Bodybuilding is an endeavor I fell in love with almost 25 years ago. Oldest story in the book, skinny kid wanted to be bigger, I was strong and fast, but not big. How could I be? My mother is 5' and 90 pounds soaking wet, and my dad was around 5'9" and 170 pounds. Plus, I've had Ulcerative Colitis since I was 5 years old, and with that my appetite has always been small. Being big wasn't in the cards for me.
But when I got to high school, I had begged my mother enough and finally got her to give in to letting me play football. There I was introduced to the weight room. A place full of guys not much older than I was, but these "kids" looked like full grown men to me. These guys looked huge, had muscles and veins popping out everywhere, and were way stronger than I was. I wanted to look like these guys, so I started watching what they did and how they did it. I tried to emulate it, and at first it worked like gang busters. My muscles started popping, my veins were poking out everywhere. That was mostly 'cause I was so skinny in the beginning, my veins had no where to go but up when my muscles got bigger. Then admittedly after a while my progress halted.
This is where most people give up. This is where I sat down and tried to figure out what happened. Why did my gains slow down and even stop? I was doing everything the same as before. So I changed my food. I changed my water. I wasn't savvy enough yet to know to change my training. And that worked a little. But not like I wanted.
I lucked out in my early 20's and had the opportunity to meet some uniquely qualified individuals that taught me a lot about power lifting and bodybuilding, and how the two were so different and yet how one could assist the other. I learned more and grew more. I learned that food was more important than I had once thought to growth. So I started to eat more, but I always ate so clean that I could never put down enough calories to really grow like I wanted.
As I got through my 20's and into my early 30's, I really started reading everything I could find on general health, weight training, nutrition, and (yes) steroids. The ugly word in bodybuilding that most don't like to discuss publicly. So let's tackle it. I will start with, I don't use steroids. Not for some 'holier than thou' moral stance. I don't have anything against steroids - they are designed to help people. I don't see a need for them for me because I don't cash a check off my body's look or performance. Sure, I am a personal trainer and a certain look comes with that moniker, but I have that look through hard work and proper nutrition. I don't need to be jacked through the roof to acquire clients. I believe that if you have the opportunity to have a professional career in sports, modeling, or as any public persona, there is a look associated with it. DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. I defy anyone to turn down 1.5 million a year for the next 5 years guaranteed. But, you had to utilize a substance that made you bigger, faster, stronger, feel younger and recover quicker, and the catch was there might be side effects down the road that lead to health problems. You also might get off scott free and be health problem free after your use, it's simply a gamble. I doubt most would put down the pen and not sign that contract.
"Bodybuilding is this introspective personal journey into what you find artistically pleasing, and figuring out how to build that into your body and present that to the world."
But I digress. The full steroid conversation will come later, I promise. With all my new found knowledge I am constantly reinvigorated in my training, and what I can teach people who want to learn. Bodybuilding is this introspective personal journey into what you find artistically pleasing, and figuring out how to build that into your body and present that to the world. And I'll be honest - the more I learn about the past, and the ancient history of this discipline, the more I find things that truly work for me. There is something to be said for the golden age of bodybuilding and what those people did to look good. What's that they say...'to know where you're going you have to know where you've been.'? Take a look at the training methods of the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and try some of it. It may have some more pertinence than first thought. Back then the words "over training" didn't exist, at least not in the same sentence. Today's biggest concern is over training.
"I am, and will always be a work in progress."
I know over training is a popular term thrown around today by guys who do a set, then take 5 minutes to update their Facebook status, snap chat a shot of themselves taking a drink and toweling off. The guys who hit arm and chest pump sets Friday at 6 pm before clubbing. But I assure you there is no such thing as over training, and certainly not those by guys. These are the same guys who quote science findings saying that training any longer than 45 minutes will kill your gains. I'm sorry, but bodybuilding is a personal journey and my destination is not to look the same as those guys. I don't see many guys who train for 45 minutes who have the look that I want. And yes, I say "I want" because there are still things I want to change, shrink, grow on my frame. I am, and will always be a work in progress. That is what I love about bodybuilding more than anything else. More than the science, more than the desire to push yourself so far past your perceived limits that you can't see what you thought was your ceiling. It's the ability to critique yourself objectively, and realize no matter how perfect you, or others, may perceive your physique to be, there is always room to improve. And then finding the information to help you in that next step and applying it. Bodybuilding to me is the ultimate exercise in observation, application of information based on said observations, and self improvement through discipline. And the best part is everybody can do it, just get a picture in your mind and start striving to look like that.
-Ty
