Spiritual Bodybuilding

Frank Zane

I’m a bodybuilding fan. I appreciate the hard work that goes into one’s diet and training. I like the idea of the body being a canvas and training to make it a piece of art. If you look back through history at classical pieces of art whether paintings or physiques sculpted out of stone, the artists chose rather magnificent physiques to portray.

David

Herakles

But, what if? What if we treated our spiritual life, our prayer life, our relationship with God in the same manner, with the same vigor, with the same hard work and struggle as a bodybuilder? A professional bodybuilder will map out their off season for growth and their competition season to get as lean as possible while maintaining as much muscle as possible. They are meticulous with their diet and training. They get their bodies down to a science. They know exactly how a certain food will affect them, they know the type of training that works best for them. And as they age they will make very meticulous and calculated tweaks to adjust to the changes their body makes.

Laocoon and his Sons

What if we took our faith life this serious? What if we had a game plan for prayer? What if we had a defense system set for different temptations? What if we knew ourselves so well that we knew what to avoid so as not to get off track spiritually? What if we had the courage to say no to harmful situations just as a bodybuilder has the courage and will power to say know to cheating on their diet and not going out and partying so they can stay healthy and get needed rest? What if we took the time to study the wisdom of the Church and Holy Scripture to learn the best way to live our lives? What if when we are sick with sin we go to confession? What if we fed ourselves with the ultimate diet of the Eucharist, Christ Himself? How would this world be different with people living their faith intentionally and not making BS excuses and trying to rationalize things and make Jesus the Jesus they want?

Check out this video of Jon Delarosa (big fan of his physique). This video goes through the different therapies, the extra steps beyond diet and training to get his body to operate at peak performance. What if, we treated our souls this way, to become holier? Just check out the video and imagine he is talking about his spiritual life instead of his body. Imagine doing whatever it takes to be holy and live otherworldly with vertical wildness.