“…I don’t want to get as big as you…!”
As the cold bug has pretty much left my system a few days ago and I have been back in the gym getting my training back on track and my intensity back up. The oddest part of it all is that I have actually GAINED 4 pounds while down with the cold for the week! For the last month or so, I have been literally force-feeding myself and it has been working. I can actually see the scale moving almost daily. Of course with the size comes a slight sacrifice in definition for me…..fortunately I have always had a fast metabolism and a light frame, so I am not overly-bulky. And I do like the size. At first I could not tell, but little things were tell-tale. I found a ring that was given to me for my birthday in June that will not get on my finger now….my "big jeans" now fit snugly on my quads, and getting out of bed is a complete chore as now I feel heavier and it is apparent upon first awakening…….no complaints, though!
Now, today was a great training day, and as usual I go into the locker room to flex and assess my weak points and strong points. Some guys will do a set movement and then pose in the mirror during a workout on the gym floor. I am still a little gun shy for that so I wait until I am done with my routine and save the flexing for the locker room. And my gym has the BEST lighting and mirrors in the locker room and you can pose and look like Mr. Olympia! So with that, I take off the sweatshirt and start checking out the shoulders to see if I hit the rear and side deltoids hard enough to make them stand out, and this young kid walks in. He says hello, and I say "hello, just being vain and checking the progress!" The young guy then asked me "do you compete?" I said "not hardly, but I appreciate the compliment!". He then goes on to ask me about how he can put on muscle, what is a good routine, and to top it off, he then says "but I don’t want to get too big, not as big as you, no offense!" Now, to me this was not an offense, but a compliment! I always dreamed of one day that little 119 pound me would be considered as "muscular", but to be considered muscular and to be considered "too big" was great!
So, to answer his question, I told him that it would be impossible to get to be this big unless he really REALLY wanted to, was willing to sacrifice any other activities other than bodybuilding, eat until he was sick and tired of eating, lift insanely heavy weights until he felt like he was going to pass out, and then start it ALL OVER AGAIN! To say that "I want to train, but not get too big" is like saying "I want to learn to play the piano, but I do not want to become like Mozart"! Silly, isn’t it?
In any case, I gave him some food for thought, told him to RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH, and then come to the gym with a PLAN, and if he ever needed help or a spot, if I’m there and in between sets I’d help. Now, will he stick to it? Maybe, maybe not. But with his remark, he has certainly helped me to keep going towards my goal…GET BIGGER!
And with that, time for another meal in preparation and eating towards the next workout…
Happy New Year Everyone!! 
September 24, 2007 at 7:01 am
Well, in contrast to the gentleman from the gym, I do want to get as big as you. So… I will eat until I get sick, continue to plan and train hard. Good work man!
November 10, 2007 at 10:16 am
I did’nt even know there was such a thing as "Too Big.
July 23, 2008 at 10:00 am
The battle for me is all in the eating. Pushing up the heavy stuff, I can get into; I simply can’t force myself to eat enough to gain size. I’ll be the first to admit that I simply must not want it bad enough. I surely admire those that do!
October 2, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Eating is definitely tough, but once I started adding ground up oatmeal to get those extra low-glycemic carbs, I was getting in an extra 300 calories per drink… and 900 extra calories spread throughout the day… and yes, even during the night I would get up and have a protein drink with the ground oatmeal and flax. Try it.
May 6, 2009 at 4:42 am
the irony of it when people say "they dont want to be that big" is that the people who say it usually dont have the training or diet attitude needed to get that big! its also like its an excuse for them being the size they are - truth be known - they REALLY WANT to be that big, but they are just too lazy or non-committed to try!!
May 23, 2009 at 5:02 am
I hear skinny guys tell me they want to get bigger but not as big as me, but I tell them, "Hey I was 130 - 140 lbs once too you know, I was a skinny weakling." And they are surprised because people always assume I’m just a naturally stocky guy. I say, "I ate to the point of nausea, trained heavy, and took every supplement I could afford and get my hands on. And do you think I reached 200 lbs and said okay that’s enough? No way! With the ‘I don’t want to get too big’ attitude, frankly you won’t get anywhere cause you won’t train and eat hard since you aren’t as obsessed as me!!"
May 25, 2009 at 5:44 am
That’s funny, I actually do play piano (probably not as well a mozart) and I think that was a perfect analogy.