Performance-enhancing drugs aside, natural muscle building follows a similar path to those typically achieved by non-natural lifters. Still, the results do vary, especially given the external assistance the latter group receive, of course. You may not get as big (and/or get big as quickly), but I genuinely believe, based on my direct experience with gaining over 80 lean pounds (naturally, that is), that our muscle-building potential can’t be predicted (and, to a degree, may not be limited).

Going from 120 pounds to well over 200 pounds as a young adult in a relatively short amount of time definitely posed its challenges, but I still did it — and without outside help. I ate a lot (mostly good foods), trained hard (using proper form), and worked through injuries (cautiously), but the greatest determining factor in my muscular development surge was two-fold; belief in myself, and a constant quest to understand my body. Trial-and-error (particularly with regards to resistance training [and training frequency]) was obviously a part of it, but I needed to go deeper if I were to not only achieve sustainable results, but to have complete control over my body as well.

And so, I got bigger, stronger, and healthier, and I also knew what worked best (or at least better) for me.

When Life Hits You

Things get in the way, and things change — always. It’s what happens, and when it does, you need to adapt… almost evolve. The good news is that it’s kind of like building up an armor that simultaneously lessens in weight over time. And while structuring your physique is somewhat of a puzzle, posing questions (and getting answers) in these moments is the difference maker. If you continue to feed your ego, you might try to outlift difficulties as they arise; this leads to injury. If you stop training entirely, well, we know what happens in this case. But if you approach physical, emotional, social, and environmental challenges in a smart, objective way, you tend to find solutions. Sometimes they require you to grow as a person (no pun intended).

Be Who You’re Supposed To Be

For the most part, people are held back by influences (usually other people, and often those closest to them) in their surroundings. It doesn’t provide much solace to know that your family, friends, and/or peers don’t support you. We sometimes take the moral high ground and brush it off but at the expense of our goals and dreams. We try to be normal; you know, fit in. But if there’s something I’ve learned in my four-and-a-half decades on this planet, it’s that you could never make someone else happy by sacrificing the essence of what makes you you. In fact, sometimes the result is ridicule (i.e., being scoffed at).

But when you’re assertive, essentially being who you are, and commit to what you believe are the necessary actions to achieve your objectives — the sky’s the limit, because you lead by example, and are generally happier. The latter also happens to provide clarity in your life, so other areas often improve. As an example, an old gym buddy of mine was quite depressed in his younger years. He felt a great deal of pressure from his family to move on from working out because they had classified it as a complete waste of time (career-wise, that is). I asked him what he loved doing; he said I think about muscle-building 24/7, to which I responded, Then become a trainer — with the caveat that you’ll always be your number one client. Fast-forward to today, and he’s a successful, respected fitness professional in an area where both demand and rates are high. He’s in shape, his relationships outside of the gym are completely intact, and most importantly, he continues to be himself (so, it’s safe to say that he sleeps well at night).

In Summary

Make working out your priority, and you will help more people (even those who don’t understand you), period. Finances will follow if that’s a concern of yours. Getting ripped doesn’t need to be synonymous with getting ripped apart. The opposite, on the other hand, has the ability to do so. So, be healthy, train to the best of your knowledge & capacity, and definitely don’t let others put a cap on your potential. No one knows what the limits of natural muscle growth are; they never did, and they never will. But you can progress consistently, even as you age. Don’t worry about weak points; everyone’s got them, and it’s commonplace for them to dissolve over time as the body grows overall. Either way, you’ll be good on the inside, which, once again, is of utmost importance.