Body Building & Fitness For Dummies

I've been stuck at a Body Building & Fitness competition at Gwinnett Center in the Performing Arts Center all day. Since the dawn of the sport most people have been under the impression that this is one of "those sports" in which the general population doesn't really consider a sport and the sport has been given a bad rep since the '70s and '80s and the steroid revolution. One of the biggest things that this competition is pledging is that this is an "all natural" body competition in which you can't use artificial means in your regiment. The whole point is to have a well sculpted body from top to bottom unlike what the end result of steroids does to one's body (whether legal or illegal).

I've done this event before and its never an event I look forward to because even though it is both a male and female competition I've never been one that found the muscular female body an attractive thing. I simply find myself designing a stage lighting look and letting the whole event run itself. In regards to lighting (which is what my responsibility is) there's not much that I can do except flood the stage with lights so that the judges can see all the crevaces of the competitors' bodies without shadows. I never change the lighting and therefore I end up with one of the easier jobs on the event (which is how I find myself writing this here blog entry).

There is no denying that whether male or female every contestant takes this competition seriously because at the level being represented at the event this is the stepping stone into the big competitions in which they can win actual monetary prices. This event is a preliminary qualifying event where every body builder must qualify or win before they can enter the professional events. Rumor has it that the winners of this event can move on to an event in a few months in which the top price is $45,000 and a contract in which I'm sure they will be a representative of a gym or product, which I'm told is where the real money for people in this sport really is.

I used to look done upon the people who do these types of events (in the same way that I look down upon beauty pagents especially in regards to small children) but after doing several of these events over the years and talking to several of the people involved I actually admire many of them. Like any sport such as footaball, basketball, hockey, etc. body builders must train their bodies and muscles but never over train in fear of looking too out of proportion. It's a very delicate balance and if they treat their events like the pros then they are always in training and always compeating throughout the year which can be very daunting. Even though its not a physical sport it is one in which they are compleating against every one else in their weight class or competition and that can be excrusiating especially when you're standing right next to all your fellow competitors.

Many will still continue to look down upon the sport, of which I do not use the term lightly, but there is no denying the dedication that the majority of the competitors have in regards to becoming the best that they can and through natural means. I congradulate both those who have compeated and won and those still working their way to that position.