Article by Evan Centopani

hsmann87

Top Contributor
Just read this and thought it was decent so am sharing :)

(cue for the anti-American, hardcore Brits among us to say its a load of waffle and summarise it all in one sentance :lol:)

Socrates is quoted as having said that “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.” And while I will assume that he was being literal, I think we can all agree that even the most intelligent of individuals, in the grand scheme of things, know very little. Furthermore, I think there is a great deal of value in being able to acknowledge that even the things we think we know, including ourselves are subject to varying circumstances and therefore, subject to change. What was proven yesterday we claim to know. But considering the fact that change is ever-present, perhaps wisdom lies more with an ability to think in the now, accommodate change and remain open to the idea that even the things you think you know are subject to change. Furthermore, if wisdom is the realization of how much you don’t know, is self empowerment the recognition of that which we cannot control?

As a bodybuilder, I am constantly trying to improve. Whether it’s a matter of nutrition, training, or my lifestyle in general, for me, improvement is centered around me; learning my body being the short term goal and self mastery being the long term goal. And there is often talk of a plan. I’m constantly asked what I will do to improve, how I will go about filling in the existing gaps and how I know that my plan will work. Truth be told, the more times goes on the less concerned I become with having a plan. I always wonder if chefs open cook books or follow recipes. By no means am I a chef but if I ever do follow a recipe, I do it one time only. After that, I work with the ingredients as I see fit. Is bodybuilding any different? All it really takes is to go into the gym one time with a planned way of training a bodypart. After that, it’s all a matter of adjustment. Following a plan is just like following a recipe; neither allows for the necessary adjustments that, by the time you reach a certain level, you should be able to make every time you enter the gym or every time you think about what you will eat that day. I suppose if I were a piece of machinery, I would be the same tomorrow as I am today and nothing would ever need to change. But the human body is not mechanical and it doesn’t work that way. So I think the ability to recognize that you do not know what the best thing is for you to do come tomorrow only adds to your ability as a bodybuilder. You don’t need to know what to do tomorrow, you just need to know that you can’t know that until tomorrow arrives and even then, you’re still just giving it your best guess. The minute you think there’s only one way to do it, you’re off to a bad start.

Just the same, people talk about being in control of their destiny. Many would have you believe that it is you and only you who determine the path your life takes. I was having this conversation on the way home from the gym with a friend of mine. We were a couple exits before a bridge. I thought to myself, I can sit here all day and believe that it’s my destiny to be Mr. Olympia, or a millionaire, or a rock star. And just the same, my friend could whole heartedly believe his destiny lies in doing something else. But say we cross this bridge and it were to give out and we both crashed to the water below and died? Then I guess neither of our fates was what we believed them to be. You can’t know what your fate or destiny is. You may want it to be one thing or another or truly believe it should be this or that but you have no way to know. I’ve sat and listened to people tell me they were supposed to be something in life other than what they became. If you were supposed to be what you thought, then you would be just that.

Let’s face facts; there are things which you are not in control of. You can’t control the weather or other forces of nature or acts of God. And if you can’t control those things then there are plenty of other things you cannot control. Can you control yourself? To an extent. But if you believe that you are influenced by your environment or possibly even that you are an extension of it, then there is no way that you can control the things that happen to you or even some of the things you do. Why do some people insist that it is they and only they who are responsible for their success or failure? I imagine that the reason they do it is to feel empowered. But what is more empowering than the recognition that your life will go exactly as it is meant to? I cannot imagine anything less degrading than refusing to acknowledge that perhaps I’m not meant for that which I believed I was. Halfway through life and chasing a dream that seems to elude you to the same degree which you pursue it is a bad place to be. I could only imagine feeling powerless.

Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that each and every day we have to get out of bed and strive for something. We all have to have at least one thing that drives us, gives meaning to our lives and serves as something to aim for. Hopefully that thing is something we love and believe that, at least for the time being, is what we should be doing. But, if you believe that acknowledging how little you know leads to enlightenment, then I think that it’s the recognition of the things that we can’t control or the idea that things change and our ability to roll with that change rather than resist it is what gives a sense of confidence and self empowerment.
 
And another...

Hey hardcore, when was the last time you ate any other part of a chicken aside from the breast? Wait a minute; you almost forgot that chickens actually have a complete anatomy. It’s easy to begin thinking that on a farm somewhere chicken breasts are just growing like crazy. When every time you go to the store, you just grab a bunch of packs of chicken breast it’s easy to forget that any other parts of the animal even exist. What about the rest of the chicken? The thighs or the legs? I know they don’t offer as much protein per square inch as the breast. What about the organs? The liver, the heart? Do they even contain any protein at all? Man, you’re such a ****in meathead. All you think about is protein.

Seriously though, we all know how important carbs, proteins and fats are when it comes to fulfilling our nutritional needs. But what about the other **** out there? And yes, there is more to nutrition that just carbs, proteins and fats. That’s why you wash down handful after handful of supps remember? Vitamins, minerals, aminos and all that great ****. But what about beyond that? What about nutrients that haven’t even been identified or ones that have but you’d drive yourself crazy trying to supplement with all of them.

Think about it like this. You know that it takes amino acids to build and repair muscle tissue right? So you fill your diet with protein from various sources. You know carbs give you energy and keep your muscle full so you eat em accordingly. And you’ve finally come to accept the role that healthy fats play in your diet you now you even include them. But what about getting a greater amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients from food we either throw away or simply choose not to eat?

What about organs? Like I already said, we eat all the lean cuts of beef, chicken and so on but we rarely find any use for the organs. Calves liver is packed with vitamins, minerals and protein; look it up. Same goes for chicken hearts and kidneys taken from different animals. Ever had chicken hearts? They’re good. What about bone marrow? Veal or beef bones; either way it’s not only delicious and cheap, but nutrient dense as well. That’s right pussy, I get bones from the butcher and bake em in my oven and then scoop that mushy **** out and gobble it down. If I cook a whole fish I’ll eat the eyes too. Why not?

The way I see it, in all those things we tend to avoid, there must be something useful. Isn’t that the idea behind glandular extracts? In theory if I were to eat the liver of another animal, there must be substances and nutrients in that liver that would help to build, strengthen and or repair my liver. If eating lean muscle tissue can help to increase your muscle tone then I don’t see any reason why consuming any other part of an animal wouldn’t be of some benefit to one or many or your own organs or systems. Think about it; the liver of an animal must be the most concentrated source of nutrients specific to one’s liver.

Consider this, if an infant is given a limited supply of nutrients, the greatest percentage will go toward the development of organs and glands. Watch a person wither away from starvation; the lean tissue is the first to go. So it would stand to reason that in any animal, the organs must be the most concentrated source of nutrition. Have you ever watched the Discovery Channel or National Geographic channel? Watch a lion attack a zebra and notice that the most prized part of the catch is the organs. Better yet, do you have a dog at home? Surprise him or her all at once with some lean meat, some organs and a fresh bone from the butcher. Let me know which one he goes for first. I can guarantee you it ain’t the lean meat. And I know what you’re thinking; wild animals aren’t worried about being as big and lean as possible. I agree with you. But the main point is that if an animal who relies on instinct is drawn to one source of nutrition over another, you can be sure it’s because it’s a more concentrated source of nutrients. You’ve already come to accept that whole eggs are an incredibly dense in nutrition. A pound of lean ground turkey meat has 112g protein and 448 calories and 6 jumbo whole eggs has 50g protein, 36g fat and 540 calories. Which one do you choose? The eggs are loaded with vitamins and minerals, good EFAs and even pack more calories. The point is to include both but not always simply go for one because it has more protein and less fat. Don’t be a meathead; there are other valuable nutrients besides protein when it comes to building muscle and burning fat.

What about an apple? Let me guess; you don’t eat the seeds or the core. Don’t tell me you peel it or I will bitch slap you when I see you. There are a whole list of phytonutrients found in the skin and seeds of apples. You like to read **** on your computer; look up the health benefits of an apple. An apple a day can do everything from helping to fight cancer to helping you **** better. Apple seeds are a concentrated source of laetrile, a substance used as an alternative cancer treatment; that’s pretty wild ****.

We, as bodybuilders, have a bad habit of looking at things and asking ourselves how many grams of carbs, protein and fat it contains and stopping there. Sometimes the toughest questions have the simplest answers and other times, the answer is more roundabout. How do I increase my strength on the bench press? Do more bench presses. True. But who would have thought that doing heavy squats could also improve your bench strength? It’s easy to forget that the body is a system; nothing happens in isolation. Every single thing affects another. You know that to develop a great physique you need to train hard but that you also need variety and you need to hit things from different angles. Same goes for nutrition.
 
And a third...

From the time we are young, we are told that if we are to succeed in life that we must adopt and follow a code of right-doing. We are taught the value of discipline and reminded that those who are strict with themselves and avoid deviation will ultimately succeed. Perhaps nowhere have these concepts established such a stronghold as in bodybuilding. It is ingrained in us to never miss a day of training or a meal, to be strict with our training form, to never cheat on our diet, never skip a cardio session and the list goes on. And, generally speaking, the most common trait amongst any successful bodybuilder is discipline.

When I first began bodybuilding I was of the mentality that in order to be the best bodybuilder, I had to never miss a workout and never cheat on my diet. If I was sick, sore, exhausted, injured or otherwise ****ed up I went to the gym. If I was sick, nauseous, disgusted with what I was eating or I ate anyways. If I was precontest, starving myself, doing a ****load of cardio and not getting in better shape, I did more cardio and ate less food. When my body said “**** you.” I simply replied “No. **** you”. After all, that’s what it takes to win, right?

Sometimes that’s true. Nothing is accomplished without the pain. To get bigger, stronger and harder you need to push and push damn ****ing hard. It is a fight and you have to be on the winning end. But in order to win you have to know who you’re fighting. The pain, the nausea, the tiredness; they are the enemy. If you stopped each set every time it started to hurt you would accomplish ****. If you never pushed to the point where you’re previous meal threatened to come back up, you’re not going hard enough. If you never choked down what was best for you and just ate what you wanted to you would never know what it is like to be in contest shape. So **** the pain, **** the nausea, **** being tired and **** the easy way out. Save that **** for the guy who’s gonna get his ass handed to him onstage.

But when your body pushes back and tells you something is up, you better pull your head out of your ass and listen. Looking back on some of the **** I did when I was younger I realize that I wasn’t being dedicated, I was being a dumb ****. What could I or anyone else hope to accomplish by going to gym when sick? Who are you gonna impress by being able to say that you never missed a day of training even if you were sick, overtrained or injured? Maybe your fellow gym rats but as far as I’m concerned physiques speak for themselves and they don’t need bull**** bragging rights. Do you think I would be impressed if you told me that you went 16 weeks getting ready for a show and never once deviated from your diet? If you looked like **** I would not be impressed. What matters is how you look. It’s not about some macho bull****. Save that **** for your buddies in the gym because it means jack **** to me.

In fact, some of the best results are elicited from cheating. If I went a full pre-contest course and never once cheated or deviated from my diet I would come in looking small and soft. I find it necessary to throw in some garbage food here there when dieting. Cheeseburgers and fries and steak and eggs with pancakes are typically my go to meals. When I’m dieting I use the scale, the mirror and how I feel to gauge things. If I hit a point where my weights drops too quick and strength and fullness goes with it, having another chicken breast or sweet potato isn’t gonna do **** for me. My body needs to be brought back and calorie dense food is the way I do it.

Same goes for the guys who love to talk about how perfect their form and how they never cheat on any of their movements. Then I take one look at the guy telling me this and ask myself why he isn’t more impressive looking. Again, if you train with perfection and it’s getting you where you want to go, then that’s great. But most experienced lifters will agree that there is value in cheating. I’m all for strict form but when you’ve done 10 reps with strict form and the difference between ending the set or squeezing out a few more reps is a matter of cheating a little bit, you’d better believe it’s in your best interest to cheat.

Last on my list and perhaps the most important bone I have to pick is with the guys who brag about never missing a day of training. Really? Not one day? I’d put money on it that if you’re busting your ass in the gym and training like you’ve actually got two giant balls between your legs that you can only go so long before your never say die training attitude has your body begging for an extra day of rest. Go ahead and take the day. You’ll only be better for it. But that’s only if you need it. I’m not talking about being tired, not feeling like going or having something better to do. That **** doesn’t count. I’m talking you’re on the verge of overtraining and going to the gym and cranking out a real man’s workout is gonna put you over the edge. Take the ****ing day off, hardcore.

When I was young and naïve I believed that doing everything according to the plan would lead me to success. Now that I’ve got a little more experience under my belt I know that blindly sticking to any plan is a recipe for failure. Decisions are made minute to minute, day to day, set to set, rep to rep and are based on what is necessary here and now. I scream a big “**** you.” in the face of pain, tiredness and anything that can stop me short of pushing myself toward achieving success. But when my body tells me it’s in my best interest to deviate, I listen.
 
Wow - I haven't read it all...no time right now...but it's interesting.


However......the idea that "there must be good stuff in there so eat it all" is...let's say "flawed".


Or put another way - Eat some fugu...especially sashimi fugu ....delicious if made properly. Or use the logic above and eat teh whole thing. I know which one i'd prefer. There are some parts of animals that should be avoided!


Inetersting piece though......
 
Wow - I haven't read it all...no time right now...but it's interesting.


However......the idea that "there must be good stuff in there so eat it all" is...let's say "flawed".


Or put another way - Eat some fugu...especially sashimi fugu ....delicious if made properly. Or use the logic above and eat teh whole thing. I know which one i'd prefer. There are some parts of animals that should be avoided!


Inetersting piece though......

i think your over thinking the meaning personally :)

i dnt think he was talking about scranning the brain and stuff. just that there is thigh on a chicken as well :)
 
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