The ups and downs of bodybuilding.
IFBB Pro, Olympia competitor, and world record-holding powerlifter Amit Sapir took to Barbend to detail and debunk the common (mis)conceptions about the bodybuilding lifestyle.
First, Amit distinguishes between the bodybuilding lifestyle and the competitive bodybuilding lifestyle. The latter is a whole different animal, and would require a lot more writing, so he says he will stick to the general bodybuilding lifestlye and proceeds with diet.
“If you decide to eat by the principles of any general bodybuilding diet you are by default going to eat healthier, cleaner and smarter than 95% of the population.”
He adds that supplements are nothing extreme, claiming that everyone should be taking many of the basic daily supplements valued by bodybuilders, including fish oil, Curcumin, and Creatine.
Amit believes that a bodybuilding lifestyle would likewise be an improvement to the average person when it comes to physical training.
“The norm is a 9 to 5 job, sitting at a desk.” Amit says that an hour a day in the gym, even with very basic and conservative workouts, will improve the physical condition and quality of life of most modern people.
But Amit does acknowledge some drawbacks of the bodybuilding lifestyle.
“The people who are attracted to the lifestyle are usually extra critical about themselves and seem to never be content with their body. Too fat, too skinny, too small, too bloated, and to weak are regular complaints even from the recreational bodybuilder. I still haven’t met one who is happy with how he looks, even after retirement.”
He says that while wanting to improve oneself is a good instinct, constant self-deprecation and ruthless adherence to a regime can actually damage many aspects of human life by limiting freedom and feeding obsessive tendencies:
“ I’ve seen it prevent people from actually treating their problems. Where and how you are mentally can make you or break you in this sport.”
In conclusion, Amit presents a surprisingly conservative estimate of the benefits of bodybuilding:
“If you embrace your imperfections and try to keep it a hobby rather than a career, then it’s a habit that can certainly improve your life.”
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