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Play Your Own Game
by Ox
I was at the gym the other day and had just finished training legs.
I’ve been killin’ it lately in the gym when it comes to leg
training--8-10 sets of squats, walking lunges, hacks, and some
extensions thrown in there for good measure. Not like I need to tell
you but when the end of my workout comes, aside from thanking God that
my legs are done for another week, I look forward to sitting my ass
down for a minute and letting my stomach contents that had been trying
to come up, go back down.
So I was sittin’ there and happened to glance over and notice a
bodybuilding mag from 2001. Instinctively I reached over and opened it
up. Holy shit the guys were different. I’m talking about Levrone,
Dorian, Flex and even the younger Ronnie and Jay. The guys looked
awesome. In my opinion, these are some of the best physiques of
all-time. Paul Demayo, Mike Matarazzo, Lee Labrada--the list goes on
and on. What I notice, when I look back on the pics of guys from the
late eighties and into the nineties, is the variety. I feel like
everyone was very unique. Each guy brought something different.
Think about it. What do Paul Demayo, Kevin Levrone, and Lee Labrada
have in common? It’s not a trick question. The three don’t have shit in
common except they have three of the most kick ass physiques of all
time. It’s not like comparing Ronnie and Jay. Comparing the guys I’ve
mentioned would be like, as Ronnie might in fact say, comparing apples
and oranges.
I look at the top ten bodybuilders in the world right now and while I
can respect them, admire them, and look at them in awe, there is not
one of them who I would want to look like. In the gym, where I was
sitting was a bulletin board with posters of all of the upcoming pro
and amateur shows. 2001 bodybuilding mag in hand, I remember looking up
at the bulletin board and the posters for the pro shows on it and going
back and forth. My head must have turned back and forth a half dozen
times. What the fuck? Why do the guys of the past look so much more
impressive? Who gives a shit? I do. I think about shit like this
because it’s important to me as both a bodybuilder and an
individual.
So what’s the reason for the difference in the physiques of the guys
between yesterday and today? Wait a minute. First of all what is the
difference or, perhaps more appropriately, what are the differences?
When I see a lineup of past bodybuilders the main thing I notice is
that the guys all look different. I feel like the physiques are more
unique, more dramatic, and more appealing. Shawn Ray had a dramatic
physique. Flex Wheeler and Kevin Levrone are arguably the two best
bodybuilders to never be crowned Mr. Olympia. Dorian looked like he was
carved out of granite. Flex was a work of art. Mike Matarazzo was a fan
favorite. The list goes on and on.
What I see when I look back at the physiques from ten to fifteen years
ago is men who looked like men. I don’t see men onstage who look like
they’re nine months pregnant. I see tight waistlines. I see crisp lines
and dramatic muscle development. And yes there is a fundamental
difference between size and development. Size does not guarantee
development. I see a lot of huge bodybuilders who look to have no fat
on their bodies yet they show little to no detail. In my humble
opinion, a developed muscle shows maturity, detail, and separation all
while being dramatic in size. A developed physique is worth far more
than a physique that is simply large.
My intent is not to bash the current crop of professional bodybuilders.
In fact, I have the utmost respect for today’s top bodybuilders because
I know the amount of work they put in and the endless amount of
sacrifice that is necessary in order to excel. The purpose of this
discussion lies far beyond a simple critique of past and present
bodybuilders. There is something to be said for the importance of
individuality not only in this sport of ours but also in the society
which we are part of. I remember watching an interview prior to the
1995 Mr. Olympia in which Dorian Yates was discussing his feelings
going into the show. What he said really stood out in my mind: “Me,
myself, I’m not playing anyone else’s game. I’m just playing my game.
This year, I’m not necessarily coming in any bigger but I feel I’m
coming in a lot better; better shape, with better definition, better
symmetry, and more finish. So all these guys are playing my old game.
I’m playing the new game.”
In my mind, people go wrong playing someone else’s game. Dorian was
Dorian. Why would anyone else try to be him? Take a look at our
society. All you see are people trying to be like other people. I ask
myself, what the world would do if everyone who you talked to wasn’t
going to college to become a doctor or an attorney or a fuckin
accountant. How many goddamn attorneys does the world need? Not nearly
as many as people must think because I know of a few attorney who are
making less money than people who didn’t even go to college because
attorneys in this country are a dime a dozen. That’s why they became an
attorney in the first place right? Because attorneys make so much money
and because their parents told them it was a good idea. What the
fuck? |
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