Do Bodybuilders Have the Psyche of Superheroes?
Do Bodybuilders Have the Psyche of Superheroes?
One Expert Says Yes!
JOE ON SUPERHEROES
One of the most prized possessions of my lucky life has been the long conversations I used to have with Joe Weider. The man, known as the father of bodybuilding, among other things, created the top mags of his era and launched the Mr. Olympia contest, had an artistic view of bodybuilding. Oh, he admired the Herculean type physique that personified power, but for him the perfect body was a work of art – a walking sculpture within which everything flowed. He loved bodybuilding and bodybuilders and on one occasion he told me the seed that he considered drove most top pros: “They see themselves as like comic book superheroes, driven from within to overcome other adversaries of mythical proportions. Dumbbells and barbells are like Samurai swords they weald to overcome others similarly armed. As superheroes they see themselves as invincible, able to surmount any challenge. They drive themselves with thoughts that they must prevail or die in the attempt. They think of themselves as unconquerable superheroes. They believe that no one else has their work ethic or resilience and that what others succumb to – injury, health issues – won’t happen to them. That’s why some of them become cavalier with drug intake, steroids, diuretics etc. They see that others have suffered with such an approach, but as superheroes they are convinced that such a fate does not await them.”
