How I Became a Bodybuilder

By Phil Sims

I became a bodybuilder by pure accident. I was heavily into team games in my younger years. In 2001 I broke my ankle in a freak accident at a party so I decided to join a gym to get fit again for football. It was January 2002 when I first joined a gym, I had my basic program, my ankle was getting stronger but something was changing. Every time I was at the gym I was watching the guys with the weights, but in the beginning I was a little intimidated by the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s throwing around weights the size of cars to have a go myself, same as many people are when they first start out.

One day I decided to get one of the staff to show me a new routine involving weights. I started to really get into it but I knew there was more I needed to know and learn. “If I am to do something I have to do it properly” I thought. I never had any friends that were into bodybuilding so me being me, I started doing my own research and it’s fair to say my spare time for a number of months was spent browsing internet websites and forums picking up tips etc, lonely life? Well who cares as it’s not like that now!

So I was really learning the ropes, but my success comes down to the desire to be more than a ‘gym rat’. I was influenced to compete, there was a guy who was a top competitor at the gym I was using and I wanted to do what he did.

A lot of bodybuilder’s become what they are for the wrong reasons in my opinion, being a competitive bodybuilder is a totally different ball game, you’ve got to be good at your game to succeed, looking good is a bonus that comes with the sheer hard work, determination and desire to be successful. It took me a long 5 years to get a physique fit enough to stand on stage.

It’s hard work but you do what you enjoy, of course it has its drawbacks but would I change anything? Hell no! I love my life!!