Bodybuilding Psychology and Competition Realities

And I suppose that's the caveat that comes with it. It's often, as you know, if they ate maintenance calories like you told them, they wouldn't – well, I mean, there's obviously going to be some fat gain because to maintain comp lean, they have to do what they're doing, come into the comp. So as soon as the environment changes, there is going to be some degree of fat gain, which is always a big head fuck for them anyway, but it's a reality. but it's when they binge and throw tons of, like, take Cam, you know, we walk him out and eat the food that a competitor would eat. Like you in Canada, you know, you eat a lot of food, guess what? You get fat in a short period, you know. Well, you know, that is going to be far more noticeable when you come out of a comp. You're going to really notice the fat gain. So I think, you know, there's a bit of ownership and responsibility that they have to take for their actions post-comp as well. And you're right, it is a head fuck because if you do a show and you're sitting around 4.5% body fat, like, Like when you first decide to do a show and you get to like a true 10%, you're like, fuck, I'm fucking lean. Yeah. And then you're like, okay, cool. And then you get to eight and you're like, fuck, I've got fucking veins on my fingers and my elbows. And you get down to like four and a half and now you've got fucking veins in your ass cheeks. And you're like, oh, fuck. Now 8% to you is fat. Yeah. So the minute you eat and you get to eight, you're like, oh, God, I'm so fat. I can't post a picture on Instagram. I'll just post old pictures from two years ago. Right. But fuck, man, a true 10% to 12% on someone, like you put somebody in a DEXA and a true 10% to 12%, that's a lot leaner than people think. Most people would be happy with that, but that's the thing. Like when you look at most bodybuilders, and I hate to say this, but it's true, we all got mommy-daddy issues. There's some reason why you went into bodybuilding, and usually for something nefarious, right? It's usually not for a love of bodybuilding. You fall in love with bodybuilding because you're running away from something. That's actually quite refreshing. I mean, you know Dean, and we all know Dean from Flex, but it was, in one sense, him confessing that he actually hated bodybuilding. Like, you know, he loves training, but the dieting, and I think for him, just the reality of the yesterday, he has to, and he's, I mean, there are those of us out there that are great at following plans, but that dude is next level. Bro, he is. And it shows on stage, but, you know, him confessing that he actually hates the process of competition prep and he'll be happy if he never does it again i think he's probably the only person i've ever met that doesn't do bodybuilding for the wrong reason like he he i was talking to him because he lives near me and we get together every once in a while and he's like yeah i just did it to challenge myself i don't really give a fuck if i win or not in fact look at his physique jesus christ but that's like he's he's a fucking robot man when he gets it when he gets it set in his head he's gonna do it he's like a dog with a bone Yeah, 100%. And I think, you know, it's great for business as well. It's probably the reason why he did it, you know, because, you know, yeah, like, yeah, anyway. But doing that for the wrong reasons is indicative. It's not just bodybuilding. I think that's indicative of the industry in general. There are a lot of damaged souls everywhere. But they do surface in the fitness industry.