“And so it was, the final decisions were announced and my name wasn’t called in the Top 5 out of 37 in my class, WTF? You know, I have done this show the last 5 years and it sucks because I have improved every year since I started training and yet the dumb Judges don’t see how shredded I have been getting each time. I’m doing this show one more year and this time I am dropping the BOMB, if they don’t like me then I’m out of here!”
Said a large portion of disenchanted competitors who did not like the call outs......
It happens to me every time I go to a big contest, inevitably a Bodybuilder is going to catch me and ask me what I think and while I may not have all the answers, I am never short on opinions if asked. That comes with a warning, if you don’t want to hear my opinion, I am the wrong guy to be asking because I don’t mince words nor do I intentionally get a kick out of telling someone who maybe hurting things they don’t need to be hearing.
That brings me to the here and now. I have been in the game since 1983, that’s 26 years of experience, 8 of which have been spent in retirement from the competition stage where I can see things for what they are and not through Rose Colored lenses. Picking the winners is typically the easiest part of watching a contest, placing the guys 2 thru 5 is where the trained eye has to be steady and focused. Who hasn’t thought they looked better a day or week, even months out from a contest? Posing in a bathroom mirror or out on the sandy beach somewhere without the glare and pressure of hundreds of onlookers with cameras flashing, sweat dripping off their bodies on a hot ass stage covered in oil can make standing alone with the best lighting make you feel like Mr. Olympia. What is a bit troublesome and nerve racking to say the least is that you are only being compared to yourself.
You see, when competing on stage with the Best Bodybuilders of our time, it is not the place to be trying to look for a spot to explain your case for missing your peak. When you miss your peak, the best medicine is to realize you were not up to snuff on the day due to circumstances beyond your control be it too much work, family crisis, sickness, injury whatever but arguing that the guys who beat you were simply not worthy is self destructive and displaced aggression.
Missing your peak at a contest happens to the best of us, it’s not the end of the road, for the fortunate it a starting point, new beginning, a wake up call of sorts. Bad Medicine can wake a sleeping giant and unleash a wild animal this side of greatness. When things don’t go you’re way, take it on the chin then bring it home for digestion and let it marinate deep down in the pit of your stomach. When you have absorbed the bitter taste of defeat and the significance of what was missed regarding the blown opportunity to seize the moment, step up and begin to build the body you saw when you first fell in love with the sport! Clean out the negative, turn it around and make it work for you as a blessing of sorts, the “Wake up” call you needed yet never asked for.
It is in moments like these the champions of tomorrow are “Tested!”
The glare and focus of what might have been are nothing but blurry memories while the stench of disgust at not being able to claim what you dreamt would be yours fades away in minutes. You had to watch your fellow competitor hold his hands up in victory and then witness him leaving with what you thought was going to be your trophy. How did you feel in that moment? What you do after it will be a good indicator of what you’ll become in this sport. Knowing that mistakes happen and realizing why is a valuable tool to avoid repeating them, as we are simply “Works in progress” that are never fully realized even when we win there is always the next level we are striving to get to. So what do you do in the face of defeat, how are we supposed to handle it?
Some athletes are born Champions and others adapt at becoming graceful losers who will never win because the road to victory is too winding and treacherous for them to sustain the journey and the path one has to go down to get there. The road is laced with peaks and valleys, twists and turns that can be upsetting and grueling to the point of turning back but the Will of Champion perseveres because they believe Victory is just around the bend on the other side of defeat and worth fighting for! Criticism is swift and quick from respected people, friends and heck even family joins in on what you did wrong and how bad you looked by comparison to contests past. It feels like everyone is out to get you, first the Judges and now your Idols because a compliment is hard to come by after a dismal placing in a big show from people who have been there before.
To whom much is given, much is expected. The chosen ones always have the biggest burden to “Perform” at higher levels than those lesser known blue collar guys coming up the back of the pack. The more publicity you have or the bigger your name is, the harder the fall. Some take the harsh reality of failure and build on it which are true characteristics of a champion. Others whom have enjoyed basking in the applause and compliments of fans and hangers on due to some publicity don’t share the same appreciation of the position they have be blessed to be in. So the fall is harder, deeper and more painful because the reasoning of defeat doesn’t match the lesson that should have been learned. Instead they offer up excuses as to who they should have beaten and why, missing the fact that they were off and could have been better. The ones who beat them are the focal point of their discontent leaving them vulnerable to not understanding the mission that they must refocus themselves and get back on track to get in the winners circle.
So where does the gifted promising bodybuilder go to find the wisdom and courage to try again, to pick up the pieces and chip away at victory in this time of confusion and despair? The answer lies within the heart of a Champion who rests at nothing but the sound of his name being called out in victory! The Champion recognizes he is not invincible and while there will be many Battles he will lose; the ultimate goal is to win the War! Fighting back and slaying the self doubting insecurities of not being good enough and the work load ahead being too heavy, the Champions march on. The Victor is the one living on the edge of death, staring it in the face and challenging himself to step up and take whatever gets thrown at him! While the outcome of a contest is beyond the control of the athlete, what can be controlled is self improvement and harnessing Defeat as a positive source of energy to capture Victory next time he steps on stage.
So the moral of the story to all the future Champions of tomorrow is that if losing a big contest is upsetting to you because you were beaten by other just as deserving bodybuilders, you should take note that Losing can be the missing ingredient needed to find Victory! Take it to the gym, congratulate those whom have pushed you to get here then focus on the mission. Plot out a plan to put Defeat on your fireplace mantle right next to your winning trophy next year when you come back without excuses and or regrets. This can only be achieved through pain, sacrifice and dedication! Wishful thinking and pleasant dreams don’t make champions, hungry lions and desperate foot soldiers who dot the I’s and cross the T’s in the kitchen, gym, preparation, posing room, tanning salon and an undying devotion to taking what they feel is theirs by any means necessary! The suffering warrior struggling to find Victory in Defeat lives to fight another day but the would be Soldier who gives up in disgust at losing a Battle is done and therefore civilized and no longer a threat to the throne.
Challengers and Champions are what this industry is made up of, decide which one you want to be then set out to become just that!
It is here that the distinguishing characteristics of being “good and being Great” can be measured. There is no Luck in hard work and there is no satisfaction in Defeat. What stories will you be telling your family, friends and kids when it’s all said and done?
