>* The New Locker Room *<

[Luolamies]

YOu Are Funny! "I have a rule Not to hit on Milfs in front of Parrents"... .

Your lucky to be close to your dad and be able to do like  this..
A lot of PPl dont have that...

Thanks!

I just feel bad for the Portuguese milf, because that would have been a great story to tell to her grand kids someday.

"Like this one time i was on the beach and this young blond guy came and..."

As far as my dad goes hes a great guy and i can do "real" stuff with him, like travel, drink, train etc. I know that a lot of guys don´t have things so good with their parents.

[Luolamies]

Well, finally back home (which sucks) and now i´ll try to scrape some money back together so i can go somewhere with my brother...

I´m off to the gym tonight, first real workout in awhile.

[wes mantooth]

subject change: motivation

through the trials and tribulations of life pass, what continues to motivate you?.....

as i was younger, pussy was always a great motivator, as was strength....makes you feel good knowing youre strong

now as i get older, i work more, workout less, and worry more about dumb shit like cholesterol and blood pressure!! LOL

priorities change, but what continues to motivate you? do you watch "pumping iron"?, pick up the latest magazine?, continue to try to run with a younger crowd?, training partners?


discuss

[Arnold jr]

subject change: motivation

through the trials and tribulations of life pass, what continues to motivate you?.....

as i was younger, pussy was always a great motivator, as was strength....makes you feel good knowing youre strong

now as i get older, i work more, workout less, and worry more about dumb shit like cholesterol and blood pressure!! LOL

priorities change, but what continues to motivate you? do you watch "pumping iron"?, pick up the latest magazine?, continue to try to run with a younger crowd?, training partners?


discuss

Good topic and question. I will say this, my motivation, regardless of the situation, be it training, or life in general, stems from wanting to succeed and be the best at what I do...setting goals and reaching them is motivation enough for me. I can honestly say that I've never really been someone who's been motivated by outside things, i.e. other people and what they think about me or what I'm doing. That's not to sound cocky or like I'm some sort of bad ass, not at all, I do strive to earn the respect of people I come in contact with, but its not these peoples approval that motivates me in anyway.

Other then that, my religious faith does play a part in what drives me in life...even so, I'm not going to go into that in detail or anything...the last thing I want to do here is start some pointless debate, lol! But, that factor is part of who I am and regardless of what others think in that way be it the same as me or not, that factor does in deed affect my life.

[Overload]

I'm sort of like Arnold, i just like to succeed in everything i do. i like to set the bar high and see if i can reach it. life is about overcoming the negatives in this world and being a positive force. I'm a very positive person and when i set my mind to something i always overcome that obstacle. there are so many worthless people in this world that i want to make a difference, i want to be that person who did everything he wanted to because he believed he could do it. i never make excuses and i never fail, that's just the way i view life in general.

powerlifting and bodybuilding has always been a hobby for me that i really enjoy. if i have a bad day i know once i hit the gym it's all over. if something bad happens i hit the gym and i come out positive and feeling good about life. i don't know the mechanism of action but working out hard and heavy makes me feel fantastic. i always leave the gym feeling refreshed and positive. I'm a young guy so I'm not sure how much things will change in future once i start my business and family. right now my career and girl are very important to me, but powerlifting will never be placed on the back burner, it will always be at the top. having a job and girlfriend that support my eating and lifting habits really helps. i have no negative forces trying to stop my advancement in life, and if they show up i will quickly defeat them.

I'm not a religious person but i believe in positive and negative energy that allows us to be successful or not. if you let the negatives overpower you it will send you down. if you MAKE the positives overpower the negatives you will go up. that's the way i view things at least.

i enjoy watching DVD's like pumping iron and Ronnie's unbelievable but it's all in my heart that drives me. i will not fail at anything and i will press myself forward at every chance i get in the business and personal world.

[trab]

           THis  is what stops people from doing/ achieving what they REALLY WANT in LIFE -

                               TELLING THEMSELF THEY CANT.    That's all!

Need be realistic, but if you want something, and make a good step by step plan - You can pull off what seems to most the unachievable.    I ain't just talking lifting here.

As far as lifting motovation, I  like video & Training Photos of favorite BBers or athletes.
Seeing someone do whats far beyond normal.

[wes mantooth]

good answers fellas, keep them coming.....

i find myself torn over the past year, my workouts have been pretty inconsistent. i moved, new business, getting married, shoulder surgery....been down more than up.

im really not sure whats gonna motivate me to get back to a strict regimen like i used to. working 10-12 hour days, most of the time i just want to go home and spend some time with the old lady if i dont have paperwork to do. she (my fiance) goes EARLY (4:30am) everyday, but im not getting up that early....especially when im not climbing into bed until 1am.

the shoulder is about at 85-90%, of course my strength is WAY down comparitively to when i was healthy and juicing back a few years ago...but strength comes in time. ive been "off" for almost 2 years...so when i do get my shit together with training and finally come back to the darkside im sure i will explode LOL

the worst part about it?? i work in gyms and fitness facilities ALL day long ha ha....how ironic.

i just dont push myself to succeed in the gym because im pushing to succedd in business. i know there will be a time where the biz will take care of itself, then i can take care of my desires in the gym. its just hard when you are doing great in the gym, then a set back like surgery takes it all away......then i remember what i USED to do, what i USED to look like and it really pisses my off!!! maybe that should be enough. i never want to be the "USED TO" guy


thought i would share

keep the stories coming....

[Arnold jr]

I'm sort of like Arnold, i just like to succeed in everything i do. i like to set the bar high and see if i can reach it. life is about overcoming the negatives in this world and being a positive force. I'm a very positive person and when i set my mind to something i always overcome that obstacle. there are so many worthless people in this world that i want to make a difference, i want to be that person who did everything he wanted to because he believed he could do it. i never make excuses and i never fail, that's just the way i view life in general.

I like this topic...needless to say I know some of the things i might say could easily come off as pretty cheesy sounding, but oh well, lol!
I like what you've said here...you're right, there are a lot of worthless people out there...not worthless in the sense of their existence, everyone has worth IMO, but in the way in which they live makes their lives worthless is how I'd view it...but good point.
I'll also add this, like you when I set my sights on something, I am hell bent on reaching it, but unlike you sometimes I do fall flat on my face...(this is where it might sound corny.) But every time I fall flat on my face, that's where I distinguish myself from the rest of the pack...that's where I either lie down and die or get back up and keep moving forward. I may fall again, I may not, but it's that very struggle that motivates me.

I'm not a religious person but i believe in positive and negative energy that allows us to be successful or not. if you let the negatives overpower you it will send you down. if you MAKE the positives overpower the negatives you will go up. that's the way i view things at least.

Obviously I could easily be deemed a "religious" person by statements I've already made...but I absolutely hate that label because it's an inaccurate false statement...at least in the manner in which we all typically throw around the word "religious." I agree with you though, negatives can really be a burden if you let them be...even so negative aspects in life do arise for everyone, but it's how we deal with them in the most positive way we can that defines our drive and character.

Now this is simply out of curiosity, and it's not to start some kind of pointless fight. But I'm always curiouse to try and understand when people say things like you just said, "I'm not a religious person but i believe in positive and negative energy that allows us to be successful or not." If you're not religious, I would assume you don't take too much stock in the existence of a higher power...OK fine. But in your opinion, where then does all this energy come from? Again, I'm just asking and not trying to step on any toes here...I know how asking something like this can get some people really bent out of shape.

i enjoy watching DVD's like pumping iron and Ronnie's unbelievable but it's all in my heart that drives me. i will not fail at anything and i will press myself forward at every chance i get in the business and personal world.

Yeah, those DVD's are cool, but they don't do too much for me either. I like your attitude though, that's what you have to have to succeed at anyting. Major Props!

[Overload]

I like this topic...needless to say I know some of the things i might say could easily come off as pretty cheesy sounding, but oh well, lol!
I like what you've said here...you're right, there are a lot of worthless people out there...not worthless in the sense of their existence, everyone has worth IMO, but in the way in which they live makes their lives worthless is how I'd view it...but good point.
I'll also add this, like you when I set my sights on something, I am hell bent on reaching it, but unlike you sometimes I do fall flat on my face...(this is where it might sound corny.) But every time I fall flat on my face, that's where I distinguish myself from the rest of the pack...that's where I either lie down and die or get back up and keep moving forward. I may fall again, I may not, but it's that very struggle that motivates me.

Now this is simply out of curiosity, and it's not to start some kind of pointless fight. But I'm always curiouse to try and understand when people say things like you just said, "I'm not a religious person but i believe in positive and negative energy that allows us to be successful or not." If you're not religious, I would assume you don't take too much stock in the existence of a higher power...OK fine. But in your opinion, where then does all this energy come from? Again, I'm just asking and not trying to step on any toes here...I know how asking something like this can get some people really bent out of shape.

Oh i have failed before, i just set my mind not to fail on anything. if i do fail i come back stronger. i have noticed that when i put 110% into something i always prevail. maybe i'm just lucky or maybe i just try harder than the next guy? not sure really but i've been successful in everything i do.

I'm "considered" Agnostic, please don't confuse this with Atheist, as i do not believe in God nor the Devil. i do not claim to be Agnostic, i just fall into this catagory more than any other.

Agnostic "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."

i simply believe that NONE of us truly know if there is a God or not, as it has never been proven with our intelligence level. i believe that a persons belief in God is simply their opinion and/or how they were raised. i was raised a Methodist, but after years of study i found Christianity to be false, this is only my opinion and not a shot at you or anyone else. you asked so i gave my opinion, i have no problem with Christians or anyone else. i think religion is a personal choice, not something that is forced upon us.

that energy comes from within US, and it can be used in many ways. it could come from God but how could we know? there is a force that drives me, maybe that is God, maybe it is willpower and determination?

Please understand i'm stating my opinion only because you asked. i went to church for 18 years, my girlfriend is Buddhist, so i have many opinions on religion.

Religion is like politics, everyone has their own opinion and everyone thinks they are right. there are over 10,000 religions on this planet and ALL of them think they are right. that is a very strange thing to me and made me think deeply.

i studied the Bible for many years with my mother as a child, so i do know alot about the subject.

I respect you alot Arnold, you are a good man, please do not take my post the wrong way as it is only my opinion.

[Arnold jr]

Oh i have failed before, i just set my mind not to fail on anything. if i do fail i come back stronger. i have noticed that when i put 110% into something i always prevail. maybe i'm just lucky or maybe i just try harder than the next guy? not sure really but i've been successful in everything i do.

I agree when you put your all into something, it is hard to fail, but again it sometimes still happens. That's where what I like to call "Rocky Syndrome" comes into play...getting knocked flat on your ass and you keep coming back harder and harder until successes in that matter has no choice but to give into you. For better or worse, that's just how I see it.

I'm "considered" Agnostic, please don't confuse this with Atheist, as i do not believe in God nor the Devil. i do not claim to be Agnostic, i just fall into this catagory more than any other.

Agnostic "a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience."

i simply believe that NONE of us truly know if there is a God or not, as it has never been proven with our intelligence level. i believe that a persons belief in God is simply their opinion and/or how they were raised. i was raised a Methodist, but after years of study i found Christianity to be false, this is only my opinion and not a shot at you or anyone else. you asked so i gave my opinion, i have no problem with Christians or anyone else. i think religion is a personal choice, not something that is forced upon us.

that energy comes from within US, and it can be used in many ways. it could come from God but how could we know? there is a force that drives me, maybe that is God, maybe it is willpower and determination?

Please understand i'm stating my opinion only because you asked. i went to church for 18 years, my girlfriend is Buddhist, so i have many opinions on religion.

Religion is like politics, everyone has their own opinion and everyone thinks they are right. there are over 10,000 religions on this planet and ALL of them think they are right. that is a very strange thing to me and made me think deeply.

i studied the Bible for many years with my mother as a child, so i do know alot about the subject.

I respect you alot Arnold, you are a good man, please do not take my post the wrong way as it is only my opinion.

First off, no worries...I wouldn't have pressed the issue at all if I thought anything you might say would offend me...it is a topic I like talking about and I don't get offended easily.

Anyway, just to touch on what you said a little bit, kind of just food for thought sort of stuff. Like you said, there are around ten thousand differant religions in the world, obviously all of these can't be right. Even so, I've always found in life if there are fake or counterfit things, then there has to be a "real." I mean think about it, no one ever counterfits something that isn't real in the first place.

So if there is a "real" answer or solution to the question of God's existence, how do you know which one is real when there are so many claims to this purposed reality? It's easiest to try and approach it like a mathematical situation, or rather this is the desired approach since this is how things make the most sense to our minds. You know, like 2+2 = 4, this is absolute and easy to express and see, it is also imposable to dispute. But with God's existence things cannot be approached this way, we can't approach it like we would every day scenarios IMO. Is it complicated? No, I don't think so, but the approach is still differant IMO. You sort of, for lack of a better word, have to lay aside your own humanistic way of thinking. After all, why would God the creator of man be able to be revealed by humanistic terms? Obviously he can't be because he himself would not be human. It would be like if a fully functioning robot created by a man tried to explain and understand the existence of his creator, a human being, in ways that relate to his own existence as a robot. Bad example? Maybe, kind of corny I know, but it fits IMO.

On the same topic of religion but a differant direction, did anyone else see the special on CNN in the past few nights called "God's Warriors?" the first part dealt with radical Islam and the 2nd half radical Christianity. pretty interesting little piece and very well done...there did not seem to be any hidden agenda in any direction. Anyway, for those that like this sort of thing, I'm sure it will run again, so check it out if it peaks your intrest.

[Luv2Hurt]

subject change: motivation

through the trials and tribulations of life pass, what continues to motivate you?.....

as i was younger, pussy was always a great motivator, as was strength....makes you feel good knowing youre strong

now as i get older, i work more, workout less, and worry more about dumb shit like cholesterol and blood pressure!! LOL

priorities change, but what continues to motivate you? do you watch "pumping iron"?, pick up the latest magazine?, continue to try to run with a younger crowd?, training partners?


discuss

Cool topic    What motivates me to continue in training?  I think the main thing is the way being in shape and trained seperates me from the masses.  Everyone going thru life just trying to fit in and be like everyone else, I hate that.  Being big and in shape is one way I express myself.

I have found thru life that my self image is tied into how I look and present myself and when that is bad I find my self esteem and happieness suffers.  People wanna feel good about themselves, I know I do.  There have been times in my life when I felt bad about myself for many reasons and I really dont ever wanna go back there again.  Training keeps me on track.  My life and priorites get all fu*ked up after a while when I have no direction.  Im lost without it and you never wanna lose yourself.

[Arnold jr]

Cool topic    What motivates me to continue in training?  I think the main thing is the way being in shape and trained seperates me from the masses.  Everyone going thru life just trying to fit in and be like everyone else, I hate that.  Being big and in shape is one way I express myself.

Agreed. The day I find myself trying to "fit in with the masses" this is the day I give you permission to come here and kick me as hard as you can right in the sack!

I have found thru life that my self image is tied into how I look and present myself and when that is bad I find my self esteem and happieness suffers.  People wanna feel good about themselves, I know I do.  There have been times in my life when I felt bad about myself for many reasons and I really dont ever wanna go back there again.  Training keeps me on track.  My life and priorites get all fu*ked up after a while when I have no direction.  Im lost without it and you never wanna lose yourself.

You make some good points, but one question. Have you ever found yourself in a place where training and the whole process goes beyond perhaps what it should and in doing so it causes some of your priorities to get way out of line? I think I've been guilty of this and still am to a degree if I don't watch it. But as a whole I agree with what you just said.

[Luv2Hurt]

Agreed. The day I find myself trying to "fit in with the masses" this is the day I give you permission to come here and kick me as hard as you can right in the sack!

Will Do bro! lol,

You make some good points, but one question. Have you ever found yourself in a place where training and the whole process goes beyond perhaps what it should and in doing so it causes some of your priorities to get way out of line? I think I've been guilty of this and still am to a degree if I don't watch it. But as a whole I agree with what you just said.

Well for sure yes.  The main ones having to do with relationships.  See the thing is and I will use myself as an example  I was married before and this has also come up in more recent relationships but when I met my ex I was into BB pretty hardcore (competing and living the lifestyle)  Well while in these relationships we would spend lots of time together and do all the normal things people do together, go out a lot, eat out often, go to bars and clubs, stay up late partying, do things with friends, go to parties with drinking usually involved....etc.  Well it is all fun and good BUT there is no way I can be in the shape that I previously mentioned which makes me feel good about myself, so its kind of a double edged sword.  I will be having a good time but getting fat and out of shape makes me start to feel bad about myself again.  I hate the idea of partying or whatever on the weekends and then busting my ass in the gym all week just to try and stay even, I like to make progress forward.  I will also feel bad if I start to miss workouts, which happens when other priorities come into play.

I don't know if I am explaining it right but it goes like this, live normal life, fall out of shape, get depressed, relationship fails, more depressed, true self is lost.  A lot of the time you will see what is happening and try to correct things at the fall out of shape stage and then your mate cant understand why you don't wanna keep doing what you have been doing and it causes stress.  Is the BB lifestyle normal? NO....but thats why we do it in the first place, its who we are.

Does it have to be this way?  Probally not.  They say life is about balance and I would agree.  I find myself now being more open to invitations to do things when in the past I would pass because it would throw off my feedings or training schedule.  Shit I will just pack food and water and not give a damn if people think I'm weird for it, sometimes it works the other way.  Luv recently dated this figure chick and we were out late. We were chatting in my truck(I just got a cool new one ) in her drive way, Luv really wanted to be upstairs in her place...not chatting  But...anywho I was getting hungry so I just reached in the back and grabbed my food and started to eat while we chatted.  Later she told me she thought that was cool how I did that and that I did not care what she thought about it and went about sticking to my priorities, hey I offered her some 

So maybe the answer is finding people who also enjoy and share the same passions you do?  Hard to find yes, but they are out there.  Cause what makes you happy is who you are, hard to be someone you are not.

[busyB]

OHHH how true that is LUV. Trying to hang with old friends or date women that do not live the lifestyle just does not work. Dated a girl that "worked out" but had no idea what competition prep is like. Needless to say, kicked her to the curb after so many statements of, "Why do you drink so much water?" "Why can't we work out together?" "Why do we have to plan a movie around your meals?" "And why do you eat so much and why can't we go to a resteraunt?" No matter how hot she was, GONE!! Talk about mental draining..

But the older I get, the more I realize balance is important and I try not to be so jaded to the regular masses. I cracked up at all of your comments about how our lifestyle takes priority over all aspects of our lives. I still have trouble prioritizing things and find myself after 15 years still scheduling stuff around workouts, eating, etc...you just become a machine and if you break you pattern, you can get depressed! Now, don't get me wrong, I love this lifestyle and would not want to be like my friends I grew up with who call or write me for advice on  how to get in shape because they all partied for the last 15 years and their doctors told them they need to do something about their health! I still love my beer and weed but again, it gets worked around training and eating. I get bummed when I spend a whole Sunday on the couch recovering from the night before at the bars.

When I look back at my past, contest prep time is when I actually feel the best because I am in such a routine with no booze or shitty food or can not take a day off because your competitor is not. Nowadays even though I am still competiting, working out just makes me feel so much better as I used to focus on just getting big. Big muscles is the tangable factor where health really should come first.

To sum up what I am saying, as far as motivation, it is getting a bit harder the older I get and the more I work but I keep that picture of my friends being fat, depressed and unhealthy so that motivates me to get up and start my day at the gym.
.....SO I press on ((no pun intended!  ))

[Arnold jr]

L2H and busyB, both of you are right on, relationship things can get nuts when combined with trying to live even a semi BB lifestyle. I know we've touched on this a time or two before on this board but it is something that has always been a problem for myself. It seems the more I've get involved and enthralled with my own BB pursuits the more difficult it gets trying to make meaningful relationships work. Like Luv said, finding someone who is in to the whole thing herself is a good idea but I've found that sometimes this can actually cause a clash as well. After all, the whole BB thing is so very selfish when you get full blown with it, and if both people are full blown into it then you have two very selfish personalities trying to exist together.

Even so, finding someone in this category is probably the still the safest bet IMO. It's just they are few and far between and even if you do happen to find one, finding one that meets the other criteria you have set, well, that's a whole other ball game.

Back to what I was saying earlier L2H about letting other aspects of your life slack due to BB, well, I wanted to touch on that somemore. I am ashamed to say I have been very guilty of this, too much so IMO in the past and it is still something I really have to be careful with. I remember reading an article in some random BB mag a couple of years ago about guys who live the BB lifestyle and let it control their lives to the point where it actually damages other aspects of their lives, i.e. financial situations, relationships etc. Lord knows I've been guilty of these things, I have spent money before on furthering my own BB thing when that same money should have been used to pay for more important things in my life...not going to go into detail with that, but in the past I've been very stupid with that lol! Even so, I'm still relatively young and I haven't done anyting that is going to hinder me for the rest of my life...and even though I've made many stupid decisions in regards to the way I've let BB control me, I still wouldn't trade BB for anything in this world. It is without a doubt, even with the sometimes ups and downs, the one thing in my life that truly makes me happy and keeps me content and motivated on a daily basis.

[busyB]

You and I are a lot alike AJ...

Not sure how old you are but I am in my mid 30's and have lived this lifestyle for about 15 years. All I wanted when I was in my early 20's was to be the next Skip La Cour, remember when the natty scene was big and Muscular D even switched formats??

But like I said in my earlier post, my friends who I have known 20+ years are all out of shape, some on anti-depressants and plain unhealthy. I took a long time off competiting, qualified for National level as a natty twice and then came back in '06 and qualified again. This is my last go round to compete nationally and now that I am no longer natty, it is a goal which is part of my motivation. I am also lucky to have a girl that lives this lifestyle too...we travel to shows and that is fun for us!

BUT as I have gotten older, life has changed and competiting is not my #1 priority, but it was for a long time and that is what it takes to succeed unfortunatly! But then I realized, I do not want to live in my car and have 20+" arms...Now, I am blessed that I do work in this industry and can make a living doing what I love. But health must come first. Who cares how big you are when you die, just means your loved ones will have to pay for a bigger casket! 

[Luv2Hurt]

Good stuff guys   

To sum up what I am saying, as far as motivation, it is getting a bit harder the older I get and the more I work but I keep that picture of my friends being fat, depressed and unhealthy so that motivates me to get up and start my day at the gym.
.....SO I press on ((no pun intended!  ))

Man thats the truth!  Im a little older than you guys and friends my age, 40's lots are starting to have those medical problems from lack of diet and excersise.  Most of them look 10 years older than they are.  I aint going out like that.  That also keeps me motivated.

AJ I still havent bought a new dineing room table and chairs that I have been saying I would for the last 3 years, just blew a grand on more goodies.  Fu*k the table.

Alright another thing and it might sound big headed but I will admit I LOVE knowing how very, very envious some people I know are about how good I look and they look like such lazy peices of shit 

[Arnold jr]

You and I are a lot alike AJ...

Not sure how old you are but I am in my mid 30's and have lived this lifestyle for about 15 years.

I'm 28, so you've been at this a good bit longer then I have.

All I wanted when I was in my early 20's was to be the next Skip La Cour, remember when the natty scene was big and Muscular D even switched formats??

Yeah, I know who he is, but that's pre-Arnold jr. era...that was before my intrest in all this came about. Even so, I'd say it's safe to say the natural scene is still fairly alive and well IMO. Of course that's one of my pet peeve issues but I won't get on my soap box in this discussion lol!

But like I said in my earlier post, my friends who I have known 20+ years are all out of shape, some on anti-depressants and plain unhealthy. I took a long time off competiting, qualified for National level as a natty twice and then came back in '06 and qualified again. This is my last go round to compete nationally and now that I am no longer natty, it is a goal which is part of my motivation. I am also lucky to have a girl that lives this lifestyle too...we travel to shows and that is fun for us!

What show(s) are you going to do? So your girl, she competes too?

BUT as I have gotten older, life has changed and competiting is not my #1 priority, but it was for a long time and that is what it takes to succeed unfortunatly! But then I realized, I do not want to live in my car and have 20+" arms...Now, I am blessed that I do work in this industry and can make a living doing what I love. But health must come first. Who cares how big you are when you die, just means your loved ones will have to pay for a bigger casket! 

I heard that. Even though I'm a little younger then you I'm a little tired of not having all the things I want. No, I don't live in my car and I do live comfortably, but there are things I’d like to have and do that I don't simply because of the time, money and energy I put into BB. But I’m still not to the point to where I am ready to lay all that aside simply for the collection of more "things" not when BB itself is what makes me happy. To a degree though I do need to for my own well being start to plan and do things a little differently then I have in the past...hey, you got to plan for the future, IMO.

I also agree with what you said about health. This is something I don't think about as much as I should...which is weird IMO since the whole BB thing really is supposed to be about health. But as you and I both know, unfortunately, hardcore BB has nothing to do with health and it's so easy to lose sight of what is truly healthy when you get involved in all this stuff...you become so narrowly focused that if you're not careful you could really do some damage to yourself. I've had a few little incidents over the past year that have made me think about this a lot more...nothing that I would call major but just eye openers.

Good stuff guys   

Man thats the truth!  Im a little older than you guys and friends my age, 40's lots are starting to have those medical problems from lack of diet and excersise.  Most of them look 10 years older than they are.  I aint going out like that.  That also keeps me motivated.

Agreed. Even though as I touched on a little above, BB can be a "not so healthy" pursuit if you let it be, but even then, you're still living far better health wise then the majority of the rest of the people you know IMO. It would be hard to claim that hardcore dieting and things like dropping water and all that is all that healthy. Further, continually going up in weight and dropping weight repeatedly year in and year out, sure this is not the healthiest way to live. Several people have made points about this to me, but I always argue back, although it may very well not be the absolute best way to live, there should be no question that it is far more healthy then the way most people live...after all, what's worse, the BB lifestyle or the lifestyle that is made up of daily trips to Burger King and repetitive drinking, all the while building a physique entrenched in lard and atrophied muscles?

AJ I still havent bought a new dineing room table and chairs that I have been saying I would for the last 3 years, just blew a grand on more goodies.  Fu*k the table.

Yep, the "goodies" can do a number on your pocket book, but you can't leave out the insane food bill...that is another big pocket drainer. For myself, over the last year or so, I've gotten to where even though I'm not eating that much more then I was in previous years, my food bill is more simply because I'm far more particular about the food, i.e. quality. I spend right now around $100-150 a wk on groceries, multiply that by 52wks, throw in supplement and gear bills and the occasional dinning out tab and you got a pretty big chunk of change.

Here's a little story for you...this will show how stupid I can be sometimes. Back in January of this year, I almost sold one of my cars to a guy at the gym for a large bulk buy of "goodies." We worked out a deal but in the end after I thought about it I just couldn't do it...I thought to myself, if I do this then I am becoming "that guy" that I do not want to be. You know the guy, the one so stupidly blinded by BB that he makes retarded decisions. Luckily I came to my senses, lol!

Alright another thing and it might sound big headed but I will admit I LOVE knowing how very, very envious some people I know are about how good I look and they look like such lazy peices of shit 

I don't think it sounds "big headed" not at all, there is probably a lot of truth in that statement. Of course some people are so far gone into their way of 'lazy" life that they don't even care. They're so far gone that they think your the stupid one.

[Arnold jr]

Not sure how I missed this girl but Sonia Adcock, hot damn!

[Rimbaud]

subject change: motivation

through the trials and tribulations of life pass, what continues to motivate you?.....

Motivation? What motivates me to continue training. I'd have to say the biggest thing is control. Training is the only time I'm in complete control of my life. In the gym my time is my time no one else tells me what to do.

[Luv2Hurt]

Motivation? What motivates me to continue training. I'd have to say the biggest thing is control. Training is the only time I'm in complete control of my life. In the gym my time is my time no one else tells me what to do.

Man Rim Thats right on the money.  Training, being in shape, eating right and sticking to a routine helps me feel in control. 

"I'm on a roll in control like Janet damn it" 

[busyB]

LUV, that is true about friends or people in general looking 10 years older than they are! I may be getting up there, but no one guesses I am mid 30's. I usually get about 5-6 yrs younger! YAHOO!

Plus, not big headed at all that we look better than most of the population. How many fat people do you run into that look at you with a dirty look and act like it is our fault they stuffed twinkes in their mouths for years. The way we look is the reward for the hard work we put in. Not only in the gym but eating and rest as well.

I just left the gym and at Lifetime they have stairs going up to the weight room and I got so many weird looks when I was walking down, wabbling and holding onto the rail because I just did legs. They think I am a freak for working out so hard but most members at my gym need the rail becuase they are so fat and have not changed their bodies in the two years I have been there. That is motivation in itself...

AJ- I did not think too much about my health untl I hit about 31-32, then I realized there are other reasons we work so hard. I had a guy the other day say to me after a grueling chest workout, "man you look like you are going to have a heart attack"..my response, "sorry, some of us actually work out hard so keep doing your 25lbs calf raises and just worry about you!"

SHOWS: '08 Los Angeles and '08 USA- Heavy weight, I hope....

[busyB]

AND Yes, my girl competes too but we do not diet together for the most part...that would be a time bomb waiting to go off!!

[Luv2Hurt]

LUV, that is true about friends or people in general looking 10 years older than they are! I may be getting up there, but no one guesses I am mid 30's. I usually get about 5-6 yrs younger! YAHOO!

Plus, not big headed at all that we look better than most of the population. How many fat people do you run into that look at you with a dirty look and act like it is our fault they stuffed twinkes in their mouths for years. The way we look is the reward for the hard work we put in. Not only in the gym but eating and rest as well.

I just left the gym and at Lifetime they have stairs going up to the weight room and I got so many weird looks when I was walking down, wabbling and holding onto the rail because I just did legs. They think I am a freak for working out so hard but most members at my gym need the rail becuase they are so fat and have not changed their bodies in the two years I have been there. That is motivation in itself...

AJ- I did not think too much about my health untl I hit about 31-32, then I realized there are other reasons we work so hard. I had a guy the other day say to me after a grueling chest workout, "man you look like you are going to have a heart attack"..my response, "sorry, some of us actually work out hard so keep doing your 25lbs calf raises and just worry about you!"

SHOWS: '08 Los Angeles and '08 USA- Heavy weight, I hope....

Man I just did legs today too....love that sh*t  A few times I took the elevator down, but thats a good thing    Yeah sometimes dickwads say some stupid shit to me too, but for the most part it is supportive. 

You learn who your true friends are when you get in shape for a show.  The cool people all come up to me and give me props and support and the stagnent a-holes who come to the gym all the time and never get any better dont say shit and sometimes will give you dirty looks.  It takes a secure person to compliment someone else and give them credit. 

Man good luck getting ready for those shows!!  Im 9 weeks out right now, hope to qualify for national comp at this show.  I will be doing Lt heavy and masters 40-49     

Not sure how I missed this girl but Sonia Adcock, hot damn!

You got that right!!  Nice!

Heres a few more

Ripitupbaby and Mel D are the first 2 and I know AJ is a big fan also!!   How could you not be them girls are HOT!

[Arnold jr]

Ripitupbaby and Mel D are the first 2 and I know AJ is a big fan also!!   How could you not be them girls are HOT!

Cool pics...that one of Rip is one her better ones IMO...very cool, very hot!

Here's you some more L2H. The first one, Mel if you happen to see this one I know it's not one of your favorites but you know it's one of mine! The 2nd pic, name these abs and win the Grand Prize!