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By: Kasey Esser
8/10/08

At first thought bodybuilding and college don’t seem to gel together.  As you know, living the bodybuilding lifestyle requires eating consistently and frequently throughout the day, hard lifting at least an hour per session, and 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  Living the college lifestyle usually requires eating frantically and sporadically throughout the day, hard studying at least a couple hours a day and a maximum of 4-5 hours of sleep a night.  Leading these lives simultaneously can prove to be difficult and frustrating.  As a collegiate bodybuilder myself, I know the many pitfalls that college poses in regard to achieving bodybuilding goals.  However, the 4 or so years you attend college can be one of the most fruitful times of your life in regard to both your bodybuilding goals and life in general.  This is not an article on how to bodybuild in college it’s all about finding a balance and remembering always to have fun and enjoy the unique, abundant experiences college has to offer.

My first year as a collegiate bodybuilder had its ups and downs.  How was I supposed to be a self-proclaimed bodybuilder and still give all I had to the fun times of college?  At first I struggled, as expected.  I had made up a list of bodybuilding goals I wanted to achieve in my first semester of college and I intended with all my might to meet those goals.  When I arrived naïve and awe struck on that first day on a new campus in a different state I was amazed at how many opportunities lay before me.  The first week I had made so many friends I couldn’t even remember all their names.  So many new things were being thrown at me that bodybuilding was one of the last things on my mind.  I didn’t even lift that first week I was there.  Once the initial whirlwind died down though, I got down to business.  Bodybuilding had risen back to the forefront of my mind along with school and all my new friends.  As my first year of college flew by I learned quite a bit about what it takes to maintain a life as a bodybuilder and a normal college kid with an active, exciting social life!

Nutrition
As bodybuilders, nutrition is the number one priority in our world.  As a college student, eating right and eating frequently was tough.  I did my best though, routinely being one of the few who showed up to breakfast at our dining hall.  One of the best tips I can give to other collegiate bodybuilders in regard to nutrition is like a Boy Scout, to always be prepared.  Pack numerous bodybuilding snacks and drinks in your backpack so if you ever end up in a rush (as in every day) and can’t make it to the dining hall to eat you’ll be ready.  As far as what the dining hall offers, just be sensible and choose wisely.  For example, if you have a choice between what looks like a fatty cut of beef and skinless chicken breast what are you going to choose?  Most schools offer a wide variety of protein rich food and as a bodybuilder you probably have the supplements needed to make on your own.  Don’t freak out about splurging, have fun and drink that chocolate milk or eat those cookies you’ve been eyeing for the past week.  Contrary to what many bodybuilding sources tell you, it won’t undo weeks of gains you made.  I promise.  Because you eat like a bodybuilder you will get made fun of and teased about it.  It’s usually not hurtful, other people just can’t understand why you eat the way you do or why you have to drink all those protein shakes.  Just laugh it off and if a guy is questioning you about it just flex your bicep at him and he’ll be quiet.  Trust me, I’ve done it.  

Also, with all those new friends I made, there were a lot of opportunities to eat out.  Don’t pass on these chances!  Just because it is not on your diet to eat Hooter’s wings doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.  Never put bodybuilding ahead of developing relationships with friends.  It’s not worth it.  In the end, it really isn’t impossible to eat like a bodybuilder and eat like a normal human with your friends provided you make the effort to plan ahead and take advantage of the all you can eat buffets!

Training
The other obvious priority in a bodybuilder’s life is actual bodybuilding training!  This is one of the easiest aspects of bodybuilding to manage while in college.  Believe it or not, you won’t need to study all day like your parents or whoever may have said.  There will be time to lift.  It just depends on your schedule and your school gym’s hours.  Lucky you if your gym is open 24/7.  Mine isn’t so I have to account for that.  Late afternoon around 3 or 4 is usually the best time to lift because classes are over and there’s really not much to do around this time so take advantage of that window.  If you are busy around this time, you will have to go in the evening or God forbid early in the morning.  There were days when I knew I wouldn’t be able to lift at my normal time so I would go at 6 a.m. to get in my lifting and breakfast, and sometimes a shower before my 8 a.m. class.  You just got to do what you got to do.  If it comes down to it though, never put studying behind lifting.  If you only have 1 hour in the day to lift or study, make sure you study.  I know it sucks because you would rather lift but I made this mistake a few times and it cost me.  And keep in mind that your parents are most likely funding your education so keep that in mind too.  Getting an A in a class is much more important than missing a day of lifting.

Sleep
From my experience and stories I’ve heard from my bodybuilding-conscious friends, sleep is the hardest piece of the puzzle to come by in college.  It’s just the nature of college.  There are so many people to hang out with and so much studying procrastination that the hours after 10 o’clock are always eventful.  For a bodybuilder, this can be a tough pill to swallow (no pun intended).  When I arrived at school I was used to going to bed early and I quickly found out I could not maintain this early to bed philosophy if I was to maximize my college experience.  So I made a little sacrifice and started staying up later, especially on the weekends and it made a big impact in terms of the amount of fun I had and the enriching of those all important college friendships.  The conversations you have w/ people after 11 o’clock are the ones that really stick with you.  Granted, I usually didn’t get the full 8 hours recommended by almost everyone but I did my best to maintain a balance between staying up late with my non-health conscious friends and getting the sleep needed to maximize my bodybuilding gains.  You can make gains on less than 8 hours of sleep so go ahead and stay up late (but not too late) with your friends and have fun!

Drinking
This is a topic that is shied away from by most collegiate bodybuilders because they are either afraid to admit that they drink every now and then or afraid to say that they don’t (for coolness reasons).  This is a big topic though because no matter what school you go to drinking will be present, even at a  “dry” campus like mine.  Most likely, you know drinking doesn’t have a place in a serious bodybuilding program because of its testosterone inhibiting effects and empty calories.  I, for one, don’t drink and am not afraid to admit it.  I did receive a lot of questions about why I didn’t and answered them truthfully.  If they don’t like the answer don’t worry about it, bodybuilding is not an endeavor for those who desire to please others.  There will be temptation and if you do give in don’t beat yourself up about it, but if you have any serious bodybuilding aspirations then you likely will not have any desire to.  You can still have fun at parties without drinking because I have a lot of fun at every party I go to.  The fun part is about being around your friends and the music and the dancing.  Most likely, if you don’t drink then you will have friends who don’t drink so try to spend time with them if you start to feel left out at a party because everyone else is drunk.  And it’s always fun to make fun of the people who are way too drunk with your other sober friends.  

For me, bodybuilding and college go hand in hand.  The college life gives me a break from the disciplined life I lead as a bodybuilder and bodybuilding gives me a refuge from the hectic college life.  It’s all about finding a balance and staying true to yourself.  Use my experience as a guide and do what works best for you.  Realize college is such a unique opportunity and take advantage of it in the short 4 years you’re given.

As bodybuilders, we can tend to get caught up in ourselves and our lifestyle a little too much.  We have to always have an eye on the big picture and realize that bodybuilding is not the be-all and end-all of our existence.  Try to live the bodybuilding lifestyle as best as you can in college but remember not to take yourself too seriously and to always have fun.  The day bodybuilding feels like a job or chore is the day I stop.  After all it is college and it is supposed to be the most fun part of your life and so far I believe it has definitely lived up to that billing.  So take in all the opportunities it has to provide and grow and have fun at the same time!