Ray’s BodyBlog

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting one of my fellow BodyBuilding.com members in person for lunch. We had chatted and e-mailed for a while on here and decided to meet and talk more in person. It was refreshing to meet someone you could be so immediately comfortable with out in the open and talk about bodybuilding without having someone think you are a freak.

Have you ever been in a group of friends talking about what you like to do in your spare time (as if we have any)? You’d never hear any of my friends say they are into BODYBUILDING. And if I said it (out loud) they would look at me with less than approving eyes like I had said a cuss word.

I’m sure its just from lack of understanding, but people in general do not look at bodybuilding or body builders favorably and that’s truly unfortunate, and truly their loss, because bodybuilders are just people, they are around you everyday, they have lives outside the gym, they have jobs, they have the same aches and pains, they have the same financial and family issues, they have the same high gas prices, as we all do – they have just chosen to give the physical development of their body priority in life. Some people push their vocal cords to the limit or practice piano for hours on end. Bodybuilders are just expressing themselves through the pursuit of physical perfection.

Because they don’t understand, and because they have not experienced it, the average person does not view bodybuilding as a healthy sport. They believe you are just vain and pushing your body to unhealthy extremes. They don’t think supplements are healthy, they think whey protein is a steroid, and glutamine is something we snort a line of while we work out – and, if you married, your partner probably thinks you’ve lost interest and you’re on the prowl for a new model. I guess it isn’t their fault, they just don’t know, they don’t understand, and don’t seem to care to find out. They apply some stereotype extreme to all of us. (I just laughed out loud – I said “US” referring to “bodybuilders” – I used to tell people “Yeah, I work out, but no one would mistake me for a bodybuilder.” – I guess my opinion of myself is changing.)

The whole point of all this is that we, as members of Bodybuilding.com – and as bodybuilders, can provide enormous support and motivation for our peers, but we can also be an outlet for discussion and empathy because we have all experienced that lack of understanding inherent in non-lifters. In addition to sharing diet and training advice, it’s really nice to get to talk to someone who knows the difference in whey and multi-species protein, why BCAA’s give you such a great pump, and rather than wondering what they must think of me for being interested in building the best body I can – I get their honest feedback and support.

So, if you know someone who’s Mom or girlfriend thinks they are silly for lifting, or credits their desire for a ripped and shredded physique to vanity – if you know someone who wants to step on stage and compete, but can’t even tell his family – stop for a minute and give them a chance to talk, give them some motivation, some acceptance and some support. I just bet you’ll come away with more than you gave.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.