....but, if that's your thing, do it.

do I want to look good? yes
do I want to bring my deadlift up? yes

you can all sit here and say you are hardcore because you don't diet and you don't care how you look....blah blah blah...i don't buy it.....and I don't care. it's all childish really.

do whatever you want, and worry about what you are doing....because no one else is worrying about what you are doing.

 

[gettinlarger]

i'm getting really fucking sick of these threads bashing bodybuilders.....


i lift weights for a number of reasons, and one of them is to look better. That doesn't make me a vain person. if that were the case, anyone who gets hair cuts or takes showers is vain as well.


i like lifting weights
i like looking better
i like being stronger
i like being healthy
i like being more confident

i don't particularly want to get up on a stage in my underwear, but hey, if that's your thing do it.

do I want to do everything in my power to be able to dead 700 lbs? not really.....but, if that's your thing, do it.

do I want to look good? yes
do I want to bring my deadlift up? yes

you can all sit here and say you are hardcore because you don't diet and you don't care how you look....blah blah blah...i don't buy it.....and I don't care. it's all childish really.

do whatever you want, and worry about what you are doing....because no one else is worrying about what you are doing.

Word.

 

[Maccer101]

I wouldn't say I was vain (as I don't care about clothes or hair styles or follow any fashion) but ever since i was young I just wanted to be big. I was the smallest out of my friends at school so I felt inferior and was the least athletic, now I am bigger than all my old friends I feel neither superior or inferior to them I just feel better about myself. I would guess thats why most people start training.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I like it when other people notice I'm getting bigger, but that's not the primary reason I do it. I love the challenge of getting bigger and stronger. I love getting one more rep here, five more pounds there. I love looking in my log book and seeing how I've progressed.

 

[jeremys]

i'm getting really fucking sick of these threads bashing bodybuilders.....

nobody's bashing anybody (intentionally). at least not on this thread

do whatever you want, and worry about what you are doing

i'm just trying to figure out what i want to do

 

[Naeem]

I just love to lift. Days I cant lift, im wishing I could go lift. I love the pain associated with it, it's satisfying when my muscles are all sore and I can barely walk because I just squatted or deaded something that would easily kill a normal person. I'm probably a masochist heh.

I hurt my wrist a little, I got too aggressive with a 85 pound dumbell, its hurt but im still going and trying to avoid putting any pressure on it (so far so good). I'll go crazy if I dont go

I used to be a fatass, and I hated it. I hated the way people treated me, the way I looked, everything. I was like 230 pounds of pure ugly fatness. The second I got enough money to start training, I hit it, hard.

Now im gonna go to the gym, all this talk is getting me hyped

 

[Becoming]

jeremys- "i'm just trying to figure out what i want to do "

I hear ya man, I would say just do what you like and keep going and see where it leads.... if you decide, hey, I would like to try to try and lift a house, go with it for a while and see how it goes, ...if you later think, I am strong but would like to get huge, hit some BB style for a while.... eventually you will figure it out, and if you end up somewhere in the middle, hey, that is cool too....

 

[jeremys]

jeremys- "i'm just trying to figure out what i want to do "

I hear ya man, I would say just do what you like and keep going and see where it leads.... if you decide, hey, I would like to try to try and lift a house, go with it for a while and see how it goes, ...if you later think, I am strong but would like to get huge, hit some BB style for a while.... eventually you will figure it out, and if you end up somewhere in the middle, hey, that is cool too....

thats pretty much what my plan is now. thanks

 

[Tagio]

well I'm not really bodybuilding, but my goals include being about 200 lbs lean (I figure this is my optimal weight for being fast and having a good leap). I want to look a certain way, and it's honestly not for anyone else. I'm the only one of my friends who's seriously into being athletic, and none of the girls I'm around are really gonna care if I'm at 12% or 7%, or if my arms are 13" or 16" (much less the guys.)

There are 2 ways to be a bodybuilder I think. one is unhealthy, one is healthy.

the first, unhealthy way is to think "I want to look good to other people." Now, I think it's fine to think this (I think everyone would rather look good to other people), but not as a PRIMARY goal for training. putting in that much effort just for other people's approval is kind of weak if you ask me.

the second, which I think is what most bodybuilders think, is "I think (muscular/huge/ripped/whatever) bodies are the most beautiful kind. So, I want to have one." this is primarily trying to earn your own self-respect. I have more respect for someone who's lean and very fast than for any other body type. So I'm training to become that kind of person. Of course I'm also happy when other people like the way I look - but if they didn't, it wouldn't stop me (although it might upset me).

So if you're doing it to meet your own standards, I think that's healthy. If you're doing it for other people, that's not healthy - but I think almost everyone who seriously bodybuilds is doing it for himself/herself.

 

[Aussie Juga naught]

If it makes you feel better about yourself and if you enjoy getting bigger and improving yourself do it.

 

[KillerLoop]

I could have chosen to be a sculptor or an artist but I chose to produce a work of art from my body.