Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to WrestleMania!! The showcase of the immortals!
Do you remember when you were a kid? How you looked at the world in wonderment. Everything seemed to be so amazing and unbelievable.
I remember the first time I ever watched pro-wrestling, I was in awe. Who the heck is this guy called the Ultimate Warrior running to the ring like a lunatic!?
I thought now would be a good time to reflect and share my unconscious influences as a child that lead me to live the ‘physical culture’ lifestyle.
Arnold was never my hero.
For 18 months, I worked as a freelancer to Muscle Mag and interviewed local bodybuilders. A question I would always ask was; what influenced you to get into bodybuilding? Without hesitation, almost everyone I ever interviewed would say “Arnold Schwarzenegger”.
Heres my deal… My parents never let me watch the Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian or any of those cool Arnold movies except for Twins with Danny DeVito (eyes roll). Its not that I don’t find Arnold inspiring, I do, but that prime age (the modelling period) where images are imprinted into your subconscious and affect who you are to become was a ‘Arnold free zone’. So what did that leave me with?
Wrestling! (and Superheroes)
Fortunately, my Dad and Grandfather loved wrestling… And whats not to love?! The athletic spectacle, jacked warriors, riveting stories as the thousands in attendance cheering (or booing). I love wrestling. People can call it ‘fake’ but define ‘fake’. I know a lot of women with ‘fake’ boobs, they’re still nice to look at. Movies are ‘fake’ but we still watch them. Story lines maybe scripted, but who really cares?
It was wrestling, not bodybuilding that prompted me to train. Hence, I have never really cared for competing but to perform. Watching feats of strength, picking up 500 pounds of human and flipping it over your head… Thats strength!
What are your unconscious reasons for getting into training? Would love to know.
Mark Ottobre
