30: Why I Am Frustrated With The Bodybuilding Industry

Welcome back to the show!  Tune in as I share the disturbing events that happened at the local show I was at last weekend. Find out what I think has led to things like this happening frequently in bodybuilding…and why issues like this continue to get swept under the rug.

I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it and sure enough this episode runs a little longer than usual due to my passion behind the topic.

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Additional Resources:
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-FREE ebook “5 Things Every Bodybuilding and Fitness Competitor Needs To Know Before Preparing For A Show” at http://www.eeinbb.com
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Key Takeaways:
*Quick background on the bodybuilding and fitness divisions (2:57)
*FIVE things wrong with bodybuilding today that has created a very dangerous environment (6:05)
*First thing wrong - Trust (6:14)
*Second thing wrong - Regulation (8:47)
*Third thing wrong - To be competitive no longer requires time (10:05)
*Fourth thing wrong - big business (11:08)
*Fifth thing wrong - the new look (12:17)
*The real origins of bikini and men’s model divisions (12:38)
*The current attitude of PEDs in the industry (15:45)
*What happened this past weekend that has me frustrated with bodybuilding (17:09)
*Where do we go from here (20:05)
*Our industry is divided and why I speak about the industry in entirety (21:51)
*Comparing bodybuilding to real estate (24:22)
*My goal of this episode and how you can help (25:57)

--TRANSCRIPT--

What’s up guys from Las Vegas! Looking at the mileage on the van this morning it looks like we have driven about 20,000 miles promoting this show around the USA.  We will be settled here in Vegas for a few months so we can attend various shows on the west coast.  This month I will be judging a show for a different federation than the one I judged in NY in September.  This will actually be the third federation I have judged for and all three judging styes and criteria are different, which is cool.  I love that there are so many different options to choose from in bodybuilding.  I think people hear about only one and don’t realize there are many more.  In addition to judging here on the west coast, my husband and I are hosting booths at shows getting the word out about this podcast and of course my posing business as well. 

It’s been a minute since I’ve been able to launch one of these episodes but events from this past weekend really sparked the idea for this episode. In fact I was so affected by the events, I woke up in the middle of the night last night with thoughts and ideas, and I had to get up to jot them down in a note.  I know if I don’t do this, I won’t remember them by morning.

I will tell you what happened this weekend but first I need to give some background so you will understand why I am going to say that I am absolutely frustrated with bodybuilding.

You might recall, when I started competing 20 years ago, I competed in the bodybuilding division.  The only other people I knew that competed were my friend Shelley who was the one who inspired me to compete in the first place, Coach John Yobst, and my friend Ann who I met at the John’s personal training facility that Shelley went to.  That was it.  Bodybuilding was exclusive.  Because it was hard.  Not everyone could do what we do to compete.  You have to have massive patience, massive work ethic, and you would NEVER hear someone say that their goal is a pro card their first season.  Why? Because bodybuilding required muscle and muscle takes time and patience to build.  Bodybuilding was not an everyone gets a trophy sport and it was reserved for us odd balls that enjoyed the challenge.  Our reward was a level of self discovery that became life changing.

Besides bodybuilding there was the fitness division.  If you are over 40 you might remember seeing the fitness division on regular ESPN television.  Imagine?  Fitness was mainstream. It was broadcasted so the regular family could watch and be entertained by it.  These competitions were much more mainstream. Fitness was a huge deal too and there were actual exercise programs on tv that you could follow along and do from home.  Back then you didn’t have to be an Olympic level gymnast to win a show either.  In fact people with zero gymnastic backgrounds won many times.  I even had this crazy dream that someday I was going to do a fitness routine to the theme song for the movie Flashdance.

Fast forward 20+ years and the female bodybuilding division is tiny.  Many shows have maybe 1 entry. Some federations like the OCB got rid of it completely and just have the Physique division. The IFBB removed the pro division from the Olympia only to bring it back a couple years ago after private support and a new owner brought it back to life on the pro level.

Fitness, you can’t find that division pretty much anywhere on a large scale except the IFBB where you find the same fitness girls that have been competing for the past 10 years plus.  You aren’t seeing very many new additions to this division at all.  Most of the local shows don’t even offer the fitness division because there is no demand for it anymore.  There is no demand for it because if you watch the fitness routines in the IFBB you will see the level of difficulty and gymnastics skills that these girls have.  It’s incredible to watch, but definitely not an achievable division for the masses. 

The only other federation that has a history of the fitness division on a large scale is the Fitness Universe federation. Their presence has moved to a much more international presence so you don’t see a lot of people posting about it here in the US.  I will be at one of the few large US shows for this federation in Hollywood coming up so I’ll let you know how the fitness division looks there today.  It’s been a minute since I’ve been to one of their big shows.

I give you all of this background so you can understand the evolution of the industry and why I am frustrated with it today, especially after what happened this past weekend.

In fact I’m going to give you even more context before I dive into the events from this past weekend.  I’m going to share with you FIVE things wrong with bodybuilding today that has created a very dangerous environment…and then share what happened this weekend. 

For one, Bodybuilding was originally an exclusive sport and you really needed to know someone and get a referral in order to find a coach that understood what it takes to help you prepare for a show. That hasn’t changed. Today, bodybuilding coaching, and finding out about bodybuilding shows to begin with, are still built by referral.  Except what HAS changed is the WHO people are getting referred to.  It’s no longer exclusive.  There is a reason for this and I’ll get to it in #2 coming up.

No longer is there a small circle of coaches that work with people. It’s literally a free for all today with tons and tons of coaches with the smoke and mirrors of their social media profiles as their only credentials.  And since bodybuilding is still a word of mouth sport, the level of trust is much greater when someone is referred a coach.  Think about it, no matter what industry we are talking about, if you are given a referral by someone you respect and trust, you automatically feel a level of comfort with that person.  If so-and-so says this person is awesome and has worked wonders for them, you are going to feel differently making that call to connect than you would a cold call from an ad.

So TRUST has become a problem, because I think a lot of people don’t question as much as they should the protocols they are given. They put more trust and faith into their coach because this person came from a referral, or maybe you know him or her from seeing them work with others at your gym, so there is that crowd psychology that happens too.  And for financial motives, mass marketing has over-complicated weight loss, nutrition, and exercise and made it seem like this ridiculous undertaking that requires a special diet or workout in order to have any success with obtaining any kind of fitness goal.  So now add the mystique of being a bodybuilder and wanting to achieve this mysterious and oh-so-fabulous stage look that is far beyond a regular weight loss transformation, and it becomes an impossible undertaking on your own….so you seek out a coach….by referral….and trust the process.  And you should seek out a coach.  But never stop questioning the process, especially if something seems off. 

Second, there has never been any regulation whatsoever on coaching practices so the level of dangerous practices has escalated with no oversight.  Coaching is a big popularity contest.   Oh I’m with Coach Awesomeness and he is so incredible. What makes him incredible?  The list of pro cards?  Ok, I’ll just come right out and say it.  How many of those pro cards were achieved without PEDs?  Are you even aware that many, if not most, of these girls are on PEDs to achieve those fast results?  Remember my last episode with Dr. Mike T. Nelson about 5 stupid things competitors still do despite basic physiology saying otherwise?  Dr. Mike has a phd in exercise physiology, a masters in biomechanics, and is a professor.  He has been called in to share his techniques with top government agencies.   Good enough for the government, but not for the popularity contest that has become coaching in bodybuilding.  The information Dr. Mike shared on that podcast was priceless.  But get this…we have less than 1,000 listens to that episode.  While the podcasts that are all about gossip on who Chris Bumstead’s new coach is will get the tens if not hundreds of thousands of views collectively.  So coaches like Mike don’t get the visibility and the parade of bro science coaches continues to march on.

The Third thing wrong with bodybuilding, is not the new divisions themselves, but what has happened since the addition of new divisions to non drug tested federations that do not require the amount of time to build muscle.  Bodybuilding is a sport that has evolved into one where you no longer need the years of preparation to be competitive.  I’ve seen girls who, no joke, started formal exercise for the first time in their life and within 6 months won a pro card.  A pro card. The same accolade that a bodybuilder with 10 to 20 years of lifting walks home with.  And in many federations, the same amount of prize money too.  I’m not talking down on any division, I’m talking complete FACTS and truth with no sugar coating about what is happening in the sport.  You want to know the truth, that’s what you are going to get here on this show.  No bubble gum talk about how everything and everyone is inspiring.  There are plenty inspiring stories and inspiring people, but the fact that this industry has become a major business that attracts anyone with a physique transformation is a fact. 

Which leads me to the fourth thing wrong in this sport, which is that it has become a big business.  More divisions with different levels of muscle requirements, means more people able to compete, which means more registrations, which also means more audience tickets, and from a coaching standpoint, means more Pro card opportunities, which also means more client pro cards to use as credentials in their social media profiles.  There are coaches that if you look to see what their formal education Is that makes them qualified to coach others you will often see two things.  One, they competed. And two, the number of pro card wins their clients have won in total.  That’s it for credentials.  You might find someone with a nutrition certification or a personal training certification too.  Bonus if there are additional degrees.  One coach in particular that coaches a lot of IFBB pros….I looked for credentials beyond pro card wins and couldn’t find ..any. 

And the fifth thing wrong is that the physiques rewarded in the divisions like bikini and men’s physique that were originally developed in bodybuilding-style federations to display just a foundation of muscle, a healthy appearance, a more hot on the beach look, has evolved over the past 5 years in particular to favor a much leaner and more muscular physique. 

If you are new to bodybuilding you might think that these divisions started in federations like the NPC. They didn’t. Bikini and model like men and women’s divisions started in places like the Fitness Universe federation, which as you might recall from what I said earlier, was a mainstream federation you could watch on tv. It wasn’t a bodybuilding driven federation and there were no such thing as Pro cards. The judging was done by modeling agencies, photographers, and other people in those kind of industries. You didn’t win a pro card, no, instead you won magazine covers, modeling contracts, and worldwide exposure. This federation never had a medic on standby for dehydration. There was a medic in case someone got hurt in a fitness routine. The look of bikini and men’s modeling and even figure and the more muscular men’s divisions was always healthy and the judging factored in marketability, which is why even today, although this federation is more popular overseas than in the US, it’s still alive and well and maintains a healthy and achievable look. And still no medic on staff for dehydration.

I’m talking about the the changes in The bikini, mens physique, and figure divisions in the other federations that are judged with a BODYBUILDING focus. Fitness Universe has been around for like 40 years and these issues were never present. It’s the bodybuilding drive. federations where the issues have come up.

Although today’s rewarded look is more muscular and leaner than when these divisions were introduced, still achievable without PEDs, maybe not figure in the NPC or men’s physique in IFBB, or Figure in the WBFF. Definitely possible in the OCB, WNBF, INBA and such. But here’s the problem.  The amount of muscle in the drug tested federations is considerably smaller than non drug tested federations. Same divisions. All of these divisions would normally require a few years of training to build the muscle. But there is a major disconnect because what’s being promoted on social media by coaches are these drastic transformations in a short amount of time too. And the elephant in the room is that to accomplish this, people are being encouraged to use PEDs and making it seem like they are no big deal.  In fact many of these transformations wouldn’t be possible so quickly without PED use.  Not because the look is unobtainable. It’s the time it would take to achieve them without PEDs. Muscle takes time to build.  Women’s lower bodies don’t just erase fat magically.  Many don’t want to wait a few years to be competitive when they see their friend do one show and win, since again, this sport has become perceived as achievable for everyone. 

But no one is talking about this.  Instead I was listening to a podcast recently where the coach literally said to his audience that you can compete naturally, but competing enhanced makes the process less difficult.  So basically the reason a woman should use anabolics and hormone adjusting concoctions is so her prep can be easier. I can’t even with this crap.  Remember what I said earlier about bodybuilding and how exclusive it was originally because not everyone could do it?  Well now you have coaches that say the reason to take things that are potentially body altering is because it will make bodybuilding easier. And my favorite bro science line is the fake reassurance that what they are given is super mild so it’s no big deal.  Guys, No amount of PED use is without some sort of potential sides. And some of these sides you will be living with for the rest of your life.  YOU are. Not your coach.   

If you know this and don’t care, that’s fine. I’m not talking about those of you who have lifted for 10-30 years and understand the pros and cons of PED use and choose to go that route fully educated and feeling good about your decision.  Even Victor Black, who was my recent guest expert on PEDs also says to get to your genetic potential first before even considering PED use.  I’m not talking to you that are in the know except to ask you to share this message I’m sending out to the bodybuilding industry. Let’s find those men and women who really need to hear this message.

Which leads me to this past weekend and what happened. 

I was at a local bodybuilding show and six women were treated for dehydration and it was suspected to be due to use of diuretics.  They were ALL women.  All newer competitors. Again, local show you guys.   One was even sent to the hospital.  Apparently this women was treated at first, brought back to adequate hydration levels, only for her coach to give her another diuretic, which then resulted in her being sent to the hospital.

I thought to myself that I wonder if she died who would be held responsible.  Probably not her coach because she willingly took that pill.  In fact, there are coaches in the industry who have had a few client deaths under their supervision.  They still have a long book of business.  The information spread for five seconds and died because of majorly life changing information like Chris Bumstead getting a new coach.

So let’s review what I said earlier about the 5 things wrong with this sport and then you can decide for yourself who is at fault.  First that trust issue.  Coach was trusted.  Clearly, because she took not one but two pills even after she was treated for dehydration.  Whose fault was that?  Not so obvious.

Second, there is no regulation in coaching practices so the perception of there being a magic peak week protocol runs rampant in our sport when true scientist like Dr Guillermo Escalante who was a guest here recently said it himself that no one needs a diuretic and instead just needs to get leaner.   So general acceptance of peak week protocols is a thing in our sport.

Third. New divisions created a new sport where competing is achievable for anyone.  Bodybuilding is a new sport.  It’s not for the exclusive anymore.  In fact, I saw a girl drunk and high at the same show rolling around on the floor back stage.    

Fourth bodybuilding is a business, so more divisions, more competitors, means more coaching and attendance opportunities.  Do one show and you can now make money being a coach because there is enough competitors to go around.  So there is a lot more money pushing attendance at shows, an abundance of posing clinics, and a lot more coaches promoting their services. 

And 5th is the level of leanness.  I was taken back by the level of leanest of competitors at this local amateur show.  The stakes have gotten higher in divisions that weren’t originally designed to be that shredded …. and from experience, I know that getting shredded requires a level of discomfort mentally and physically.  Not everyone can handle that.  And it’s not going to change. I was talking to a head judge in the IFBB recently and asked about the Leanness.  They like lean.  And muscle.  So there is no turning back.

So where do we go from here?  I really don’t know.  I know that the world of bodybuilding is still a sub culture so a lot of things easily get swept under the rug.  And that even deaths don’t change anything.  A posing client of mine did her first local show in Canada and at that show someone actually died.  Didn’t see any posts about it anywhere.  Nothing on the national news either. Did a Google search and found no coverage of it either.

Bodybuilding isn’t all bad. I talk about the good the bad and the ugly here on this show and this topic is one of those ugly ones. Bodybuilding has transformed me mentally, physically, and I have had the privilege to help men and women find the super star within and bring it out of them on stage at their shows. I’m working with a make bodybuilder that is about to turn 75 and he told me recently that from working with me he has discovered things about himself he never knew. And he has never felt so confident on stage before. I love the self discovery and continuous self improvement that happens with bodybuilding. I don’t like seeing people making bad decisions with lifelong consequences that were preventable. I don’t like seeing people build poor relationships with their body, mind, and self love. And I don’t like seeing people’s trust get taken advantage of.

The only thing I can do besides work with people one on one or with my classes at learntopose.com is bring these conversations forward and try to reach the masses. I will continue to real-talk with you all here, and ask you guys to share it.  I’m glad you are listening and enjoying the messages, but we need to get these messages out to the masses so we can bypass the word of mouth information.  If everyone shared this episode somewhere, a group, to a friend, anything, that will help.  I’m creating a mass consolidation of info here on this show so that it will be a one stop resource for any competitor, male or female, no matter what level, what division, what federation you compete in. 

Our industry is divided.  Many federations have the attitude that if you aren’t with us you are against us too which doesn’t help.  I almost couldn’t have a booth for my posing business at a show because I teach and judge for other federations.  I was told at first that the federation only allowed those who are a part of the federation in exclusivity to be a part of their shows.  And I was a paying customer promoting my personal business that helps ME make a living. 

This word of mouth attitude about one federation being better than others is all across our industry.  Don’t you see how divided this makes our industry and how this affects how information is spread?  If you are being told these are the only coaches to listen to, these are the only shows to consider doing, you are not welcome here if you aren’t part of our federation, don’t you see how that creates a bubble around someone new to competing that keeps them from hearing other perspectives that might be better for them or HELP them? And do you see how valuable information will only continue to be segmented and not issued to people across all federations unless it breaks these industry bubbles and people see the sport as a whole?

I am partial to no federation because a bodybuilder is a bodybuilder no matter where he or she competes.  And I’ve competed in 6 federations, coached for pretty much all of them, and coming up I will have judged for 3 of them.  So my experience and view on the industry is going to be a lot different than the person that only competes, cares about, or allows their competitors to compete in one federation.  Or only teaches one division. And only women.  Or only men.  And my perspective will be without the industry popularity contest nonsense.  You will continue to learn the good the bad and the ugly across all federations and I will not sugar coat the truth to make friends. As an athlete wouldn’t you want to know all of your options?  Wouldn’t you want to know dangers, warning signs, pros, cons and things of the such when you are pursuing something that could legit harm you?  Or things that could help you become freaking awesome in this sport?  Super successful without the harm to your health?

On a side note, at a recent show, It was eye opening how many people shunned the flyers with info on my posing business, learntopose.com, we handed out.  It’s cool, I get it, that not everyone wants help, and I’m not trying to say if you didn’t grab a flyer you are a dick. I’m talking about the attitudes we got and how those were more surprising than anything.  The attitude like, they didn’t even want to consider another perspective.  Hand up, talk to the hand. Why this doesn’t make sense to me me is that bodybuilding is an individual sport, not a team sport, so improvement should be self motivated.   Let me give you a comparison to think about.

As you might recall in addition to my professional posing business for all divisions and federations, I’ve been a real estate broker and agent for 17 years.  I remember going to real estate conventions and everyone there was wearing the colors of their real estate firm and proudly stating what company they are with.  But everyone stopped at booths to hear about how they, an individual, can get better at real estate.  Everyone.  Why?  Well there’s money involved with real estate.  These realtors didn’t say, “well my real estate firm knows everything so I don’t need to hear anything more about what I can do to improve.”  No, they were hungry to improve because they were hungry to make money.

Real estate is also an individual profession where you are a part of a company, but you are your own business within it.  Like in bodybuilding you can be a part of a team, but at the end of the day, it’s not a team sport.  Similar. Your trophies are stored in your home.  If you earn prize money, YOU take it home. 

Plus to be successful in real estate, which is also, like bodybuilding, a word of mouth industry, you are reliant heavily on referrals.  Do you see how similar this is?

Here’s where the similarity send. In real estate, you can make a lot of money if you learn new tactics and strategies. In bodybuilding, will you earn more money if you hear a new perspective?  Nope. In fact you might earn ZERO money your entire career in bodybuilding.  Unlike in real estate you really don’t earn money at all in bodybuilding.  Instead, you spend a helluva lot and walk away with a plastic trophy, a line item in your social media profile, and super market flowers as my friend Kim says.

My goal in all of this is for you to not end up on a hospital gurney rushed to the hospital for something preventable. To not make decisions you will regret for the rest of your life. To not get caught up in the high school popularity show and focus on doing what’s best for you. I want you to walk away with self love, confidence, and looking and feeling like a champion. I need your help to spread the word.

All right guys I think that’s enough of a rant for today don’t you think? Thank you again for listening! I have a really great new series that I’m starting beginning next week where I am profiling each of the Federations one episode at a time. I think you guys are really gonna love this. My first interview for this new series will not disappoint.

In the meantime head over to learntopose.com if you want a free assessment on your Posing and a roadmap on how to get better, and dare I say, awesome at it. It’s free so head on over.

And as always please share this podcast in all of your Facebook groups and all of your friends so we can get the word out there. I appreciate you very much and will talk to you again soon.