Lean,healthy and asthetic vs big,juiced and bulky?

[Howard]

For most of us, I think we end up trying to get too big and end up just looking big and bulky.
At many regional and state level NPC shows, the best bodybuilders on stage are often those with lighter body wts. In my case , I looked at LOT better as a LT HVY, then I do at heavier body wts.
My present body wt and ( fat) bulky body is pretty useless overall for bodybuilding contests.
I might look BIGGER in clothes but I am worse as a bodybuilder. My 20" arms are big but they lack the cuts needed to be impressive.
In my humble opinion, most bodybuilders would be a lot better off ,if they opted for a quality physique and didn't do extreme level of drugs in search of a pro level body that  won't ever happn anyway (99.9%).

I see endless ads for supplements and potions that promise to build more mass. I hear of countless drugs to gain more mass. Like many in our sport, I have bought into that kind of thinking and it has done little for me. Unless I diet down, get a lot leaner and lose body wt, I can't be competetive as a bodybuilder.
At some point, you stop thinking about building a better physique and focus only on getting bigger.
Howard

[El Diablo Blanco]

Hahahaha.  We both posted practically the same starter thread at the same time.  Fucking weird.

[BlueDevil]

I burnt my fathers shed down when i was a kid trying this sort of thing, and when i explained that i was trying a form of therapy, he said i should see a doctor

[Howard]

Hahahaha.  We both posted practically the same starter thread at the same time.  Fucking weird.

Great minds think alike 
Has this mistake bulking been your experience.?

[njflex]

HOWIE  there are many bbers who look lean and have aesthetic builds like rockel,henry,darem charles,just a few and there still considered to big for the normal population.so u know how big guys like yates and nasser,coleman really must have been compared to those guys i mentioned,lift ,eat.diet,supp clean or not and see how it shakes out.a)do not post a pro pic on your fridge for inspiration that is a defeat in itself.b)do not compare yourself to a pro build whether it is in your height or weight zone .c)no matter how good u look or train or are admired by fellow gym members,relatives,friends,there is always somewhere ,someplace either bigger,more ripped,better shaped,better genetics than you.but we can all dream.

[DK II]

For most of us, I think we end up trying to get too big and end up just looking big and bulky.
At many regional and state level NPC shows, the best bodybuilders on stage are often those with lighter body wts. In my case , I looked at LOT better as a LT HVY, then I do at heavier body wts.
My present body wt and ( fat) bulky body is pretty useless overall for bodybuilding contests.
I might look BIGGER in clothes but I am worse as a bodybuilder. My 20" arms are big but they lack the cuts needed to be impressive.
In my humble opinion, most bodybuilders would be a lot better off ,if they opted for a quality physique and didn't do extreme level of drugs in search of a pro level body that  won't ever happn anyway (99.9%).

I see endless ads for supplements and potions that promise to build more mass. I hear of countless drugs to gain more mass. Like many in our sport, I have bought into that kind of thinking and it has done little for me. Unless I diet down, get a lot leaner and lose body wt, I can't be competetive as a bodybuilder.
At some point, you stop thinking about building a better physique and focus only on getting bigger.
Howard

lean, healthy and aestetique is the way to go.

It's also better for the money. Nobody will give you a decend job if you burst out of every suit. 

[G o a t b o y]

Howard, I think a lot of kids start bodybuilding weighing 150-160 lbs or less, and at that weight size is and should be a priority.  But then they get up to 200 or so, and instead of shifting gears and focusing on achieving and maintaining low bodyfat, they keep going with the "size" thing and just end up looking like bloated pigs.  I'm sure that's Squadfather's and other perma-bulkers' deal.

[Howard]

HOWIE  there are many bbers who look lean and have aesthetic builds like rockel,henry,darem charles,just a few and there still considered to big for the normal population.so u know how big guys like yates and nasser,coleman really must have been compared to those guys i mentioned,lift ,eat.diet,supp clean or not and see how it shakes out.a)do not post a pro pic on your fridge for inspiration that is a defeat in itself.b)do not compare yourself to a pro build whether it is in your height or weight zone .c)no matter how good u look or train or are admired by fellow gym members,relatives,friends,there is always somewhere ,someplace either bigger,more ripped,better shaped,better genetics than you.but we can all dream.

Great post! I have come to realize what you posted is 100% true ( at least for me).
This is also why  prefer wt classes and like the NPC format more than the pros.
I got into this sport thinking Zane was the ideal/dream physique. I have decided to return to that as best I can.
I am also going to the Tampa pro show as Darrem will be in that one. The Olympia has some guys I admire but the emphasis is always on FREAKISH Mass.

[Howard]

Howard, I think a lot of kids start bodybuilding weighing 150-160 lbs or less, and at that weight size is and should be a priority.  But then they get up to 200 or so, and instead of shifting gears and focusing on achieving and maintaining low bodyfat, they keep going with the "size" thing and just end up looking like bloated pigs.  I'm sure that's Squadfather's and other perma-bulkers' deal.

Great reply and yes once you have gained a good base of muscle mass, one should as you say "switch gears" and go for a lean, hard physique. I have been a perma bulker these past 12 years and what did it get me?
Other than eating a lot of good food , I couldn't even compete in the sport I love...bodybuilding.
Had I gained a few lbs, fine, but not the 50 I did gain of which a good 35-38 ,was FAT!

[El Diablo Blanco]

I always looked my best when I'd stay as lean as possible and workout as hard as I can.  The strength wasn't as good as when I'd eat a lot to gain size but I always looked better and bigger.  I always looked bigger when lean then when I was bulky.

[Stavios]

Great thread Howard !

Yes I believe people focus too much on bodyweight and not enought on condition.
It's incredible the difference between 4 and 5 % BF, as you get leaner even 2-3 pounds leaner makes HUGE difference on skin tickness.

Myself for example, I gained a good amount of mass this year and at this pace I will be a few pounds lighter than I was onstage last year. Weight means nothing because being ripped give the illusion of being much much bigger and muscular thant the other guys

[Howard]

Great thread Howard !

Yes I believe people focus too much on bodyweight and not enought on condition.
It's incredible the difference between 4 and 5 % BF, as you get leaner even 2-3 pounds leaner makes HUGE difference on skin tickness.

Myself for example, I gained a good amount of mass this year and at this pace I will be a few pounds lighter than I was onstage last year. Weight means nothing because being ripped give the illusion of being much much bigger and muscular thant the other guys

It just hit me hard after seein Jenny win the Jr USA and seeing some winners at area NPC shows, that for most of us serious lifters,the enemy is body fat more than sheer mass.
When I am around 205 -210 lbs , I can compete in a bodybuilding contest by dropping a few lbs and ripping up.
The bigger size sounds good , but is useless unless I can diet back down and get lean.
I am even better off in a bench meet at a lighter wt, ya know the lb for lb deal.
Plus, at 250 my knees and low back hurt when I run. Other than passing gas and cleaning up at the buffet I am pretty useless at this wt 

[G o a t b o y]

Plus, at 250 my knees and low back hurt when I run. Other than passing gas and cleaning up at the buffet I am pretty useless at this wt 

250 really isn't a healthy weight whether you're muscular or not.

[njflex]

Great thread Howard !

Yes I believe people focus too much on bodyweight and not enought on condition.
It's incredible the difference between 4 and 5 % BF, as you get leaner even 2-3 pounds leaner makes HUGE difference on skin tickness.

Myself for example, I gained a good amount of mass this year and at this pace I will be a few pounds lighter than I was onstage last year. Weight means nothing because being ripped give the illusion of being much much bigger and muscular thant the other guys

AND U LOOK GOOD ..and as time goes on your young u will fill out,but there is always a buzzkill ,u could be in sick condition ,skinnned to the bone,hard,and to achieve it u have to bust your hump,and u could be in loose shirt or long sleeve and cause it cant be seen ,some ahole who only knows what a magazine pro looks like on a f'in picture will 9/10 times say u don't look that big.

[wes]

If anyone has been training for years and years,yet has no abs, or hasn`t seen his dick in ages,just in an effort to weigh more and look bigger in the supermaket,then that person is not bodybuilding,he is just lifting and eating.

Some people train,others merely workout.

[Bluto]

realistically netiher of these alternatives apply for most getbiggers - change for skinnyfat and permabulker

[vonraider]

Howard, I think a lot of kids start bodybuilding weighing 150-160 lbs or less, and at that weight size is and should be a priority.  But then they get up to 200 or so, and instead of shifting gears and focusing on achieving and maintaining low bodyfat, they keep going with the "size" thing and just end up looking like bloated pigs.  I'm sure that's Squadfather's and other perma-bulkers' deal.

Exactly what I did. Got up to about 235 but did not look that good. Just don't have the genetics to carry that kind of mass. Cut way back on juice and eating much better now. Only about 210 but people tell me how much better I look these days.

[Bill Loguidice]

I have to agree, especially as we get older.  At least for me, it just doesn't seem practical to put on any more size without messing with my stomach, so I'd much rather continue to refine what I have and let my bodyweight fall where it may based on healthy eating and regular training. 

I've never competed, but have been working out (naturally) for roughly the past 20 years (I'm 35 now).  At 5'9", my highest bodyweight has been about 215, with a 34"+ waist.  For the past six months+ I've made the concerted effort to eat cleaner (not really a diet, just cut out as much saturated fat as possible and cut down on red meat as much as possible) all the time, rather than just to get ready for the summers.  With that simple change, my body seems to have settled around 197 at present, with a 32" waist.  I feel much better and don't look bloated any more.  I suspect at the most I'll stabilize at the low 190's and try to maintain there, just continuing to eat well and train hard and continue to improve my muscularity.  It seems like the intelligent thing to do for long term health and looks.  I never really cared too much for training for strength anyway and particularly not so as I've gotten older and have had to be more careful with things like my back and joints...

I do think there's something to the idea that immaturity and lack of experience leads one to take the route of size (and strength) at all costs.  I know for the longest time when my bodyweight was in the 160's, then in the 180's, I looked at crossing the 200lb mark as my holy grail.  Since I crossed that long ago, it doesn't really seem all that important of a target anymore...

[Howard]

I have to agree, especially as we get older.  At least for me, it just doesn't seem practical to put on any more size without messing with my stomach, so I'd much rather continue to refine what I have and let my bodyweight fall where it may based on healthy eating and regular training. 

I've never competed, but have been working out (naturally) for roughly the past 20 years (I'm 35 now).  At 5'9", my highest bodyweight has been about 215, with a 34"+ waist.  For the past six months+ I've made the concerted effort to eat cleaner (not really a diet, just cut out as much saturated fat as possible and cut down on red meat as much as possible) all the time, rather than just to get ready for the summers.  With that simple change, my body seems to have settled around 197 at present, with a 32" waist.  I feel much better and don't look bloated any more.  I suspect at the most I'll stabilize at the low 190's and try to maintain there, just continuing to eat well and train hard and continue to improve my muscularity.  It seems like the intelligent thing to do for long term health and looks.  I never really cared too much for training for strength anyway and particularly not so as I've gotten older and have had to be more careful with things like my back and joints...

I do think there's something to the idea that immaturity and lack of experience leads one to take the route of size (and strength) at all costs.  I know for the longest time when my bodyweight was in the 160's, then in the 180's, I looked at crossing the 200lb mark as my holy grail.  Since I crossed that long ago, it doesn't really seem all that important of a target anymore...

Ya know, even an extreme juicer will hit a point where additional mass is not going happen to any major degree.
I can really identify with your reply here.I want to drop back down around 206 and be in striking range to compete.
The extra wt I now have to be a BIGGER-better bodybuilder is the ONE thing that prevents me from doing an actual bodybuilding contest.

[Stavios]

you should do it Howard, just for fun without having the pressure of getting ready for a show

[Howard]

you should do it Howard, just for fun without having the pressure of getting ready for a show

The lack of any pressure from a  contest date is what PREVENTS me from dieting LOL.
Sometimes you need a lil' kick in the kiester to get ya going.

[pumpster]

Lean look makes more sense but can takes more discipline. It just looks better, more appealing. That becomes even more obvious with some age.

[Howard]

Lean look makes more sense but can takes more discipline. It just looks better, more appealing. That becomes even more obvious with some age.

Ya had to put in "obvious with some age" thing in there didn't ya...thanks

[Bluto]

sounds to me you guys are just making excuses

[pumpster]

Ya had to put in "obvious with some age" thing in there didn't ya...thanks

Calm down i wasn't referring to your shortcomings in particular, ya lunkhead.