Written by Ron Harris
01 March 2016

 16arnoldfiles-2

What it Takes to be a Champion Bodybuilder

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Files

 

 

That’s a question millions of young men have asked themselves over the years, and arriving at a definitive answer isn’t easy. In his best-selling book Arnold’s Bodybuilding For Men, by Arnold Schwarzenegger with Bill Dobbins (c) 1981 Simon & Schuster, Arnold seeks to help novices determine their potential for the sport in the chapter, “Part VIII Competition Bodybuilding — Taking the Next Step.” Right up front, Schwarzenegger explains that not everybody has the raw potential to develop an exceptional physique:

“One reason why certain people get interested in bodybuilding is simply because they are good at it. They start training with weights and suddenly their bodies begin to respond and develop rapidly. Not everybody has this physical capacity, just as not everyone can run a 9.1 hundred-yard dash or run a sub four-minute mile, no matter how much or how hard he trains. If everyone who ever wanted to be a champion bodybuilder could achieve that goal, we’d have champions coming out of our ears. Obviously, since we don’t, not everyone has the potential to succeed in competition bodybuilding.”

He goes on to say that bodybuilding potential is often far from apparent in some people. It’s not until weight training is undertaken that those who were meant to rise to the highest ranks begin to exhibit clear signs they aren’t like the rest of the minions slogging away in gyms around the world:

“My friend Franco Columbu, himself a Mr. Universe and a Mr. Olympia, is a good example. When he first came into the gym he was a 130-pound boxer who had no real interest in hardcore bodybuilding. But within a few weeks he discovered he had a talent for lifting enormous amounts of weight, and he began to train harder. Within a few years Franco was recognized as, pound for pound, one of the strongest men in the world, and his body had developed to the point where he has won a place for himself as one of the top bodybuilders of all time.”

Next, Arnold makes a point that I have noted firsthand in my own 20-plus years working in bodybuilding media. Over that time, I have witnessed legions who possessed the gifted genetic attributes in terms of structure, muscle shape, and that unnatural ability to grow to extreme size, yet lacked the other key components— the heart and the head to be a champion:

“You need dedication, and you have to be prepared to make sacrifices. I have seen that even those people who find they have the physical talent it takes to be a bodybuilder sometimes won’t have the attributes of character and personality that allow them to persevere in this difficult undertaking.”

Before dashing the hopes of his readers, Arnold is quick to offer some encouragement. Some of the greatest bodybuilders of all time didn’t seem to be destined for fame or prestige at the outset of their careers. You have your genetic gods, and you also have some who rose to greatness by training harder and smarter than the rest of the pack.

“Assessing potential in bodybuilding is more difficult than in practically any other sport. For example, when I first saw pictures of Frank Zane years ago I could never have believed he would develop into the champion that he is today. And when Franco Columbu first came into the gym, nobody thought he had a chance to succeed as a bodybuilder. His arms, legs and torso were too short; his proportions seemed totally unsuited to developing into an aesthetically outstanding physique.”

Arnold wants to make it perfectly clear that some of us are so blessed physically that the only factor missing to assure greatness is the right mental approach. For the rest of us, building an exceptional physique is not a sure thing, but instead a gamble.

“If you look in the mirror and see wide shoulders, a narrow waist, long arms and legs, and you have the mental dedication and motivation to train harder than anyone else, then the odds shift more in your favor. If you’re someone like Franco with short arms, legs, and torso, the risk you are taking in spending five years or more training for competition is that much greater. You have to decide if it’s worth it.”

Arnold’s sagest advice is that regardless of your potential for bodybuilding, it would be foolish to put all your eggs in one basket, pinning all your hopes and dreams on the goal of winning major contests and making a great living off your muscular body. Even Arnold himself, who had what many still consider the perfect physique and who ruled the sport for years, didn’t allow his life to be that narrow in scope.

“Meanwhile, I recommend that you continue to develop the rest of your life as well. Don’t give up on your education, for instance. All during my own career, even while I was winning (my first) six Mr. Olympia titles, I continued to take college courses toward earning a university degree. Believe me, this effort has allowed me to take much greater advantage of the opportunities that being a champion opened up for me.”

Some of you were born with spectacular genetics for bodybuilding. If you were, you probably already know because you would have developed a pretty impressive physique in a fairly short span of time training. If not, don’t give up hope just yet. If you consistently work hard in the gym and with your nutrition and supplementation for years, you can still manage to build a physique that most average people will be in awe of, and that will probably be good enough to succeed in competitions at the local and regional level. And if that’s as far as competition takes you, so be it. As Arnold proved with his own story, there is far more to life and many other paths to success and fulfillment far beyond the contest stage!

 

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