A few things really inspired bodybuilding for me. As a kid I loved to sketch. My first drawings were of marvel comic characters. I spent many years drawing them, it was my first real outlet. Needless to say I spent a lot of time seeing and visualizing characters that had very muscular bodies. That put the initial idea of what I wanted to look like in my mind.
I’d say the next and biggest influence was my mother. She ran a strict household so discipline was always part of my upbringing. But I enjoyed it. She was the first one to put into my mind the concept of climbing a ladder. She taught me at a young age that putting my effort and patience into something I wanted would eventually yield some good results in life. She also taught me how to move forward when obstacles occurred and to expect them regularly.
My third and final influence was science. Part of climbing that ladder was problem solving. I never minded being patient and doing my work growing up as long as I knew I was on the path and would eventually find answers. To be a bodybuilder you have to be a problem solver. The human body will change when you change. I was bored when I felt I was stuck or just doing something for the sake of doing it. I never enjoyed that feeling. With bodybuilding I experienced that feeling a lot, but I wasn’t satisfied with accepting that my body was stuck where it is. It forced me to rethink my strategies (workouts and diets) and look for answers. I found many of them which gave me a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Ultimately I wasn’t bored anymore I was excited and motivated. I still work on bodybuilding and improving to this day and will continue to throughout my competitive career. For me that was the take home message my mother showed me. Be patient, climb a ladder, and see how good it feels to earn what you have with integrity and hard work.
–Andrew Krasovsky, B.S., ACE, NSCA
To work with Andrew on identifying and designing an individual exercise program, e-mail him directly at andrew@chathamclub.com. For membership information, contact Kirk – kirkland@chathamclub.com.
