LIFE: Getting the Results You Want

Cole Lewis, Staff Writer

One…Two…Three…The tired young man counts silently as sweat trickles down his face; his arms bulge with strain and countless veins.
Four…Five…Six…The bar, hoping for a brief moment of weakness weighs down maliciously against him.
Seven…Eight…Nine…His teeth clench, an exasperated grunt escapes from his lips….Ten!
Usually when someone thinks of a bodybuilder, the WWF and the World’s Strongest Man competition come to mind. But bodybuilders are not limited to only these two categories.
In fact, there are many male students on campus who follow similar regimes as professional bodybuilders.
“I do a lot of sprints, and long distance running, and when in season, I lift weights for high reps and moderate weight. When out of season, I lift heavyweight at lower reps,” junior Jordan Oseguera, VU baseball player, said.
In order to bulk up and stay in shape, creating a routine is key. Whether it is waking up at 6:00 am or hitting the weight room at night, those who are avidly trying to build their muscle mass are determined to stick to a routine.
“I work out three-to-four days a week and I lift three sets of each muscle like the back, chest, glutes, hamstrings, quads and biceps,” sophomore Jordan Wishmyer, VU baseball player said.
Even those not playing sports on campus have rigorous routines that they follow when trying to bulk up or stay in shape.
“I usually start with squats and do three sets of 10 reps,” sophomore Daniel Bertsch said. “I increase weight by about 25 pounds or more every set and I usually increase weight every time I do that work out. Then I move on to bench press with the same number of sets and reps. I move on to auxiliaries after that which include lat pulls, dumbbell triceps, triceps pull down, abs, and flies,”
This lifestyle is strict and intense, so why do these young men engage in these types of strenuous activities?
Some people assume that men body build just because of their image, leading one to the conclusion they are shallow, vain and egotistical characters. Contrary to what some think, bodybuilders don’t always follow that stereotype. In fact, these bodybuilders dedicate their lives for the satisfaction of a healthy future.
“ I train for general health also, not just baseball. I am going to get to play baseball for X amount of time. So I would like to be able to still run, and be involved in physical activity when I’m forty-years-old,” Oseguera said.
Providing a new outlook on bodybuilding that is much deeper than vanity, these men choose this lifestyle instead to display a healthy pride and strength.
“I train to keep in shape and to maintain strength,” Bertsch said. “But I also believe it’s my duty as a man to be able to work hard and defend myself.”
In reference to the well-known quip about bodybuilders using steroids, our VU guys want nothing to do with them or any other type of supplement. Bertsch, Oseguera, and Wishmyer concur that an increase in protein will suffice.
“I take protein shakes with a lot of glutomine for recovery and sometimes I’ll take some free form amino acids and branch chain amino acids,” Wishmyer said.
VU Assistant Athletic Trainer Alice Loebsack who has a Master’s in Kinesiology and is an Approved Clinical Instructor encourages students to do exercises that are higher in weight and lower in repetition in order to bulk up. She also advises aspiring bodybuilders to take at least two days to recover in between training sessions.