Of all the sports in the world, bodybuilding is likely the most self-centered, egotistical of all. Nowhere else do you find men (and women) flexing their muscles on stage in a speedo for a day. And yet, the sport can still be used to glorify God. Brandon, have you gone completely off the deep end? Quite possibly, italicized representation of my audience, but allow me to present my case.
First, it’s important to understand the motivational factor for bodybuilders in general (this is going to take awhile – Christian specific content will come, trust me). Ladies, I’m not in your head, so this is specifically in regards to male bodybuilders. For many of us, our initial motivator is for attention from women. And it certainly does work for that purpose. But there is a point of diminishing returns. There comes a point when a larger physique doesn’t bring much more attention, and this where many “bodybuilders” remain content and stagnant. But to bring it to a competitive level requires a change in the motivational factor and a mental hardness that doesn’t come about from working for the ladies. Especially in untested organizations where steroids are rampant and physiques become less desirable to most women. Competitive level bodybuilders are in the gym most days of the week, track nutrients enough to make the most obsessive compulsive people jealous, and become egregiously tired and moody from the level of dieting required for a single day’s worth of posing. I’ve heard it said that bodybuilding requires a mental drive greater than that of the Marines, coming from the mouth of a Marine. I still take this statement with a grain of salt, but the point remains. The sheer amount of dedication involved is not worth it if you’re only thinking of women.
So why DO we do it? For many, I would say ego still plays a role. It’s a competitive sport. Bodybuilders are always striving to become better than the competition and even ourselves. But ego isn’t all of it. Have you ever done something that you simply love, whether you can explain it or not? For some, it’s the calm of casting a line into the lake, followed by the excitement of reeling in a big fish (or a snag, as I tend to do most of the time). For others, it’s the feel of driving a tiny white ball across a field to a tiny hole in the ground. For those of us who bodybuild, we love to “pick things up and put them down.” The gym is a sanctuary where none of the crap from our daily lives has to bring us down (unless you have your phone with you…you know who you are). Throwing around heavy chunks of iron does wonders for stress relief and is just plain fun. We step on stage because it’s a natural thing to show off the results of a sport we simply love to do anyway. If these competitions didn’t exist, I assure you that many competitors would still be hitting the gym and making the less dedicated patrons uneasy. The stage just allows us to combine our love of the gym with our desire for a competitive outlet. It’s like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made out of iron and biceps.
But how do we reconcile that with God? I can’t speak for all bodybuilders, even Christian ones, but my experience may be able to lend some insight. Let’s go back to the idea of the gym as a sanctuary. When I get in that gym, I can shut off all ties to the outside world. Any pent up aggression gets transferred into those weights and does wonders for maintaining a calm demeanor outside the gym. This is vital for reflecting God’s glory. It’s impossible to be an effective witness for God when you constantly snap at people. Be it lifting weights or knitting, it’s important to find an outlet for negative emotion so your interaction with others becomes more like Christ’s. Of course, He isn’t some passive aggressive ninny, but that’s a discussion for a later post.
And what about competition? Surely, I must be off my rocker if I think winning a “pose off” brings glory to God. Barring the fact that my chair does not rock (never mind, I just discovered it does), it depends on how you handle the competition. Of course many get on stage to say “hey, look at me”, but others do it for different reasons. Some hope to be an inspiration for others, saying that you “can do all things through Christ who give me strength.” Even Ronnie Coleman, who many argue is the greatest bodybuilder in history, thanks Jesus Christ whenever he is named Mr. Olympia. Mentioning Christ to thousands of people when awarded the greatest honor in the sport can have a powerful effect. Still others may be showing off the wonders of the human body which God has made. This one personally rings true for me. Through bodybuilding, I am always learning new things about the human body that never cease to amaze me. The level of complexity is astounding and could not have happened by chance.
Now let’s look at another aspect of bodybuilding – community. Any group of like-minded individuals is going to create a community (sounds like the Church, eh?). In this case, it’s a common love for lifting weights and competing (competition tends to be a driving force for many male-dominated communities). Major bodybuilding competitions and events like the Arnold Expo bring in a lot of people with the same interests. This is a ripe field for proclaiming Christ. It is (relatively) easy to proclaim Christ through word and action to people that have similar interests. People are going to wonder how you can compete and still place Christ at the center of your life. The humility that comes from Christ is going to be of interest to people when contrasted by the typical egotism of the sport. Compare that to handing out gospel tracts on the street, or trying to reflect Christ in a sewing circle while having no interest in sewing. It doesn’t work so well (especially those gospel tracts…).
I hope this article has clarified an often misunderstood sport, at least in regards to the Christians involved in it. I pray that, whatever you do, that you’ll take this and apply it to your own life. Are you glorifying God with whatever takes up the majority of your time? Is there a niche God has called you to, and how can you proclaim Christ in that niche? “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
