How Do I Become a Bodybuilder?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I want to become a bodybuilder and do some amateur shows within the next year and a half. But, I do not know if I am doing all that I can to reach that goal. I haveve been lifting seriously for the last 3 year. I’m on a great bodybuilding plan, I eat well, and I am taking supplements. I am gaining mass and looking much more lean than I was a few months ago. What else can/should I be doing?

Are there any big bodybuilding groups or trainers around the Sacramento area? I would really like to get hooked into something, and find a mentor.

I would like advise from guys who know their stuff or are actual bodybuilders themselves.

2

Photos?

3

Holy fuck man, you look swole. Great arms and chest, need some work on the legs.

4

Unless you REALLY love this shit, you do not want to become a bodybuilder. You have no idea what they go through.

But if you insist, most guys got huge on their owns. Nobody is gonna mentor you because you feel like being a bodybuilder today. Train until you look like you can win an amateur show, enter said amateur show.

The guy that won the Excalibur, that was also his first show.

5

As an amateur bodybuilder, the best advice I can give you is to just go ahead and pick the show, then get ready for it. Get someone to help you (online consults are a great option) or do the prep yourself if you feel like you have all the right tools and knowledge. If you are a natty, pick a natural show in your area and enter a novice class.

Regardless of the placement, your motivation levels will double after doing a show. If you come in last, you’ll be dying to come back and ‘show them’–that’s what happened to me LOL. If you win novice and see big guys in the open categories–you’ll want to win the overall one day.

Sounds like you got the most important tool down–you have that burning motivation inside. With that, anything will be possible, so good luck!

6

[quote]dj_eu wrote:
As an amateur bodybuilder, the best advice I can give you is to just go ahead and pick the show, then get ready for it. Get someone to help you (online consults are a great option) or do the prep yourself if you feel like you have all the right tools and knowledge. If you are a natty, pick a natural show in your area and enter a novice class.

Regardless of the placement, your motivation levels will double after doing a show. If you come in last, you’ll be dying to come back and ‘show them’–that’s what happened to me LOL. If you win novice and see big guys in the open categories–you’ll want to win the overall one day.

Sounds like you got the most important tool down–you have that burning motivation inside. With that, anything will be possible, so good luck!
[/quote]

Why would ANYONE set a date to compete…BEFORE ANY MUSCLE WAS BUILT?

In fact, unless you stand out in the gym to the point that people are asking if you already do compete, why are people doing this?

It will only slow down progress if some rank beginner gets this notion in their head before they ever build any real size.

Bodybuilding comps are for showing off the BEST BUILT, not for skinny guys who just started to get motivation to keep lifting weights.

7

You need to have a pretty good bit of mass before you try to do that stuff.

Some guys are amazed how small they look when they drop some body fat.

8

Sounds like he already has been following a pretty decent program and he’s ready to take it to the next level. I personally view getting ready for a bodybuilding show and competing as an experience, with lots to learn from, with winning being a secondary objective.

It’s also about goal-setting: when people have something definite to work towards, people tend to work harder.

Again, that’s just my personal view.

9

[quote]Artem wrote:
Unless you REALLY love this shit, you do not want to become a bodybuilder. You have no idea what they go through.

But if you insist, most guys got huge on their owns. Nobody is gonna mentor you because you feel like being a bodybuilder today. Train until you look like you can win an amateur show, enter said amateur show.

The guy that won the Excalibur, that was also his first show.[/quote]

hopefully your not talking about this last year? lol That dood is a natl level competitor. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

and if your talking about Trey Brewer…I believe he had a few shows under his belt before winning the Excalibur as well…

either way good advice :wink:

OP if your in the no-no cali like sac area look up Lindsayproductions.com and look at the list of shows…there are a few up there. The contra costa is in hayward ( by the yay area) and that is a pretty good show…

this all assuming you have a build worthy of competing…otherwise lift+eat+sleep=grow…big enough…then compete.

my two cents…

10

[quote]bmgiesbr wrote:
I want to become a bodybuilder and do some amateur shows within the next year and a half. But, I do not know if I am doing all that I can to reach that goal. I haveve been lifting seriously for the last 3 year.

I’m on a great bodybuilding plan, I eat well, and I am taking supplements. I am gaining mass and looking much more lean than I was a few months ago. What else can/should I be doing?

Are there any big bodybuilding groups or trainers around the Sacramento area? I would really like to get hooked into something, and find a mentor.

I would like advise from guys who know their stuff or are actual bodybuilders themselves.[/quote]

Hint: if you keep asking the same a year from now, you’re on the wrong way.

11

I don’t know about bodybuilding coaches in the Sacramento area, but you should first and foremost find a gym that caters to serious lifters, with loud heavy music and good atmosphere. That alone will double your motivation to go to the gym.

Also, you’ll end up learning a lot from the big guys there, even if you don’t find any “coaches”. Chances are the more serious people you surround yourself with the better the chance competitors can give you advice from experience, in real life and not the internet (although that can be useful).

12

[quote]dj_eu wrote:

Why would ANYONE set a date to compete…BEFORE ANY MUSCLE WAS BUILT?

In fact, unless you stand out in the gym to the point that people are asking if you already do compete, why are people doing this?

It will only slow down progress if some rank beginner gets this notion in their head before they ever build any real size.

Bodybuilding comps are for showing off the BEST BUILT, not for skinny guys who just started to get motivation to keep lifting weights.

Sounds like he already has been following a pretty decent program and he’s ready to take it to the next level. I personally view getting ready for a bodybuilding show and competing as an experience, with lots to learn from, with winning being a secondary objective.[/quote]

Until someone has put some time into this and actually built themselves up, they have no clue whether they even have the genetics or drive to reach a level of development most would consider “elite”.

For the record, I bet you 50 cents that the OP looks about as much like a “bodybuilder” right now as the fat Star Jones.

Unless you actually plan on doing well, why compete in bodybuilding?

No one in the audience exactly came to see someone who barely has any muscle on them…and further, what could a newbie learn from a comp when they don’t have the basics down?

Getting into comp shape is like taking two steps backwards unless you have truly reached the upper levels of development. No newbie around is going to reach their full potential if they are forcing themselves to diet down to that degree every year before the base is even built.

It used to be generally held that it takes about 3-4 years of heavy lifting before you can see just how much potential you might have on stage in the long run.

It seems most today want the praise before they ever put the time in.

13

Currently, as I look around at my competition in this town currently and studying pictures from years past, I know that if I dieted down right now I could place at least top 10 in a teen novice division locally.

But I’m not prepared to diet down into contest condition and compete in even a local contest until I feel confident that I am a cut above, and I feel I could literally go in and steal the whole damn show.

I give myself another several years for that, if not more, simply to build up enough size. I don’t want to just “get my feet wet”, I want to totally dominate, and you don’t sound like you have that confidence in your size right now, so I’m puzzled as to why you’re even considering a date for competition.

14

Op, just transfer 10000$ to my bank account and I’ll send you the application formula.

15

[quote]dj_eu wrote:
As an amateur bodybuilder, the best advice I can give you is to just go ahead and pick the show, then get ready for it.
[/quote]

I gotta give it to my man, Senor Grande X. The OP has 3 years on his belt and has an unknown amount of mass on his frame. He might be pro material and gained 40-60lbs but we don’t know. Its easier said that done: choosing to be bodybuilder. It looks good on paper and it sounds good, but it takes some spine to walk the talk. The training, the diet, drugs, prep, it all requires outmost dedication. Like the greatest bodybuilder of all time once famously said, “Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but no one wanna lift no heavy ass weights.”

Most of the general public that choses to look like a pro burns out when they realize that it takes years of constant dedication and isn’t something that can be bought or easily achieved by taking a magic pill, supplement, or even steroids.

When I decided to walk the path and work towards standing on stage I took a good look at my already competing (superior/enhanced) peer group (looking at guys with my shape and determining what I need to work on), my frame (namely my shape and where I need to pack on the mass) and set in motion a plan that will enable me to ready by early 2010. I have one more phase that I’m currently drafting that will hopefully make me meet that deadline.

Bodybuilding isn’t a fad that you pick up because everyones doing it. It comes from within. A burning desire to push beyond the limit. Willing to put life and limb on the line to achieve a win or top 5 placement.

It’s beyond looking good naked. Beyond the attention. Its beyond the understanding of the norm. Maybe its just me.

-GB

16

[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Artem wrote:
Unless you REALLY love this shit, you do not want to become a bodybuilder. You have no idea what they go through.

But if you insist, most guys got huge on their owns. Nobody is gonna mentor you because you feel like being a bodybuilder today. Train until you look like you can win an amateur show, enter said amateur show.

The guy that won the Excalibur, that was also his first show.

hopefully your not talking about this last year? lol That dood is a natl level competitor. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

and if your talking about Trey Brewer…I believe he had a few shows under his belt before winning the Excalibur as well…

either way good advice :wink:

OP if your in the no-no cali like sac area look up Lindsayproductions.com and look at the list of shows…there are a few up there. The contra costa is in hayward ( by the yay area) and that is a pretty good show…

this all assuming you have a build worthy of competing…otherwise lift+eat+sleep=grow…big enough…then compete.

my two cents…[/quote]
I don’t know his name, but he won the last Excalibur and was really fucking dry. I think I remember you saying it was his first show, too.

17

[quote]Artem wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Artem wrote:
Unless you REALLY love this shit, you do not want to become a bodybuilder. You have no idea what they go through.

But if you insist, most guys got huge on their owns. Nobody is gonna mentor you because you feel like being a bodybuilder today. Train until you look like you can win an amateur show, enter said amateur show.

The guy that won the Excalibur, that was also his first show.

hopefully your not talking about this last year? lol That dood is a natl level competitor. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

and if your talking about Trey Brewer…I believe he had a few shows under his belt before winning the Excalibur as well…

either way good advice :wink:

OP if your in the no-no cali like sac area look up Lindsayproductions.com and look at the list of shows…there are a few up there. The contra costa is in hayward ( by the yay area) and that is a pretty good show…

this all assuming you have a build worthy of competing…otherwise lift+eat+sleep=grow…big enough…then compete.

my two cents…
I don’t know his name, but he won the last Excalibur and was really fucking dry. I think I remember you saying it was his first show, too.

[/quote]

the novice winner :wink:

the overall winner that big thick bastard…he has competed at the USA, Nationals…basically all the shows just shy of being a pro.

I know what you mean tho and I agree…it’s better to build up a physique where you are competing to win the class or show before you ‘compete’ otherwise your just showing up in posers…not competing.

That was the reality I faced. All of my previous shows prior to the excalibur I was in contention for the 1st place trophy…then I step up with the big boys and finish mid pack…so now I’m taking as much time needed until I can compete to win my class and the show now to qualify for nationals and be a threat there.

Point is like X said and I think what your saying is…don’t compete until you can win…otherwise there is no point…

18

[quote]Growing_Boy wrote:
dj_eu wrote:
As an amateur bodybuilder, the best advice I can give you is to just go ahead and pick the show, then get ready for it.

I gotta give it to my man, Senor Grande X. The OP has 3 years on his belt and has an unknown amount of mass on his frame.

He might be pro material and gained 40-60lbs but we don’t know. Its easier said that done: choosing to be bodybuilder. It looks good on paper and it sounds good, but it takes some spine to walk the talk. The training, the diet, drugs, prep, it all requires outmost dedication. Like the greatest bodybuilder of all time once famously said, “Everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but no one wanna lift no heavy ass weights.”

Most of the general public that choses to look like a pro burns out when they realize that it takes years of constant dedication and isn’t something that can be bought or easily achieved by taking a magic pill, supplement, or even steroids.

When I decided to walk the path and work towards standing on stage I took a good look at my already competing (superior/enhanced) peer group (looking at guys with my shape and determining what I need to work on), my frame (namely my shape and where I need to pack on the mass) and set in motion a plan that will enable me to ready by early 2010.

I have one more phase that I’m currently drafting that will hopefully make me meet that deadline.

Bodybuilding isn’t a fad that you pick up because everyones doing it. It comes from within. A burning desire to push beyond the limit. Willing to put life and limb on the line to achieve a win or top 5 placement.

It’s beyond looking good naked. Beyond the attention. Its beyond the understanding of the norm. Maybe its just me.

-GB[/quote]

I’m going to eat another steak just for this. lol

Nice post brotha!

19

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Until someone has put some time into this and actually built themselves up, they have no clue whether they even have the genetics or drive to reach a level of development most would consider “elite”.

For the record, I bet you 50 cents that the OP looks about as much like a “bodybuilder” right now as the fat Star Jones.

Unless you actually plan on doing well, why compete in bodybuilding?

No one in the audience exactly came to see someone who barely has any muscle on them…and further, what could a newbie learn from a comp when they don’t have the basics down?

Getting into comp shape is like taking two steps backwards unless you have truly reached the upper levels of development. No newbie around is going to reach their full potential if they are forcing themselves to diet down to that degree every year before the base is even built.

It used to be generally held that it takes about 3-4 years of heavy lifting before you can see just how much potential you might have on stage in the long run.

It seems most today want the praise before they ever put the time in.[/quote]

Very valid points indeed.

Still, I personally think it’s unreasonable to expect to win going into a show, any show. You have no control who shows up on that day, in what condition, etc.

I expected to win my first show, and was still convinced that I should have won after placing last. The problem was, I knew very little about bodybuilding as a sport, about looking good on stage through excellent posing, exceptional symmetry and conditioning, etc. Only after doing a show was I able to open my eyes and learn, learn, learn… Learn to be better, learn to break through mental barriers and live with sacrifices.

I don’t think I could have learned that without actually stepping on stage, regardless of the number of books/articles read. Hence, the reason for recommending jumping in with both feet in the Novice class, enjoying the experience and learning from it. After all, this is just a hobby, right? So have fun with it!

Those are strictly my opinions, so OP take them for whatever they are worth.

20

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Op, just transfer 10000$ to my bank account and I’ll send you the application formula.
[/quote]

Oh shit lol! Always straight to business. Don’t forget that a tutorial may be needed.