Skip parties
Rick: “My friends also had to get used to it, to that training. That sometimes I skipped parties. I don’t want to train hard for five days and drink two days in order to gain nothing every week. ‘You were brilliant because of your absence and they sometimes talk about you behind your back’, I would then hear. Just do it directly, I think, I would like to explain why I make those choices.”
Rick knows the disease bigorexia. “For guys like me, who start training with very low self-esteem, that’s a very real danger. You don’t see your progress and you keep training until it becomes unhealthy for your muscles, organs and heart. Some even start using steroids, which can be really dangerous. I used to have an eating disorder, so I may have a predisposition to bigorexia. That’s why I keep a close eye on myself, celebrate my successes and talk a lot about my training with acquaintances.”
‘I get compliments at festivals’
He is happier than ever before: “How I looked at myself and what I feel now… Yes, then I earned my manhood in the gym. I get compliments at festivals. Sometimes there is someone who thinks you want to play the show, or train muscles to fight, but most people feel that this is just my confidence. That I feel so beautiful and valuable as a human being.”
Nicolas: “Sometimes people even approach you in the supermarket. That they have respect. To anyone struggling and wanting a wider body because they think that gives them confidence: go for it, it worked for me. Just because you’re skinny today doesn’t mean you’ll be skinny next year. I am now being asked for international photo shoots, if I can do that anyone can. And I think the best thing: with the development of my body, my mind and knowledge have grown along with it. I got more wisdom and knowledge in life.”