Can you look good and "aesthetic" from natty lifting?

[FuzzyLives]

I wanna start lifting and working out. But I feel like all I ever see are the guys that look good and lean but it seems like they're all on juice. It's kinda discouraging me from wanting to lift. Is that the only way to look really good?

 

[thatfeel]

It really depends on your genetics, bone structure and how your muscles are attached/formed to your skeleton.

Pretty much if you're big you probably won't look cut. If you're lean you probably won't be big. Bulking is a waste of time cause first off you're just getting fat tbh and secondly you're gonna have to cut.

 

[CMNILS87]

95% of all cover fitness models are on some sort of gear, the lighting is perfect, they have photoshop, and they're dehydrated of water. All the instagram dudes do it too. So get that idea out of your head. I'd say one of the best "fitness physiques" is Jeff Seid. Look him up and he has workouts and such. But he's been dieting for 10 years and working out. If anyone does it quicker, they're on steroids if some sort

 

[thatfeel]

Except Jeff seid is a known gear user so why are you referring to him? Cause he's been in the 'industry' a while? Everyone knows Arnold juiced but the fact that he had been bodybuilding and competing for decades doesn't detract from the fact that he wasn't natty which is what the op cares about, not about how long fake natties like Jeff seid have been peddling their misinformation on jewtube.

I used to watch Scott Herman but he's gotten preachy and annoying, I would say he's one of the only real natties left in YouTube. His physique is good and he's not really that big and his lift numbers aren't like ridiculous either they pretty achievable.

 

[Infern0]

Questions like this are actually insulting

Avi = 100% natty

And i dont get perfect nutrition and nor was that photoshopped.

It takes a couple of years of HARD WORK and a proper understanding of how to work out properly

You can look better than.... 85% of men within 3 months of proper training.

 

[marmel75]

I wanna start lifting and working out. But I feel like all I ever see are the guys that look good and lean but it seems like they're all on juice. It's kinda discouraging me from wanting to lift. Is that the only way to look really good?

Yes you can look good, just not like you are on the cover of a men's fitness magazine.

 

[Who Dares Win]

It depends what you start with, naturally broad shoulder and straight legs make a hell of a difference to begin with.

Anyway given the desire to work hard at the gym and diet hard at home and clean up your life style globally, you can achieve great result.

I have a crappy genetic honestly, average to narrow shoulders and X shaped legs the worse thing possible yet pushing hard, dieting hard made me good looking enough to get attention from women.

Dont get me wrong no where similar to peak shape greg plitt or lazar angelov but good enought to look like Im doing it.

Genetics and natural frame dictate what you can get in terms of size and ripped level but either case if you do it right you can achieve great results naturally.

Just dont believe all those "hardgainer" bullsh1t or the overtraining threath, as long your recover enough and your nutrition match your work, you are good to go.

I've been told to train arms once a week and no more cause pecs and back stimulate them too lol, my arms started growing after hitting them in isolation twice a week heavily.

 

[The Duke]

I wanna start lifting and working out. But I feel like all I ever see are the guys that look good and lean but it seems like they're all on juice. It's kinda discouraging me from wanting to lift. Is that the only way to look really good?

Don't take this as a personal insult, but let me share with you something I've learned in life about successful people......Winners don't compare themselves to others. Winners don't put mental road blocks in front of their goals and dreams. Winners don't make excuses for why they can't do something or something is too hard or why the deck is stacked against them.

It takes hard work and discipline and an attitude that nothing is going to stand in your way. If you don't have those 3 things then you aren't going to be anything better than average.

And as @Infern0 pointed out, its not that hard to be better than 85% of the population.

 

[Lion1985]

Genetics are nearly everything.
My best friend has great genetics, his workouts are not realy intensive, his nutrition is also not perfect, he doesnt take gear and he looks great, like someone on steroids, he clearly has his genetics from his dad....
i have "****ty" genetics, except legs.....
i have to work my ass of, 5 times a week, good nutrution and and and.......
i could work out as hard as I could, natural...and I would never look as good as him, who is working out very sporadic
I hate my genetics....so I am on "vitamin T"...working out naturally for me is a waste of time....

 

[jboyd5]

I wanna start lifting and working out. But I feel like all I ever see are the guys that look good and lean but it seems like they're all on juice. It's kinda discouraging me from wanting to lift. Is that the only way to look really good?

Everyone can look good by working out and being healthy. Not only do you look better, you feel better. Even being natty.

 

[GetSwifty]

Depends on your natural frame. If you have small bone structure, you're going to struggle to put on size. If you have a larger bone structure, you should put on muscle a lot easier. I wasted 2 1/2 years working out natural and gained about 15lbs of muscle. I was working out 3x a week, lifting heavy and doing legs too. My legs grew some, my back grew a lot. My shoulders, chest, and arms barely changed at all. I added like 1 1/2" to my arms in 2 1/2 years. And at 6' tall and 2 1/2 years training, I still have 13.4" arms. Yes, I can squat 230lbs for 5 reps, but arm genetics are literal trash. My traps are actually pretty solid. They grew well along with my back.

I was probably bottom 1% of strength when I started, I know. Most of the women in my gym were stronger than I was. But training for over 2 years to still be below average? No, I should have jumped on PEDs after the first year when it was clear that my training had produced almost no results. I just kept believing people who said stuff like "Get your body fat lower first!" "You really need 1.5g of protein per lb of body weight to grow!" "You just need to lift till failure every set!" "You just need to do splits" "You should only do compounds!". None of that stuff made an appreciable difference. Meanwhile, I saw fat guys stumble into the gym for the first time, eat like trash, lift twice a week, and grow more in a few months than I did in two and half years.

I hopped on PEDs last month, and I've literally grown more in the last 4 weeks than I did in the first 1 1/2 years. Natural bodybuilding is a huge waste of time for a lot of people. My diet is identical to what it was before, so is my training. Results aren't even comparable.

My advice, go lift natural, eat enough protein. See what results you get working out 3+x a week. If you're happy with the progress, proceed. If you didn't add much size, decide if you're going to jump on gear or quit. No point spending 10 years busting your ass to get what you'd achieve on six months of test.

 

[custardpie]

Stop making excuses. If you start training properly and eating right you will only improve yourself. Who cares if you can't get the ultra-ripped, bodybuilding physique naturally? You can still become the best natty version of yourself you can be, which will set you apart form all the lazy, out of shape fvcks out there.

If you want a realistic idea of what could be achieved natty, look at Steve Reeves. Guy looked awesome and he was winning bodybuilding shows in the 50's before drugs came on the scene.

 

[marmel75]

Depends on your natural frame. If you have small bone structure, you're going to struggle to put on size. If you have a larger bone structure, you should put on muscle a lot easier. I wasted 2 1/2 years working out natural and gained about 15lbs of muscle. I was working out 3x a week, lifting heavy and doing legs too. My legs grew some, my back grew a lot. My shoulders, chest, and arms barely changed at all. I added like 1 1/2" to my arms in 2 1/2 years. And at 6' tall and 2 1/2 years training, I still have 13.4" arms. Yes, I can squat 230lbs for 5 reps, but arm genetics are literal trash. My traps are actually pretty solid. They grew well along with my back.

I was probably bottom 1% of strength when I started, I know. Most of the women in my gym were stronger than I was. But training for over 2 years to still be below average? No, I should have jumped on PEDs after the first year when it was clear that my training had produced almost no results. I just kept believing people who said stuff like "Get your body fat lower first!" "You really need 1.5g of protein per lb of body weight to grow!" "You just need to lift till failure every set!" "You just need to do splits" "You should only do compounds!". None of that stuff made an appreciable difference. Meanwhile, I saw fat guys stumble into the gym for the first time, eat like trash, lift twice a week, and grow more in a few months than I did in two and half years.

I hopped on PEDs last month, and I've literally grown more in the last 4 weeks than I did in the first 1 1/2 years. Natural bodybuilding is a huge waste of time for a lot of people. My diet is identical to what it was before, so is my training. Results aren't even comparable.

My advice, go lift natural, eat enough protein. See what results you get working out 3+x a week. If you're happy with the progress, proceed. If you didn't add much size, decide if you're going to jump on gear or quit. No point spending 10 years busting your ass to get what you'd achieve on six months of test.

Lmao...squatting 230lbs for 5 reps?? Dude that's like my first warmup set

 

[GetSwifty]

Lmao...squatting 230lbs for 5 reps?? Dude that's like my first warmup set

Exactly my point. 2 1/2 years and that's my best lift. Natural bodybuilding is a huge waste of time for a lot of guys(such as myself).

My personal trainer can only squat 300 when he's off gear. He also has 6.5" wrists like I do.

 

[marmel75]

Exactly my point. 2 1/2 years and that's my best lift. Natural bodybuilding is a huge waste of time for a lot of guys(such as myself).

My personal trainer can only squat 300 when he's off gear. He also has 6.5" wrists like I do.

I'd say your training protocol sucks and/or you are afraid to push yourself harder.

 

[GetSwifty]

I'd say your training protocol sucks and/or you are afraid to push yourself harder.

And yet with the same training and same effort, I've put on as much size in one month with PEDs as I did in a year and half natural.
I listened to such advice and wasted two years that I really shouldn't have.

As I said, I've seen guys who are fatter than me, work out less, work out lighter, eat worse, and put on far more strength and size. Not coincidentally they all have 7.5+" wrists.

I'm genetic trash. I was made to die and be weeded out. My body is simply not going to add muscle naturally. I have the ability to choose to move around my natural limitations, and I will do it.

I know you're better than me. But I would at least like to close the gap.

 

[CMNILS87]

Depends on your natural frame. If you have small bone structure, you're going to struggle to put on size. If you have a larger bone structure, you should put on muscle a lot easier. I wasted 2 1/2 years working out natural and gained about 15lbs of muscle. I was working out 3x a week, lifting heavy and doing legs too. My legs grew some, my back grew a lot. My shoulders, chest, and arms barely changed at all. I added like 1 1/2" to my arms in 2 1/2 years. And at 6' tall and 2 1/2 years training, I still have 13.4" arms. Yes, I can squat 230lbs for 5 reps, but arm genetics are literal trash. My traps are actually pretty solid. They grew well along with my back.

I was probably bottom 1% of strength when I started, I know. Most of the women in my gym were stronger than I was. But training for over 2 years to still be below average? No, I should have jumped on PEDs after the first year when it was clear that my training had produced almost no results. I just kept believing people who said stuff like "Get your body fat lower first!" "You really need 1.5g of protein per lb of body weight to grow!" "You just need to lift till failure every set!" "You just need to do splits" "You should only do compounds!". None of that stuff made an appreciable difference. Meanwhile, I saw fat guys stumble into the gym for the first time, eat like trash, lift twice a week, and grow more in a few months than I did in two and half years.

I hopped on PEDs last month, and I've literally grown more in the last 4 weeks than I did in the first 1 1/2 years. Natural bodybuilding is a huge waste of time for a lot of people. My diet is identical to what it was before, so is my training. Results aren't even comparable.

My advice, go lift natural, eat enough protein. See what results you get working out 3+x a week. If you're happy with the progress, proceed. If you didn't add much size, decide if you're going to jump on gear or quit. No point spending 10 years busting your ass to get what you'd achieve on six months of test.

Uhhh crappy arm genetics??? When I started college I could barely curl 25's. Now I can curl 60's for 12-15 reps and go straight to drop sets after. You gotta put in the work. Sets and sets and sets and more sets...... my arms went from 12 inches to just under 18. Hard work will always outdo bad genetics with years of training.

This isn't gonna be something where you can workout 6 months hard, disappear for 6, thrn comeback again

 

[GetSwifty]

Uhhh crappy arm genetics??? When I started college I could barely curl 25's. Now I can curl 60's for 12-15 reps and go straight to drop sets after. You gotta put in the work. Sets and sets and sets and more sets...... my arms went from 12 inches to just under 18. Hard work will always outdo bad genetics with years of training.

This isn't gonna be something where you can workout 6 months hard, disappear for 6, thrn comeback again

High IQ post. I should just work harder. 2 1/2 years wasn't enough. And gaining literally 10x faster on PEDs is just something I shouldn't do, because why do what works when I can "try harder" and still get no results?
I can't curl 25s NOW after 2 1/2 years. You were stronger on the day you stepped foot in the gym than I am after 2 1/2 years.

You're like the handsome tall white guy telling the short ugly Indian guy he "Just needs confidence".

 

[resilient]

OP, like guys said in this thread, focus on educating yourself in the dynamics of lifting, nutrition, and optimize your time.

Don't focus on what other guys look like.

If you put in the time, discipline, and consistency in training on a regular basis while pushing yourself... you'll notice improvements in the mirror and how your clothes fit your body.

That's an awesome feeling that you can take pride in your time and commitment to improving your looks.

Also, find a lifting partner if you can. The partner will spot you on your last few reps you push your muscles to failure. A lifting partner will help keep your motivated too.

I don't have a partner right now, so I listen to bodybuilder trainer daily before I head to the gym to get an idea of what I want to accomplish and my overall mindset. That helps a lot. I'm on my last week in Kris Gethin's 12-week hardcore training program. Listening to his video each day before the workout helped me stick to the process and not to give up or make excuses to cut training days.

 

[SeymourCake]

I'm a natty lifter. This is a picture of me from last year:

5'8, ~174lbs. Not sure what bodyfat percentage was. Whether or not you think I'm aesthetic is up to your perspective.