Bodybuilder

Bodybuilding - The process of developing the musculature of the body through specific types of diet and physical exercise, such as weightlifting, especially for competitive exhibition.

I guess by the technical definition one would not have to compete necessarily to then consider themselves a bodybuilder. However, when I think of a bodybuilder the first think that comes to mind is the image of someone competing. The first image in my head is the most popular front double biceps pose. I say most popular, because if you tell anyone to show you their muscles and they choose to oblige then they will generally bust out some sort of front double bicep pose. There are so many people who go to the gym on a very regular basis and lift weights and jump on the cardio machines and well I might consider these individuals fitness enthusiasts at best, they are definitely not bodybuilders.

Why do most people go to the gym? There are various reasons. Maybe the most common answers you will hear from your fellow gym goer is either to lose fat or build muscle. This is hardly the truth. The number of people who fail to obtain these goals even after regular gym attendance greatly rivals the number of people that fail in marriages in the US! I suspect the real reason people go to the gym is much the same reason as why people go to church. They feel guilty for bad decisions they have made and think that simply by showing up at the gym they can counter balance those bad decisions. Not going to happen. If reaching their goals was truly in their hearts then you could see it in their efforts. They would be starving for knowledge and wisdom on how to reach their goals instead of dismissing real proven knowledge thinking they know everything. After not being able to progress on their own they would surely seek out the help of a professional or at least a knowledgeable friend or associate. Maybe someone who truly is a bodybuilder would gladly share a little knowledge. And need I mention that there are countless articles available for free on the net?

What does it take to be a bodybuilder? Bodybuilding is a unique sport. We could spend days talking about this single subject. And I could possibly write for hours on this and not just because I am a slow writer. I believe I am actually bodybuilding my fingers as I type! I will highlight a few points that are key qualities to a good bodybuilder.

• Humility - This involves the ability to accept that you do not know everything there is to know about being a bodybuilder. There are others out there that certainly do know more than what you know. While you may know a lot you are never above listening to the advice of others, and or researching the work of others. This also involves the ability to accept that when you are preparing for a contest you are best off seeking professional help. This could be a coach to handle your entire pre contest prep or maybe just someone who has done this before to bounce ideas off of. Humility also includes the ability to lift the right amount of weight to stimulate the muscle you are targeting. This bodybuilder recognizes they are working the muscle and not just heave ho'ing a weight to look strong in the gym. A good bodybuilder works to look good on stage.

• Drive - A good bodybuilder is very dedicated and driven to progress. As a bodybuilder you cannot accept staying the same. Your physique must change. You must get stronger. Your muscles must grow. When you prep for a contest you must continuously get leaner week to week. Progress is everything. If you are not progressing then you are failing as a bodybuilder and as the title simply implies you are not building your body. Everyone hits tough spots in training or nutrition or even life in general, but overall a bodybuilder continues to make progress despite the obstacles.

• Self-control - Whether in the off season or getting ready for a bodybuilding contest a bodybuilder must maintain a strict nutritional program geared toward reaching their specific goals. Especially during a contest prep a bodybuilder must have extreme self-control to adhere to a specific program for 12-20 weeks depending on the starting point of their conditioning. They MUST adhere to a SINGLE program. Pick a path and follow that path through to your show. If you didn't like the results then you can try something different for the next show, but to change your path mid way through or to try to incorporate pieces from different programs is certainly sabotage to your end goal. If you hire a coach remember you hired this person for a reason and do exactly as they say.

• Intensity - A good bodybuilder has the ability to output efforts of maximum intensity when training. This means pushing to failure and many times beyond failure even. When the muscle is burning and the mind tells you that you can do no more a good bodybuilder knows that the body is actually capable of more. The mind will have you quit before the muscle has truly failed. In many situations this may serve as a protection for your body, but in the gym a bodybuilder will push past these limits. The mind may be saying stop, but if the bar is still moving then this bodybuilder is not finished. The intensity includes proper form isolating the targeted muscle not simply moving a weight from point a to point b with whatever jerk and contortion of the body will make it move.

With these few simple points you can begin to see what it takes to be a bodybuilder. When average Joe at the gym tells me he is a bodybuilder then my first question is 'what was your last show?'. This is actually the minimum qualifier given the dictionary definition of a bodybuilder. Now hold the claiming bodybuilder to just the few qualities mentioned above and you begin to see how rare this breed is. If one has NEVER thrown up from training then I would bet money that they do not train hard. Not that you should be throwing up every time you train, but when you train hard then it is bound to happen at some point in your life. I have lost count of the number of individuals who have boasted about how hard they train and after they come train with us they recant those statements or refuse to come train with us again because we train to hard. Do you want to be a bodybuilder now? We can show you the path.