Oddities while observing a competitive bodybuilder
So I'm at the gym last night and while I'm racking up for my barbell incline press, I notice a shirtless, ripped guy in a mirror.
Sure...there's lots of guys who walk around the gym in muscleshirts (or - as we call them down South - wifebeaters), but rarely a guy totally shirtless. What's more, this guy was doing some serious posing and flexing. This was no ordinary narcissist in love with his own physique...this was a competitor.
He was ripped, no doubt. Not too huge, though. I'd say a good 6'2, probably around 200 pounds. But certainly no more than 5 to 7% body fat. Very defined.
A little later I'm doing some dumbbell work right across from him and I realize he's standing next to his coach. She's a short blonde...maybe 5'2'. I can't help but overhear her talking him through his routine. It was rather fascinating.
So here's where it gets a little odd. At the end of his practice run, the coach gets up to leave. Not too surprisingly, she's ripped too. But - damn! - her arms were bigger than his! Bulked up, tear you to shreds kind of arms! If I were faced with having to pick one of those two to face in mortal combat, I'm picking that dude...no doubt.
But where it got REALLY odd was that the coach's son was with them. This kid was probably about 10 years old. An overweight. He looked like the prototypical video game/tv addict who eats fast food at least one meal a day. If he wasn't already technically obsese, he had to be right on the line.
I could not resolve this. How does a trainer who is obviously so in tune to the mechinations of human fitness allow her child to become so unhealthily overweight?
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
taking care of your children is always an big "grey zone" for me. you obviously want your kid to be healthy but you don't want to wreck their well being by bullying them into doing things they don't want to do because "you" think they're a fat ass.
I can go for the keeping the food in the house healthy, but wouldn't force my kid(s) to go with me for a run\bike ride\gym. Hell, growing up I went from chunky to skinny to chunky to skinny. It *might* just be a stage.
taking care of your children is always an big "grey zone" for me. you obviously want your kid to be healthy but you don't want to wreck their well being by bullying them into doing things they don't want to do because "you" think they're a fat ass.
I can go for the keeping the food in the house healthy, but wouldn't force my kid(s) to go with me for a run\bike ride\gym. Hell, growing up I went from chunky to skinny to chunky to skinny. It *might* just be a stage.
I dunno, gobbla. I hear what you're saying, but there's a difference between forcing your child to be something, and keeping them from obesity. Ok, if the kid hates sports, whatever. She shouldn't force him to lift weights. But she should force him to eat well enough to establish a healthy, life-long metabolism. I remember clearly that my parents only ever "forced" on me a few things: homework, eating what was cooked for me (veggies, etc.) and manners. Everything else was provided as an option. However, one of these options was strongly encouraged: playing outside.
Just seems like a health-issue isn't something to let a kid "work through" on their own.
I was playing the "keeping the food in the house healthy" as a part of the forcing them to eat well argument. If they don't have any options but healthy foods then hopefully it'd work itself out for the most part. If they eat only nuts all day long or only spinach then there's a problem, but as long as there's SOME variety in there (either from forcing or addapting cooking style to suit the childs pallet) I don't know how much more a parent should\could do.
If a child IS a little chunk but eats relatively well...what then?
The kid is ten. When are good eating habits formed? Not when you are 39, gents. By then you have to do what we do and completely change our lives around. If more parents introduced good nutrition from day one we would not have the childhood obesity problems we are seeing all too frequently. For us, at least for me, good nutrition was made an acquired habit. Starting our kids out with good nutrition early makes it almost second nature and is, to my way of thinking, the preferred way to go.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
My son is pretty active, but I also buy him food that he likes to eat. ie Oreo's, popsicles, fruit rollups, Corn pops. Don't forget they are kids, they will use a ton of calories just being a kid, so I don't worry too much about it, because he counters it with eating strawberries, apples, broc, cucs, carrots, etc. one day he ate a 1 lb bag of baby carrots.
As for that kid, he may have a medical condition, etc. Don't judge a book by it's cover
This was an interesting topic that came up in the most recent fitcast with JP as the guest host. There was a study completed in the UK that showed that consumption of protein sources like fish and meat seemed to be more hereditary (sp?) versus fruits and vegetables, which depended more on what the parents eat or have available.
My wife and I have discussed this as our first born is almost two. I think you simply lead by example and encourage your kids to eat right and exercise. You can also limit what you child has access to. I really don't think cookies and potato chips have to be a staple of their diet. I suppose that'll change as he gets older and is more demanding about what he wants. But I always figure, if it's not in the house, they can't eat it.
Interesting topic though.
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She addressed him directly as "son", so I respectfully eliminate your theory.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
As for that kid, he may have a medical condition, etc. Don't judge a book by it's cover
This is true. I could have jumped to a conclusion. However, the number of medical conditions that lead to chronic, unavoidable obesity is very low. I'm reasonably certain that this was a typical child who was overwright.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
This thread is actually very relevant to my family. My sister lives on her own for about 8 months out of the year while she goes to university. Everytime she comes home, she's put on a noticable amount of weight. My parents fight with her about her weight everytime she's home for a visit, and now that she's home for the summer it's a continuous topic of conversation.
She wants to lose the weight to be/feel more attractive, but she's not willing to do anything about it, hence the fighting. My dad will yell at her to go on the treadmill, they'll make comments about her eating habits (my mom makes all of her meals and follows the weightwatchers guide, but they've made it known that they suspect she's sneaking food at work or something).
The major problem with my parents approach to her situation is that all it does is make her feel like shit. My dad once made the mistake of saying he's disgusted by her, needless to say my sister went hysterical. It doesn't inspire her, it doesn't motivate her. It makes her depression (clinically diagnosed, she's been on medication for it for a while now) even worse.
So although there is a problem that does need to be addressed and corrected, it isn't something that can be forced.
ps I've been awake for 36 hours for the second time this week, so it's very possible that that made no sense to anyone but me. Sorry.
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-Dave Tate
Mahler got me thinking about how my okay eating habits were formed. Growing up we were pretty money conscious so that meant no sodas, fast food, or anything else costing money. Instead it was chicken or ground beef, can veggies and rice/pasta every night for dinner. Not really the pinacle of health by todays standards, but definitely better than fast food...
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Right! They all talk shit now, but the kid pulled 315 for reps when MB left....
How cool would it be if the fat 10 year old was a powerlifter. Little Dave Tate in the making
Right on! That would have been awesome.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
This thread is actually very relevant to my family. My sister lives on her own for about 8 months out of the year while she goes to university. Everytime she comes home, she's put on a noticable amount of weight. My parents fight with her about her weight everytime she's home for a visit, and now that she's home for the summer it's a continuous topic of conversation.
She wants to lose the weight to be/feel more attractive, but she's not willing to do anything about it, hence the fighting. My dad will yell at her to go on the treadmill, they'll make comments about her eating habits (my mom makes all of her meals and follows the weightwatchers guide, but they've made it known that they suspect she's sneaking food at work or something).
The major problem with my parents approach to her situation is that all it does is make her feel like shit. My dad once made the mistake of saying he's disgusted by her, needless to say my sister went hysterical. It doesn't inspire her, it doesn't motivate her. It makes her depression (clinically diagnosed, she's been on medication for it for a while now) even worse.
So although there is a problem that does need to be addressed and corrected, it isn't something that can be forced.
ps I've been awake for 36 hours for the second time this week, so it's very possible that that made no sense to anyone but me. Sorry.
I'm not saying that the mother should tell her son he's a disgusting porker. Very few people respond well to negative reinforcement.
I suppose I was just surprised that this child was just a few years away from being a teenager and I would have assumed that his mother could have implanted solid nutrition habits in him by then.
You know...if he was overweight at age three, shame on Mom. My wife and I are very conscious of what we allow our children to eat because they're only three and five, respectively. What they eat is our responsibility.
If the child is overweight at about eight, you need to look closely at the severity and causes. Slightly pudgy? Probably not an issue. Obese? You need to make changes.
If the child is overweight at 12, you've lost the point. That child probably won't change his/her eating habits until they've obtained the self-control and motivation to do so. You - as a parent - are going to find it very difficult to construct some sort of positive scenario in which to change your child's habits.
Granted, I'm throwing out pyschosis and eating disorders. I'm just talking about run-of-the-mill overeating and poor nutrition.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
Mahler got me thinking about how my okay eating habits were formed. Growing up we were pretty money conscious so that meant no sodas, fast food, or anything else costing money. Instead it was chicken or ground beef, can veggies and rice/pasta every night for dinner. Not really the pinacle of health by todays standards, but definitely better than fast food...
Changing my eating habits took discipline. Before I started weight training, I wasn't overweight. In fact, I was underweight. But I was also 18% bodyfat...a typical skinny fat guy.
It took me a little while to realize that my eating habits came straight from my parents. I love my parents, but their eating habits are poor. And thank goodness I had the skinny guy metabolism, because I should have ballooned up years ago.
Chips, snack cakes, Oreos, hamburgers, pizza...maybe all in the same day. And when my mother did cook, it was either fried or covered in cheese sauce. No wonder my father had a heart attack (but - thankfully - survived).
But that heart attack changed all of us. It got me super-motivated to stay on top of my nutrition and it changed my parents' eating habits completely.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
Mother's generally don't refer to their son as 'son,' unless using a possessive, such as 'my son.'
Often, it's by name or a term of endearment.
Hmm. Are you from the deep South? :p My mother calls me "son" quite often. So do many mothers around here.
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"Why do I keep going to the gym? Because I have cultivated this inner psychotic voice that laughs at me and the end of each and every set. It tells me I'm weak. It tells me I'm soft. It tells me I've been weak and soft all my life. And after it berates me for a good 60 seconds, I tell the voice to get bent because I'm busy getting stronger." - Me, in response to a co-worker asking me why I keep dragging myself to the gym
I think that the problem is pretty obvious actually. I have had the displeasure of knowing many bodybuilders in my past. They are insecure and narcissistic to begin with, magnified by a power of 10 while on steroids. Do you think those people give a crap about anyone else?
I think it is more common that you realize. Someone clinging to their youth, aspiring for "perfection" is way too focused on themselves to sacrifice some of that perfection to spend more time with their kids. I have literally seen bodybuilders not do fun recreational activities like bike rides or swimming because they are afraid of blowing their legs before leg day or don't want to mess with their precious recovery time.
Also, that intense judgement they have on themselves manifests in all sorts of hang ups in their kids who undoubtedly feel inferior and worthless, and as a result, probably hate physical activity and so-called "healthy" food, resulting in binge eating, self-loathing, and long periods of inactivity (TV, video games).
My wife commented to me that she would be a lot more fit if not for kids (I would too) because they do cut into time that we would be doing some physical activity for ourselves. Not that either one of us is not healthy because we are, but we do a lot of activities with the kids that prevent us from being "chiseled" or "ripped". And you know what? They are absolutely worth it.
Bottom line, those bodybuilders you witnessed need to get over themselves!
Well said, JP. I started going to the gym at 4 am because to go after work was taking time away from my boys, and I felt guilty about it. At 4 am they're still sleeping and don't even notice.
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"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
I keep avoiding this thread. It's kinda painful for me to read. My mom was no bodybuilder, but she was a type 1 Diabetic and meticulous about her diet. She was always pretty slim and lean compared to the average person. She kept very few snacks and junk in the house, but I was still a chubby kid. I sat around too much and ate too much of whatever food was there. My mom did care, but it's hard to actually control how much a kid eats.
Never discount the emotional issues in a family as a cause for obesity/chubbiness. I was a sad kid, didn't go out and play as much as other kids, kept to myself, etc.
I am not up on the obesity "epidemic" as much as many others, but I think there are many factors. Lou had an interesting blog post about it recently, that even talked about how air conditioning might have us eating more, as in the olden days, who'd want to go to the all you can eat buffet when you're working and driving in 100 degree weather? Now, we work and drive, constantly, in 75 degree air conditioned environments.
Video games, more television, both parents working, air conditioning, cheap unhealthy foods, etc. all play. I wonder if emotional issues with our kids are more common now, too. All can have a circular effect.
Oddities while observing a competitive bodybuilder
OK, just hoping. Theory eliminated. 
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