posted July 14, 2000 11:25 AM            

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"It is not the Horse that pulls the Cart, but the Oats."

posted July 14, 2000 11:37 AM            

Lots of references to this on the web, and in the popular press. Check it out.

Bjaarki

posted July 14, 2000 11:39 AM            

Clomid tells the pituitary gland to produce more FSH and LH, hence this counteracts the negative feedback that certain hormones cause on the body. Clomid is too cheap not to use eod throughout a cycle, and 100mg/day-50mg/day in the two weeks post-cycle. I made the mistake of using enanthate four years ago...didnt know shit about clomid-didnt hold any gains either.

Unity66

posted July 14, 2000 11:47 AM            

I like that better than muscle dysphormia - I think its mediocrity avoidance.

posted July 14, 2000 08:43 PM            

The competitiveness, perfectionism, and, in some cases, the unrealistic self-percepts that you see in some of these posts ("I always look small to myself and feel like shit") really point out the double-edge of bodybuilding and weightlifting. If it's such a deep and unfounded sense of shame you're running away from, my friend, you'll never escape it in the weight room, I don't give a shit how big n' bad you get. No offense, Amp, but I'm sure you see the problem.

Go easy, bro's! Lifting is great fun, and that competitive bug is the same nasty little sucker we've all felt, but there are other things more important (Like your child's smile, if you need a f'rinstance).

Go easy, bro's! Just keep a sense of proportion about things is all I'm saying.

Bjaarki

posted July 14, 2000 08:51 PM            

We need to realise that it is good to have goals and always strive for the untouchable perfection. We must look in the mirror and even though we realise that we are not where we want to be yet and there is still room for improvement we have come a long way and we look better than 90% of the population.

I need to start taking my own advice

posted July 14, 2000 09:09 PM            

No disrespect, man, but it's not just *lookin' good* that counts, bro! It's feeling good and, more importantly, *doing good* (helping beginners out, teaching stuff to people, being a standup guy, etc.) that makes it. That sounds kind of corny, but you get my drift? There are more important things than the flesh hanging off our bones, no matter how large, hard, well tanned, or whatever.

Meanwhile, know that, as you say, we all look a hell of a lot better than, not 90 percent, more like 98 percent, of the population. But that's just narcissism when you get right down to it, like "The value of me is dependent on how I look in others eyes". Fuck the "others." And fuck looking good, if it's a substitute for self respect.

That's the bottom line as I see it.

Bjaarki

"Become someone's hero."

posted July 14, 2000 09:17 PM            

We are not defining ourselves by how we look. The original poster was stating how he feels about his body and how it looks. I am not saying that our looks define us.

I am a well rounded person with many interests. Bodybuilding just happens to be the most important one. This thread is about looks (muscle dysmorphia) and I was just commenting on how we can try to accept the way we look and try to be proud of ourselves.

posted July 14, 2000 09:20 PM            

Real good, man. Thanks for the back'n'forth.

Bjaarki

posted July 16, 2000 11:33 AM            

Nice reply. Glad to see some bro's thinking about this.

I'm not sure it's a history of neglect that sets someone up for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (let's just call it BDD for short). Instead, I see a lot of similarities between BDD and Anorexia Nervosa, the eating disorder that affects mainly young women, and is characterized by a nearly delusional conviction that the body is fat, even when it's skeletally thin. Similarities include age of onset (youth), unrealistic self percept (thinking one is too fat [AN] or too thin [BDD]), hiding one's body shape by wearing concealing clothing, extreme perfectionism, relentlessness of dieting (AN) or lifting (BDD), etc., etc..

This is, for me, an interesting thread. Like to hear more of your thoughts on this, Fukkenshredded, as well as the other bros. If people get bored with this, interested discussants can email me offline.

Bjaarki

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"'Til the weard of the world, stands, unforgotten,
high under Heaven, the hero's name." - Hrolf Krakki's Saga (Iceland)