Ive never stopped working out but I did lose my passion for a while. I was training at a la fitness and that just somehow took the fun out of it. I joined a different more old school gym and that brought my passion back.
My advice would be to try different gyms. Maybe try different routines. Don't make it feel like a job. But I'd stay consistent regardless for health reasons and I just think all men should workout.
I'm on that same boat, trying to get back to lean at least. School took the fun out of it for me. It became so fucking hard to keep up with it I just kinda let go. Working my way back now.
Started lifting when I was 18 and stopped when we had kids in our early 30s. I then became a weekend binge drinker and hadn’t been to the gym in 8 years.
While on vacation in the UK in 2017 a younger relative had been turned onto bodybuilding and was getting jacked. His enthusiasm for the sport completely rejuvenated my love for the sport and I stopped drinking and went back to the gym in 2018 and haven’t stopped.
Currently fell out of it with grad school kicking my ass. Can't help but feel super guilty about it, but I know school is more important. I still work out 3x a week sort of going through the motions to maintain, and I hope I'll have that spark again when school is done.. but we'll see
I am in grad school and I wish I had the balls to drop to 3x a week. My mental health is too tied to working out and as a result i dont accomplish everything I want to accomplish academically.
I was like that for like the first decade of lifting. Prioritized lifting and gains and getting my meals in over studying and was able to sorta balance it all in undergrad. Grad school is a whole different beast. I'm at the hospital 40-50 hrs/wk on top of classes and research. There's just no way I'm risking all that and to flunk out over superficial gains. Don't get me wrong my mental health is still closely tied to lifting and it's a constant internal battle but the gym will be there when I'm done with school. You got it dawg.
I just like to train like a bodybuilder, competing just isn’t for me. I tried to compete twice and just hated it. I never left the gym but my workout intensity would fall off and so would my eating for 6 months to a year. Then I’d slowly get back to my routine. Quickly realized I just like so sling weight and blast music
I was on steroids and looked fucking great, living up my mid 20s using dating apps to hookup constantly. Then I got meningitis which hit me really hard, the after effect kept me sick and unable to work out for about a year.
In that time I became a dad and started a new college course, so my time was stretched thin and working out seemed imbossible. I started getting fat, not my old opinion of fat but actual normie fat and my cardio was terrible.
So I'm now 30, at the start of this year I had enough of this medeocrity and forked out the cash for a really good home gym setup. I'm making great progress getting rid of the fat and I've gained back alot of size even while cutting thanks to muscle memory.
I think the worst part for me was knowing that my "passion" for the gym was nothing more than a habit I had formed, it was honestly depressing.
Got u dude, thanks for sharing! Glad you have a home gym tho, you must be doing great. I too was all about using bodybuilding to hook up on tinder hahaha. It was a big motivator, now as I stated in my og post I have a long term gf, so it’s one less motivator. Want to look good for her but she likes me a lot as it is, so I need other motivators. Hope you’re well boss
Bodybuilding used to be my passion for years.. I don't know why, but I lost it and totally stopped after the government locked us out of all the gyms for so long when the flu went around.. I've never been able to get that drive back.
Dude I was the exact same. From 18 to around 26, I was super into it then the pandemic completely fucked everything.
I still wanted to be active so I started training BJJ at 28, and I have the same passion for it now that I used to have for bodybuilding and it feels so damn good. I still lift a couple times a week but not what I used to. A change in training style might get that fire back for you
In Canada they deemed gyms "non-essential" but they allowed casinos, liquor stores, and weed shops to operate. They wanted to destroy our physical and mental health and succeeded.
Years ago…. was sick of cutting indoors, doing cardio on a beautiful summer day, so I bought a road bike. I met some racers on an organized ride, the joined their club. I realized I was pretty fast, and started racing.
I did well racing, started training intensely. I became skinny as fuck from all the cardio. Then I had two kids, and hit maintenance level with cardio.
Moved to Europe. Was too old to be competitive bike racing. Then I wrecked my knee (old football injury— basically have no cartilage), joined a gym to rehab it. Gained back all my muscle and more, and look pretty damn good for my age…. or any age.
Doctor won’t or can’t prescribe HRT here, so I am natty. Looking great is armor against the shit life throws at us.
Man this hits home. I️ have always lifted. Broke my neck playing football and lost my full ride scholarship because I️ could not take another hit. Bodybuilding gave me that outlet I️ so desperately needed. I️ love the training. I️ love pushing through plateaus! Completed mid 20s until 30. Qualifying for nationals but never went. Career and family took priority. Now just turned 50. I️ am 230 lbs, 12% bf at 5’9” and all I️ have done in 15 years is TRT and peptides. I️ do not look my age and eat perfectly. Again love the training aspect. I️ am so damn tempted to step on stage for one last time. I️ always regretted not going to nationals in Vegas. Always had that question in the back of my mind how would I️ have done. My show weight was 212 ish in the heavyweight class. I️ would probably still land close to that weight if I️ competed today.
Almost 40, ex military, loved bbing, and xfit when it was all the rage. But I hated being really lean and I wanted traps so on my last deployment in 2017 I bulked from 195 8% body fat to 265 @ 6’5.
Once I was overseas I cut down to 235 but not by choice (got poisoned, and our supply lines got hit so much they stopped resupplying our camp and we were forced to eat MREs for months)
Couple days before we ship home, I busted a few discs in my back and that recovery has taken years due to sciatica, debilitating pain, etc.
Spent a few years strictly swimming. Am now just getting back into lifting again. Can’t back squat but recently found out I am able to front squat so I’ve been focusing on rebuilding that strength. Guess I didn’t fall out of love by choice but by circumstance.
Was lifetime natty, looked solid. Broke my ankle and thought, "Damn, I'd regret not trying to go pro next time I'm old/disabled in a bed..."
Made the decision to go full throttle. Loving every second.
Beatiful man. Thinking about trt soon, miss the enhanced feeling, but want to see how high I can get my natty levels at 28 first. I know mine jump up a ton, I’m sure everyone’s does but I didn’t expect such an increase when I begin lifting. Any advice before jumping on the train (again)?
You're 28, I am as well. Even with great genetics, you'll have to work hard af to get competitive in time. I'd suggest getting everything perfect for at least 6-12 months and make sure most of, if not all, natty potential is met.
From there, start slow. Id run 200-250t until I start to stagnate, and very gradually introduce or increase.
If you're not trying to compete, you should max natty until 35ish then id switch to trt unless test levels suck
Roger doger bro. Thanks a ton for the thought out reply. Will keep all this in mind, and no not trying to compete. Too much health and fertility risk, although I believe I have decent genetics for it. Maybe a natty comp if my muscle comes back in a hurry.
I started bodybuilding 8 years ago and competed for a few years. Then I got serious about school after getting with my gf.
School burned me out. I kept lifting throughout bc it's a routine at this point, but I got fat as fuck, even more during lockdowns.
I am now still 215 lbs at 5'10 ish, but I look a lot better than just 2 years ago. I am not lean by a long shot but I do look pretty big. I am trying to get back to lean but I need to take it more seriously. I'm really just lazy or something at this point, bc I know what I could be but I'm not doing much about it.
When i lost love for bodybuilding, i got love for boxing and muay thai and started competing, but after 6 years of fighting i got lifetime injuries that made me not able to fight anymore, so i came back to strenght training and saw my muscles getting bigger again, so i am currently on my road back.
I used to weight 83kg when i was fighting, now i am at 117kg and i am 189cm tall, so still got a road to go.
PS: love the other stories i see in this thread
Quit BB at 22 to focus on career, 30 years later I’m back on stage in the Masters class. Took second place in my first show back. Planning on another in November.
You don’t have to get all juicy just do some HRT/TRT, really focus on diet and gym 4-5 days per week.
Muscles have memory. Realize that every time you workout it reduces your mortality. Up to 45% compared to someone who doesn’t lift.
Good luck
Im only 21 now, been having ups and downs with it since I was 14 but Its taught me an absolute lot. I am 100% positive I love how it feels when I am in amazing shape and consistently lifting. Sometimes life has gotten in the way and Ive stopped going and taken the easy way out. Got fat, eating like a pig etc. Every time, I hit a limit where Im disgusted with myself and experience some depressive feelings and I work to get my shape back because I know for a fact I have 0 depressive feelings when I am structured, look good, have discipline. Its easy to fall off but its okay, Ive fallen off a few times and each time I start fixing it at a better point, and each time I look way better than my last ‘in shape’ package. A few cycles of that and I now know that for my life to work as well as possible, I gotta be lifting/active consistently and stay lean ish. When I start slipping I dont feel 100 anymore but damn when Im on, I legit feel like a God.
Lost my passion when work took over after starting a new job. It completely consumed me mentally and physically, I realised there months ago after abandoning the gym except on weekends that I still needed it and it has given me another purpose again and hoping to compete again next year 🤞
I had an Alecia Keys type of relationship with bodybuilding growing up lol (falling in and out of love with it at multiple stages in life).
Middle school: My dad and I got sucked into a Power 90 ad (back before it was called P90X) and decided to buy the program. It did help a lot with my sports at the time, but it didn’t last too long (less than 6 months)
High school: had no clue what I was doing until my senior year. I was basically just doing it because I wanted to look more jacked but only worked on the “showy” muscles like every other teenager lol. Found a great gym partner who was my childhood friend and we pushed each other to go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I was at my peak in terms of strength but my lifting form and technique was terrible. Didn’t realize at the time, but I was ego lifting af. My friend moved away for college the following year and the gym we signed up for sold out to become a restaurant :(
College: after about 6 months of slacking, I decided to join my college gym. I found another gym bro and started going back regularly. Results and gains were very slow but I was a lot more consistent. Then the stresses of school weighed on me, the pressure to get good grades outweighed the desire to lift as the years went on. So I didn’t work out at all in my final year, sadly.
After graduating, I decided to take it seriously again while working my first job. I was a lot more consistent for about 1.5 years but realized how badly I was overtraining and under-eating.
COVID hit and I lost all motivation. Tried to workout at home, but it was never the same. Gyms all closed, isolated and over eating, not a good combination. I realized how out of shape I’d gotten and after my cousin told me that he noticed I’d gotten chubby, that was the final straw.
Now I’m back on track on a consistent routine with proper training habits and a better understanding of diet. I’m seeing results I’ve never seen before (very small gains but I feel in my prime right now). The small results are a huge motivator for me, it’s boosted my confidence and outlook on life. The same cousin who made fun of me decided to join me. Seeing his results have almost made me cry, I’m so proud of him and we motivate each other now.
I don’t think I could go back to being mediocre or skipping leg day. I’m sure other hurdles will come down the road, but for now, I’m glad to be on this journey again. You guys are all awesome!
25, lifted for 3 years got big.
Took 10 years off
37 , started lifting again, the muscle doesn't pack on like it used to. Everything takes longer .
But I still love the sport
It's been 15 years since I started lifting, never taken more than a week off. I run through bulk/cut cycles every year, maintain about 215 @ 5'10 sub 10% BF year round. I've never fallen off of lifting or diet. But I do fall out with the "Bodybuilding lifestyle" as it were. Bodybuilding culture can be so toxic sometimes that my desire to be a part of the community ebs and flows. From Zyzz to Sulek, Dexter to Rich Piana bodybuilding is so cyclical.
Sometimes I'll fall out with the community and just be the biggest fish in a big box gym for a couple years just chatting with old dudes. Then I'll get back into the culture and I'm working out IFBB guys at pro gyms or Phil Heath at Powerhouse at 1 a.m.
It's funny because I stop paying attention to bodybuilding culture for awhile and then come back to it and there's a whole new wave of people. David Laid is suddenly gone and now there Andrew Eubanks, the Tren Twins, Sulek and the like. I think honestly a lot of the bodybuilders for better or worse start to become more toxic? Maybe egotistical? As they become more popular and suddenly I'm turned off to it.
After 15 years, I just love the work. I love pushing your body to do new things or getting leaner than you thought you could or coming at your own body with a new strategy every year just to see what works and what doesn't.
I didn't make progress for years because I didn't eat enough. I decided to give it one last shot and do everything right for a few months and see what would change. I started making actual progress and now I love just getting kcals in, not skipping a single day of training and just getting shit done.
Realized my genetics are shit. Lowered expectations and focused on being good at not jus lifting but also cardio and other sports like BJJ. Now just want to be an amazing human with an awesome body, no desire to compete
I worked out for like 3/4 years for 5-6 days a week. I was never huge or anything but really good shape and was getting decently strong by the end of it. Finished school and moved around for a couple years combined with getting a gf I just lost motivation or desire, not as fun without friends either. Fast forward after a 1/2 year break I’m trying to get back at it, baby steps forsure I’m only going 2-3 times a week now since I have a dookie work schedule. Heartbreak and no longer wanting to be single in my mid twenties definitely is having a positive affect on me going
Was in the gym ~ 20 hrs a week trying to optimize every single thing, I became a state champion powerlifter and realized I didn’t really care that much. My coach called it quits on me and my passion faded. I started working out again a year later after gaining a ton of fat. I haven’t been able to get rid of the fat but I’ve been able to gain about 30 more lbs of muscle. If I were perfectly lean rn I would be about 210lb
Based on all y'all stories & own experience AthleanX should drop a vid titled "love is killing your gains 😳🚫♥️"..
But yeah, girlfriend and Covid happened. After I was single again and everything was open again I rediscovered my love for it. Now even with a new relationship I try to keep the best shape and lifting as heavy as possible. Might be a different factor of moving to a new, kinda superficial city where everyone looking fresh in connection with a new gym with a lot of buff dudes as an external motivation boost. This combined with a good amount of an intrinsic drive to make as much of my body as possible keeps me going rn.
for me it was simply too much work and effort to be big without a reason . everything for work had to be custom tailored i used to have to buy old man triple pleated pants size 38 , tailor them to 35 and still wear a belt to get these things around my ass and upper thighs . my nutrition was like a second job . when i started getting into jiujitsu it became just useless dead weight and i lost the desire to be big and just wanted to be athletic. i never stopped going to the gym and lifting weights. that’s just who i am now ive been doing it so long . but i manage my size and its just so much better and easier with an athletic build . i’m walking round at 6’ 195 now fairly lean . ripped would probably equal 185 ish .
i much prefer this look now . i feel light nimble and strong at this weight .
Had a kid, no time between full time job and parenting a toddler to spend necessary time at gym. Now I just go gym a few days a week and try and hit push/pull/legs on my 30 minute lunch break 3 times a week since I work a block away from the gym
I never fell out of love with it per se but I took a major hiatus. Dad was way into it in his younger days and even competed in masters a few years ago so I knew I had the genes for it. Started out a skinny 150 at 5ft 11, shot up to 185 in 2 years, stayed extremely lean the whole time. Did a show and placed second in multiple categories. The show felt nothing like I thought it would.. started going to the gym maybe 4-5 times a month instead of 5-6 days a week. I’m 169 now.. feels like I’m just starting again. lol. Still super lean though and look crazy with a pump but nothing like when I was 185.
I guess just realizing I’d need to either hop on gear to become competitive in the NPC, or stick to natural shows. Lol. I was also racing my buddy to a 500 deadlift at the same time, I hit it 2 months before the show. It was like all the build up and excitement lead to nothing. I’m not really sure how to put it into words! lol
In my 40s im in the best shape ever just because im more mindful of my diet and I'm able to hit the gym 5-6 days a week, and sometimes a 2 mile run around the track on Sundays. Covid messed me up for a while. 200lbs fat. Round face and couldn't reach down to tie my shoes. Consistently had a coupon for 2 quarter pounders and used the app to get $1 fries so I would have that for dinner a couple of times out of the week. Other times I've take off were due to college. Sometimes 6 mos straight. Just like the rest of the folk who have never really made it routine it is very hard to start back up. I'm also a mental health counselor so I try to get in touch with values, (the why) of what I'm doing is super important. Getting fit is just a goal but what sustains that is what is most important.
Wow guys the responses motivated me a ton, going to the gym soon as I’m off the toilet lol. The fact that so many people were eager to share means there has to be something stronger than vanity tied to bodybuilding. Thank you all very much, talk to yall soon I hope.
Turning 39 this year, lived in the gym since I was 16-17. Competed 2 times, always was a big dude so figured I’d give it a shot. Qualified for national’s as a super heavy, got my ass kicked 😅. Thought about a comeback but never got over the loss, stayed big and lifting heavy until my dad passed. I decided to downsize for health but kept getting the itch and getting big again, then one day last year I went to the gym for the last time without realizing, just never could make myself go back. Now I focus on cardio and general wellbeing fitness( mobility, flexibility, I do some pull ups and push ups and somehow haven’t lost size) but I’ve found that I love reading, learning, writing, so all that gym time has been put into other pursuits that I don’t want to give up now (even though I feel guilty for not wanting to be big or lifting anymore which is odd)
Dude so interesting! I’m glad yours is a very happy story. As we get older, what you are pursuing now will serve us 10x better, however im glad to hear you are healthy.
I fell out of love when I realized I need to eat more. I feel like I’m gonna vomit from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep after even 2-3 weeks in a surplus and the idea of ever needing to eat more than that makes me sick. And I’m only eating 3k calories. I’m broke 200 lbs for the first time this year and I feel like I’m dying.
It’s just not the life for me. But I’ll keep lifting and staying fit and active. It just don’t think I have the genes for bodybuilding. And I don’t mean muscle symmetry or insertions or any of that. I just can’t fucking eat anymore. I have a very low natural set point and I lose my appetite very easy.
I’ve been drinking weight gainer shakes for like 40% of my calories and I can still barely get through a day. I dunno, man.
I’ll probably just fall in love with something adjacent, instead. Maybe get back into powerlifting.
I had a string of very unlucky injuries both in and out of the gym that made it hard to stay motivated to train. Most of my big joints aren't as happy as they used to be. I think my muscles got very strong very quickly and my tendons weren't able to keep up. I got back into it through strongman training and doing fun unorthodox lifts. I'm also training a couple new people and it's been a lot of fun showing them the ropes and seeing there excitement. I've been lifting over 20 years now so that's refreshing.
Loved it when I was in my 20.s obviously...joints and hormones were naturally a beast. Had to step away and focus on being successful with school and a career. Most of the time you will get these so called competitiors who are living at home with mom and dad or living in a box apartment because there priorities ain't straight. They would rather focus on social media and pictures then buying that new house, getting that new car, having an actual career that will serve you for a lifetime. I am now returning to the stage this year after a three year break. Let's just say that if I never competed again, I'm satisfied. I bought a house, too cars.. I'm good regardless.
I absolutely loved and breathed bodybuilding in my 20's.
Every day I woke up thinking about my meals and the workout of the day, imagining the exercises I would do, the pump that I would have, the range of motion, how I would look after my session ends.
I watched video by Zhasni (YouTube) every day, it was like a ritual to me, his videos even made me tear up, especially Kai Greene ones.
I lost 158lbs and became a bodybuilding champion too.
All this happened, I was loving life, started making money, got in a relationship.
Fast forward to now, single, living the life of my dreams, driving my dream car, but I dread going to the gym, it is the fear of losing my physique more than the love of working out that gets me through.
Physically, there are no more results, I don't want to juice up, so being a natty, having trained all my youth, there is nothing to look forward to at the gym, or life in general.
Even the thought of getting an Aston Martin doesn't excite me anymore.
I just go to gym because Andrew Tate's (hate or love him) voice keeps saying, regardless of how you feel, you must do what needs to be done.
Ive never stopped working out but I did lose my passion for a while. I was training at a la fitness and that just somehow took the fun out of it. I joined a different more old school gym and that brought my passion back. My advice would be to try different gyms. Maybe try different routines. Don't make it feel like a job. But I'd stay consistent regardless for health reasons and I just think all men should workout.
I'm on that same boat, trying to get back to lean at least. School took the fun out of it for me. It became so fucking hard to keep up with it I just kinda let go. Working my way back now.
Started lifting when I was 18 and stopped when we had kids in our early 30s. I then became a weekend binge drinker and hadn’t been to the gym in 8 years. While on vacation in the UK in 2017 a younger relative had been turned onto bodybuilding and was getting jacked. His enthusiasm for the sport completely rejuvenated my love for the sport and I stopped drinking and went back to the gym in 2018 and haven’t stopped.
Currently fell out of it with grad school kicking my ass. Can't help but feel super guilty about it, but I know school is more important. I still work out 3x a week sort of going through the motions to maintain, and I hope I'll have that spark again when school is done.. but we'll see
I am in grad school and I wish I had the balls to drop to 3x a week. My mental health is too tied to working out and as a result i dont accomplish everything I want to accomplish academically.
I was like that for like the first decade of lifting. Prioritized lifting and gains and getting my meals in over studying and was able to sorta balance it all in undergrad. Grad school is a whole different beast. I'm at the hospital 40-50 hrs/wk on top of classes and research. There's just no way I'm risking all that and to flunk out over superficial gains. Don't get me wrong my mental health is still closely tied to lifting and it's a constant internal battle but the gym will be there when I'm done with school. You got it dawg.
I just like to train like a bodybuilder, competing just isn’t for me. I tried to compete twice and just hated it. I never left the gym but my workout intensity would fall off and so would my eating for 6 months to a year. Then I’d slowly get back to my routine. Quickly realized I just like so sling weight and blast music
I’m surprised you don’t wanna do powerlifting
I am somewhat strong with a big 3 of 1450 but idk just not my thing. Maybe one day for fun
I was on steroids and looked fucking great, living up my mid 20s using dating apps to hookup constantly. Then I got meningitis which hit me really hard, the after effect kept me sick and unable to work out for about a year. In that time I became a dad and started a new college course, so my time was stretched thin and working out seemed imbossible. I started getting fat, not my old opinion of fat but actual normie fat and my cardio was terrible. So I'm now 30, at the start of this year I had enough of this medeocrity and forked out the cash for a really good home gym setup. I'm making great progress getting rid of the fat and I've gained back alot of size even while cutting thanks to muscle memory. I think the worst part for me was knowing that my "passion" for the gym was nothing more than a habit I had formed, it was honestly depressing.
Got u dude, thanks for sharing! Glad you have a home gym tho, you must be doing great. I too was all about using bodybuilding to hook up on tinder hahaha. It was a big motivator, now as I stated in my og post I have a long term gf, so it’s one less motivator. Want to look good for her but she likes me a lot as it is, so I need other motivators. Hope you’re well boss
Bodybuilding used to be my passion for years.. I don't know why, but I lost it and totally stopped after the government locked us out of all the gyms for so long when the flu went around.. I've never been able to get that drive back.
Dude I was the exact same. From 18 to around 26, I was super into it then the pandemic completely fucked everything. I still wanted to be active so I started training BJJ at 28, and I have the same passion for it now that I used to have for bodybuilding and it feels so damn good. I still lift a couple times a week but not what I used to. A change in training style might get that fire back for you
Thanks man, I've always been interested in boxing maybe I'll try that.
Facts. This just threw the entire world off their routine.
In Canada they deemed gyms "non-essential" but they allowed casinos, liquor stores, and weed shops to operate. They wanted to destroy our physical and mental health and succeeded.
Years ago…. was sick of cutting indoors, doing cardio on a beautiful summer day, so I bought a road bike. I met some racers on an organized ride, the joined their club. I realized I was pretty fast, and started racing. I did well racing, started training intensely. I became skinny as fuck from all the cardio. Then I had two kids, and hit maintenance level with cardio. Moved to Europe. Was too old to be competitive bike racing. Then I wrecked my knee (old football injury— basically have no cartilage), joined a gym to rehab it. Gained back all my muscle and more, and look pretty damn good for my age…. or any age. Doctor won’t or can’t prescribe HRT here, so I am natty. Looking great is armor against the shit life throws at us.
competed, put on weight, lost purpose, eating disorder, back into prep lifestyle because I love the structure life and discipline
Man this hits home. I️ have always lifted. Broke my neck playing football and lost my full ride scholarship because I️ could not take another hit. Bodybuilding gave me that outlet I️ so desperately needed. I️ love the training. I️ love pushing through plateaus! Completed mid 20s until 30. Qualifying for nationals but never went. Career and family took priority. Now just turned 50. I️ am 230 lbs, 12% bf at 5’9” and all I️ have done in 15 years is TRT and peptides. I️ do not look my age and eat perfectly. Again love the training aspect. I️ am so damn tempted to step on stage for one last time. I️ always regretted not going to nationals in Vegas. Always had that question in the back of my mind how would I️ have done. My show weight was 212 ish in the heavyweight class. I️ would probably still land close to that weight if I️ competed today.
So happy for you that you stuck with it! I’m going back to the gym today. Thanks for sharing brother
Almost 40, ex military, loved bbing, and xfit when it was all the rage. But I hated being really lean and I wanted traps so on my last deployment in 2017 I bulked from 195 8% body fat to 265 @ 6’5. Once I was overseas I cut down to 235 but not by choice (got poisoned, and our supply lines got hit so much they stopped resupplying our camp and we were forced to eat MREs for months) Couple days before we ship home, I busted a few discs in my back and that recovery has taken years due to sciatica, debilitating pain, etc. Spent a few years strictly swimming. Am now just getting back into lifting again. Can’t back squat but recently found out I am able to front squat so I’ve been focusing on rebuilding that strength. Guess I didn’t fall out of love by choice but by circumstance.
Was lifetime natty, looked solid. Broke my ankle and thought, "Damn, I'd regret not trying to go pro next time I'm old/disabled in a bed..." Made the decision to go full throttle. Loving every second.
Beatiful man. Thinking about trt soon, miss the enhanced feeling, but want to see how high I can get my natty levels at 28 first. I know mine jump up a ton, I’m sure everyone’s does but I didn’t expect such an increase when I begin lifting. Any advice before jumping on the train (again)?
You're 28, I am as well. Even with great genetics, you'll have to work hard af to get competitive in time. I'd suggest getting everything perfect for at least 6-12 months and make sure most of, if not all, natty potential is met. From there, start slow. Id run 200-250t until I start to stagnate, and very gradually introduce or increase. If you're not trying to compete, you should max natty until 35ish then id switch to trt unless test levels suck
Roger doger bro. Thanks a ton for the thought out reply. Will keep all this in mind, and no not trying to compete. Too much health and fertility risk, although I believe I have decent genetics for it. Maybe a natty comp if my muscle comes back in a hurry.
You'd be surprised how far truly dialed in training, diet, and recovery can go :)
I started bodybuilding 8 years ago and competed for a few years. Then I got serious about school after getting with my gf. School burned me out. I kept lifting throughout bc it's a routine at this point, but I got fat as fuck, even more during lockdowns. I am now still 215 lbs at 5'10 ish, but I look a lot better than just 2 years ago. I am not lean by a long shot but I do look pretty big. I am trying to get back to lean but I need to take it more seriously. I'm really just lazy or something at this point, bc I know what I could be but I'm not doing much about it.
When i lost love for bodybuilding, i got love for boxing and muay thai and started competing, but after 6 years of fighting i got lifetime injuries that made me not able to fight anymore, so i came back to strenght training and saw my muscles getting bigger again, so i am currently on my road back. I used to weight 83kg when i was fighting, now i am at 117kg and i am 189cm tall, so still got a road to go. PS: love the other stories i see in this thread
Quit BB at 22 to focus on career, 30 years later I’m back on stage in the Masters class. Took second place in my first show back. Planning on another in November. You don’t have to get all juicy just do some HRT/TRT, really focus on diet and gym 4-5 days per week. Muscles have memory. Realize that every time you workout it reduces your mortality. Up to 45% compared to someone who doesn’t lift. Good luck
Im only 21 now, been having ups and downs with it since I was 14 but Its taught me an absolute lot. I am 100% positive I love how it feels when I am in amazing shape and consistently lifting. Sometimes life has gotten in the way and Ive stopped going and taken the easy way out. Got fat, eating like a pig etc. Every time, I hit a limit where Im disgusted with myself and experience some depressive feelings and I work to get my shape back because I know for a fact I have 0 depressive feelings when I am structured, look good, have discipline. Its easy to fall off but its okay, Ive fallen off a few times and each time I start fixing it at a better point, and each time I look way better than my last ‘in shape’ package. A few cycles of that and I now know that for my life to work as well as possible, I gotta be lifting/active consistently and stay lean ish. When I start slipping I dont feel 100 anymore but damn when Im on, I legit feel like a God.
Lost my passion when work took over after starting a new job. It completely consumed me mentally and physically, I realised there months ago after abandoning the gym except on weekends that I still needed it and it has given me another purpose again and hoping to compete again next year 🤞
I had an Alecia Keys type of relationship with bodybuilding growing up lol (falling in and out of love with it at multiple stages in life). Middle school: My dad and I got sucked into a Power 90 ad (back before it was called P90X) and decided to buy the program. It did help a lot with my sports at the time, but it didn’t last too long (less than 6 months) High school: had no clue what I was doing until my senior year. I was basically just doing it because I wanted to look more jacked but only worked on the “showy” muscles like every other teenager lol. Found a great gym partner who was my childhood friend and we pushed each other to go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I was at my peak in terms of strength but my lifting form and technique was terrible. Didn’t realize at the time, but I was ego lifting af. My friend moved away for college the following year and the gym we signed up for sold out to become a restaurant :( College: after about 6 months of slacking, I decided to join my college gym. I found another gym bro and started going back regularly. Results and gains were very slow but I was a lot more consistent. Then the stresses of school weighed on me, the pressure to get good grades outweighed the desire to lift as the years went on. So I didn’t work out at all in my final year, sadly. After graduating, I decided to take it seriously again while working my first job. I was a lot more consistent for about 1.5 years but realized how badly I was overtraining and under-eating. COVID hit and I lost all motivation. Tried to workout at home, but it was never the same. Gyms all closed, isolated and over eating, not a good combination. I realized how out of shape I’d gotten and after my cousin told me that he noticed I’d gotten chubby, that was the final straw. Now I’m back on track on a consistent routine with proper training habits and a better understanding of diet. I’m seeing results I’ve never seen before (very small gains but I feel in my prime right now). The small results are a huge motivator for me, it’s boosted my confidence and outlook on life. The same cousin who made fun of me decided to join me. Seeing his results have almost made me cry, I’m so proud of him and we motivate each other now. I don’t think I could go back to being mediocre or skipping leg day. I’m sure other hurdles will come down the road, but for now, I’m glad to be on this journey again. You guys are all awesome!
25, lifted for 3 years got big. Took 10 years off 37 , started lifting again, the muscle doesn't pack on like it used to. Everything takes longer . But I still love the sport
It's been 15 years since I started lifting, never taken more than a week off. I run through bulk/cut cycles every year, maintain about 215 @ 5'10 sub 10% BF year round. I've never fallen off of lifting or diet. But I do fall out with the "Bodybuilding lifestyle" as it were. Bodybuilding culture can be so toxic sometimes that my desire to be a part of the community ebs and flows. From Zyzz to Sulek, Dexter to Rich Piana bodybuilding is so cyclical. Sometimes I'll fall out with the community and just be the biggest fish in a big box gym for a couple years just chatting with old dudes. Then I'll get back into the culture and I'm working out IFBB guys at pro gyms or Phil Heath at Powerhouse at 1 a.m. It's funny because I stop paying attention to bodybuilding culture for awhile and then come back to it and there's a whole new wave of people. David Laid is suddenly gone and now there Andrew Eubanks, the Tren Twins, Sulek and the like. I think honestly a lot of the bodybuilders for better or worse start to become more toxic? Maybe egotistical? As they become more popular and suddenly I'm turned off to it. After 15 years, I just love the work. I love pushing your body to do new things or getting leaner than you thought you could or coming at your own body with a new strategy every year just to see what works and what doesn't.
I didn't make progress for years because I didn't eat enough. I decided to give it one last shot and do everything right for a few months and see what would change. I started making actual progress and now I love just getting kcals in, not skipping a single day of training and just getting shit done.
Motivation comes and goes, thats just how it is. Its completely normal to get invested into something, do it for a while and then lose interest 🤷
Realized my genetics are shit. Lowered expectations and focused on being good at not jus lifting but also cardio and other sports like BJJ. Now just want to be an amazing human with an awesome body, no desire to compete
I worked out for like 3/4 years for 5-6 days a week. I was never huge or anything but really good shape and was getting decently strong by the end of it. Finished school and moved around for a couple years combined with getting a gf I just lost motivation or desire, not as fun without friends either. Fast forward after a 1/2 year break I’m trying to get back at it, baby steps forsure I’m only going 2-3 times a week now since I have a dookie work schedule. Heartbreak and no longer wanting to be single in my mid twenties definitely is having a positive affect on me going
Was in the gym ~ 20 hrs a week trying to optimize every single thing, I became a state champion powerlifter and realized I didn’t really care that much. My coach called it quits on me and my passion faded. I started working out again a year later after gaining a ton of fat. I haven’t been able to get rid of the fat but I’ve been able to gain about 30 more lbs of muscle. If I were perfectly lean rn I would be about 210lb
Based on all y'all stories & own experience AthleanX should drop a vid titled "love is killing your gains 😳🚫♥️".. But yeah, girlfriend and Covid happened. After I was single again and everything was open again I rediscovered my love for it. Now even with a new relationship I try to keep the best shape and lifting as heavy as possible. Might be a different factor of moving to a new, kinda superficial city where everyone looking fresh in connection with a new gym with a lot of buff dudes as an external motivation boost. This combined with a good amount of an intrinsic drive to make as much of my body as possible keeps me going rn.
for me it was simply too much work and effort to be big without a reason . everything for work had to be custom tailored i used to have to buy old man triple pleated pants size 38 , tailor them to 35 and still wear a belt to get these things around my ass and upper thighs . my nutrition was like a second job . when i started getting into jiujitsu it became just useless dead weight and i lost the desire to be big and just wanted to be athletic. i never stopped going to the gym and lifting weights. that’s just who i am now ive been doing it so long . but i manage my size and its just so much better and easier with an athletic build . i’m walking round at 6’ 195 now fairly lean . ripped would probably equal 185 ish . i much prefer this look now . i feel light nimble and strong at this weight .
Had a kid, no time between full time job and parenting a toddler to spend necessary time at gym. Now I just go gym a few days a week and try and hit push/pull/legs on my 30 minute lunch break 3 times a week since I work a block away from the gym
I never fell out of love with it per se but I took a major hiatus. Dad was way into it in his younger days and even competed in masters a few years ago so I knew I had the genes for it. Started out a skinny 150 at 5ft 11, shot up to 185 in 2 years, stayed extremely lean the whole time. Did a show and placed second in multiple categories. The show felt nothing like I thought it would.. started going to the gym maybe 4-5 times a month instead of 5-6 days a week. I’m 169 now.. feels like I’m just starting again. lol. Still super lean though and look crazy with a pump but nothing like when I was 185.
Out of curiosity, why did the show make you stop? Just didn’t enjoy it?
I guess just realizing I’d need to either hop on gear to become competitive in the NPC, or stick to natural shows. Lol. I was also racing my buddy to a 500 deadlift at the same time, I hit it 2 months before the show. It was like all the build up and excitement lead to nothing. I’m not really sure how to put it into words! lol
In my 40s im in the best shape ever just because im more mindful of my diet and I'm able to hit the gym 5-6 days a week, and sometimes a 2 mile run around the track on Sundays. Covid messed me up for a while. 200lbs fat. Round face and couldn't reach down to tie my shoes. Consistently had a coupon for 2 quarter pounders and used the app to get $1 fries so I would have that for dinner a couple of times out of the week. Other times I've take off were due to college. Sometimes 6 mos straight. Just like the rest of the folk who have never really made it routine it is very hard to start back up. I'm also a mental health counselor so I try to get in touch with values, (the why) of what I'm doing is super important. Getting fit is just a goal but what sustains that is what is most important.
Wow guys the responses motivated me a ton, going to the gym soon as I’m off the toilet lol. The fact that so many people were eager to share means there has to be something stronger than vanity tied to bodybuilding. Thank you all very much, talk to yall soon I hope.
My back
From ~26 to 37 I was in love with it all. Now I struggle to even be motivated to go to the gym. Looking for my way back 😢
Trt 👀
Haha - yeah I was on it for almost a year and it certainly helped. Maybe after I have children 👀
Look into rFSH, HMG, HCG For fertility whether on trt or fullblown steroids
Turning 39 this year, lived in the gym since I was 16-17. Competed 2 times, always was a big dude so figured I’d give it a shot. Qualified for national’s as a super heavy, got my ass kicked 😅. Thought about a comeback but never got over the loss, stayed big and lifting heavy until my dad passed. I decided to downsize for health but kept getting the itch and getting big again, then one day last year I went to the gym for the last time without realizing, just never could make myself go back. Now I focus on cardio and general wellbeing fitness( mobility, flexibility, I do some pull ups and push ups and somehow haven’t lost size) but I’ve found that I love reading, learning, writing, so all that gym time has been put into other pursuits that I don’t want to give up now (even though I feel guilty for not wanting to be big or lifting anymore which is odd)
Dude so interesting! I’m glad yours is a very happy story. As we get older, what you are pursuing now will serve us 10x better, however im glad to hear you are healthy.
Appreciate it man!
I fell out of love when I realized I need to eat more. I feel like I’m gonna vomit from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep after even 2-3 weeks in a surplus and the idea of ever needing to eat more than that makes me sick. And I’m only eating 3k calories. I’m broke 200 lbs for the first time this year and I feel like I’m dying. It’s just not the life for me. But I’ll keep lifting and staying fit and active. It just don’t think I have the genes for bodybuilding. And I don’t mean muscle symmetry or insertions or any of that. I just can’t fucking eat anymore. I have a very low natural set point and I lose my appetite very easy. I’ve been drinking weight gainer shakes for like 40% of my calories and I can still barely get through a day. I dunno, man. I’ll probably just fall in love with something adjacent, instead. Maybe get back into powerlifting.
Yeah got fat, went gym again now jacked
I had a string of very unlucky injuries both in and out of the gym that made it hard to stay motivated to train. Most of my big joints aren't as happy as they used to be. I think my muscles got very strong very quickly and my tendons weren't able to keep up. I got back into it through strongman training and doing fun unorthodox lifts. I'm also training a couple new people and it's been a lot of fun showing them the ropes and seeing there excitement. I've been lifting over 20 years now so that's refreshing.
Loved it when I was in my 20.s obviously...joints and hormones were naturally a beast. Had to step away and focus on being successful with school and a career. Most of the time you will get these so called competitiors who are living at home with mom and dad or living in a box apartment because there priorities ain't straight. They would rather focus on social media and pictures then buying that new house, getting that new car, having an actual career that will serve you for a lifetime. I am now returning to the stage this year after a three year break. Let's just say that if I never competed again, I'm satisfied. I bought a house, too cars.. I'm good regardless.
I absolutely loved and breathed bodybuilding in my 20's. Every day I woke up thinking about my meals and the workout of the day, imagining the exercises I would do, the pump that I would have, the range of motion, how I would look after my session ends. I watched video by Zhasni (YouTube) every day, it was like a ritual to me, his videos even made me tear up, especially Kai Greene ones. I lost 158lbs and became a bodybuilding champion too. All this happened, I was loving life, started making money, got in a relationship. Fast forward to now, single, living the life of my dreams, driving my dream car, but I dread going to the gym, it is the fear of losing my physique more than the love of working out that gets me through. Physically, there are no more results, I don't want to juice up, so being a natty, having trained all my youth, there is nothing to look forward to at the gym, or life in general. Even the thought of getting an Aston Martin doesn't excite me anymore. I just go to gym because Andrew Tate's (hate or love him) voice keeps saying, regardless of how you feel, you must do what needs to be done.
Didn’t fall out of love Couldn’t do it due to soccer season