Why you chose to start lifting

[b52]

I can say, I think for me this started back when I was a little kid. I was always trying to keep up with my older brother and his friends, and being a couple years younger I was always smaller than everyone else at the time, so I guess I was an easy target. This caused me to be very competitive, and just gave me a drive to prove my point one day I'd be bigger and stronger than all of them. Especially my older brother.

My aunt's always bring up at family gatherings, that I always would tell them, one day I'm gonna be bigger and stronger than him and I'm gonna beat the crap out of him. I've made good on 2 of those lol, but I don't want to beat the crap out of him anymore lol.


I started lifting at 15. I was always skinny growing up. I never really had much to me. I wasn't picked on at all in my teens,(or at least to my face) probably because I wasn't a sissy growing up fighting with the older kids. I had pretty thick skin for a young kid. I had people laugh, when they saw me start in the gym at school, and even some of my friends said I would never get anywhere and thought it was funny a skinny kid like me thought he was gonna get in shape.

This honestly brought me back to my childhood, where I was like you know what I'm gonna prove you mutherf&ckers wrong. And I did because it pissed me off so bad that people thought it was a joke. Within a year and a half I'd catch people talking about me, in a good way. Like, hey have you seen him lately? He's getting big. But I kept it to myself as a badge of honor and kept on going, and people never mocked me again, because come senior year I was jacked. I got up to 205 senior year. Wasn't super lean but I didn't give a shit. I was bigger and stronger than everyone else, and I looked it. Me the skinny kid that everyone thought was gonna give up or didn't have what it takes. I ate everything I could and lifted as heavy as I could.


And I think that's why I am the way I am today. I'm still competitive. I still feel I need to prove myself. And I have a drive that just does not stop. Granted I've had life get in the way at one point or another, after all this but I always return ready to kick ass, and prove to myself I can do it again. Without events like this growing up I don't know if I'd be where I am. Not just in the gym, but in life. I tend to just go for things when others think they won't succeed at it.

I also think this is why I don't really hang out with a lot of people anymore. I'm goal focused, and they're goal is to get through the week to go to the bar Friday night. I just can't allow myself to go down that road. I've had my share of fun don't get me wrong but at some point you gotta grow up. Where you get to in life always comes down to the choices you make and believing you can do something when everyone else says you can't. Or just because someone else doesn't think you should do something, or because they wouldn't do it, doesn't mean you shouldn't. So I'm thankful for being the underdog as a little kid, and I'm thankful for the doubts because I wouldn't be who I am today without them.


Also, occasionally I'll run into a kid from my childhood, and I'm like I seriously let this little bitch get to me? Lol. Funny how things change.

 

[Dawgpound_Hank]

My dad bought me a weight set when I was 12. But I didn't really work out. Mostly friends would come over and we would see who could lift the most overhead.

When I was 14 I started working out for wrestling and football. I still remember the height/weight charts like yesterday - I was 5'10 and 171. I started at the Y. I started growing fast. I also seen some muscle mags and seen Arnold, Lou, Robby. Got addicted. I wanted to look like those guys. I ate 3" thick tuna sandwiches 2 at a time, drank raw eggs, made shakes with milk, ice cream, raw eggs & Joe Weider yummy protein powder. I joined the Nautilus Club at 16. I weighed 200. Some of the older guys were impressed and talked me into doing a bb show. Been lifting ever since and still crave it as much as when I was 16.

 

[Aklion]

I did weight training in high school when I played football, but only because we had to. We were taught nothing about diet, so i would say the effects were minimal. In my early 20's I suffered from severe depression. My oldest son's mother took him far away from me, and I was only able to see him for half of the year. I thought about suicide for quite a while and realized that I needed help. Rather than going on anti depressants, I looked into natural cures for depression. One was light therapy. I am black, and got even more depressed in the winter. So I started going to a tanning bed once a week. And I started weight training. I fell in love with it, and honestly believe that it saved my life. I haven't experienced depression in over 15 years. I look forward to the gym like most guys look forward to pussy. I fantasize about training, and could spend hours in the gym just because I love being there and challenging myself. I have a family and a career, so I don't indulge in those hours and hours long sessions anymore, but I love it and I will do it until my body says "FUCK NO"

 

[b52]

My dad bought me a weight set when I was 12. But I didn't really work out. Mostly friends would come over and we would see who could lift the most overhead.

When I was 14 I started working out for wrestling and football. I still remember the height/weight charts like yesterday - I was 5'10 and 171. I started at the Y. I started growing fast. I also seen some muscle mags and seen Arnold, Lou, Robby. Got addicted. I wanted to look like those guys. I ate 3" thick tuna sandwiches 2 at a time, drank raw eggs, made shakes with milk, ice cream, raw eggs & Joe Weider yummy protein powder. I joined the Nautilus Club at 16. I weighed 200. Some of the older guys were impressed and talked me into doing a bb show. Been lifting ever since and still crave it as much as when I was 16.

Hahaha, I did the same shit. I'd make my "super shakes" for breakfast. Idk what I was thinking, I couldn't even stomach it now. 6 eggs, cup of milk, cup of oats, dash of cinnamon. I used to suck those down every morning before school. And tuna was CHEAP. I'd stack that whole can between the bread. I used to throw a can in the canned progresso chicken soup too Haha. Bodybuilding on a budget. don't forget the mass gainer. Anything to get there. I used to be a part time cook at a hospital in highschool, so I'd get a lot of leftovers I'd take home. You did what you had to.


Aklion, good to hear the gym helped you turn your life around. It's the one place where everything else in the world doesn't matter for that hour you're in there. Whenever I'm out of state or on vacation, I can honestly say my favorite part is hitting a different gym. I just feel at home when I walk through the doors. There's just really no way to explain it. I'd be empty without it.

 

[liftsiron]

I was small and weak in high school.

 

[Superior]

For the competition in sports, wrestling started when I was 6, football and baseball..

We actually didn’t have a choice, I’m glad I listened..

 

[legaljuicer]

I was skinny ( 110 lbs 5' 8" and at 19 years old). I was tired of being skinny

 

[Big B]

I did weight training in high school when I played football, but only because we had to. We were taught nothing about diet, so i would say the effects were minimal. In my early 20's I suffered from severe depression. My oldest son's mother took him far away from me, and I was only able to see him for half of the year. I thought about suicide for quite a while and realized that I needed help. Rather than going on anti depressants, I looked into natural cures for depression. One was light therapy. I am black, and got even more depressed in the winter. So I started going to a tanning bed once a week. And I started weight training. I fell in love with it, and honestly believe that it saved my life. I haven't experienced depression in over 15 years. I look forward to the gym like most guys look forward to pussy. I fantasize about training, and could spend hours in the gym just because I love being there and challenging myself. I have a family and a career, so I don't indulge in those hours and hours long sessions anymore, but I love it and I will do it until my body says "FUCK NO"

Our stories are somewhat similar. After God and family, I live and breathe the bodybuilding lifestyle...

I'm glad it helped you, brother...

 

[Dakota]

I was SMALL. I too remember the height and weight charts. I wrestled 98lbs up through my sophomore year. I then got a weight set. As a Senior I wrestled 132.

At 19 I joined a Golds and over the next several years put on some meat eventually up to about 160 or so at 5'8" at 27 y.o. Then I came over to the dark side and jumped up to 178 on my first cycle.

 

[wallyd]

I was a husky kid. I would get bullied on the playground & after school when I had to walk home. I didn’t have very much luck with the females either. At 14 I decided to lose weight, I only ate if my stomache growled. I did lose weight, too much in fact. My mom bought a Weider multi station home gym that mounted to the wall. She actually got me started in lifting & I never looked back. It has been a huge part of my life & has really changed my life for the better. Those bullies from my child hood are not so intimidating anymore & I must say I do pretty well with the ladies. ;-)

 

[b52]

Our stories are somewhat similar. After God and family, I live and breathe the bodybuilding lifestyle...

I'm glad it helped you, brother...

Good man. In the right order too.

 

[b52]

I was a husky kid. I would get bullied on the playground & after school when I had to walk home. I didn?t have very much luck with the females either. At 14 I decided to lose weight, I only ate if my stomache growled. I did lose weight, too much in fact. My mom bought a Weider multi station home gym that mounted to the wall. She actually got me started in lifting & I never looked back. It has been a huge part of my life & has really changed my life for the better. Those bullies from my child hood are not so intimidating anymore & I must say I do pretty well with the ladies. ;-)

Funny how things change huh?

 

[jalakes]

At 22 years old I was 6'2" and weighed 155 lbs. I was skinny my whole life. I was tired of being skinny and wanted to get the attention of a girl who had stuck me in the friend zone. I spent close to a decade struggling to put on size. It was frustrating. I was naive and was never in the "in crowd" with lifters so it took until my 30's to discover gear. Even then it took me a few years to get any amount of confidence. Up until that point had never gotten a second look from a hot female. When I put on size I started getting attention from females but I couldn't figured out why. It's funny how your brain plays tricks on you. Females looked at me and saw a muscular 225 lbs dude and all I saw when I looked in the mirror was that skinny goofy kid who liked to crack jokes. I eventually came into my own though. It was nice going to my last high school reunion. Everyone looked so wore down with life and I felt great!

 

[wallyd]

Funny how things change huh?

It?s a good feeling for sure! I forgot to mention my high school reunion until I read jalakes post. Evetine was fat & balding but a couple of guys. I was def the best built one there by far. The ?hot? girls from school were t so ?hot? is but when it was time for pics they were next to me for pics. Lol

 

[Guest]

I started on and off in high school around the age of 15 for sports. I had no clue what I was doing. Than my senior year I did some stupid shit and was picked on so I started to lift heavy and hard to be able to beat the crap out of people if they said anything disrespectful. When I was 17 I also met a oowerlifter that help show me how to lift properly. Than was introduced to a bodybuilder.

 

[Guest]

Lifting also helped me with depression, anxiety and just makes my life happier. I wish I never stopped for the years that I did.

 

[Chooch]

Well I?m a whopping 5?5? tall and I think when I graduated I weighed 120lbs. I can remember thinking ?if I could just get to 135? lol. It was a rough neighborhood and I got tired of being small and perceived as an easy target.

 

[Glycomann]

I did it fo da bling yo.

 

[Deadwood]

I was tired of being 5'7" 162 lbs 30% BF. I was weak and wasn't inspired by what I saw in the mirror. When I started lifting, gains came quick and chasing 5 rep PRs became addicting. Now when I feel stressed about stuff I can't control or has already happened, I can redirect that attention toward something I can control like weight lifting.