Since I have been focusing on cardio a lot more than weights lately I haven't been making many trips to the gym and when I do, I am not normally doing anything particularly intense. As someone that had a really defined chest that involved a bunch of supplements and great deal of dedication in my 20's and I am starting to notice something that I don't like and that is that my muscle definition in my chest is kind of un-maintainable. Sure I could work out like a mofo and get some of those drugs that Dwayne Johnson in on but I have not the time, the money, nor the liver capacity so survive that sort of thing for very long.
So I have decided to give up on bulk, probably for the rest of my life. I say this because I am in danger of forming the sort of chest that even the best athletes end up with when they get older. Professional wrestlers, bodybuilders, and actors all end up falling to this eventually, and it is not a good look.
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We look at someone like Ric Flair for example and while I can't say for sure that he was on roids, there is a really good chance that he was. As he got older, no amount of exercise or steroids are going to maintain those pecks and this is true for almost everyone else as well.
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Now let's be fair here: I was never even close to being in the sort of shape that either of these guys or many others like them were. I am also about 20-30 years younger than both of them. They did have fantastic chest definition at points in their lives though and that really isn't something that a person can possibly maintain even with drugs. Sure Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is pulling it off now and everyone knows (despite his claims to the contrary) that he is on PED's but eventually the juice just won't do it anymore. I know this not from studies that I have read but because we see it all the time.
While I was very happy with my chest definition in the past, especially in my 20's, I am now starting to notice that gravity is kind of taking over and honestly, I would rather lose a lot of mass while not having man boobs even if there is a bunch of muscle under there.
There are various surgeries and implants that a person can have done but there is no way I am going to go down that road. I might get some botox or a hair transplant at some point in my life but there is no way I am going to get implants or any invasive surgery.
Time catches up with all of us and I would rather change my direction now than have to face the consequences later in life. Reality is something that we all have to deal with at one point or another and while I do enjoy having muscle mass, I would rather be cut than huge. At 6 foot and 190 lbs, I am big enough, but my "fighting weight" is probably somewhere along the lines of 175. This can be accomplished a lot of ways but for me, I think a high-rep weight training session with lower weights combined with more cardio is probably the way to go. Diet of course, is a key element in any fitness regimen and I will do my best to keep up with that but at the same time I want to enjoy life so trust me, I am still going to be eating pizza and tacos regardless of the consequences.
I think I still have enough time left to alter my body so that I don't end up with man-boobs like these two did and I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I frequently change my fitness goals but lately I have actually been enjoying doing things that get my heart rate up a lot more than doing things that make me bigger.
In the coming weeks I am going to be investigating how to get stay toned, but also avoid bulking up. Chest muscles look fantastic and are difficult to accomplish but as you get older they are going to turn into something you may end up regretting having ever built in the first place. This doesn't mean that people shouldn't do chest workouts, this is just a plan for me personally.
I know a few of you are in better shape than I am so if you have any real-life suggestions / workout plans that you have used in the past, I would be very interested to hear about them! thanks!