when others notice your muscle/muscle growth

[falseyedee]

we've had a couple of the board's members post about experiences they've had with friends, co-works, family and even strangers taking note of their hard-earned muscle/muscle growth. those stories are cool enough to warrant their own thread, i think.

i'll start off with a story from my past....

when i was bodybuilding, i was also attending a very liberal church here in sf. following the influence of my upbringing, i always wore a suit or a sportcoat and slacks to the services. i wasn't making a lot of money, so i was still wearing the clothes from my days as a heavy guy and they tended to be ill fitting and certainly didn't show off what was going on with my body.

after an intense winter of bulking up as best i could, i joined a group from the church to attend the gay pride parade. i showed up in my tight black jeans and a tight t-shirt that said "out is in" on it. the shirt was a size large and i was well past needing a size xl. i really filled out that shirt quite nicely i had the short sleeves rolled up to show off my biceps. and i will say that neither the jeans nor the shirt had been anywhere near tight when i bought them. when you go from 185 to 205, clothes get tight.

well, you could have knocked my friends over with a feather. they were all agog over my body. "i knew you were a big guy, but i didn't know it was muscle" and "man, you need some new clothes, because that body should not be covered up" were two of the comments i remember being made. they couldn't help buy grab my arms, without even asking.

i was the center of attention for the entire day, with folks in the group wanting to touch me arms, asking me to flex for them "make a muscle", ooo-ing and ahh-ing over my bod. it was a cool, foggy day, and at the end of the day one of the guys said, "i wish it had been warmer, i'd love to see you without that shirt." the parting hugs were all a lot longer than they had been before.

that day really made me feel good about myself and my bodybuilding.

[ethernet_jock]

now THAT is a GREAT story!!! I love it! Got any more?

[greeneear88]

I got one

I have a friend down here, name will go un-noticed. He was joking on how he had an awesome body (Not really, he's kinda scrawny) He flexed his bicep, probably around 14 Inches. I flexed mine. His mouth dropped at my size (Hey, 18 inches, though not fully defined, is pretty awesome). Then i told him how i was happy that i could see my triceps. (Again, mouth droppage)

Soon, he might be commenting on my chest or something (Sigh) not for a while though....Oh well, TO the gym!!

[Minotaur]

A couple of incidents at work:

1. One of the guys I work with (a cutie pie who also weightlifts) passed my cubicle and stopped behind me and said "man, you been deadlifting? your back is getting huge!).

2. Another coworker and I were horsing around. I was giving him smartass answers and he came up behind me and pretended to choke me, saying "you know, if your neck wasn't so damn thick... ".

3. On a couple other occasions the guys I work with (and these are all straight married men) were making a point and poking or tapping my arms and shoulders. They's stop, poke some more or grab my arm or shoulder and say "wow, that's like steel" or "you really have been working out". Well duh!

[ethernet_jock]

haha.... that reminds me of a cute event I forgot to mention...

About two days ago I'm standing in the hall talking to one of our more attractive female admin. assistants and her boss (the department's director) comes up and listens into the conversation. He and I are pretty friendly despite that he's like 48+ and totally straight, he decides he's bored with the conversation and begins to attempt to push me out of the way by placing both hands on one of my shoulders and pushing a little...

he stops and says joking "quit flexing... we all know you're huge" as he puts his hand on my arm/tricep area.

I just said "but, I wasn't" (I really wasn't!!) and continued talking to her. He walked away sort-of embarrased and returned to his office. Later on in the day he made a passing remark about my "hardness".... it was good.

[growin8]

OK, I'm coming out of the shadows with an experience I had last week.

The local amusement park, Cedar Point, has the modern version of the carnival game where you use a sledge hammer or mallet or whatever and try to ring the bell. I was being brave and wearing a sleeveless muscle shirt that shows off my shoulders and arms pretty well. Now, I'm not big (yet) but these 2 kids come up to me and wanted to pay for me to try to ring the bell and win some fuzzy dice for them. I said, "No thanks." One of them said, "With arms like yours it sould be easy!" I had to explain that if I couldn't do it, I would hate to waste their money.

I thought, "I guess I'm getting bigger than I thought," and walked around with a big grin for the rest of the night.

[lewj99]

Well something happened last night at the gym that fits this thread, and also inspired me to post my pic in the other section. It was pretty busy (and the place is small) so everyone was waiting for the machines. I was going to do lat pulldowns on the Cybex machine with the various attachments and ended up sharing with a guy who was doing tricep extensions. He was big for a Taiwanese guy, about six feet and built quite solid, 17 inch arms I'd guess. I did 130 for my first set, he lowered it to do triceps then went to put the pin back in at 130 for me. I wanted to up the weight a bit so put it at 140...he smiled and gave me the thumbs up. We switched off again, I had one more set so he put it back to 140...but I changed it to 150, which is the whole stack. The Taiwanese guy laughed, said 'wow, strong guy, good for you!'...and before I started my set, he reached over and grabbed my bicep! I gave him a quick flex and got him to flex in return...believe me, his guns put mine to shame.

The whole thing was done jokingly, but it was still pretty cool. I think a lot of Taiwanese think it's funny to speak English to an 'actual' foreigner, I'm sure that played a part too (I mean, it's not like I'm that big or strong!) Still it was a darn good ego boost...

[growin8]

Those little ego boosts are what keep us motivated to keep going.

[brent]

OK, I'll share a similar experience. I got my mom & step-dad to join the gym I belong to, and my mom was talking with the manager, and said something like, look at how big his muscles are, can you believe he's been a vegetarian for 13 years now?" And the manager was like, "Wow, yeah, I was checking his guns out the other day! Well, not really checking them out but..." Then my mom, step-dad & I were all, it's no big deal, I really don't care... It was quite the ego boost!

[ottomun6]

Originally Posted by brent

... And the manager was like, "Wow, yeah, I was checking his guns out the other day! Well, not really checking them out but..." Then my mom, step-dad & I were all, it's no big deal, I really don't care... It was quite the ego boost!

You gotta love it when the manager or owner makes a comment about your development, especially when you realize that they can't help but to check you out daily

[dallasmsl]

I remember when I used to have to wear a longsleeve shirt and tie to work as a consultant. I hated it because I felt it really covered up my upper body and suit pants are always loose over the legs. But, I guess I was wrong. I went to the snack area were I had to retrieve my lunch from the fridge and this black woman whom I'd never seen before came in, paused for a second, and asked, "Are you a bodybuilder?" I smiled and said yes (I was getting ready for a contest at the time). I'm telling you my head swelled to infinite proportions from her compliment...but in a good way! It's so nice to be recognized even when you are covered up in clothes!

[brent]

Originally Posted by dallasmsl

...
I'm telling you my head swelled to infinite proportions from her compliment...but in a good way! It's so nice to be recognized even when you are covered up in clothes!

So I work at a furniture store, and I had someone looking for a particular mirror. I asked a coworker where it was hanging, and she said it was by the door to the backroom (I go through this door probably 40 times every day). Then she asks why I haven't noticed it, so I had to fess up that I knew there was a mirror there, but I always look into it, not at it. Ooops!

[dallasmsl]

Mirrors are my friend. I'm so bad.

[omelissokomos]

Originally Posted by dallasmsl

Mirrors are my friend. I'm so bad.

That's perfectly all right. After all, how can you love others if you can't love yourself?

[dallasmsl]

This is so true. Just like the guy in the attached photos:

[lewj99]

I had a funny experience at work I thought I'd share. I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) here in Taiwan and had a class of 12/13 year olds last night. One of the boys mentioned the word 'muscle', later a few of them said "Teacher show us your muscle." Well being the nice guy I am I had to oblige...heh heh...so I gave them a quick flex. One of the girls said "That is so yuck" (sic) but one of the boys said "Your muscle can jump!" That made me laugh...they're a good groups of kids too, much nicer and more respectful than your average group of 12/13 year olds would be back home...

[brent]

They sound like cute kids. I know a couple of people from Taipei, it sound like a cool city.

[ethernet_jock]

that's AWESOME... kids are the best too because you always know you'll get the MOST honest answer from them. The younger they are, the more honest.

Very cool!

[Jim USA]

I once took some jr highers from my church on a multi-church inner-city mission trip. We helped clean out some rundown urban buildings which were being rehabilitated by the local church to form offices for nonprofits. It was a hot summer and the work was dirty and sweaty. I wore a sleeveless shirt most of the time. One evening, back at the housing facility, I heard a kid ask if Counselor Jim was in the hall. When asked by another kid who "Counselor Jim" was, he replied, "He's the one with the big muscles."

I'm okay with that description of me any day.

[musclesed]

Originally Posted by brent

OK, I'll share a similar experience. I got my mom & step-dad to join the gym I belong to, and my mom was talking with the manager, and said something like, look at how big his muscles are, can you believe he's been a vegetarian for 13 years now?" And the manager was like, "Wow, yeah, I was checking his guns out the other day! Well, not really checking them out but..." Then my mom, step-dad & I were all, it's no big deal, I really don't care... It was quite the ego boost!

that's awsome... i love the line... "well, not really checking them out but..."
he was checking your awsome progress.... that's great brent...
how big are they now?

[brent]

Originally Posted by musclesed

...

how big are they now?

Still stuck at 18", but I'm new to the club.

[BBMikeNJ]

These have been some great stories, so I thought I'd add my own...I work out at a local hardcore gym. There's alot of macho attitude going on, and getting a nod or a grunt out of someone as you pass by is a long conversation. Some guys, even though I've seen them there for years, won't even make eye contact. But lately, I've been making some decent gains, and have noticed some of the guys checking out my arms and chest. When I snag them at it, I always make sure to say "How you doin'?" That usually gets a response.
Then the other day, I was at the weight rack doing shrugs. This beefy Latino guy who I've seen a couple times, comes over to me and asks "How long did it take you to go that heavy?" I was using the 120's. I said, "It took a long time, bud, and it still hurts me." He smiled and said, "You're my hero, man."
A few days later, I was doing shoulder presses on the machine. I was using the whole rack, 250lbs, which almost always gets a look or two, mainly, I think, because I'm a 48yo dude in a gym full of mostly younger guys. When I got off, this stocky, tattooed skinhead-looking lifter looks me up and down and says "You look jacked!" I was really taken aback, because no one says shit like that at my gym. Especially not tattooed skinheads.
Anyway, those two incidents, plus the looks I've been getting, have really stoked me up to go at it harder than ever. It's definitely a great snowballing effect, people commenting on your muscle, you train and pump harder , you get more comments, etc....

[hulkmuscle]

Similar experience with me which also makes me smile....the owner of my gym is a huge strapping guy, Tommy Morelli (or Marinelli), totally straight, ex-bodybuilder, he'd done Playgirl when he was younger. Still got a fantastic build though, thick, pretty vascular, probably 6'2 240-250.

We'd say hi to each other as we'd pass each other, but nothing more than pleasantries. Anyway, one day I came off doing cable crossovers, not even a big move for me, but I guess I had a good pec pump going, and he stopped in his tracks right in front of me and said "Whoa, dude, you're looking fuckin huge!" Just completely out of the blue, caught me completely off-guard, but of course it gave me a major adenaline rush for the rest of my workout.

Unfortunately, moments like that don't happen enough to keep me up 24/7, but it's still nice to remember.

Another time, just a few weeks ago, I was at work, having one of those dreaded 2.5-3 hour feedings (I tote so much food and supps to work with me it's ridiculous), but I was in the pantry unpeeling my hardboiled eggs and a secretary engaged me in conversation by saying how much she loved hardboiled eggs. I told her I eat them because I need to keep my protein intake high because I bodybuild, and she looked at me expectantly as if that was a cue to flex my arm. I paused for an awkward moment, then instinctively hit a bicep flex, she duly tried fitting her hand around it, and said "ooh, very nice." What was strange was the almost automatic nature of it all, as if it were some Pavlovian reflex of something. Everytime I pass her now, I wave my little ziploc bag of eggs at her and she smiles back.

Not a big thing, but again, just a little uptick on the "feel good" barometer.

[brent]

BBMikeNJ, Those moments really help others, so remember to pass them on. When you notice someone's really changed, a little comment can really make their workout. Just try not to sound too gay about it (like I always do...) I can creep myself out at times...

HulkMuscle, Your chest is your greatest asset, and you are prety built yourself, so I'm sure coming off of the cable cross, it was a sight to behold (or maybe this straight guy just likes your deep cleavage???)

[dallasmsl]

A guy at work asked me how much I was curling and after I told him (the numbers didn't matter and he wouldn't know what they meant anyway) he just commented, "Damn, your arms are getting big." I smiled, thank'd him, and went back to my cube...really makes your day!

[ethernet_jock]

LOL... that does crack me up. It's like - they don't know how to properly start a conversation about weight lifting while trying to sound like they know what they're talking about so the first thing out of their mouth is:

so how much do you bench?

or

so what are those arms curling?

I always feel required to give the short speel about "I don't do one-rep max testing because it's stupid so the weight I work-out with right now is.... "

they never quite "get it" anyway, right you are.

[dallasmsl]

Yesterday, I had to go to another department to show some ladies some finer details of the system. After I got done, one of the commented, "how often do you workout because you look huge" I smiled and just said, "oh, just every morning." "Really? Every morning?" to which I responded, "Yeah, just 40 or 50 minutes before I get to work." ...after a brief silence...."damn."

I left their building with a huge inflated ego-smile on my face.

Yeah, it was good.
Dave.

[ethernet_jock]

sweet....

Several of the ladies around the office have been asking to "borrow my muscle" (not my words) lately to lift/move boxes that aren't all that heavy. Yesterday one of them did just that.... she called me and asked very nicely if I could come to her cube to help carry a "heavy box"... I work all the way on the other side of the building from her, but I came a few minutes later. When I arrived there were 3 other young-er aged men all within 5 office/cubes distance - that all could've been available for the task of lifting a single file box of files onto a shelf in a nearby closet.

LOL... yeah... I think I'm finally started to get somewhere.

[UKBeefy]

So you guys actually work in those "cube farms" ? Must drive you bonkers.

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

sweet....

Several of the ladies around the office have been asking to "borrow my muscle" (not my words) lately to lift/move boxes

Hehe, yeah i keep getting this at work too from ladies and men. Even some blokes now come up stairs and ask me to give them a hand specifically, knowing that i workout. I can't hide it, hell i go every three hours or less to make a protein shake lol so its not like i can...

And they always seem surprised when i move large boxes on my own... one even said i must be the strongest guy working there... which is probably true since noone else there weight lifts. hehe

Thanks for sharing Ether!

Marc

[ethernet_jock]

you too marc, as always!! It's no question for me that I'm easily the biggest guy in this particular office... and yet somehow... that doesn't seem very impressive to me!

Well there are only about 15 guys here...

UKB - we're more of a hybrid situation... not really a cube farm at all... there are more offices than cubes in my space but we have both.

Cube farms are more/less like a big callcenter with a wide-open floor of just cubes and a few offices around the perimeter. I built more than one of those when I was in construction - very very sad. Our office is much nicer than that. We have 25,000 S.F. in a historic building downtown and only about 50 people to fill it.... lots of space.

[brent]

So I was working at my new job the other day, when this couple walks in. They bought a couple of items, as I was ringing them up, the wife comments on the size of my arms. Then the husband looks, and was like, "Damn! You really do have big arms dude! I workout almost every day, and mine aren't nearly as big as yours." Which was true. It sure felt great.

[grywlf]

although a bit diffrent still same kinda grew up with a step dad that aworkaholic
very hyper person and retired now is is more active then 90% people i know half his age and hes disable but don't ever say that around him he wears one shoe
with a 12" sole and the knee from that leg was frozen through surgery as a child
back in the 40's this is the best idea they had for this problem so he is 70 this year
weighs 90 at most 5ft7 slim as hell so he retired last year so with his free time he decided to renovate the house he built in 62 he used to pick on me about weight lifting just like he used to call me lazy as a child like why do that seems alot of work nothing getting done you want muscle i give ya some work hey hey . yeah
he talks weird i swear he answers the phone .howdy howdy hey very loud .his hearing is going. so last year all the time i got hey your the big weightlifter around here come help me move this or i can move this can you get this thing on the trailer for me so he doesn't tease me any more about it in fact he got a couple little weights out of the closet that were moms years before and does a few exercises every morning to losen up

[flexicon1]

Hey guys, I don't mean to repeat myself, but I noticed this thread after I posted the following in the crazy-off-topic "worship" thread. I thought I'd repost here, since it's more appropriate subject-wise, and plus, some people might just never return to that thread, even though it seems to have returned to "simmer".

Here's what I wrote:

About a month ago, I was at the gym and had the mind-shifting experience of reading my weight on the scale past the 200 lb. mark! Holy Moly. That's been a goal of mine for a long time. Since then, I've had no fewer than 3 guys mention how big I was looking. What a great feeling!

1) I was at an outdoor arts event, and a photographer acquaintance, who I know dates women, but might have a bit of a bi vibe, did something remarkable and a little weird-feeling: while saying goodbye he took both his hands and patted me heavily on the chest. It was such an unusual gesture I was sure he must be checking out my pecs, which in certain shirts can look impressive. (45" boys!) If only on the last pat I'd had the chutzpah to flex and watch his jaw drop in amazement as he looked in my eyes for a split second with an other-worldly expression. Instead, I just smiled and shrugged and said goodbye.

2) At another outdoor event, a couple of weeks ago, I saw a guy who works freelance sometimes for the production group I work with. He asked me if I'd been working out. My instinct was to portray modesty and self-deprecate. But I noticed it, and willed myself to own it. "Yeah", I said, and smiled. He said I looked like I'd packed on some weight since he'd seen me last, and he grabbed both my arms in a fast awkward way that I recognized as something I'd have done in a similar situation in an earlier incarnation of myself. He confirmed it and said "yeah, you've been hitting the weights." This is an older man who is married with kids, but who I always read as gay. I guess I'll have to re-define that as "muscle-worshipper" and leave the sexuality for someone else to label When I first started working with him, about 7 years ago, I was 45 lbs. lighter, and I don't dress to impress much. Anyway, I only see him at work intermittently, so if he never registered me as a grower, I can understand how seeing me in a more casual atmosphere, in shorts and a t-shirt, might be somewhat revelatory. Or maybe he *had* noticed me growing, and was just waiting for a non-professional environment to grope me in.

Both of these muscle-grabs were uninvited, from guys who I'm not really attracted to, but didn't really offend me. Just felt a little awkward. And I did not feel like getting worshipped by these guys. I think I'd like to have some attraction going if I'm going to explore that. I did like the ego-boost, so I'm not complaining. I look forward to having some muscle kid do the same thing soon!

3) Finally, last week, a guy at work asked me if I was still working out. I am an odd guy, gym-wise, but there are a few guys at work I talk about it with. Anyway, I said yes, I was, and he asked me if I was a little obsessive about it, and I laughed and said "hardly!". I only work out once a week, so I just thought it was a little odd. Anyway, later that day, in the restroom, I checked myself out in the mirror and the shirt I was wearing made me look really built! It's a terry/velour type shortsleeved polo with horizontal stripes that hung off my chest and shoulders very impressively, but it does something magical when untucked: it makes me look like I don't have a gut! I think he must have thought I went on a crash diet or something. He's another guy who is married but gives off a non-straight vibe.

I am the token queer at work, so lots of stuff gets bounced off me, since I'm very open and non-threatening.

[newmus]

i was just at a mini family reunion over th weekend and yesterday i didn't feel like changing out of my gym clothes (regular t-shirt and comfy shorts). when my great uncles and cousin came over we spent a good 20 minutes talking about my workouts and physique and how i was building "real muscle" as oppossed to "show muscle". later that day, another cousin kept teasing me out of the blue, for no reason, calling me muscle man. needless to say, my ego was sufficiently boosted yesterday. and to top it all off i'm realy not big at all!

[ethernet_jock]

the hell you aren't! Let's see some pics man!!

[newmus]

honestly i'm quite small - my arms aren't even 16" - however, pretty legs do run in my family and maybe i have good genetics, i don't know. and sorry but i don't have any recent pics of myself, they usually tend to lower my self image.

[CanadianGordon]

Well how big are your arms dude?
You never know?
I posted pics here and I feel great about having done it.
And the month is almost up...

G.

Originally Posted by newmus

honestly i'm quite small - my arms aren't even 16" - however, pretty legs do run in my family and maybe i have good genetics, i don't know. and sorry but i don't have any recent pics of myself, they usually tend to lower my self image.

[dallasmsl]

Originally Posted by newmus

honestly i'm quite small - my arms aren't even 16" - however, pretty legs do run in my family and maybe i have good genetics, i don't know. and sorry but i don't have any recent pics of myself, they usually tend to lower my self image.

A friend of mines whole family back in California had pretty legs. No upper body to speak of but from the butt on down, it was total eye candy. Totally genetics too from the mother's side of the family.

[ethernet_jock]

Originally Posted by newmus

honestly i'm quite small - my arms aren't even 16" - however, pretty legs do run in my family and maybe i have good genetics, i don't know. and sorry but i don't have any recent pics of myself, they usually tend to lower my self image.

so what?! Marco's arm's aren't even 16" but they look HUGE because of his overall shape, fat density, and how they are relative to his size! (sorry for using you as an example bud, but you're a GREAT example).

Numbers are meaningless really.... my arms are ONLY 16.5" which isn't very big for a 6'4" 255lb guy... but you don't see me whining.

At the very least, give us some "before" pictures of how you are now... and we'll encourage and prod you to make gains.