Everyone has a certain image in mind when they think of a bodybuilder: usually broad shoulders, thick arms, bulky legs. And generally lots of muscles distributed over the whole body. Powerful appearances, and in their extreme form not everyone’s cup of tea.
Am I a bodybuilder?
From this point of view, I am clearly not a bodybuilder, because I have neither built up a particularly large amount of muscle, nor have I extremely reduced my body fat percentage. But what am I then?
I am a survivor. I’ve been moving weights for almost 40 years and have managed to never have any serious musculoskeletal problems. Of course, this is also due to the fact that I have not used really heavy weights, but have paid more attention to a controlled and clean exercise execution.
This thing about pain-free functioning tendons, ligaments and joints may be nothing special to some, but many people have problems with it. The older you get, the more you realize how important these structures are for pain-free and unhindered movement. And movement is life. Anyone who has encountered such problems really appreciates the value of health in this area.
Training as a means to an end
Training is clearly not an end in itself for me – I do it because I notice that it brings me something. Whether it’s the muscles pumped up with blood after heavy sets or the pleasant physical fatigue of being mentally alert after a hard workout, I realize that I’m missing something when I can’t work out for a while.
And another reason why I would rather see myself as a “bodybuilder” and not simply as a “strength athlete”: My training serves the targeted development of individual body parts. So my interest is not so much a functional performance increase or a better performance in any sport, but rather the modeling of my body. And that with a certain degree of strength and mobility growth quite incidentally.
What actually is a bodybuilder?
Perhaps our inner image of a bodybuilder is too narrow. Let’s look at the matter using the term “car driver”: It can be the driver of a Formula 1 bolide or a small car, and yet: both are drivers.
Could this be similar for bodybuilders?
For me, in any case, everyone is a bodybuilder who works specifically on the shaping of individual body parts. Who stimulates his muscles by means of hard training to become stronger and more massive. And who in this way gets to know his body better and better.
And look at it this way: Yes, I am a bodybuilder – body and soul.
