Member pics

[Elessar]

Yeah I'm mindful of the joint problems that can arise, I haven't had any aches or pains at all yet so...

[WarpGirl]

Ok asthetically... Boss that's completely subjective to every person on the planet. Some girls would kill to be with a guy like you, some would run for the hills. Me personally, you're physically the type of guy I would be attracted too. But I would have thought that if I saw a pic of you looking scrawny. You've got nice features and eyes. Do I think you're too "muscley" right now? Not really. That said I personally loath big beefy guys whose heads are smaller than they're necks and hands look like their attached to tree branches. So yeah, there is a "too far."

You have nothing to worry about asthetically, however... After reading about the time and energy you put into your physicality, I gotta say I'm a little concerned about your self-image. Now frankly I think I have no right to say that, I've never even met you before. But you did ask for people's opinions. You're a good-looking guy, but with the amount of time and energy you spend on making muscles, I wonder if you're not just a teeny bit obsessed. Maybe what you need is a nice long break.

Oh and Cogito is right, body builders on the inside are a wreck internally. Their skeletons are in rotten shape. And they get old before their time.

[justTripn]

As far as the aesthetics, that is totally subjective. I think you went a teeny bit too far, but in the end, YOU have to be happy with it. That is all that counts. Maybe you want R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I think the transformation is remarkable and people are impressed. At least you won't have to worry about anyone calling you "little sweetie-pie" or "Johnny"

There was a women at our last hockey tournament who had the most amazing arms and shoulders you have ever seen. She was in the military. It was probably not something most guys would have appreciated on a women, but the other women were amazed and stood around her admiring and praising her and gossiping about it afterwards.

My oldest son is housemates with two bodybuilders and personally, I think they have taken it to the point of ridiculous. My son isn't jealous and doesn't feel the need to compete with them in that because he sees himself more as a runner. He lives across the city from us and there is this huge valley cutting our neighborhood off from the rest of the city, yet the other day, he literally ran home and came in dripping wet and asked what's for dinner, lol . . . Whatever!!!! Do what you need to do. Be who you need to be.

[Silverbullet]

Hey, no one is going to kick sand in your face at the Beach.

I was body building for a couple years to put on some weight. I put on a few pounds and that was enough. I never felt I had to put on muscle. Keep it up until you are satisfied and then taper off to a point where you just avoid cramps. That is one probelm with body building it can lead to cramps if it is not kept up.

SB

[Elessar]

I'm happy with it. Since the Marines, I've believed in a lifestyle of fitness, whatever that means to every individual. The only difference these last 9mo or so is that I have allowed it to be guided by the goal to gain weight and become stronger. Bodybuilding's really just a hobby for me

[Cogito]

Bodybuilding's really just a hobby for me

I think that's a very healthy way to look at it, as long as you are aware of the effects (bad as well as good) that you're having on your body.

BTW is it just me, or does that marine smiley look kinda chubby?

[justTripn]

Like, like.

[Elessar]

Bodybuilding's really just a hobby for me

I think that's a very healthy way to look at it, as long as you are aware of the effects (bad as well as good) that you're having on your body.

BTW is it just me, or does that marine smiley look kinda chubby?

ya he's a little thick in the torso, I just figured he was beefy although ya know, Chesty Puller looked kind of like that, kind of Popeye in his disproportionately big chest and small torso, hence the nickname, "Chesty".

yeah I have been meaning to go get a physical on campus so they'll test my blood pressure and cholesterol to make sure my diet's not having too deleterious an effect on my health. I'm also including soy protein and stuff known to lower bad cholesterol and raise good, like tomatos, cheerios, etc. into my diet.

[marchale]

I think you look just fine, boss! Nothing wrong with a little muscle on a guy as long as it's not carried to the extreme. And you seem to have a legitimate reason for wanting to stay in peak condition too, so I think you don't have anything to worry about there. It's when folks do it for the wrong reasons that they run into trouble. (And you can take that from someone who is hyper-sensitive about her appearance and probably is a bit obsessed about health matters - having lost over 50 pounds since turning diabetic in December - well, I should be happy about getting a Jeri Ryan-like figure now, but with having severe psoriasis (which I keep covered in public), I feel strange as hell about this new body, like I should be wearing a sign saying "forget it, guys - if you knew I looked more alien than human from the rear down, you'd run for the nearest exit." And it's not much better with the gals either who seem to resent my being chesty with what is now a much skinnier waistline, I feel like wearing a sign around them saying "hey, I don't like the Barbie doll look either, thats just what happens when you get your carbs severely restricted thanks to diabetes." (I wasn't trying to lose weight and actually was happier being overweight when nobody gave me a second look). Anyway, suffice to say, I have real good reasons for being health conscious now and know enough about what a person should feel about their appearance and body image to know that while I can appreciate your questioning it, you've got nothing to worry about there, kiddo - you're perfectly normal, doing it for the right reasons and I think you've got a great attitude about it too.

Now about these age related remarks from different folks who seem to think they are "getting on in years" - ha! You're still way too young to know what the hell you're even talking about there, LOL!!! I'll be turning 55 in two weeks and being part of the post-menopausal "women of a certain age" group who actually earned our grey hair, well, I sincerely hope you can appreciate the youth and vitality you jokingly talk as if you're losing there, because it's damn hard for me to take that kind of talk seriously when it's coming from someone young enough to have been my kid!

[Silverbullet]

Marc, you keep talking about being old. You are 55, I am 76. That means you are young enough to be MY kid. Old is not 55. that is late middle age.

SB

[marchale]

Marc, you keep talking about being old. You are 55, I am 76. That means you are young enough to be MY kid. Old is not 55. that is late middle age.

SB

Yeah, I see your point there, SB - sorry about that. But I think the reason I feel older than you probably think I have a right to feel is because I know I'm approaching my later years too - due to the emphysema I got almost 15 years ago, the fact that my neuropathy is getting worse (and I heard that Johnny Cash died of complications of that disease, which before I heard of his death I thought of as just a nuisense I didn't think was all that serious to have to worry about), and too - living in a senior/disabled building, you see people moving in and out all the time, almost always either due to death or worsening medical problems requiring them to go into a nursing home or an assisted living facility.

But look, I'm cool with the fact that even though you're old enough to be my dad that you could very likely outlive me in years; as a former philosophy student I can be philosophical here and face the cold hard facts with acceptance in a way that most folks would think of as brutal and harsh. And I'm not being morbid about the fact that I may not live to see 60 and probably won't see 65 even if I do, and there is like a zero chance that even if I beat those odds, 70 is out of the question for me. But you know, I think I got a great attitude on life. I don't know if you recall when I joined this forum, but I had just gone through a false alarm cancer scare that was enough of a "Wake Up!" call to get out there and start really living and enjoying life and making the most of every day that - well, my sunny optimism about what a gift and joy every day can be is probably enough to get on most people's nerves, but there's nothing like sitting a doctor's office waiting to hear if its cancer to give you that swift kick in the ass you need to start living and enjoying life more fully. (actually, that why I'm here in this forum, I had gotten away from both faking and Star Trek in general and decided, dammit - I'm gonna start having the kind of fun I used to have with this stuff years ago, life's just too damn short and precious not to be making a party of it!)

[Cogito]

Hi Marchale, far from getting on anyone's nerves, the optimism and good cheer in your posts is always very welcome.

[Asso]

Hi Marchale, far from getting on anyone's nerves, the optimism and good cheer in your posts is always very welcome.

... no words adorn I for it.

Dante Alighieri - Divina Commedia
Inferno
Canto settimo

[Silverbullet]

I remember reading about a man whose Doctor told him he had six months to live so he should take care of things now. Man outlived the Doctor by 20 years. Never give up. You might still be around when you are 90 by then they might have off the shelf body parts so you could go another 90 years. True we would be standing on one anothers shoulders.

SB

[marchale]

Hi Marchale, far from getting on anyone's nerves, the optimism and good cheer in your posts is always very welcome.

Well, thanks for saying that, Cogito, I appreciate it. I was afraid that maybe I was coming across like a Pollyanna or something.