Is natural bodybuilding even possible?!

[Violator]

fuck this natty nonsense. just juice up. not saying you need to
go crazy, but just a little bump. what if it was just known as
a supplement and not steroids and they sold it at GNC.
would you try a little then? dont give me the health debate,
i'm just talking a tiny bit for an extra edge. just as safe as
using protein powder.

haha... yeah, but thats quite an analogy bro...
what do you think about long term addiction to AAS?
is it possible?
i mean sure, we can all start with 'a little bump'
but how many can keep it at that?

how long before it becomes 250/500/750/1000/1500g a week?
and where will it stop?
with not ever coming off?
and what would happen if you did? or were forced to?

could you take shrinking, no matter how hard you trained
how much you ate?
getting weaker & weaker instead of progressing?

how would that affect a person mentally?
and what would be the repercussions of that...
and in that moment, would you look back on that first 'little bump'
and wish you never took that road at all?
that it was never worth it in the end?

but like i said, for all of us, that day will come when the thought enters our minds....
and whats worse... living with the question constantly gnawing at your mind?
or jumping in & wishing you never had?

to each their own, this is our one shot at life, so choose wisely & live with it, is what im sayin...

[txhawkeyes]

Srunt, I am 6'1" tall, and started back lifting in May 09. I have lifted 3-4 times each week, no cardio, for 2.5 years now. I am 47 years old now, and it has been hard work, no doubt about it. But I was at 162 when I started in May 09, and I popped up over 200 two weeks ago. Got 202 as an all time high. Then I got a synus infection last week, and had to stay out of the gym for a week. Back down to 192 in 7 days ! Did it all with protein and carbs and sleep.

That is only about 1.25 pounds a month. I don't know why anyone can't add a pound a month. I wear the same pants I had back in 09, cause suits are too expensive to replace. Over half of my shirts are too small now, but beings they are white dress shirts, I wear them without a tie.

It takes the discipline of doing the same thing for over two years straight...and most of it is all what you eat. That and slowing your metabolism down a little...for me anyway. Think about that, a pound a month...that's not a lot. And for the first year and a half, I never even knew about using Carbs in my post shake !

You only plateau because you are doing the same old thing. If you repeat the same thing over and over (routine, diet, etc) you do plateau. Try finding a 12 week workout that goes through 4 phases. I gained the most on the deloading phase. It seems odd, because I was only in the gym 30 minutes those days...but it is all due to the first 9 weeks that it worked so well.

Try eating two snickers and drinking 40 g of protein in milk 35 minutes pre lift. Then do a post shake too. Its old fashioned...but it still works. That got me an extra 7 pounds or so over a few weeks. And you would think it would add fat just cause it is candy..but my ABs are in great shape. It didn't add any fat. My BF is still about 15 %.

[txhawkeyes]

Almost forgot.


You need to look at where you can be in .... October 2015. That's a good goal. Start a new 12 week routine every quarter, and take a week off out of the gym after each one.

And those guys who are always in the gym screwing around....and not getting anything accomplished....maybe not a good idea to do the same workout. I had guys who got me strong for 9 months, but not any bigger. All they did was a warmup set, then a few sets very heavy with 4-5 reps. It takes a whole plan...

Get your blood work done. There is a lot that will show you and the Doc, that no one can see in the gym.

I tried when I was in my 20's, and couldn't get anywhere. Then in my 30's still nothing. Now I got something done in my 40's. And I hated when everyone that was successful said, "It's 20 % gym, and 80 % diet."

Then I found out its true. It's a lot more fun to lift weights with girls watching in the gym, then it is to put a good diet to work over a couple years when no one can see what you're doing.

[Violator]

Try eating two snickers and drinking 40 g of protein in milk 35 minutes pre lift. Then do a post shake too. Its old fashioned...but it still works. That got me an extra 7 pounds or so over a few weeks. And you would think it would add fat just cause it is candy..but my ABs are in great shape. It didn't add any fat. My BF is still about 15 %.

pics or it didnt happen....haha

gotta love "old fashioned"... if i did that id become a tub of lard inside a month...

7 lbs in a couple weeks with no anabolic assistance and you think its all genuine muscle? not calling you out or anything, but cmon....

[fishmeat]

I trained for 6 yrs natty. Did my research. Had the lifestyle down pat. Ate every 3 hrs @ 6-7 meals ed. Slept 8-10hrs a night. All that good shit.. I got to 160lbs @ 7%..

First roll:
500mg sust a wk
600mg eq a wk
6 iu gh ed
T3
Arimidex

I ran this for 16 wks. Pct'd & stayed on the gh the whole time..
Finished at 195lbs, 5%... never ever dropped below 180... not even when I was in the hospital. Gh solidified my gains & re set my "set point"... I've always been healthy, always had good genes...

If only I'd discovered bb'ing in my 20's...... time... its one thing we do.t get back..

[BC123Jm]

haha... yeah, but thats quite an analogy bro...
what do you think about long term addiction to AAS?
is it possible?
i mean sure, we can all start with 'a little bump'
but how many can keep it at that?

how long before it becomes 250/500/750/1000/1500g a week?
and where will it stop?
with not ever coming off?
and what would happen if you did? or were forced to?

could you take shrinking, no matter how hard you trained
how much you ate?
getting weaker & weaker instead of progressing?

how would that affect a person mentally?
and what would be the repercussions of that...
and in that moment, would you look back on that first 'little bump'
and wish you never took that road at all?
that it was never worth it in the end?

but like i said, for all of us, that day will come when the thought enters our minds....
and whats worse... living with the question constantly gnawing at your mind?
or jumping in & wishing you never had?

to each their own, this is our one shot at life, so choose wisely & live with it, is what im sayin...

dude seriously, its called self control. that's like saying i shouldn't have a social drink on a Saturday night because that will lead to more and eventually i will become an alcoholic.

look, bottom line, if you just want to be "healthy" and look fit then there
is no need to hit the shit, unless of course you are a totally genetic misfit.
if thats the case just pick another hobby. i mean not everyone is cut out to look like a bodybuilder, natty or not.

if your goal is to look like a real bodybuilder. big, round, full, ripped , grainy, vascular,muscle.
chances are you're gonna need to juice to some degree.so why kid yourself

[Violator]

if your goal is to look like a real bodybuilder. big, round, full, ripped , grainy, vascular,muscle.
chances are you're gonna need to juice to some degree.so why kid yourself

hey bro, ur speaking to the converted here! i agree with what ur saying... what im trying to get across is that many cats think that that one cycle will be enough... and dont think about the long term plan and where it will lead them..

everyones personality is different and some are more prone to addiction than others... its takes really knowing yourself before you can be in a position to make that decision... just simply jumping in feet first can lead to huge problems down the road...

that being said, i do believe that in order to look like a real bodybuilder, heck, even an MPD competitior to some degree, you will need anabolic assistance... or it just wont happen...unless ur a freaky mutant by nature... and shit, the chances of that are very slim...

[Skinnyrunt]

i gained very well in the first 3, but put on a lot of BF "just trying to get huge" when i did my first diet, it was quite a mindfuck to go from 210 to 155...

..

I see this all the time - people getting fat thinking they're making muscular gains, only to diet down and realise what's really underneath the flab!

[Skinnyrunt]

I trained for 6 yrs natty. Did my research. Had the lifestyle down pat. Ate every 3 hrs @ 6-7 meals ed. Slept 8-10hrs a night. All that good shit.. I got to 160lbs @ 7%..

I can relate to this so much! You follow everything by the book with your nutrition, training, sleep, and not to see signifcant results is like a kick in the teeth! It's like said earlier about the pro wrestling comparison - you feel like you've been tricked and sold a lie! It's such a convincing lie too, because even reading up academically, in theory the muscles should continue to grow if the training and nutrition and recovery is there, but in practice that just doesn't seem to be the case!

[Skinnyrunt]

Almost forgot.


You need to look at where you can be in .... October 2015. That's a good goal. Start a new 12 week routine every quarter, and take a week off out of the gym after each one.

And those guys who are always in the gym screwing around....and not getting anything accomplished....maybe not a good idea to do the same workout. I had guys who got me strong for 9 months, but not any bigger. All they did was a warmup set, then a few sets very heavy with 4-5 reps. It takes a whole plan...

Get your blood work done. There is a lot that will show you and the Doc, that no one can see in the gym.

I tried when I was in my 20's, and couldn't get anywhere. Then in my 30's still nothing. Now I got something done in my 40's. And I hated when everyone that was successful said, "It's 20 % gym, and 80 % diet."

Then I found out its true. It's a lot more fun to lift weights with girls watching in the gym, then it is to put a good diet to work over a couple years when no one can see what you're doing.

I appreciate the feedback here. Since you sound like you feel you've been able to make progress, do you mind sharing what your diet and training looks like please? Also, if you can actually can grow, then would you say it's not possible to do so without getting fat in the process?



With me, I competed last year at a natural show at 175lbs ripped and placed mediocre. I competed this year after training like a mad man, but ending up at the exact same weight, once again placing mediocre!

To get a bit philosophical, I am a very driven person, and it is the prospect of progressing and bettering myself that really gives me a kick. But going by my contest performance over these last 2 years, how do I better myself? If I'm not growing bigger, then you might suggest by coming in leaner, but to be honest I don't see that being naturally possible either, as I was so lean that even my glutes were striated!

Also, the guys who placed better than me were in fact smaller than me, but genetically they were simply "grainier" looking. Sizewise, they were skrawny looking, in fact they didn't even look like guys who lift weights, they just looked malnourished skeletons! So another frustrating point is that competitive natural bodybuilding seems to be more of a case of "bodyshrinking" - lets award the guy who looks like skin and bones!

So back to the question, how do I better myself? Seeing as strength gains DO seem possible as opposed to size gains, do I switch over to drug-free powerlifting? Except drug-free powerlifting is an even smaller scale sport than natural bodybuilding, so it seems no point in that either!

In conclusion to my rant, perhaps the only way is in fact to take the plunge and turn to the darkside............

[BC123Jm]

I appreciate the feedback here. Since you sound like you feel you've been able to make progress, do you mind sharing what your diet and training looks like please? Also, if you can actually can grow, then would you say it's not possible to do so without getting fat in the process?



With me, I competed last year at a natural show at 175lbs ripped and placed mediocre. I competed this year after training like a mad man, but ending up at the exact same weight, once again placing mediocre!

To get a bit philosophical, I am a very driven person, and it is the prospect of progressing and bettering myself that really gives me a kick. But going by my contest performance over these last 2 years, how do I better myself? If I'm not growing bigger, then you might suggest by coming in leaner, but to be honest I don't see that being naturally possible either, as I was so lean that even my glutes were striated!

Also, the guys who placed better than me were in fact smaller than me, but genetically they were simply "grainier" looking. Sizewise, they were skrawny looking, in fact they didn't even look like guys who lift weights, they just looked malnourished skeletons! So another frustrating point is that competitive natural bodybuilding seems to be more of a case of "bodyshrinking" - lets award the guy who looks like skin and bones!

So back to the question, how do I better myself? Seeing as strength gains DO seem possible as opposed to size gains, do I switch over to drug-free powerlifting? Except drug-free powerlifting is an even smaller scale sport than natural bodybuilding, so it seems no point in that either!

In conclusion to my rant, perhaps the only way is in fact to take the plunge and turn to the darkside............

post up some pics bro. I will give you an honest opinion of if this is
the right sport for you. like i said , not everyone has the genetics
to be a competitive Bodybuilder. natty or not

[Skinnyrunt]

post up some pics bro. I will give you an honest opinion of if this is
the right sport for you. like i said , not everyone has the genetics
to be a competitive Bodybuilder. natty or not

I'm not hell bent on making it as a pro, I just want to continue to progress for my own satisfaction. But sure, here are some pics. Blanked out my face since I don't want my mug all over the internet, but I assure you it's me in the pics.

[BC123Jm]

I'm not hell bent on making it as a pro, I just want to continue to progress for my own satisfaction. But sure, here are some pics. Blanked out my face since I don't want my mug all over the internet, but I assure you it's me in the pics.

wheels are thick for a natty. contest shape needs better conditioning since you dont have the upper body thickness you have in legs. probably why you placed behind the other "skinny" guys.

back looks thick in that off season shot. thats the tough thing about being natty, you cant hold that size and come in peeled at the same time.

i think with better conditioning you will place higher even if you lose a touch of size. most good nattys ive seen come in sliced to the fucking bone and thats what the judges seem to favor.

my over all opinion just based on those pics is not bad. not overly impressive but not bad.

[Minnphat]

i tend to agree with this...

i spent the last 7 years seriously training as a natty. from 25yrs/o to 32...

i have average to low genetics, but my training for the last 7 has been on point, my diet has been good & i even quit drinking, apart from the odd occassion, when i was 27.

i gained very well in the first 3, but put on a lot of BF "just trying to get huge" when i did my first diet, it was quite a mindfuck to go from 210 to 155...

ive been progressing slowly for the last 4 years, but no where as quickly as the first 3...

i think i remember BLP saying something like, "become a big natural 15 yrs hard work"...yeah, that sounds about right to me....

i think, for me, bodybuilding was kinda like pro wrestling, it took a long time to realise that it was all an act, that it was all staged... and it was kinda crushing to my spirit... same thing learning that BBing is all just drugs at the end of the day (being that training/diet/recovery are equal) some peeps just cant handle that.... but i think its the truth...

so how bad do you want it? u wanna be bigger, leaner, meaner? how quickly u wanna get there? one thing i have learned is that having a solid base of quite a couple of years under the bar before stepping into drugs is a valuable thing.....

but the time will come for you all where you fac e the decision of taking up the drugs or not, no matter who you are or how far along you are in your training, that day will come when you consider using...

& what will your answer be?

i know what mine was... funnily enough, if youd asked me it 4 years ago, heck even two years ago... it might have been very different...

tick tock....

Thank you man! I try to tell people and they get so mad and offended.... but its the truth.... gains are extremely slow! most people like you said just cant handle it and they get angry and start spurting out all this numbers and don't realize a lot of what the thought was muscle was just water and fat gain!

[Violator]

wheels are thick for a natty. contest shape needs better conditioning since you dont have the upper body thickness you have in legs. probably why you placed behind the other "skinny" guys.

back looks thick in that off season shot. thats the tough thing about being natty, you cant hold that size and come in peeled at the same time.

i think with better conditioning you will place higher even if you lose a touch of size. most good nattys ive seen come in sliced to the fucking bone and thats what the judges seem to favor.

my over all opinion just based on those pics is not bad. not overly impressive but not bad.

honest and great critique!

only thing i could add is that hams need bringing up...