What most people would look at and think, “Man you’re in great shape," you look at and think, “I need more definition in my calves and my right pectoral could use more shapeliness.” As a bodybuilder, you are subject to one of the most odd lifestyle choices imaginable, because it is not something you can hide in any situation. People are used to seeing 200lb individuals on a daily basis, but not when their body fat percentage is in the single digits. It’s a lifestyle choice associated with so many stigmas and criticisms, and some people are just downright estranged by the idea of it.
Commonly used as an outlet for the aggression harvested from break-ups and failed pop quizzes, you find solace in it simply because it’s a more comfortable place to be. Of course, I’m referring to the gym (or my second home). Some students extract happiness from their ability to pick up a partner for the night, how quickly they can shotgun a beer, or the fact that they can drive a truck through holes in the ground with mud in them. I tend to find joy in the product of hours in the gym, as well as some crafty food choices.
“You don’t need to get any bigger,” is a phrase I’ve become quite familiar with as a consequence. This is a polite way of saying “You’re almost too big.” A bodybuilding lifestyle is not one that will be easily accepted by those that surround you, and most commonly is associated with the use of steroids, jokes about whey protein, and the fact that your intellect is probably equal to that of a barbell. What I’ve found to be most evident is the fact that those not estranged by the idea of being so large are the people you genuinely want around you. Not because they aren’t scared of the stretch marks on your chest, arms, thighs, glutes, and back, or the hours of research done on certain chemical balances and nutritional optimization, but because they understand it’s a positive influence in life.
Bodybuilding, as a whole, requires some very odd adjustment in anyone's lifestyle, but it’s nothing too difficult to do when the end goal is having the perfect physique. Posing in front of a mirror in the middle of a crowded gym, not being able to purchase regular jeans from any store, and always making sure that there is a consistent flow of food and hydration into the body are normal for bodybuilders. People don’t see that aspect, though. They don’t see the waking up at 6:30 to cook rice and fish for the day before class, or the hour of walking on a treadmill that you do regardless of the situation you may be in, or the sums spent on supplementation because, without it, you can’t reach certain size or definition goals. They just see the outer shell and attach the stereotype of a meat-head in a cutoff shirt. At the end of the day, this brings out the beauty of bodybuilding itself: it’s entirely based in the individual. Validation of my lifestyle isn’t necessary to my achieving the end goal.
The mixture of criticism and praise found in the bodybuilding lifestyle is what makes it so magnetic, in my eyes. Many choices can be hidden and kept out of plain sight to avoid judgement, but the choice to become a bodybuilder is not one of them. That observation, alone, creates the essential reason why I bodybuild. At the end of the day, there is so much happiness found in taking my shirt off and seeing something I can say, “I made this, and I take pride in it.” If people find it attractive, that’s great, but it isn’t an essential concept behind my actions. Bodybuilding has created a better version of myself, physically and mentally, and the long hours of drudgery in the gym and in the kitchen all pay off at certain moments where doubt creeps up, and confidence dips down.
