Blind to aesthetics progress?

Just read an old post here on ASF about "can't see your own results from gym". In a aesthetics sence.
Not as a complex but more you get compliments here and there about either parts of you OR overall -"you are huge!".

I'm in the same spot. People ask what i'm on and give compliments more and more but i can't see any of it! I'm not insecure, i just can't see what
others see. And that sux bcus the looks play an importent role for me so i want to compliment myself LOL

Strenght and endurance is great for me. Just the aesthetics.

BUT!
Looking closely in the mirror i cant see any real progress but stepping back 3-4 meters and flex and i look great! Exactly what i'm after so to speak.
Got me thinking about bodybuilding competitions and body paint, understanding now how big role that paint play for looks apparently!

Anyone else have this feeling?

One word

Pictures

Problem is you don't notice gradual changes. Because if you're anything like me. You mire your self before and after every shower. Pictures and compare

It depends on the individual. I have body dismorphia so I can never see improvements. That's why I log EVERYTHING!


Warrior

I never see my own progress, usually it takes my wife to say something about me getting bigger or leaner. The only real part of my body I see improvements on are my abs. It starts with that little vertical line down the middle of my stomach, then the horizontal lines appear. Other than that when I look in a mirror I always feel small as fuck.

Warriorblaze said:

It depends on the individual. I have body dismorphia so I can never see improvements. That's why I log EVERYTHING!


Warrior

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My ex used to starve herself, gag herself, 200 crunches and push-ups and run 5 miles a night. 5'2" of WOW! I didn't get it. Started lifting, even before gear people were commenting and I could only see it in pictures. Got my first "are you on steroids?" last week. Still can't see gains. I can see pictures and think "I look ok, but I have chick arms, no biceps, and my pecs are like a 12 year old." Now I get it she couldn't see herself. I'm up a solid 11 pounds in 7 weeks and can't tell. Other people that used to seem huge don't seem 'as big' anymore. That's it.

You and me both man. Biggest thing for me is that I've been absolutely killing myself for the past 4 months, and people tell me all the time that I look great. When I look in the mirror I still see a fucking normal guy and it pisses me off to no end. At least I'm getting the compliments from other people or I'd be really pissed. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I was a real late bloomer. I was 5'6" in high school and wrestled 130-145lbs till my senior year. When I left college and joined the military I got fucking huge ( according to everyone else ) Im now 6 foot and 190lbs, but when I look in the mirror I still see 5'6" 145 little guy. Something thats helped me is that I size up every guy that bumps into me at the bar. When I stop and breathe for a second I realize that I'm actually taller than 80% of the guys in the bar and I try and keep the mentality that I'm the alpha male up in that bitch. But I know exactly how ya feel man! I wake up every day and say "why the fuck do I not look like Arnold yet!"

Like my avi says what the fuck you mean I'm getting too big.

Dude it's all about pics + logs + EXTERNAL perception. Most of the closest people around you will notice changes before you do if you are not comparing pictures or something like that. A good trick is to get a pull up bar at ur house (im sure most guys here have one) and video tape yourself doing pull ups from the back every 3-4 months. Your gonna be like wtf where did those traps + lats come from. My Lean BMI with no muscle or fat is like 120 lbs. I was 120 lbs in highschool even up to senior year. I'm a pretty small dude. I'm now knocking on the door of 200 at 5'7 but I still feel like I am 130 lbs everyday. Something about big scale break throughs (50 lb, 100 lb stages) is where you'll start getting satisfied. I have had my eye on 200 for a long time and I'm sure I will always think I'm small until I break through 200, then one that day comes when im 203 on the scale, Im gonna be the most cockiest I'm fkn huge guy around

Damgar said:

Other people that used to seem huge don't seem 'as big' anymore. That's it.

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I know exactly what you mean

Lol @ R3ps yeah I played varsity football at 135 a LONG time ago. Sitting at 191 at the moment and feel the same (just older lol). I want 200 so bad, but I know at 200 I'll want 210 because at 180 I just wanted 190!

Engodkaka said:

Just read an old post here on ASF about "can't see your own results from gym". In a aesthetics sence.
Not as a complex but more you get compliments here and there about either parts of you OR overall -"you are huge!".

I'm in the same spot. People ask what i'm on and give compliments more and more but i can't see any of it! I'm not insecure, i just can't see what
others see. And that sux bcus the looks play an importent role for me so i want to compliment myself LOL

Strenght and endurance is great for me. Just the aesthetics.

BUT!
Looking closely in the mirror i cant see any real progress but stepping back 3-4 meters and flex and i look great! Exactly what i'm after so to speak.
Got me thinking about bodybuilding competitions and body paint, understanding now how big role that paint play for looks apparently!

Anyone else have this feeling?

Click to expand...

I saw an old co worker at a meeting last week. He kept saying I "looked stacked". I'm not the biggest guy in the world but I had a raging boner after that. I was purely messing around but I looked at him with a serious face and said I haven't even been lifting. He replied with "oh" and I expected him to tell me to fuck off but I think he believed me. I just kinda went with it, it was a little funny


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I agree with all of you guys! And it does feel good to have others at the same line of thinking. I was a late bloomer too, was called "the stick" a long time. Not before around my 20th bd
i started to be able to eat at all. But i have always exercised my limits even on that skinny body, tho not a single muscle.

The most annoying thing by not seeing my own progress is that i eat, train and roawr three times as much as all the other ppl at the gym. AND THEY STILL GET BIGGER!!
Can lift heavier with more reps, they still look bigger.

Another wierd thing abt the look at pumped state is that some days you just scratch your balls and the muscles just pop up immidiately! Other days you can lift every weight at the
gym and still look smaller.

Gotta hand it to you all and myself incl, with everything dragging us down, we still hit them weights with twice the anger!

That post earlier in this thread was one of the best things I have ever read on here and hits the nail so to speak completely: Getting big does not mean you will always start getting satisfied or create skewed perceptions when looking in the mirror. All that happens is guys that used to be the incredible hulk when you first started stop seeming as big anymore <---- That and that

Just for kicks I used a BMI calculator today. I'm only 7 pounds from obesity! I mean you can see my abs, not single digits or contest ready or anything, just see them. I thought that was kind of reassuring that someone out there recognized the work! Lol

Wow. I am so glad I'm not the only one. I hate to look in the mirror. Never see any difference but constantly get compliments and comments and I'm always like "your kidding right?" Got one yesterday "your jacked as fuck!" Of course he was a non lifting dweeb so I just discounted it as nonsense. My nickname at work is "muscles". Wife keeps asking " when do you think your gonna be big enough ?" I'm like "well if I ever get there I'll let you know" . It sucks.


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