Bodybuilding proves beneficial for students
The word “bodybuilder” often brings up images of athletes with gigantic muscles, spending every living minute at the gym. However, unknown to many, there are students at NPHS who, in their free time, do the same.
Kian Alamir, junior, sought out weightlifting in order to improve himself as an athlete. “I started weightlifting the summer after eighth grade to get better at water polo,” Alamir said.
Two years later, Alamir continues to weight lift and has developed a strong routine, devoting his 45 minute sessions to individual muscles during the off-season and to his full body when playing water polo.
Not all students tackle bodybuilding in the same fashion as Alamir. Adam Kamal, sophomore, is not involved in sports, but he decided to pick up weight lifting purely for self-motivation and confidence.
Although he does not have to worry about athletic performance, Kamal remains dedicated to his regimen. “I workout everyday except Sundays,” Kamal said. “I usually just go after school and I stay there for two hours.” He spends every day training a different muscle group, whether it be arm, core or leg muscles.
Despite their different approaches to the activity, student bodybuilders attribute weight lifting and consistent exercise to numerous benefits in their lives. Danisse Meritoni Gallinero, senior, started weight lifting four years ago and believes that she has become much more optimistic as a result. “(Bodybuilding) just makes me a positive person, and that’s just what I do everyday,” Gallinero said.
Like Kamal, Gallinero does not play any sports and started bodybuilding purely for self-motivation and confidence. Gallinero makes sure to reserve three to five hours out of each day for bodybuilding. Along with this, Gallinero juggles school work and a job, finding a balance between all three. “I always make time for (bodybuilding). I go to school in the morning… and I go to work for 5 hours…and then after that I still have to go to the gym,” Gallinero said.
For athletics, Alamir attributes an increased performance in water polo to bodybuilding. “(Bodybuilding) has made me a lot better at defence specifically and making sure that I can just keep people away from the goal,” Alamir said.
As with any physical activity, bodybuilding exists not without its fair share of obstacles. “Some obstacles I have faced throughout the years include muscle imbalances and dieting,” Kamal said.
Nevertheless, the results that come with continued weightlifting give motivation to continue. “It’s definitely made me more confident, and it’s also just made me more encouraged to better myself in every way,” Alamir said.
Bodybuilding is an activity that, while seemingly daunting, can be easily integrated into one’s daily routine. But lifting weights is not the only way to live an active lifestyle. Since becoming active, Alamir, Kamal and Gallinero believe that as a society, people need to be more physically fit. “I don’t think we necessarily need to be ‘buffer’, but I think we do need to be more active, in whatever way that people choose to do it,” Alamir said.
