n00b or Vet?

**powerman2000** · 04-30-2005, 09:44 AM

Ok, for all the old guys, are you a vet to the iron game or are you a n00b?

BTW, being a n00b is not a bad thing.

Post your experience please.

I've been lifting every week of my life since I was 18 years old. I will be 41 this June. I was a competitive SHW PL in my twenties and I have competed in 1 BB show here in Colorado. I won the overall, btw.

Dan · 05-01-2005, 05:41 PM

That would explain your impressive numbers...

I used to lift all the time as a kid 15-21 but then I started doing heavy construction which kept me in pretty good shape. I lifted off and on but mostly off over the next 17 yrs or so. I was nearly killed on the job and had to change professions. I am now a computer geek I had gotten a bit fat and out of shape. So I started lifting again it has been nearly 3.5 years sense I got back into lifting. I am mostly a noob but life has taught me well so I learn fast. ...that is the short version...

Good idea on the thread..

1stindoor · 05-02-2005, 06:52 PM

Probably somewhere in between. I started lifting seriously a bit late ( early 30's) But I've been at it everyday M-F every since then. Going on 8 years now.
Current stats:
6'2" (that hasn't changed since H.S.)
213 lbs
14% BF

jaguarr · 05-04-2005, 05:12 PM

Started lifting at age 14 and have stuck with it in varying degrees of seriousness and committment since then. I'll be 36 in June and have had a strong renewal in my motivation where the weight room is concerned over the course of the past year, and in the last two or three months in particular.

jag

joed · 05-05-2005, 06:02 PM

I'm an old nOOb. Like everyone else, pumped some iron in my teens then off & on thru the years but nothing serious.A year ago developed a rotary cuff prob & started again with really light weights. After rehab started expanding the exercises to include compound ones. Moved forward with the speed of a glacier but here I am now with a (mostly) uninjured body ready to tackle some heavier poundages. My biggest challenge is sticking to a clean diet.

hibiscus09 · 05-06-2005, 03:36 AM

About 10 years for me. I only started because I was growing out of my size 2 pants.

Dan · 05-06-2005, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hibiscus09

About 10 years for me. I only started because I was growing out of my size 2 pants.

I love that whip...

**powerman2000** · 05-08-2005, 08:30 PM

So, I would like to know who here in the older crowd still competes in anything like BB, PL, or for the ladies, fitness competitions?

I haven't competed in either a PL or a BB comp in a long time, but I'm getting that itch again to compete and this time I think I'll do a PL meet. Probably near the end of this year. A DL and BP comp.

hibiscus09 · 05-08-2005, 09:57 PM

I'm going to do my first (and probably last!) 2 figure competitions in August. The first is Aug. 6 in Lenoir, N.C. and the second Aug. 27 in Charleston, S.C.

Dan · 05-08-2005, 10:26 PM

Again good luck with all of that Hibby.

**EME** · 05-08-2005, 10:51 PM

Well,

I'd have to say Vet.

I started weight training 1n 1985, and I really have never taken any significant time off.

However, I have had many different goals throughout my training years.

At age 15, when I started, I weighed 103 lbs in 10th grade.
I was probably the smallest guy in my high school class.

In Feb. 1985 I began lifting weights because I was sick of being so small.
My dad had worked out seriously in college and afterward, and set me up on a basic training program, working out with concrete and platic weights in my basement, 3 days per week.

In the first year of training, I didn't miss a single workout. I gained 30 lbs that first year, really knowing nothing about nutrition. I just ate whatever I could.

I began studying bodybuilding by reading every magazine and book available. It was harder finding info back in those days before the internet.

Still I persisted, and by the end of my senior year, I was weighing 145 and benching about 250lbs. I set the record at my high school for bench press that year in the 145 lb weight class, when I benched 235 when weighing 138.

At age 18 I did my first 2 bodybuilding contests. I had fun and enjoyed it, but didn't really place well. Back then there were no Natural, Novice or Teen Classes in the shows I was doing, and I was up against seasoned veterans who had been training for years, and using gear.

At that time I really didn't see any way that I could compete against those guys, so I changed my focus from competitve bodybuilding to powerlifting, and bench press meets. I continued to train for strength and size, competing in powerlifting and bench events whenever possible for the next 10 years.

By about age 25, I had reached nearly 200 lbs, and in the process nearly doubled my bodyweight from my starting weight at age 15. I wasn't overly concerned with low bodyfat during those years, but it never really got much higher than about 15-16%. Definitely not ripped, but not fat either, and pretty big, considering where I started.

Finally, back in 2001, my wife became interested in competitng in Fitness, and I started training her and preparing her to compete. As a result, we started going to bodybuilding shows again, and I got the bug to get back on stage.

After 15 years away from physique competition, I decided to start training to compete. It took a lot of work to get back into competition shape! I had to drop 38 pounds to get back down the necessary bodyfat% again.

I placed in the top 3 in my first show after the long layoff, and it really motivated me to stay with it and improve.

Over the past 3-4 years, I have dedicated myself to becoming the best drug free bodybuilder I can be.

I'm happy to say that I achieved one goal a couple weeks ago, earning my Natural Bodybuilding Pro Card in the World Natural Sports Organization.

So, weight training has been a big part of my life for over 20 years, and I expect that it always will be! Weight training changes your life in so many posititive ways, aside from the changes it makes to your body. I definitely would not be the person I am today if it weren't for the Iron!

- EME

p.s. you can see a lot of the pictures of progress over the last 20 years in the Bio section on my site: www.MichaelElias.com

Capt. America · 05-09-2005, 02:25 PM

I'll be 50 in July and started lifting at age 15. Had RC surgery and have been out of the gym since March 28th. It's going to be a long road to recovery but I'm up for it! Semper Fi!

body2big · 05-09-2005, 08:14 PM

I guess I'm a VEt? been lifting off and on since I was 12. My older brother started me in the weight room as he was training. I have mostly been off though. I usually go for a year or so then quit and for awhile get fat and go back and start over.

Shawn

MotorcityAl · 05-09-2005, 08:43 PM

Hi, I'm Al, and I'm a BBaholic. Age 54. Like most, started training as a teen, and like most, off and on (mostly off) thru my teens, twenties, thirties, forties, and finally I turned 50. My business was failing and I spent every day in the bar. At 5'8" I weighed an unflattering 215#. Finally knew that it was time to (crap) or get off the potty. (or is it pottie?)

Been training steady since March of 2001, and I love the attention my physique gets. Certainly not contest ready, but maybe in a couple of years I'de get involved in some Masters competitions. Followed the sport since the mid 60's (magazines) so I have some knowledge of BB history. Saw Tom Platz win the Mr. Michigan contest (a long time ago). Also Ron Love who competed professionally in the 80's and into the 90's. That's my story (kind of). Excelsior!

(have been as low as 165#/currently at 185#, but need to intensify my cutting-lot's happening this summer. Chest 44" Waist 33" Arms 17" Thighs 27" Calves 16")

**powerman2000** · 05-14-2005, 08:51 AM

Geez, some of you have been lifing for a long time!

Experience is the best teacher! (i just made that up)

LoveThyPain · 05-14-2005, 05:28 PM

Somewhere in between

**johnsbod** · 05-14-2005, 05:30 PM

I'm 30 years old and started lifting when I was 13. I took some time off here and there, and suffered a rotator cuff injury a few years ago which set me back. Fortunately no surgery was required and I have been hitting the iron hard lately. I guess I consider myself a vet.

guym · 05-21-2005, 05:48 AM

I've been lifting since 1993, have gone from 125 lbs at 6 ft.

to a lean 200. I was at 215 at one point...too much bulking LOL!

I love this....I love learning, love feeling good, looking good.

Some of you who know me on the AAS section of BB.com know this is true: I LITERALLY think working out has saved my life. Think about that...I do.

PS Crap, the 30+ section. 30+!?! At least on BB.com it's 35+! (I'll be there next year!) :p

**EME** · 05-21-2005, 05:50 AM

Haha... don't feel bad bro... I'm already there!

Welcome to the board!

- EME

Quote:

Originally Posted by guym

..................... At least on BB.com it's 35+! (I'll be there next year!) :p

Abdominator · 05-22-2005, 04:52 PM

Wow... we have quite a few veterans here!

Yup... I started weight training when I bought my first barbell set at 17. I joined a weight training class at 18 years old (1985). Joined a gym at 19... and have worked out consistently ever since.

I've competed 5 times and have 7 trophies. I competed in my first bodybuilding competition at 28 years old (1995), won my first overall trophy at 35 years old (2002), won the overall title in the Gainesville Bodybuilding Championship (2003), and competed in my first regional competition in Summer 2004. I'm currently bulking to 195 lbs. by December 2006, so that when I compete again in Spring 2007, I'll weigh 180-185 lbs. on stage. My goal is to have 10 bodybuilding trophies by my 40th birthday (August 25, 1967).

- Skip

04-30-2005, 09:44 AM	#1
powerman2000 The Old Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 203	n00b or Vet? Ok, for all the old guys, are you a vet to the iron game or are you a n00b? BTW, being a n00b is not a bad thing. Post your experience please. I've been lifting every week of my life since I was 18 years old. I will be 41 this June. I was a competitive SHW PL in my twenties and I have competed in 1 BB show here in Colorado. I won the overall, btw. __________________ Don't forget to periodize Best BP 507 lbs competitive Best Squat 705 lbs competitive Best DL 650 lbs competitive Guns don't kill people, men who come home early do. My workout log http://www.ironmass.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6247

05-04-2005, 05:12 PM	#4
jaguarr New Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: The Outer Jungles Posts: 10 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	Started lifting at age 14 and have stuck with it in varying degrees of seriousness and committment since then. I'll be 36 in June and have had a strong renewal in my motivation where the weight room is concerned over the course of the past year, and in the last two or three months in particular. jag __________________ Bite into the apple of discord and let it nourish away your complacency.

05-08-2005, 08:30 PM	#8
powerman2000 The Old Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 203	So, I would like to know who here in the older crowd still competes in anything like BB, PL, or for the ladies, fitness competitions? I haven't competed in either a PL or a BB comp in a long time, but I'm getting that itch again to compete and this time I think I'll do a PL meet. Probably near the end of this year. A DL and BP comp. __________________ Don't forget to periodize Best BP 507 lbs competitive Best Squat 705 lbs competitive Best DL 650 lbs competitive Guns don't kill people, men who come home early do. My workout log http://www.ironmass.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6247

05-08-2005, 10:51 PM	#11
EME Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,265 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 51	Well, I'd have to say Vet. I started weight training 1n 1985, and I really have never taken any significant time off. However, I have had many different goals throughout my training years. At age 15, when I started, I weighed 103 lbs in 10th grade. I was probably the smallest guy in my high school class. In Feb. 1985 I began lifting weights because I was sick of being so small. My dad had worked out seriously in college and afterward, and set me up on a basic training program, working out with concrete and platic weights in my basement, 3 days per week. In the first year of training, I didn't miss a single workout. I gained 30 lbs that first year, really knowing nothing about nutrition. I just ate whatever I could. I began studying bodybuilding by reading every magazine and book available. It was harder finding info back in those days before the internet. Still I persisted, and by the end of my senior year, I was weighing 145 and benching about 250lbs. I set the record at my high school for bench press that year in the 145 lb weight class, when I benched 235 when weighing 138. At age 18 I did my first 2 bodybuilding contests. I had fun and enjoyed it, but didn't really place well. Back then there were no Natural, Novice or Teen Classes in the shows I was doing, and I was up against seasoned veterans who had been training for years, and using gear. At that time I really didn't see any way that I could compete against those guys, so I changed my focus from competitve bodybuilding to powerlifting, and bench press meets. I continued to train for strength and size, competing in powerlifting and bench events whenever possible for the next 10 years. By about age 25, I had reached nearly 200 lbs, and in the process nearly doubled my bodyweight from my starting weight at age 15. I wasn't overly concerned with low bodyfat during those years, but it never really got much higher than about 15-16%. Definitely not ripped, but not fat either, and pretty big, considering where I started. Finally, back in 2001, my wife became interested in competitng in Fitness, and I started training her and preparing her to compete. As a result, we started going to bodybuilding shows again, and I got the bug to get back on stage. After 15 years away from physique competition, I decided to start training to compete. It took a lot of work to get back into competition shape! I had to drop 38 pounds to get back down the necessary bodyfat% again. I placed in the top 3 in my first show after the long layoff, and it really motivated me to stay with it and improve. Over the past 3-4 years, I have dedicated myself to becoming the best drug free bodybuilder I can be. I'm happy to say that I achieved one goal a couple weeks ago, earning my Natural Bodybuilding Pro Card in the World Natural Sports Organization. So, weight training has been a big part of my life for over 20 years, and I expect that it always will be! Weight training changes your life in so many posititive ways, aside from the changes it makes to your body. I definitely would not be the person I am today if it weren't for the Iron! - EME p.s. you can see a lot of the pictures of progress over the last 20 years in the Bio section on my site: www.MichaelElias.com __________________ PhysiqueFXonline - Online Nutrition and Training with Michael and Kendra Elias: www.MichaelandKendra.com Team Molecular Nutrition Creative Director FAME Media Group / World Natural Sports Organization Editor-In-Chief FAME Magazine www.FAMEWorldTour.com

05-09-2005, 02:25 PM	#12
Capt. America Amateur Join Date: May 2005 Location: Pgh, Pa. Posts: 32 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	A Vet! I'll be 50 in July and started lifting at age 15. Had RC surgery and have been out of the gym since March 28th. It's going to be a long road to recovery but I'm up for it! Semper Fi! __________________ A coward dies many deaths, a Soldier dies once!

05-01-2005, 05:41 PM	#2
Dan Unpaid Trash Collector Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,725 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 26	That would explain your impressive numbers... I used to lift all the time as a kid 15-21 but then I started doing heavy construction which kept me in pretty good shape. I lifted off and on but mostly off over the next 17 yrs or so. I was nearly killed on the job and had to change professions. I am now a computer geek I had gotten a bit fat and out of shape. So I started lifting again it has been nearly 3.5 years sense I got back into lifting. I am mostly a noob but life has taught me well so I learn fast. ...that is the short version... Good idea on the thread..

05-02-2005, 06:52 PM	#3
1stindoor Pro Stature Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NC Posts: 327 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 7	Probably somewhere in between. I started lifting seriously a bit late ( early 30's) But I've been at it everyday M-F every since then. Going on 8 years now. Current stats: 6'2" (that hasn't changed since H.S.) 213 lbs 14% BF

05-05-2005, 06:02 PM	#5
joed Pro Stature Join Date: May 2005 Location: More than a mile high Posts: 187 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 5	I'm an old nOOb. Like everyone else, pumped some iron in my teens then off & on thru the years but nothing serious.A year ago developed a rotary cuff prob & started again with really light weights. After rehab started expanding the exercises to include compound ones. Moved forward with the speed of a glacier but here I am now with a (mostly) uninjured body ready to tackle some heavier poundages. My biggest challenge is sticking to a clean diet.

05-06-2005, 03:36 AM	#6
hibiscus09 IMPC Contestant Join Date: May 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 986 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 16	About 10 years for me. I only started because I was growing out of my size 2 pants.

05-08-2005, 09:57 PM	#9
hibiscus09 IMPC Contestant Join Date: May 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 986 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 16	I'm going to do my first (and probably last!) 2 figure competitions in August. The first is Aug. 6 in Lenoir, N.C. and the second Aug. 27 in Charleston, S.C.

05-08-2005, 10:26 PM	#10
Dan Unpaid Trash Collector Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,725 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 26	Again good luck with all of that Hibby.

05-09-2005, 08:14 PM	#13
body2big New Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 19 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	I guess I'm a VEt? been lifting off and on since I was 12. My older brother started me in the weight room as he was training. I have mostly been off though. I usually go for a year or so then quit and for awhile get fat and go back and start over. Shawn

05-09-2005, 08:43 PM	#14
MotorcityAl Motorcity God Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: The Motor City Posts: 187 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 6	Hi, I'm Al, and I'm a BBaholic. Age 54. Like most, started training as a teen, and like most, off and on (mostly off) thru my teens, twenties, thirties, forties, and finally I turned 50. My business was failing and I spent every day in the bar. At 5'8" I weighed an unflattering 215#. Finally knew that it was time to (crap) or get off the potty. (or is it pottie?) Been training steady since March of 2001, and I love the attention my physique gets. Certainly not contest ready, but maybe in a couple of years I'de get involved in some Masters competitions. Followed the sport since the mid 60's (magazines) so I have some knowledge of BB history. Saw Tom Platz win the Mr. Michigan contest (a long time ago). Also Ron Love who competed professionally in the 80's and into the 90's. That's my story (kind of). Excelsior! (have been as low as 165#/currently at 185#, but need to intensify my cutting-lot's happening this summer. Chest 44" Waist 33" Arms 17" Thighs 27" Calves 16") __________________ Body under construction.

05-14-2005, 08:51 AM	#15
powerman2000 The Old Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 203	Geez, some of you have been lifing for a long time! Experience is the best teacher! (i just made that up) __________________ Don't forget to periodize Best BP 507 lbs competitive Best Squat 705 lbs competitive Best DL 650 lbs competitive Guns don't kill people, men who come home early do. My workout log http://www.ironmass.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6247

05-14-2005, 05:28 PM	#16
LoveThyPain IronMass Fornicator Join Date: May 2005 Location: Purgatory Posts: 359 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 10	Somewhere in between

05-14-2005, 05:30 PM	#17
johnsbod Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 2,733 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 60	I'm 30 years old and started lifting when I was 13. I took some time off here and there, and suffered a rotator cuff injury a few years ago which set me back. Fortunately no surgery was required and I have been hitting the iron hard lately. I guess I consider myself a vet. __________________ Wenn Sie Deutsch sprechen können, posten Sie hier. Misc Perv #69

05-21-2005, 05:48 AM	#18
guym Amateur Join Date: May 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 30 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	I've been lifting since 1993, have gone from 125 lbs at 6 ft. to a lean 200. I was at 215 at one point...too much bulking LOL! I love this....I love learning, love feeling good, looking good. Some of you who know me on the AAS section of BB.com know this is true: I LITERALLY think working out has saved my life. Think about that...I do. PS Crap, the 30+ section. 30+!?! At least on BB.com it's 35+! (I'll be there next year!) :p __________________ I'm trying my best...

05-22-2005, 04:52 PM	#20
Abdominator Dominateur d'Abs Join Date: May 2005 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 71 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 4	Wow... we have quite a few veterans here! Yup... I started weight training when I bought my first barbell set at 17. I joined a weight training class at 18 years old (1985). Joined a gym at 19... and have worked out consistently ever since. I've competed 5 times and have 7 trophies. I competed in my first bodybuilding competition at 28 years old (1995), won my first overall trophy at 35 years old (2002), won the overall title in the Gainesville Bodybuilding Championship (2003), and competed in my first regional competition in Summer 2004. I'm currently bulking to 195 lbs. by December 2006, so that when I compete again in Spring 2007, I'll weigh 180-185 lbs. on stage. My goal is to have 10 bodybuilding trophies by my 40th birthday (August 25, 1967). - Skip __________________ "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." http://www.skippypodar.net