I quit steroids for tennis

[Test Monsterone]

Not really.

I've never been much into playing sports, but I did play a few sports in school here and there. When I was 15 my dad bought a Marcy all-in-one home gym machine, and I had some dumbells, and I was set. My dad played tennis for years until his hips went bad, and he tried getting me to play with him many times. I'd go here and there, but I was too focused on trying to look good and get strong rather than having fun.

A couple of months ago, not long after ending my last cycle, I started playing tennis again - this time with my girl. She's also played before, so we have a good rhythm going. The first day playing I thought I was gonna die. My heart literally started beating erratically at one point and I had to slow down. After playing a few times and donating blood, I feel pretty good playing now. Here and there I have to pretend I'm looking at a bird and catch my breath. Other than losing my temper a few times and launching the ball into the atmosphere, it's been going great.

This leads me to the point of this thread. Man, there's a lot of life outside of bodybuilding. I feel like when I'm on cycle, I'm hyperfocused on my body to the point I kind of give up on other interests. Curious if anyone else feels like this. I still lift as much as I did before, now back to "TRT" 125 mg/week + 800 iu HCG, but I spend more time enjoying other things. I don't have any kids, but I'm curious if it would affect the way I treat my family on cycle vs off.

I do look forward and occasionally get butterflies thinking about when I'm gonna start my next cycle, but it's nice to be able to live like a normal person and do other things for a while.

[kelkel]

That's excellent! There's zero reason to be so myopic about bodybuilding. Way too many guys fall into that trap and suffer from it. From relationships to their own sense of well being. It's simply healthy to have other interests outside of BB'ing. You can still take it seriously and make great progress but there's no need to miss out on life due to it.

It's why I always tell guys to take a few weeks off a couple times per year. Give their body and mind a break and do some of the things you don't normally do. Another pet peeve would be vacations. When you take one, don't work out. Take a break and enjoy what you're paying for. Zero need to obsess with finding a gym and tiring yourself out on a vacation you paid for. The gym will be there when you get home.

Re tennis. I grew up playing tennis and loved it. Knees won't let me now but damn those were good years.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

I started rollerblading in my 30's.

[Honkey_Kong]

I used to bowl regularly before the plandemic started.

[SampsonandDelilah]

For me, it’s shooting and fly fishing. When I was out of the gym for a while, I was shocked by how much “free time” I had. Was nice not obsessing about food and lifting. There’s definitely an addiction component that comes with training and running gear for me. I’ve always struggled with finding that balance. Always feel too big or too small. I do know that when I’m dialed in on the gym and my diet...then other aspects of my life are being ignored. It’s definitely a balancing act and one I haven’t mastered.

I’m with KK though when it comes to vacation. When I travel for pleasure, I just shut it down training wise. I’m mindful of what I eat, but that’s about it.

Tennis is awesome by the way, great sport and one I actually enjoying watching as well (at least the grand slam tournaments). And woman’s tennis? Forget about it...

[ghettoboyd]

Mountain biking is my other passion...its like hiking but you get to go a lot faster...but being out in nature its a lot easier to do 10 12 miles that way than to hike it,plus its 2 to 3x faster...im weird though i force myself to ride up every mountain i plan to ride down for the exercise although down hill riding is the more fun...that said i do smaller mountains with a lot of cool technical features and skinny singtrack...lots of cool ladder bridges and plenty of ledge and dropoffs yeee haaaw...

[XnavyHMCS]

I used to bowl regularly before the plandemic started.

Oops... I must be a bit outside of the loop...

I nearly spit my coffee up when I read "plandemic".

That was rich.

[Test Monsterone]

That's excellent! There's zero reason to be so myopic about bodybuilding. Way too many guys fall into that trap and suffer from it. From relationships to their own sense of well being. It's simply healthy to have other interests outside of BB'ing. You can still take it seriously and make great progress but there's no need to miss out on life due to it.

It's why I always tell guys to take a few weeks off a couple times per year. Give their body and mind a break and do some of the things you don't normally do. Another pet peeve would be vacations. When you take one, don't work out. Take a break and enjoy what you're paying for. Zero need to obsess with finding a gym and tiring yourself out on a vacation you paid for. The gym will be there when you get home.

Re tennis. I grew up playing tennis and loved it. Knees won't let me now but damn those were good years.

Yeah man it is pretty fun, and excellent cardio. I lost 5 pounds without even realizing it. It is tough on the joints, though, with repeated movements. My lower back got stiff the other day from all the twisting and sudden jerks to my torso.

Good point about not obsessing over it on vacation. That used to be me when I was younger. Now I may bring a resistance band with me, if anything.

I started rollerblading in my 30's.

Fuck it, why not? I broke my wrist going down half pipes at the skate park when I was 14 and haven’t put on any blades since. Probably not a good idea for me now. It’s fun for sure.

I used to bowl regularly before the plandemic started.

That’s a good time. I’m horrible at bowling. I tense up right before I let the ball go. I play better after I’ve been drinking. Surprised myself a few times.

For me, it’s shooting and fly fishing. When I was out of the gym for a while, I was shocked by how much “free time” I had. Was nice not obsessing about food and lifting. There’s definitely an addiction component that comes with training and running gear for me. I’ve always struggled with finding that balance. Always feel too big or too small. I do know that when I’m dialed in on the gym and my diet...then other aspects of my life are being ignored. It’s definitely a balancing act and one I haven’t mastered.

I’m with KK though when it comes to vacation. When I travel for pleasure, I just shut it down training wise. I’m mindful of what I eat, but that’s about it.

Tennis is awesome by the way, great sport and one I actually enjoying watching as well (at least the grand slam tournaments). And woman’s tennis? Forget about it...

It’s good that you know this about yourself and don’t let it delude you. Having self awareness is important in this thing we do. Helps us not get too carried away.

Outdoor stuff is great. I’m thinking of buying a jet ski next year to take out to the lakes. That’s becoming my new hobby as of this summer. Had a great time riding them.

Mountain biking is my other passion...its like hiking but you get to go a lot faster...but being out in nature its a lot easier to do 10 12 miles that way than to hike it,plus its 2 to 3x faster...im weird though i force myself to ride up every mountain i plan to ride down for the exercise although down hill riding is the more fun...that said i do smaller mountains with a lot of cool technical features and skinny singtrack...lots of cool ladder bridges and plenty of ledge and dropoffs yeee haaaw...

It’s great being out in nature, but I agree, I’d rather be on two wheels. Rode some bikes this summer while on vacation and had a blast.