What do you tell your kids?

[< <Samson> >]

Just been thinking about this for a bit over time. What do you tell your kid if(most likely he) comes to you & asks how exactly you got so big and/or what you think about them following in your footsteps but earlier?

I was just chatting with a guy who's a decade younger than myself and is going all out. Started at 14 and the road that he's been on has been a good one - my height, pushing 235+ @ deep single digit Bf%


Of course, I know the first typical answer - when you're older & what not


But, the Jay Cutlers of the world didn't wait - they took a leap < the issue here is that many have fallen before they have even got to the footsteps


I get younger guys asking me now(earlier teens) & just change the subject.


So, I really don't know - I have plenty of time, but this shit makes me think sometimes

[hawk14dl]

Diet and exercise. That's what I'd say. Might claim genetics.

If you're talking about your own children, I'd still claim that. If he (or she) gets really into the lifestyle, they'll figure it out. At that point, they'll ask you (if they respect you).
If and when that happens, you can explain the risks and benefits of performance enhancement. You will have the opportunity to explain health risks, etc

[hawk14dl]

By the way, Cutler was like 32 when he won Olympia the first time. He didn't really start early

[Mp859]

By the way, Cutler was like 32 when he won Olympia the first time. He didn't really start early

Cutler started at like 15

[hawk14dl]

Started lifting or juicing?

I felt like this thread was referring to gear.

[derekkpapa1]

I tell my son make sure he wraps it up. Them elementary girls are sneaky

[Iceberg]

I tell my son make sure he wraps it up. Them elementary girls are sneaky

X2 don't trust em!

[< <Samson> >]

Started lifting or juicing? I felt like this thread was referring to gear.

Juicing - lmao

I agree with the above response - push it off until they are educated & knowledgeable

[RigPig]

My daughters have already noticed and commented On my "big muscles", I tell them I need big muscles so I can't kick the shit out of the boys that make them cry when they get older.
So far seems to be good enough for them. Lol

[diesel101]

I flex and scream "I will end you if you tell your mother"!

[< <Samson> >]

I flex and scream "I will end you if you tell your mother"!

Sounds reasonable & fair


Lol

[Times Roman]

Just been thinking about this for a bit over time. What do you tell your kid if(most likely he) comes to you & asks how exactly you got so big and/or what you think about them following in your footsteps but earlier?

I was just chatting with a guy who's a decade younger than myself and is going all out. Started at 14 and the road that he's been on has been a good one - my height, pushing 235+ @ deep single digit Bf%


Of course, I know the first typical answer - when you're older & what not


But, the Jay Cutlers of the world didn't wait - they took a leap < the issue here is that many have fallen before they have even got to the footsteps


I get younger guys asking me now(earlier teens) & just change the subject.


So, I really don't know - I have plenty of time, but this shit makes me think sometimes

My working out and crazy diets is all my kids really know. I'm not crazy big, but it's easy to see what my "hobby" is. My kids know I started lifting when I was 12, and more or less been at it most of my life.

I talk nutrition all the time.

I go to the gym the next day after back surgery.

I bitch about missing a single day from the gym.

My kids know I am not a normal "daddy". And I don't look normal either.

In my family, it's a given.

No real questions asked

[Metalject]

By the way, Cutler was like 32 when he won Olympia the first time. He didn't really start early

Jay was competing as a pro for 10yrs before he won his first Olympia so there's 10yrs of gear use right there. Add in his amateur shows, which date back to the early 90's and he was using gear at minimum in his early 20's possibly in his teens.

As for the main topic of the thread, that's a tough question. Lying even with good intentions is a hard thing to stomach. I know someone who's sold out to bodybuilding he's going to jump on gear whenever that sellout occurs. Pretending anything otherwise is foolish. When I was 18 I started asking some of the older big guys about it...best answer I ever got "it's all ham and peanut butter" and I ended up hating him and the others that would lie. So what did I do? I tried to figure it out myself and made plenty of otherwise easily avoidable mistakes along the way.

If it comes to your son, maybe he'll enjoy working out like a normal person and if you're lucky he's passions will develop in other areas that actually produce something fruitful. That's what I'd encourage and if and when the question comes up, find the right way to answer it without lying to your sons face. If you lie, in the end all you'll have done is caused him to lose respect for you.

[Times Roman]

Jay was competing as a pro for 10yrs before he won his first Olympia so there's 10yrs of gear use right there. Add in his amateur shows, which date back to the early 90's and he was using gear at minimum in his early 20's possibly in his teens.

As for the main topic of the thread, that's a tough question. Lying even with good intentions is a hard thing to stomach. I know someone who's sold out to bodybuilding he's going to jump on gear whenever that sellout occurs. Pretending anything otherwise is foolish. When I was 18 I started asking some of the older big guys about it...best answer I ever got "it's all ham and peanut butter" and I ended up hating him and the others that would lie. So what did I do? I tried to figure it out myself and made plenty of otherwise easily avoidable mistakes along the way.

If it comes to your son, maybe he'll enjoy working out like a normal person and if you're lucky he's passions will develop in other areas that actually produce something fruitful. That's what I'd encourage and if and when the question comes up, find the right way to answer it without lying to your sons face. If you lie, in the end all you'll have done is caused him to lose respect for you.

Honesty is not always the best policy. So I disagree somewhat with your position. Your job as a parent first and foremost is to protect your children. You should not promote your lifestyle in such a way that will negatively influence your children to do things that could potentially harm them. So if your lifestyle strongly suggests to your children that you are taking drugs, then you need to either learn to be more covert, or change your lifestyle. Part of the social contract of raising children, and yes, it is a social contract, is that you will lead a lifestyle that will be a positive influence to your children. And if YOU cannot handle that, then that diminishes YOU. You should therefore reevaluate and put your taking steroids on hold until such a time when your children will not be motivated to taking steroids at too early an age.

Remember, your children come first, right? Not your drugs. And if you have a problem with that, then YOU have a problem

---Roman

[Metalject]

Honesty is not always the best policy. So I disagree somewhat with your position. Your job as a parent first and foremost is to protect your children. You should not promote your lifestyle in such a way that will negatively influence your children to do things that could potentially harm them. So if your lifestyle strongly suggests to your children that you are taking drugs, then you need to either learn to be more covert, or change your lifestyle. Part of the social contract of raising children, and yes, it is a social contract, is that you will lead a lifestyle that will be a positive influence to your children. And if YOU cannot handle that, then that diminishes YOU. You should therefore reevaluate and put your taking steroids on hold until such a time when your children will not be motivated to taking steroids at too early an age.

Remember, your children come first, right? Not your drugs. And if you have a problem with that, then YOU have a problem

---Roman

I don't disagree with anything you said. I'm not sure what the right answer is, that's why I said you have to find the right answer. But lying can't be the right answer either. Being honest with your answer doesn't mean you have to be honest in a way that encourages a certain behavior. And maybe the moral answer for some is to discontinue use rather than lie...that's a good possibility.

[Mp859]

Started lifting or juicing? I felt like this thread was referring to gear.

By the looks of his physique when he was young j would say he started juicing pretty young as well.

Let me add for the normal person this is not going to matter. No amount of gear is going to turn you into phil or jay or ronnie. There is a reason the word genetics is thrown around so loosely. These guys are freak responders to gear. They can tolerate dosages and durations of use that the normal person just cannot do.

[Iceberg]

Honesty is not always the best policy. So I disagree somewhat with your position. Your job as a parent first and foremost is to protect your children. You should not promote your lifestyle in such a way that will negatively influence your children to do things that could potentially harm them. So if your lifestyle strongly suggests to your children that you are taking drugs, then you need to either learn to be more covert, or change your lifestyle. Part of the social contract of raising children, and yes, it is a social contract, is that you will lead a lifestyle that will be a positive influence to your children. And if YOU cannot handle that, then that diminishes YOU. You should therefore reevaluate and put your taking steroids on hold until such a time when your children will not be motivated to taking steroids at too early an age. Remember, your children come first, right? Not your drugs. And if you have a problem with that, then YOU have a problem ---Roman

Well said!