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Carlos Beltran
Jennifer DeBock
English 4
September 24, 2015
Bodybuilding is More Than Just Lifting Weights
Bodybuilding is a great sport to participate in. Its participants have been through there
ups and downs to become the competitors and the models that they are. Some may think that
bodybuilding is about lifting weights all day and eating a variety calories, but bodybuilding is a
bit more than that. Bodybuilding is actually quiet hard to compete in due to the dedication and
ambition you must have in order to be a good contender. Bodybuilders have to have the time,
training and the will power to transform their bodies into the way they want them for
competitions.

Bodybuilding is to help enhance the bodys muscular development and promote the
general health and fitness. Bodybuilding is a competitive activity and Greeks served as the origin
and inspiration of it. There are contests made with different names just to help bodybuilders
show off their physiques (Britannica 1). Bodybuilding contests were rare until the inception of
the Mr. America contest(s). From then on bodybuilding then started to become more popular and
therefor caught more peoples interest; including one of the most important figures in the history
of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It shows how to become a bodybuilder. It talks about how people build muscle, explosive
exercises, etc. Bodybuilders need structure in their workouts in order to get the results they

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desire. The article also talks about muscular damage and how bodybuilders can destroy their
muscles without having the proper knowledge on how to become a bodybuilder (Barroso 1).
Without the knowledge of knowing how to work each individual muscle beginner bodybuilders
would not be able to get the perfect body that the judges are looking for because they need to
separate their workouts in order to get a good day on a specific part of their body. Without
tension in their muscles when working out their workouts would not be beneficial. When there is
a tightness and burning sensation in the muscles when working out, that is how someone can tell
there doing the exercise right.

One of the greatest bodybuilders in the world was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger is a 7 time Mr. Olympia champion and is said to be one of the most inspirational
persons ever. He has been successful with bodybuilding ever since he was 15. He put in a lot of
time and effort in to becoming Mr. Universe seven times in a row, the first time was at the age of
20. Schwarzenegger knew he had a gift in bodybuilding so he then he came to give future want
to be bodybuilders a guide on how to fulfill the dream of becoming a bodybuilder (Greg 3).
Arnold has 12 rules that upcoming bodybuilders should follow in order to become a successful
person in bodybuilding, those rules are: trust yourself, have a friend/ training partner, learn from
your failures/ mistakes, profit from mentors/ teachers, be in a healthy nourishing environment,
break the rules that need to be broken, be welcoming to competition, work your butt off, stay
hungry, do not be afraid of failure, do not listen to the naysayers, and give something back.
According to Arnold, if they follow those steps/ rules then people will be successful in life and
bodybuilding.

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So bodybuilding is more than just lifting weights; It is just as complicated as any other sport
due to the dedication and time one must put into the activity. The work is hard and there are
sacrifices that will be made such as: lack of sleep, strict eating habits, time and friends. After all
of the sacrifices that have been made then the progress will show that it was all worth it. Not a
lot of people are interested in bodybuilding because of the time and dedication it consumes, but
the ones who do put forth the effort love the results of being healthy and different. Holding the
title of being a bodybuilder is a great accomplishment because of the work that is put into it and
showing people that it is not just about lifting weights all day and night.

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Works Cited

"Bodybuilding." Encyclopdia Britannica (2014): Research Starters. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

MEADOWS, JOHN, and MARK BARROSO. "BODYBUILDING 101 FEATURING

CODY MONTGOMERY. (Cover Story)." Flex 32.9 (2015): 38-50. Health Source Consumer Edition. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

MERRITT, GREG. "Arnold's Secret Of Success." Flex 31.3 (2015): 32-52. Health
Source - Consumer Edition. Web.