Bodybuilding regrets?

[Ronnie Rep]

I can relate!

I was in the my best shape in the mid 90's and wanted to go to the ( drug tested) early team universe shows.
I talked myself out of going because it wasn't "convenient" to travel  to do a show.
I don't think I would have gotten first, but I might have placed?

What stopped you?

We just had our first daughter in 98, I started training again like a man possessed , couldn't bring myself to diet strictly or spend the extra money for gear needed. I was taking pro hormones at the time and was about 215 at 12% bf at 5'9".

[Howard]

Who's past whose prime?    You're good egg but I find you hard to follow sometimes, bro.

I'm 55 so I know I am and I thought you were in your 40's now. Sorry if I was wrong.

[Howard]

I regret spending excessive money on supplements (over the years).

OMG!

I pissed way more hard earned $$ on GOD knows what new gimmick supplement over the years.
In recent years , most of it just made for some loose, nasty bowel movements

[Howard]

We just had our first daughter in 98, I started training again like a man possessed , couldn't bring myself to diet strictly or spend the extra money for gear needed. I was taking pro hormones at the time and was about 215 at 12% bf at 5'9".

Yeah, having kids is a huge change of life.
In my case it was job related. I was teaching high school chemistry and coaching football, some soccer and track in the 1990's .
Between that and summer grad school , I didn't want to spend the time and money to travel just for a BB contest.

Hmmm, looks like we had some really good reasons, NOT to compete in those shows and did the responsible thing 'eh.

[B_B_C]

Oh look, it's getbig's worst poster. Good to see you still mastering your craft 

glad to provide you with a benchmark to aspire to : )

[Tapeworm]

I'm 55 so I know I am and I thought you were in your 40's now. Sorry if I was wrong.

Just giving you a hard time as always, Howard.  I don't feel especially un-primed but I'm sure it's on the way.

[hazbin]

don't let me get started.   i'll go on for ten pages

[Tapeworm]

Longest post in the thread so far is from some skinny kid.  I say go for it.

[keanu]

1) Training like a bodybuilder and not like an athlete.

2) Buying a bodybuilding magazine or book.

3) Buying gimmick supplements.

4) Wasting a good part of my 20s- early 30s living the strict bodybuilding lifestyle instead of partying more. 

[Shockwave]

I agree about going too far.  Moderation in all things etc.  What I'd like to get across is my belief that we have a baseline physique that results from genetics & lifestyle, and we'll tend toward that unless making an effort in another direction.  

In my case, I come from skinny people (lived skinny, died skinny) and I'm running around all day doing physical work.  Maybe I'm going to die of a heart attack or something.  I should, technically.  I eat anything.  I drink anything.  "Oh, you'll get a spare tire on ya eating like that by the time you're 30/35/40."  Do I hear 45?  Bring it on.  It never happens.  In b4 cry me a river.  It sucks being on a plateau where you have to chug blended boiled potatoes & egg whites (w/cocoa powder, of course) if you expect to get an extra rep this time next week.  This is bullcrap.

I don't mean I wish I'd gone the way of the 'I see dead people' kid.  I wish I'd been bolder seasonally tho.  It's ok to fatten up in the fall.  It's ok to diet some in the spring for the summer (if that's your thing).  If you can't gain or can't lose then you overshot or weren't compensating sufficiently for your genetics and lifestyle.

Mostly, I should have set a goal to reach 200lbs, blubber or no.  Have some goddamn presence.  Not in 2 weeks or some shit.  But a steady climb of 10lbs a year or something that I just didn't do.  Enough with the faggoty Richard Simmons 'I'm the best version of myself I can be' shit.  I should have fought my genetics better.  Been better prepared with easily consumed calories (blended) to thwart my fucked up thermostat that thinks it's full or that doesn't click in when working.

Like most guys, I should have identified my needs more accurately and addressed them with greater diligence.  Well maybe I'll just go ahead and fucking do that.  How do you like them apples.

/skinny man's burden

Steroids friend. And lots of them.

[anabolichalo]

1) Training like a bodybuilder and not like an athlete.

2) Buying a bodybuilding magazine or book.

3) Buying gimmick supplements.

4) Wasting a good part of my 20s- early 30s living the strict bodybuilding lifestyle instead of partying more. 

lol

this is interesting

let's hear people's opinions on this

very interesting point

[oldtimer1]

Regrets I had a few but then again to few to mention.



1. Trying to gain weight. I was thin and had the real fast metabolism to be ripped but I spent at least 15 plus years drinking gain weight protein shakes that back in the day were filled with a crazy amount of calories.

2. Buying all these worthless supplements. I completely stopped them all.

3. Being a complete follower of Arthur Jones and Mentzer for so many decades.

4. Training heavy all the times. Never had joint issues till I reached about 53. Then the joints felt like all the tread was worn off the tires. I still train hard but some days my joints are so bad going up stairs are just painful. One shoulder hurts all the time.

5. Thinking every set had to be to failure to prove to my self I had a work ethic.

6. Never really giving volume a complete fair trial. Moderate weights and and fast pace is something I never tried. Too concerned with low sets to failure with heavy weights.

7. Some one said it before. I wish I just trained as an athlete instead of like a bodybuilder. I was a fantastic runner in my youth in both sprinting and to a lessor extent distance. I competed in sprinting in college but even then I could easily put together a string of sub 6 minute miles. I stopped running when I wanted muscles. Big mistake.

8. Believing there were secrets to be learned in the magazines. To all young bodybuilders there are no secrets except that steroids really work amazingly well. I don't use steroids and I don't recommend them. 

[keanu]

Regrets I had a few but then again to few to mention.

3. Being a complete follower of Arthur Jones and Mentzer for so many decades.

I wasted far too many years training like this for nothing. Big regret. Mentzer doesn't work the 3 energy systems of the body. He tried to make people think they were stupid training any other way then with his Heavy Duty 'fact.' For some it works well for about 5 weeks or so. Mike realized that people were lazy and wanted muscles in minutes so that is what he sold them. His writings were very convincing. The results were not. One thing I did learn from Larry Scott was how to repair the joints through varying exercises. Never doing the exact same motion too often but varying it slightly. Great for avoiding injuries.

[keanu]

lol

this is interesting

let's hear people's opinions on this

very interesting point

Yeah, instead of 205 lbs I would have only hit 195 partying. Nope, gotta get that protein every 3 hours. That whole extra 10 lbs of muscle I gained was worth all the girls and hookers I could have pumped...NOT! Biggest regret in life.

[anabolichalo]

i'm gonna hit the clubs right now keanu

 

[Teutonic Knight]

1) Training like a bodybuilder and not like an athlete.

2) Buying a bodybuilding magazine or book.

3) Buying gimmick supplements.

4) Wasting a good part of my 20s- early 30s living the strict bodybuilding lifestyle instead of partying more. 

U too, 

[Nirvana]

Maltodextrin

I was in for a shock when I found out all those "complex carbs" in weight gainers were actually worse than sugar and that I drank sometimes 100gs+ for "breakfast". Could have just been drinking Mtn Dew.

Now its just a pure whey shake with oatmeal mixed in. That is, if I don't discover that whey is just dried out lard.

[HTexan]

Maltodextrin

I was in for a shock when I found out all those "complex carbs" in weight gainers were actually worse than sugar and that I drank sometimes 100gs+ for "breakfast". Could have just been drinking Mtn Dew.

Now its just a pure whey shake with oatmeal mixed in. That is, if I don't discover that whey is just dried out lard.

X2
And drinking dog food muscle milk. 

[Lustral]

Maybe you can relate to having some form of bodybuilding regret?

In my case, I have some nagging regrets about NOT doing more bodybuilding stuff.
I don't regret avoiding extreme drug use or getting a good education and career.

I do regret NOT going to more major contests , like the Olympia each year.
I competed at least 40 times , but never competed in the Team Universe or Masters nationals, etc.
My diet has really sucked for the last 10 years and my workouts have been inconsistent at best.
I've gradually gone to less shows each year and quit judging 3 years ago.

I've decided to get back into hardcore bodybuilding on my own terms* ( no BB drugs).
I'll start simple, by cleaning up my diet and training on a consistent basis.
I hope to compete in a regional show next summer and the over 50 masters nationals.
Plus, I'll go to a couple pro contests as well next year.

I regret not seeing Ronnie Coleman in contest 98-2005. Started following sport in 2001 and by 2005 I had plenty of cash to go Vegas. Kept saying next year... we all know how that went with Ronnie. Wanted to go anyway then recession came and my business went to shit.

One time I was prepping to compete I got pneumonia and regressed to Holocaust status in a few weeks. Not sure I will ever compete, I can see my physique honestly - calves are shit no matter what, 6ft 2 so tall, shit arms (esp tris)... getting to photo shoot shape might be nice.

[BodyConnoisseur]

Living in a world of regrets from your past you miss the joys and opportunities that are present today.

[Shockwave]

Living in a world of regrets from your past you miss the joys and opportunities that are present today.

So i should start blasting 2.5g gear a week and get huge brah?

[BodyConnoisseur]

So i should start blasting 2.5g gear a week and get huge brah?

Are you going to regret not doing it before it's too late?

[monstermunch]

Could of got this extra curl out earlier, going to haunt me tonight.

[Shockwave]

Are you going to regret not doing it before it's too late?

I dunno, i might. Guess that means i should blast 3g of gear just to be sure.

[oldtimer1]

Maltodextrin

I was in for a shock when I found out all those "complex carbs" in weight gainers were actually worse than sugar and that I drank sometimes 100gs+ for "breakfast". Could have just been drinking Mtn Dew.

Now its just a pure whey shake with oatmeal mixed in. That is, if I don't discover that whey is just dried out lard.

Whey protein is powdered cheese. It's a by product of cheese manufacturing that for the most part they use to throw out. Sometimes it was used as a means to make other types of cheese.  Now they charge big bucks for it for protein powder.

Last time I looked 5lbs was nearly $50 bucks.  I also noticed they all say lactose free but whey is full of lactose. I don't know how they claim that. If I use to much milk products I get the runs and stomach upset like you wouldn't believe. I tried the ones that claim lactose free but my stomach is saying liar,liar pants on fire.

 One last point. All these whey protein brands claim to be better than the others with fancy science terms. Most of them source their powders from the same jobber source. How could they really be different except for favoring and vitamins added?

Whey is an incredible source of protein. I just believe that the profit margin on the stuff is just incredible judging by the price of a jug.  It would be cheaper to stock up on eggs, cooked chickens and tuna at Costco and eat the food.  I'd rather have 5 egg omelet than drinking those candy flavored whey protein drinks.