What Shawn says is true. Let's examine TheBlockHead for a second...bare with me people it's to shine more light on Shawns theory.
TheBlockHead Himslef has only done 3 shows but has been living the lifestyle to it's fullest for the past 5 years. I mean to the FULLEST. My life revolves around my protein consumption and being in a positive nitrogen balance. I will never go pro nor would I ever imagine doing so...I just love this stuff and have fun prepping for a show and prepping others. ALL my money after important stuff is out of the way goes to groceries, and eating out constantly. Just last week...I bought a Swiss Army Watch...set me back about $80 and I had buyers remorse for about 2 days all over a punk ass watch...because I started to believe that $80 could have bought me a weeks worth of red meat and chicken breast and bag of potatoes and I almost brought it back.
I've been married a little over a year now and the #1 subject of fights between TheBlockHead and Mrs.Blockhead has to do with me never being home(training, tanning, training someone els, meeting up w/ someone els I'm prepping to see their progress for an upcomming show, picking up and dropping off and slingin gear, grocery shopping, eating out somewhere etc...) and my INABILITY to 'give and take' and compromise. NEVER, not even once in a while take another day off from the gym to do something with her...if there is a family function...I will absolutley REFUSE to go and Mrs. BlockHead is flying solo because "they" will only have hotdogs and hamburgers and beer over there...PLUS...I gotta meet so and so at the gym..."they're 3 weeks out...he/she needs me!"
When I am off work...I refuse to do ANYTHING outside my norm of pickup/deliveries, train, nap, tan, cook, eat, nap and be a slug on the couch or bedroom because..."I am regenerating and growing''. I am so on the go, go go all the time never stopping I can't even clean out my car because it's FILLED with gym clothes, tupperware everywhere, wrappers from protein bars, empty water bottles, crusty old shaker cups and resturaunt recipts and Subway plastic bags, weightbelts, magazines, old newspapers, wrist straps, spilled gym chalk and more tupperware.
I'm just a local NPC competitor in Chicagoland who hasn't even won his weight class yet and I'm having a hard time handling my life and marriage. I'd reckon in the higher levels of competition it's even WORSE and more difficult.
Most serious competitors I know are all divorcees and the ones that are married are in really disfunctional relationships. I read about guys like Dugdale and I don't know how he does it. I'm trying to keep it together but the 'spirit' of bodybuilding has got ahold of me and I don't know if I will defy the odds or become another statistic. Bb is my love and passion...but also my worst enemy.