Is there any point in getting big

[Dhoulmagus]

I used to be able to bench 315 but I got lazy and quit for a year. I dont do the max **** anymore but im starting to be able to rep 225 8 times in 3 sets. Is it really worth it?

 

[Rival]

It's not how much you bench but how much you bench over your body weight

I think you should always be striving to get stronger naturally. Careful on the roid road though

 

[compleks]

If your sole purpose for training is to impress women, then no, it's not worth it.

 

[Cloudtopsun2100]

I've gotten more into weighlifting now in my 30s. Its a great way to keep yourself in shape after years of sitting in offices. I have coworkers who turned into walruses after years of sitting in their cubicles. People lead sedentary lives as they get older so you need to stay active to keep your body strong and keep your metabolism up. Its a good way to challenge yourself and is something you can keep improving in all the way into your 50s and 60s. Girls love muscles too and its always a plus to have a good physique but the main thing is that its an essential part of staying healthy.

Dude you should be lifting more cause most people will never lift 315 in their life which shows you have a talent. I'm at a new peak of 242 pounds (8 reps per set) currently but hope to get up to 315 and beyond.

 

[Dreesy]

I think working out just to feel comfortable in your own skin is worth it in itself.

Especially if you're someone who has always been out of shape, lifting weights and getting results can put you in a total different head space. It's hard to feel motivated to do things when you feel like crap, and aren't comfortable.

 

[MtnMan]

I am tall and skinny (started at 6'4", 175lbs) but in shape. I started lifting at the beginning of the year, and have gained around 10lbs. I definitely look better, and wear tighter fitting shirts that show off my shape.
People take notice, and I definitely consider it worth the effort. It may just be my confidence that people are responding to, not my actual (slight) physical changes, but that is just fine with me.

 

[MtnMan]

*edit, damned double post*

 

[Aesthetix29]

Im 6ft 180lbs sub 10% bf... started gym 3 years ago.. you woudlnt believe my 3 year transformation on looks honestly its that much of a change( tan/teeth whitening/ripped/nice clothes/new hair style) makes such a difference .. but its a lifestyle change i eat healthy all the time except the occasional cheat meal... i count my calories, infact ive had people tell to go in for modeling but not my cup of tea and im too old now anyways at 29. My advice is dont give up it takes time and even if u dont notice much of a change others will, i was also a big weed head so i quit that (Well still have an occasional puff) but that made a big difference in itself. Strive for greatness... NO LESS!

 

[MattTheW]

split with the (now) ex
Joined the gym just before we split

I'm 5'7 - 1 year on I've gone from 172lbs at around 22-25% to 147lbs now around 12-13%

I did it mainly for my health, but like the others have said, you will naturally start wearing tighter clothes to show off your hard work and it's a hell of a confidence booster.

Oh yeah, and I eat "clean" almost all the time, unless I go out for food with "a date" - still hit the protein, but allow myself some "treats" at the same time

 

[Dhoulmagus]

It's not how much you bench but how much you bench over your body weight

I think you should always be striving to get stronger naturally. Careful on the roid road though

I dont want to get that big lol

 

[MOTU]

I have lost 55lbs in the last 2yrs and added a ton of muscle at the same time. I have lost 9" around my midsection. I did mostly cardio the first year now I am mostly lifting wieghts.

I can tell you that both men and women treat me differently, and it feels good. And I am getting way hotter tang. I no longer see any woman as "out of my league".

 

[dutchmaster]

Yes, Learn to fight too. then u can fck up any guy she cheats on u with

 

[spiegel549]

If your sole purpose for training is to impress women, then no, it's not worth it.

Agreed ^^^

If you are going to the gym because you want to impress women you are going for the wrong reason.

You should be going to the gym because YOU want to go and YOU want to improve your body.

Most of my boys are all about getting SIZE and running cycles and sticking needles in there ass to put on 10lbs. Its ridiculous.

Personally I go to the gym 6 days a week and I hit it HARD. 1hr in and out of the gym but the next day I am so sore I can't move lol.

Just get to the gym everyday you can, work hard, push yourself. Every new week you should be trying to add weight and gain your strengths back. Most importantly watch what you eat to! Before you know it you will be looking great again.

 

[Colossus]

Train for yourself, never for women.

I've been a consistent lifter for years, 13 years really, and I will say that a certain degree of muscularity DOES attract more women, but it will not deliver pvssy straight into your lap. Beyond the "athletic-muscular" range, you will actually attract LESS women overall, since you become an anomaly of sorts that many women find unappealing and make all sorts of assumptions about.

I've been 185, 205, 220, 230, all the way up to 250 lbs and muscular, and after 205 the only benefits I received from weight training were mental toughness and the satisfaction of achieving goals. Honestly other guys care way more about how much you can lift than girls do. To a girl, lifting any weight above 100 lbs is impressive. They care more about how you look and carry yourself overall.

Right now I can bench 315 on any given day, but guess what?? No one cares but me. And that's ok. I am satisfied with being stronger than 85% of the male population and I just love to work out. I don't need to be this 250-lb beast who can pick up the back end of a car. I want to be able to do a variety of things and enjoy them well into old age.

Lift to be strong and healthy and develop personal discipline. Image is only a small side benefit.

 

[Tictac]

I am Mark Rippetoe strong but not a beast. I also have a lot of endurance and great flexibility. Those three - strength, endurance, flexibility are what 'fitness' means to me. What other people think is none of my business.

You can't balance those three without giving up something. I gave up 'big'. But Hell, I'm 6'4" to start with.

 

[Cloudtopsun2100]

Yes, Learn to fight too. then u can fck up any guy she cheats on u with

No need to **** up the guy she cheated on you with. Its her fault not his, dudes need to just smile and brush it off thankful that they figured out she was a ho earlier than later, that is, unless the dude tries to rub it in then its not about her anymore and you have the right to defend yourself.

 

[foreverAFC]

in my opinion lifting for strength is pointless. lower reps wont really sculpt your body the way lower weights and higher reps will. i see guys in the gym lifting hundreds of lbs more than me for low reps and they dont even look like they work out. its all about the pump.

whats the point of building up that much strength on bench press, an exercise that is inherently unsafe to begin with? where in every day life would you need to push 300lbs, and if you did wouldnt you just put your body against it and use your legs?

lifting for strength is a waste of time and energy in my opinion, especially when you will look better with lower weights and you will be safer. who the **** wants to tear a pec or shoulder from pushing weights that heavy when you still look like john goodman sitting on the couch.

loading up a bar with weight and holding it over your face and throat and then attempting to go to failure sounds like the most retarded idea ever. there are much better and safer was to build the chest, i tossed the classic barbell bench press out of my routine years ago and never looked back.

 

[Demonpenz]

It's worth it so you can get a routine or habit down in your mind. That translates in other aspects of your life. You also need to know deep in your heart that what you put in you get out. Also you need to learn how to fight through tough days and how to get your ass to a place day in and day out if you feel good or bad.