From the Brickyard | Subject: With the mass come the names
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When you start building serious muscle, people start calling you things. Sometimes it’s out of admiration. Sometimes it’s curiosity. Sometimes it’s just because they don’t know how else to describe what they’re looking at.
You become something else in their eyes. A little larger than life. A little different from the average guy. And with that difference comes the nicknames, the labels, the hilarious observations.
As you know, the name “Brickwall” was gifted to me by a friend who said, “You’re built like a brick wall.” It stuck. It became the brand. The identity. The force.
But that’s not the only thing I’ve been called over the years.
Here’s a list of some of the most interesting, entertaining, and totally unexpected things people have called me since I started the Musclebuilder path:
Muscles/Muscle Man/Muscular
The obvious ones. These are the “your name is now your most prominent feature” type of nicknames.
Low-hanging fruit? Sure. But it still feels good to be recognized for the work.
Gym Rat
Heard this one a lot. No shame here. The gym is my dojo. My temple. My office.
Call me a rat if you want—just know I’m the kind that lifts intense and eats clean.
Beefy
You know you’ve added some size when someone refers to you using food groups.
I’ve packed on the beef, alright. USDA Prime. Grass-fed. Mission-built.
Jacked
Now this is a compliment. When someone drops a casual “damn, you’re jacked,” it’s like getting knighted by the people.
This one’s a rite of passage. You don’t call everyone jacked. It’s earned.
Big Man/Big Guy/Big Dawg
This one happens when you’ve got some height to you.
Throw on some mass, and suddenly everyone’s calling you something with big in front of it.
You don’t even need to speak. You walk in, and they know.
Wide
One of my personal favorites.
Not tall. Not tall and muscular. Just…wide.
There’s something about adding slabs of muscle to the shoulders and lats that makes you look like you could walk through a wall.
MMA Fighter
This one caught me off guard at first. But I’ve heard it a lot.
Maybe it’s the bald head. Maybe it’s the muscular and lean frame. Maybe it’s the focused intensity.
Either way, I’ll take it. Makes me feel like I’m one walkout song away from stepping into the cage. 👊
Football Player
Usually gets thrown at me when I’m wearing training gear out in public.
“Hey, you play football?” Nah, brother—but I train just as hard.
And for the record, I’m more strong safety than lineman.
Solid
This one hits.
No fluff. No extra. Just…solid.
Like if someone tried to shoulder check you, they’d bounce off.
Final Thoughts
These nicknames might make you laugh, but they’re also data points.
They’re how the world sees you when you’ve put in the work.
You don’t need to walk around announcing that you lift. You carry it. It radiates. People feel it.
So if you’re on the Musclebuilder path and people start calling you names—lean in.
You’re earning your reputation without saying a word.
Keep building. Keep showing up.
And remember: you’re not just building muscle.
You’re building presence.
Let ‘em call you what they want. Just remember—none of those names matter as much as the one you’re building every damn day: Musclebuilder.
Brick by brick.
-Brickwall