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.

Friday Night Out

Friday....I love Friday! I work until 11:30 then off to train shoulders with Roy. Well, we actually changed it a bit, my chest needs to be trained. 

We did bench press with a very, slight incline, this made it much more difficult! Then dumbbell press, making sure to stretch all the way at the bottom, then turning the dumbbells at the top. Then incline lat raise, facing the bench. 

When we finished I went off to Whole Foods and Peet's for my shopping. First Peet's and I get an iced coffee to take with me as I shop.

As I am at the checkout, a young woman comes to bag. "I am totally jealous of your arms!" We talk a bit, she knows a bodybuilder but she said her arms are not nearly as big as mine (yahoo!)

Later David and I head off to Enoteca La Storia to meet some friends, all women he works with. As we walk up to the patio I see one head turn around, then all the heads snap around in our direction. We are greeted with squeals and hugs. Lindsay says I put them all to shame, they feel like they need to go to the gym now. 

A few bottles of wine and some meats, cheese and bread and then David and I leave for dinner, we are off to Opa! 

It is packed as usual, so we get a glass of wine and stand, a couple offers us their places at the bar, we will eat there! As David goes to use the restroom a woman at the end of the bar motions to her arms, then to me and a thumbs up. Smiling she says "Impressive! Your arms are great!"

We get Saganaki, the flaming cheese served with ouzo poured over it then lit on fire. Squeeze some lemon on it and it is warm, gooey, heaven.

David gets the grilled solomos (salmon) and I get the seafood souvlaki with Greek salad instead of fries. 

As I am waiting for the restroom, the hostess walks over to me. "Your arms are amazing! I cannot believe how great they look, you look awesome!"  I thank her and we start talking about what I do. She says "I work out 5 days a week, but my arms don't like anything like yours!" I explain that I really train twice a day, it takes a lot of hard work to get here.

We had a great evening and I went to bed with an attitude that, despite several glasses of wine, I would be up at 5:00 am to kill legs!

I was. I did. And my shoulders and pecs are sore from Friday!