Chocolate - Parrillo Performance

JOHN PARRILLO’S PERFORMANCE PRESS
I
had been invited by the
Boston University Bodybuilding
and Fitness Club
to be part of a ‘Superstar
Seminar’ they were organizing.
You may know that
B.U, as locals call it,
is a very prestigious
and highly respected
center of higher
learning. I like to
casually mention
that my wife attended.
It’s true that
she quit after her
first semester, but
technically she did
go there.
These enthusiastic
kids had gathered
together myself and
three IFBB Pro’s.
First was Jose ‘The
Boston Mass’ Raymond,
who had
moved to Maryland
six months before
but stubbornly
retained his cool
nickname. Next was
IFBB and WNBF
Pro Greg Rando,
who didn’t take up
bodybuilding until
losing his eyesight
to a rare genetic disease as a teenager.
Last was Lori Steele, another
IFBB Pro and also a champion
powerlifter. Unlike me, she
doesn’t mind being asked “how
“Back training isn’t quite as
glamorous as bench pressing.”
much ya bench?” In her case, it’s
a lot. I was the only one up there
who was not a professional bodybuilder,
but luckily nobody seemed
too upset or wanted their money
back. The fact that
I’ve been training
for 28 years and
have published
about 5,000 articles
makes up for my
lack of a laminated
card which would
represent my status
as a Pro.
A BODYBUILDER IS BORN: Generations
After we each introduced
ourselves
and briefly gave
our spiel about how
we got into bodybuilding
and what
it’s done for us,
we opened up the
floor for questions.
Most of them were
about nutrition, as
it seems to be the
most confusing
aspect for the majority
of aspiring
bodybuilders. A
good half the audience
appeared to be
appalled at the fact
that we ate on average
every two to two and a half
hours. I’ve often found that to be
the most difficult part of being a
bodybuilder for most people to -
sorry, I had to say this - swallow.
Afterward, one of the older attendees
came up to tell
Jose how surprised he
was that we were all
so intelligent. I’m sure
he meant well, but talk
about a back-handed
compliment! This is
not so different from
remarking about how
an African-American
is “well spoken,” the
assumption being that
most aren’t (not that
I would ever suggest
that bodybuilders face
1/1000 the amount of
prejudice on the whole
in the USA). Most
bodybuilders I know
are actually quite well
educated, at least on
all matters related to
training, nutrition, and
supplementation. Just
as I was starting to
think that the general
public was gradually
beginning to see this,
Planet Fitness came
out with its infamous
“I lift things up and
put things down” commercial
portraying us as brainless
buffoons and setting our public
image back two decades. Nice
going, a-holes at Planet Fitness
corporate.
Anyway, we were all supposed
to man different stations to show
the kids proper form on the bench
press, deadlift, squat, and barbell
row. I was the first to make my
way over, and soon found myself
face to face with a couple dozen
sponges ready to soak up some
“But a great back sets
you apart.”
wisdom - so I took the chance
while I had the floor.
“How many of you guys want to
get really big?” All hands shot
upward. “Do you know the real
secret to being bigger than the
millions of average gym rats out
there?” They looked nervously
at each other, thinking the correct
response involved plunging
syringes full of oil into their ass
cheeks.
“Legs and back!” I announced. “I
can throw a rock into
any gym or night club
and hit a few guys
with decent chests
and arms.” This has
become one of my
catchphrase analogies
to describe things that
are common. For instance,
I believe you
could throw a rock on
to any beach in Brazil
and hit a dozen women
with perfect bodies. I
would not in actuality
throw a rock into
any crowd of people,
as someone might get
hurt.
“How many of those
guys have big backs
and legs?” No one
answered, which was
fine as it was essentially
a rhetorical question.
“Usually none,” I
informed them. “Most
guys just want some
muscle to show if in
a tight T-shirt from
the front. They don’t
think about their backs much, because
they can’t see it unless they
live in one of those mirror mazes
like Bruce Lee was in at the end of
Enter the Dragon.” Some people’s
eyes showed they got the reference.
“And as for legs, if they train
10 May 2012 / Performance Press 1-800-344-3404 www.parrillo.com www.parrillo.com 1-800-344-3404 Performance Press / May 2012
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