So what is your 'why'? Of all the hobbies one might have, what makes you dedicate so much time to training, physique, nutrition, etc.?

[BuildABro]

I think for me it was honestly generalized boredom with my life. Early 30's, married with small kiddos and I really had nothing that was explicitly for me. Work, pay the mortgage and bills, play taxi for the kids to all their activities, eat, sleep and repeat. I felt stagnation I guess, and if I was going to have an activity why not one that pays hefty dividends in terms of how I look and feel? I am pretty one dimensional now I guess is the drawback. With weightlifting and the gym being pretty much my sole outlet, I am emotionally invested to probably irrational levels.

 

[bigead]

Work as a chef and in my late 30s gained a lot weight. Got sick of being sick and tired, started powerlifting. By the time I was in my mid-40s I was moving good weight. Now in my 50s, its a major outlet for me. A lot of my friends my age look like they have one foot in a grave. Life is too short not to take care of one thing you'll always have your health and your body.

 

[Fattyone]

Hatred.

If my therapist ever beat the final level I’d imagine I’d enjoy knitting and spending time with my family.

 

[BuildABro]

Work as a chef and in my late 30s gained a lot weight. Got sick of being sick and tired, started powerlifting. By the time I was in my mid-40s I was moving good weight. Now in my 50s, its a major outlet for me. A lot of my friends my age look like they have one foot in a grave. Life is too short not to take care of one thing you'll always have your health and your body.

Amen brother!

 

[readalot]

Born with it. My first dumbbells (11 lb x 2 set) I bought at 6 years old (think I borrowed money from Mom and chored it off). Severe body dymorphia. +100 for Fattyone's comment.

 

[iris]

Teenage years, no interest. After quitting smoking and a crap job, I just ended up in a gym that was nearby.
And that was it. It's become a habit, a part of the day that needs to be there.
If it's missing, it all goes a bit upside down.
But then, it's also never good enough.
If training had not provided a distraction, a space from certain things, I am not sure I would have endured.
For me, the gym is a very antisocial pursuit.

 

[MythotiK]

Used to be for my job, was a must, now it’s to keep up with the youngsters

 

[Alert_Custard]

Started as a teenager because of not having much else to do. Slowly became a integral part of my life. It helped me massively when the rest of my life was not in a good place.
Now it is the only think I do that is just for me.

I also loved it since day one, and it has been 24 years so far.

 

[nightprowler7]

it’s cheaper than therapy and it helps me sleep

I’m a combat veteran and I used to struggle a lot when I came home. I turned to alcohol and it made things so much worse. Eventually I decided to ween myself off alcohol and I started to workout. It really helped keep my mind busy because I’m an over thinker and PTSD made it too hard to relax enough to fall asleep.

Bodybuilding probably saved my life to be completely honest. I’ll never stop and my life gets better every year.

 

[PermaBlastingTren]

if I’m not lifting I go back to the same guy with all the same reasons he started. A nobody with nothing going for him. Someone who is lost and has no direction In Life. Someone with zero impact on anything or anyone around me. Someone who takes beatings apon beatings and follows everyone’s word. Someone with zero people and zero connections to reach out to for support. Take away the lifestyle and I am no longer who I am today. I’d be working some dead end job till I die, or better yet, maybe even dead.

Bodybuilding quite literally saved my life. Before gettting into the sport I was contemplating killing myself because I literally had no reason to live. I was going to die living from shift to shift with no source of fun or excitement. It gave me something to always be working on. No matter where I am in life or how lost I may feel, I still have bodybuilding to work towards. I also had a rough year long period in my early years where I was addicted to hard drugs and was practically living on the streets. I got back into bodybuilding to get sober.

I owe everything to this sport as it has not only made me who I am today but changed the trajectory of my life and saved me from myself on multiple occasions.



To be fair, I also do enjoy feeling better than everyone because “I has a beg bicep” LOL

 

[BuildABro]

if I’m not lifting I go back to the same guy with all the same reasons he started. A nobody with nothing going for him. Someone who is lost and has no direction In Life. Someone with zero impact on anything or anyone around me. Someone who takes beatings apon beatings and follows everyone’s word. Someone with zero people and zero connections to reach out to for support. Take away the lifestyle and I am no longer who I am today. I’d be working some dead end job till I die, or better yet, maybe even dead.

Bodybuilding quite literally saved my life. Before gettting into the sport I was contemplating killing myself because I literally had no reason to live. I was going to die living from shift to shift with no source of fun or excitement. It gave me something to always be working on. No matter where I am in life or how lost I may feel, I still have bodybuilding to work towards. I also had a rough year long period in my early years where I was addicted to hard drugs and was practically living on the streets. I got back into bodybuilding to get sober.

I owe everything to this sport as it has not only made me who I am today but changed the trajectory of my life and saved me from myself on multiple occasions.



To be fair, I also do enjoy feeling better than everyone because “I has a beg bicep” LOL

I do get a bit of a superiority complex towards my fellow man in many ways, which is not a positive development honestly. I have also noticed nowadays that I tend to almost instinctively view people who are obese with utter contempt and disdain. It's not like I am trying to, the thoughts just bombard my cerebral cortex.

I used to be such a nice and empathetic guy too once upon a time. Not sure what happened. Though it's not like I act out on these thoughts and punk or insult said people. It's all in my head, just not sure how that sentiment came to be so prominent.

 

[iris]

I do get a bit of a superiority complex towards my fellow man in many ways, which is not a positive development honestly. I have also noticed nowadays that I tend to almost instinctively view people who are obese with utter contempt and disdain.

I don't really sympathise with this.
Other people may not be into going to the gym, like you, but they may be into other things you are not.
Yet, are they being critical to you, because of it?
Maybe your narcissistic, individualistic tendencies have taken over.
Maybe it's just insecurity.

I sympathise more with the idea that the "hobby" seems to be in our lives as a massive support for the mind, something that can carry us out of trouble, that may prevent us from hurting ourselves in other ways.
And yet it can deffo become a hurtful thing in itself, like all habits/addictions.
It can shut one off (in a negative way) from many other things, for sure. At least, that's for me.

But the bad judgement towards others, not really.
I appreciate your admission and the honesty, though, 100%.
Maybe it’s just something that will pass, as you settle into things.

 

[BuildABro]

I don't really sympathise with this.
Other people may not be into going to the gym, like you, but they may be into other things you are not.
Yet, are they being critical to you, because of it?
Maybe your narcissistic, individualistic tendencies have taken over.
Maybe it's just insecurity.

I sympathise more with the idea that the "hobby" seems to be in our lives as a massive support for the mind, something that can carry us out of trouble, that may prevent us from hurting ourselves in other ways.
And yet it can deffo become a hurtful thing in itself, like all habits/addictions.
It can shut one off (in a negative way) from many other things, for sure. At least, that's for me.

But the bad judgement towards others, not really.
I appreciate your admission and the honesty, though, 100%.
Maybe it’s just something that will pass, as you settle into things.

I find honesty is generally the best policy, even if said honesty portrays me in a less than favorable light (like now for example). If I was not being candid then I would not be receiving such good feedback on the matter like I am right now from you. This is how positive reciprocal dialogue works. Hard to pull off on the internet mostly, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

And I will be the first to admit I likely have issues. Lots of them probably, but all I can do is try to understand them and hopefully work through them in a manner that yields a better man, husband, father, etc. on the other end.

 

[iris]

I find honestly is generally the best policy, even if said honesty portrays me in a less than favorable light (like now for example). If I was not being candid then I would not be receiving such good feedback on the matter like I am right now from you. This is how positive reciprocal dialogue works. Hard to pull off on the internet mostly, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

100%
Say it like it is, whatever it is.
That's why I like people like Ghoul and Narta, because they will just say what they think, period.
You can agree or not, but there it is.

We all have issues, so please do not think I am judging over this.
I have thoughts and behaviours that are way more negative and unconstructive than this.
But I like you and being in touch with you, so I just gave you my thoughts, as soon as I read it.

I certainly don't think this makes you a bad dude, of course not.
We all go through phases and crap. This is just one, so don't feel bad about it.
Maybe it’s just the tren making u a moody b***h.
I am like that without tren, if it helps.
Lol

 

[Liter O' Test]

because its a goal i have control over that I can work for and measure everyday.
If I don't workout , I feel like a piece of shit. thanks Army

Also I need exercise to release these chemicals in my brain. ( I think gear helps release more of this aswell)

My mood and activities on my rest days vs workout days are night and day and its honestly a problem because I have been getting better progress and less injuries with more rest

 

[BuildABro]

because its a goal i have control over that I can work for and measure everyday.
If I don't workout , I feel like a piece of shit. thanks Army

Also I need exercise to release these chemicals in my brain. ( I think gear helps release more of this aswell)

My mood and activities on my rest days vs workout days are night and day and its honestly a problem because I have been getting better progress and less injuries with more rest

I find that oftentimes my rest days are not really rest in the literal sense. I seem to always find excuses to do something physical in nature on those days. Then I read up on the whole “active recovery” theory which only feeds my desire to not really rest at all.

 

[2bigguns22]

I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you’re made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live.

Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it’s some kind of miracle if you’re not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole. I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind. The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go.

But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

Harry Rollins

 

[rexy]

because its a goal i have control over that I can work for and measure everyday.
If I don't workout , I feel like a piece of shit. thanks Army

Also I need exercise to release these chemicals in my brain. ( I think gear helps release more of this aswell)

My mood and activities on my rest days vs workout days are night and day and its honestly a problem because I have been getting better progress and less injuries with more rest

Can definitely associate with the last paragraph. For me, time fucking drags as well on days off, and I tend to watch the clock a lot (as I have a rather quiet job, so I often go during work days to split the day up).

So the gym makes time pass better, keeps my mind off food (because i'm a fat ass by nature). and the days where I fall off the wagon are almost always non-training ones. Usually because I have way more time to think about food in the fridge.

 

[narta]

Till my early teens, I was the boy that did what they said. Till I said no more. Parents wanted me to take on more "noble" hobbies, like music, arts etc. I chose weights. They disagreed. I didn't give a damn. They screamed and went into tantrums, their only child mincing with the "knuckle draggers". At 16 I gave them the ultimatum: want me in your life? That's the way it's gonna be, my hobby is the fucking iron. Sure higher education and their "need" to be recognized was fulfilled. They got to brag about their son, but it was a bit of a contrast when said son showed up in social events, titles didn't quite match the 6'4" 280lbs body.

But iron saved my life, kept me sane. I would have unlived a few people if it wasn't the outlet of my anger. And I don't mean it as a metaphor, I am talking about literally unliving people. Made me a bit anti social, well, more than I was already.

Now it's part of me. Not part of my routine, part of me. If I had the choice, it would be a full gym, in a cabin in the woods, with my family and my dogs. But, I still can't materialize that plan, I have to wait a few years. On the other hand, I get to teach my hobby to my padawan. He already likes it. And I like that, puts a smile in my ugly mug...

 

[DECLAN]

Damn, you guys have good intentions behind entering this hobby/lifestyle while I have the most basic reason.

I did it for the poontang lol. Looking good to get girls is one of the biggest motivations for the majority of young men out there.

It worked, had my fun, then it became a habit; even when I had kids and stopped for a while, I still went back to lifting weights.