As a bodybuilder, I have always strived to share my message of ultimate health with the public. Despite my good intentions, however, some individuals have distorted or misinterpreted my words and actions in other bodybuilding forums. Others have also criticized my bodybuilding career because I have not competed. I want to clear up any misconceptions about my career and my philosophy—not to boost my ego, but instead as a way of letting my fans know that I am committed to helping them. My fans should not be misled when others attack me without justification or provocation. All I want my fans to know is that when I get at the true essence of the sport of bodybuilding, and when I understand what it is truly about, I realize that the material trappings associated with it mean very little in comparison to the holistic, mental and spiritual benefits.
My fans have always been very loyal to me because they agree with my philosophy which positions bodybuilding as part of a complete and healthy lifestyle. Like me, these people believe that true bodybuilding is not just about going on stage and exhibiting a person’s physical appearance in order to earn trophies and inflate an individual’s ego. True competitive bodybuilding instead focuses on holistic health, and requires a balance between body and mind.
Rather than focusing on competing against others, bodybuilders should instead compete with themselves, pushing themselves and striving to be their very best rather than focusing their energy on defeating others. I do not compete because I want to live a life of ultimate health, in which I feel good about myself; I do not have to defeat others to feel fulfilled. I am reminded of Bruce Lee, who gained a massive following in the martial arts, but who never competed professionally because he viewed his sport as a spiritual art. Like Bruce Lee, I prefer to compete within myself rather than against others. Unfortunately, bodybuilders often try to master something or someone outside themselves rather than looking to master themselves first.
My criticism of the bodybuilding establishment and the bodybuilding lifestyle has always been motivated by a genuine desire to help those who waste or destroy their lives by achieving fleeting fame through unhealthy means. It pains me to see these individuals struggle and suffer with their insecurities and low self-esteem. If these bodybuilders cannot love and feel good about themselves, how can they expect to love others? Healthy interpersonal relationships comprise an essential component of ultimate health. Some individuals unwisely compromise their family relationships—as well as their health, dignity, principles and character—to achieve fifteen minutes of fame and have people tell them how great they are.
Many bodybuilders live a life that defeats the essence of the sport, and that kills their spirit. Bodybuilders have been treated like livestock and reduced to objects by the establishment. They tend to be seen, but not heard from. Nobody values what bodybuilders have to say, but instead such people expect bodybuilders to build muscle and otherwise remain silent. Some bodybuilders accept the objectifying perceptions that others project onto them, and willingly throw away their family, health and freedom to achieve fame and secure their ego. In order to secure sponsorships, individuals will prostitute themselves to the bodybuilding establishment. I do not refer to prostitution here in the sexual sense, but rather to the extent that bodybuilders are devalued as people, subjugated to the will of others, and are objectified and dehumanized by the establishment.
In such an unhealthy competitive environment, many bodybuilders focus on themselves; the bodybuilding community lacks cohesion because so many people think of themselves first. Motivated by jealousy or other unsavory ulterior motives, bodybuilders spread false gossip and vicious rumors about others. Such backbiting serves two purposes: bodybuilders attempt to pull others down while they attempt to make themselves feel better. Like a victim of domestic violence, many bodybuilders refuse the well-intentioned help of others who want them to escape their unhealthy lifestyle. Bodybuilders will turn against those who try to liberate them from the bondage imposed upon them by the establishment. Such bodybuilders hate themselves more than those who prostitute and exploit them. When individuals harbor such a negative sense of themselves, they are not living a life of ultimate health. Many bodybuilders in the sport do not know when or how to get themselves out of the lifestyle, yet those who have achieved the greatest success in the sport, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, stopped competing at a relatively young age to pursue other goals, while continuing to live a life of complete health. Some competing bodybuilders cannot pull themselves away from the lifestyle; even if they do manage to pull themselves away, they inevitably return. Because some bodybuilders remain motivated by self-interest and retain a myopic view of the sport and its establishment, these people can never band together to form a union or come together as a unit to collectively better themselves.
I am not surprised that my critics have attacked me for not competing, because bodybuilders such as myself that do not compete never took the bait offered by the establishment. I did not fall into the trap set by the establishment and refused to live a lifestyle that contributed to my spiritual, mental, and physical deterioration rather than ultimate health. Rather than live a life imposed upon me by others, I live in a way that provides me with complete health. I am dismayed by the way in which the bodybuilding establishment destroys the lives of countless misguided and insecure individuals. Bodybuilding should constitute part of a healthy lifestyle; this is the only message I have ever wished to convey to anyone willing to listen.
I do not understand why the bodybuilding establishment should attack me for having good intentions, except that they must be angry with me for the potential profit they have lost from having me compete. I am not stating this with any arrogance, but I know from my years in the sport that I have many loyal and dedicated fans who have provided me with great support. I will not focus on the ephemeral benefits of the unhealthy bodybuilding lifestyle forced on others; I am thoroughly committed to sharing my message with all of my fans and helping them to achieve their fitness goals. I realize that my resistance to the establishment might have closed off some opportunities for me that bodybuilders willing to conform to the system have received, but I feel enriched and rewarded by the experiences I have had in living a life in which I can feel fulfilled and enjoy health. In compromising the well-being of bodybuilders, the establishment treats these bodybuilders like race horses. These races, as manifested in bodybuilding competitions, might be fun for the spectators, but they are not so fun for the horses. True bodybuilding, as I practice it and benefit from it, focuses on finding balance and health in a person’s life. Individuals should incorporate bodybuilding into a lifestyle that also emphasizes family, principles, dignity, health and freedom. Only then can a person enjoy ultimate health. I hope that my critics will realize my good intentions, and cease these unfounded attacks upon me. I thank all my fans for their continued support. I look forward to continuing my mission and sharing with others the benefits of ultimate health.
Vic Richards
