Back in the day, it seemed like everyone who trained did bodybuilding-like training. I know when I was in high school, college, and the Navy, all of my training was bodybuilding training because, well, I didn’t know any better.
Those were the days before the internet.
That meant if you wanted to train, you tended to grab books like Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding or magazines like Flex or Muscular Development.
Not only that but the public’s perception of “strong” generally meant looking like Arnold or Stallone. It was the way we thought of people who were strong and tough.
Why else do you think Dolph Lundgren or Jean Claude Van Damme came to prominence?
But today, we know a whole lot more. We have access to information we couldn’t imagine back then. Hell, I didn’t even know “powerlifting” was a thing in those days.
Which leads me to ponder: Should new athletes focus on looking good or just being strong?
Continue reading “Looks Versus Lifts: Thoughts On Strength Versus Aesthetic”
