Strength & Science Magazine Weekly

Being in college is supposedly the best time in one’s life correct? You get to stay out to the wee hours of the night, eat what you want when you want, and alcohol??? Who can resist right and non stop partying until you physically can’t stay awake anymore. All of these attributes seem to directly contradict the life style of bodybuilding. So how does an aspiring bodybuilder cope with these rough and tough daily activities of the college student to stay focused on his main goal?

Attitude – Mentality is your best or worst friend, one must come to realize that bodybuilding is a 1 on 1 sport; it’s not a team sport. The opinions and input your friends give you are nice but don’t let it decide what you do, it is your body after all and the fact they want you to drink until you cannot walk with your own body isn’t THEIR decision.
Preparation – Without this vital step all can be lost. Every night I make the next days meals, because I’m constantly on the run, and in-between classes. If I were to simply go with the flow, I’d be eating what I could when I could and with that said I think we all know what would happen.
Dedication – You’re either in or your not, most people say they lift weights, they exercise, they diet, but they don’t “train.” Training is giving everything you have day in and day out, 100% everything to the wall, sacrificing many of the norms of society for that extra edge, and once you obtain it, you’ll know why you did it. Now I’m not saying go be a hermit, but deciding whether or not to eat pizza or a protein shake, I think we all know the answer. Day in and day out consistency will be the reward for that one slice if you should have it. If you’re cheating everyday than the point isn’t being made and your body is going to respond as well as it could be.

Balance and bodybuilding:

So how does balance come into play? Well many people like me have this “all or nothing” attitude with the ENTIRE lifestyle of bodybuilding. I have learned to grow past this attitude and since then I couldn’t be happier. You get one shot at life, so why not live it to the greatest. I looked at how I used to act and be and realized that I was leaving in fear. If I put mustard on this will I gain a lb overnight? If you live like this you will see that you’re living in darkness, you won’t go out most of the time and if you do you won’t enjoy yourself. The dictionary defines balance as “a state of equilibrium or equipoise,” so who is saying that bodybuilding can’t be balanced into our life. It should be a lifestyle and not your entire life. So am I saying go out and get drunk every night? No… but if you have the occasional beer once or twice a month, it won’t kill you. If this starts to become a nightly matter than you just have to realize that it will have a negative effect on your bodybuilding career. So go out and enjoy yourself, balance is key in this hobby!