Taking dumb risks to make muscle gains?

[Howard]

I don't want to make this a natural or steroid bashing hysteria thread.
BUT, it seems to me a lot of my fellow meathedz take some silly health risks to gain muscle.

I just got back from the dentist and had a permanent crown put on ( back left molar).
It went well, but reminded me, how much of a pain in the ass it is, to get medical procedures.
For example, a few years ago I tore my Achilles tendon and had surgery to get it reattached.
The doc was great, but the lengthy recovery process sucked ass.

I never want to go under a surgeons knife again or endure some serious medical procedure again.
I'm perfectly happy now , walking on a gym treadmill and lifting on (mostly) Hammer machines.
Ronnie Coleman was incredible, but seeing him endure painful , hip and joint surgeries makes me cringe.

Along with the health risks is the $$$ pissed away on various potions and drugs.
I trained with an old gym bro, who took out a 2nd mortgage to fund his drug cycles for national contests.
He did ok, but missed turning pro and left competing feeling bitter.
Most thought he was hardcore ,but I secretly thought he was a dumb ass for doing it.

Over the past 15-20 years, I've wondered IF I should have given more to bodybuilding.
Today, I reflect back and am pleased I did it mostly on my own terms with few long term regrets.

Your thoughts?

[Disgusted]

Did you take your Lithium?

[Coffeed]

There's nothing idiotic or shameful about wanting to pack as much muscle as possible onto your frame, whatever it takes.

[anabolichalo]

how many more times will you make this thread in the remainder of your life?

[Irongrip400]

Have you ever taken steroids?

[anabolichalo]

Have you ever taken steroids?

i also questioned him, based on his retarded posts

then he posted a pic where he looked like mike mentzer

boom

unbelievable

[Van_Bilderass]

Over the past 15-20 years, I've wondered IF I should have given more to bodybuilding.
Today, I reflect back and am pleased I did it mostly on my own terms with few long term regrets.

Your thoughts?

You are NOT pleased. You know you were a pussy. If you were satisfied you wouldn't have made this exact post dozens of times.

[Tapeworm]

Get a tattoo which features your nipples as cherry blossoms.

[anabolichalo]

You are NOT pleased. You know you were a pussy. If you were satisfied you wouldn't have made this exact post dozens of times.

it's what i'm thinking as well

it's also funny that he mentions ronnie coleman, as if he would have been on that level, had he pushed it to the limit

[Rudee]

I went into the walk-in clinic near my house a week ago to get a prescription refill for seasonal allergy meds, which I rely on this time of year.  Seated on a chair in the waiting room was a guy I hadn't seen in at least 15 years. He was a former bouncer of a popular night club here in Calgary in the mid 90's.  The same night club where Milos's ex wife Milimar worked as a bartender prior to meeting Milos and moving to California.  This guy was once a huge imposing physical specimen.  He was built like the Hulk. At one time, he was the highest paid bouncer in the city. Now, in his mid to late 40's, his body is completely shot from the years of super-heavy lifting and ingesting every drug he could get his hands on to get bigger.  The muscle is all gone now. Every bit of it. And so is much of the cartilage in his hips and knee joints.  He now walks with the aide of a cane. He's a fragile shell of his former intimidating self. A child could tip him over with the touch of a finger. Watching him take 15 seconds just to get up out of a chair as he left was painful to watch.  He was never the sharpest tool in the shed,  so I have my doubts if he would have done things differently if he could go back in time and do so.  

[calfzilla]

What the hell, someone ban Howard the Cuck.

[Howard]

There's nothing idiotic or shameful about wanting to pack as much muscle as possible onto your frame, whatever it takes.

I agree and have been a bodybuilder for longer then mot here have been alive.
But seriously, once you have some impressive mass, what then?

Unless you're a top pro, you still have the same job, gf, home, car, etc.
Eventually you might need to $$ for something ? What's the point in taking risks for something that doesn't have much lasting value?

[Howard]

i also questioned him, based on his retarded posts

then he posted a pic where he looked like mike mentzer

boom

unbelievable

I dabbled in moderate cycles for a few years in the mid 1980's.
The old 'stauch pic was from the 1988 Jr USA.
I was nothing great, but at least I looked the part when I got on stage.

[Howard]

it's what i'm thinking as well

it's also funny that he mentions ronnie coleman, as if he would have been on that level, had he pushed it to the limit

LOL, good one.  Coleman was one of the all time greatest bodybuilders and biggest freakazoid in history.
I was a semi-wannabee/never was , who barely won a few Mr Podunks...big difference.

[Howard]

I went into the walk-in clinic near my house a week ago to get a prescription refill for seasonal allergy meds, which I rely on this time of year.  Seated on a chair in the waiting room was a guy I hadn't seen in at least 15 years. He was a former bouncer of a popular night club here in Calgary in the mid 90's.  The same night club where Milos's ex wife Milimar worked as a bartender prior to meeting Milos and moving to California.  This guy was once a huge imposing physical specimen.  He was built like the Hulk. At one time, he was the highest paid bouncer in the city. Now, in his mid to late 40's, his body is completely shot from the years of super-heavy lifting and ingesting every drug he could get his hands on to get bigger.  The muscle is all gone now. Every bit of it. And so is a much of the cartilage in his hips and knee joints.  He now walks with the aide of a cain. He's a fragile shell of his former intimidating self. A child could tip him over with the touch of a finger. Watching him take 15 seconds just to get up out of a chair as he left was painful to watch.  He was never the sharpest tool in the shed,  so I have my doubts if he would have done things differently if he could go back in time and do so.  

Great story that illustrates my main point. Thanks for posting it.

[Howard]

You are NOT pleased. You know you were a pussy. If you were satisfied you wouldn't have made this exact post dozens of times.

Hardly. Sometimes it takes more courage to ignore the status quo.
Despite my self-deprecating humor and piss poor jokes, I'm the most happy and content I've ever been.
I made peace with the truth that I was never going to be a great bodybuilder long ago.

I accepted that bodybuilding needed to be a fun hobby and I'd compete on my own terms.
Besides, anything I was going to do in the sport wasn't going to matter regardless of what I tried.

[epic_alien]

I agree and have been a bodybuilder for longer then mot here have been alive.
But seriously, once you have some impressive mass, what then?

Unless you're a top pro, you still have the same job, gf, home, car, etc.
Eventually you might need to $$ for something ? What's the point in taking risks for something that doesn't have much lasting value?

the value is called fulfillment. and is worth it to most who seek it.  and as I'm sure you know from your posts , being unfulfilled is far worse than wasting money going after your goals.

whats worse, regretting wasting money going after goals, or not have even tried and feeling the unfulfillment?

[8 INCH not biceps]

I don't want to make this a natural or steroid bashing hysteria thread.
BUT, it seems to me a lot of my fellow meathedz take some silly health risks to gain muscle.

I just got back from the dentist and had a permanent crown put on ( back left molar).
It went well, but reminded me, how much of a pain in the ass it is, to get medical procedures.
For example, a few years ago I tore my Achilles tendon and had surgery to get it reattached.
The doc was great, but the lengthy recovery process sucked ass.

I never want to go under a surgeons knife again or endure some serious medical procedure again.
I'm perfectly happy now , walking on a gym treadmill and lifting on (mostly) Hammer machines.
Ronnie Coleman was incredible, but seeing him endure painful , hip and joint surgeries makes me cringe.

Along with the health risks is the $$$ pissed away on various potions and drugs.
I trained with an old gym bro, who took out a 2nd mortgage to fund his drug cycles for national contests.
He did ok, but missed turning pro and left competing feeling bitter.
Most thought he was hardcore ,but I secretly thought he was a dumb ass for doing it.

Over the past 15-20 years, I've wondered IF I should have given more to bodybuilding.
Today, I reflect back and am pleased I did it mostly on my own terms with few long term regrets.

Your thoughts?

You are just an old man who did not have what it takes to pursue a pro card, we are all going to die one day at least ronnie and those guys will die with the satisfaction that they did whatever it took and they achieved their goals.

[Howard]

You are just an old man who did not have what it takes to pursue a pro card, we are all going to die one day at least ronnie and those guys will die with the satisfaction that they did whatever it took and they achieved their goals.

1. Yup, I'm a older guy now and lacked the basic talent for a bodybuilding pro card. I often say that myself.

2. You're right, Ronnie was great and he may have few regrets. I'm sure some others are glad they went balls to wall in the pursuit of mass at all costs.

3. I can't speak for others, but, I did post my honest personal feelings on this issue.
Too often we read endless posts that  use extreme measure for the glory of more muscle mass.

I'm simply pointing out an obvious point here. For the vast majority who try to build muscle, they could make 80-90% the same gains with a lot less hassle, $$ and health risks. Is that extra few % really worth it?

[Van_Bilderass]

Hardly. Sometimes it takes more courage to ignore the status quo.
Despite my self-deprecating humor and piss poor jokes, I'm the most happy and content I've ever been.
I made peace with the truth that I was never going to be a great bodybuilder long ago.

I accepted that bodybuilding needed to be a fun hobby and I'd compete on my own terms.
Besides, anything I was going to do in the sport wasn't going to matter regardless of what I tried.

You said you wondered "what if" for 20 years. That's a lot of wondering. Maybe you are at peace now and that's great. You say there's no way you would have been pro anyway, no matter what. You don't know that 100% and that's why you wonder.

[epic_alien]

van summed it all up


to answer your question howard yes its worth it. having health issues after competing is bad, and its not fun. but its not as bad as having to sit around wondering "what if".

[wes]

I don't want to make this a natural or steroid bashing hysteria thread.
BUT, it seems to me a lot of my fellow meathedz take some silly health risks to gain muscle.

I just got back from the dentist and had a permanent crown put on ( back left molar).
It went well, but reminded me, how much of a pain in the ass it is, to get medical procedures.
For example, a few years ago I tore my Achilles tendon and had surgery to get it reattached.
The doc was great, but the lengthy recovery process sucked ass.

I never want to go under a surgeons knife again or endure some serious medical procedure again.
I'm perfectly happy now , walking on a gym treadmill and lifting on (mostly) Hammer machines.
Ronnie Coleman was incredible, but seeing him endure painful , hip and joint surgeries makes me cringe.

Along with the health risks is the $$$ pissed away on various potions and drugs.
I trained with an old gym bro, who took out a 2nd mortgage to fund his drug cycles for national contests.
He did ok, but missed turning pro and left competing feeling bitter.
Most thought he was hardcore ,but I secretly thought he was a dumb ass for doing it.

Over the past 15-20 years, I've wondered IF I should have given more to bodybuilding.
Today, I reflect back and am pleased I did it mostly on my own terms with few long term regrets.

Your thoughts?

Girls and sons............ 

[Rudee]

I dabbled in moderate cycles for a few years in the mid 1980's.

The mid 1980's was when I experimented with steroids for the first time.  Chris Benoit and another wrestler named Ben Bassarab were the dealers who supplied our HS football team with orals, Dianabol and Anadrol mostly (bennies too if that was your thing). He supplied for other high schools as well. He didnt play favorites. This was when he was wrestling locally with Stampede wrestling, several years prior to him going to the WWF. Even if I wanted to experiment with cycles of different anabolics, I couldn't afford it at the time, so I just stuck to one or two different orals.  I often wonder how things would have unfolded had I been able to afford a wider variety of anabolics.  I could have been one of the unfortunate messed up people who've completely ruined their bodies. Thankfully,  I'm not in that boat.

[Tha Grim Lifter]

I think training like Ronnie is still doing is very stupid. The body changes and IMO more importantly once you have been training so long you can feel anything, I can do any exercises now and because I know how to train the muscle it works better than anything I did years ago. Lifting heavy just stresses the system and risks a lot of injury especially when you can feel everything.

[Julio Ceasar]

I dont miss anything. I just want fresh nice pussy and the hernia in the neck to be ok!