When should someone who wants to have a pro career start their first cycle?

[Sage N Sour]

Me and my training partner recently had a discussion about where we want to go with our training. We have both put on a good 15-20lbs of muscle since we started training. I am 18 and my partner is 16. We have been training for 8 months and we both are very interested in going for a pro career. We both know that to achieve this we will need to take steroids. I would like to know, at what age would it be best for a want to be pro to start cycling? How much longer should my training partner wait to start? Also would it be okay for me to train with my partner while I cycle and he does not? Also I know that I will have to do a TON of research before starting my first cycle.

[oldnsedentary]

We have been training for 8 months

That's nothing. Come back in a few years. Spend some time on the nutrition and diet boards, because I can guarantee that as teenagers, your diet sucks.

Your testosterone and growth hormone levels are as high as they will ever be. Take advantage of that, get your diet sorted, and grow.

Come back and ask the question when you have a solid base (can't be developed in a few months) and have the diet top notch.

[Metalject]

When to start using gear if you want to go pro is a hard question to answer. I agree with oldsedentary, 8 months of training is too little to know for certain if you want to shoot for a pro career, much less stand a chance. I'd get a few years of training under your belt, consistent training before anything else and then decide what you want to do. You might love going to the gym now but if you're like 99% of people in a year or two you'll hate it. Everyone loves it at first. After that, and sure you can start thinking about this now, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you willing to accept that you probably won't make money as a pro? Most pro bodybuilders do not make much money and their lifestyle expenses eat most of it up and often put them in horrendous debt.

2. Are you willing to accept you probably won't be able to support yourself fully as a bodybuilder? Most bodybuilders can't. There are only a handful of bodybuilders that make their full living off of bodybuilding and even less that make what anyone would call decent money.

3. Are you willing to accept you'll never have a normal life?

These questions are not meant as depressing, they're just the truth of the matter. If those things don't bother you and you can train with some consistency for a few years, then go for it. Find some older guys that are competitors and that have been around the sport for a while. Find guys that don't blow sunshine up your butt but don't put you down for fun either...just honest guys who can help you along the way.

[Times Roman]

Me and my training partner recently had a discussion about where we want to go with our training. We have both put on a good 15-20lbs of muscle since we started training. I am 18 and my partner is 16. We have been training for 8 months and we both are very interested in going for a pro career. We both know that to achieve this we will need to take steroids. I would like to know, at what age would it be best for a want to be pro to start cycling? How much longer should my training partner wait to start? Also would it be okay for me to train with my partner while I cycle and he does not? Also I know that I will have to do a TON of research before starting my first cycle.

It's fantastic you have lofty goals. Like some old Chinese guy I seen in a karate movie once say....

....every journey begins with the first step.

And that is what you have done. Is to take that first step.

Feels good, doesn't it?

But do this thing right.

Invest in your education now, and your rewards will follow you the rest of your life.

As an 8 month student, you should still be focusing on perfecting your form and your routines.

Now is a great time to learn about nutrition as well.

You know, when I was your age, I had such intensity in the gym. And although impressive strength gains, not much weight gain. Mostly this was due to two things

1) Over training / insufficient training (committed the newb sin of not focusing enough on legs)
2) Total lack of nutritional knowledge.

The second one had more of a significant impact on my growth gains. Had I known about macros and how many grams of protein I needed to support gains, I could have taken this thing somewhere.

If you like, you can head on over to the nutrition section and post your stats. Include height, weight, bf% estimate, and you said you were 18. I can put together a nutritional starter pack together for you.

Then from there, you should put together a tactical nutrition plan, one that will allow you to accomplish your strategic plan on a daily basis.

There is a lot to learn in the life. And you can have it all, but you must first learn the basics.

Good luck!

---Roman

[Times Roman]

When to start using gear if you want to go pro is a hard question to answer. I agree with oldsedentary, 8 months of training is too little to know for certain if you want to shoot for a pro career, much less stand a chance. I'd get a few years of training under your belt, consistent training before anything else and then decide what you want to do. You might love going to the gym now but if you're like 99% of people in a year or two you'll hate it. Everyone loves it at first. After that, and sure you can start thinking about this now, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you willing to accept that you probably won't make money as a pro? Most pro bodybuilders do not make much money and their lifestyle expenses eat most of it up and often put them in horrendous debt.

2. Are you willing to accept you probably won't be able to support yourself fully as a bodybuilder? Most bodybuilders can't. There are only a handful of bodybuilders that make their full living off of bodybuilding and even less that make what anyone would call decent money.

3. Are you willing to accept you'll never have a normal life?

These questions are not meant as depressing, they're just the truth of the matter. If those things don't bother you and you can train with some consistency for a few years, then go for it. Find some older guys that are competitors and that have been around the sport for a while. Find guys that don't blow sunshine up your butt but don't put you down for fun either...just honest guys who can help you along the way.

Amen to that brother Metal. My family is more or less numb to my "weird" eating habits and crazy gym hours. Some of my friends don't see the point at my age, and people that are only acquainted with me think I'm OCD when they see what I eat at work for lunch every day!

[Metalject]

Amen to that brother Metal. My family is more or less numb to my "weird" eating habits and crazy gym hours. Some of my friends don't see the point at my age, and people that are only acquainted with me think I'm OCD when they see what I eat at work for lunch every day!

My family and friends don't say much about the way I eat anymore. I guess everyone's used to it by now. I don't eat as strict as I used to but still pretty strict. Actually, very strict but still not as much as in the past. And my life doesn't revolve around bodybuilding like it did in the past - still enjoy lifting for the simple fact that I enjoy it. I was talking to someone about it the other day and I can honestly say I have no idea why I enjoy it. There's no driving force to compete anymore. I've learned to take days off when I need to and will take a full week or so off a few times a year when I need it. From reading some of your past post you do have some years on me (I'm 35, almost 36) and I do wonder if I'll still lift and eat like I do when I am a bit older, if I'll still enjoy it as much. Anyway, who knows...guess we'll see.