You know, I’ve found T-mag rather early in my bodybuilding endeavor, but I still wish I’d found it sooner. I’ve read so many bodybuilding mags with so little important information gained. I’ve talked to so many “built” people and heard way too much outlandish, unprovable crap. I’m not someone who shys away from research, I actually love research almost as much as I love bodybuilding, but until I found T-mag I only got to read and re-read the importance of drinking water and staying away from saturated fat. I can’t express enough how much I love reading the scientific reasons why certain things work and certain things don’t work. I love being able to trust practically ANYTHING T-mag says, because they have proved to me that they know what they are talking about. I love coming here and actually having to re-read articles because they contained so much science, I didn’t want to miss out on anything. This mag makes me proud that my passion in life is bodybuilding. Years from now when I’m a well respected author who has written a mind blowing book about the best science in bodybuilding, I’ll have T-mag to thank. They kept me from wandering aimlessly for a decade or so, and taught me correctly from almost the ground up. I can only imagine where I’ll be able to go from here.
(BTW, I went to college at 16 as a bit of a prodigy and dropped out a year later because nothing in the “degrees we offer” book was what I wanted to do with my life. I’m glad I didn’t just stay there and become an accountant or something else I would have hated. I still have my whole life ahead of me.)
Amen, ironbabe. On the other hand, I did wander aimlessly through the world of newsstand bodybuilding mags for years and years. Went to the occasional pro seminar when they’d crop up in Michigan in the
'70s and early '80s, and was filled full of nonsense and crap (thanks Mentzer and Columbo). Only Tom Platz told the truth, back then.
T-Mag, early Muscle Media, and the various Internet boards and all the communication and newsletters and friends I’ve made have helped me learn more in the last six or so years than I did in twenty before that.
And be very happy you’re not an accountant; my brother did that, he makes the big bucks, but is woefully unhappy. What are you doing for a living right now?
My husband is a computer guru (in the most severe sense) and keeps our finacial world together. That way I am free to train our two little t-babes from the ground up (ages two and three) and keep him informed of what we should be doing at the gym. I actually got certified through ISSA in my persuit of fitness knowledge (before I found T-mag) and I have tons of equipment here at my house so I could train people, but right now I’m rather content spending much of my time researching women’s training and nutrition when I’m not picking bugs off my tomato, pepper and squash plants.
Sounds like a familiar path. In fact I probably attended just about every pro bodybuilder seminar held in Michigan during the late 70’s and early 80’s. I was sure that this (along with reading every bodybuilding mag cover to cover) was the path to true training knowledge and gains. If I could only have those countless wasted years back.
Buster, where ya from? I grew up in Midland, moved to Detroit in '78, was there until early '83 when the publishing company I worked for was purchased by an outfit in WI, so I moved with it. Great gym in Midland growing up, it remains there but now larger and improved. Worked out at a phenomenal Nautilius gym on Detroit’s east side (I know, a Nautilius gym, but this was in the golden age of legal juice and all) and saw many cool sights then. Did we ever cross paths? I remember Tom Platz winning Mr. Michigan, saw Samir win Mr. Michigan years before Mr. Olympia, all at the old Redford Theater. Talk to me.
I only wish that a weight training resource such as T-mag had been available when I first started lifting many moons ago. In a way, though, the hard lessons I learned over the years have only made me that much more dedicated to the “cause”, so I guess I can’t complain too much.
I’m sure our paths had to have crossed several times. I think I hit just about every BB contest in the Detroit area from 1978 to 1982, most of them at the Redford Theater. I was a relative beginner back than (late teens/early 20’s) but I eat, slept and breathed bodybuilding. My buddies and I used to make a day of it, hitting the pre-judging, the afternoon seminar, and than the evening show. Platz and Bannout winning the Mr. Michigan was a little before my time, but I do remember seeing Lee Haney win the teenage Mr. America there. I can still remember that little gnome, Dick Cavalier, running around coordinating things. He obviously wasn’t into BB himself, but he sure got some impressive guest posers to appear in a location so far away from the California. I remember seeing Mike Mentzer, Ray Mentzer, Casey Viator (with that trio no wonder I was into HD training back then), Lee Haney, Tom Platz, Steve Davis, and I’m sure many others that don’t come to mind right now. I actually used to train at a few Nautilus gyms myself from 1979-1980, one in Troy and one in Utica. I live north of Detroit right now and having been training for about the last 8 years at the Powerhouse Gym in Sterling Hts.
Buster, I forgot about Dick Cavalier. Yeah, we used to joke about him and what his obvious intentions were, but no question about it, he drew the stars, didn’t he? Steve Davis, I forgot about him. What a transformation he made with his body.
I lived on the east side, also, on 13 mile rd in St. Clair Shores. In fact, I remember the original Powerhouse Gym in downtown Detroit, a real dodgy joint but fun to hang out in occasionally.
I’ll holler if I ever return to Detroit for a visit, perhaps we could toss in a workout together.
Too bad I’d didn’t know about our common roots back a few months ago. I could have stopped by when I saw you at the Arnold expo. I did get a chance to talk to John Berardi and TC for a while, but I think you were tied up talking to someone else so I just moved on to ogle the fitness babes and eat free protein bars instead.
Great post Ironbabe, you sound like you’ve got your act together, good on you. I too think t-mag is great and have read heaps of crap in other mags, etc but what amazes me is that I have told people about the site and they have looked at it then told me about about a great thing they read on M+F or Flex, Yeah right! If you’ve got t-mag why would you bother with anything else? To all those invoved with the site, mag, forum etc keep up the great work and keep it comin’