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View Full Version : Think I should compete again ??



zander
10-09-2009, 01:49 AM
Hi guys , Im 40 ... done two comps , started at it all late in life but hit a pretty good peak in condition the last comp ... nothing 'really' left to prove to anyone that matters ( family/friends ) on a stage , but I still feel in myself that I have unfinished business.

Now none of this is an issue except that 4 weeks after my last comp in april this year I had a heart attack. 100% blockage posterior artery and 60% blockage anterior...... ok so I survived the heart attack ironically because of the increased vascualrisation and strength of my heart .. They unblocked and stented the blockage and put me on a shit load of drugs to treat the heart disease, keep my blood thin and keep my blood pressure down .. and will be on the drugs for probably the rest of my life.

I was off all gear when it happened ... about mid way thru a PCT, but the experience really hammered my hormones , well being , body mass and conditioning ... its like getting hit by a truck .... went into hospital at 100kg came out 10 days latter at 90 ...

2 weeks latter I was back in the gym .... so weak ... the head spins , shortness of breath , smashing pain in my chest & back ... every ache and pain I was thinking ok is this it ? is this the one ... should I be here doing this....

Today Im running 5km every morning , gym 3-4 times a week , doing 2 body parts a workout giant set style .. still very weak or too scared to go very heavy, but I get a good solid workout done. 97kg and the clothes are fitting well in the right places again ... no where near 100% but a bit better every day ...

Im thinking now I might actually survive this quite well , hopefully I have another couple decades in me to see my kids grow up and move on with life themselves....

Am I being selfish to think about competeing again ??? Am I being selfish with my second chance ?

As I said my hormones are shot , think I pretty well fried my nuts the last comp ... I have an awesome endocrinologist and we will work though this for a positive resolution within a few months. Either Im bouncing back slowly and encourage that or we just get on HRT forever and be done with it.

Ive read about alot of people that have life and health challenges and still strive for excellence in themselves, they become role models and everyone cheers for them. But now when I find myself with an opportunity again I also find myself feeling a bit guilty of maybe risking the second chance I have been given with my family ...

Really appreciate your opinions troops ...

Baldiewonkanobi
10-09-2009, 06:47 AM
First off you are very fortunate and very young. There is no need to rush things but I for one understand the desire to compete again. Once having competed it becomes a marker...a validation of your collective efforts. I would hold on to that desire and continue to heal your body, although the running at this point amazes me. Quite the non Bodybuilding paradigm in my book but an acomphishment never the less. HRT for the balance of your life....welcome to the club. Done right your body will heal. I came back from 18 years of alcohol and drugs, in the gutter bleeding from every orafice, and emerged sober at the age of 40, worked on my nutrition and weight lifting daily, and was on that stage 3 years later. There are others in here that make my plight look sissy...shit mate...look at you!!


Baldie

Sledge
10-09-2009, 09:00 AM
I guess you've discussed it with the docs and endo. And with the Mrs.

Then I guess it's up to you to figure out wahet you want, what you need and work towards it. But heck your only 40 so their is plenty of time to get it all together. It's not like you need to compete next week. Why not set it as a long term goal for say 2011 or 2012. And start working towards it now while monitoring your health along the way.

As long as you stay healthy your not being selfish at all. After all this so called bodybuilding lifestyle is supposed to be about living healthy. You have a second chance as you say so you may as well live it to the full.
If you throw your health away to compete, then your being selfish and wasting your second chance.

esplendido
10-09-2009, 12:28 PM
Wise words above. Don't rush it but stick with it!

Quadsweep
10-11-2009, 10:02 AM
Take your time as said above. It took me 2 years to come back from a quad tendon rupture...and I don't need my quad tendon to live! Also, are you wanting to compete really geared up or just with your HRT? Drugs like winny adversaily effect HDL/LDL ratio. Anti Estrogens also efeect this adversaily. Clen may also be out as its a Beta Agonist. I guess it just depends on the path you wish to take. I would think a contest prep minus a lot of the drugs would be heart healty actually.

Jeff

zander
10-11-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for the opinions gents. Sometimes it takes the view of others to help bring things into focus. I think ... in time and when my body is ready , I can achieve all I want (and 95% clean too)

sassy69
10-12-2009, 07:45 PM
The point is always to do the show you are prepared for (i.e. physically, mentally, emotionally, financially), not to do a show that will actually only make your situation worse, just to do the show. I always say, there will always be another show. You never have to "accept" that you will never compete again. Its more a matter of competing when the time is right. Currently you have many other more important goals to reach and places to focus your energy. Many of the people I know who dabble in competition set the goal of "having the best body they have ever had" - that can be defined in many ways and at different levels. If you're at a good place now, then run w/that and use that as your foundation to build on, vs compromising your foundation too soon.

HeavyDutyGuy
10-12-2009, 10:48 PM
I thought long and hard about this before answering. If you are going HRT only, plus supps, etc, then yes- eventually. Give it a couple years, ger your health back get strong, then think about it. Competing successfully is a huge strain, as I'm sure you know. You really don't need that- yet. When you are ready, Good luck!