It was autumn 2010; a moment that I certainly consider among the most symbolic and important in my personal growth journey. Because, I will never get tired of saying it, the sporting discipline that we find ourselves describing in this Editorial is much more than a mere aesthetic and physical goal.
That fall, I set foot in a gym for the first time in my life.
Andrea Torino posing during a workout session – Milan, 2022
I was 15 years old, and the previous months had not been easy. In May of the same year, I had just recovered from a serious injury during a football match. Since I was 4, my sporting world had been represented by a football field, defending a goal: in fact, I was a goalkeeper, and I would never have thought of moving away from what was my greatest passion. My daily commitment after school and my line of discipline.
I have always been close to sport, in a period (I was around 10/12 years old) I attended tennis, swimming, and the inevitable football trainings; my weeks were intense. But I understood the value of those moments, in a team or alone, that I couldn’t give up.
So, I started lifting the first weights, followed by a personal trainer, as a way of recovering from my injuries. I have never had any particular interest in muscle growth, in bodybuilding.
But I soon began to appreciate the stimuli and the results, and from there, my path took shape.
Today, I share with our community some suggestions that I have learned in the field, over the years, and which I hope can be useful to those approaching the discipline.
Andrea Torino with Mr. Olympia competitor Andrea Presti
in Gold’s Gym Milan – 2023
THE THREE PILLARS
Training, diet and rest. Not in this order, nor to be catalogued into a ranking of importance based on percentages, but these three elements make up the foundations of the “bodybuilding” structure, in its most literal sense: building the body.
Training without diet risks frustrating the efforts of even impeccable reps and sets; the diet without training will not find its target to promote and rebuild the muscle damage. Training and diet without rest could make the dedication shown in the weight room and at the table counterproductive.
For this reason, every cause-effect connection is valid; each pillar is worth 100% when it comes to the result achieved. Set aside time per week to train the number of times foreseen by your program, or by the times you have set yourself; be consistent with yourself, and try to love yourself. Eat a balanced, healthy diet, learning about macronutrients so you can move more easily at the supermarket, or among the dishes under your nose. Rest enough hours at night (8+), and on days off from training (depending on your plan).
BE CONSISTENT AND DISCIPLINED
The mental approach you decide to dedicate to your journey will make the difference in the results and personal satisfaction you will be able to bring home. Without haste, but without stopping, I have often repeated to myself; and I like to say over and over again to myself. Yes, because it is a marathon and not a sprint.
Being willing to sacrifice, without forgetting to enjoy the journey; no one forces us to train, or to make certain food choices – we want it, and for this reason being happy and determined at every step is the most right and natural thing we can aspire to.
The results will come; but what I recommend is to enjoy the single training session, every minute, time after time. Occasionally, stop and look back to get a running start, stop to look in front and visualize the short or long goal. But, breathing each rep, appreciating a dedicated and hungry lifestyle, will make a difference.
Andrea Torino – Poseidon Club, Southern Italy – Summer 2017
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, AND YOUR MIND
Fitness, in its various forms, and in particular bodybuilding (for which I can personally express an experiential opinion) often goes beyond the confines of muscle building. Assuming that this is the ultimate, obvious result, which we would deny only if we were hypocrites, there are days when training in the weight room becomes therapy; other times the need is to release the tensions of the working day.
Each day may reveal new motivations and reasons for pushing that weight, but the underlying reason is our “Why” – why we started, why we do this, and everyone can investigate and discover their own. But sometimes it helps to reaffirm it, repeat it to yourself, and bring it closer to the ultimate goal of muscular progress.
Once this is established, the day then intervenes, with its variables and its hours; we told ourselves that rest is not only important, but it is also a non-negligible pillar. Be mature enough to understand when to stop, when the nervous system is too tired, or when the residual energies do not accompany you.
Sacrifice yes, but prudent and intelligent. Grow, consciously.
Stretching and Abdominal session in Doral Gym,
Miami 2023
THE RESPONSIBLE CHOICE
Continuing the discussion started shortly before, there is the need to learn to set the right limits; challenge them, without distorting them. We are not machines but beautiful and complex human mechanisms that require care. A body that grows is a healthy body.
For example, if you are sick, wait and don’t despair: the priority becomes recovery. Eat light and clean, hydrate and rest. The work of weeks and months will not be wasted in a few days. The same goes for holiday periods; a few extra days’ rest will compensate for the year’s effort, giving space to the results you are looking for.
Bodybuilding is an intimate relationship with your body and learning to know it during the fitness journey becomes key to obtaining solid results; in the search for this, relying on a trained coach / personal trainer can be the distinctive element for awareness and motivation. An investment that I share and that I chose to embrace when I started going to the gym for the first time, and when I chose to undertake competitive preparation in view of an IFBB competition (I will delve deeper into this topic in a dedicated article).
In a more advanced phase of the fitness journey, approaching flexibility and “intuitive” choices may be more reasonable, as one has greater knowledge of personal physiological responses, and unless one has competitive goals, the journey can be adjusted based on of needs.
To make the journey into the world of fitness sustainable.
The information shared here is based on general and consolidated concepts in the world of bodybuilding, and enriched by my experience as a natural bodybuilder.
Enjoy the Journey.
Reach the Goal.
9th November 2023
TORO FIT 