BODYBUILDING IN PERIL
by Victor Richards, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder
Why is bodybuilding in peril? Because it is populated with athletes who despite the odds are willing to jeopardize their health, family, financial freedom, regular lifetime activities and even their life to be controlled and create wealth for very few who do not even share their passion for the sport.
I have often asked myself what my true mission is in a sport I came upon by circumstance, not choice. I never dreamt of being a bodybuilder.
Indeed, I suffered the ridicule by some family members who felt that my potential was wasted on being a bodybuilder rather than a surgeon or physicist. As time progressed I found that my calling was to be a teacher and a messenger within the sport- it was not to be the world's biggest bodybuilder.
It can be very difficult to deliver a meaningful message to people who truly believe that the messenger is greater than the message or may I say people that believe that you can sow rice and harvest corn.
Recently, fans and friends from around the world have asked me to opine regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger taking his pictures off the wall from Gold's Gym at Venice beach-"The Mecca of Bodybuilding." However they also ask me if Greg Valentino is really bodybuilding?
Both questions provide insight regarding bodybuilding's current ???Peril." Schwarzenegger broke the stereotypical image of bodybuilding by being elected the Governor of California, the eighth largest economy in the world. He did not win the election by promising to break legs but rather by challenging voters to judge him as an individual. Arnold refused to be grouped with the circus entertainers featured on shows like Jerry Springer and Maury Pauvich.
Greg Valentino on the other hand purposely put himself before the public committing bizarre, unnatural acts like draining puss out of his bicep and other body parts. No wonder Arnold Schwarzenegger chose to disassociate himself from such lunatic entertainment.
Unlike bodybuilding, other sports like football, baseball and basketball are spending huge fortunes on targeted public relation campaigns to portray their respective sports in a positive manner.
In years gone by bodybuilding had positive role models like Larry Scott,steve reeves,Reg Park and Bill Pearl to represent the sport. These men were great, respectable family oriented people who cared about their health and image of their sport. Today, the public is exposed and subjected to creatures like Greg Valentino as representative of bodybuilding when in fact he does not represent the sport on any level.
In fact Greg Valentino is an example of a mentally challenged human being with several body image and mental issues. Greg's situation is a lesson to us all to re-evaluate our priorities in life. Greg's family and friends, including the industry, should concentrate on Greg's welfare and mental health and shield him from public humiliation through an intervention and committal rather than profiting from his mental illness. Greg's condition has unfortunately alienated bodybuilding from its original core and foundations of holistic health and wellness. As such, the health and fitness industry does not want to identify with bodybuilding and bodybuilders and instead uses cyclists like "Lance Armstrong" and tennis players like "Andrea Agassi" for advertizing icons in the industry that bodybuilding created.
Perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger is removing his photos to distance himself from the negative image or perhaps it is really because he knows of the impending scrutiny which is about to face the bodybuilding industry. Like an animal sensing a tsunami, Arnold Schwarzenegger is heading for high ground. There must be some reason because Arnold leaving his bodybuilding roots is like Michael Jordan disassociating himself from basketball or Ali disassociating himself from boxing.
After reading this you ask ???why can???t Victor try to help make a change instead of criticizing???? Well as some of you may have noticed, I have been quiet for years; to the point where many of my fans were wondering what ever happened to me. Well my absence was due to my faith in the establishment that it would do the right thing and that things would change. I tried to work with the establishment from within to improve the sport but due to greed and arrogance no one agreed that the sport needed to change. So today I am going to the grass roots to summon change for the sport that I love with all my passion.
Vic Richards - Professional Bodybuilder - Trainer, Nutritional Advice, and more!
by Victor Richards, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder
Why is bodybuilding in peril? Because it is populated with athletes who despite the odds are willing to jeopardize their health, family, financial freedom, regular lifetime activities and even their life to be controlled and create wealth for very few who do not even share their passion for the sport.
I have often asked myself what my true mission is in a sport I came upon by circumstance, not choice. I never dreamt of being a bodybuilder.
Indeed, I suffered the ridicule by some family members who felt that my potential was wasted on being a bodybuilder rather than a surgeon or physicist. As time progressed I found that my calling was to be a teacher and a messenger within the sport- it was not to be the world's biggest bodybuilder.
It can be very difficult to deliver a meaningful message to people who truly believe that the messenger is greater than the message or may I say people that believe that you can sow rice and harvest corn.
Recently, fans and friends from around the world have asked me to opine regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger taking his pictures off the wall from Gold's Gym at Venice beach-"The Mecca of Bodybuilding." However they also ask me if Greg Valentino is really bodybuilding?
Both questions provide insight regarding bodybuilding's current ???Peril." Schwarzenegger broke the stereotypical image of bodybuilding by being elected the Governor of California, the eighth largest economy in the world. He did not win the election by promising to break legs but rather by challenging voters to judge him as an individual. Arnold refused to be grouped with the circus entertainers featured on shows like Jerry Springer and Maury Pauvich.
Greg Valentino on the other hand purposely put himself before the public committing bizarre, unnatural acts like draining puss out of his bicep and other body parts. No wonder Arnold Schwarzenegger chose to disassociate himself from such lunatic entertainment.
Unlike bodybuilding, other sports like football, baseball and basketball are spending huge fortunes on targeted public relation campaigns to portray their respective sports in a positive manner.
In years gone by bodybuilding had positive role models like Larry Scott,steve reeves,Reg Park and Bill Pearl to represent the sport. These men were great, respectable family oriented people who cared about their health and image of their sport. Today, the public is exposed and subjected to creatures like Greg Valentino as representative of bodybuilding when in fact he does not represent the sport on any level.
In fact Greg Valentino is an example of a mentally challenged human being with several body image and mental issues. Greg's situation is a lesson to us all to re-evaluate our priorities in life. Greg's family and friends, including the industry, should concentrate on Greg's welfare and mental health and shield him from public humiliation through an intervention and committal rather than profiting from his mental illness. Greg's condition has unfortunately alienated bodybuilding from its original core and foundations of holistic health and wellness. As such, the health and fitness industry does not want to identify with bodybuilding and bodybuilders and instead uses cyclists like "Lance Armstrong" and tennis players like "Andrea Agassi" for advertizing icons in the industry that bodybuilding created.
Perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger is removing his photos to distance himself from the negative image or perhaps it is really because he knows of the impending scrutiny which is about to face the bodybuilding industry. Like an animal sensing a tsunami, Arnold Schwarzenegger is heading for high ground. There must be some reason because Arnold leaving his bodybuilding roots is like Michael Jordan disassociating himself from basketball or Ali disassociating himself from boxing.
After reading this you ask ???why can???t Victor try to help make a change instead of criticizing???? Well as some of you may have noticed, I have been quiet for years; to the point where many of my fans were wondering what ever happened to me. Well my absence was due to my faith in the establishment that it would do the right thing and that things would change. I tried to work with the establishment from within to improve the sport but due to greed and arrogance no one agreed that the sport needed to change. So today I am going to the grass roots to summon change for the sport that I love with all my passion.
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Vic Richards - Professional Bodybuilder - Trainer, Nutritional Advice, and more!
