Joe Butler; What it takes to become a bodybuilder.

Dedication, discipline and hard work, these are characteristics that are important for any athlete but none more so than a competitive bodybuilder. The sacrifice and commitment it takes to be a bodybuilder is nothing short of astonishing but just what does it take to be successful?

When you think of a bodybuilding you can be forgiven for having connotations of Arnold Schwarzenegger or oiled up muscular men posing on a stage, or of Miami’s famous ‘Gold’ gym but the reality is that bodybuilding is much more than that. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle choice that competitors take extremely seriously.

Like any sport or completion an athlete with passion for that specific sport will go to great lengths to achieve their goals and be the best, bodybuilding is no exception. Individuals train exceptionally hard and commit their lives to be the best weather it’s competing in a World’s Strongest Man competition like Mark Felix or competing to become Mr Universe.

A high protein diet is as you’d expect essential for anybody looking to make significant progress in elite competitions, many Bodybuilders will eat in excess of 7 meals a day when preparing for a competition, foods such as carbohydrates and fats are also a key aspect to maximising an ideal diet for completion.

I interviewed 19 year old Joe Butler to find out about his personal involvement in bodybuilding and get a first hand insight into the lifestyle of a competitive bodybuilder.

As well as body building Joe is also a personal trainer and training to become more qualified in his field, as a personal trainer it’s evident that he understands the importance of a strict and disciplined diet as well as the hard work that is needed in the gym.

Last year Joe competed in his first competition, The Miami pro held in London which offered the winner an opportunity to go and compete in Miami. Joe placed in 4th position, an outstanding achievement for his first competitive event. At just 19 Joe is still only a beginner in competitions but evidently has a lot of potential to be recognised in the future.

Joe is an example of how much dedication is needed in order to be successful in the sport, he trains 6 days a week and aims to eat 6 meals a day, the level of commitment he gives to improving his physique and making progress is reflected by his Placing in the Miami pro event.

One of the more serious aspects to body building is the health risk that it can potentially cause to an individual, it is imperative that anybody who is training at such high intensities or using such high weights has a good knowledge and understanding of using the correct techniques in order to avoid serious harm. Joe has sustained injuries such as tendentious on his knee and also aggravated a previous shoulder injury through training but has since altered his training in terms of techniques and introducing stretching to avoid further injuries.

The motivation for body building can be many different things; for health and fitness, physical appearance or as a hobby or maybe all and although it is perhaps not a mainstream subject and relatively niche it is an interesting and diverse subject that offers a lot of different angles and debates.

I asked my followers for their opinion on bodybuilding and the way that it is perceived by the public. The majority of results suggested that people saw it as a lifestyle choice or an obsession over a hobby but in reality bodybuilding for me is more about dedicated athletes who are committed to making progress in their competitions.

Perhaps one of the more well publicised and controversial aspects to body building is when does it come an obsession. Many people who have previously spent times perfecting the body talk about it becoming an obsession and loosing touch with reality. The aspect of over training and the use of steroids in bodybuilding creates a real danger and potential real health risk to individuals in the bodybuilding community.

Despite this it is without doubt that bodybuilding is an exceptional and fascinating lifestyle that takes a committed and focused athlete to achieve success. The elite athletes at the top are an example of what can be achieve through pure dedication and hard work. In Joe’s case he has made significant progress since he started three years ago and with him already having success in his first competition he certainly has the potential ad dedicated mind set to make it to the top.