Why Do You Love Bodybuilding?

Bodybuilding is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. I had lifted weights off and on since early in high school until I decided at the age of 26 to get serious about it. I started lifting in April of 2002 and since then I have gone from a skinny and bony 193 to a lean and muscular 215 at a height of 6'5". In a short 8 months I was able to put on 22 pounds of muscle and improve my life immeasurably in the process. Bodybuilding has given me more discipline. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to and I eat a lot better. It's given me much better health. I don't get sick nearly as much as I did in the past. It's made me much more confident in my ability to handle problems and life in general. Little things don't bother me anymore. I can't forget to mention the added sex appeal. Women now look twice at my body. What an unbelievable feeling! I became a personal trainer and now I spread the gospel whenever I can. One thing that I have noticed since I got into shape is that everybody wants a good body. The problem is that there is so much misinformation out there that people that don't have the right knowledge as to how to get in shape get frustrated when they don't see results and give up. I can't tell you how many people I have motivated to get into the gym once they saw the new me. Bodybuilding.com is a great site and I want to thank everyone who writes articles for the knowledge and inspiration. Good luck to everybody.

I love this sport. I've lifted on and off for twenty years, but now at 39, I rededicated myself to get in the best shape of my life, and I have. It feels good to walk into the gym where all the high school football players are and have them look at me with fear in their eyes because I am the silverback of my gym! Nothing says power like 19 inch arms and a 3 foot wide back. I may have more gray hair than they do but on my worst day I'm twice as strong as anyone in my gym, that commands respect. I've also gotten into submission fighting and I beat guys half my age not with technique, but brute force. I also had my twenty year reunion last summer and all those hot cheerleader babes that wouldn't give me the time of day, seemed embarrassed when I saw them with their fat, balding husbands. Work out hard, it's there for everyone. Live young forever, weightlifting has that for you!

When I started weightlifting I was 19. I was 161 pounds of PURE BONE at 5'11. Not being popular, and being laughed in high school was so depressing. I was even sometimes shy to talk to girls! But my last year of college changed my life. One of my friends restarted training. In a matter of 6 months, I saw the difference on his body. I promised myself that I can make a difference in my life as well. So I started training. For 6 months, I was going twice a week pretending to get big like him. But, it didn't work out. Then my HEART took a major downfall. My defeat with this girl motivated me more to take out my anger on the iron. I was the first person in the mornings to take a walk in to the weightlifting room. In a matter of 2 years, my body changed. I was so disciplined in terms of training properly and eating healthy that I put 24 pounds of muscle. When I received comments such as "you got MUTATED", it made me proud of myself and motivated me to lift more heavy weights. All my friends tell me that I'm an idiot awaking up at 6 AM just to go to gym. But, It's in my BLOOD. Benching 2 plates, curling 1 plate (NATURALLY)...is the total satisfaction for me. Getting out of the gym all pumped up increases my confidence. I feel like I can achieve anything that I want. I would do weightlifting until I DIE. Being in shape, Wearing tight clothes, GIRLS staring at you everywhere, getting respect from other people gives me more confidence. Life would be pretty sucky without weightlifting. Whoever invented weights is a GENIUS. I feel like a celebrity without really being one.

TIP FOR SUCCESS: IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE, START WITH WEIGHTLIFTING. The rest will follow… It's a GUARANTEE with no loss.

Bodybuilding started for me when I was sixteen. At college I would go to the weights room on my free time and lift weights and after a couple of weeks I was addicted. At first I thought it was a waste of time and that I would never get anywhere at 6 foot 2" and 75kgs. Once I saw changes I began to understand that I could go anywhere I wanted to. With this knowledge I took the sport seriously for 5 months and gained 9 kgs and double what I could lift in basically everything. With more size and muscle I stopped being hassled by the rats my own age who would hang in groups. I used to fear them a lot because in the past they had stolen from me and fought with me. But after bodybuilding I never feared them the slightest, in fact I had so much confidence I would have taken them all on, but that's not the reason I love the sport. It keeps me focused and disciplined. Now through proper food, and strict daily training I am seeing fast results which is what keeps me hooked. The hardest part of bodybuilding is being able to see where you've gone wrong and knowing how to fix this, It took me awhile to learn this. Once I did I always progressed. I like the sport because such a small amount of people do it, and you can always talk to and understand other bodybuilders. I was an Arnold Schwarzenegger die-hard fan and still am. The only thing that I don't like about bodybuilding is why in competitions people have to where g-strings, do we really care how many muscles you have there? And is you have to wear them, which to me makes guys look stupid, don't wear pink. What's wrong with short shorts?

Bodybuilding has become my way of life and I love it! It gives me such a sense of pride to know that I have achieved something that most girls my age (15) would never attempt. Every workout gives me the power to enhance my physique. I feel so healthy and strong. I also have more confidence. I started working out 3 years ago and Im never going to stop. I think all teenagers, especially girls, should do weight training. It's such a healthy way of life, just ask any bodybuilder. To be a bodybuilder is something to be proud of! It's survival of the fittest!

I love bodybuilding now, it has done so much for me. Every day its something that reminds me that I'm different, in a good way. People at school recognize just by a friend who talked about a "big guy" named Alton who could bench like 340 pounds, people I didn't know from Adam. The question "Do you play football?" is a regular inquiry at work, and being called "big man" or in some other way being commented on how big, thick, and strong I am is unavoidable on a daily basis. I've had to buy bigger shirts, all my old wifebeaters don't fit anymore, and my new ones are already getting small. I have to buy baggy pants to fit my quads, or the pant legs hug my thighs so tight I get chafed. I wear a superman shirt and people say, "Hey, there goes the real superman right there!" It has totally made over my self image and increased my confidence through the roof, and I think everyone should bodybuild, even if they do not want to become freaky big, everyone can be happier and healthier and enjoy life more from bodybuilding. I'm happier, and definitely healthier. That is why I love bodybuilding and continue to bodybuild.

In high school I was a joke, six foot two and 120 pounds. Not that fighting solves everything but I always had to talk my way out of a problem because physically defending myself wasn't an option. It really did things to my self-esteem. Fast forward a couple years I'm out of high school and just not really happy with myself, I typed in my last name at a search engine on a computer and some guy named Jim pops up. He's a bodybuilder a few hours away from where I live. Well I don't know if we're related or not, even though our last names are unique and spelled exactly the same, but it was inspiration enough for me.

I went out, bought a few dumbbells, read a few articles on form and technique and started at it. This was about a year ago, now I'm six foot two and 185. I haven't found a better way to relieve stress and just make me feel ALIVE again! Whenever I get done with a workout I just have this feeling like I'm invincible and I can do anything! It has done wonders for my self-esteem and almost every other aspect of my life too, I can let a lot more things ride that used to bother me and I have a lot less stress in my life too. My bodybuilding goal? I just want to see how far I can take myself, to test my limits, and in the end I'd like to shake Jim Seratts hand and thank him for giving me the inspiration to change my life for the better.

And I'm not just talking strength power. Coming from a 45 year old female bodybuilder, not only does bodybuilding keep me mentally sane, muscles give presence. I am a petite person and tend to get lost in a crowd. No more, now that I do bodybuilding. I stand taller and with better posture and exude more of an air of confidence than ever before. Confidence is often a missing component in many women's lives. Bodybuilding turns that around 180 degrees. I'm not talking egotistical princess here, just confidence in one's own abilities which crosses over into all areas of life and also is an aid in facing life's obstacles which usually come out of the blue at the most inopportune moments. I'm totally addicted to my six days a week in the gym and constantly am pushing myself farther than the workout before.

I was fat my whole life until I was 17. I was 5' 8" and my weight shot up to 198 pounds that time about 2 years ago. Then, my friend of mine (Dave) bought a home gym equipment and showed all his workouts to my friends and me. My love to try bodybuilding enhanced when I started to see WWF. So, I just enrolled in a gym and I just started working out to lose fat. What I did wrong was I was doing to much of cardio, and a strict diet made me lose fat and muscles too cause I didn't have any knowledge about bodybuilding. My weight went down to 141 in just 8 months. Then, I realized my mistake and reshuffled my whole program again and since then, I put on 26 pounds of pure muscle in about 1 year. My friends have really noticed my difference and they like seeing my body and believe me, I have one of the best bodies in my gym and many people that are working out there for ages still look almost the same. I am so proud of my achievement compared to the other members of the gym and many of them come to me for information regarding training and nutrition. Now, I am 5' 9", 167 lbs, 15 inch arms, 44 inch pecs, 31" waist line, 25" legs.

I have been lifting weights for 4 weeks and I just couldn't believe the results. My arms went from 12 to 13.5. I started the day I saw Bodybuilding.com. At the moment I feel like going to the gym and I just can't stop thinking about it. All my friends at school are asking me how I done it so fast. I just can't wait until summer.

Roberto_Y2k2

1- You are addicted to the high energy, the pump, the endorphin rush after a workout. It's almost religious!

2- At the gym you are one of the few who use the squat rack. The 45's are where you left them last week.

3- You've run out of notches on your belt because your waist is so small. You wear XL shirts now.

4- In your swimsuit, your wife says you look like a Greek god! (which one?)

5- At your last reunion, you were voted "best preserved". Your old classmates are astonished at the shape you are in. You tell them you workout to keep your "youthful figure".

6- Your wife calls you "hunk" and "buff" all the time now and ogles at your impromptu posing demonstrations.

7- At the supermarket checkout you do "pec waves" to impress the checkout girls- this usually elicits giggles.

8- Most of all, you like working out, it's good for you, and fun!

JM

I love bodybuilding because I meet like minded people who want to get the most out of life. That for me means training six days a week with my two gym partners to get the best from my body. They encourage me to do well, to train hard, to eat correctly. Training at the gym for me comes first. I love training, keep it up!

I've been lifting for over 10 years, and I love it as much today as the first day I picked up a weight. I love feeling my muscles work hard against the weights, getting pumped up and huge. I love feeling sore the next day because I know that pretty soon, I'll be heading back into the gym bigger and stronger than the last time I was there.

One benefit of many years of lifting is that my muscles are thick and full, with great definition. I often catch people staring at me when I'm working out. I wear a tank top or muscle shirt to the gym, and it's awesome to see ripped, defined muscles all pumped up after a hard set.

I love this sport because it give confidence and self esteem. It turns boys into men and girls into women. You also don't have to quit when you get old. This is a sport for everyone. I started out late in life but it has done everything for me. I have lost weight and I am in the best shape of my life. I am doing things that I never thought I would ever do. I compete as a competitive powerlifter and now I have decided to try and compete as a bodybuilder. It has brought me closer to my wife and family. They see know I am doing something that I have wanted to do all my life. And for this I will do my best that I can do in this sport.

Bodybuilding is like life in that it involves overcoming obstacles with creativity and persistence. It is rewarding when the goal has been achieved; whether it is the perfect form or the greater weight (hopefully both), reaching beyond one's own expectations sets the bodybuilder apart from the average person.

James

There is no greater feeling than knowing that you are helping your body out each and every time you lift. I'm 13 and I love the fact that I have more muscle than the average 16 year old. I just started to lift last year and I have noticed that my body just took to it like a duck to water. I had to move and my life was a living hell for months and the only comfort I had were my weights. This gave me time to train and get big. Being big is great, but being the biggest is even better. The only down side to lifting is that I get made fun of for loving it as much as I do. I have to just let you know that your website is great and very helpful.

COLTON

Bodybuilding to me is the best thing that has ever happen to me, before lifting and not eating right I always felt tired, yuck, and depressed. I got sick at least once a month with a cold or somthin'. But when I started lifting and started to eat healthier, I changed and felt good. I had more energy and a more clearer mind, plus in the year I have been going to the GYM I've only been sick three times. And the cravings for the natural high you get from pumping is unreal, I actually wanna go to the GYM right now. Most teens I know are into smokin' pot, popping pills, getting drunk, and eating McDonalds everyday which makes me sick just writing it, how can someone just abuse and deprive there bodies like that. I've tried most fitness sports like Swimming, Karate, and Taekwondo but I quit half way threw as I didn't have the love for it but once I hit the GYM I was hooked and have been going now for a year and will continue it for as long as I can. I LOVE BODYBUILDING!

I love it because there are so many great things that some out of it. one its healthy. two it makes me feel good. it makes me look bigger. and looking big means more attention. and I love attention. I've only been lifting for about 8 months now and friends and family have told me i look bigger, I look better. that makes me feel great. that I'm not the only one that can see my changes. its just an all around awesome feeling. Also when I'm at the gym i feel like I'm at home and when I'm at home I wanna be at the gym. Over these past months I've got a new addiction and this isn't bad...its the gym. most other teens have bad addictions. drugs, smoking, drinking, not me. lifting also teaches me dedication to go to the gym on my workout days and not make excuses. no matter if I feel like going or not I go. because deep down inside I want to and I love lifting.

Hey. I have told why I love bodybuilding before. But I love it twice as much more every day. I love it because it makes me feel great. It gives me so much confidence. I know I did something great when I get done. The next day I am sore and I know right then it was worth it. When your muscles are filled with so much blood and feel like they're about to explode! I love that feeling more than anything. The discipline, the heavy weights you lift, the killing machine "squats" and deadlifts, the best exercise ever. It feels great to do these lifts and while you're doing them. You're no longer human. You're an ANIMAL! Fighting through the pain is the best feeling. Throwing up after a heavy squat. Sleeping and eating is also good when you're done with all this.

I got into bodybuilding for three reasons. I wanted to be big and I got sick of being the small guy and getting picked on. I got sick of being pushed around, I got sick of them smart ass kids at school talking smack all the time, calling me names. But while those kids were doing that, they were making me stronger. When I would lift, I would pretend the bar was them. I would cuss and I still do now. That's how I get motivated. I bench 330 for 3 reps. I'm always motivated, I never have not been motivated before. I say to myself, "You want to be big? You want to be that little 140lb skinny guy again or You wanna be the 210lb guy that you are now? What you wanna be? You wanna be strong?" When I say that to myself. I get so pumped up, so pissed and nothing is going to STAND IN MY WAY! Nothing, not you or anybody else. I will get huger, bigger, stronger, more disciplined than ever. Through the sport of bodybuilding and I will love every minute of it...and I do this for only person. ME! Nobody else.

I can't explain why I love bodybuilding. I can go on forever about why it's so great to me, my only friend, the only thing that's been there for me. You might find this sad, but I don't. Iron is all I need, powerlifting, bodybuilding is all I need. nothing else not even people. I dream of heaven is a huge weight room, and a nice shower, comfy bed, food everywhere. That's my heaven. not gold, not money but weights. I live for the iron. I love the iron, the iron is my best friend, the iron is all I got. It's my thing. People here where I live think lifting is stupid, but when they see me lift. It's no longer stupid. I never met anymore who loves bodybuilding and powerlifting as much as me. I don't think its possible, but I would rather lift than go out with friends to a party and get drunk. I rather lift than spend time with my girlfriend even family. I know this sounds crazy but when I really think about it, all I want to do is lift. Ever since I gripped a barbell and bench pressed it, I have been changed forever. Right now I'm 17 yrs old, 210lbs, 6ft. I bench 330- 3 reps, dead lifts 500 for 3 reps, and squat 545 for 1 rep max. I went from 140-210 in 3 yrs. 160-170 to 210 in a year. Bench went up from 215 max, 330- 3 reps in a year. 48.5" chest, 19.3" neck, 17.5" arms, 32" waist.

I believe I will always make gains and never get stuck on a sticking point. As long as you train hard, eat good, sleep good and use creatine, ZMA, whey protein and change your routine every 6 weeks and train like a powerlifter, bodybuilder. Both is good. If You do both. You will build an awesome body. If you just do one you will miss something. I believe powerlifting builds more mass and bodybuilding makes you hella ripped. I love lifting. It makes me feel great.

I used to workout primarily for sports, football and basketball, and through that I learned about determination. My high school did not allow freshman to lift for football so I didn't start till my sophomore year. I walked into the weight room and immediately saw the records. I saw the squat record, and said to myself " I think I can do that by the time I'm a senior." The record was 500lbs. I worked hard for the next 2 years not really thinking about that. My junior year a kid set the record at 600lbs, no shitting. I figured well I guess I got to work harder. My senior year maxes prior to football came around. I had been working out with 550lbs, 4 sets of 5, so I knew 600 was a reality. I got to 585 and my coaches weren't gonna let me go because I played both ways on my team and they didn't want me to blow out my knees. Finally I told them "please let me try, I've really worked hard." So they put 610lbs on the bar, I got under it and the whole team was watching. My line coach was a real son of a bitch, so he made it so he would stand in front of you and "pace" your squat, you couldn't go back up till he did or it wouldn't count. I went down, and came back up, with very little effort, I did it! After only 2.5 years of training I reached my goal because of determination!

Jordan
Orland Park, IL

My name is Nelson (a.k.a. danz demon). I am 21 years old and have been a dancer since I was 3 1/2. As a dancer being thin has always been pushed on us, although I was never thin. I had an obesity problem and was told I will never dance professional. At 13 years old, I was told to lose weight or get out of dance. I was a huge 160 pounds at 13 years old. Food was my anesthetic. So I turned to some dance friends for advice. That begin my long battle with bulimia, and soon anorexia. They shared their tips on purging, exercise and avoiding food. Needless to say, although I purge once to twice a week. I could not get into, Even though I had bulimia. I was still gaining weight.

At 17 and an amazing 420 pounds, I was told to leave the dance world. I was crushed, I went to the parish fair and they could not close the door on me. I was so upset I ran home vowing to purge everything I ate.

Bulimia kick in full gear. I became a purging anorexic, I would purge 10 to 15 times a day. The weight felled off, I was scared of bodybuilding so I would never lift weights. As for cardio, there was a time I would exercise anywhere from 7 to 10 hours a day. I quit school cause it was messing up my exercise schedule. I was convince to go in home school.

At 18 I had lost 100 pounds and was looking great. though my skin was sagging on me like a sweater. Though I would not lift weights, I was already teaching aerobics and I would tell the girls not to lift weights... it will make you fat if you do.

At 19 I was at my worse. I was taking 100 laxatives at a time and taking 15 to 20 diet pills a day. I also lost another 80 pounds. Soon everyone notice I was getting very thin. Most thought I had aids or was on crack. My friends and loved ones were constantly hassling me about my weight loss.

At 19 1/2, I was downed to eating 50 to 150 calories a day and no more. I was so weak I could not lift a finger. My heart was so swollen, My kidneys were giving out. My liver was also failing. I was told if I don't eat I will die.

When I turned 20 I had lost a total of 210 pounds. My skin was so saggy, people gasp if they saw me. I was so thin and most said I look like death. I was pale and super weak. I had stop eating for 1 whole month.

Then that's when it happened, I went to work and passed out from a heat attack. I thought that was it.... I finally died. But no, I survived. After 6 months of feeding and intense therapy I began to eat and gained weight. Then at 21, I met someone who changed my life.

His name is Jim Buxton, he is an exercise physiologist at the hospital. I came to him in desperation. I was gaining weight and my skin was so horrible. He convinced me that weight training was where I need to go.

So, he set me on a program. I started to get so much good vibes from it, that soon I started to promote strength training to all my girls in aerobics.

Then the skin started to retract and I started to look better. Now it has been 4 months and I am planning on competing in a bodybuilding show next year.

I am also getting an online journal about my life in bodybuilding, to help other obese people and other eating disorder people to see. That bodybuilding is great and can change your life.

I started to slip up again... If it was not for Jim and bodybuilding I would have died. My doctors are promoting strength training to others now because of how it has saved my life.

I thank god for bodybuilding!
Nelson Jackson

When I first started at high school. I was skinny, small and weak. I used to get teased and stuff like that. In the 9th grade I started going the gym in school. I loved it right from the start. I started going after school. And within my first year of Bodybuilding I had bigger and more defined muscles than most guys my size. I started kickboxing not so long ago and bodybuilding has helped me a lot in the sport. In am in the 11th grade now and I notice girls staring at me, no-one teases me anymore and I feel a lot more confident about myself. Bodybuilding has given me a reason to keep away from Drugs, Smoking and Alcohol. I also love being able to lift weights that guys a lot older than you can't and I love the way that people call you Muscles, Muscle Man, Arnie and stuff like that. that feeling when you are all totally pumped and every muscle and vein in your body is bulging. and you think to yourself. I'm a monster, And I'm glad to be who I am.

Here's three tips from me to you:
1) Never give up
2) Eat well
3) Keep it Natural

Hi! I'm a mom of a 20 year old and a 4 year old. I'll be 40 years old in Sept. and I began bodybuilding seriously about 2 years ago. Through lifting, cardio and a 5-6 meal a day diet, I lost 4% bodyfat and went down 4 pant sizes...in 12 weeks. That was the beginning of a new lifestyle for me. I had a back injury 10 years ago that cost me my job as a deputy sheriff. I was in daily pain until I lost all that fat and gained all the muscle. Bodybuilding has allowed me to be in control of my physical self. I have also become certified as a Fitness Trainer and now work at the gym where I started out on this wonderful journey!

My whole life I had nobody, my mom and my dad was never there for me. And my step dad would always beat me and my brother and we were poor. I knew I couldn't make it in the world living with my mom and I wanted to see the world so I moved in with my dad after 8th grade when I was 14. My dad had weights in the garage but I didn't think any thing of them 'til that winter of 9th grade yr. I had no friends or anybody to talk to. The only thing I had to change my life and give me discipline was that iron.

I lifted a little that winter, but after 9th grade yr, that whole summer all I did was lift weights. that's when I got into bodybuilding. I got on the net and read anything and everything I could find on bodybuilding and powerlifting. I got bodybuilding books such as Joe Weider's book and Arnold Schwarzenegger book. I even talked to the iron. It was a war between me and that iron. I would get so pissed while lifting cause of my step dad and all the people who picked on me and beat me up while I was a kid. But now I could have my revenge and it was through bodybuilding to get my revenge. I went from 140 to 155 at 5'10 3/4 that summer and I reduced my waist from 33 to 31. When school started again people thought I took steroids. They would come up to me and ask me if I use them. But I always took it as a compliment.

I lifted like crazy my sophomore year and I started playing football but I gave that up for bodybuilding. My sophomore year in high school I was just experimenting with the weights. My body rapidly changed. I made up my own programs, I overtrained a lot but I wouldn't have known how to train if I never did. My junior year I played football, it got me behind in bodybuilding, but it has helped me too...but not like bodybuilding has and body building is my true love. I weighted 170 my junior year at 6ft. The iron was my best friend, the only thing I had to do to keep me out of trouble and discipline. I made my self workout when I didn't want to and it has helped me with life as it is now.

When I pump iron it turns me into an animal. I scream, get pissed and I always win against it. Now it's the summer and I'll be a senior and my bench press is 325 and I weigh 195 at 6ft at 17 yrs old. Bodybuilding has changed my whole life, given me discipline and gave me confidence and I never had to get my revenge back either. I used all my anger and used it for bodybuilding. And now I don't get picked on or get beat up. All the muscle it gives me shines on me like armor. That's why I love bodybuilding and I'll never give it up for anything, I'll keep on doing it 'til the day I die and after that too.

I am 20 years old. Before I came to the University, I used to be very skinny and people used to call me all sorts of names.I decided to do something about it. I joined the weightlifting club...that was two years ago. Now, if I meet someone I see they are pleasantly surpised because I am really a man now, so to speak. My confidence has grown now and I feel I can do anything and can be anyone I want to be.

I have been bodybuilding for just over a year now. The reason I started bodybuilding was because I was overweight, and my self-esteem couldn't go any lower than it already was. I was 205 lbs., and I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. So, I went on a diet, and started going to the gym. I still have pictures of when I was overweight, and now I look at them and wonder, 'Why didn't I go to the gym sooner?'. I lost the weight I wanted about 6 months ago. I look in the mirror now and I love what I see, and I hear comments all the time now, like 'man, you just keep getting skinnier everytime I see you'. And now I have been going to the gym to get bigger and stronger. It is a part of me now, a way of life. I can't imagine how my life would be without bodybuilding. I took a picture a couple of days ago, and I looked at it, and I was amazed at how I looked. It seemed like I was looking at a picture in a magazine. That satisfaction is the greatest feeling in the world.

That is why I love Body Building.

In High School I wasn't in the popular group and the only way to get Positive attention was to out do as many guys as I posslibly could. So I began in the gym! By my Senior year, it felt GREAT that I was in awesome shape, had muscle definition and that I could put the majority of the "legends of their own mind" in their place! After High School, I had back surgery due to my job. Now the reason I'm still lifting is because I would like to say to my Dr.s that I'm even stronger now than I was before! I love the feeling it gives me during working out and the results that keep coming after time! I love POSITIVE attention and if this is how I have to get it, then I'm not going to stop! Now the only prob is, it's hard to find women's shirts in stores to fit me.

Pride - You feel so much more confident in everything you do and have a growing hunger to do so much more. After you've hit that high intensity level in the gym over and over and over again, you have learned so much about yourself and have accomplished something you never thought would mean so much at an inner-self and personal point of view. Be proud to have started and have kept going with building a beautiful physique! The feeling is so much greater than words can say. I'm a proud loser!---Of bodyfat, that is! Keep spreading that positive attitude and smiles, we want the hunger for bodybuilding to be contagious!

I'm a 43 year old female who's been lifting for three years now. I love to watch the progress. This is the one thing I feel like I can control. It takes a lot of self discipline. The reward is definitly worth the hard work. I look forward to the end of my work day so I can workout. It's a great stress reliever. For the first time in my life, people come to me for assistance and advice to improve their physical appearance. Bodybuilding has heightened my self esteem and has impowered me to make decisions in my life that a few years ago I would have never challenged. I highly recomend it to everyone. It works!

I love bodybuilding for a couple reasons. I have learned to love it because I know that pain means pleasure. Whenever I feel pain I can't bear I keep going because I know it will make my muscles bigger.

I love bodybuilding because:
1) After stress at work, there's nothing better than to take it out on some iron
2) After the workout, I feel and look great; the stress is gone and the evening is all mine in which to relax
3) I enjoy setting my own goals and achievements. I know that bodybuilding is not about trying to look like someone else, but to push yourself so that you look and feel at your best with the body that you want
4) I enjoy the creativity in devising my own workout programmes and diets taking tips and advice as guidelines
5) I enjoy the attention!!
6) It's about balance, and I want to build my body in tune to building my mind and soul; a healthy body means a healthy mind
That's about it for now. It's a great site, I really think the tips and workouts are excellent, so keep up the good work.
Best wishes,
Alex Laidlaw

The self achievement, the way friends look up to me and joined the gym after seeing my success. The pride of looking in the mirror and seeing a body you're proud of. When most people try to avoid looking at their body you could say I'm the opposite, I like flexing my body in the mirror! You could say I'm a compulsive flexer :) Walking round shirtless ever so proud of my body. I also love the feeling of being so pumped after a workout I can barely lift my arms. And the girls--the look on there face--their eyes light up when I take off my shirt :) They never used to look at me this way, that's for sure…. and not to forget the healthy lifestyle.

I love bodybuilding for one simple reason, the girls. I love it in the summer when you know women are looking at you. That's something what would have never happened 2 years ago when I was a 10 stone weakling.

I love bodybuilding because of the respect, confidence, self assurance, and overall motivation it brings. I'm currently 15 years old and have been working out since the beginning of 8th grade. I am currently in 10th and have 15 1/4 inch arms & a 40 inch chest. Being a very self-conscientious person, working out made me get the confidence I needed and I now have the best physique within my grade. A lot of my friends have recently taken up smoking weed, but I know that through my discipline of lifting, I wont make the mistakes they all have.

There are probably more than 10 reasons why Me and You should love Bodybuilding.

1) I love the feel of your Muscles ripping when you're struggling on your last rep
2) I love how you look and feel when you're totally pumped
3) I love the feeling you get when you wake up in the morning
4) I love it when you break your record and set another one.
5) I love it when you look good in the mirror and flex making your muscles ripple and it expands 'popping' your veins out
6) Of course I love the extra attention you get from the opposite sex.And they chat with you and the way they look at you with wide eyes.
7) I love it when people compliment you and call you "muscle man, The rock, superman" ect.
8) I love it how it makes some people so much nicer and polite when they talk to you.
9) It comes in very handy when somone wants to start somthing.
10) I just love everything about it.

Well, those are my reasons...if you dont already have these reasons, Get Pumping!
Bodybuilding is not a spectator sport.
3 rules to go by:
1) no spitting
2)no cursing
3)NO QUITTING!!!!

I love bodybuilding because it's my way out. There's no comparison to the natural high you feel when you pump out that last rep screaming for more--when your arm or leg is about to rip out of socket. To feel the satisfaction that you know you won the strungle, over the weights. And to go to the rack and look for a heavier set of dumbbells you can defeat. It's the pump you get when you arm looks abnormally huge and you just want to hit more and more weights until you beat everything in the gym. Nothing is better than the satisfaction you feel when you walk out of the gym, knowing that you put your all into it. And to meet others with your passion of lifting is just anther added bonus, not to mention the girls that go there.

I love bodybuilding because face it nothing compares to the feeling you get when your muscles become engorged with blood. When you beat your past personal goal and come back into the gym stronger than you were before. You feel healthy and good about yourself when you eat and exercise clean. Wherever you go you show off the fruits of your labor. It's something about having a set of arms so wide that you literally stretch the sleeves of your shirt beyond their limit. This stands out and tells everyone around you, I'm a bodybuilder.

I am 17 years old and I have been lifting for about 2 years now. These past years have been like my entire life my life actually started at this point in time when I started to lift. I have gained so much discipline from this and muscle which is good. I first started lifting because I saw Arnold Swarzenegger on all the movies you know like Predator and The Running Man the good ones, but anyway after seeing him I was like man I would love to look like that. I started training on my own and my parents were happy that I was actually doing something good. The memories I have of when I first started and to now are like they just happened yesterday well actually they did because I went into the gym just yesterday. I go to the gym 5 to 6 times a week and those times are hard and fun. After about 1 1/2 years of lifting i decided to do the Mr. Central Bodybuilding contest and i took first in my weight class I am light weight 138lb and 2nd overall I have 15 inch arms about a forty something chest thirty inch waist and like twenty something inch legs i still have work to do if i want to win Mr.Central next year so i am going to lift harder and more precise switching up exercises and talking long enough rest but that is another reason i love the sport so much.
John Kenny

I am only 16 years of age but my dad had me strength training since i was 5. I am not going to go on about drugs alcohol or any crap like making friends, when i go into the gym i mean business and the people around know i mean business, i don't go into the gym to socaialze, the best part of bodybuilding in my opinion is the pump, your muscles swell and it feels almost like your skin is goint to explode, i love the feel of that first heavy rep and you instantly feel the blood rushing to the muscle. Basically i just love the feel of the blood gourged pump.

I love bodybuilding for many reasons. I love when people that I haven't seen in a while come up to me and they cant believe its really me. I've gained tons of weight in the time that I've been lifting, and everyone has noticed. But that's only a small portion of it. The best feeling is knowing what you've accomplished. Raising your max bench up a few pounds, or finally getting in 2 more reps to you're heavy squat. That's what it's really all about. It's about setting a goal and striving for it. Then when you get there, throwing that old goal out the gym doors and set your sites for the next level. It's not about who's the best or who can lift more, it's about self satisfaction to the fullest extent.

I love bodybuilding because of the great feeling of intensity and energy that you get from a great workout and from being pumped. I love standing apart from the crowd and being different and admired for something that so few posses; a great physique. I also love the way that my body looks in the mirror when I am at my best with tight abs, flaring triceps and bulging pecs. I feel like an animal full or energy and intensity, as if I could conquer the world.

That is why I love bodybuilding.

I love bodybuilding because of its healthy nature when getting competition ready. When bodybuilding, you realize the true seperation between mind and body. I think everyone has experienced those days when your mind is not ready to workout but you have the best workout of your life because your body was feeling great that day. Your mind and body do eventually become one as you mature in the gym and that is an experience worth waiting for. I also love the sport because it enables me to learn, teach, and evolve into a more well rounded person overall!

I love watching my body transform. I feel differently about myself when I look into the mirror, I am confident. I think one of the reasons we die hards love it so much is that it gives us a feeling of control over our lives. The people that I form a relationship to in the gym are important in my life as well, we push each other to perform our best. I can not imagine my life without it. I love hearing the plates fall, I love it when I look in the mirror and seeing the muscles buldge. I like knowing that I am doing something really good for my body.

I am 16 yrs. old and have been working out for about five months now. It has been the best five months of my life. I have learned about dedication and I feel like I have the motivation and energy to do anything. I have a lot of support from my friends and family. That is what keeps me going to build a better body for myself. I have dropped my weight significantly and have so much self confidence thanks to weight lifting.

Bodybuilding is great because of the following reasons... The looks that you get when you are around the pool on holiday, with girls approaching you to touch and feel your arms. A great excuse for not going out with people you don't like "sorry I need to get an early night because I'm training tomorrow". The feeling of extreme self confidence, from being huge and muscular. People seem to be a lot more polite to you when your legs are about the size of their chest.You look good in most clothes, and even if you don't there aren't many people that will take the piss. And finally everywhere you go you get noticed. It's like you're a celebrity without having to go on television.

I feel bodybuilding has been something I can be good at. I also enjoy the sound of the pounding plates against one another, and the grinding of my teeth in agonizing torture. I like to feel my muscle swell with blood and lactic acid right to the point where I am unable to lift a pencil or need assistance climbing a stair case. And most of all I enjoy the science, dedication and determination involved, as well as the sense of belonging. Bodybuilding keeps me out of trouble and it is something I can say I am good at!

I use bodybuilding to escape the boring daily life and to forget all my books. I'm a student at a university and often I'm very stressed. Bodybuilding gives mean alternative to drinking, smoking or parties to escape the killing pressure. It's incredible what bodybuilding does to you! After a training I feel fantastic and the next morning I don't wake up with a hangover! My mind is all cleared up and I feel very relaxed.Bye, bye stress!

I love bodybuilding because I know it's helped me get through difficult times in my life. It also gives me more reasons not to smoke and drink. I look forward to go to the gym every day. It makes me feel like I can do anything and makes me feel better about my self. I love knowing I go to the gym to improve my health and my physique. Bodybuilding also makes it so I'm not ever depressed. Bodybuilding can make you accomplish things you can't even imagine.

I have a high stress job where I only see customers and people I could rather do without. For me, that short drive to the gym for 3 hours of excitement, meeting new people, talking with positive-motivated people, and building a better body makes me happy on the way home. This is my reward. No matter how I feel, I am ready to get in there and get my blood moving. It's a real pick-me-up. I make the time to do it.

I'm 18 and I love bodybuilding because it keeps you in shape and you're able to take on anything . Bodybuilding makes you think better about yourself, it keeps you off drugs and alcohol. As you increase in size you make yourself wanna go back everyday and try and get bigger. I box and I always wanna be bigger than my opponent. Intimidation I think is a way of life, because it always makes me wanna do better than anybody else.

Weightlifting has done a lot for me. In seventh grade I was obese and had low self confidence. I decided that summer to lose weight and become stronger. I did this by doing regular weight training and aerobic exercise as well as eat better. Now, two years later I have lost 50 lbs of fat and doubled my strength because I motivated myself to do so. Now I care less about what people think of me and I have so much more pride and self confidence in whatever I do. All I had to do was set reasonable goals and try my hardest to reach them. Now I use my health knowledge to help my friends achieve their fitness goals. Bodybuilding is a great life-long benefit to do.

I'm 44 years young and have been a couch potato for the last several years and I look it. To get myself started I began with small aerobic exercises and increased till thought my stamina was built up enough. I began to research programs and settled on one out of Men's Health. After only a few weeks of exercising even a blind man could see a difference in my appearance. (which is definitely a plus) The feeling I get is almost to good to be legal, and I feel like a spring chicken again. Though I'm getting up there in age, bodybuilding helps keep the mind and the body young and active. I think though that the best of all is that my young son Mike (he's 8) is becoming interested in the sport and hanging out with me more. I'm learning more about my body know than I've ever known before and plan to keep growing mentally and physically.

I'm only 16, but bodybuilding has kept me off of drugs, alcohol, and other terrible substances for your body, because in bodybuilding, you want what's best for your body, and when you do what's best, you feel good about yourself. Another thing I love about bodybuilding, is the great sensation right after a rigorous workout. You feel pumped up, and able to take any obstacle on that's in your path. Then there's the natural reasons: more muscle, impressing your friends, impressing the opposite sex, meeting your physical goals.... well, that's what I love about bodybuilding.

I love bodybuilding because of the way I feel after a great workout... especially after heavy squats.  My entire body feels pumped up and I feel like I can do anything.  I also feel great for accomplishing another great workout and hopefully breaking some personal records.  I love being a little sore the next day because it lets me know that I did a good job.  When I feel healthy and in shape, I feel better about myself which helps me be more successful in other areas of my life.

The obvious reasons - losing fat, gaining muscle, impressing your friends, excelling at something that others can notice, getting stronger, feeling healthier, living longer, staying young, better skin, better attitude, and much more. The real question is why you wouldn't love bodybuiding!

The gym is a great place to meet other people that have your same interests.  That is where I met my husband and I couldn't be happier!   We are now partners and work out together everyday.  I have met many other great people who are active and have a zest for life.  Who wants to hang out with people that sit around all day drinking beers on the couch?

When I feel like crap after a long terrible work day, I make sure I don't skip my workout.  It instantly makes me feel more relaxed.  It gives me time to think and listen to good music with no distractions.  Working out also naturally reduces stress and the bad side effects from stress!