Can't believe you guys haven't mentioned 'Bobservations.' Some good stuff, there.
[Bob servations]: this month: 30 things I've observed in 30 years
by Bob Cicherillo
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Having had a close relationship with training and competing over the last 30 years, I have been able to reflect on various lessons I've learned as I eventually made my way to the pro ranks by winning the overall at the 2000 NPC USA. Believe me, there was a lot to learn in 15 pro qualifiers ranging back to 1987!
Here is a list of some of what I have figured out during my journey. Some concepts are oversimplifications, but like all good aphorisms, there is at least a kernel of truth contained within each. Consider my advice as insight gained from experience--maybe these tips will make your path a bit easier.
1 No posing routine using a costume ever looked cool.
2 I've never seen a bodybuilder bring up a lagging bodypart by training it more often.
3 Cardio sessions over an hour never result in losing more fat without the expense of muscle.
4 The heavier I trained, the worse the end result.
5 The harder you strike a pose, the more it looks the same.
6 My mother thinks I should have won every show I ever competed in.
7 The further out you cut water, the flatter you'll look.
8 The more you carb up, the softer you'll look.
9 The answer to most questions is "In the middle."
10 The smaller the waist, the bigger the shoulders.
11 The scale has been responsible for more bodybuilders losing contests than any other factor except the next one.
12 The process of carb depleting and loading doesn't work most of the time.
13 There is no defense in bodybuilding.
14 The illusion of a better bodybuilder is better than a better bodybuilder.
15 If you think you know your body better than anyone, you're probably wrong.
16 The phrase "I'm in the best shape of my life" is the kiss of death.
17 Looking good in "bad light" means you're ready.
18 It's better to look good than to feel good on the stage.
19 It's better to feel good than to look good any time before the day of the show.
20 The average prep time is 12 weeks. The average time to screw it up is 48 hours.
21 If there are two people in a class and you don't win, you're last.
22 Just because you qualify to compete nationally doesn't mean you should.
23 Drugs don't build better genetics.
24 There is a fine line between dedication and obsession.
25 Training smarter trumps training harder.
26 The worst bodybuilders make the best gurus, and vice versa.
27 The best poser never wins the posing round, and the most symmetrical never wins the symmetry round.
28 Ninety-nine percent of competitors who don't win look better on Fridays and Sundays.
29 One hundred percent of winners are satisfied with the judging.
30 It's not how much you lift, it's how much you look like you can lift.
BONUS ROUND
* Everyone not in the bodybuilding industry knows someone bigger, stronger and better than me.
* There is no "bench press" round.
* No matter who designs them, white posing trunks look like underwear onstage.
* If I had a dime for every time someone asked me "Whaddya bench?" I'd have a lot of dimes.
* The three worst enemies to a competitive bodybuilder are the scale, the tape measure and his mind.
* No bodybuilder ever thought he was "100%" at a show.
