WarriorFX

Another year, another opportunity

December 25th, 2007 | Category: General, Motivation

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning,” said Benjamin Franklin, statesman and journalist. Bodybuilding is a journey into physical growth and progression. It’s a long expedition of learning and applying. Accumulating greater musculature requires ongoing motivation – a relentless obsession to surpass previous fitness thresholds in the midst of daily distractions.

In 2008, I turn 30 years old. Fortunately, the bodybuilding light is still bright as day. I don’t feel a year older. I still see a young man in the mirror – one with the intension to keep improving his physical dimensions. Turning 30 years old seemed like a bad move as an out-of-shape teenager – today, it’s embraced as added opportunity. Every year presents more time to further master body transformation techniques. I know getting into great shape is not a reserved right for an exclusive list of people – it’s simply a matter of time once the necessary path is discovered.

Warrior Unfortunately, growing up overweight and grossly unfit is becoming exceedingly typical in the United States. Early in life, it was obvious I wasn’t genetically predisposed to become an athlete. Even so, I was unsatisfied with my physical shape – fat and clumsy couldn’t be a necessary lifelong condition to endure. At 16 years old, I held my new driver’s license and counted the years… in 2008, I will turn 30 years old. Where would I be then? I started exercising at a local health club, attempting to alter my life’s course. Nonetheless, obtaining a true sense of fitness was still elusive. Roughly a year later, I became determined to master my physique. I realized it’s the inherent right of every able-bodied person to create a muscular and lean physical stature. My fortitude was no frivolous New Year’s resolution. It was similar to a hunting dog after finally finding a sought out scent.

I grabbed magazines and books – then, researched online resources and medical abstracts. For a kid who formerly hated to read, I couldn’t get enough. I read about physiology and nutrition, as it relates to altering body composition. I began to understand how the human body’s metabolic complexities tied together. Above all, I was learning a central concept: being out of shape is a choice, not a requirement. The human body is designed to be a cross-trained athlete, certainly not weak and flabby. As it loses cardiovascular health and physical strength, it readily becomes tired and diseased. Applying progressive resistance training and making proper food selections will promote greater physical and mental fitness. You only get one body in this life, you better enjoy it.

In 2018, I will turn 40. At that point, I will continue to disconnect myself from the cliché, “I used to be strong and lean too.” After 10 more years of training, I will have graduated to a new level of knowledge and understanding; a new level of conditioning. In the words of writer Henry David Thoreau, “none are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

Have a prosperous new year!

(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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2 Comments so far

JC January 21st, 2008 12:44 am

Your outlook on life and training is a rare find. I feel the exact same with regards to this physique building game as being a time of learning and self-exploration. I am so encouraged and thankful when I look back at my previous mistakes when it comes to building my body because of the knowledge it has given me to make better choices in the future. Experience and close documentation has been my best friends when it comes to knowing exactly what I have to do in order to succeed in shaping my physique. The amount of information I have learned/applied in the past 18 months is priceless. I have gained muscle, lost muscle, gained fat, lost fat, but most importantly learned what works best for my body… this is my encouragement to others: simply read, document, chart progress, and learn from mistakes… this is the only way one is going to find what works best for them.

-JC
Warrior January 22nd, 2008 1:05 pm
Thanks JC, this won the December 2007 MuscularDevelopment.com writing contest… which gave me three wins in one year (2007) - something Romano didn’t think could happen. Bodybuilding’s Hidden Secret: Power was published in Muscular Development’s August 2007 issue. Then, I won my second with Life of pain and pleasure and it was published a few month later. Lastly, I got the most votes for this one to give me three wins in one year. You will see this printed in an upcoming issue. After a monthly public poll, a winner is selected to be printed in the Romano Factor. Romano adds his two cents about your words as well. This is every winner from 2007:
- Jan: Warrior
- Feb: Ender
- March: Davidbb
- April: Ariton & Pocket Herc
- May: Gaoshang Xiongshou
- June: The Machine
- July: Warrior
- Aug: mobster
- Sept: Pounding weights not beer
- Oct: Merc
- Nov: Esplendido
- Dec: Warrior
If you want to join in, see this: Bodybuilders, get published. It’s a great opportunity to write about bodybuilding, and what it means in your life. MD is a huge, internationally-read mag.