M.E FEATURE
HUNGER
IN THE EYES
It is rare but I
know I am like
that and a handful of
others are like that too.
Marius Dohne is one that
comes to mind, another is
my current training partner
Darren Smit. If you watch
these guys in the midst of
their serious training they
thrive on the pain that they are
experiencing. They not only
tolerate it, they actually search
for it. I think it is something you
can see in someone's eyes when
they train. In my opinion it is
something that can be learnt but
it is also something that some
people are just born with: they
have that fire in their eyes, that
passion, the drive to strive for
exceptional results.
Witnessing a human being
who is truly 100% focused and
dedicated to extracting every
last bit of genetic potential
out of their body is something
to behold. It is rare and that
is why every now and then we
get someone that pops out of
nowhere and shocks us all. These
people are the ones that don’t
worry about all the fluff that
others are focused on, they focus
on what it takes to get things
done old-school style.
I am by no means an old timer,
but one of my dearest friends
Chris Scott used to sit with me
and tell me about how it was
back in the day, how hard the
guys used to train, how many sets
the guys from back then used to
do, how strong they were, etc.
He used to tell me how he sat in
Golds Gym with a headache from
trying to take in all the exercises,
sets and reps that the top guys
in the day were doing! That was
what it was all about then, not
how many Facebook followers
you have. With that in mind
I want to take a look at some
comparisons of how old-school
fundamentals compare to the
modern way of doing things:
TOO MUCH MASS BUILDING
Back in the day the guys were not as big as they are now. They did
“bulk up”, but the look was not a big bloated look that is common
now. If you look around nowadays, the industry is bigger, there
are more people involved and it is growing rapidly... but so are the
waistlines. The watery, bloated muscle look is more the norm now
than ever. I think that’s why we have a rapidly growing men's physique
division, where the goal is more aesthetic, clean lines, small waists and
dry muscle. Truly impressive to me is a bodybuilder with that classic
look, clean crisp separation, full muscle bellies, small waistline with
broad shoulders and great thigh sweep. Bigger isn’t always better,
Phil Heath won his first Mr Olympia at 105kg... think about that and
think about how many guys are trying to get over 130kg in the off-
season. Bigger isn’t better, better is better.
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B tter, Phil heath
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Oly
46
Muscle Evolution
EVERYONE’S A
WINNER ATTITUDE?
These days “everyone's a winner”
whereas back in the day there was only
one winner and a ferocious will to win.
This you can see in the banter between the
guys on films like Pum ping Iron, the guys
really wanted to win badly and they made
it more personal. I think so many people
are scared of ruffling feathers in calling out
their competition. They want to be seen
as the nice guy. I think if it’s done tactfully,
introducing some more personality into the
sport would be a good thing.