If youre a casual bodybuilder, no aspirations to compete, it's reasonable that you will reach most of your potential within 3-5 years of regular hard training and dieting.
For most that means starting at 15 you're 90% done at 20, starting at 20 you're 90% done at 25.
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After that it's all about maintaining, maybe have a few months a year when youre working at bringing up certain bodyparts, maybe 8-10 weeks of dieting for the summer etc.
It's really not a big accomplishment or a hard goal, it's not like youre trying to learn chinese.
My question is then to all you with 3-5 years of experience in training, now what do you do with your physique/strength?
Where do you go from there?
Will you take on surfing, rock climbing, wrestling or any other activity where your muscle and strength will be of use?
Of course there's always the permabulkers, the yo-yo's that, like women, just go back and forth and never get anywhere... the Oprah Winfreys of Bodybuilding, but for the regular guys out there I say, if you cant reach 90% of your genetic limit within 3-5 years then there is something seriously wrong with you.
(drugs come into play after 3-5 years when youve already reached your natural genetic limit, NOT BEFORE)