The Trainer/Guru | To Have or Not to Have ?
The Trainer/Guru: To Have Or Not To Have?
Shawn Ray & Kevin Levrone Sound Off
Q: How is it that every top pro has one now, yet in your time they were far and few between? What advantage or disadvantage do they bring to the finished product onstage? Do we credit the athlete or the guru for the ultimate success or failure?
Shawn Ray
Starting out at age 17, I read every article I could on the champions who led the way in an industry filled with superstars regarding what they ate, how they trained and how they lived. I strived day in and day out to join this elite fraternity of gladiators and artists through perseverance and dedication to “copying” their ideals and philosophies based on their approach to this sport of bodybuilding. In hindsight, I rarely if ever saw the words “trainer, manager, guru” or even “mentor” in their training articles. It begs the question, how did these guys ever find their way through this industry if no one was showing them the way? (Originally published in the February 2014 edition of MD Magazine.)
I competed for three years as an amateur before earning my pro card in 1987, then went on to compete as a professional for another 14 years without ever enlisting the services of a nutritionist, trainer, advisor, guru or mentor, and landed myself into pro bodybuilding’s Hall of Fame when all was said and done. Looking back, either I am a genius and figured everything out in a matter of a few shows, or I’m the luckiest bodybuilder to ever live. Since we all know I am neither, how does that explain the fact that basically all pro bodybuilders competing today are bouncing from one guru/trainer to the next in hopes of furthering their careers? I can’t interview bodybuilders now without them giving thanks and heaping praise on their prep coach, guru, trainer, nutritionist or what have you. It’s as if the athletes themselves can’t take credit for anything they’ve done in the gym because they have paid someone to tell them what to do. Is this where we have come as an industry ripe with talent and youth? I am now left with more questions than answers when interviewing the athletes, as if I should simply bypass the athletes and speak directly with the trainer/guru in search of clarity and insight to contest prep and achievement.
Is this new influx of gurus and trainers a plus or a minus as it relates to the end product? I guess it depends on your perspective. I don’t like the idea of handing my passion, career and future competitive plans over to someone I am paying my hard-earned money to give me advice on what I should put into my body, then map out my competitive career as if they know what is best for me and my interests. Then they want a percentage of my prize money too! Somehow the guru and trainers have become “everything” to the athlete— a combination of psychologist, best friend, manager, advisor, dietitian, posing coach and bodyguard when it comes to the guidance and plotting of the athlete’s competition plans. I preferred the time when the athletes controlled their own image, posing style, competition selection and careers. At least then we had an idea of what we liked in a person and their craft compared to the “watered down” conglomeration of different inputs, ideas and formulations rolled into one athlete not knowing who is who and what is what.
The athlete ultimately decides to chart his or her path through this industry, but there is something to be said for the “journey of self exploration,” which was the aspect I loved most. Trial and error has its place when trying to figure it all out, and I loved the fact that my physique and career would either sink or swim based off what I presented onstage as an individual who simply did what the Hall of Famers before me did, and ultimately led me to where they reside— the IFBB Pro Hall of Fame in 2007.
Follow Shawn on Twitter: @sugarshawnray
Facebook: Shawn Ray
Kevin Levrone
I am in agreement with Shawn when it comes to this subject. Think about some of the greatest athletes of all time and what made them so memorable. Take Michael Jordan’s famous slam dunk he made so many times, taking off in the air from the foul line. No coach taught him how to do that. He innovated that himself. Now think about the Mr. Olympia winners who stand out among all others with the most solid and stable competitive records: Arnold and Lee Haney. They didn’t have gurus or coaches, and neither did Dorian Yates or myself. We all trusted our own instincts and forged our own paths. Guys today might hold some impressive titles too, but will they go down in history as being the best men to hold those titles?
Nothing is more powerful than making your own decisions. Of course, a guru can help get you to the top faster by avoiding certain mistakes. But there is a power in having the guts to make mistakes and learn from each one of them so you come back better every time. Ultimately, you are the one who has to go out there on that stage and pose your physique.
I believe there is a certain disconnect between the athletes who rely on coaches with the audience and their fans. It’s not really 100 percent them you are seeing up there, is it? Real champions are built from the inside out. A guru can make suggestions and give you guidelines to follow. But to be the elite of the elite, someone who is going to be remembered for generations after they are gone, you have to trust yourself and not rely on outside sources to make your decisions. That’s what a pioneer does. That’s what an innovator does.
None of this is to say that having a support system is a bad thing. Even the greats from the ‘70s like Arnold, Lou Ferrigno, Tom Platz, Frank Zane and Robby Robinson had people in their corners to turn to for opinions and feedback. But in the end, those men made the final decisions about how they trained, what they ate and which contests they entered. That’s why we look back at all of them now as legends and pioneers who we owe debts of gratitude to for blazing the trail we followed.
You know who my guru is? God. He’s the one who wakes me up every morning and puts me to sleep every night. He’s the one I cry to when I have troubles. God gave me my abilities and a mind to make my own decisions, and that’s what I have done from day one.
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @levrone2000
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