Young guns

Flex, August, 2009 by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Being that this is FLEX'S amateur issue, I thought I'd use my column this month to sing the praises of the amateur bodybuilder, who all too often doesn't get the kudos he deserves.

Of course, it makes perfect sense that professional body-builders would get the lion's share of attention in the magazines, from fans and from corporate sponsors. These guys have logged countless hours in the gym, stuck with spartan diets for years on end and ultimately built the kind of physiques that win titles and fame, and inspire amateur bodybuilders to reach the sport's highest heights.

For all that professionals--not just in bodybuilding, but in every sport--have going for them, the one thing they can never have again is the drive to become a professional. It is the indefatigable impetus to succeed that makes amateur athletics so much fun to watch.

Although I turned pro at the relatively young (by bodybuilding standards, anyway) age of 21,1 will never forget the youthful enthusiasm with which I trained and competed up until that point There was no money to be made from my tireless efforts, no contracts waiting to be signed. The reward I received, besides some trophies, was in the work itself and in the changes that it brought to my body.

This is the beauty of amateur bodybuilding. You are still growing and still reaching your potential, wherever it may end. There's an excitement in the unknown: How big can I get my arms, how deep is the separation in my quads, how wide is my back? It's a truly heady time during which the sky may be the limit, but you're shooting for the stars anyway.

I well remember the feeling of going to bed each night, envisioning my workout the following day, and then, upon waking, feeling restless until the moment I stepped into the gym. I also remember how I imagined every morsel of food I ate turning into raw muscle, and how that muscle was just waiting for me to get back into the gym so that I could sculpt it to perfection in my next workout.

Another great thing about being an amateur is the optimistic naivete that goes along with it, which--for better or worse--is inevitably lost the moment pro status is conferred. Once your passion becomes a source of income, everything changes. As the rose-colored glasses are lifted, the pressure to succeed increases and, for some, that takes a lot of the shine off of something once so brilliant.

I'd like to commend all of the amateurs featured in this issue and all of you who are reading it. You are bodybuilding's lifeblood and the direct heirs to its tremendous legacy. I ask you to keep this in mind as you push, pull and hoist your way toward the future. It's your boundless energy that will keep this sport moving into the next decade--and beyond.