Dennis Wolf details how the back was his most challenging muscle group to develop.
It’s easy to place the top tier pros up on a pedestal. But doing this often makes us forget that they all had a journey of learning and development to reach their star status. Just like anyone else, we all have struggles and challenges to overcome. That’s why we asked Dennis Wolf to look back and reflect on the hardest muscle group for him to develop during his years competing. Check it out in our GI Exclusive above or read on for full details!
When we see a champion level athlete on the Olympia stage, it’s easy to forget that there was an immense amount of hard work to get there. Aspiring competitors might start making excuses such as “I don’t have genetics like that champion, so there’s no way I can ever look like him.”
While genetics can play a part bodybuilding physiques – it must be remembered that every champion was once an aspiring amateur too. Nothing was guaranteed. These athletes did not know for certain if they would ever become a top 5 Olympia pro bodybuilder. Let alone a champion at any major show.
That’s why it’s so interesting to get reflective insight on what challenges these top tier bodybuilders faced. It humanizes them and perhaps can even teach us how to overcome our own plateaus.
During our conversation with Dennis Wolf, we asked him if being tall was a gift or a curse for a pro bodybuilder. This led us down a conversation breaking down lagging body parts and the kinds of challenges that pros face to compete at the top level.
For Dennis Wolf, it was his back. He always felt like he was able to develop an impressive back. But once he stepped on stage with other Olympia competitors, he realized that there was a lot of work to go in order to compete alongside them successfully. This was his hardest challenge.
He ended up finding success in learning to listen and take advice. He had already achieved a well enough back with his own tactics. Now it was time to see what other pros and coaches could provide to help him push to the next level.
This is the most important thing to glean from a pro interview like our conversation with Dennis Wolf. Learning how to stop, re-evaluate, and adjust your training or diet regimen is key for success.
Dennis Wolf had previously detailed to us that the difference between at top 5 Olympia competitor and an Olympia champion is very slim. It’s extremely small differences that make a world of difference when put together in a final package.
It’s at moments like these where re-evaluating and adjusting is the only way to make those fine-tuned improvements. Likely, most of these competitors have already worked hard enough to get on the Olympia stage. Hard work and motivation is not the issue. It’s about the fine-tuning. It’s about making sure each little factor is maximized.
This can be a frustrating process as it can involve trail and error. That’s part of the reason why some pro bodybuilders don’t peak in their careers until much further down the line. Ultimately, it’s important to recognize what is lacking – even if it’s on the slightest level – and start thinking outside the box on how to improve it.
You can watch Dennis Wolf detail his process of developing his back in our latest GI Exclusive interview above.
