CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE October Magazine | Page 21

THE 5 MOST VALUABLE
THINGS I LEARNED FROM
JOHN MEADOWS
BY JUAN ROJAS
Most of you were introduced to
fitness in one way or another
and had to learn the basics of
training, nutrition and
supplementation. This could
have been through personal
research, a book, or a personal
trainer. As you learned more
and more, it was likely that
there was somebody’s
physique, strength and/or
capabilities that you admired.
Somebody who inspired you to
be your absolute best and
showed you that with hard
work, you can achieve your
goals.
Oftentimes, the people who
inspire us are not necessarily
people we see often. Thanks to
modern technology, they are
often people from avenues like
YouTube, Instagram, and
magazines. Can you think of
one person you have always
admired since the beginning of
your fitness journey? Now,
imagine that you have the
chance to hang out with them
and train with them for a few
days! Well, that was one of the
things I was able to scratch off
of my bucket list.
Earlier this month, I had the
opportunity to train with
somebody who I have looked up
to since I started one of the most
important journeys of my life.
When I was 18 years old, I
became fascinated with
bodybuilding. I was a very
overweight kid and at 17 years
old, developed a severe eating
disorder - I was 140 lbs. at 5’7”.
As I began to obsess with this
beautiful sport of bodybuilding, I
stumbled upon articles of a man
they called “Mountain Dog”. He
opened my mind to everything
that was wrong with my training
and nutrition. I was under the
impression that to put on
muscle, you had to eat endless
amounts of protein and all the
food in sight, that supplements.