Arnold or Bruce?

When I started Beyond Strong a year ago I wrote a series of articles entitled Bruce V Arnold. It was, like many of my articles, nothing more than a fun comparison of some of the men that have influenced my training and my life over the years. Bruce and Arnold are iconic and we can say their first names knowing exactly who we are talking about.

After recently making some training changes myself, I realised that throughout our training lives we tend to associate more with certain athletes than others. For example, Bodybuilders may revere Dorian Yates, Powerlifters may look to Chuck Vogelpohl, fighters to Randy Couture and Strongmen to Mariusz Pudzianowski. I have found over the years that I have been so influenced by the strength AND the physiques of such men that I base my training around that particular ideal. Right now I am looking at something between Steve Reeves with 80% of the strength of Marvin Eder. Perhaps even more realistic is the shape of a top 205lbs (light  heavyweight) MMA fighter.

Some people are just not very realistic about this concept though.

I can remember training in Sydney, Australia about 5 years ago and a man, who we'll call Mr. Over Confident, looking at this picture of Arnold on the wall.

He said to me, " When was that picture taken?".
I replied "Around 1975".
"Wow, I guess if he could do that back then, then we should have no problem today. I think I'll make that my goal for the next few months".

Now this person was a similar height to Arnold, he had a big chest naturally, small arms and average legs. He had been training properly for about 6 months. He was also considerably over weight and although he weighed around 265lbs he held very little muscle or strength. I told him he was looking at around 5-6 years of consistent training and eating to get anywhere near this level of physique. His answer was simply, "Watch me". I did. Not surprisingly 6 months later he looked the same. He hadn't changed his diet, he hadn't studied training and he hadn't dedicated himself to this goal. This is all too common. Don't be like this guy. The point here is set targets but be REALISTIC.

If you want the look of someone set REALISTIC targets and goals based around people at the top of the sport. As a perfect example, look no further than Rick Walker. Rick really practices what he preaches. He reads and writes about his sport. He trains consistently and he trains smart. He keeps a training diary. He watches his food. He looks at the greats in his sport and learns from them but more importantly he understands and tweaks things for his own needs. Rick walks the walk. Too many talk but don't walk.

So let me get back to the main question, Bruce or Arnold? Ask yourself if your training towards something that is realistic and also if you are REALLY going in the right direction. Are you training like Arnold? Are you hitting the weights hard and heavy, doing lots of different movements for each bodypart, mixing it up all the time to keeping the muscles confused and eating a healthy, clean diet? Or are you training like Bruce? Are you doing long distance wind sprints, hundreds of reps of bodyweight exercises, limiting your calorie intake, practicing martial arts and stretching like a gymnast?  To get the strength and physique you want you have to do what they did, tweak it as required and then go for it!

Don't be a talker...be a Walker! ;)

Nick

Comments

[Theo Burggraaff]

Nice post Nick! That could be a nice line for a future t-shirt! Maybe with a picture of his (ugly/handsome)head on there as well...

[trigg]

Good points, all.

It took me quite a few years to get my head around the fact that my "training success" was not ever going to be measured in how close I looked to the magazine stars and instead be measured in how closely my strength and health reflected my professional needs, my lifestyle, my personality, and body type, and did so in terms of consistent progress and sensible changes over time.

[pwrlftr220]

Nick,

Thanks man, that means a lot to me coming from you.

I am doing a lot of things different this time and it is paying off. Adding exercises, cutting stuff out, avoiding alcohol, sleeping 8+ hours a night, and eating a ton.

It is a pain in the ass, and you have to be strict and focused 100% or you are going to fall off. It is paying off though, and I am ready to make a statement at worlds this year.

Thanks again bro. Great post and excellent points!

-Rick