kman6234
03-26-2003, 08:40 PM
Bodybuilding in College
Many people say that your college years will be the greatest of your entire life; however, this may not be true if you are a serious bodybuilder such as myself. In fact, college could prove to be a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare.
Between class, homework, late nights and partying one can clearly see why it may be difficult to find the time to train. Finding time to train is not the only problem bodybuilders face while attending college.
Getting proper nutrition and adequate rest are also very difficult tasks to accomplish. And let’s not forget one of bodybuilding’s worst enemies…Alcohol. Yes, in college the abundance of alcohol is overwhelming. Whether you’re at a party, bar or in the comfort of your own dorm, the alcohol will constantly be flowing. In this article, I will give you tips on how to get the most out of your training while maintaining a social life in college.
Before I start let me just give you a quick introduction about myself. I started training about two and a half years ago. At this time, I was 6’1” and 225lbs of pure fat. Like much of America’s youth, I had developed very poor eating habits as a child. This did not really affect me until my metabolism began to slow. Anyway, in October of my junior year in high school I decided I had to make a change. I started training and eating right and dropped fifty pounds in nine months. Since then I have bulked back up to 197lbs @ 11% BF. I now attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Well that’s enough about myself lets get down to business. The first thing I will address is training. One good aspect of college is that most colleges and universities have really nice gyms that are filled with a lot of good equipment. The main thing to remember about bodybuilding in college is that training should be your highest priority (other than schoolwork of course). The key to training in college is consistency. Once you have developed a good split you must stick to it like glue. You must not become lazy like the large majority of college students. Some days you will be so tempted to stay in bed and sleep through your workout; however, you must learn to overcome this. You must ask yourself, “Did Arnold become huge by sleeping through his workouts?” HELL NO…Arnold became huge by pushing himself to the limit. This is what you must learn to do, push yourself through any obstacle that stands between you and the gym.
Getting to the gym however, is only part of the battle. Once you’re at the gym you must always train as if your life is on the line. Arnold once said, “Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on and on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It's not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I'm OK.
A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don't pass out. They don't go on.” This quote sums up how you must train. Balls to the wall training is the only way you’re going to build muscle mass. You must always be adding more weight to your lifts and increasing the intensity of your workouts.
As for the actual training, workouts vary significantly from person to person depending upon that individual’s goals. However, it is vital that your routine include the major compound exercises. When I say compound exercises, I’m talking about
Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Curls, Military Presses and of course the almighty SQUAT. This brings me to another point. I have seen many wild and crazy things in my college’s gym. For instance, I once saw a 150lb guy attempt a 400lb bench press without a spotter. Needless to say, someone had to sprint across the gym to save this guy. The icing on the cake was when the lifter started to yell at the guy who saved him, claiming he, “Interrupted his set.” One thing I have not seen in the gym however; is anyone performing squats other than me and the football players. One time I went to the gym with a friend and I suggested we do some squats. He replied, “Are you crazy? Those things are hard.” No **** their hard; but no other exercise builds mass like squats.
It was clear that my friend was not going to make a good workout partner. Seeing as though very few people in college squat, it may be hard to find a workout partner hardcore enough to keep up with you. My suggestion to you is to make friends with a football player. Football players make great partners because they are intense and will do nearly anything to get bigger.
Many people say that your college years will be the greatest of your entire life; however, this may not be true if you are a serious bodybuilder such as myself. In fact, college could prove to be a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare.
Between class, homework, late nights and partying one can clearly see why it may be difficult to find the time to train. Finding time to train is not the only problem bodybuilders face while attending college.
Getting proper nutrition and adequate rest are also very difficult tasks to accomplish. And let’s not forget one of bodybuilding’s worst enemies…Alcohol. Yes, in college the abundance of alcohol is overwhelming. Whether you’re at a party, bar or in the comfort of your own dorm, the alcohol will constantly be flowing. In this article, I will give you tips on how to get the most out of your training while maintaining a social life in college.
Before I start let me just give you a quick introduction about myself. I started training about two and a half years ago. At this time, I was 6’1” and 225lbs of pure fat. Like much of America’s youth, I had developed very poor eating habits as a child. This did not really affect me until my metabolism began to slow. Anyway, in October of my junior year in high school I decided I had to make a change. I started training and eating right and dropped fifty pounds in nine months. Since then I have bulked back up to 197lbs @ 11% BF. I now attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Well that’s enough about myself lets get down to business. The first thing I will address is training. One good aspect of college is that most colleges and universities have really nice gyms that are filled with a lot of good equipment. The main thing to remember about bodybuilding in college is that training should be your highest priority (other than schoolwork of course). The key to training in college is consistency. Once you have developed a good split you must stick to it like glue. You must not become lazy like the large majority of college students. Some days you will be so tempted to stay in bed and sleep through your workout; however, you must learn to overcome this. You must ask yourself, “Did Arnold become huge by sleeping through his workouts?” HELL NO…Arnold became huge by pushing himself to the limit. This is what you must learn to do, push yourself through any obstacle that stands between you and the gym.
Getting to the gym however, is only part of the battle. Once you’re at the gym you must always train as if your life is on the line. Arnold once said, “Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on and on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It's not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I'm OK.
A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don't pass out. They don't go on.” This quote sums up how you must train. Balls to the wall training is the only way you’re going to build muscle mass. You must always be adding more weight to your lifts and increasing the intensity of your workouts.
As for the actual training, workouts vary significantly from person to person depending upon that individual’s goals. However, it is vital that your routine include the major compound exercises. When I say compound exercises, I’m talking about
Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Curls, Military Presses and of course the almighty SQUAT. This brings me to another point. I have seen many wild and crazy things in my college’s gym. For instance, I once saw a 150lb guy attempt a 400lb bench press without a spotter. Needless to say, someone had to sprint across the gym to save this guy. The icing on the cake was when the lifter started to yell at the guy who saved him, claiming he, “Interrupted his set.” One thing I have not seen in the gym however; is anyone performing squats other than me and the football players. One time I went to the gym with a friend and I suggested we do some squats. He replied, “Are you crazy? Those things are hard.” No **** their hard; but no other exercise builds mass like squats.
It was clear that my friend was not going to make a good workout partner. Seeing as though very few people in college squat, it may be hard to find a workout partner hardcore enough to keep up with you. My suggestion to you is to make friends with a football player. Football players make great partners because they are intense and will do nearly anything to get bigger.