Arnold's Insight: How Bodybuilding is Like Sculpting
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said that "A good
bodybuilder has the same mind that a sculptor has." It's a
poignant testament to painstaking efforts it takes to
create a body that is truly legendary. Muscle-building can
be hard work, true, but there is an artistic side to all of the
pumping, the sweat, and the iron.
2. If you are trying to grow your muscles and you're just
starting, don't start out blindly. A sculptor always has a
plan (even if only in their minds) of exactly what the
finished product will be. Do the same thing before you get
in the gym and start a lifting free-for-all. Go to the gym
knowing what type of body you are trying to achieve.
Should you focus on pushups to failure in order to get a
chest that's more cut? Or should you do heavy, incline
bench pressing to get the larger slabs of hypertrophied
muscle that are characteristic of bodybuilder's chest?
4. A great sculptor has tools. A stone sculptor has a trusty
hammer and chisel. A clay sculptor has wire end tools and
scrapers. Just as a sculptor has tools to create remarkable
works of art, so too should a bodybuilder. What are a
bodybuilder's/muscle building enthusiast's tools? Weights
& Exercise, Diet, Cardio, and Rest. In reality these
seem like extremely simple tools. However, much like the
old hammer and chisel, in the hands of a master, these
tools can create chiseled bodies that people dream about.
6. Weights are the muscle-building artist's molding tool.
Every exercise you do has a different effect on the way
your muscles will ultimately look, and even how firm they
are. How heavy you lift will determine how full your
muscles will become. High repetitions with lower weight
promote greater muscular definition. Other exercises, like
yoga for example will help to elongate and stretch the
muscles.
8. This is how you add clay to your canvas. It's a little more
complicated than the way a sculptor adds clay, but there
are similarities. Sure you can eat anything you want, and
you will most definitely add "clay" to your physique. But if
you're eating Cinnabons and ice cream sundaes to do it,
let's just say you'll end up with "bad clay" in all the wrong
places. A high protein diet, healthy carbs, vegetables, etc.,
help to add slabs of "good clay," muscle, to your body.
10. This is the muscle-builder's ultimate etching tool. Do you
want your muscles to show without having to even flex
them? A consistent cardio program helps. Cardio will allow
you to scrape away layers of fat to reveal layers of toned
muscle underneath.
12. This is a finishing tool that many people don't think about.
Hard training is an important part of building a great
body, but so is rest. Timing your rest periods, getting
enough sleep, and giving your body time to recuperate, is
how you allow the work that you've done to take effect.
13. When you train, become an artist of sorts, everyday you
go to the gym. The weights and training equipment
become your tools, and your body of course...the canvas.
How you use these tools, can make all the difference in
the world. Why is it that some people can be members of
a gym for years, go regularly, yet their "canvases" never
really change all that much? A large part of this artistry
lies in the exercises you do, how you do them, the
intensity with which you do the exercises, and the self-
discipline you have to stick to you training and eating
regimen. Strive to become as fit as you can. What have
you got to lose?