So you call yourself a bodybuilder?

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Published on Monday, 14 May 2012 08:37

Written by Mark Grech

It seems that the number of people who consider themselves actual “Bodybuilders” is increasing at a rapid rate. So many people now find it absolutely necessary to post photos of each of their meals on Facebook and update their statuses on a daily basis mentioning what body parts they trained and how awesome their “pump” was. My favourites are the posing images taken in the locker room post workout, then put up on Facebook just after the contrast and light is adjusted to make you look even more ‘shredded’.

But what criteria does one need to posses to have the actual right to label themselves as a Bodybuilder? Can you call yourself a bodybuilder the second you start incorporating the consumption of Protein drinks into your diet? Or do you qualify immediately after the purchase of your very first stringer singlet? Can you technically start calling yourself a bodybuilder simply by starting a weight-training regime?

I have met many people who say they do bodybuilding as a sport. Then when I ask them what bodybuilding shows they have competed in, they say they haven’t competed before! The typical conversation basically goes like this –

Self proclaimed Bodybuilder - “Yeah I’m heaps into my bodybuilding”

Me - “Oh so you’re a bodybuilder?”

Self Proclaimed Bodybuilder - “Yeah”

Me - “Have you ever competed?”

Self proclaimed Bodybuilder - “Nah...”

To me, this just means weight training is your hobby (not sport) or preferred choice of exercise. You’re not a bodybuilder unless bodybuilding for competition. Some might say that they have every intention of competing in the very near future, which is fantastic, but still, you’re not a bodybuilder until you’ve hopped on that stage.

Personally, I didn’t start feeling comfortable calling myself as a bodybuilder until after I competed in my 3^rd competition. Even now I’m hesitant to say yes every time someone asks me if I’m a bodybuilder. My most common response is – “Yes, I’ve competed in a few amateur shows!”.

To make things easier, I have set up the following criteria in which people are and are not allowed to self-title themselves Bodybuilders!

You cannot call yourself a bodybuilder if……

• You are 2 weeks into the prep of your very first show
• You just signed up to a 12 month contract at Fit ‘n’ Fast
• Your mum bought you a subscription to FLEX Magazine for your birthday
• The depleting/load phase of your diet, plus tanning, is structured and planned around the dates of upcoming music festivals
• You do pushups in the carpark outside of a fitness expo just so you can have a “mad pump” while walking around in a stringer singlet and your little sisters short shorts
• You wear skinny legged jeans to create the illusion of a superior upper body.

Being able to call yourself a bodybuilder is a privilege, and you can only earn that privilege by dedication, experience and sacrifice.

Only when you have experienced:

• the sacrifice necessary to withstand 16 solid weeks of repetitive dieting
• waking at all hours in the morning to get through endless hours of cardio, day after day
• dragging your feet around all day long due to carb depletion
• water loading and depleting
• tanning every 4 hours when you have zero energy to even stand
• the lack of sleep accompanied by getting out of bed 8 to 10 times a night to take a piss

You wouldn’t call yourself a football player if your playing career consists of years of going down to the park with a couple of your mates to kick the ball around on a Sunday afternoon. You wouldn’t call yourself a dancer if all your dance routines are performed at a club on the weekend after 3 or 4 vodka cruisers.

Therefore, one should only even consider calling themselves a bodybuilder if they have experienced all that is accompanied with a consistent and dedicated contest preparation. Once you hop on that stage in the best condition you have ever been in, then you can call yourself whatever the hell you want! Until then, enjoy your weight training hobby!

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