Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000 17:21:01 EST From: Mcsiff@aol.com Subject: Strength_List: PUFFED UP BODIES During some casual surfing of the web while I was reading through some of the anecdotally based sales pitches of the bodybuilding and fitness communities, I came across this website: http://www.hitbox.com/cgi-bin/hitboxFrameset.cgi?http://totalfitness.hypermart .net/index.htm Suddenly, more than it has in a good while, it struck me how easily the quest for acquiring a pleasing and healthy body can deviate into one which can change one into a highly egotistical being whose whole life, self-image and stability hinge far too much on one's physical appearance. Yes, certainly we all know how an improvement in one's shape and appearance can serve a useful purpose in showing a tangible appreciation for being blessed with a sound body, for relieving depression, building self-esteem and enhancing self confidence, but one can really go overboard on the 'body beautiful stuff'. Some of us can "puff oneself up" with pride, superiority, and an attitude that one's bloated hypertrophy makes you better than the next person, simply because one is smaller and less well endowed than you. This is what the full frontal lat spread pose shown in the opening photo of this website hammered home to me. I am not choosing this website because it is any worse than another bodybuilding picture website in making this point, since they are others that probably will convey the image of "puffing up" far more obtrusively. I simply came upon it by accident and it set off a train of thought that made me want to say to those folk out there who worry too much about bulk, biceps and bigness that there are more important things than letting your state of mind depend on your preoccupation with such trivialities. There are far more essential things in life than the size of this or that body part, the best way to bulk up what one perceives to be an inadequacy or how to pose your pectorals to look as imposing as possible. Certainly, it is excellent to develop a pleasing body that functions well, especially if that makes you stronger, fitter and more capable of enjoying a fuller life, but one should never forget the importance of maintaining a balance of physical, mental and spiritual qualities in one's life. Puffing oneself up physically with wings outstretched in a pathetic parody of a male pigeon trying to pick up a mate on a guano-splashed rooftop is a sorry indictment of what an inflated, 'puffed up' ego can do to one. Yes, yes, I know that we find the same mentality among sports stars, movie heroes, beauty queens, fashion models, pop singers, scientists, doctors, fitness gurus, CEOs and humans from all walks of life, but my focus here is the topic of bodybuilding physical puffing up to show the world how 'great' one is. Those who are seduced into believing in an overriding importance of physical size, shape, definition and posing skills have created the mammoth food supplement business, replete with steroids, prohormones, amino acids and extracts from foods, animal organs and who knows what. What I am saying here is probably preaching to the converted, but may it serve as reminder that there needs to be a definite difference between: (a) unabashed egotism, vanity and exhibitionism; and (b) loving one's sport or revelling in the joys of having a healthy, good-looking and fit body. By all means train to look and perform better, but never let it puff you up so much that you cannot see what your real potential is in your passage through life. Standing on a bodybuilding stage with wings (I mean, lats!) spread out to prove that you are better-looking than some other human puffing pigeon may easily become the first step towards becoming a super-egomaniacal android (or gynoid). I have met some delightful and exemplary bodybuilding figureheads like Bill Pearl who epitomise the spirit of body building as a quest for reaching one's potential in a humble exemplary manner, but I have also met many others (who shall remain nameless here) whose puffed-up poses and attitudes in the muscle mags lead a lot of folk astray in the world of fragile overemphasised physicality. Along the way, they have created a group of muscle training and fitness gurus who act like bodybuilding 'groupies' selling just the right blend of training ideas, flattery and supplements to ensure that their own egos and pockets remain as happily full as those of the human pigeons who set the whole hormonally advantaged muscle market place up for them. Many years ago, the LSD guru, Dr Timothy Leary (whose tale is sung by the Moody Blues on the album "In Search of The Lost Chord"), wrote in his book "Politics of Ecstacy" that "the only hope is dope". This same aphorism may well be the guiding belief among many bodybuilders, though I would also add the aphorism "the only hope is not being a dope" !! Don't be a dope (or dope-head)! Don't let anyone or anything dupe you into becoming some sort of ramp model of hypertrophy to prove that you are better than anyone else. You are great because of how your mind behaves towards others and yourself, not because you have a large volume of overdeveloped matter in your muscles or in your brain. If you must become a bodybuilder (or indeed, any other athlete), then follow the example of those special bodybuilders whose characters, natures, behaviour and manners raise the name of their sport rather than degrade it into a pathetic pageant for steroidally advantaged egomaniacs. Dr Mel C Siff Denver, USA mcsiff@aol.com