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One thing I can say is that the world of competitive bodybuilding is quite an
extreme and fascinating one. I believe it attracts many people with addictive
and obsessive personalities. As I have written in other works I believe
addictions can have a very positive effect on the human body when applied
usefully instead of haphazardly. Ive been chatting personally and professionally
with aspiring bodybuilders most of my adult life, well all of my adult life I
suppose, and even I am still shocked at what I hear sometimes. But one thing I
hated was when I was a personal trainer in a very well known commercial health
club chain. I had the pleasure or misfortune of meeting over 5000 unique members
one year who I spoke to from the point of membership sale to constructing
training programs for them. I saw the same individuals busting their gut with
perceived will power six or seven days per week at 6AM in the morning. Training
fruitlessly for an hour to two hours at a time. What they were doing was wasting
their time. Were they making themselves feel better by getting off their butts
and actually doing something - even though it was ineffective. I don't know.
Maybe they were. Maybe. But why would anyone feel good if that's what they were
doing - wasting their time. Peter wanted to kill the fat kid on the treadmill
next to him. Twenty two weeks of hell with this boy trying to talk to him. As
Peter got leaner and leaner from near 18stone to 13stone this fat kid remained
the same. Whats wrong with the world? Peter has probably lost more fat in his
lifetime ten times over than some people struggle to lose in one whole lifetime
and fail. What is it that makes the difference?
Im not sure I agree with everything that drives Peter although I do know that
I would much rather be Peter and going through hell than being the mediocre fat
boy who stayed the same for his entire life. I would rather stand proud on that
stage and receive my award for getting off my butt and being effective much more
than I would ever want to sit in the cafe after an hour on the treadmill and eat
chips for breakfast. People make too many excuses. Me included. When you speak
to someone with passion you realise that you are not demanding enough from
yourself. because if you were you would be so much further forward than you are.
I toyed with the idea as I looked over Peter and Julie's photo collection
that they passed to me that these two had only got anywhere because of drug use.
I looked over at peters framed photo on the wall of him in the most amazing
condition, coming back after his brutal pectoral tear and thought to myself
about how many drugs I had experimented with in the past. These two had come a
long way and achieved a near miracle through sheer gut wrenching hard work. I
don't like people putting people down because of pharmaceutical use. I shall
cover this later on. Not everyone can be a competitive bodybuilder. And it takes
more than genetics. It takes a special type of person to take it. And its not
about negativity or positivity. I saw both different angles and it isn't that. It
definitely takes a very special type of person. That despite all odds, does not
quit on what is important to them.
So which shows have these two people done in their competitive career. Lets
take a look:-
Peter Byrne - 26 years old.
Mr UK - four times, winner 2003
NABBA Britain
WABBA Britain 2nd
NABBA Central Britain 3rd
Mr Wigan 2000 - Winner
Mr Southport 2001 3rd
Mr Wigan 2001 (Novice) 4th
NABBA Britain (Novice) 4th
PendleValley WABBA 2nd
NABBA Northwest 3rd
WPF Mr Celtic 3rd
Julie Philips - 41 years old
Julie has competed in numerous strength, figure, bodybuilding competitions
and has competed in 10k running and triathlon events.
She has won female and mixed strength competitions.
Bodybuilding -
NABBA North Staffs 1st
Wigan 1st
Central Britain 2nd
NABBA UK 5th
WABBA Great Britain 2nd
I began by asking the two to tell me a little bit about
themselves. Both had been training for a number of years. Probably as long as
me, if not longer. I had to get some general details from these two as I flicked
through their impressive photo collection making me feel guilty about eating my
steak and cheese sandwich and sitting there at about 15% body fat. Peter is
5'11". Julie 5'5". He weighs close to 17stone off season and Julie short of
10stone. Competitive weights were 13stone 2 lbs for Peter and around 9stone for
Julie. And in great condition they both were at these weights.
Both of them train and live together and share some very similar
views and beliefs about the sport. I had indeed seen bigger competitors and much
freakier shapes and sizes but these two were adamant that this was not a healthy
way for the sport to progress. Both Peter and Julie explained to me that a good
bodybuilder has a lot to thank for good genetics. Good wide shoulders, a narrow
waist, good taper and muscle belly length. They basically explained that if you
haven't got good genetic shape then you cant expect to take a competitive career
to the very top but that does not mean that you should not compete. A lot of
people seem to be trying to make up for poor genetics with freakiness and
unnatural drug abuse. Although they agreed drug use in the sport of competitive
bodybuilding was the norm, there should be a limit that people take it to. Both
of them agreed that shape and symmetry were more important to them, if not all
the judges, and so you should go into a competition for yourself primarily and
not always to win.
Peter admitted that on stage he is nearly always the smallest,
having been compared to a physique similar to that of ex-Olympian Frank Zane.
Julie was very clued up to the fact that bodybuilding is a very subjective and
opinionated sport. Each judge understands different things and looks for
different things. Each federation looks for and scores you on different things.
There is a lot of politics about who you know and how much you have got your
face seen. That's how you can place 5th in one show one week and win a show the
next week in a different federation with a different judge.
This is why Julie prefers Strength competitions as there is more
of a structured and agreed upon measurable method to judge the winner. With
bodybuilding there is just no way to tell who is going to win. On the rare
occasion you can be preparing backstage and see one person who just stands out
of the crowd as a star. They have everything and they are clearly going to win.
You just have to set yourself up and be ready to place as close to first as
possible. However Peter disclosed to me that he does like winning. He has
struggled very hard the whole time and wants to win. In his opinion 2nd is
probably the worst position to place because it means you were almost there - so
close and there was just one thing that let you down.
With men's bodybuilding there is a set process and category for
people to follow for anyone who is thinking of entering a bodybuilding
competition. You start of as a first timer and progress to a novice, a Mr, and
weight classes etc. With women's bodybuilding there appears to be so few
competitors that all women get thrown in the same boat and are judged, making it
harder than ever to know who is going to win. There are busty glamour model
types thrown in with hardcore, heavily muscled and vascular women. It depends on
who's judging and whether they like breast implants or prefer the more built
physique. This makes female bodybuilding competition far more of an unknown
subjective sport than the already clouded men's competition.
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