Conference pasta::flex

oh gawd, yes! another weakness! mirrors! i can't live without them! i pose all 
the time!

okay, so i get a little carried away sometimes: i pose after my workouts to see 
what kind of pump i got; compare it to the early moring pose after waking up 
(you know when, when you're not bloated from a long day on your feet). 

do i like what i see?  not always and the part i always don't like is my 
hardest trouble area: waist, predominantly the luv handle area.

but, thankfully, i'm not addicted and go pretty much by how my clothes feel and 
what kind of compliments i get from people.

reg.

    ...aging
    ...improvement, but lots of blood, sweat and tears to get there.
    
    

oh, yeah- i see that aging thing, too; after all, the magic number is getting 
ready to knock on my door and everything's starting to look wrinkled!

reg.

    Well I never go into a 15 minute routine of pose downs...but...it is
    important to check out the difference a good pump can do for ya.
    
    Besides ya need to for; 1 - for encouragement/confidence, and 2 - to make
    sure your symmetry is good. 
    
    Age?  Doesn't bug me one bit...mind you I'm only 24!  [^;=
    
    	Jay

    come on now, is posing strictly a guy thing?  I am very curious is the
    women actually ever pose or do you only take sneak looks in the mirror? 
    Is flexing etc in front of glass a guy thing?
    
    Brian

only take sneak looks in the mirror? come on, brian- they're checking themselves
out in any reflective surface continously!

ahem, lets the rocks fly...

reg.

    Nope, no flexing or posing in front of a mirror. I watch my form very
    carefully when I lift, so I can SEE how good that muscle looks while
    I'm working it.  The only time I check out the mirror is when I'm
    getting dressed, to make sure that all my hard work paid off. If it
    looks good covered up, then my work is paying off. I don't think it's 
    helpful for me to see how I look posed out, since I NEVER walk around 
    in public like that. Beach season included. Yup, it's a 'guy thing'.
    Now you KNOW you guys walk around all puffed up and semi-posed out on
    the beach. You KNOW you do. But just when you think we aren't looking, 
    we are! We see everything go back to it's normal 'unposed' position. 
    It's not a pretty sight ; )
    Sarah

    Yha mean you don't do the crab or flex a wing when you get dressed?:)

    So Sarah
    
    That mean you use the mirrors to check out the guys instead? 8^)
    
    B.

    Gee.... I though all of us checked out in front of the mirror despite
    what gender we are or are not. <srug shoulders>
    

    Send some guys down worth looking at!
    I don't care if they pose! 
    Sarah

so, i can finally stop sucking in my gut! you know how much that hurts that 
back? ;�)

okay guys, we're meeting in front of Sarah's office.

reg.

    What pole location is that Reg?:)

    Oh, this is going to look REALLY good - a couple of OLD guys posing in
    front of my office : ) : ) : )
    Sarah

    Hey!! Careful!! I'm the one with more chins than an Oriental phone
    book.:) Reg! Stick your gut back in!:);) 

    <----   The last two were good ones!
    
    	Jay

hey! i resemble that remark! gee, sharah, on one hand you make 40+ some good, 
then you make it sound like, well, letcherous (sp).  all smiles, i know there 
are some younger ones out to take us up on the posing in your office offer.

reg.

btw: could you clear your desktop, please? i'd like to stand/pose/strut on top 
of it, if you don't mind.

    I will make an offer to those who are younger who would like to do a
    workout with either Reg or self and see how well the old men do agianst
    the young bucks.:) I might not be as lean as I once was, but....:)
    
    

taking bets on who has to place the  911 call 1st.

    Got it on speed dial there Reg.:) 

    I DON'T STRETCH IN THE MIRROR. BUT WHEN I LOOK IN IT I SEE MUCH
    IMPROVEMENT NEEDED.

    Another topic to discuss.
    
    What kind of support do you get from SO's, family and friends when it
    comes to weight lifting?
    
    I know my wife does not like it.  In fact she says I should stop,
    before I get gross looking.  She also makes a point of never
    encourgaging me at all by complimenting me on my physical appearence. 
    This of course is a sore spot between us, because I make a point of
    complimenting her appearence all the time.
    
    My family thinks I am on steroids.  They do tell me, I am big, but
    most often as a side comment to some other conversation, never a hey
    your looking great type of thing.
    
    My friends never mention it at all, except to tell me I am nuts for
    going so early in the morning.
    
    Now that I think of it, I very seldom get anyone who says I look fit. 
    Hmmm. maybe I don't look as big as I think I do, or maybe folks don't
    want to mention it?  What about the rest of you?   Do you get
    compliments from those who are supposed to be important to you?
    
    Brian

Well, my spouse supports my weight lifting/body building efforts - in fact, she
does lifting herself at the Y.  I'm not sure really what the rest of my family
thinks about it, mainly cause I'm so far away from them (most of them live in
Alaska); however, last time I saw my Sister, she commented on the fact that it
was obvious I was weight lifting again.  My Dad's comment to me when I went to
give him a hug prior to leaving for the airport was "don't hurt me" (joking).

My kids don't think much about it - probably too young and "daddies always had
big muscles" - so it's no big deal to them.  Beyond that the only comments I get
from people are occasionally from other people I work with in the Fire
Department.  One of our EMT's was giving me a bad time about having to turn
sidewise some in order to get thru the side door of the rescue.  After another
call, he commented that I was probably the only person in the department that
could carry both the phoenix tool (jaws of life) and the generator for it at the
same time.  So while people don't comment about it alot, they do appreciate
having someone around that can handle some of the more physically demanding
tasks.

I think a lot of it sometimes is clothing.  You can tell that a person is large
pretty easy.  It's hard to tell why they are large unless you wear something
like a tank top & shorts.  I recall one fire academy; no one really said/noticed
anything until one hot day I was wearing a tank top and shorts during class,
after which I had one guy ask me how many years of training it took to get arms
like mine (which aren't all that large IMO) and I picked up the nickname
"mongo."  Admittedly, firefighters (younger ones anyway) are probably more aware
of the benefits of weight training than a lot of other people.  There's also I
think a certain amount of stigma associated with body building - the assumption
is that body builders are all on 'roids and probably not very smart.  People
look down on you because you're different (not too different from people that
look down on obese people, really).

--Scott

    My ex said the same thing. She was frightened that I would look gross.
    Whelp... what is gross? What is in the eye of the be-holder? My idea of
    gross is having more than one chin, and having a couple of folds of
    skin on your stomach. Perhaps gross like looking like the walking dead,
    just bones mam, just bones... 
    
    I do what I can, and with limited time, money, and machines, I manage.
    

    Brian, I can't believe you're wife doesn't like it.  I would
    love it if my husband got into lifting.  I get disappointed
    with him because he doesn't try to keep himself in shape.
    Geez, I wish I had your wife's problem,,, a husband that
    keeps trying to improve on his physical appearance by making
    sure he's got nicely built/strong muscles.  I like it!
    
    As for support from friends and family, I'd say they've
    been pretty supportive.  They think it's great that it's
    helped my asthma as much as it has.  They also tell
    me that I look like I'm in shape (even though I don't
    always feel that way).  My husband is nice in telling me
    when he thinks I've tightened up in certain areas, or
    he comments about the lines on my stomach, he was really
    gloating about them at the end of last summer, he wanted
    me to show his brother my stomach.  I just kind of looked
    at him like, you've got to be kidding...  (no I didn't 
    show his brother).  As for seeing lines now,,, well,
    lets just say, it's been a tough winter with food...  :)
                                                          

since i've gotten back into just over 3 yrs ago after a 6yr hiatus and mucho 
blubber added, EVERYONE can't stop commenting how wonderful I look, how much 
weight i've lost, how i've got more shape thanever, even the joking must be 
'roids, and the ever grateful "glad you're around to help me/us lift th(e)at 
thing", etc.

i must admit that this year put a real damper on my progress (the coming of the 
40s), my jeans are tighter than ever and I think it's noticeable (most don't, 
thank goodness for baggy shirts), but i never really seem to get negative 
comments; in fact, i get too many!

my youngest has always known big daddy (and is totally impressed with my arms 
and calves) and my oldest has seen me grow and grow and grow (from something 
somewhat presentable to a fatr over bloated circus freak) to shrink to build 
again and is just now starting to "challenge" me (he's 16).

sorry to hear of your dilemma Brian, but, for what it's worth: I think you look
great!

reg.

    Or in the words of Billy Crystal (it was billy that sang this????)
    
    You Look Maverlous.........
    
    :)

    Every one I know is very supportive about it...my brother's usually the
    one to point out stuff like my "Popeye" type calves...but then again,
    he points out that it looks circus freakish!  [^;=
    
    Actually the other day, a buddy of mine was getting into weight
    training and he thanked me for being a bit of an inspiration.  Made my
    day.
    
    	Jay

    
    
    I try and encourage anyone who wants to start.If they keep it up then
    all the better.
    
    
    						ian

  I'm a naturally thin and light framed person. For the last 20 years,
  my legs were always muscular although lean. Until I started lifting weights
  2 years ago, I had very little development in the upper body. Now my wife 
  says I'm more fun to hug. As she says, "before you had nothing and at least
  now you have something". 

  Every now and then, my 6 and 8 year old kids will say something like 
  "Daddy, look at my muscles" and then do a pose. Sometimes they'll say
  "show me your muscles". When I do, they say "Wow". At least for a few
  seconds, I feel great until I realize that I still look like a wimp compared
  to the really strong guys at the gym.

  At times, I wish I had more support from my family but all in all, I'd have
  to say it's pretty good. I do wish I could get my wife involved in
  lifting to some degree.

	Keith

    Whats really interesting about this string is that my dad got me into
    it. Not by preaching, but, in his late 60's early somethin, still
    lifts. I just saw some old 8mm's moved to a vcr tape. I am older than
    he is in the movies now. He is still as muscluar now as then. Not as
    peeked, but, still on a whole in far better shape than most of his
    counter parts. A living mentor for your children is to set an example
    of doing than of preaching.
    

	    My 3 year old asked me why I exercise.  I told her it makes
	my muscles hard as a rock.  Now we have a running joke... I'll
	knock on my bisep and she'll say "Hard as a rock!"  

					Tim