Are You a Real Bodybuilder or Just a Wannabee?

Almost every bodybuilder that I have ever met considers themselves “Hard-core” or the most dedicated, knowledgeable, or hardest training athlete in the gym. Over the 20 years I have spent in the sport I have been asked many times what does it really take to be successful in the sport? My answer might surprise you but let me tell you it’s a question everyone has to ask themselves. What’s more is the answer you give yourself reflects whether you’re a Real Bodybuilder or Just another Wannabee!

Drug LOADED Bodybuilding - The Fast Track to Self Destruction

You see I realized almost the entire competitive bodybuilding scene had almost nothing to do with “Real Bodybuilding”. In fact it was more like body destruction. Many of these athletes I was competing with and against, had become consumed by the desire to build massive muscles and resorted to using massive amount of drugs that damaged their health. While their physiques and muscles are definitely impressive, they had built them at the cost of their health as well as the personal lives.

I personally consider this to be a psychological condition of disease similar to anorexia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder and indeed some psychologists have labeled the condition “Muscle Dysmorphia”. Many “hardcore” bodybuilders have become so obsessed with competitions, muscular size, body fat levels, diets, etc. that every other aspect of their lives has shrunk smaller then their testes on a 10 year cycle.

I know how this dysfunctional psychology can limit one’s life because for 10 years I went down that path. Fortunately, I turned the corner and saw “the light” so to speak, and recognized that there was a lot more to life than a 20-inch arm. I understand how the pressures of athletic excellence lead some athletes to turn to drug usage. I am not condoning the act however I simply recognize how athletes rationalize drug usage and get caught in the “machine” of high performance sports.

Although it seems things are getting worse in the athletic world as opposed to better with the increase in volume of high profile athletes testing positive for drug use; I believe the increased awareness of what’s going on in sports will eventually change the course of athletics, including what I call the return to True Bodybuilding.

Winning Comes In Many Forms

Winning and success come in many forms and so many people equate a trophy or a title with success. Considering how many of the top professional and amateur bodybuilders in the world have serious health problems and rather chaotic personal lives it’s hard to equate success with their professional status or their drug-swollen bodies. That being said, there are a handful of professionals who embody the ideals of true bodybuilding but they are definitely few and far between.

Of course, you have all kinds of guys/gals in the gym coming up with a host of reasons why they haven’t stuck with their diet, followed through on their training schedule, and simply not made the gains they desire. Although both cases represent opposite ends of the extreme; everyone fits somewhere in between and many are still left asking the question… What makes a “True Bodybuilder?”

While everyone has to determine the answer for himself, my own definition of True Bodybuilding is significantly different than “The Hardcore” Version portrayed in the top Magazines. Although at one time I aspired to be like the “gargantuan” individuals who grace the pages of the magazines, I had a change of heart once I reached the National Championship Level. Here’s why.

Self Improvement is The Essence of Real Bodybuilding

The real bodybuilder recognizes that Bodybuilding is something that they do, not something that they are. There is a big difference between these two images of self because the first definition limits oneself or what one can be, while the second opens up the possibility of a greater Self or broader definition on one’s Self.

The essence of Real Bodybuilding is simply the pursuit of self-improvement through physical activity that enhances the development and function of the physical body. This pursuit can lead to a deeper awareness of the internal or subtle workings of one’s own existence. I think Bill Pearl has summed it up better than anyone else in the title of his best-selling bodybuilding book “Keys to the Inner Universe”.

To further illustrate my point from a more extreme perspective, I will use this example. Some bodybuilders come to me and say I am training my legs as hard as can but I am not puking from sets. Can you show me how to train so hard that I puke?

While this sounds ridiculous, this type of mentality does persist inside bodybuilding. Puking from a set is often times viewed as a badge of honor or welcome achievement in the “Bodybuilding Brotherhood”. This type of mentality is what has kept the awesome power of bodybuilding away from the general public and transformed a positive form of self expression into a “narcissistic, self-absorbed, anti-social, cult-like, behavior relegated to the “lunatic fringe”.

Numerous companies create ads around this whole behavior by glorifying pain, suffering, and illustrating imagery of a 250lb man standing over a bucket or a pool of vomit on the floor. While most individuals in society would be horrified or disgusted by such a picture, many in the bodybuilding world embrace it, identifying greatness, or achievement with the process of vomiting.

As bizarre as it sounds, the above scenario is illustrative of how the act is often mixed up with the intention of the individual. This is a very thin line of consciousness but a very important one to understand it one’s bodybuilding pursuits are to be crowned with success.

Heart is where someone pushes themselves to the limits of their physical being. Any person; who tests themselves regularly, with weight training to improve their body, is a real bodybuilder. Real Bodybuilding takes heart and it has nothing to do with how big someone is, how much they bench, or how many titles they have won.

Real bodybuilding is about the journey of self.

It’s a way to express oneself while improving your health, your awareness, and your self-esteem. Real bodybuilding helps to synchronize the Mind, Body, and Soul connection and enhances every aspect of one’s life. It’s a phenomenal tool for self -improvement and self-discovery. After a lifetime of lifting you can still learn something new about yourself and you can still improve.

Almost every bodybuilder that I have ever met considers themselves “Hard-core” or the most dedicated, knowledgeable, or hardest training athlete in the gym. Over the 20 years I have spent in the sport I have been asked many times what does it really take to be successful in the sport? My answer might surprise you but let me tell you it’s a question everyone has to ask themselves. What’s more is the answer you give yourself reflects whether you’re a Real Bodybuilder or Just another Wannabee!

Drug LOADED Bodybuilding - The Fast Track to Self Destruction

You see I realized almost the entire competitive bodybuilding scene had almost nothing to do with “Real Bodybuilding”. In fact it was more like body destruction. Many of these athletes I was competing with and against, had become consumed by the desire to build massive muscles and resorted to using massive amount of drugs that damaged their health. While their physiques and muscles are definitely impressive, they had built them at the cost of their health as well as the personal lives.

I personally consider this to be a psychological condition of disease similar to anorexia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder and indeed some psychologists have labeled the condition “Muscle Dysmorphia”. Many “hardcore” bodybuilders have become so obsessed with competitions, muscular size, body fat levels, diets, etc. that every other aspect of their lives has shrunk smaller then their testes on a 10 year cycle.

I know how this dysfunctional psychology can limit one’s life because for 10 years I went down that path. Fortunately, I turned the corner and saw “the light” so to speak, and recognized that there was a lot more to life than a 20-inch arm. I understand how the pressures of athletic excellence lead some athletes to turn to drug usage. I am not condoning the act however I simply recognize how athletes rationalize drug usage and get caught in the “machine” of high performance sports.

Although it seems things are getting worse in the athletic world as opposed to better with the increase in volume of high profile athletes testing positive for drug use; I believe the increased awareness of what’s going on in sports will eventually change the course of athletics, including what I call the return to True Bodybuilding.

Winning Comes In Many Forms

Winning and success come in many forms and so many people equate a trophy or a title with success. Considering how many of the top professional and amateur bodybuilders in the world have serious health problems and rather chaotic personal lives it’s hard to equate success with their professional status or their drug-swollen bodies. That being said, there are a handful of professionals who embody the ideals of true bodybuilding but they are definitely few and far between.

Of course, you have all kinds of guys/gals in the gym coming up with a host of reasons why they haven’t stuck with their diet, followed through on their training schedule, and simply not made the gains they desire. Although both cases represent opposite ends of the extreme; everyone fits somewhere in between and many are still left asking the question… What makes a “True Bodybuilder?”

While everyone has to determine the answer for himself, my own definition of True Bodybuilding is significantly different than “The Hardcore” Version portrayed in the top Magazines. Although at one time I aspired to be like the “gargantuan” individuals who grace the pages of the magazines, I had a change of heart once I reached the National Championship Level. Here’s why.

Self Improvement is The Essence of Real Bodybuilding

The real bodybuilder recognizes that Bodybuilding is something that they do, not something that they are. There is a big difference between these two images of self because the first definition limits oneself or what one can be, while the second opens up the possibility of a greater Self or broader definition on one’s Self.

The essence of Real Bodybuilding is simply the pursuit of self-improvement through physical activity that enhances the development and function of the physical body. This pursuit can lead to a deeper awareness of the internal or subtle workings of one’s own existence. I think Bill Pearl has summed it up better than anyone else in the title of his best-selling bodybuilding book “Keys to the Inner Universe”.

To further illustrate my point from a more extreme perspective, I will use this example. Some bodybuilders come to me and say I am training my legs as hard as can but I am not puking from sets. Can you show me how to train so hard that I puke?

While this sounds ridiculous, this type of mentality does persist inside bodybuilding. Puking from a set is often times viewed as a badge of honor or welcome achievement in the “Bodybuilding Brotherhood”. This type of mentality is what has kept the awesome power of bodybuilding away from the general public and transformed a positive form of self expression into a “narcissistic, self-absorbed, anti-social, cult-like, behavior relegated to the “lunatic fringe”.

Numerous companies create ads around this whole behavior by glorifying pain, suffering, and illustrating imagery of a 250lb man standing over a bucket or a pool of vomit on the floor. While most individuals in society would be horrified or disgusted by such a picture, many in the bodybuilding world embrace it, identifying greatness, or achievement with the process of vomiting.

As bizarre as it sounds, the above scenario is illustrative of how the act is often mixed up with the intention of the individual. This is a very thin line of consciousness but a very important one to understand it one’s bodybuilding pursuits are to be crowned with success.

Heart is where someone pushes themselves to the limits of their physical being. Any person; who tests themselves regularly, with weight training to improve their body, is a real bodybuilder. Real Bodybuilding takes heart and it has nothing to do with how big someone is, how much they bench, or how many titles they have won.

Real bodybuilding is about the journey of self.

It’s a way to express oneself while improving your health, your awareness, and your self-esteem. Real bodybuilding helps to synchronize the Mind, Body, and Soul connection and enhances every aspect of one’s life. It’s a phenomenal tool for self -improvement and self-discovery. After a lifetime of lifting you can still learn something new about yourself and you can still improve.