You see them smiling. Standing poised, focused and in a state of jubilation. Some think they are crazy and have little regard for them while others idolize, respect and perhaps even aspire to be one someday. Whether they choose to do it professionally as a career, or simply for recreational purposes; the life of a Bodybuilder can be a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. But not without it’s share of hardships and tribulations.
It was June of 2003, when I decided to train for and compete in the NY State Natural Bodybuilding Competition. I had been a Personal Trainer for close to four years and been training routinely for almost seven years. Up to that point, my lifestyle of living in the gym and learning all I can about nutrition and exercise was strictly a hobby for me. An obsession, but a hobby nonetheless. I had met a group of really nice guys at my gym, some of who had previously competed in competitions, and they convinced me to train with them for the next competition that was eight weeks away. What transpired over those following eight weeks was an experience I will never forget.
We wasted no time preparing. The day immediately following our decision to train together, we devised a bulking diet for ourselves. The purpose of this diet was to eat as much as you can for three to four weeks of relatively clean food, such as; chicken, beef, fish, tuna, potatoes, vegetables and so on. I was consuming anywhere from 4000 to 5000 calories a day during that time. In conjunction to the high calorie diet, I was also drinking close to two gallons of water a day. This left me feeling very bloated, stuffed, and borderline sick. There is not enough time in the day to prepare 5000 calories worth of food, so I had to supplement a lot by drinking high-calorie shakes often throughout the day at work. Taking in 340 grams of Protein a day further required me to keep all kinds of supplements, powders, potions, pills; you name it, at work to be readily availably to me. My office was slowly beginning to resemble a GNC store.
Once I began to cope with the massive amounts of food I was consuming, I soon had another obstacle to overcome; the training. Never before had I trained like this.
In all of the events I’ve competed in, learning from losses has given me a better learning experience than when I won a competition. During my second year in SkillsUSA I competed in many different events, performing an opening ceremony, explaining how to make an Ethernet cable, and running to be a leader at a district level in Texas just to name a few. In all of these competitions, I never really tried my hardest. I thought that I didn’t need to prepare or practice any of the skills that would have helped me. During the award ceremony, I was shocked to learn how mediocre I really did. This was especially true when the new District Officers were announced for the 2014-2015 school year and my name wasn’t announced. I soon realized that most of the other competitors have spent months practicing and preparing for this competition
At the Gym, written by Mark Doty, dramatizes the conflict within the mind of a bodybuilder and his desire to change who and what he is. The speaker observes the routines of the bodybuilder bench-pressing at a local gym, and attempts to explain the driving force that compels him to change his appearance. The speaker illustrates the physical use of inanimate objects as the tools used for the “desired” transformation: “and hoist nothing that need be lifted” (5,6). However, coupled with “but some burden they’ve chosen this time” (7), the speaker takes the illustration beyond the physical use of the tools of transformation and delves into the bodybuilder’s mental state. The speaker ends by portraying the bodybuilder as an arrogant, muscular being with fragile feelings of insecurity.
...e completely healthy attempting to avoid my punishment and then there were days where I ultimately caved and failed at eating well. On those days, I followed the rules I set in place and worked out as I said I would that evening. Part of the time my boyfriend would inevitably cause me to falter by cooking a nice fattening meal, but I don’t blame him at all considering it was up to me to make the decision to refrain from eating it. I probably didn’t do as well as I could have around lunch time or dinner but I’m glad at the fact that I did keep away from sweets and snacks throughout the entire week. I was really intrigued with getting good results for this project so I tried my hardest to actually follow the program set. Even if I don’t keep with this change after the project it’s very comforting to know I CAN eat healthy when I want and I CAN workout if I need too.
You’re where you belong and you’re right on time. Whether you've been training for 20 years or wondering about getting back in shape for 20 minutes, you now have at your fingertips the most complete blend of training information and motivation for every level of participation. In a world full of confusion and hype we need straight talk and encouragement more than ever before. We don’t have the time, space or tolerance for anything else.
Most bodybuilders walk around the gym in stringers, tank tops, or shorts. Most of them are more muscular than the regular guys that go to the gym. They are the ones that are always at the gym improving their body, lifting large amounts of weight and doing heavy cardio. They make an intense workout look easy. They are the ones many people look up to and get inspired by. They are people in the bodybuilding subculture.
I was able to gain knowledge about the different parts of the body which are important in the field of bodybuilding. I discover that there are main muscle groups and each of these muscle groups have different parts. For example, the main muscle groups would be the chest, back, arms, shoulders and legs. Now each of these main muscle groups have more that one part, your arms has biceps, triceps and a forearms. Each of these parts are made up or many more segments that can construct a list that can go on for a while. Gaining such a vast understanding of my body was thrilling. I was able to understand all the parts of my body. I am confident that I know almost every muscle group that is in the known human body. After learning about each individual muscle, I was then able to move on to the next step understanding how to train these individual muscle groups. I figured out that there are different routines that you have to follow in order to train each muscle. For example, your legs can be split into different muscles segments such as the quads, calves, and hamstrings. Once I isolated each muscle segment I was able to find workouts for each of them. For the quadriceps you would do workouts known as a barbell squat, lunges and reverse leg curls. Then after finding this out I had to
Andrew, V. Beale, and R. Hall Kimberly. "Cyberbullying: What School Administrators (and Parents) can do." The Clearing House 81.1 (2007): 8-12. ProQuest Central. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.
Proper nutrition is important in maintaining a long and healthy life. Most Americans are rushed due to their busy work schedules, and do not take the time to plan their diets properly. Like me, most Americans are unaware of the importance of eating a healthy diet and consume too many foods without the proper nutrients. Throughout my life I have been fortunate. I have not had any major health problems, and have been able to consume most foods without having to worry about gaining weight. These last two years, however, I started to gain weight and have become concerned with my diet. Changing my poor eating habits has been difficult for me, however, having this assignment has taught me that it is not as difficult as I previously imagined.
Although the treatment process was often frustrating and challenging, I actually came to enjoy my appointments with the nutritionist in her tiny, cozy office, cluttered with food models and recipes. She taught me the basics of nutrition and helped me form a healthier relationship with food. It took time and quite a few tearful sessions, but I slowly started to view food in terms of the nutrients and benefits it could offer me instead of thinking of food as the enemy. During my recovery, I experienced the powerful impact that proper nutrition could have on overall health. I gained back all the weight I had lost, and my hair stopped falling out. However, the biggest changes were the ones most people could not see just by looking at me; they were the emotional and mental changes that came from properly nourishing my body again. I could concentrate on schoolwork instead of planning out my next meal, and I ...
The bullying and harassment that occurs between these students should not only be up to the parents to deal with, but also up to the school districts. Afterall, parents expect that the students are partially under the school’s protection and responsibility. When the bullying continues outside of school, and personal information is exposed for others to see on social media, it is still up to the district to set the consequences for its students. Because most cases of cyberbullying start at schools, it is nearly impossible for students to avoid the bullies’ torment throughout the day. As for the consequences, a school district’s Code of Conduct must also consider the former record of these bullies and anyone else who is involved. The severity of each student’s punishment shall be partially determined by his or her history of previous misbehavior or faulty actions. In a digital pile on for example, a student may only post a small comment in agreement with a previous post but will still receive the minimal of a written referral and a phone call home, letting the parents know why such measures had to be taken. If the reported bully continues to bother the victim, whether it is in person or through social media services, the consequences will be more harsh for each known violation until expulsion is the only answer. The current Code of Conduct does
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.
Throughout the five days, I realized my body was not enjoying the new alterations to my diet. For instance, I oftentimes felt lightheaded because I was not eating the same quantity and quality of food that I am used to eating. I was also constantly hit with hunger pains and my stomach growled a lot more, so that was slightly annoying. Even though my body craved more substantial food, I had to ignore the cravings and drink water and/or eat some fruits to at least somewhat satisfy the need for food. Similarly, the way the diet was affecting me physically impacted my mental state as well. This is said as because I was tempted to eat food I normally ate when I heard my stomach growling or felt lightheaded, but I managed to stay determined and kept reassuring myself with positive thoughts that I could successfully complete this task. Also, having tea bags, coffee, and non-Jain snacks in such proximity to me in my dorm room definitely made me feel tempted as well. Again, I had to constantly remind myself throughout the day that I could complete the task, and to be strong because it was only five days that I had to try this diet. Nevertheless, during the five days I was genuinely happy that I was not hurting any animals and organisms or at the very least, causing significantly less harm to organisms than I usually do. However, I still felt
Non-competitive body building is very healthy because the person is training here and there, eats very clean with not many processed foods and is usually taking a number of supplements. You really can’t get much healthier than that. Competitive body building is a whole different story. Lifters usually gain a lot of weight in the offseason and put a lot of stress on the digestive and cardiovascular system. Then, 16 to 20 weeks out, they start on a strict diet with a high ...
For a student to have a successful education and time in highschool he student must feel comfortable in the learning environment. Schools have done a relatively adequate job in dealing with bullying that occurs at school, but it should not end there.What happens at home affects a student 's performance in school and that students attitude. Many times schools are left helpless when it comes to cases of cyberbullying and harassment on social media due to that school 's limits on its power. If a student 's attitude at school is stunted or the student is so distressed the thought of going to school is a nightmare, then the school must step in. From here, the next step is to involve the law enforcement to find a way to prosecute people who do harass or bully students on social
With technology progressing, students are moving past face to face hectoring, and are verbally bullying other through social media. Cyberbullying can sometimes become more harmful than verbal, physical, and emotional bullying due to victims, not feeling like they have an escape route because they are threatened repeatedly through text messages, e-mails, social media, etc. The worst part about cyberbullying is that the things posted can be anonymous; therefore, there is no blame for who posts what. A victim can suspect that someone is to blame for the actions done, but there is no proof to solve a possible ongoing issue. Cyberbullying and bullying are actually considered a crime when someone: physically assaults another person, gender or racism is talked about, violent or deadly threats are made, sexually texting, inappropriate photos, stalking,