Inspiration: Why its good to be built

[jerseyflex]

Ok, so heres the deal. Ive been in a hell of a rut. mainly due to a lousy relationship with someone who doesnt value/understand/appreciate bodybuilding. well its winding down (the relationship that is) and im getting back into the training.

when i reached my peak i was a rock hard defined (very deep visible six pack) 210 lbs at 6 ft tall. by no means huge dorian-esque but i certainly got noticed and received a lot of nice positive comments. i knew when i was followed into the locker room and i knew when i was being watched. i had that cool vein that ran down the center of my bi's. (they were 21" when i was at my heaviest...240...but not as well defined.....i think they were about 19.5 when i reached 210....i can pull out my journal if anyone really wants to know)

now i find myself not looking so great and i feel like shit. im having trouble getting back in the groove but the last week and a half has been positive. i recall reading articles in MuscleMag (anyone think Robert Kennedy is either gay, bi, curious, or closeted?) about the mind-muscle connection and how you can literally think your way to higher testosterone levels....so Ive been doing a lot of thinking!!! yesterday i was running to catch a train and reminiscing about the "good old days" when i was totally completely into the passion of my life: lifting and strict eating. i remembered the story that follows....

so this thread can be: "Why I Like (or Liked or Would Like to Be) Built" - expecting contributions from all of you but Ill get it started:

Like the Hulkster Im from the NYC metro area. Lived and trained in Manhattan in 2001-2003 and thats when I really peaked. One night I was walking north up the west side of 8th avenue. Wearing a super tight t-shirt with one hell of a pump, the sleeves of the t-shirt were bunched up above the bicep without even pushing them or rolling them (basically the peak of the bi forced the shirt up to the bi/delt tie in)

i went to cross 51st street when a van that was heading north up 8th avenue turned left on to 51st west bound- cut right in front of me while i was in the cross walk almost running over my toes, so like any good New Yorker, i took my fist and punched the drivers side of the van as it screeched in front of me (put a nice dent in it)

the driver screeches to a stop and jumps out - he cant see me yet because the van is now in between us - and he is calling me all kinds of names (what the f- you m- f-er....etc) I stop and stand on the corner (heart racing because I have no idea what this guy is gonna look like) as he comes around the van he ends up being all of maybe 5'2" and 120 lbs soaking wet (I used heavier dumbbells to do flat bench presses LOL)- he took one look at me and turned around and got right back in the van without saying a word.

Now, you need to understand I was a scrawny geek in a huge Texas jock ruled high school so I never have intimidated or pushed anyone around. (In fact being intimidated and pushed around led me to the gym in the first place!) Even when I was at my biggest (several years after college) I never used it for intimidation (in fact, I loved answering questions / giving advice / helping others etc in the gym....remind me to tell you my midwest road trip rest stop story) but holy shit what a rush it was once I fully realized what had happened.

that my friends is one of the many reasons I liked being built and want so badly to get back into it 110%

I think i need to go lift right now - i feel the hormones surging!

[jdhdawg]

Hey, Jersey!

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I'm sorry to hear about your recent troubles but it definitely sounds like you're on your way back. Muscle memory is a fabulous thing and I'm confident that your sleeves will soon again be in pain.

I really enjoyed the story. As built as you were, I can definitely envision why the li'l guy would have changed his approach. Please keep us posted as you progress.

Best of luck!

[glammaman2000]

...I remember stopping at a newstand(NY)I had taken my backpack off.As I swung it back on;I brushed some thug wanna-be.I said,"excuse me",but he yelled,"I'd beat the crap outta you,if you weren't bigger'n me!"Nice.Beggars will approach me,see the guns&walk the other way(in summer)I once had a moonie girl approach me on the street.I was about to make a point about buddhism(an American lecturing a Korean)I RAISED A FINGER&she cringed!I also remember getting on a bus in L.A.&hearing everybody gasp at the muscleman!I kept turning around to see who it was !(me)

[buffdoc]

This is a great thread. I had a similar experience to jerseyflex in getting started with lifting--i was also quite studious and thin (ok geeky) and weights were a way to repackage that element of me. In the beginning, I lifted mainly to satisfy the conceptions of others, but now I know what I do is for me. Having size makes it easier to command respect and attention at first glance and it certainly makes it easier to hook up which are obvious pluses. But I think more importantly, when you are built, you know you have a physical command over the environment at large; and that gives one, a very satisfying sense of power and control in a world that is often unpredictable, chaotic, and cruel.

[UKBeefy]

the simple thing I notice is when you are more built you look better in your clothes - filling them out and just making the best of them (without having to have an expensive range of clothes).

being built and older definitely makes you feel like you are defying aging as well.

[jerseyflex]

having trouble getting into the gym today so I thought I would check in for new posts / stories...

BTW, I agree w/ someone else who posted: its hard to tell stories when you are truly not an arrogant person (and i definitely am not) because they sound like you are bragging - but i know you guys like this stuff, and lets be honest we all think about it

previously i mentioned my midwest road trip story. i used to take a lot of roadtrips. drove across the country 4 times. this was in the peak of my training days. so there was always a gym bag and containers of whey and packets of myoplex in tow. one of my favorite parts of travelling was finding gyms wherever i went. (see one of my earlier postings: 10 or 12 best gyms in the USA)

on one trip i was passing through Lexington KY. found a World Gym. Nice. nothing outrageous but a good well equipped clean gym. i was there late morning in the summer. place was empty. i was on my way down from 240 lbs (according to my journal, I was 225 with 20" arms and my notes say "not as shredded as I want but definition improving - vein in bi starting to appear when pumped") I think you all can figure that out.

i was wearing a tight "wife beater" (some call them "gini tee's"....no offense to my italian friends but thats what they called them) tank top. was super setting bi's and tri's. distinctly recall an outrageously great - I mean great pump - thought the bi's were gonna pop through the skin (funny how we can remember killer workouts in killer detail?!?!) I was feelin a bit cocky so i went back into the corner of the gym thinking i was alone to pop a few shots - did a side chest/bi and a front double bi, i turn around and there is this young kid (late high school or early college) who had been watching (actually he was kind of following me around the gym all morning from a distance) and his eyes got wide. knowing i had caught him we were both a bit uncomfortable then he said "WOW - how big are they?"

not being a cocky arrogant person i got all embarrassed/befuddled and had some lame ass reply like "im not sure, i dont measure" (yeah right)

coming from NYC there is a certain innocence in places like Kentucky (and most parts of the country for that matter) so im sure this kid was as normal as they come. (the kid had no idea what homoeroticism...sp? is im sure) he looked like a wrestler. lean, hard as a rock, defined but not very big. so we got to talking and i started giving him my whole training and diet routine. he lamented that he couldnt gain weight no matter how hard he tied (later figured out his protein intake was a ridiculous 30 or so g's a day)

i went to the locker room to get my bag to pull out some paper and a pen to write him some notes and i turn around and there he is shirtless at the mirror. "Can we compare" he says.......so off comes my tank and he starts asking questions: "what kind of weight you bench?" (pointing to my pecs)...."your delts are ridiculous" (i swam as a kid and my delts have always overpowered my physique) "how do i train them?" he asked

after i gave him all the info i garnered over 12 years of hit an miss dieting and bodybuilding the kid was so profusely grateful - "you look awesome, thanks so much, id be psyched if i could get to your size..." (he didnt want to be Dorian/Palumbo/Cutler freaky big - he said he wanted just enough to get noticed)

i was so pumped / flattered. told him to keep in touch and let me know about his progress and call if he had questions. never heard from him again. would love to know what he grew into.

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by glammaman2000

I also remember getting on a bus in L.A.&hearing everybody gasp at the muscleman!I kept turning around to see who it was !(me)

Wow! That must have been a huge turn on/eo boost once you realised it was you they were referring to. Man, i can't wait until that happens to me.

Marc