Long read.... You have been warned

[Errah138]

Hey everyone. I'm thinking the best way to do this to remind myself how far I have come and to give give everyone here at the very least a five minute time waster of a story so here it goes.

The first eight years of school were probably the worst of my life. I was chubby, weak, and afraid to stand up for myself. I was picked on a lot for a very long time. I got beat up most days and humiliated multiple times a day. The worst was fifth grade where every Wednesday during lunch some of the kids would douse me in pudding. Why Wednesday? Why pudding? No idea but it happened like clockwork. Over the next three years it got a little better. I moved to a new school district and although no one liked me there they already had their own favorite targets so I was more if they had some free time.

Obviously I didn't have many friends. Well human friends anyway. What I did have was a chubby little plumber named Mario, and a blue hedgehog named sonic. I had a hero from Hyrule who was my best friend and we both had a crush on the same princess. He always got the girl even though I did all the work but I'm not complaining. In fourth grade I beat forty-two other kids to become the number one Pokemon trainer in my school. Video games, comic books, scifi movies, and fantasy novels were my escape and I loved them like family.

On the last day of my eighth grade year I received a worse then normal beating and vowed to myself that before high school began I would become someone who no one would mess with again. So obviously I web out and bought "the firm five day abs" VHS (I chose it because it was the only video with a man on the cover lol). After about seven sit ups I vomited and and went to bed thinking maybe getting beat up all the time wasn't that bad.

However when I woke up the next day I had new resolve and went to the store and bought a book about basic stretching and BW exercises (I can't remember the name of it now but I read and re read it to tatters). I set myself up a program consisting of push-up, pull ups, squats, dips, and abdominal work and began shooting for the ultimate goal of finishing that pinnacle of fitness the "5 day ab" video. I even worked out an agreement with my mom that if I could finish two of the five days without stopping she would pay for a gym membership for a year, which at the time was a huge deal because we were broke.

After five weeks of what seemed like intense training but was actually about 45 minutes of stretching and 3 sets of 10 reps of the afore mentioned body weight exercises I finished the first day of the video. For a fourteen year old fat kid it was the most incredible feeling in the world. With the new found strength came a new found attitude and the first kid who tried to bully me ended up getting his head stuffed in a locker. In reality it was the attitude but in my mind it was the muscles so I hit the gym furiously training four full body days a week and running on the rest days. Between that and my mothers clean foods I quickly packed on mass. I didn't know it at the time but I was on my very first clean bulk ending up at around 180 and benching almost 300 by my junior year.

By this time I had been in fight after fight more often then not coming out on top so I figured if I'm going to fight anyway I might as well get a trophy for it and that thought there led me to my first true love..... Boxing. Well one thing led to another and in 5 years I was fought my way to the semi finals in the golden gloves at the state level at 152lbs and I couldn't have been happier. A few months after the gloves disaster struck and I broke my hand and dislocated my shoulder at the same time. The doctor said that was the end of fighting for at least 8 weeks maybe longer. In those eight weeks I fell into a terrible depression that would hold onto me for for over a year and a half. I never went back to boxing and I don't think I will its to long a story to get into now but I still miss it.

The last six months I started lifting again and I have a new goal. To compete in next years local strongman competition. I figured with a new goal it's time to make some new friends and after lurking here for awhile I think it might be you guys so thanks for reading I hope you were at least slightly entertained and i hope together we can all reach out goals

Inb4 tl;dr

Inb4 cool story bro

[RobbieBlair]

Sounds like you have some awesome and ambitious goals. Welcome to the team, mate.

[Errah138]

Thank you for the encouragement. Just began my first challenge so hopefully it goes well

[Mezzo Minx]

Well done for coming so far. I guarantee you that a lot of people on this forum went through a lot of the things you've been through and wish they could've followed the path you took. You're set to get yourself going again now - solid goals and a startin point. All the best man.

[Errah138]

Thanks mezzo. I'm really impressed with this whole community and everyones positivity. Not a troll was seen (actually I think I saw someone who chose troll as their race )

[Mezzo Minx]

That's why I decided to join too! It's much easier to get motivated around other positive and motivated people.

That, and I looked at a couple other "fit ladies" type sites and found I just didn't want to talk about how eating nothing but cucumber is the way to go lol.

[Errah138]

My girlfriend is like that. She always says she wants to be thin not strong..... I told her maybe we could get her a tapeworm

[Mezzo Minx]

I feel for your girlfriend - that was me for a LONG time. Women are always convinced that being fit will make us look like a brick house. What did it for me was going to the gym with my husband - then boyfriend - who was working with a trainer. I met some of the women he trained that were doing strength training and eating LOTS, plus looked hot, and I just went, Yep, I can do that. She'll come around, but it'll take some time.

[Errah138]

She won't come around lol. She is one of those genetic lottery winners who stay thin and beautiful no matter what she eats and she detests exercise of any kind. As long as she is happy that's all I care about plus no fights over who forgot to take the weight off the bar at our home gym

[Mezzo Minx]

Haha fair enough! I'm pretty sure if we had a home gym, the weight-off-the-bar thing would become our toilet-seat-up-or-down thing Biggest. Pet peeve. Ever. At the gym. Nothing like struggling to take off 3 45lbers even before my workout starts!

[Errah138]

It's one of the biggest reasons I have a home gym. For less then $400 I never have to clean up after someone else, listen to broscience, or get yelled at for eating spaghettio's between sets. Money well spent in my opinion.

[Mezzo Minx]

Also the added bonus of never having to wait for a free bench (or accidentally sitting down on one that the extremely sweaty person on it before neglected to wipe.... Ugh.) Every time my husband and I talk about our ideal new house (we're selling) it involved a finished basement for just that reason.

Respect for the spaghettios. I seriously haven't thought of those in YEARS!

[Errah138]

Why is it that super sweaty people never clean off their equipment? Do they just not realize they are disgusting? I live in an apartment and my neighbors hate me. They especially hate it when I'm doing oly lifts in the driveway but they think I'm crazy because I use my parking space to store my atlas stones and park in the street so the leave me alone haha

[Mezzo Minx]

Haha you think your neighbors hate you? I'm an opera-trained mezzo soprano - I'm like the Queen of being hated by those that live around me. Using the parking space is creative actually! I think if we didn't need two cars I would seriously consider transforming the extra space. Maybe even splurge and get those cool spongey floors too!

[Errah138]

No way your neighbors hate you. All the free opera you want, people pay alot of money for that I bet cable subscriptions drop in whatever area you move into

[Mezzo Minx]

Hahaha I'm not so sure there are that many fans out there of free opera! Although I haven't had any passive-aggressive post-it notes yet so I suppose it can't be that bad! I honestly don't see why your neighbours would mind your use of your parking space - I'd probably just be like, "Hey bro, can I work in?" lol

[Errah138]

I think just dosnt like me snatching next to his car. And when I do my standard lifts inside its probably noisy. Or maybe he is super unimpressed and is looking down and me like "bro, do you even lift?"

[The Hammer]

She won't come around lol. She is one of those genetic lottery winners who stay thin and beautiful no matter what she eats and she detests exercise of any kind. As long as she is happy that's all I care about plus no fights over who forgot to take the weight off the bar at our home gym

 

 

Ectomorphs never understand our struggles.  I'm new here too.  Looking forward to this new approach.

[Errah138]

Ya I told her if she gets fat I'm leaving her. She probably burns all those calories worrying about losing a fine specimen such as myself

Welcome glad I'm not the only new guy around here

[ravnos]

Welcome from another new guy with an ectomorph girlfriend. I wish I had the space for a home gym, I live in an apartment though...

[Errah138]

I live in an apartment as well but we have two bedrooms because we use to have a roommate and she moved out. So I waited till my girlfriend was at work and surprised her with squat stands a barbell and a bench we have never been happier

[Teros]

You know what's weird?  I read this when you first posted it and thought I made a reply.  And amazingly you ended up commenting on mine.  Fate my friend.  I was bullied in 1st grade by 3 people AND the teacher.  I was made an example of to the rest of the class.  "You see him raising his hand?  If he were to shout out loud, then he would go to the principle's office.  GO TO THE PRINCIPLE'S OFFICE."  I hid under the wooden bench there, covered in dust.  Then I got the joy of dealing with another bully for 7 years straight in middle school.  I've been hammered down by ***holes for too long and I have no confidence in myself.  I'm turning things around finally.

[rogaecia]

Thank you for sharing your stoy, Errah. For the most part I try to not think about how terrible kids can be. The worst memory was definitely someone calling me a whale in PE to the entire class, and me running away crying. 

Good times! 

The way I see it now is that I had to work hard for my body- which hopefully means I will not take it for granted. 

Not only that, but I spend so much time researching about diet and exercise I get the bonus of learning too, we all do. 

 

[Errah138]

Good for you the first step is always the hardest to take. Teachers were always just as bad as kids I spent more time in The guidance counselors office then I care to relate. But it's all that strife that lead us to where we are today and so all we can do is put it behind and look to improving our futures. Glad to have you on the journey

[Errah138]

Thank you for sharing your stoy, Errah. For the most part I try to not think about how terrible kids can be. The worst memory was definitely someone calling me a whale in PE to the entire class, and me running away crying.

Good times!

The way I see it now is that I had to work hard for my body- which hopefully means I will not take it for granted.

Not only that, but I spend so much time researching about diet and exercise I get the bonus of learning too, we all do.

Thank you for taking the time to read it. Taking your body for granted is the worst thing you can do. You only ever get one and no matter how much money you have you can never get one as good as the one you are born to. Plus with all the learning you get to meet all these awesome people