Blog #8 Community

The body is to the bodybuilder what stone is to the sculptor.

It is the canvas to the painter, the instrument to the musician, and even the blank table to the high school student. All things considered, the body is only a medium of expression, much like the materials used by artists.

In fact, I would even go so far as to argue that the bodybuilder is an artist.

Many of you might disagree with me, or maybe even mock me, but riddle me this, if art is distinct to every person, place, or religion, whose to say what art is, and what it isn’t? As far as I know, and as far as every gym rat I know, the body can and should be looked upon as art of the 21^st century.

Honestly, not everyone is a patron of the arts, nor does everyone appreciate art for what it is. Bodybuilding is perhaps the most understandable form of artistic expression out there. It is independent of ethnicity, social status, and genetics.

I say this because there has been a load of crap circulating the web on how genetics influence everything. People have even gone so far as to say it can determine what you are capable of. There have been articles written about geneticists deciphering a talent gene, but come on, what kind of BS is that? People to an extent, can control what they look like.  I mean really. No one has to be ugly. People can diet, exercise, use makeup or even get surgery.

Actually now that I think about it, if professional modeling is considered art, there is no reason for bodybuilding to be looked upon any differently. There are such things as fitness models after all.

Now that I’ve established the context in which this blog should be read, I guess I should get started.

I am a bodybuilder. I lift weights. I run. I diet. And like most bodybuilders we strive to attain a certain physique. If one were to ask for the most perfect physique ever attained, nobody would be capable of providing an accurate answer. Bodybuilding is very subjective (much like art), that is why there are always several judges at competitions. Now many people unaware of the sport, may immediately think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I assure you, that’s merely due to the media. In bodybuilding there is no such thing as perfection, but there exists ideals. Arnold had poorly developed calves, so many can argue, that he is not the best example of the most desirable body ever attained.

This really sucks because I don’t want to avoid the blog question, but I really can’t think of the most “sacred” or rather, the best bodybuilder in history. Maybe I can compensate by describing the ideals of the sport.

Much like the “Vitruvian Man” painted during the Renaissance period by Leonardo da Vinci, there are certain proportions that all bodybuilders should have. An ideal body should have good overall symmetry, good muscle development and large striated muscles. Many bodybuilders strive to attain tree trunk legs (thick legs), v-tapered back (wide back, narrow waist), bulging biceps (speaks for itself),  boulder shoulders (large deltoids), and diamond pecs (pecs harder than steel! LOL).

The bodybuilder is very much like a sculptor. It is not about endlessly lifting weights until the final result resembles a gorilla. It is about chiseling and carving desired features out of the body. It is about targeting specific areas that need to be strengthened and emphasized. It is about taking the raw materials you are provided and transforming them into a masterpiece.

I am a bodybuilder.

But I am also an artist.

I am your worst nightmare.

I am the hulk.