| July 1, 2007 The
Illusion of Size
The late Vince Gironda is considered by many
to be the greatest bodybuilding trainer of all time. He died in 1997. During his heyday,
he not only pioneered many nutritional concepts that bodybuilders today take for granted,
but he also invented exercises and workout programs that are standard practice nowadays in
gyms. As a matter of fact, if you look at bodybuilding’s history and see who trained
at his legendary "Vince’s Gym" in North Hollywood, California, you’ll
realize that he had a profound influence on many of the legends of the sport, and his
concepts are as applicable today as when he invented them.
One of those concepts has to do with what Gironda called creating
an illusion, which was a hallmark of his training philosophy. Unfortunately, it’s
something few still understand. Basically, it has to do with forgetting what the scale
says and, instead, focusing on achieving superior shape. Gironda knew that under the
posing lights, there’s no way to tell exactly how tall someone is or how much they
weigh – the two things normally used to assess size. Rather, on the stage, when the
competitor is standing alone, the only thing that the audience can go by is the shape of
the physique, and that’s what can create this illusion of size. Gironda, therefore,
concerned himself more with optimizing a competitor’s shape than worrying about how
much he weighed.
For example, if two bodybuilders standing onstage are about
the same height and weight, but one has a smaller waist and wider shoulders, then that guy
will more than likely look larger to the audience. That’s simply because the sweep
and flow of his physique will make him look more powerful and, ultimately bigger too, even
though they are both really about the same size.
Furthermore, two competitors don’t have to be the same
height and weight for this illusion to take place, and Gironda knew that with the right
kind of shape, a smaller, lighter competitor can look quite a bit bigger onstage than a
guy who’s taller and heavier. A perfect example of this is what I witnessed recently
while watching a Canadian competitor named Che Chamunwana (he’s featured on our cover
this month). Without a doubt, Che is one of the best competitors I’ve seen in a while
– and one of the lightest.
It's hard to believe that Che Chamunwana only weighs
145 pounds.
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Che won a whole string of titles in June:
the Lightweight and Overall titles at the OPA National Capital Classic (June 2 in Hull,
Quebec); the Bantamweight and Overall titles at the OPA Northern Ontario Championships
(June 9 in Sudbury, Ontario); the Bantamweight and Overall title at the OPA National
Qualifier (June 9 in Sudbury, Ontario); and the Lightweight title at the CBBF National
World Qualifier (June 16 in Toronto). The OPA National Qualifier and the CBBF National
World Qualifier are drug-tested events; the OPA National Capital Classic and OPA Northern
Ontario Championships are non-tested events. To win all those competitions is quite an
accomplishment, and I attribute some of it to the onstage illusion he creates.
Onstage Che looks huge, but the surprising thing is that
he’s 5’5" tall and weighs only 145 pounds! You’d swear, though, that
he’s 175, if not more. Why? Simple: his superior shape gives him that illusion of
size.
When you look closely at Che, you’ll see that he has a
tiny waist and very slender hips. Furthermore, the top of his back and his
shoulders are very well developed. These things give him an outstanding V-taper, and
that taper alone gives the illusion of having 20 or 30 pounds more muscle compared to a
competitor who is straight from top to bottom. Che’s arms are also exceptionally well
developed, as are his legs, so he’s got what I call a "complete physique." As a result, he’s nearly faultless
from head to toe, making him look powerful, unlike "incomplete" competitors who
are riddled with flaws.
All these attributes add up to a competitor who appears to
be much larger than he really is – the reason he is able to lay waste to guys one,
two, three, and four weight classes higher. Off the stage and with his shirt on, though,
Che looks like most guys on the street. This is in stark contrast to those competitors who
weigh a lot, impressing those who only go by the scale, but end up looking half their size
when they’re up onstage. Nine times out of ten, it’s because they have no shape.
Many people have said that Gironda was ahead of his time,
and now even ten years since his passing, I realize more and more each day that those
people were right. His concept of "creating an illusion" was certainly not the
only thing he promoted, nor was it the first thing, but it was one of the most important
things he taught, since it puts into perspective what serious bodybuilders should strive
for. Superior shape, not what the scale says, is what creates the illusion of size. This
means that it’s possible to look bigger without putting on pound. And if you need
proof, look no further than what Che achieved in the month of June – he was one of
the lightest guys in the shows he competed in but took home the biggest trophies.
...Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com
Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer
for SeriousAboutMuscle.com, BodyBuildingLive.com, and SeriousAboutFitness.com.
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