I've always looked up to muscular bodies (bbers, sports athletes, gymnasts, etc.). So for me, I think the desire to look that way was always there. However, I was a very small guy in high school (5'11, 140-145), and I never saw it possible. Well, some friends of mine convinced me to get into cheerleading because I was goofy and outgoing, and the girls weren't too bad a consolation either (by the way, in Texas, guy cheerleaders are quite common and there were always just as many guys on the team as girls, so not like I was the only one!) Anyway, it was actually really hard to do the tumbling and stunts; not what I expected. So, I got into gymnastics to help with all that, and I knew that gymnasts were jacked (compared to me). I figured this would help. I ended up getting really good at this stuff and used cheerleading to get me scholarships through college.
I tore my ACL junior year, and I started to look at other aspects of staying/getting into better shape. That's when I turned to bodybuilding. I used to train for up to 4 hours a day on tumbling, so I was very lean, but never over 150 lbs. I decided it was time to put on some muscle. As soon as I started, I knew it was going to be something I would do for the rest of my life. Two years after starting lifting, I'm now about 185 lbs. and still just as lean as before (I'm very ectomorphic). I doubt I'll ever lose that gymnast style body, but it's cool because I don't want to be some huge freak. I aspire towards bodies like Frank Zane's.
I enjoy reading these, so people keep posting your stories.
- Jake