"Publisher's Page" by Doug Schneider
Reversal of Fortune: Why Natural Bodybuilding is Taking Over in Canada
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Created: 01 September 2010 01 September 2010
I’ve been covering bodybuilding and fitness for just over ten years – I started photographing competitions in 2000 and writing about them a year or so later. In the time I’ve been involved, I’ve worked in an official capacity with many of the country’s key physique organizations, usually as their photographer and oftentimes writing about their shows. As a result, over the course of the decade I have attended more events by more organizations than any other journalist in the country. I mention this because it’s this background and experience that has allowed me to comment on a significant change that I’ve noticed happening in Canadian bodybuilding: Ten years ago, it was the organizations that didn’t drug test their shows that dominated the Canadian scene; today, the organizations that promote drug-tested bodybuilding competion have been growing by leaps and bounds, whereas those organizations that refuse to drug test their shows have simply stagnated or shrunk.
The most obvious example of impressive growth comes from the IDFA (International Drug Free Athletics). In just five years, they’ve gone from only one competition held in Toronto to almost ten this year held across the country. Part of their success comes from being a well-run organization. But I believe another part of their success comes from promoting only drug-free competitions. What’s more, their stance on drug-free sport has not only contributed to their growth but has also gained respect for their organization in the bodybuilding community and in the public eye as well. Quite simply, the IDFA has not only grown faster than anyone else, they’ve also had more mainstream exposure.
This trend is real, but not particularly surprising. I believe that the reason that natural (i.e., drug-free) bodybuilding in Canada has become so popular comes down to two things. While most of the bodybuilding industry is rife with drug abuse to the point of seeming to accept it, the public doesn’t condone drug use in sports – particularly the Canadian public. One just has to look back to 1988 when Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal in the Olympics because of a positive drug test. That was more than 20 years ago, but most Canadians still remember that moment as if it happened just yesterday. Similar things are happening in other countries today. If you look south of the border, a number of top athletes in the United States are being formally questioned about their drug use and are being publicly disgraced if it’s found out that drugs contributed to their success, and even jailed if they lied to the government about their use.
There’s no question that the public at large does not condone drug use. Furthermore, I believe that there is a large number of bodybuilders who don’t condone it either. As a result, when an organization like the IDFA comes on the scene, these drug-free competitors will flock to it in order to compete on a level playing field with natural athletes.
The IDFA has enjoyed astonishing growth in Canada.
The other reason natural bodybuilding is so popular is that it’s healthier. Side effects from long-term steroid use have been well known for decades, and I know from my ten-plus years of covering bodybuilding that the drug use in non-tested competitions is not only extremely bad, but it’s getting worse and many competitors are falling ill from it. I know of heart attacks as well as liver and kidney failure that are the result of extreme drug use, and I’ve known far too many competitors who have suffered severe infections and landed themselves in the hospital by using “homebrew” drugs, which seem to be what many competitors use, since pharmaceutical-grade drugs from real drug manufacturers are in short supply. What’s more, competitors regularly use insulin, which can lead to diabetes or even instant death. Frankly, this only scratches the surface of what goes on. More important: Is any of that worth it for a measly trophy and the pitiful prize money bodybuilding brings, even at the top professional-level competitions?
Ironically, while drug abuse is spiralling out of control, a lot of commonsense is prevailing these days, and I routinely meet competitors who are truly concerned with their health and not willing to risk the very real and serious side effects drug use brings. Many of these people are “lifetime naturals,” but I also know a lot of competitors who have long since “kicked the drug habit” and are now competing completely clean, even if it means they are smaller than they were in their juiced-up heyday. They’re not only healthier, but happier too.
There’s been a reversal of fortune in Canadian bodybuilding. When I started covering the scene the competitive landscape was dominated by non-drug-tested competition. Today, the opposite is true. Canada has many more physique organizations than it did at the turn at the millennium and the ones that are succeeding are those putting on drug-tested events. Natural bodybuilding not only gives the sport far greater credibility, it’s safer and leads to better competitive longevity. And if you look at the success that organizations like the IDFA have had, it’s obviously better for business too.
. . . Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com.
The Drug-Free Superstars of Today and Tomorrow
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Created: 01 October 2010 01 October 2010
Bodybuilding is rife with drug abuse. Frankly, it has been for decades. It is a problem that much of the bodybuilding press will deny or try to downplay, but when people think about bodybuilding, they usually associate it with drugs, and they have good reason to do so. However, things are changing.
Ironically, in the last ten years or so, the most growth that competitive bodybuilding has seen has been on the drug-tested side. In the year 2000, which was when I started covering competitions, there were just a few drug-tested events nationwide, giving natural competitors very little opportunity to compete. Today, there are more than a dozen drug-free competitions held across the country, and most of them are run by the IDFA, now Canada’s fastest-growing and most influential bodybuilding organization. Times have changed and drug-free competing is on the upswing and is growing.
I can point to a number of reasons for the growth in natural bodybuilding, but that’s not the intention of this article. Rather, I wanted to draw attention to this incredible growth, and also to point something out: This explosion in natural bodybuilding has led to the creation of brand-new, drug-free bodybuilding stars who, in my opinion, have the potential for a lot more mainstream credibility than their drug-using counterparts ever had or ever will have. This new crop of champions aren’t just the stars of today; they will be the stars of tomorrow as well.
The reason I say that these drug-free competitors have more credibility in the mainstream comes down to this: Drug use is frowned upon in sports. It’s as simple as that. Look at the uproar in the United States these days regarding drug use and sports. First there were the scandals with the baseball players and the Olympic athletes like Marion Jones, and now it’s Lance Armstrong on the hot seat. Whenever drug use gets uncovered as contributing to an athlete’s success, credibility is lost and careers are often in tatters.
These days it’s not “if” but “when” a top athlete will get asked about drug use. The topic almost always comes up. And for drug-using athletes, there are basically two options if they’re asked whether they use drugs: they can either lie about it to cover it up or they can admit it. Both answers result in a no-win situation. If the athlete lies and is found out, which is happening to so many athletes in the United States these days, he or she will be branded as a liar and a cheat. If the athlete admits to drug use, he or she might be applauded for being honest, but they’ll still be regarded with disdain because it has been proven time and time again that the public doesn’t condone athletic performance that’s fuelled by drugs. The argument that “everyone is doing it” doesn’t hold either. The fact of the matter is that most people have more admiration for athletes who compete clean than those who do not. So if a drug-using athlete lies or confesses, the result is the same: no credibility with the public.
Drug-free bodybuilders may not have the sheer size or rock-hard density of the drug-using bodybuilders, but they have credibility that their counterparts lack. In turn, their achievements will be treated as more “real” by the people who admire them. There’s no better example of this today than Erik Alstrup, an IDFA professional bodybuilder who’s featured on our “cover” this month. He’s probably the best-known bodybuilder on the Canadian scene right now, with more titles this year than anyone else. Erik’s winning almost every competition he enters, both in Canada and in the United States, and his achievements are inspiring others to compete naturally and with integrity. In my opinion, Erik is one of bodybuilding’s superstars today, and with the way his streak of winning just keeps going on and on, his star will burn bright for years to come.
Erik Alstrup (right) with IDFA judge, Steve Duperre, at the 2010 IDFA Montreal Classic.
Erik’s not the only superstar in the natural bodybuilding scene at the moment. Dickens Lambert is the reigning IDFA Pro Universe and Pro International Champ, and Denis Pedneault, a three-time natural Canadian Champion who competes with the CBBF and is a writer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com, is also a frontrunner in the natural scene. If these three could meet on the same stage one day to compete physique to physique, it would be the bodybuilding event of the decade.
I can name more great natural competitors, but my point is this: There’s a new breed of drug-free bodybuilding superstars today that will still be considered stars tomorrow, even as new ones comes along. They possess credibility because they don’t need to lie to cover up drug use, and they will be respected for their achievements, both in the short term as well as the long term. Even if Erik stopped competing tomorrow, his current achievements will be talked about for years to come. In my opinion, having a legacy like that is reason enough to compete drug-free.
. . . Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com.
A New Site, A New Focus
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Created: 01 March 2010 01 March 2010
If you’re a regular reader of SeriousAboutMuscle.com, you probably noticed that about a month ago we launched a brand-new version of the site. The old one was, well, getting old. It was certainly time for a change.
With that site change came a new writer, champion IDFA bodybuilder Erik Alstrup, as well as some new stuff such as the videos. We’ll be adding more writers, new videos, and other features as time goes on. We’ll also be adding in some of the old, archived content from the original site, because there was a lot of valuable information that deserves to be here but hasn’t been transferred yet.
But there’s something new this month that, at first glance, might not seem apparent. It’s this: Our focus is changing and we’re making a concerted effort to highlight natural bodybuilding and Canadian-based organizations like the IDFA. Our cover this month features Dickens Lambert, the IDFA’s 2009 Pro Universe champion. (There's another picture of him below that was taken at an autograph signing at an IDFA event in Montreal.) IDFA stands for International Drug Free Athletics; they are the leading natural organization in the country and the only one to offer pro-level shows.
This slant to natural bodybuilding is not new – we’ve always had that bias – but now it’s even more so. The reason for this comes from my own experience in having seen the destruction drugs wreak, not just in bodybuilding, but in all sports. That destruction happens in many different ways.
There’s the physical destruction drugs cause – the harmful, sometimes deadly, side effects that drug abuse can have. The bodybuilding press often downplays the harm, but I’ve seen the opposite be true. Having covered the scene intensely for ten years, I’ve met plenty of people who have damaged their liver and kidneys, turned their skin to pock-marked leather, lost hair, altered the bones in their face and joints, and done other irreparable damage. I've never witnessed anyone die in the short-term from drug abuse (in the longer term, it's a different story), but I've seen two come close. One person had a heart attack, the other went into a coma. Why people will take such risks to compete is beyond me.
Dickens Lambert
Then there’s the mental destruction. Some people will tell you that ‘roid rage isn’t real. But I’ve seen enough testosterone-injected blowhards with blood pressure that’s sky-high who snap over the slightest of things. I assure you, it is very real. I’ve also seen the mood swings, the lapses into depression, and the unsightly changes in personalities when people are on steroids. One former pro bodybuilder said to me: "Drugs amplify your worst characteristics and bring out none of your best."
Finally, there’s the destruction of an athletic career that a drug scandal can cause. One just has to witness the outcome of what happened to Marion Jones and Ben Johnson when their drug use was uncovered to know how fast a career can get shattered. Once gone, it never returns.
About 25 years ago, the late, great trainer Vince Gironda said to me in his gym, "Once drugs come in, all knowledge is lost." What he was referring to was the fact that when one starts down the path of using drugs, the training and the nutrition become secondary to the kind of drugs you're on. That's because the impact of drugs on the physique is enormous, and there’s no question that there’s a night-and-day difference in the size of the men at drug-free competitions versus non-drug-free competitions. In the natural professional ranks, you’re lucky to find one guy who is 200 pounds; in the non-natural ranks, you’re lucky to find a guy who’s less than that. But at what cost?
The decision one makes on whether to use drugs or not is, of course, their own. For me, the decision to focus on natural bodybuilding from here on in is also my own, but when I consider the things I have witnessed over the last ten years, I believe it’s the right one.
. . . Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com.
2009 Canadian Bodybuilders of the Year, Part Three: Denis Pedneault
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Created: 01 February 2010 01 February 2010
In the previous two articles in this series, I wrote about Erik Alstrup and Ben Pakulski, explaining why we’ve chosen them to be two of Canada’s 2009 Bodybuilders of the Year. In this third and final installment, I will single out another Canadian who deserves notice for his accomplishment in 2009: Denis Pedneault of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
I first met Denis in 2006 at the CBBF National World Qualifier where, despite competing as a bantamweight and only weighing about 135 pounds, he won the overall title, convincingly beating competitors who were much larger. That same year, he went to the IFBB Men’s World Bodybuilding Championships and placed seventh – a great finish for a first-timer at that level, which I’ll explain in more detail below.
Denis took 2007 and 2008 off from competing in order to use the time to make some improvements to his physique. He returned to the competitive stage at the 2009 Arnold Amateur IFBB Championships where he placed second in the bantamweight category. Three weeks later, he competed at the CBBF Canadian Natural Physique Championships (formerly the CBBF National World Qualifier) and won the bantamweight class with unanimous first-place votes, but he lost the overall title to Dickens Lambert, another Quebec-based competitor who is now a pro in the IDFA.
Those two competitions were just the warm-up for Denis. His real goal was to compete and place in the top three at the 2009 IFBB Men’s World Bodybuilding Championships, which were held last November in Doha, Qata. Some might be surprised that he didn’t set his sights on a win there – I’m sure in the back of his mind he dreamed of it – but Denis is also very realistic about competing at that level. Placing in the top three is exceptionally hard; winning is this close to impossible.
I’ve accompanied the Canadian team to two world championships and I can say without hesitation that the competition there is incredibly fierce, which is no surprise given that the best athletes from each country are competing. Just to stand on that stage is an accomplishment in itself, and most Canadian athletes who compete there don’t even make the top 15. In fact, for many that’s their goal: simply make the top 15. Most don’t.
Besides the high level of competition, there’s another significant hurdle: While the IFBB’s Men’s World Championships are purported to be drug-tested, each time I was there I saw many competitors who didn’t seem to care that they might be tested – they were jacked to the nines. As one competitor said to me when I went in 2005, "It’s like I have a pocketknife and my opponent has a bazooka." Anyone with any knowledge of this sport knows that drugs give competitors an enormous advantage. Denis is a lifetime natural competitor and has no intention of doing drugs just to win. He wants to win cleanly and be proud of it.
As if that’s not enough, there’s also another factor: Many competitors at the world championships receive substantial support from their home government and sporting federations. But most Canadians get very little money, if anything at all. That’s why so few Canadians compete there anymore; it’s just not worth the time, effort, and expense. When Denis went to Doha, he was the only Canadian competitor there.
Triceps pushdowns, Denis Pedneault's way.
But our lone Canadian from Sherbrooke, Quebec did this country proud by placing fourth, narrowly missing his goal of landing in the top three. Perhaps most important, Denis was noticed by the top officials and was singled out for exhibiting excellent shape and symmetry, and praised for performing an outstanding posing routine. Denis made a mark this time and let the world know he’s a force to be reckoned with.
I don’t know when Denis will compete at the IFBB’s Men’s World Championships again, but next time he goes I feel that a top-three finish is no longer a goal for him but a given. He can set his sights on a win.
Despite the obstacles presented to him, Denis placed fourth in the toughest amateur competition in the world, proving that he has the skill to hang with the best, which is exactly why he is being recognized as one of Canada’s Bodybuilders of the Year. Congratulations on your accomplishment Denis!
. . . Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com.
Shooting Stars! In the Gym with Canada’s Best Competitors
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Created: 01 April 2010 01 April 2010
Being involved in the fitness industry the way I am affords me opportunities few others get. One opportunity is to shoot photos of Canada’s best physique competitors, oftentimes when they’re working out. It’s not just interesting to do, but it is also an opportunity to learn their "secrets" and to see firsthand how they train.
I photographed and videotaped Mindi O'Brien in 2006 when she was just three weeks out from the Fitness International competition that's part of the Arnold Sports Festival. Another example is the photoshoot I did with Ben Pakulski last year. Ben is the 2008 CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Champion who is now competing as an IFBB pro. I shot Ben just 12 days before he made his pro debut at the 2009 IFBB Europa Super Show and placed third. Last year, I also got to shoot Denis Pedneault as he trained just three weeks before he placed fourth at the 2009 IFBB Men’s World Bodybuilding Championships. Shooting these competitors just before their big competitions is fascinating.
My most recent photoshoot happened on March 28, 2010, in Montreal, Quebec. It was with Dickens Lambert and Mymuna Nasrin, two of Canada’s best competitors. Dickens is the IDFA’s reigning Pro Universe champion (2009) and Mymuna is a top-ranked figure and bikini competitor who just placed third in her class at the 2010 IFBB Arnold Amateur Bikini Championships. You can see one of the shots I took of them training below. There’s another in the "Iron Shots" section for April.
The photos can convey quite a bit about the look and feel of what it’s like to be there, but they obviously can’t tell the entire story. It’s simply a moment in time. As a result, people who know I do this kind of work often ask me what it’s like to actually watch these people train and, of course, they usually want to know what it is about their training that helps to create their amazing physiques. Is there something they know that others don't?
The answer isn’t easy and I can only say this to people who ask me: There’s not one particular thing that you can single out in their training that can be attributed to their success. The fact is, everyone I’ve photographed trains differently, using what they feel are the best exercises for them, and with whatever set-and-rep scheme suits them best. There is obviously more than one way to skin a cat. People who think there’s "one right way to train" should probably rethink that idea. I've also never seen someone train and do something unique only to them. Everyone I've photographed uses well-known training methods that have been used for decades.
But when push comes to shove and someone really wants to know if there is one thing common in the training for everyone I’ve photographed, I can say this: They all exhibit a certain intensity in their training that makes other people working out appear as if they’re simply standing around. In other words, they train harder and with far better focus than the average person in the gym. Mymuna and Dickens exhibited these traits when I shot them on March 28. They didn’t just lift weights for the sake of doing so – they attacked the weights with a sense of purpose and determination that signaled that they were doing more than simply working out. Gym time isn’t playtime for these champs; the best competitors train with a higher purpose in mind, displaying effort and intensity with each rep and set that most others simply can’t match. Frankly, that shouldn’t surprise anyone – it’s the hardest workers who usually get the furthest ahead.
Bodybuilding photoshoots allow me glimpses into places that most folks never see, and it’s taught me firsthand what it takes to become a champ. You will continue to see some of these pictures that I shoot, here on SeriousAboutMuscle.com as well as in magazines I contribute to, such as Inside Fitness. Photographing these physique stars as they work in the gym is work I enjoy doing and plan to continue with in the months and years to come. It’s an opportunity few others have and I don’t want to waste it.
. . . Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com.