The apprentices in the field of muscle construction pass through 10 stages before learning the truth about the industry. Each phase exposes the purposeful obscurity in the modern world, our naivete, desires and reaction to reality.
Stage 1: Amazement
There are things that you crave just because they are “amazing”. You don’t bother looking for an explanation. You just want to have them and there’s that.
Big muscles are a highly desirable property, especially in this day and age when the pressure to look good in a union of digital pixels is at its peak.
But appearance is not the only reason why men invest their glycogen in moving heavy iron. The main motivation to join the battle is to hack the world by creating a shield behind which you can hide from the dark forces.
“When I have a wide back, everything will be better,” thought the dreamer after another excruciating day at work that could make just about anyone question the need to exist.
We live in times when people experience extreme alienation. You feel like a wheel in a system that you cannot control or influence even slightly in a direction of your choice. You feel empty, pointless, powerless, soulless.
You can’t fix the banking cartels; you can’t fight against the government; you can’t change the economy; you can’t escape the modern dating dynamics…
The only thing you can do is try, but what will you realistically change? Will you be the beneficiary in the end? How long will the revolution last? What will it cost?
In times like this, we seek a solution designed to bring us the very power that we are lacking.
You may be unable to rearrange the world, but at least you can upgrade yourself and find the missing piece leading to more moments of love, calmness, pride and admiration from others – things that your being has been yearning for.
When you lift, you are in control of the world. It’s all on you. The government can’t stop you. If you do the sets and consume the meals, the fortress will be yours. You will have an answer to all questions. You will win.
Consequently, the seemingly divine musculature wrapped around the bones of bodybuilders and fitness models drives the apprentices into a peculiar state of mind full of hope for the future.
Stage 2: Subscription
Once the new recruits are convinced in the righteousness of their choice, they write their names on the list with hands shaking under the dictation of adrenaline that separates the living from the idle.
However, one question remains – what will be the doctrine of choice?
Since the average apprentice is limited in his knowledge and ability to discern the useful from the hype, he is often a victim of the trends.
If you were to start bodybuilding in 1995, your routine would be Arnold approved and printed in a magazine.
If your muscle construction journey was to start in 2010, the Internet would quickly inform you that “bodybuilding programs work only if you are on the juice”. The digital consciousness would also convince you that a pure 5×5 routine approved by one of the natty leaders is a better choice.
Ultimately, the means of ascension chosen by the apprentice are not particularly important at this point since in all situations the individual subscribes with the same intentions and an equal amount of hope.
When an apprentice signs for a program, he embraces it fully and becomes its biggest advocate. He is also given a booklet full of answers to the uncomfortable questions shot by the opposing party.
At this stage, the apprentice believes with his whole heart in the strength of his muscle constructing choice. An outsider is incapable of changing this kind of faith even with real-world examples. The delusional apprentice always finds a way to explain a shortcoming of the method.
Stage 3: Hard work
After paying the subscription fee, the lifter engages in a real adventure. The individual changes his whole life to accommodate the requirements of the blueprint.
Old habits are easily replaced; the waffles turn into boiled eggs, the hours spend on r/gaming move to r/lifting; the google searches evolve. But before all, the vision in regards to others changes. The insects who do not even lift acquire the label – monotone losers who entertain themselves to death without paying any attention to their physical qualities.
That sense of superiority takes place in the gym as well. Those who follow a different training method fall under the critical lasers of the apprentice. They are lifting, but not the right way. Therefore, they are sinners who deserve hatred.
Brutal lifting and hardcore bulking form the core of this phase. The lifter truly believes that preventing iron from crashing into the floor is his most important mission in life. Many describe this part as their hardest training ever for a good reason – you are not holding anything back while expecting miracles.
During the later stages of your career, you may actually train harder, but it just doesn’t feel the same. You are simply not as invested because you know that in the end, the reward isn’t really the one you have envisioned.
Stage 4: Waking up
Regardless of how convinced one is, the results will eventually start to speak louder than the expectations bought on credit. Sooner or later, the enthusiasm of the lifter gives up on him and makes gravity even stronger – the weight feels heavier because the mirror does not display the expected painting. You did the work, but the bank refused to cash your check.
The voices of the critics become louder than before. You find yourself listening to their words.
“Maybe they were right…”
You begin to see patterns that were previously invisible. The doctrine starts to lose its foundation. You are no longer a believer. You no longer look away when a flaw of the system is presented to you.
Was it all a lie?
You don’t want to make a definitive decision just yet. You don’t want to give up before exploring all paths. Your method of choice has failed but so what? There are other ways to build muscle.
Low reps failed for you? That’s because they are not optimal for hypertrophy and remain reserved for fat powerlifters.
High reps failed for you? That’s because they are not optimal for hypertrophy and remain reserved for oiled bodybuilders injecting testosterone in quantities normally found in 100 men.
Stage 5: New Hope
It’s time for a change of direction.
It’s time for something new.
It’s time to do it right.
It’s time to dust off the rifle and go to the battlefield again, but this time – with a better plan.
The old one failed, but that’s fine. As Rocky Balboa says – it’s not about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
Don’t hang the belt just yet, boy. Embrace the pain once again and ascend to another dimension that only those who don’t give up can reach.
source: https://pixabay.com/en/sea-water-view-peace-an-island-2915187/
Stage 6: Hitting the Wall Again
Despite the reignited motivation, the door is still not opening under the heavy hits of the lifter. It remains locked and mean. The new method may produce some benefits, but the overall product is still unsatisfying.
Stage 7: Research
The lifter has always searched for an explanation of his poor results, but this time, this is the main focus of his awake hours.
The research says that the desires of the lifter cannot become a reality through the original plan because steroids are required to produce the admired growth and strength.
The skeptical sites like nattyornot.com are no longer reduced to the writings of a madman. The lifter starts to find himself in more and more posts.
“Maybe the guy who presents himself as ‘truth seeker’ is not that stupid after all,” the lifter says to himself when no one is listening.
But it takes more to make a final conclusion. The lifter needs even more evidence. His infatuation is too strong to break so easily.
Stage 8: Looking for More Proof
The lifter accumulates more and more information on the subject. He wants to “get them” 100%. Most sources are of digital nature – forums, blogs, sites, comments, YouTube.
The lifter is also paying extra attention to the conversations in the gym. His ears gain strength once the word steroids is detected.
Stage 9: Rage
The evidence exposing the role of steroids in the muscle construction business is too strong and big to ignore. The lifter realizes that he’d been tricked and wants to level the Earth. His hatred for the industry becomes exceptionally strong. He develops a need to set every protein powder box on fire. He wants to destroy the liars that tricked him into thinking that a new world is possible if he was to play by the rules.
He is crushed not so much by the impossibility to become big naturally, but by the realization that identical principles form the engine of every sector. He sees the same cheating patterns everywhere.
The lifter loses his innocence and starts hurting. He is no longer pure even though he is technically not a part of the steroid conspiracy yet.
He cannot help himself but wonder – to what extent is the world real? Are successful people ever saying the truth? Who can I trust?
Stage 10: Join them or not? (acceptance)
The lifter’s heart is crying, but after a while, he comes to the conclusion that there are only two options in front of him – to acquire the mass he is after by injecting or to remain natural.
Whatever the choice, this is the end of the natty delusion. Going back to the previous stages is not an option. The lifter cannot trick himself into believing the same nonsense again.
He is free because he knows.
P.S. If you want to learn more about the natural potential, check out the book – Potential How Big You Can Get Naturally. There’s a 35% discount until the end of the week. Apply the discount code “natty” at the checkout to benefit from it.
When I was a little boy, in my mind, I was thinking that it has to be a easy way to get what I want. When I saw a hard way, I was always looking for the easy way. I took me more that 20 years to understand that there is no easy way. There are only a infinity of hard ways. I was just lying to myself that I have found a easy way to have something, that all of the other pathetic life forms strive to have it on the hard way. But, lying to yourself, sounds ugly. So, we call it hope. When you hope for something is a lie that you are telling to yourself. In this realm are is only actions and consequences. Maybe you can choose your actions, but you aren’t free from the consequences. You can’t choose the consequences. The system wants us to hope that the consequences of our actions are in our choice. Replace hope with lie and you have your answer, or keep dreaming.
That comment made my smile. Well said.
Love it , man <3 Simple , old , but true after all 😀
Thank you for the support, Trung Lee.
One of your best posts bro! Amazing & all true. Keep it up!
Thank you for the support, Robert.
Hahaha, recognizable and so true..!
Btw, I like your new book!
I am happy that you like it. Thank you for the support, Sam.
I read many blogs, but your writing skills seem unmatched! Please market your stuff well. You’re good at this, man. Both ‘A Hater’s Synthesis’ and ‘Potential’ can become big-time best-sellers. Your style of satire low key reminds me of some good old George Carlin humour.
I too, am an ectomorph at 5’8”. I am just curious to know how much visual difference can really occur after reaching one’s natural potential as a cursed ecto. If you don’t mind, can you mention your basic body measurements here? Or, can you give us an idea about whose physique yours resembles, in terms of size? (Example, Denis Minin). It’s completely alright you don’t want to.
Keep up the good work! 🙂
*if you don’t want to
Thank you for the kind words, Shredaholic.
Even as an ecto, you can improve, especially if you have long insertions for some body parts. I don’t look like Denis Minin. My arms are smaller (long insertions) and I am fatter. But I think I have a better back and legs, but hard to tell for sure.
However, many of the bar stars are a good example of what is achievable naturally as far as the upper body is concerned. Still, you can’t be a copy of someone else because you have a different structure and insertions.
Ectos are usually torso dominant. So you can probably have a good back and chest. The arms, hamstrings, calves and forearms are usually lacking for ectos. Of course, that’s not the case for everybody.
Wow.excellent article.I am one such naive lifter who went through all these phases with severe mental delusion and resulting material loss due to pumping myself with eggs and milk(lol i am protein from natural source guy)for 8 years until 24 and now 3 years later I all most quit and went vegan. What u think about Internet morons who still think anyone under 100 kgs is natural with their so called ripped 220 lbs claiming they had a friend in high school who benched 140 kg naturally for reps.why they r never agreeing the truth.
Thank you for the support, Arun.
I am in stage 5 yet
Only addendum I can add at age 62 from my own forty-five years of PED-free bodybuilding is, “Yes, there is the extremely rare guy with exceptional muscle building genetics who can build an impressive physique (although his will still be small relative to steroid-users’ bodies) even without steroids…but forget any idea that YOU are that extremely rare guy. It’s 99% probable that your genetics are average or even under-average for building muscle.”
Yes, but that guy has probably always been big due to his large bone structure and insertions. There is a number of men who are big by default. They usually don’t have a muscle inferiority complex and find little desire to lift. Thanks to their superior frame they look larger than life.
Yep, agreed — which is why I described them as “extremely rare.”
I was a long time in stage 8
A strange thing I noticed by studiyng PED users is that they really seems for 100% convinced that they have great genetics and they have their results from thard work. Why do they believe that? Is there a psychological reason for it?
@Truth seeker: One of your best articles. Excellent !
One reason, at least for some, is that there is truth in what they say: they have great genetics in the sense that their genetics respond well to steroids and ancillary PEDs. Not everyone’s genetics respond effectively to drugs. The top professionals admit this about their own genetic response to drugs.
And, many of them do work hard; while steroids definitely build muscle mass even without hard work, the addition of hard training amplifies that growth, so they wouldn’t be quite as impressive without the hard work.
Others don’t want to face the fact of how much difference steroids make. Some convince themselves that steroids make only a small difference — “it’s only 10%!” When, in fact, the difference steroids make is more like 30 to 40%. So, perhaps it’s naivety and/or willful ignorance of chemical truth. Which, as you guess, is something psychologically rooted.
And, some outright lie: they know steroids make the difference but see self-gain of some kind in claiming their success is due to their genetics, not drugs. Which again, may be psychological, and/or, a marketeering strategy.
Thank you.
Actually steroids make 50-100% difference in skeletal muscle volume. If you take only the skeletal muscles(no organs, bones and stuff) of 75 kg lean guy you will get X kg. X, cuz its very hard to measure, but probably skeletal muscles would be around 1/3 so ~25 kg. There is a difference between lean body bass and skeletal muscle mass. So if this lean 75 kg guy who I assume is at 90% of his natty potential do some hard steroids for long time and gets to 100 kg lean this is 100% increase in skeletal muscle mass(and only ~40% increase of his lean mass). My calculation may be not completely right, also height and bone density matters, but you get the idea.
“it’s only 10%!” Says the long time roider. “Yeah sure”
This guy gets it.
Hormones make ALL the difference.
Not JUST steroids. There are other hormones that effectively allow bodybuilders to eat like fatsos and add 100% LBM and in some cases (especially with the triple threat of clen, t3, and HGH) get leaner at the same time.
Here is another little known fact: the hormones will not kill you or have much of an impact on you beyond maybe blood pressure and some bad lipids if you really get out of control.
What is it that kills these bodybuilders?
It is the LIFESTYLE.
When you are taking a lot of hormones, a lot of people find it necessary to also take NARCOTICS.
Why?
BECAUSE THEY ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE FUNCTIONING LIKE A HUMAN BEING.
Not only that, but what do you think comes along with the feeling of godlike invincibility? The women? The parties? DRUGS. It is the hardcore abuse of drugs and partying that kills you.
P.S. “natural lifters” who get shredded down to 6-8% bodyfat aren’t really totally natural — they’re using various forms of ‘speed,’ — from the ECA to straight-up meth to cocaine. There is no ‘natural’ at 6-8% bodyfat without assistance, I don’t care what you’ve heard.
Extreme responders to steroids (like all Olympians) can add about 100% extra muscle over what they would have been able to build naturally. With GH and insulin that’s another 100%. So a genetic phenom that can build 40 lbs of natty muscle will build another 40 on roids and yet another 40 on GH and the rest.
Of course, most people have a much milder response to drugs and might be getting anywhere from 0% extra growth (yes, there are utter non-responders out there) to perhaps 50%. Which is why your average gym rat on drugs doesn’t look like he’s on drugs.
“it’s only 10%!”
I think the 10% rule was in reference to weight lifted, not muscle mass. Back in the day, powerlifting historian Terry Todd compared the best lifts of known juicers to guys he assumed to be natural, across many weight classes. He concluded that steroid use leads to a 10-15% lifting boost. Which sounds modest, but is huge in a sport where 4-5% comprise the difference between first and fifteenth place.
I believe someone replicated Todd’s research more recently and came up with the same numbers. Hard to be sure, but 10-15% sounds plausible to me.
When it comes to physique building, steroids confer a huge advantage, far in excess of 10%. Comparing natty to juiced physiques is pointless.
Yes. It turns out that if you want the big boy toys: the huge paydays, the hottest babes, the respect of the meeeelyuuuns….you need to take the big boy steps.
Modern dating dynamics are only bad if you lust after the big league sandbox of a new hottie every week or day. Mere mortal dating of getting to know people being kind and every so often finally finding someone…maybe even just one…still works for everyone.
Your desire is what makes the disillusion.
And if you desire the body of a god, to think you could attain such with mortal methods is stupid.
You never really discuss the other side of it: balls.
Everyone wants to believe they can become great without any real risk…once again, the fault lies in the naive viewer and the fear and laziness mingling with desire.
Those who do whatever it takes to become godly will become godly..for a time.
Those who don’t have the stones to put real skin in the game will forever cry and bitch about lies. But these are lies that can only be believed if the listener has a character flaw: believing that excellence can come without real sacrifice.
You say these stages everyone goes through. Bullshit. The second I learned what steroids were I instantly knew that that’s what was responsible for the otherworldly physiques even from the golden era.
Why?
Because there is no reason why they wouldn’t be. None whatsoever. Anyone who would even believe otherwise is a deluded fool caught up in fantasies born of childish thought processes.
Even the lie itself is blameless: magicians do not reveal their tricks, artists hide the brushstrokes. Do you really believe Mozart never revised anything? Do you also believe in instant natural talent or mastery or genius? Yes after the fact this is how things are described. But the only people who would believe such are suffering from boy thinking.
Men know these things.
Your list may as well generalize to the world and be called how I learned to think like a fucking grownup.
Everything you say about most everything is accurate. But none of it is earth shattering for anyone mentally past the age of 12.
What you don’t seem to understand yet is that it is actually bad form to talk about such things. Lying is preferable.
Things like magic genetics allows people to believe in an excuse…rather than the truth that they are just too cowardly to chase that which they desire in this world and DO WHAT IT TAKES.
In truth a steroid infused body is so powerful that I have seen ugly men transformed into slayers. Wee midget men too.
So you complain that you can’t get good pussy….are you willing to do what it takes? If not, no more complaining little boy.
You complain that you can’t get rich in life? Are you willing to become a psychopath and do what it takes? No more complaining little boy.
This is a man’s world. The real world. Where every good thing has a real price to pay for its attainment.
The fantasies are for the women and children so that they never have to know the world in the way men do. And because most men in this age are women and women children…well, you should consider thanking the liars.
This is step 11: understanding the greater whole.
Bingo!! “Your desire is what makes the disillusion”
You are correct, but I would like to say something about a physique that pulls pussy. If you want to fuck tons of women you need 2 things: looking good (being good-looking and tall is important too) and talk to women, end of story.
Some guys are so naive thinking that more muscle will mean more pussy, maybe if they had more balls or weren’t socially inept they would fuck more women. A physique within your natural limit (and within 8-10% BF) is very very above average, you will look better than 90-95% of men of your age range, I can assure you that, if you want a physique that will make women wet, you don’t need to shoot beyond your natural limit. Above that you will only impress more men, not more women. I don’t want to trade my hair, my skin or my balls for 5-10kg of temporary muscle.
The fitness industry has brainwashed us all regarding what is an aesthetic and pleasing physique. I know that me or most men lift to become more masculine (better than other guys) and to be more attractive to other women, that’s how it works. If you already are maxed out naturally and lean, maintain that physique, stop crying about not being worthy and start improving yourself in other ways: look good, don’t dress like a boring guy, be more fucking social and talk to women, if you already look muscular and lean and don’t look like a clueless basement rat you will probably receive tons of compliments from them.
Muscle and bodybuilding is one the best thing every man can do to improve himself, but don’t be a fool and focus all your life around muscle, that is just one part of the equation.
This idiot doesn’t know anything and is parroting GLL’s (a well-known and admitted JUICER) advice.
More muscle does = more pussy.
This is now beyond even empirical question.
Muscles 7x more attractive than even height:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/284/1869/20171819#sec-1
Shoulder-Hip-ratio (a short-cut index of muscularity) far more attractive than height or penis size:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3637716/
Being “good-looking” is not that important. Being “tall” is also not particularly important. A man is not supposed to be pretty — this is gay man magazine propaganda. Height is only more attractive if muscle goes with the height.
A physique “within your natural limit” will look skinny 100% of the time and women won’t care that much.
You say “don’t be a fool and focus your entire life around muscle.” No one who does so is foolish. Look at the men who get scores of women vis appearance: athletes. Athletes JUICE. The more one looks like those men, the more pussy that man will get.
There is a reason tons of men flock to the gym and tons of men juice — pussy. And it works. Provided you are willing to go the extra mile.
Women do not give a flying fuck about you relative to 90% of other men. That is not the female mind. The female mind is always relative TO THE BEST.
The modern woman’s mind has been conditioned with superheroes, athletes, fitness models, etc. THAT is your competition. Make no mistake. So sure, you can be better than 90% of guys. That won’t mean much. Not for the truly hot women.
Perhaps if you want to settle for scoring 5’s and 6’s, maybe.
Athletes got two things you forgot about: popularity and cash. Most of them don’t even look juicy anyway.
In any case, singling out one trait is obviously not the way to go, even physical attractiveness alone is about a combination of traits. Face, height, frame size, proportions, muscle mass and shape all play their role and different people assign different weights to different traits.
You’re in the same boat as guys on bodybuilding forums starting threads like “Why lift when it’s all about the face?”, just on the opposite end of the continuum.
Why are you so mad? If you were fucking hot women or above average women consistently you wouldn’t sound so mad, but who cares, I don’t know you.
Yeah, that info is from GLL, but arguing about theories and mental masturbation will lead to nothing. All I said is corroborated by MY experience, this is not the place to brag, but I consider myself good with women: I’m good-looking, I’m 6 foot tall and I consider I’ve reached my natural limit after 6 years of hard training and good nutrition.
I can go out any given night and maybe meet some willing woman to get fucked. Women usually tell me how strong, tall or good-looking I am (I’m above average, I’m not some model lol), and you would understand that because if you go to bars or clubs, most guys there are either skinny fat or overweight, just fucking plain average, that is your competition.
This is MY genuine experience, I don’t have the need to brag on the internet, but your comment sounded so wrong to me. Again, I don’t know you, but you sound very angry and pessimistic. Thinking the epitome of natural bodybuilding is not attractive to women because there are juiced top athletes, and a fitness industry brainwashing you (and us all) is delusional.
If you had actual experience and went out you would understand how you don’t need to be juicy to fuck quality women.
Blah blah blah femmie ‘YOU MUST BE ANNNNGRY CUZ U DISAGREE WITH ME!’ ‘GRRRR EMPIRICAL STUDIES GRRRR’
You parrot GLL, and you admit it. GLL IS A JUICER — and he NEVER EVEN COMES OFF, he just blasts and cruises. GLL has a minimum FFMI of 23-25 in his ‘SUPER LEAN’ condition. And yet here you are, still refusing to just admit the truth.
And, typical ‘modern male as female’ with the ‘you seem so angry’ cliche nonsense.
Readers, please do not listen to these fools. They will lead you astray. They are morons and refuse to just admit the basic truth.
Chorchie you are 100% correct. From personal experience I can confirm it. You don’t need to be a mass monster or fitness model to get girls.
I am 6’1. Above average looking. Have reached my natural genetic potential. I see girls checking me out a lot. I’m talking getting eye fucked. I am bragging but only to illustrate a point.
You no doubt need game too. If you are just good looking and buff but have zero game (you don’t know how to sexually escalate, talk to girls in a way that gets them excited etc) then you will loose quality women (the ones you want aka – girlfriend material). You can afford to make more mistakes when you are good looking but you still need to know the basics of seduction (non-verbal communication included)
Ignore this ape Candor inc. He clearly has never even stepped out moms basement and gone to a real bar.
The only thing I can think of as to why he’s so bitter and angry is because:
– he is average or below average looking and average height or short.
– he thus justifies to himself that the reason he cant get girls is because they only want roided men, and looks plus height don’t matter.
– this makes him feel at ease and secure that there is nothing he can do about it. So its pointless even talking to women or trying to get dates or learn game (while he is natural)
– he then goes online and calls other men feminists. Even though he is the one that states that we are “not good enough for them” in our natural potential and that only roided fitness models are. Hmm…sounds like he is the one that has put women on a pedestal entitled to only the “best” of us men.
The truth. Women are inferior to men: mentally, physically and most of them (99.9 %) weather they want to admit it or not CRAVE to be fucked by a naturally dominant and strong emotional man not some insecure tren injecting poster boy.
Being a “real man” has nothing to do with weather your arms are a natural 16 inches or juiced 19 inches.
Fortunately or not. Only real life experience will give you this insight. Candor inc is simply backing his argument up with “studies” not real life experience.
I realise I may have come over as condescending in this reply comment, however, its hard not too when your opponents argument is based on subjective theory instead of objective real world experience.
To each his own, internet debates will always lead to nothing, I won’t try to change anyone point of view.
Yup, I’ve just never stepped into the real world even though the men who get the most women based on physical attraction — athletes are “mass monsters” because they juice and I cited two studies backing myself up. You must not know how to read or not know what the definition of “objective” is; otherwise you’d realize that your scribbled out baloney = subjective and empirical studies = objective.
Further, only a man with the mind of a third grader would brag about ‘being eye-fucked.’ And? That’s not fucking lol. That’s all in your head, i.e. SUBJECTIVE.
Then you go on to parrot some ‘inner game’ nonsense that sounds pulled straight from one of the many PUA bootcamps you no doubt have attended.
Sure, kiddo.
Women are all about ‘inner game.’
No wonder you morons had to go through the 10 steps.
Lol a “real man” as you call him wouldn’t have had the time to write such a comment, nor would he care enough to do so. He would be too busy “salying” or shopping for bigger underwear for his huge balls.
Get a hobby bra! Stop impersonating someone who knows the world, it makes you look bad.
Yes because ‘real men’ don’t write. Or because pussy somehow makes one incapable of self-reflection or expressions of intelligence. This is the kind of fucktarded nonsense that passes for discourse in modern society, where little girls — you — who have swallowed feminism and its memes whole.
What of what I wrote is false?
I notice you didn’t put any logical counter-argument to what I wrote yet had the time to describe your fantasy idealized man’s balls. And then, with supreme irony, gest about comments that make one ‘look bad.’
Brett, do the world a favor and (1) shut the fuck up then (2) kill yourself. You can skip straight to (2) and also accomplish (1).
Tell you what Mr. Angry man. I went on a first date last week. Yup. Played with her titties in the cafe… Later she told me I look like the hulk. I’m not that big. She’s a girl. I’m a man. Naturally I’m bigger than her. It turned her on. I don’t have 20 inch arms. Thats a real life example. Not a raging rant. I’m not repeating information that ought to work. The fact that you so easily triggered is amusing. Send me a picture of yourself so I can show my friends what a pussy looks like in nature. Pretty please.
Who’s triggered?
You’re an imbecile and plucking ‘insults’ right out of the femmie playbook: LOL UR MAD CUZ U CRITICIZED ME LOL! LOL IF UR MAD THAT MEANS U MUST NOT EVER HAVE SEX LOL!
Thus far you’ve talked about your fantasy man’s huge balls and now you’re begging me to send you pictures.
I doubt you went on a date with a woman recently or ever.
Fellas, no need to fight. Clearly you’re both attractive alpha males who get laid all the time (that’s how you ended up reading nattyornot in the first place, natch). Reading your posts, I can’t help but appreciate your intelligence, erudition and totally see how you’re mentally superior to women. Because arguing anonymously on the internet is the single most obvious characteristic of a tough, non-feminized, dominant alpha male. Respect.
🙂 I love the irony.
You’re 100% right.
Good article. We’ve all been through the stages. Some of them last years. Ultimately we are all better for having gone through them. Nothing looks the same, no longer naive and delusional (well still plenty delusional just not when it comes to lifting).
Good article once again. A pleasure to read.
Precise! Salute!
I’ve personally noticed the battle is ‘lost’ at Step 1 because I didn’t pause to understand my true motives on starting the journey.
If I want to be big out of insecurity or fear, that’s a bottomless pit that no amount of muscle (steroids or not) can fill. One reason chicks don’t dig bodybuilders is because of their awful mix of insecurity and vanity.
When I realized I was lifting for chicks (motivation, remember?), the game became very simple. Lose the gut, and get a minimally muscular look. The fact that is obvious I don’t do roids is a bonus — it seems to attract more vegan-yoga type women lol.
Can you please share your pictures? Darken the lights,etc … just curious to see the enlighted bodybuilder (no pun ended). Thanks!
I am a steroid user and i never missed one of your article because i love your writing style. Actually, i think it is one of your best article (if not the best).
It was 1, 3, 5, 10 for me. I was amazed with physics of bodybuilders ofc, but I skipped a subscription thouh, just had gone to the gym with a buddy and we have been doing some stupid shit like 6 excercises, 6 sets each for chest for example. But meanwhile we also listened to conversations in a locker room and figured out that basicly any guy whose physique was impressive, was on juice. Not even low doses. Even guys who were not that impressive, were in many cases on juice too. Then I came to full realization, accepted it, and moved along. I consider myself lucky that I wasn’t exposed too much on fake natties in that time, just on no-bullshit lifters in that gym.
Gone from 5×5 to RPT. I got stuck when I hit advanced level of lifting?
“The skeptical sites like nattyornot.com are no longer reduced to the writings of a madman”
Sorry mate but after 3 years of reading I gotta say, your site is very much the ramblings of a madman…..but I love it. Keep up the good work! One naive natty kid at a time.
Love the site Truthseeker. As an aged 40 something who’s been lifting for awhile I think there is an 11th step and it’s not Candor’s roided alpha male crap: Wisdom. Accept your natty limitations. Lift to feel the strength your body has. Do not compare yourself to anyone except yourself. When you are healthy, lift hard. When you are sick and tired, do what you can. Pride and ego are the number one cause of injuries, physically and mentally.
Enjoy whatever visual changes happen to your body from exercise, but do not let them become your motivation. The Bhagavad Gita says we do not own our results, only our effort. Own the effort, lift to lift, and you will discover an unexpected feeling far from the gnawing hunger of envy and insecurity: joy in the simple miracle of work.
And congrats on the book!
I just wanted to let Candor know I think he is a pathetic human being. I sincerely hope that in the near future he enjoys a physique that is burned out from cycling steroids to impress women. What an ass.
Nice writing. This really hit home.
So what if I really want to go to “step 11” and no amount of negative health risks or arguments that its not worth is likely to convince me otherwise?