Profile-by-AustinA

All-OUT

By: AUSTIN aNAYA

At first glance, many highschoolstudentswould giveLosAltosHighSchool senior Sam Lodestro the nickname “tool.” As described in Urban Dictionary,a“tool’’isdefinedas“Almostsynonymoustodouche bag;thetypeofpersonthat likes to show off their physiqueinpublic.’’Butdespite hisstrappingappearance, Sam is far from this stereotype. He is just another kid who found his passion in a sport; bodybuilding, to Sam, is a very unique sport that has more than just an entertainment value.

Before he started bodybuilding,Samrealized early on that he needed to makeachangetohiseveryday activities. He sought structureandbalanceinhis life – both physically, men

tally and socially. Most of all though, Sam knew that he needed to stabilize his personal life. In an effort to solve this problem, Sam soughtanoutletandasolutionthroughbodybuilding.

Lifting served as a confidence booster. Being the smallkidinschool,Samfelt that this weight lifting program was not only helpful in building his inner confidence, but also balancing thiswithhisphysicalconfidence.

Asaresult,afterthree years,bodybuildinghasled Samtobecomemoresatisfied with himself. When Sam started high school duringhisfreshmanyear,he always felt aloof and apart fromothers.Emulatingthe confidence he saw during his brother’s high school

years, Sam wanted to changehiswholelifestyleto be more like his brother – “that big kid with the muscles” - and to gain the confidence that he needed to succeedinthehighschool lifestyle.“Myfreshmanyear I just decided to do somethingabout[myconfidence] and I stuck with it,” Sam said. “I got immediately hooked and it just evolved from there into more of a passion than a hobby ’’(S. Lodestro) Sam no longer wanted to be that skinny kidonthefootballteam;he wantedtobethestarplayer of the football team. Sam didn’t want to be the “stick [with]verylittleconfidence.”

Hedidn’twanttobesocially limited by his size. While working out, all of these things were fuel for him to

keep at it. He would spend rigorousamountsofhours at the gym. He loved the concept of putting in hard workandreceivingtangible, realresultsthroughhisbody image. This would lead to him being more comfortable about himself as a person.Samdescribedhis newfound confidence being6ft.talland120pounds.

After building up from the littlefreshmanhewasatthe beginning of high school, hebecamealotmorecomfortableandfeltmuchmore socially acceptable. The peoplewhotakebodybuilding seriously devote their whole life to their passion.

Sam seems to have fallen into that same pattern. He describedhisinitiationinto thesportasonethatquickly got him immersed in the lifestyle. “I started reading abouttrainingandnutrition andsupplementationandI wasjusthooked,”Samsaid.

“I loved everything about it I loved the lifestyle and I love the results more than anything ’’(S. Lodestro).

Sam realizes this passion hasbecomeanaddictionfor him. And as studies show, addiction occurs quite often in bodybuilding. When working out some factors

led to an addiction. First, endorphins are produced in the brain. Endorphins, are basically natural pain relieversthatcreateasense of joy and excitement. This is what pushes Sam to work even harder when he is feeling the pain. A study online shows that “endorphins act in a supporting role by blocking pain and reducingthecostassociated withacquiringthebenefits of exercise. The release of endorphinshasanaddictive effect,andmoreexerciseis neededtoachievethesame levelofeuphoriaovertime” (MK McGovern). Despite the physical endorphins thatmaybereleasedduring Sam’sworkoutsessions,he has definitely taken pride intoimprovinghimselfand

heighteningtheintensityof his passion. Another positive effect of bodybuilding istheconfidenceyougain.

This usually occurs when youachievethegoalsyouset out to accomplish. A study at New Mexico State University showed that bodybuilding does make your moresatisfiedwithyourlife.

Dr. Larry A. Tucker administeredatesttoone-hundred and eighteen males who lifted weights. The test assessedself-confidence,body satisfaction,extraversion, and neuroticism. “Apparently,themoreweighttrainingreportedbythesubjects , the more self confident and satisfied they tended to be. Similarly, the males whoindicatedthattheyhad trainedrelativelyoftenwith

weightsinthepastshowed themostpositiveattitudes towardtheirbodypartsand processes.Theyalsotended to be significantly more sociable,impulsive,andoutgoing that were the males whoreportedrelativelyfew monthsofexperiencetrainingwithweights’’(Tucker).

And when I interviewed Sam I could clearly distinguish his new-found self from the freshman I once knew. He obviously was a completelydifferentperson with a new mentality.

Recently, Sam took hispassiontothenextlevel byenteringabodybuilding

competitionthatwilloccur on October 6th, 2012. For thepastthreemonthshehas been training for this specific date. Sam has had to tailorhiseverydayroutineto the intensity that will make him stronger or leaner.

Althoughself-motivationis key to Sam, and the image ofhisbrother’sconfidence helpmotivatehim,Samalso says his mom, Lesile, has hadtohelpencouragehim.

If it is by motivation or planning out his diet she said she is always ready to help cook meals for him. “I am mealsonwheels.Againthe mealsaresospecific,”Sam’s

Momsaid.“It’slikeacertain amount of fish with brown rice, with a vegetable, we have to the oils, the fats.

And if that’s the one thing I do, I’ll do it ’’( L. Lodestro).

Just by stepping into his houseyoucanseehowdedicatedheis.Rightwhenyou walkinyouseeallofhissupplementsandenergydrinks.

Hewouldlatershowmehis refrigerator,anditwasfully ofpre-plannedmeals.These would all consist of large portions of carrots, brown rice, and chicken breasts.

All of this dedication really translates to his views of beingsuccessfulinhispassion.“I’dsaythereisalways someone out there that is doing something you’re not,”(S.Lodestro)Samsaid.

“There’s always someone out there working harder thanyourightnow.Andso, you have to keep pushing yourselftothepointwhere, you convince yourself you are working harder than anyone out there. And until your at that point you’re always going to have the desire to work harder ”(S. Lodestro). Hard work is more than what Sam has putintohispassionofbodybuilding – he’s created a lifestyle that’s shaped his

personalityandwhatdefines him.

But Sam can’t be characterizedasyourtypical bodybuilder. First of all, he doesn’t do it for the sake of popularity. Secondly, he is a teenager. This is a pretty oddhobbyforateenagerto takeon.Bodybuildingwhen you’re a teenager can be extremely harmful to your body. So builders like Sam mustbecautiousofinjuries.

Hugo Rivera, a ISSA Certifiedtrainercoversthenegative side of bodybuilding.

“In my opinion, teen bodybuildersshouldnotbemaxingoutasduringtheseages themusclesgrowstronger muchquickerthanthetendonsandligaments,”Rivera said.“‘Maxingout’,whichis doing the most weight one can lift for one repetition, canexponentiallyincrease

thechancesofinjury,especially when proper form is not being used.’’(Rivera) Sam is no stranger to injuries. He once maxed out while doing squats and severely hurt his shoulder.

These are only some of the precautions bodybuilder mustknow.ButasSamencounteredthoseinjuries,he learned with time and has sincepersistedinbettering himself.

For Sam, lifting in high school is only the beginning of going through hismetamorphosistoturn into the internally and externally stable, confident person he strives to be. He alwaysplanstokeepnutrition and weight lifting in his life “I plan to compete throughoutmysenioryear of high school and as well as college and who knows

” Sam said. “I plan to keep it as a part of my life throughout ’’(S. Lodestro) This addiction to bodybuilding hasturnedouttobeagood thingforSam.Ithashelped add structure to his life. It’s not only something he can apply to at the gym, but he cantranslatethatperseverance and hard work into other aspects of his life.