Passion!

The creation of a movie is usually spoken of as a collaborative effort, each artist and craftsperson adding to the jigsaw puzzle to create the finished film, but it really starts with someone’s evangelism for an idea. How often have we heard about a film that took 10-plus years from idea to screen, with someone’s sustained vision seeing it through? Not only must that vision—that passion—be sparked and sustained, but it must also be transferred to the other participants. It’s impossible to have a winning team without the players’ buying into a shared vision. What does that have to do with bodybuilding? Let me explain.

From the beginning of Iron Man in 1936, Peary and Mabel Rader were evangelists for the idea of bodybuilding, for the uniquely transformative nature of the enlightened use of the barbell. I believe that most of our readers are evangelists for the benefits of working out with weights. That’s what unites us and what inspires us to get into the gym and chase after that feeling that only the cold iron can give. As one reader said to me, the sound of the plates rattling is both seductive and addictive.

Our project, the transformation of ourselves, is like a movie in one respect—it’s collaborative. You are the director, the auteur, but if you don’t have a support group—friends, workout partners, family—who have bought into your vision, you will not reach your goals.

IRON MAN is a part of that collaborative side of the effort. Our goal is to present you with the best information possible and to inspire you with our passion expressed in words (scripts) and pictures (cinematography) to create your own movie. Bodybuilding is often described as a personal activity—solitary—to distinguish it from a team activity, but is it? You may be the one lifting the barbell, but you are not doing it alone. How many of us have workout partners? How would our own enthusiasm be sustained without their shared energy—and the energy of the gym itself. How many time have I heard that a gym’s “atmosphere” was a drag? Rarely does that comment have anything to do with the equipment. It’s the energy!

If you are really serious about the workout and getting optimal nutrition and supplementation, you want to share that information and passion with the people around you. By sharing, you become a part of the collaborative effort, and the creative energy is preserved and expanded.

Today, with social networks and blogging, it’s possible to be collaborative on an almost infinite scale. At IRON MAN we’re always attempting to expand our Facebook presence and increase our roster of expert bloggers at IronManMagazine.com. Recently, we added blogs by Tom Venuto, Jon Bensen, Shawn Phillips, Tom Terwilliger, Zach Even-esh, Nick Nilsson, Mike Geary, Kristi Frank and John Rowley. I know you will want to check them out.
Speaking of passion, no one exemplifies that more than this month’s cover man, Lee Labrada, who is in peak shape at 51. Amazing! Watch for his new column in the next issue of IRON MAN. IM