Flex Wheeler once said, when asked how someone would know if they were going to be good at bodybuilding, stated first that he was a skinny kid in school…and then stated, “bodybuilding is something that chooses you…you don’t choose it”.
What did he mean by that?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Flex Wheeler once said, when asked how someone would know if they were going to be good at bodybuilding, stated first that he was a skinny kid in school…and then stated, “bodybuilding is something that chooses you…you don’t choose it”.
What did he mean by that?[/quote]
Maybe that elite competitors are born with genetic gifts (muscle shape, structure, capacity to gain muscle, etc.) and that if you do not have “the gift” you cannot reach the elite level.
Kinda the same thing as saying that “elite sprinters are born, not made”.
BTW, this should be in the bodybuilding thread. Anything related to the actual sport of bodybuilding should be over there.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Flex Wheeler once said, when asked how someone would know if they were going to be good at bodybuilding, stated first that he was a skinny kid in school…and then stated, “bodybuilding is something that chooses you…you don’t choose it”.
What did he mean by that?[/quote]
Maybe that elite competitors are born with genetic gifts (muscle shape, structure, capacity to gain muscle, etc.) and that if you do not have “the gift” you cannot reach the elite level.
Kinda the same thing as saying that “elite sprinters are born, not made”.
BTW, this should be in the bodybuilding thread. Anything related to the actual sport of bodybuilding should be over there.[/quote]
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I was more relating it to genetics and not the sport of bodybuilding.
call it bsling in that case
Im pretty sure Flex Wheeler’s interpretation of “bodybuilding” was in relation to the actual sport
Aka how will you know you will be a good bodybuilder (competitor)
If you wanna bring the genetic component into this well genetics are gonna play a role in how big you can get, how lean you can get, how well you react to drugs, etc.
Its the sum of all these factors (genetics…?) that are going to determine if you can be a good bodybuilder.
This belongs in the bodybuilding forum though.
I don’t want to add to the hate, but come on X. Poor form.
This forum is officially for people who want to build size, work on leanness, whatever the fuck without being “judged” by bodybuilders. So be it, but you can’t have the same status as a bodybuilder without doing everything a bodybuilder does. You can’t turn this into your OWN person pseudo-bodybuilding forum.
If you want to discuss bodybuilding, do it on the appropriate forum.
[quote]zraw wrote:
Im pretty sure Flex Wheeler’s interpretation of “bodybuilding” was in relation to the actual sport
Aka how will you know you will be a good bodybuilder (competitor)
If you wanna bring the genetic component into this well genetics are gonna play a role in how big you can get, how lean you can get, how well you react to drugs, etc.
Its the sum of all these factors (genetics…?) that are going to determine if you can be a good bodybuilder.
This belongs in the bodybuilding forum though.[/quote]
I don’t think it belongs in the bodybuilding forum because I am focusing on the aspects like size and leanness…like he was when he was discussing this on American Muscle.
The discussion was about how he knew he would be good at this to even put the time in when he started so skinny. His response was referring to how he knew other guys in the gym who didn’t grow like he did…or who after years of training just didn’t stand out in the gym. This was before he ever competed first.
I didn’t put this in the bodybuilding forum because I believe many guys would like to look like he did in these pics and throughout his career even if they are not trying to compete.
I know I would not mind looking like he does in that pic taken in the off season.
[quote]zraw wrote:
Im pretty sure Flex Wheeler’s interpretation of “bodybuilding” was in relation to the actual sport
Aka how will you know you will be a good bodybuilder (competitor)
If you wanna bring the genetic component into this well genetics are gonna play a role in how big you can get, how lean you can get, how well you react to drugs, etc.
Its the sum of all these factors (genetics…?) that are going to determine if you can be a good bodybuilder.
This belongs in the bodybuilding forum though.[/quote]
Honestly, someone who “has it” (bodybuilding-wise) will know within a few months of serious bodybuilding prep if he has it or not. I helped a guy 2 years ago, it was his first contest and he went from looking like a pretty solid, but not bodybuilder -like, guy to looking pro-level (I was training Pat Bernard the year he turned pro at the same time and both were comparable) in about 6 months (he used products obviously, but I was just the trainer… still tons of guys will take the same thing and not look 25% as good.
Then again, you have Pat Bernard (now IFBB pro) who competed for 13 years before turning pro, starting as a lightweight and winning his card at 202… winning 3 times his class at nationals.
the elite guys imo are “born with it” with regards to muscle bellies and their aesthetics
someone like dexter or flex or shawn ray look good quickly cos of their aesthetics
other guys have to pile on more and more muscle to be competitive/ look good
at least that is my own interpretation
take someone like antoine vallaint - imo that guy is not born with it at all he looks small at 270
whereas i bet cedric looked amazing at 210
i train in the same gym as ulysses williams jr the guy LITERALLY looks like a comic book superhero and it all aesthetics with him, there are tons of guys there with easily 30-50lbs more muscle and look like shit in comparison.
As much as I’m a huge fan of Flex’s physique in his prime, I think he always tried to sound more intelligent than he was. I read his autobiography (it only cost a penny, and I’m always fascinated by athlete’s stories), and although he tried to sound like he overcame so much - and he did to some degree - Flex always struck me as a very cocky individual. I got this not merely from one book, but from following his entire career via magazines, videos, podcasts etc. [Of course if someone knows him personally and wants to disagree, go right ahead.]
Yes, he was probably one of the most genetically inclined people to ever pick up a weight with the intention of sculpting his physique. Still, he was beaten on many occasions by individuals who worked smarter,as well as harder (Yates, Francious, Levrone, Cormier…). Yates always said that if Flex understood what he was doing, he’d be unbeatable.
So maybe bodybuilding choosing him was a double edged sword. Did he live “the lifestyle” for a while? Oh yeah, and no doubt he had a blast. But look at when he retired, needing kidney dialysis (later transplant), and being practically broke with a buncha kids.
If we’re talking about some pursuit, some hobby, or vision quest that speaks to you on such a deep level that you feel that you have no option but to follow it,… well, like with Wheeler, it can be a double edged sword. I always had a knack for drawing, even when I was a pre-med student taking all sorts of sports med and psychology of exercise classes. I got into NYU Film school for Grad studies as the only student (out of 4 accepted that year) without an actual degree in fine arts or film. I worked on many projects over the next 12 years for some major names in tv, film, and commercials, but at a certain point, looking at some of my “assistants” who were a good 20 years older than I was, and still not financially secure, I made a decision. Let me tell you, it’s not an easy thing to walk away from something that you know, down deep in your soul, that you have a special skill for.
(Hope that was relevant! -lol)
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
As much as I’m a huge fan of Flex’s physique in his prime, I think he always tried to sound more intelligent than he was. I read his autobiography (it only cost a penny, and I’m always fascinated by athlete’s stories), and although he tried to sound like he overcame so much - and he did to some degree - Flex always struck me as a very cocky individual. I got this not merely from one book, but from following his entire career via magazines, videos, podcasts etc. [Of course if someone knows him personally and wants to disagree, go right ahead.]
Yes, he was probably one of the most genetically inclined people to ever pick up a weight with the intention of sculpting his physique. Still, he was beaten on many occasions by individuals who worked smarter,as well as harder (Yates, Francious, Levrone, Cormier…). Yates always said that if Flex understood what he was doing, he’d be unbeatable.
So maybe bodybuilding choosing him was a double edged sword. Did he live “the lifestyle” for a while? Oh yeah, and no doubt he had a blast. But look at when he retired, needing kidney dialysis (later transplant), and being practically broke with a buncha kids.
If we’re talking about some pursuit, some hobby, or vision quest that speaks to you on such a deep level that you feel that you have no option but to follow it,… well, like with Wheeler, it can be a double edged sword. I always had a knack for drawing, even when I was a pre-med student taking all sorts of sports med and psychology of exercise classes. I got into NYU Film school for Grad studies as the only student (out of 4 accepted that year) without an actual degree in fine arts or film. I worked on many projects over the next 12 years for some major names in tv, film, and commercials, but at a certain point, looking at some of my “assistants” who were a good 20 years older than I was, and still not financially secure, I made a decision. Let me tell you, it’s not an easy thing to walk away from something that you know, down deep in your soul, that you have a special skill for.
(Hope that was relevant! -lol)
S[/quote]
Yeah, but were you attacked, then defeated Ninjas?
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Yeah, but were you attacked, then defeated Ninjas?
[/quote]
LMAO yeah, I don’t recall if he went into detail about that part in his book. He actually glosses over most of the competition aspects, which I think disappointed most people (probably why his book’s selling for a penny).
S
Ninjas? What?
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
Ninjas? What?[/quote]
Apparently only the best bodybuilders draw their attention and get marked for death. Sort of like being too good looking to let live.
S
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Yeah, but were you attacked, then defeated Ninjas?
[/quote]
Dude, the ninjas, knocked him out and stole his car…after he took down at least 50 of them.
Not everybody can handle a molly.
*recreational drug use is not advised by the X-Corporation. Any discussion of recreational drug use is purely for comic effect and does not reflect the actions of the poster. Please stay in school and take your vitamins, kids.
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
Ninjas? What?[/quote]
LOL. The internet age has destroyed the real gossip.
This happened…fo realz yo.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Please stay in school and take your vitamins, kids.[/quote]
Say your prayers, brush your teeth, and drink your milk (just not in that order)
S
[quote]jeremielemauvais wrote:
I don’t want to add to the hate, but come on X. Poor form.
This forum is officially for people who want to build size, work on leanness, whatever the fuck without being “judged” by bodybuilders. So be it, but you can’t have the same status as a bodybuilder without doing everything a bodybuilder does. You can’t turn this into your OWN person pseudo-bodybuilding forum.
If you want to discuss bodybuilding, do it on the appropriate forum.
[/quote]
I’m not discussing bodybuilding in terms of competition.
I am discussing the ability to get really big and lean…which is exactly what this forum is about.
I chose him for a reason…for one, because he is in off season shape in that pic…and two, to ex[and on the role of genetics.
YOU seem to want to discuss bodybuilding in terms of competition though.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Flex Wheeler once said, when asked how someone would know if they were going to be good at bodybuilding, stated first that he was a skinny kid in school…and then stated, “bodybuilding is something that chooses you…you don’t choose it”.
What did he mean by that?[/quote]
He means that growing up as a skinny kid can mess with your head so that later you’ll be obsessed enough to actually do what’s necessary to get bigger…and bigger. I’m sure a lot of us started lifting for the very same reason. I know I did. And being skinny as a kid doesn’t actually mean your genetics suck for building muscle.
Its like guys like Georges Saint Pierre or Bas Rutten who devoted themselves to martial arts because they were bullied in school. Just because they they didn’t know how to fight when they were kids didn’t mean they didn’t have the talent to learn it.
So, the way I see it Flex is refering more to the motivations and the will to get stronger and bigger just to be stronger and bigger and not necessarely competing in bodybuilding, just as GSP started martial arts to defend himself from bullies and not necessarely to be a UFC champ.
I think this thread is fine where it is.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]rds63799 wrote:
Ninjas? What?[/quote]
Apparently only the best bodybuilders draw their attention and get marked for death. Sort of like being too good looking to let live.
S[/quote]
that’ll be why so many ninjas attack me every damn day!