One Week Out! Why am I Doing This to Myself, Again?

   

There are many different experiences that we face in life that challenge us.  Stressful work environment, traffic, deadlines to be met, meetings to attend.  Life is busy and certainly not always easy nor fair.

Those experiences challenge our inner strength and ability to endure, to push through, to conquer and triumph.  The opportunity to kick lives a** and be better than we were the day before.

In my life experiences preparing for Bodybuilding/Physique shows have been some of the most physically and mentally challenging things I have done in my life. There are many people, outsiders looking in, that just don’t get it. They think to themselves, “this is a vain sport and the person only cares about themselves, they are selfish or self centered”.

They are right! Yes this is a selfish sport! Not that competitors don't care about others around them because they do.  Your body is the project and everything you do will either improve the end result, or push you back further from where you want to be. The end product is so much more than the physique you showcase on stage. It’s the journey, the path in which you tread to get there.  The sweat, tears, and many grueling hours in the gym, along with a strict diet to get to where you are.      

In the end yes I am competitive and I want to win, but I do it for other reasons besides winning and adding a trophy to my collection. Truth is I compete because I love the way it makes me feel.  I love the discipline that it takes, the regiment, and of course that feeling of being able to get on stage and showcase my physique, much like presenting a project to my boss.

I also compete and personal train because I find joy in seeing others success.  When I see physiques on stage competing both male and female I feel an overwhelming appreciation towards competitors.

Many think that it is a sexual thing.  That the audience and other competitors are just checking each other out. In reality yes we are checking each other out.  We are admiring the beauty of the human body. We admire it even more so because again we know the work that goes into it.  We appreciate and respect it.