About what age were you when you built your base?

[4Drago]

About what age was everyone when you started serious training and building your base. I was 13 (1980 something) and got my first real gym membership. All the girls thought I was 16... if only I wasn't so darn shy. I remember having to sign a waiver to workout without a parent. I can't remember my training regime or split but I know I trained my whole body. I believe it was one on one off.
Legs took some mental training. I learned to love the pain and deal with the vomiting afterwards. Soon the vomiting stopped but the nausea was always there after. I'd sit in the locker room for awhile until the pump dropped enough that I could get my pants on. 501 jeans were the thing back then, but I couldn't wear 501 Jean's by this time at all. Oh the memories. I was so hooked after feeling my first real pump.

 

[HeatherSwanson]

I was 12, at the beach and saw this jacked 60 year old dude with a red sports car and the hottest women I've ever see, she was about 40.

Being a simplistic 12 year old I knew that going to the gym and thought that muscles = plastic tits and sports car.

Wasn't allowed at the gym until 13 so did pushups and pullups every night until I was 13, got the same waiver you had signed and then never looked back.

At 16 I was 200lbs at 5'10" and was throwing hay bales like the men around me and was a machine in all contact sports.

Of all the investments of my time and money, lifting weights was the highest ROI, by far. Sports cars and plastic tits kinda followed, muscles made it easier.

 

[4Drago]

I was 12, at the beach and saw this jacked 60 year old dude with a red sports car and the hottest women I've ever see, she was about 40.

Being a simplistic 12 year old I knew that going to the gym and thought that muscles = plastic tits and sports car.

Wasn't allowed at the gym until 13 so did pushups and pullups every night until I was 13, got the same waiver you had signed and then never looked back.

At 16 I was 200lbs at 5'10" and was throwing hay bales like the men around me and was a machine in all contact sports.

Of all the investments of my time and money, lifting weights was the highest ROI, by far. Sports cars and plastic tits kinda followed, muscles made it easier.

For me it was years earlier when I watched the Incredible Hulk for the first time. I also did the weights you filled with water in the garage before getting that first gym membership.
When I was 16 I was only 5'9" 170lbs but ate a dumb highly restricted diet. The moment I said fuck it, and ate whatever I wanted, I blew up to 200lbs as well. My body was just waiting to be fed. That's when I got the chest stretch marks. At 13 I was the only kid I knew with a six pack. Boys started catching on and lifting but usually not until high school.

 

[4Drago]

I remember that I moved back to Oregon and joined weight training for my physical fitness class. I wanted to work in with a few guys on the flat bench. But when I asked they said they don't want to have to take weights off and put them back on. They were benching 135. I said you don't have to worry about taking any weights off. They said ok and looked at each other Laughing. They weren't laughing anymore when I was repping 225lbs while they HAD to take weight off for their own dam selves... good memories.

 

[craigdt]

I was a freshmen in college.

Played soccer. Prolific runner.

5'10", all of 128 pounds.

Lifted like crazy, got a lot stronger, but could never add much mass because I didn't realize how little I actually was eating and how much cardio I was doing.

Fast forward 15 years to fall of 2024, after decade and a half of sedentary office work.

Figured out thru calorie counting that I was barely eating enough to survive much less add weight.

Upped my calories to 4,500 daily, started peptides, then trt, then a full blown experimental cycle with lifting 6x week.

Gained 30 pounds of muscle in a year, trying to keep it going from here.

 

[Elektrobot]

Growing up in the 80's watching Sly and Arnold and Lou.... I thought about gym stuff all day. I remember being like 5 and asking my dad what I could do to workout. He put up a heavy bag, chinup bar, gave me a jump rope and showed me how to do pushups. He was a disabled vet, and I think he was thrilled that I had an early interest in being physically healthy. And I think seeing the way he had to live his life made me appreciate the abilities I had. when I was 12, he let me start weightlifting. My uncle was the high school football coach, and he would come pick me up from school and take me to conditioning at the high school with the big kids. Thats where I learned to squat. It's also where I built a life long love/hate relationship with the cybex hack squat machine. I remember the first time using it, everyone was lined up at the end of the workout to see how many reps they could get. When it was my turn, I got in.... and I couldn't even unrack the bitch. My uncle and the assistant coach looked around the machine like, is something wrong with it... is the lever stuck.... but my little 12 year old ass couldn't fucking move it (at the end of a workout). Now every time I get in that machine, I think about that moment and how I couldn't fucking budge it... and then I blast the fuck out of my quads.

through highschool I played football, wrestled, ran track and stunted with the cheerleaders. I've been a meathead my whole life. Even owned a gym at one point. My passion now is collecting old school gym equipment.

 

[adrenalytic]

I started around 14 because it was mandatory off-season for HS football (unless you were playing another sport). So every winter (I played lacrosse in spring) was spent learning the basics of lifting. Kept at it through my 20's year round. Then sorta fell off for a decade. Life you know. Got back into it heavy about 6 years ago and haven't looked back. Now I could kick my 20 year old self's ass like the little drunk bitch he is.

Growing up in the 80's watching Sly and Arnold and Lou....

Man, I grew up in the 90's and me and my meathead buddies would watch Pumping Iron like it was a church gospel every week. Good times.

 

[4Drago]

I was a freshmen in college.

Played soccer. Prolific runner.

5'10", all of 128 pounds.

Lifted like crazy, got a lot stronger, but could never add much mass because I didn't realize how little I actually was eating and how much cardio I was doing.

Fast forward 15 years to fall of 2024, after decade and a half of sedentary office work.

Figured out thru calorie counting that I was barely eating enough to survive much less add weight.

Upped my calories to 4,500 daily, started peptides, then trt, then a full blown experimental cycle with lifting 6x week.

Gained 30 pounds of muscle in a year, trying to keep it going from here.

That's a great accomplishment friend. But a base is what you built before you ever touched a ped of any kind. I bet if you just gave the added calories (and reduced cardio) enough time you would have seen at least 20lbs of natural mass gains... even with just trt if it was medically needed.

 

[craigdt]

That's a great accomplishment friend. But a base is what you built before you ever touched a ped of any kind. I bet if you just gave the added calories (and reduced cardio) enough time you would have seen at least 20lbs of natural mass gains... even with just trt if it was medically needed.

Oh yeah. For sure.

Im just old now and wanted to accelerate the process.

 

[ToesOverKnees]

I started the gym at 14 after a school trip there for phys ed. There was a massive ripped guy there and I just went yep that's what I want! Anyone remember the Weider I think, exercise per body part posters with the guy with no skin and the muscles in separate colours? Good times !

 

[HeatherSwanson]

I started the gym at 14 after a school trip there for phys ed. There was a massive ripped guy there and I just went yep that's what I want! Anyone remember the Weider I think, exercise per body part posters with the guy with no skin and the muscles in separate colours? Good times !

When I was learning to draw I made my own in my workout journal that had some of that posters pictures sketched into it. I kept that for a few years like a psycho. It was more of a book of grudges and desires than reps, sets and weight

Entries like "Massive redhead dude next to me got 3 more reps than I did with the same weight" hahaha

After touch screen phones came out and the journal went into storage... I'm going to retrieve it!

 

[kasperl]

started with 16 (underweight; 1.80m; 60kg) and stayed natural until 22 (1.83m; around 90kgs) before blasting gear

building a good foundation natural was probably the smartest move.. i am kinda thankful for that

 

[ToesOverKnees]

When I was learning to draw I made my own in my workout journal that had some of that posters pictures sketched into it. I kept that for a few years like a psycho. It was more of a book of grudges and desires than reps, sets and weight

Entries like "Massive redhead dude next to me got 3 more reps than I did with the same weight" hahaha

After touch screen phones came out and the journal went into storage... I'm going to retrieve it!

Haha brilliant post up.photos of it dude