esplendido
02-10-2009, 01:04 PM
Allow me the luxury of reposting something I wrote in the MD Masters Forum.....
I'm an ectomorph. I have long, thin limbs, long, skinny feet, and long fingers. I hit 6'-4" in the 8th grade and couldn't get above 200 lbs until I was 19. I couldn't get above 215 until I was 25.
Making muscular gains has been work for me. In other threads, I've explained how, even with 20+" arms, my physique looks stringy. So when I say that, after 30+ years of on and off training, I'm beginning to run up against my genetic potential, you'll understand.
What does that mean....running up against one's genetic potential? This is a phenom that goes beyond overtraining. Most of you understand the signs of overtraining....lethargy, lack of gains, sudden injuries. A short rest, a change in routine, tweaking the diet usually blasts through those sticking points.
Running into your genetic end zone, however, has surreal manifestations. It happens after years of gains, each coming in smaller increments until none can be made under the protocols of the past. The body begins to rebel against pushing the limits. It's the burn out of burn outs. There's a mind/body connection that lets you know......THIS, and no more!
Every tendon, every joint, every muscle in your body rebels. You get out of bed like your 90. Everything is stiff and remains stiff throughout the day. You feel as though you've been run over by a truck. Warmups feel heavy, and even though you can still lift your max on every exercise, it doesn't "feel" the same.
All the time, your muscles are full....fuller than they've ever been. Hell, I can't even wash my face because I can't reach it due to the fullness in my biceps and forearms. It's a struggle to wipe my ass. There is a disparity between how you look and how you feel!
I started a growth cycle of growth hormone to push past this barrier and I can tell you that as you do, it has the same affect as pushing through the sound barrier. There's a shock to the system as you pass through, where your energy shoots up, the stiffness disappears, your appetite goes through the roof. You begin to take on a cartoonish look because of the new size. The pain does NOT go away, but your stength goes up in spite of it. I'm surprised about the pain issue. Maybe this is why so many top level BBers have been addicted to Nubain and other pain killers.
It has a creepy factor to it. I look at myself, having gotten used to a certain physique for years, and someone else is standing in the mirror. I'm attaining the muscularity I've always dreamed of.....the kind that makes ME look big.....real big. But it feels strange....having this new look, as though I've become someone else beyond my body.
The body knows.......it knows when it has traveled past its God-given form. And it tells the mind about it. It's a very strange trip!
I'm an ectomorph. I have long, thin limbs, long, skinny feet, and long fingers. I hit 6'-4" in the 8th grade and couldn't get above 200 lbs until I was 19. I couldn't get above 215 until I was 25.
Making muscular gains has been work for me. In other threads, I've explained how, even with 20+" arms, my physique looks stringy. So when I say that, after 30+ years of on and off training, I'm beginning to run up against my genetic potential, you'll understand.
What does that mean....running up against one's genetic potential? This is a phenom that goes beyond overtraining. Most of you understand the signs of overtraining....lethargy, lack of gains, sudden injuries. A short rest, a change in routine, tweaking the diet usually blasts through those sticking points.
Running into your genetic end zone, however, has surreal manifestations. It happens after years of gains, each coming in smaller increments until none can be made under the protocols of the past. The body begins to rebel against pushing the limits. It's the burn out of burn outs. There's a mind/body connection that lets you know......THIS, and no more!
Every tendon, every joint, every muscle in your body rebels. You get out of bed like your 90. Everything is stiff and remains stiff throughout the day. You feel as though you've been run over by a truck. Warmups feel heavy, and even though you can still lift your max on every exercise, it doesn't "feel" the same.
All the time, your muscles are full....fuller than they've ever been. Hell, I can't even wash my face because I can't reach it due to the fullness in my biceps and forearms. It's a struggle to wipe my ass. There is a disparity between how you look and how you feel!
I started a growth cycle of growth hormone to push past this barrier and I can tell you that as you do, it has the same affect as pushing through the sound barrier. There's a shock to the system as you pass through, where your energy shoots up, the stiffness disappears, your appetite goes through the roof. You begin to take on a cartoonish look because of the new size. The pain does NOT go away, but your stength goes up in spite of it. I'm surprised about the pain issue. Maybe this is why so many top level BBers have been addicted to Nubain and other pain killers.
It has a creepy factor to it. I look at myself, having gotten used to a certain physique for years, and someone else is standing in the mirror. I'm attaining the muscularity I've always dreamed of.....the kind that makes ME look big.....real big. But it feels strange....having this new look, as though I've become someone else beyond my body.
The body knows.......it knows when it has traveled past its God-given form. And it tells the mind about it. It's a very strange trip!