NEWBIE hardships

[granby140]

I am new to this whole lifting world. I am only been doing this seriously for about 4 months now. I have noticed great gains up til now and they still seem to be coming. I started at 140 lbs and now have shot up to 160 lbs since September. D*mm i was skinny then. But ever since I have started this lifestyle all friends are laughing at me saying it was useless and what not. Have any of you guys experienced such negative attention in you beginnings of this lifestyle? How can I get them to try this too cauyse i am positive they will love it once they see results.

 

[CycloneHWT]

yeah bro, i still get it, im pretty new, havent even been liftin for a year yet, but.... i have put on 40lbs of muscle, only 10 from gear, my friends are still skeptical and still bust on me for the way i eat and stuff, but they are cool with it cuz i am see results..

Cyclone

 

[edII]

laughing at you? are you serious? start throwing their asses around and see who's laughing then! keep lifting bro.

 

[Silent Method]

When I started I had some opposition...now I just CRUSH anyone who get in my way! Moohoohahaha!

 

[George Stark]

Keep up the good work.

Don't worry about them. When they see all of the improvments in your life chances are they will come over to your side.
Then you will just have to decied if you want to help then still or not.

GS

 

[TheProject]

Dude, I'm right there with you. I've been at this 7 months, and I get crap for eating "seaweed" and all that other stuff that they think is funny.

all the pretty much stopped once the gains became noticeable. My weight isn't all that much greater, but my shape's changed a LOT in 7 months.

Plus, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can move more weight than most of them now, I'm leaner than most of them, and I look better.

Believe me, the comments die off if they're truly you're friends.

 

[Jowers]

This may seem terrible but I basically stoped hanging out with certain friends because they were pulling me down asking why I want to get big and what's the point and I'm big enough. I started hanging out with a different group of people who lift and everything is going in the right direction now

 

[donkey k0ng]

jealousy is a bitch and so are your freinds

 

[DeadLiftZ]

Gotta drop 'em if they wont understand...

Unfortunately, you're going to get the negative criticism from people who don't care for what you do, or just go with the flow in life. We're against the grain. We have a plan. And we're sticking to it.

People like immediate gratification, they like immediate results, they want to go through the experience, but not if it hurts... there's no appreciable threshold for pain for some people.

This is especially true when it comes to bodybuilding and weightlifting. They think you're narcissistic, "into yourself", selfish, vain, self-serving, and an introvert. In actuality, we're doing what drives us. Some people are made to lift heavy weights. Some are made to bitch about those who lift heavy weights.

In fact, most of the envy, jealously, cynicism, skepticism and snobbish attitudes come from those who "don't care" for six packs but "wouldn't mind" having one. I prefer to drop those people.

So, my advice - try to explain it to them once, and after that, drop 'em. You're more important than someone's ignorant opinion of doing something you love.

(ok, you can wake up now)

 

[solidspine]

Sounds like your friends still have a lot of growing up to do.

 

[granby140]

Friends

I will take your advice. Anybody who doesn's support me and my new foud lifestyle can screw themselves. I have found a few new friends in and aroud the gym. Its amazing how much support a few friends can have on this. But the most important thing my girl friend is very supportive. She is all i need to get threw it. And its guys like you who keep newbies with these kinda programs. Ive always wanted to get big. And slowly but surely im getting there. Thanks


Eric

 

[CerealKiller]

I have been through the same things as you. When I first started working out I was under 140 pounds. When I started alot of people just made fun of me saying I was wasting my time, or making stupid jokes.
The funny thing was that after a year or so the same people came over to me asking if they could come down and train with me. Of cause that didn't have the discipline enough to get gains fast enough and stopped. The didn't have enough time they said, strange since they all manage to see 90% of all the crappy TV-series.....ohhh well .

Now I am around 185 pounds, looking to get cut for the summer, but I plan on hitting 200 within a year or 2. Also almost all of my current friends train, this is not something I have choosen on purpose but just something which slowly has happened.

Just hang in there bro and within a few years you will be a completly different person.

Good luck

CK

 

[BigRed54]

I've been in the gym since i was 15yrs old. I was 180lbs & never worked out. And by 16 I slimed all the way down to 140lbs. And from there i began the muscle building process. And when i was younger and eating right in high school my friends always laughed. But now they don't fuck with me cause they know i'll crush them all. Now I'm 22 @ 200bs lean.

 

[WeeMan]

granby140

Dont worry bout what they say, I seriously bet there jealous. 140 to one 160 is a nice gain, you probably look totaly diferent they see this and it for some odd reason they get jealous cause your sucessful at what your doing. I get this alot in every area of life that I become sucessful at, it just kinda goes with the teritory, you hangout with people that arent accomplishing much in there lives and they tend to have a negative attitude about anything that they can not or will not dedicate themselves to do, and they try to drag you down with there negativity. Im not saying totaly quit being friends with them but you need to get some friends that will encourage you and be positive. I have alota negative friends and it irratates me (and my wife) so bad when you step out and do something most people cant and you hear them just trying to keep you down and trying the whole time to play it off as a joke. Sorry to go off like this, I would not worry to much about what other people say I would keep doing what your doing there obviously jealous that your accomplishing your goals while they probably dont have any goals

 

[argent]

When I first started training hard 5 or 6 years ago I used to take a lot of shit. Some of my friends at the time didn't get it what was doing at all. The just weren't down with the physical culture thing. Some started training because I started. Hell I started back in the day because of a memeber of this board (he wasn't a member then of course). Your friends might question it, and they might not understand it.
Your true friends will:
- support what you are doing
- not bitch about your training schedule
- not bitch about how often you have to eat
- not bitch about what you eat
- not bitch that you can't go to the 10:30 movie because your ass has to get
up at 7:00 AM to go to the gym to squat
- help you move into your new place
- will get up at 2:00 AM to round up $100 for your bail

Ok so those last two were off subject. You get the idea though.

Bottom line is if the aren't going to be supportive in what your doing, they should be excluded from what your doing....they will only drag you down with them.

 

[gtaman]

It would be the same way if you suddenly made a lot of money, started driving a fancy car, and began dating Anna Kournikova. A lot of people would pretend to be happy for you, but actually carry around petty resentments. A lot of people don't seem to like it when you "break away from the pack." If all your friends want to stay in the same home town and you dream of getting good grades and going away to school, it might be the same way. "Fuck you loser, you are dedicated." Well, fuck them.

For some reason I look "built" even at 170 lbs (I was 152 when I started lifting at 23, had been 140 when I graduated high school), probably due to my height (and small family so I look big by comparison), so I've had minor comments here and there over the years (sometimes by girls hitting on me, which is the good part). Anyway last year I was around 180 and this looked big for me, and people like my old friends, my chiropractor, etc., would come right out and say "you look really bulky 'up here'" or whatever, sometimes they even make some stupid bodybuilder pose and go "grr" just to make fun. Now I'm 192 & growing at a low BF and obviously some kind of bodybuilder type so they say nothing. (Considering I'm 35, most of my friends are starting to look like fat-asses so it's even more noticeable.) The only guy who never really said anything is this friend who is about 6'7" with a huge lantern jaw (actually he looks a bit scary) and a kind of "throwback" rocker dude hair style. I guess he is used to being looked at with envy or being made out as a freak or whatever so he is actually happy to be with someone else who understands. I used to be scared to death of this guy because he was so damn cool, now I play golf with him and challenge him to fights all the time (which makes him laugh).

Put it this way, when you're in the process of surpassing people in some way or kicking someone's ass, they whine a lot, but they quieten down once the process is clearly done and you've left them in your dust.

Understand this human nature and be humble and gracious and people will adjust to your new life and new size. Just count yourself lucky you found this lifestyle! Me and most of my friends used to think alcohol was the answer to pretty much everything. After age 30 I figured things out a little better. Coulda saved a lot of headaches learning this sooner.

 

[69Muscle]

When I first started with my buddy, I would get the gay comments and special time with oils and other crap from my roommates and friends. But after I started getting bigger those roommates changed their mind and started to lift with us.

Now I call them sally's for not being able to bench over 200lbs