Many things in life fall into the category of arts, and others fall into science. Physics is a science. We can drop a 45-pound plate off a 100-story building, and – given all factors such as air resistance and humidity – scientists can calculate when that weight will reach the ground, and at what speed. Likewise, there are things in life that can only be classified as art. Paintings, sculptures and the like are only worth their value because of their perception of rareness, unique design, and aesthetic pleasantry.

Bodybuilding – as a sport – is often classified as an art. Men don posing trunks and stand onstage. They are evaluated based upon the visual perception of their muscularity, shape, and conditioning. Men weighing 305 pounds are routinely defeated by men with 70 pounds less muscle, because the smaller man is more ‘complete’, a completely arbitrary artistic interpretation of how a bodybuilder should look. When it comes to judging and competing in shows, bodybuilding is an art.

Bodybuilding – as an activity – is a science. There are a number of factors, or inputs, which work together to deliver changes to the organism that is your body. Nutrition is the first. Bodybuilders eat foods that are high in protein, high in complex carbs, low in simple carbs, and moderate in fats. The result of these dietary inputs is a bloodstream that is rich in amino acids. Muscle cell receptors respond to training (which we’ll get to) by using these amino acids to grow. To a certain point, the more positive nutritional inputs we deliver, the greater the growth will be.

Training is the factor which stimulates growth. We lift a weight for a series of repetitions, which tears tens of thousands of miniscule muscle fibers. These fibers heal, using the nutrients present in our bloodstream from out diets, and they grow back just a bit tighter, stronger and bigger. This is how muscular growth occurs. Rest & Recovery, along with nutrition, allow our muscles to grow following a training session.

There are some artistic considerations that must be made when training. You assess your body’s strengths and weaknesses because upon muscle connections and insertions. You decide which (if any) imbalances exist between the body parts which may warrant an adjustment to your training. If your chest is too large compared with your shoulders, you reduce the volume of pectoral training and increase the number of sets used for deltoids. You adjust your training (a science) to fit the criteria issued by judges. And what is their source of wisdom? Usually it reverts back to the ancient Greek ideals found on statues from centuries past or photos of Steve Reeves from 40 years ago. More recently, it’s based upon business data which reveals magazines sell better with good-looking, aesthetic bodybuilders on the cover than they do with “ugly” mass monsters. Aesthetics sell.

So, in this example, science delivers bodybuilders the tools they use to better fit the criterion for performance excellence in a sport based upon artistic interpretation. Everything you do in the gym will be based upon tenets of science. However, these actions will be geared toward meeting an artistic goal.

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