Men's Group

I remember feeling self-conscious about my slight build as a kid way back to when I was in kindergarten. I'm not sure how it started. I was impressed by Mighty Mouse. (Don't laugh. I was only five years old.) Perhaps being physically assaulted by bigger kids had something to do with it.

I was lured into a gym (specifically, a local 24 Hour Fitness) when I was 57 years old. Ever since I placed membership, I've wondered why I didn't join a health club much sooner. Perhaps the disgrace that was mandatory boys' P.E. had something to do with it. (You know what I mean: forced participation in competitive team games, fear of humiliation and bullying, no instruction in the sports themselves, disdain on the part of the P.E. teachers and coaches against scrawny boys and fat boys, no mention of exercise programs -- not even any mention of bodybuilding). Incidentally, I never got any exercise in P.E. Never so much as worked up a sweat. Sorry, but I just had to say all that. It's just that I get sick and tired of all the people who demand that P.E. be mandatory K/12 because of all the kids who are fat, but don't see any need for genuine fitness programs that actually help nonathletic kids. Of course, the original mandatory P.E. was never really about promoting physical fitness in the first place. In my humble opinion, the purpose of the old P.E. when it was first instituted in schools was two-fold: (1) to promote sports, and (2) to punish nonathletic boys.

Anyway, my experience of working with personal trainers on a bodybuilding program has been quite therapeutic psychologically, as well as beneficial to my physical health! I have more muscular development now than I ever did when I was a boy or a young man (which actually isn't saying much, since I had no development at all when I was young). I have considerably more self-confidence, feeling power in my body that I've never felt before. But I'm still not satisfied with my physique! Progress has been extremely slow because of chronic sleep disorder and dietary restrictions imposed by diabetes. If I were foolish, I'd succumb to the temptation to abuse steroids.

I wish I had taken up bodybuilding when I was a teenager, a time in my life when I had no self-confidence. Bodybuilding is a wonder fitness activity for teenage boys who have no interest in sports.

I just wish a lot of boys could accept their bodies (something I wasn't quite able to do when I was a kid) and get away from the notion that sports or muscularity defines masculinity. There have been many great men, including extremely heroic guys, who had lousy physiques. It's funny; I certainly don't look down on guys who are scrawny or fat. In fact, I think such an attitude is stupid and contemptible. But I'm sure hard on myself!

Don't know if any of my comments in this post will add to the conversation. Probably not, but who cares?