@jmannramirez Here's what's crazy to me, or maybe I'm fucking insane, but I look at that picture of Jay Cutler and it's very, very obvious to me that this dude lifts
I hope that's just a byproduct of my own familiarity with lifting
@danielkibby I get compliments on my physique while wearing a normal tshirt almost every day lately...There aren't many people who are serious with bodybuilding in my area though so it's easier to standout i guess
Being natty isn't your problem. You are just "small" because you are still a beginner. Do a good bulk while progressing with your lifts and people will notice
For context, i used to be around 145lbs before i started working out and currently i'm around 200lbs.
@mike230 I don’t think it takes that long, it takes 5-10 maybe to really start to look significantly big and broad…but I’m 2 years into my journey and my arms fill out my sleeves now, my shoulders are broader and my chest sticks out past my belly.
I’ve gotten lots of comments particularly in the last 6 months from folks giving me positive feedback that I look muscular and it’s clear I spend time in the gym.
@christinaf For quite a few people, it literally takes that long for them to look muscular in normal clothes. That was the point his post.
I know a guy who can deadlift and squat several times his body weight and had been weight lifting for 5+ years...you can't tell. Same with several people at the gym I go to. Not everyone grows like a fucking weed their first few years. Sometimes it's a long-ass game you have to play, and that's fine.
@mike230 Lifting for strength isn't the same as bodybuilding. Anybody can bulk once and look filled out in a t shirt. Thing is, they won't look good with a shirt off, that's the trade off. The hard part is being big and lean.
People who don't lift are clueless when it comes to typical amounts of muscularity, how long muscle lasts on the body, and how much muscle you can get from just doing casual sports. Tons of women I've spoken to don't want to lift even 30 minutes per week because they're worried about gaining too much muscle too easily—some guys, too. Average people legitimately think that doing crunches will reduce belly fat.
If you're bulked, your muscles are less defined so you look like you're still carrying existing muscle, but wouldn't look as large as when you're cut and the muscles are more defined
@weepingwillow422 I'm going through this thread finding responses I don't like. You've made the list, haha.
I actually don't really have a problem with your first two points, but the third is weird. I think the actual most difficult thing for a natty to achieve is looking big in a shirt after a cut/while lean. Considering the OP is a guy who's lifted for 2 years, the third point isn't really for him. I think that's an endgoal for most natties. In other words, your third point applies to a very small portion of the population, not the average newb nattie who wonders why they aren't big.
A revision would be: You look big while bulked in a shirt and fat without a shirt. You look small in a shirt while lean and big (or at least good) without a shirt.
Make no mistake-there are newb natties that your third point applies to. But they're the exception, not the rule.
@danielkibby It took me 3.5 years for people to even notice I lift in clothes dude. Now literally every new person I talk to mentions it no matter what I’m wearing. It’s a marathon not a sprint.
