Symmetry and Proportion

I am torn....torn between wanting to do what is right for my overall physique, and wanting to do what is right for my own ego.


We all know we need to train the whole body- look at the Men's Physique competitors, the newest division in male "bodybuilding". They all have ripped abs, great chests and.....nice hair? Their butts are usually non-existent, their backs are not trained much and their legs are typically pencil thin, Roy says that's why they wear those long board shorts! It has been jokingly called the "Mankini" division....


Not all of them look like that, some have fantastic physiques,I am generalizing as usual. But, if you have followed it since it's inception, most of the men do not worry about their overall physique and they don't need to, because the judges don't seem to be concerned either. That's a downright shame.


I like to think that most competitors are into the sport for the health aspect, but I know that's not accurate. Many are indeed into the sport because they want to show off their hard work as they maintain their healthy lifestyle, yet many are into it because they suffer self esteem issues, many because they have struggled to reach a goal of feeling good about themselves, and of course, you have the narcissists! 


I am very concerned about my health, and I also believe I have Healthy Narcissism! I feel that what I do on a daily basis takes a lot of hard work, determination, relentless drive, energy and internal motivation. I am not alone in what I do, I have a large network of friends and supporters who also practice the same "lifestyle", to varying degrees; some work full time making it harder, some have children, some don't work or have kids or even pets. Some get up at 4:00 am everyday 365 days a year like I do, and others get up at 9:00 am, but we all put in the effort. We are an elite group, there are far more people who choose to sit and watch TV, eat fast food and talk about what their dreams are, than there are people who go out and make sure their dreams are fulfilled.


So, I am talking about this because my training is changing and it has made me realize how focused I am on small things that really shouldn't worry me so much. 

Like my shoulders.

I do not have a competition planned in the near future, yet when Roy changed my Friday and Tuesday training, I got a little worried. Sure- it's my choice,and when he said we would be training chest, he even asked if that was OK, he knows I usually train shoulders on Friday and Tuesday but he added that I need to train my chest once in a while to keep everything in proportion, to make sure I train the whole body, to be sure I don't over develop one area which could lead to injury in another. I said it was fine, but when I got home I worried, what about my shoulders? 

He and I had a little chat on Face book. I told him that I need 10 days in a week to fit in everything I want to train...."What, do you think, might be the problem if I train shoulders a bit tomorrow (Saturday) after I do my quads? And then I can throw in some shoulders on Tuesday after my chest workout too, just like we talked about today?"

I told him I understood the need to train chest a while, but I need to keep the big, round shoulders, they mean a lot to me...

We reached an agreement of changing the training a bit, and I am sure it will include all I need and want.

Lesson and advice? Don't focus on parts of your physique at the expense of others, train everything and maintain proportion and symmetry, just what Figure is judged on!  Remember that you are a complete body, a whole person, not just a set of shoulders, or abs, or a butt. Focus on just one bodypart and although it may look great, after the first glance, the thoughts will be  "too bad the rest of the body doesn't look as good..."

And I need to keep in mind that my muscles will not waste away (what I said to Roy), but they may ebb and flow depending on training, yet I always know just what to do in the few weeks leading up to a show, so I can make everything "pop" the way it should.