A bodybuilder, powerlifter, and vegan walk into a bar – Success leaves clues

The Bodybuilder

The big muscle bound meat heads of the gym. They smell like protein shake farts and tanning oil. But what they lack in some more socially accepted circles, they make up for in a few areas. First, they know that food is 80%+ of the game. Adequate protein intake, carbs to fuel your workouts and tasks, and fats to keep the joints and hormones kicking. They know that macros and total calories in versus out are going to determine the majority of what your body does with the training you throw at it.  But they also understand that micro-nutrients, i.e. eating what we might call healthy foods, also plays a part in our overall performance, health, and results.

Second, they aren’t afraid to fill in the gaps with some supplements. Fish Oil, Vitamin D3, Curcumin, Minerals, Green foods, protein shakes, etc. Where you can’t get enough in your diet, supplement. Third, they understand the healing and growth properties of “the pump” and proper focus and intent. Pushing to a level where the blood fills your muscles, the RIGHT muscles through focused technique, is something that not only supports muscle growth, but supports healthy and rejuvenating blood flow for the tissues. They’ve figured out that they can make progress without killing themselves with the most amount of weight on the bar possible.

My Lifting

I began my lifting experiences focused on a more aesthetic approach. My workouts took a lot of influence from bodybuilders early on and that focus on technique and execution over the weight on the bar is something I credit for keeping me in one piece to date. 21% of Spring 2023 GGC athletes told us that they lift weights for Physique/Appearance purposes. Success leaves clues, and this group should OBVIOUSLY be taking ideas from the bodybuilding world. But the rest of us could apply their food, supplementation, and lifting knowledge to our own strength goals.

The Powerlifter

In days of old, this was the fat guy with a huge belly that benched 500lbs in your gym. Now-a-days, they might be a little less bloated, potentially even jacked like my dude Travis Rogers here, but their mentalities are typically the same. They understand that progress should be measured. In aesthetics it can be difficult at times to measure progress. If you lost 1 lb, is that good? What if it was 1lb of muscle instead of fat? In powerlifting you can easily measure your progress week to week, month to month, and especially competition to competition. You can see the reps and weights increase over time. This constant objective feedback over and over is right there in your face. There is no hiding if your workouts are making you stronger, or not. If you are climbing that hill, or spinning your wheels.

Training

Powerlifters are masters at understanding the difference between training and performing. Training is the stuff you do throughout the year to get better. Performing is where you peak to bring your best. Many people walk into the gym and “work out” instead of train. Totally ok, but goals and PRs are broken with focused intent and a plan. Not haphazard sets and reps thrown at a wall. How many of us have walked into a commercial gym to watch the same guys and gals do the SAME workouts week after week, with the same weights and reps, for YEARS?

Powerlifters understand that lifting weights might be dangerous, but that being weak is life threatening. Squats and deadlifts are a natural human movement. That deadlifting isn’t bad for your back, being weak and lifting wrong is bad for your back. If you can’t pick that bar up off the floor, how do you plan to pick up your kids or grandkids off the floor? In the words of Mark Bell, Strength is never a weakness. No one has ever been “too strong” to play a sport, to do things around the house, to work, to get stuff done. But people most certainly have been TOO WEAK to do so.

Powerlifting is a game of objective truths. You set a goal, you put a plan in place, you do the work, and you move forward. 28% of our Spring 2023 athlete said they lift to Improve General Strength, with another 12% Competing in Strength Sports. Success leaves clues, and these principles can translate to no matter what your goal is, in the gym or in life.

The vegan

John Berardi, one of my favorite nutrition coaches, did an experiment where he tried to put on some lean mass while being completely vegan. The part I love about his experiments, is he self-tests, he measures through bloodwork, photos, etc. and he always does a debrief of lessons learned afterwards.

He was adamant that someone who eats nothing but veggies, rice, quinoa, beans, and fruit (obviously there are some other options) would have to get REALLY good and creative at preparing them. Basically, a diet isn’t sustainable unless it is enjoyable in some fashion. Eating nothing but boring broccoli for every meal gets old QUICK.

Go ahead and check a vegan recipe for something basic like rice. They add spices, veggie broths, and more to take things up a notch. They make sure they are packing more nutrition, more flavor, more enjoyment into each bite. If powerlifters are the experts in getting strong, vegans are the experts in making roughage taste good.

They also know veggies and fruits should be a regular and dominate source of your food. There is more and more information coming out about eating varied assortments of vegetables, eating raw veggies and cooked, lots of fruits, and of course spices and more adding up to everything from gut health, to lowered blood pressure, to regular bathroom time, to decreased cancer risks, and more.

28% of 2023 Spring GGC Athletes said they lift weights for Health/Wellness purposes. I can’t think of much that would support those goals more than regularly eating more fruits and vegetables.