The Sunday News
I want to compete in my first body building show. Should building mass be my number one priority at this stage?
Bodybuilding isn’t just about being the biggest guy walking into particular contest, though he would win easily.
But that didn’t happen in a line-up of much less massive but harder more defined bodybuilders, he faded into the background and didn’t even appear to be that muscular.
Bodybuilding doesn’t mean just building mass. It’s about symmetry, proportion, definition, size, dullness and complete development of all body parts. It requires a dual approach of increasing overall mass, as distinct from increasing individual muscle size, and dieting away interstitial fat to show separation between individual muscles.
To steadily increase mass while pursuing those other goals, I would recommend training with heavy basic exercises right up to the show. There is a time in the week before a show that I do back off a little.
In that week lower your carb intake, so it’s hard to get your usual reps with your maximum lifts.
Even then, though, it’s only two days out of that week, as I’ll train Monday and Tuesday before resting the three days prior to Sunday Showtime. Forget about just being big at all costs, with no thought to the other attributes of a great bodybuilder. That’s not the secret to winning, or even to just looking good.
Being big doesn’t mean you’ll appear big on stage. If you want to win, you have to get cut, and pay attention to all the details that go into displaying the complete package.
On ego lifting: I see all these guys in the gym lifting more than me. What am I doing wrong?
An inspection of pro bodybuilders might leave you with the impression that our ultimate goal is to attain a perfect physique or lift some specific amount of weight.
Nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, everything’s wrong with that seemingly innocent notion.
No thoughtful athlete in this sport is motivated by ego or greed, because neither of those properties has the strength to withstand the sacrifice inherent in what we do. Bodybuilding has no finish line. It a way of life, driven by the concept of infinite ability to improve.
My suggestion is to forget about increasing your lifts to match what you see other people doing, and concentrate instead on putting everything you can into each workout.
As your totality of strength and form improves, your poundage will increase as well, and at a faster rate than if you concentrate on moving more in each specific exercise.
Pushing yourself too hard, or working to match someone else, is a blueprint for failure. In bodybuilding, the best and only true gauge of progress is measurement against yourself. As long as you continually improve it doesn’t matter what people are doing around you.
Control what you can, and if you’re lifting less than the guy on the bench press next to you, so what?
Trust me, if you stick to it and continually make incremental gains in your strength and your physique, you will soon be miles ahead of 90% of the other people at your gym.
So many people get distracted by running some non-existent race against others, or some ideal they think they must attain. Keep the focus on you, and give yourself kudos for the small victories you do accomplish along the way, whether it be a new pound of muscle this month or hoisting five more pounds on your deadlift this week vs. last.
Stay on your path, and you will get to the destination you seek in due time. -Additional information from online sources
The writer, Simon Gama is a fitness trainer at Body Works gym in Bulawayo.
