Need some encouragement

[platinum ice]

I used to be a regular on Elite Fitness about 6-7 years ago. Trained about 5-6 days a week, ate about 6 meals a day, with 2-3 of them being MRPs. Pretty much lived to work out. I loved every minute of it. Did several cycles of different kinds of test. Long story short, I trained hard for about 5-6 years, then seperated my shoulder. Had just gotten engaged, was about to get married. Lifting took a backseat, as priorities changed. Got married and had a little girl. After I got engaged, I had pretty much quit the gym cold turkey, quit my eating and supplements and over the next 4-5 years, lost about 40 pound of all my hard work. As of now, I havent touched a weight in 5 years. We went to the beach last week for the 4th, and I felt terrible out there, feeling skinny and whatnot, after having had some size for so many years. I am naturally small boned and thin, so when I quit eating and lifting, I lost all my size. Anyways, after the beach episode, I have been giving some thought to getting back in the gym. I am posting a couple of pics of me from about 5 years ago, and one I took this morning.

5 years ago:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/topgun121/bpic4.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/topgun121/bpic3.jpg



Now (haven't touched a weight in 5 years):

Lack of shoulders, chest flat, arms have shrunk, quite sad.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/topgun121/bpic2.jpg


I guess I was posting this to ask for encouragement to get me motivated again. The strange thing is, I used to love to go to the gym, it was my hobby. Now the thought of it kinda turns me off, and seems hard to get into the mindset. I have always heard of "muscle memory". Do you think they have a long term memory of 5 years? lol Anyways, it feel good to get back on here and read some posts. I have have been away WAY too long. I used to post on these boards many times a day...ha

 

[bbkingpin]

You looked great back then. Why did you quit altogether?
I know it is hard to get motivated as you get older. But you looked so good 5 years ago I am surprised you did not do the minimum to maintain a decent build.
If you want encouragement, remember your body can look like it did 5 years ago if you start doing what you did back then. Start training at home. Invest in a multi-bench and maybe a leg apparatus and then you don't have to try to keep up with the Joneses at the gym. Take your time. Or do a cycle. Whatever you did before.
Desire is the starting point of all achievement. I cannot give you the desire but I assume you would not be here if you did not have it. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

 

[platinum ice]

Why did you quit altogether?

I guess the shoulder seperation started the downslide. I could not do any upper body work, and couldn't do squats since I couldn't raise my arm to put it behind the bar. Took a couple of months off to let it heal, and I guess I started to enjoy all my free time, and not having to eat all that food. After the layoff, I found it harder and harder to get back in there, and the desire started to fade. Little by little, I left completely. Wish I had kept it up, but I think all the years of the hardcore work, I got burned out. Found other things to do, play golf, ect.. and now it all seems a distant memory. The worst part, is that I feel I have become one of those guys that says " I used to do this, and I used to look like that....blah blah blah." Like Ronnie Coleman said a few years ago at the Mr. O press conference to one of the other contestants... "What have you done to me lately..." Guess I need to suck it up and get back in there. I know once you get in the routine you can keep it up. It is just those initial 2 weeks of making yourself do it to get in the pattern. Part of it also is, I would be embarrased to see some of the guys that I used to train with, after having lost so much size. I will probably train at home for a bit to get somewhat back into it. You are right though, I wouldn't be here if something inside of me didn't want it again............

 

[gjohnson5]

To be honest , this is the reason I don't like gear. As soon as you get off it it , the reality becomes clear. The results are temporary. Anyway I think you should stay clean and do supplements and see if you can get close to that

 

[bbkingpin]

To be honest , this is the reason I don't like gear. As soon as you get off it it , the reality becomes clear. The results are temporary. Anyway I think you should stay clean and do supplements and see if you can get close to that

You can maintain muscle and strength after a cycle just not the level while on the cycle.

 

[platinum ice]

To be honest , this is the reason I don't like gear. As soon as you get off it it , the reality becomes clear. The results are temporary. Anyway I think you should stay clean and do supplements and see if you can get close to that

Actually, I have been thinking about that. As I have gotten older, and have a daughter, the health concerns that never bothered me before have crept into my head. I will probably stay natural, eat tons of food and supplements, and see where that takes me...........

 

[bluetwistedsteel67]

Fuck it bro. Get your ass in the gym for 6 months then hop on a cylce of tren and prop. If you're not juicing, you're not trying. Then do a cycle a year. Your health will be fine and you'll look great. Screw all these guys that say they hate the sauce or that the sauce kills people or it's cheating.............You don't get the body you had 5 yrs ago without alot of work no matter how much gear you take. You can get it back bro, just keep looking at that picture as motivation and focus on that as your goal.

 

[bbkingpin]

If you want to stay natural, check out Bill Phillips' Body for Life program, a lot of ppl made tremendous progress on the EAS stack of GKG, V2G, Creatine, and Myoplex MRPs.
It definitely was a good supplement regimen if you want to stay natural. You will make muscular gains as if you are taking something more than just adequate protein.

 

[Makavelli]

You had a solid physique bro. You can get that back. Get back in the gym and start eating right. I would wait about 6-8 months before you get back on AAS. You don't want to injure yourself. Good luck bro...

 

[Tweakle]

you looked great, even drug free you could still look a hundred times better than you do now. Just get back to the gym and lift, and don't beat yourself up about what happened.. it'll come back a lot faster than the first time you built it

 

[maccer]

muscle memory is a wonderful thing, you will look awesome again

 

[bigjd69]

MUSCLE MEMORY!!! You should be fine, go balls to the walls

 

[platinum ice]

Ha, here is a pic I found stored on my computer from back then (around 2000 or 2001). I remember George Spellwin had some kinda contest or something, and Jennifer BFL chick and I got the ball rolling by posting nude pics of us with a sign saying 'Elite Fitness' on it, in front of the "goodies" ha

Wow, I don't even remember being that big. It simply amazes me to look back at this pic, and see where I am at now. This is definately motivation!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e370/topgun121/pgi2.jpg

 

[Sassy69]

Dude - especially when you are down w/ an injury you have to change your mindset on what your goals are - doesnt' mean you have to toss all your goals, you just have to take a different route to get there. I'm an amateur competitive bodybuilder in my 40s. Do you think it gets easier? I've had lower back problems & just had to bail out of competition this yr for messed up rotator cuff and literally going back to square one tossing any pursuit of heavy lifting and going back to stuff like building core strength again. It is a bit humbling, but the point is to make your life & body what you want them to be. You have the means to do it -just do it. "Success" is defined in many ways and as you go thru life and deal w/ al the things it throws at u, you learn what "success" is.
You can do it!

 

[Gymgurl]

SAssy is right....just stop whining and get your ass to the gym and go for it....Anything is better then where a you are now...but Muscule Memory is a great thing my friend....NOW GO TO THE GYM

 

[Sassy69]

Another part of being injured is that you have an additional goal in going forward - i.e. training to build back the injury while not further aggravating it, and also continuing maintenance training on the rest of your body.

My biggest thought on this is that an injury can set you back and get you bummed out, but training or doing some sort of modified training (to accommodate the injury) also generates endorphins and privides a healthy physical outlet for the daily emotional stress we go thru which ultimately contributes to faster overall healing.

 

[DJ_UFO]

To be honest , this is the reason I don't like gear. As soon as you get off it it , the reality becomes clear. The results are temporary. Anyway I think you should stay clean and do supplements and see if you can get close to that

AAS are not related in this case. Muscular development is a deformation of a natural body caused by weightlifting; the body increase the size of the muscles in order to support those heavy weights. As soon as you stop lifting weights, the wonderful human body slowly goes back to its natural size.

 

[beachstud]

Damn bro. That's rad you had the balls to post a current pic. K to you for fessing up. You looked like a FUCKING STUD with all that mass--what a phenomenal physique.

I dunno bro. Seems obvious what you need to do if you're poking around EF again wishing you looked like your avitar. If I ever looked like you did I'd move mountains to get it back. Can't imagine your wife would mind either!

Kick ass but start by underachieving every day for the first 6 months. Do 30 min. workouts and then make yourself leave. Take it slow at first and then you'll be itching to lift in no time. GET THAT BODY BACK bro! You were a frickin' HORSE!

 

[medical]

I took a nearly 13 year layoff (several cycles over the course of 3 years in my late 20's), got started back about 18 months ago. I (and all of my friends and family!) am AMAZED at how fast I ripped up! I'm going to be all natural for at least another year as I need to cut another 15 lbs. of fat before I start a bulk cycle. I think you will be shocked at muscle memory gains......it takes about 2 months but then you will start to see gains almost like the first time you cycled. That will get you motivated for sure. Start slow with basic lifts targeting large muscles, and in new excersises every week or 2, and it will all come together for you I bet.

 

[markshark]

u looked awesome man. just realize you have the potential to look like that again, and how good it feels after youve worked out and how working out gives u something to look forward to everyday.