Six Ways Being Being Isn't All Good...

[Ragetiger]

Today my job's break room was annexed to giving out tdap shots to cover whooping cough and tentius. I decided since I was gonna be hauling these people might as well get one myself. That poor doctor had a time trying to roll up the sleeve to get to shoulder. I enjoyed that a bit.

Found out I'm a bit of a bleeder cause right after the needle was removed (I fear needles so I don't look when they give me a shot) it dribbled a little bit. "least we know you're well hydrated" Got a good chuckle when he said that. I keep a 32 oz. water bottle with me at work and it was with me at the time. I average two refills during the 8 hour shift.

It always brings a smile when people have to deal with me.

I always get a kick out of it when they try to take my blood pressure with the standard cuff. They wrap it around I give a slight tricep flex and it pops open. Sometimes I let them start inflating it and it pops open. Makes me wonder about the medical profession. It's obviously a much larger arm than normal so you would think they would start with the large cuff to begin with anyway.

[Ogun]

interesting..
BTW, do you guys stretch before lifting? I've heard it helps keep you flexible. . .

[BastianLe]

Originally Posted by ytrewq

Now I was the one at the very back, huffing, trying to keep up with everyone else. All that extra muscle mass I was carrying really proved a burden!

Wait what? I would understand if fat weighed someone down and drained their energy, but if what you've got is muscle mass, shouldn't that be giving you strength? Or is it just that you're upper body is wayy ahead of your legs?

He might not be fit cardiovascular wise. Most guys neglect that.

[Otaru_grower]

Regarding chafing:

try tea tree oil lotion. Look for tea tree oil antiseptic cream in your local store, especially if they have any kind of herbal remedy section. It's very soothing and you can use it without worrying because it's all natural, etc. I use it for dry skin and/or chafing, usually on my feet. But it can be used for the muscle ailments you described. Hope this helps!

[inflated]

Originally Posted by Ogun

interesting..
BTW, do you guys stretch before lifting? I've heard it helps keep you flexible. . .

Do not stretch before lifting, it will lower your strength and possibly invite injuries. But do, stretch after lifting that is the best way to keep limber and flexible.

[FuzzyKB]

[COLOR="Wheat"]

One of the things we have noticed recently with the kid. First one has to consider that he is nearing the end of the present bulking cycle and at 5'5" tall is at 203 pounds as of this morning. His curls with an E-Z curl bar are at about 150 pounds for (4) sets. The arms are now pushing past 18 inches. Not unlike a short little dude from St. Petersberg Russia named Alexey, he is very short and very thick. The other day he commented that using his cell phone has become more difficult. I did not think anything of this until this morning. He came in after working arms and showed me the problem. When he answers or tries to use his cell and this is particularly true right after working with a good pump, the muscle in the forearm and the bicep try to occupy the same space. It is not that it can't be done, it is just that it is obvious that he has to apply pressure to get the cell phone to his ear under this circumstance. As a result, he tends to use the speakerphone feature, a headset or bluetooth if it is going to be a conversation of any duration. His arms are short with a great deal of mass. Any one else experience this one? He's been pushing real hard over the last month and he is gaining rapidly again after a few routine changes. He laughs about it, and loves his growth, but again there are trade-offs.

This was one that I had never thought of and had not encountered before. [/COLOR]

[RPM]

Reminds me of a muscle guy back in highschool, before everybody had cell phones, who was talking about how he had trouble fully spinning the steering wheel in the car because his biceps would press into his pecs and stop him from reaching all the way over like most everybody else could, so he had to turn it in smaller increments.

[growingbigger]

Originally Posted by FuzzyKB

[COLOR="Wheat"]

One of the things we have noticed recently with the kid. First one has to consider that he is nearing the end of the present bulking cycle and at 5'5" tall is at 203 pounds as of this morning. His curls with an E-Z curl bar are at about 150 pounds for (4) sets. The arms are now pushing past 18 inches. Not unlike a short little dude from St. Petersberg Russia named Alexey, he is very short and very thick. The other day he commented that using his cell phone has become more difficult. I did not think anything of this until this morning. He came in after working arms and showed me the problem. When he answers or tries to use his cell and this is particularly true right after working with a good pump, the muscle in the forearm and the bicep try to occupy the same space. It is not that it can't be done, it is just that it is obvious that he has to apply pressure to get the cell phone to his ear under this circumstance. As a result, he tends to use the speakerphone feature, a headset or bluetooth if it is going to be a conversation of any duration. His arms are short with a great deal of mass. Any one else experience this one? He's been pushing real hard over the last month and he is gaining rapidly again after a few routine changes. He laughs about it, and loves his growth, but again there are trade-offs.

This was one that I had never thought of and had not encountered before. [/COLOR]

Wow, he is big for his height. Yep, I encounter the same thing with the cell phone all the time. Sad thing is that my bluetooth headset just died. That little thing was awesome.

Originally Posted by RPM

Reminds me of a muscle guy back in highschool, before everybody had cell phones, who was talking about how he had trouble fully spinning the steering wheel in the car because his biceps would press into his pecs and stop him from reaching all the way over like most everybody else could, so he had to turn it in smaller increments.

Lol, I wondered if anyone else experienced that. That's another one that happens to me.

I would also love to be able to scratch my back again--sometimes I can't even reach my neck when I'm pumped up, but I do love my growth, too, so I put up with the minor inconveniences.

[inflated]

Buying pants is the biggest nuisance. Offseason squatters butt makes it impossible to buy dress pants that are not custom made.

[WhoDunIt]

Originally Posted by RPM

Reminds me of a muscle guy back in highschool, before everybody had cell phones, who was talking about how he had trouble fully spinning the steering wheel in the car because his biceps would press into his pecs and stop him from reaching all the way over like most everybody else could, so he had to turn it in smaller increments.

I've noticed that on occasion, especially when reaching for my seatbelt, then there's the whole right quad vs transfercase lever problem on the same truck............

Originally Posted by growingbigger

I would also love to be able to scratch my back again--sometimes I can't even reach my neck when I'm pumped up, but I do love my growth, too, so I put up with the minor inconveniences.

Yea, same here, I end up looking like the Viking scratching his back on a cactus from the Capital One Grand Canyon commercial if I get a good itch where I can't reach

[inflated]

Stretching after--"not before" lifting will help you keep limber and maintain a greater range of motion.

[growingbigger]

After a certain size though, you can still be limber and not be able to reach certain areas because the muscles are big enough that they get in the way.

[WhoDunIt]

That's some of what I'm...ahem...running into..... right now

[TopHeavy]

I have the cellphone problem. Even when I'm not pumped, my biceps get squashed when I'm using the phone and my arm gets uncomfortable. I used to to tai chi and it was obvious in the warm-up that my flexibility was a lot less than everyone else's. There was one movement where the arms are swung round behind the back. Most other people could touch their hands together behind their backs, but I can't get anywhere near. I don't know whether it's my pecs being inflexible, or my triceps impinging on my lats.

[TopHeavy]

I wouldn't exchange one once of bulk for increased flexibility though. In fact I rather enjoy the muscle-bound feeling that my bulk gives me.

[growingbigger]

Originally Posted by TopHeavy

I wouldn't exchange one once of bulk for increased flexibility though. In fact I rather enjoy the muscle-bound feeling that my bulk gives me.

I'm with you. Wouldn't trade it at all, I love it, too.

[FuzzyKB]

[COLOR="Wheat"]
Another new experience with the kid yesterday.
One of the things he wants for Christmas is a cheapie leather jacket. If we can swing it financially we were planning on going up to Colorado between December and January on business. Remember that he's 5'5" tall and is now over 200 pounds. His arms are over 18" and his chest is in the area of 44-45. He also has very large shoulders.

He started out trying on a large size. That would not work in that the bicep area was so tight he could not move his arms without danger of destroying the jacket. The XL was only marginally better. A 2X fit the arms and shoulders, the length of the jacket was held up enough by his shoulders and pecs to be acceptable, but, the sleeves were now way too long. It looks like leather is not going to be in this year!

Dress pants are also becoming more and more of a challenge in that the glutes are not compatible with some cuts of pants. Jeans are really beginning to become a chore in that what fits the glutes and quads hangs loose at the waist. We are starting to have to get these "altered". [/COLOR]

[lovemuscle76543]

this thread is SO hot haha. Just throwing that out there. I wish there were some massive guys in New England like you guys on this site, who I could train with and talk to stuff like this about x.x I want to get this big SO bad.

[darkknight]

Hey! I havent read every post in this thread so i might repeat some of the things that youve mentioned.

Im not really HUGE by normal standards (at least not yet!) but since I started working out 2 years ago Ive gained ~50 lbs of pure muscle (went from 129 lbs to 180 lbs [which for my peer's standards is pretty huge] while keeping ~8% body fat -- but Id love to be as huge as I can possibly get). While I really really love being bigger, and any of its positives (which are many) outweigh the negatives, heres some things Ive found arent great.

1. Being categorized as a meathead. I like to think of myself as reasonably intelligent, if not an intellectual. Im a soon-to-be published writer and love to talk about almost anything with anyone. Oddly talking about the gym and weightlifting isn't one of my favorite things! Yet for some reason, people look at me and, before they get to really know me, im dumped into the same bin as the airheads of the jersey shore. Which brings me to-

2. Unflattering nicknames. For some reason I really like nicknames as long as they're flattering. I used to be extremely skinny so Ive been subject to being called things like Goofy or Skinny or whatever. Since I got bigger, this has changed mostly for the better. Now I've been called awesome things like Hulk, werewolf, Conan, Tarzan, etc. But recently someone decided to compare me with one of the guys from the Jersey Shore ("The Situation"?) which I found lame and annoying!

3. Being shunned for taking up too much space. This was mentioned before. Again I'm not gigantic but one of my biggest body parts are my shoulders and arms so my overall breadth is rather bulky. While this isn't a problem in an airliner (some of you guys must be monstrous! im so jealous) it is a problem when a bunch of people have to cram inside a car or a couch. Internally I totally like being the huge guy who's taking up all the space, but sometimes people can get rude about it!

4. It's difficult to peel myself away from myself. This is the kind of thing I used to make fun of people for. I dont flex and check myself out in the mirror at the gym or any public place but its really hard for me not to walk past a car and look at my arms in the reflection, or stare at myself in the mirror (in private) for several minutes and inspect what parts of my body need more work or which are looking good.

5. The bigger I get the bigger I want to get. I'm never satisfied with my size. I always want to get bigger and bigger and bigger. While Im still at a very reasonable size I can't help but wonder if I'll EVER be satisfied. Sometimes I look at the picture of an actor who weighs 220 lbs and I go "Yes that's what I want to look like." but sometimes I look at Ronnie Coleman and say "Yes THAT's what I want to look like."

6. Clothes. I know this was mentioned before. Im not fancy when it comes to apparel. I love wearing jeans and t-shirts. 80% of my wardrobe was bought when I was 130 lbs, so right now I can't put on most of my tshirts without looking like a weirdo (I dont mean to insult people who love wearing skin-tight clothes to show off their muscles, but I don't). Also its hard to find clothes that fit my shoulders and my waist/gut. I have a thin waist and big shoulders so clothes are either too tight up there, or too loose down there. someone I know recently compraed me to Kronk from Emperor's New Groove because he jokingly expresses that exact same problem.

7. Everyone wants you to flex for them. I think I'm the only guy in the world who DOESN'T like flexing for people. I think it's irritating. I have some friends who for some completely arbitrary reason like to show me off to girls they're hitting on like thats gonna score them points. "Oh check this guy's abs!" "Fuck off, dude." This is made worse because again, my arms are my biggest body part (almost 17'' after a workout) so its what sticks out the most and what people want to see in action.

8. Go-to guy to move heavy things. I have brothers who are Crossfit nuts and are just as capable of lifting heavy things as I am but since I outweigh and outsize them by a lot, everything that needs being moved around the house is moved by me. Im basically the workhorse of my household.

9. People want to know if you "Have their back." Some of my friends love getting into fights for no good reason. I know a lot of people who are reasonably large and love throwing their weight around but Im not like that. I like to think of myself as a pacifist (though Ive been known to down people who get on my face), yet every time one of my drunken friends is considering to get into a fight, they'll come to me "Hey bro if shit goes down, you got my back, right?" "No dude, piss off."

10. People think Im juicing. I have nothing against people who do use steroids and realize that a lot of the time they work very hard as well, that steroids aren't an 'easy way'. But gaining 50+ lbs naturally is something Im personally proud of, and when people assume I just took 'roids to get bulked up I find it borderline insulting, like they're belittling my effort.

11. My brain doesn't compute my new size. Like the first time I put on football gear and I kept hitting everything with the shoulderpads because i wasn't used to their size, I keep bumping against car mirrors or closets or doorframes, sometimes knocking stuff over. This is both cool (because it makes me feel like a giant monster freak) and uncool (because it's a weird feeling).

I know these things sound like whiny bitch crap I just need to get over, and I agree. I dont take any of these things too seriously or to heart. I just thought Id share my $.02 on the subject!

[Zap]

Originally Posted by darkknight

Hey! I havent read every post in this thread so i might repeat some of the things that youve mentioned.

Im not really HUGE by normal standards (at least not yet!) but since I started working out 2 years ago Ive gained ~50 lbs of pure muscle (went from 129 lbs to 180 lbs [which for my peer's standards is pretty huge] while keeping ~8% body fat -- but Id love to be as huge as I can possibly get). While I really really love being bigger, and any of its positives (which are many) outweigh the negatives, heres some things Ive found arent great.

1. Being categorized as a meathead. I like to think of myself as reasonably intelligent, if not an intellectual. Im a soon-to-be published writer and love to talk about almost anything with anyone. Oddly talking about the gym and weightlifting isn't one of my favorite things! Yet for some reason, people look at me and, before they get to really know me, im dumped into the same bin as the airheads of the jersey shore. Which brings me to-

2. Unflattering nicknames. For some reason I really like nicknames as long as they're flattering. I used to be extremely skinny so Ive been subject to being called things like Goofy or Skinny or whatever. Since I got bigger, this has changed mostly for the better. Now I've been called awesome things like Hulk, werewolf, Conan, Tarzan, etc. But recently someone decided to compare me with one of the guys from the Jersey Shore ("The Situation"?) which I found lame and annoying!

3. Being shunned for taking up too much space. This was mentioned before. Again I'm not gigantic but one of my biggest body parts are my shoulders and arms so my overall breadth is rather bulky. While this isn't a problem in an airliner (some of you guys must be monstrous! im so jealous) it is a problem when a bunch of people have to cram inside a car or a couch. Internally I totally like being the huge guy who's taking up all the space, but sometimes people can get rude about it!

4. It's difficult to peel myself away from myself. This is the kind of thing I used to make fun of people for. I dont flex and check myself out in the mirror at the gym or any public place but its really hard for me not to walk past a car and look at my arms in the reflection, or stare at myself in the mirror (in private) for several minutes and inspect what parts of my body need more work or which are looking good.

5. The bigger I get the bigger I want to get. I'm never satisfied with my size. I always want to get bigger and bigger and bigger. While Im still at a very reasonable size I can't help but wonder if I'll EVER be satisfied. Sometimes I look at the picture of an actor who weighs 220 lbs and I go "Yes that's what I want to look like." but sometimes I look at Ronnie Coleman and say "Yes THAT's what I want to look like."

6. Clothes. I know this was mentioned before. Im not fancy when it comes to apparel. I love wearing jeans and t-shirts. 80% of my wardrobe was bought when I was 130 lbs, so right now I can't put on most of my tshirts without looking like a weirdo (I dont mean to insult people who love wearing skin-tight clothes to show off their muscles, but I don't). Also its hard to find clothes that fit my shoulders and my waist/gut. I have a thin waist and big shoulders so clothes are either too tight up there, or too loose down there. someone I know recently compraed me to Kronk from Emperor's New Groove because he jokingly expresses that exact same problem.

7. Everyone wants you to flex for them. I think I'm the only guy in the world who DOESN'T like flexing for people. I think it's irritating. I have some friends who for some completely arbitrary reason like to show me off to girls they're hitting on like thats gonna score them points. "Oh check this guy's abs!" "Fuck off, dude." This is made worse because again, my arms are my biggest body part (almost 17'' after a workout) so its what sticks out the most and what people want to see in action.

8. Go-to guy to move heavy things. I have brothers who are Crossfit nuts and are just as capable of lifting heavy things as I am but since I outweigh and outsize them by a lot, everything that needs being moved around the house is moved by me. Im basically the workhorse of my household.

9. People want to know if you "Have their back." Some of my friends love getting into fights for no good reason. I know a lot of people who are reasonably large and love throwing their weight around but Im not like that. I like to think of myself as a pacifist (though Ive been known to down people who get on my face), yet every time one of my drunken friends is considering to get into a fight, they'll come to me "Hey bro if shit goes down, you got my back, right?" "No dude, piss off."

10. People think Im juicing. I have nothing against people who do use steroids and realize that a lot of the time they work very hard as well, that steroids aren't an 'easy way'. But gaining 50+ lbs naturally is something Im personally proud of, and when people assume I just took 'roids to get bulked up I find it borderline insulting, like they're belittling my effort.

11. My brain doesn't compute my new size. Like the first time I put on football gear and I kept hitting everything with the shoulderpads because i wasn't used to their size, I keep bumping against car mirrors or closets or doorframes, sometimes knocking stuff over. This is both cool (because it makes me feel like a giant monster freak) and uncool (because it's a weird feeling).

I know these things sound like whiny bitch crap I just need to get over, and I agree. I dont take any of these things too seriously or to heart. I just thought Id share my $.02 on the subject!

Oddly enough, those were mostly my problems too. Wait, no, correction, they're still my problem. When you're out of school, you'll be able to deal with your size much better since people won't be judging you left and right (as high schoolers often do). The chances of someone asking you to flex are little to none too, since it's awkward to ask a stranger/co-worker to do that.

As for 4, that's normal. Like, I'm generally a shy and modest person, but after a workout, I can't help but stand in front of the mirror and flex - and then look at myself whenever I can throughout the day. Anyway, you worked hard for your body and you're enjoying it, so what? It's not like you're shoving your bicep into people's faces and demanding them to feel you up.

And 5... Well, let me tell you this - don't worry about it. You're probably bigger than most guys your age, and even if all you do is pack on another 10 pounds, that's still pretty large. Just toss out all the mental images of other bodybuilders or what have you and focus on yourself. You don't need to look like anyone else, even if you 'want' to. Just devote yourself to your muscles growth (like the rest of us crazy guys) and if you hit a wall, so be it, that's what you're goal is - to be the best YOU can be, not what some other guy can be</cheesy>. Also, some guys who say things like this tend to go for drastic measures to get bigger. But you're a smart guy, so you probably know that those "drastic measures" are terrible and will ultimately lead to what you don't want.

[darkknight]

Originally Posted by Zap

Oddly enough, those were mostly my problems too. Wait, no, correction, they're still my problem. When you're out of school, you'll be able to deal with your size much better since people won't be judging you left and right (as high schoolers often do). The chances of someone asking you to flex are little to none too, since it's awkward to ask a stranger/co-worker to do that.

As for 4, that's normal. Like, I'm generally a shy and modest person, but after a workout, I can't help but stand in front of the mirror and flex - and then look at myself whenever I can throughout the day. Anyway, you worked hard for your body and you're enjoying it, so what? It's not like you're shoving your bicep into people's faces and demanding them to feel you up.

And 5... Well, let me tell you this - don't worry about it. You're probably bigger than most guys your age, and even if all you do is pack on another 10 pounds, that's still pretty large. Just toss out all the mental images of other bodybuilders or what have you and focus on yourself. You don't need to look like anyone else, even if you 'want' to. Just devote yourself to your muscles growth (like the rest of us crazy guys) and if you hit a wall, so be it, that's what you're goal is - to be the best YOU can be, not what some other guy can be</cheesy>. Also, some guys who say things like this tend to go for drastic measures to get bigger. But you're a smart guy, so you probably know that those "drastic measures" are terrible and will ultimately lead to what you don't want.

Thanks! Actually I just recently graduated college. Most of these situations (like the "omg flex for me!") seems to happen in social situations like parties and such. Sadly, that still happens.

I'm totally playing it up and being overdramatic for the sake of the thread though! I secretly love seeing myself and thinking I'm a bigger guy than average.

[darkknight]

New one I've had for a while but has gotten worse lately.

My arms are reasonably big (~16''-17''), and while it's awesome to have big arms, has anyone here had trouble sleeping with them? The thing is that, if I keep my arms bent/curled for too long, my biceps kind of . . . squeeze/pinch a nerve, and after about 15-20 minutes, my pinky and ring fingers go completely numb.

It's happened many times lately that I go to sleep with my right arm bent and wake up later with a totally numbed hand. Bit annoying.

Originally Posted by darkknight

New one I've had for a while but has gotten worse lately.

My arms are reasonably big (~16''-17''), and while it's awesome to have big arms, has anyone here had trouble sleeping with them? The thing is that, if I keep my arms bent/curled for too long, my biceps kind of . . . squeeze/pinch a nerve, and after about 15-20 minutes, my pinky and ring fingers go completely numb.

It's happened many times lately that I go to sleep with my right arm bent and wake up later with a totally numbed hand. Bit annoying.

Not so much when sleeping but when talking on the phone. The bicep is pressing against the top of my forearm and it eventually starts to hurt. Fingers go numb and I have to stretch my arm out a bit. My favorite is when they take my blood pressure and try using the standard cuff. I used to tell them to use the large one, but now I let them try and watch it pop open when they start inflating it.

[Lucas88]

Originally Posted by febjr

Not so much when sleeping but when talking on the phone. The bicep is pressing against the top of my forearm and it eventually starts to hurt. Fingers go numb and I have to stretch my arm out a bit. My favorite is when they take my blood pressure and try using the standard cuff. I used to tell them to use the large one, but now I let them try and watch it pop open when they start inflating it.

I just smile when they try to put the small one on...it doesn't fit before they pump it up.

Originally Posted by darkknight

New one I've had for a while but has gotten worse lately.

My arms are reasonably big (~16''-17''), and while it's awesome to have big arms, has anyone here had trouble sleeping with them? The thing is that, if I keep my arms bent/curled for too long, my biceps kind of . . . squeeze/pinch a nerve, and after about 15-20 minutes, my pinky and ring fingers go completely numb.

It's happened many times lately that I go to sleep with my right arm bent and wake up later with a totally numbed hand. Bit annoying.

It's as much from the bending of the elbow and stretching the nerve around/through the joint as it is compression. I've been big since my 20's and never had it until I changed my sleeping position with my arm bent under my head. The sports doctor I was seeing actually gave me a fiberglass brace (like an open cast) to use when I slept to "retrain" me from bending my arms so much...had to put it on with an ace bandage for a month before I got out of the habit.

[SWMassMan]

Yeah...I have big arms....love having them. Just got them back to 20" and much more solid than they've ever been.

Anyhow, most of the time shirts are a problem, especially tailored or athletic fit shirts. There was a shirt I really wanted. The color was awesome, and it fit perfectly everywhere, but my arms. I tried it on and had to have the sales guy help peel it off, when my arms got stuck.

"Do you have this in a sleeveless model?" I asked.
"Afraid not, they said...but good idea!" he said.

I really liked the shirt and this was the biggest they made. So I asked:
"Well, then do you have a pair of scissors?"

Problem solved.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7840990_n.jpg

[1bigwoof]

Originally Posted by SWMassMan

"Do you have this in a sleeveless model?" I asked.
"Afraid not, they said...but good idea!" he said.

I really liked the shirt and this was the biggest they made. So I asked:
"Well, then do you have a pair of scissors?"

Problem solved.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7840990_n.jpg

Good idea? Naw......GREAT idea!! Those 20-inchers look great now that they've been freed from captivity. Keep it up!!

[FuzzyKB]

The kid wants a leather jacket for his B'day. Trying to find a leather jacket for a 5'5" tall fireplug with arms now above 18 and headed for 19 has proven to be nearly impossible.
The B'day is not until July so I have some time, but, wondering if any of you guys have really good sources for clothing of this type with the really "out of the ordinary" physique.

[WhoDunIt]

SHort of going to a "Big and Tall" store, I'm not sure. I've had to start buying pants at those kinds of stores because ity can be difficult to find jeans that get past my upper legs to see if they'll even fit over my gut/"waist"

[viewer]

Wow you guys, this is a really awesome thread! I've never really been serious about going to the gym, but I've been telling myself lately that starting this summer I'm going to do it, and I think this time I'm actually going to go through with it. Reading through this thread has actually been somehow motivating lol, even if it does tend to focus on the issues that come with size. Everybody here is so positive in spite of problems, it's really uplifting. Thanks a bunch for sharing these stories!

[FuzzyKB]

Originally Posted by viewer

Wow you guys, this is a really awesome thread! I've never really been serious about going to the gym, but I've been telling myself lately that starting this summer I'm going to do it, and I think this time I'm actually going to go through with it. Reading through this thread has actually been somehow motivating lol, even if it does tend to focus on the issues that come with size. Everybody here is so positive in spite of problems, it's really uplifting. Thanks a bunch for sharing these stories!

[COLOR="Wheat"]
This is one of the best threads because it actually is making a negative into a positive. Knowing what to expect as things change in my eyes kind of not only prepares you for the change, it gives you ways to deal with that change in a positive way. There is also the clues that as you run into inconveniences that you are in fact growing. The bigger guys or more rapidly growing guys pave the road to what you can expect. The one really major thing that we found are changes in your ability to float in water. Make certain that as you gain muscle mass that you take some time and swim. This is not as much for the exercise other than cardio, but it is because you do not float well if the body fat drops. Once muscle mass exceeds a certain percent of your body weight, you sink and swimming is far more taxing and can be more difficult. The kid scared the crap out of himself this summer on that very factor because he ended up overboard during river rafting. He is a great swimmer and it was not white water rafting. It was a slow river, but it was a frightening learning experience just the same because this had changed a great deal. [/COLOR]

[FuzzyKB]

[COLOR="Wheat"]
The bulking cycle with the kid ends at 230 and we are 226 right now. We are still looking for some clothing with very little joy in trying to find it. We are hoping for better luck towards summer when some of the jacket prices start to drop.

We had a really hilarious experience this last weekend. Our kid graduated from HS in 2005. He has always had the family "wookie genes" to some degree, but as often happens the hair follicles do not go nuclear until right after HS. In the past year, the fur coat has been in a growing and spreading phase along with the growing muscle. We encountered a former male HS classmate of his at a shopping mall in "the big city" about 70 miles to the east of us. The former classmate was recognized, and being a really sweet attentive kid ours goes up to his former classmate. Our kid is absolutely oblivious to things at times, but his former classmate who in private was rather obviously waving a rainbow flag by his body language nearly had a heart attack on the spot. After the hello, the classmate became so nervous and appeared terrified of his former friend while at the same time trying to get as good a look as was humanly possible. As the two gay Uncles that have raised him for the past five years, sat and watched from a distance, this became really entertaining. The former classmate is on the skinny side and is very cute. He also seemed to be a really nice kid from all observations. The classmate was obvious in that he saw something he wanted really badly, and yet at the same time he was terrified that any advances he would make would be taken the wrong way.

I think that many of us at some point in our lives have encountered something that appears to be a wet dream come true. I had forgotten how tough things were when we were that age and we saw something that we wanted and were certain that we couldn't have it. In reality ours is at least Bi on the road to gay and the other kid probably would have gotten "lucky" if he had not been so afraid of making a fool out of himself. Ahh! Youth! [/COLOR]

[WhoDunIt]

Went to the Chicago Auto Show today, of the cars and trucks I looked at, I was only comfortable in 3 and just barely fit in a couple. If you're a big, muscular and especially fat guy, beware of the Chevy Volt and Cruze. I really like both of those, but cold barely fit through the door opening and didn't have much more room in the driver's seat I actually fit better in the Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500, and Smart ForTwo Appropriately enough though, the Dodge Challenger was the best fit

[FuzzyKB]

Originally Posted by WhoDunIt

Went to the Chicago Auto Show today, of the cars and trucks I looked at, I was only comfortable in 3 and just barely fit in a couple. If you're a big, muscular and especially fat guy, beware of the Chevy Volt and Cruze. I really like both of those, but cold barely fit through the door opening and didn't have much more room in the driver's seat I actually fit better in the Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500, and Smart ForTwo Appropriately enough though, the Dodge Challenger was the best fit

[COLOR="Wheat"]
We had the same problem but in a different way. My other half is 6'5" tall and when we were commuting back and forth looking at NM real estate, we rented cars rather than run up the high mileage on our own. We had to be very careful to specify cars when he was on the trips simply because to use a GM car it had to be a Cadillac Sedan or other full sized car to get the leg room. The smaller GM cars did as a whole at that time not have enough. He could not get his legs into a comfortable position as a larger guy. We fit into most of the mid size or larger products from Ford or Chrysler.

One of the things mentioned in this thread was something we encountered the other day. I had taken the kid to do some shopping for a few minor groceries and plumbing parts/copper pipe, as we are still chasing leaks from the burst pipes caused by the freeze that hit this area.

I was tired, so I handed him the keys to my Ford F-150. He got in, and found that based on the seating position on a bench seat relative to his height, he had interference between his chest and biceps. The seating angle is different in his El Camino, but, in the final generation El Camino, and with the size of his shoulders, you definitely have a two passenger vehicle. I am guessing that the same interference problem is going to happen in the El Camino when his chest adds a few more inches.

[Lucas88]

Originally Posted by WhoDunIt

Went to the Chicago Auto Show today, of the cars and trucks I looked at, I was only comfortable in 3 and just barely fit in a couple. If you're a big, muscular and especially fat guy, beware of the Chevy Volt and Cruze. I really like both of those, but cold barely fit through the door opening and didn't have much more room in the driver's seat I actually fit better in the Ford Fiesta, Fiat 500, and Smart ForTwo Appropriately enough though, the Dodge Challenger was the best fit

My partner and I went to the DC Auto Show back in January. He's 6'4" and about 325 and I'm 6'5" and about 300. Looking at SUV's, even the big GM models were tight for us. We have to have the driver's seat all the way back to get the leg room but then the shoulders and upper arms hit the post between the front and back doors on most models. Ford was a little better. Also, he's a powerlifter so he's thick through the torso and any kind of wrap-around seat just jabs him in the back. I'm narrower through the waist but I can feel the sides of some seats jabbing up into my lats. Didn't check out the Challenger because we were focused on SUV's.

[WhoDunIt]

Only SUV I looked at was the New Durango (didn't have much more space than my 13 y/o Jeep), and was shocked by how much tighter through my shoulders the '11 Charger was compared to my Sister's. I'm beginning to thing that the new car side impact regulations are some of the problem I've having. When they start thickening doors, pillars, roof beams, then add a dozen airbags to the mix without making the car it self longer and/or wider, problems like this can occur. On top of that, I swear the center consoles are getting wider and more useless too BTW, if you ever get into a Chrysler MiniVan, watch out for the arm rests, the ones in my parents van are always getting in the way of my back and love rails (Still too fat to call them love handles )

[darkknight]

I've begun sharing a problem with a lot of people in this thread.

Sleep is becoming a fucking bitch. I've put on about 10lbs since I last posted, and it was a problem before, but not so much as it is now.

I've always been used to sleep on my side, which is what I find most comfortable and relaxing (I like to feel the pillow on my face) but that's become borderline impossible now that my shoulders are much, much bigger than they used to be. I got a weird body going on where my shoulders and arms are gigantic and my chest isn't up to par, so if I sleep on my side, I have two problems: 1, I feel my full weight pressing my shoulder and arm; 2, my neck is floating because my shoulders lift me much higher up than the pillow. I need 2 or 3 pillows to rest my head, and even then the pressure on my arm becomes too annoying to catch sleep.

I've tried sleeping on my back but I got a few problems with that as well. One, I have a big ass and despite the mattress, I feel my lower back bending uncomfortably. This isn't as big as issue as the fact that for some reason that might not be entirely unrelated to my weight gain (almost 65 lbs), I've begun snoring like a beast. Seriously, a friend recently actually got up and fucking recorded me. I listened to it the next morning and I sounded like an angry bear passing a kidney stone. I've noticed that the snoring isn't a constant every night, but it's becoming more common.

I need one of those badass pillows that are thick and have a canal at the bottom for your arm.

[Brahma]

Originally Posted by darkknight

Sleep is becoming a fucking bitch. I've put on about 10lbs since I last posted, and it was a problem before, but not so much as it is now.

I've always been used to sleep on my side, which is what I find most comfortable and relaxing. I need 2 or 3 pillows to rest my head, and even then the pressure on my arm becomes too annoying to catch sleep.

I've been developing that same problem in the last couple of weeks. I wake up, and my arm is numb because of the pressure.

Not that I'm complaining too much, since it means I'm getting results.

[WhoDunIt]

I've recently discovered that those back rests for reading in bead and such, kinda like this.
http://www.downcomfortersets1.com/BedRestPillowCS.jpg

Shocked the living hell outta me when I used it one night because of a slight allergy attack, and I slept more easily and better than I have since I started putting on muscle

[Ragetiger]

I have gotten somewhat use to sleeping on my back. I been cuddling with a body pillow. Yeah it's pretty silly, but it works for me.

A couple weeks ago I pulled a muscle while doing reverse curls, ended up sleeping on the same side as the injury. Wasn't pretty, the muscle healed fine, but the shoulder still bothered me some. turns out somehow I bruised the bone. That's gonna take forever to heal ><

Least it gives me more time to adjust to sleeping on my back, or start sleeping on my other side.