What Doesnt Kill You Makes You Stronger

WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, if someone had told me I would one day win bodybuilding competitions and become Mr. Canada, I’d have told them to get the hell out of here! I started lifting weights in my basement at the young age of 12 because my dad wanted to make sure I could hold my own in case of adversity, but I dropped the weights for a skateboard and a snowboard at around 15 years of age and became somewhat rebellious with an “I don’t care” attitude. It wasn’t until I broke my left ankle twice in the same year (once on a skateboard and the other on a snowboard) that I got back to the gym for rehab in hopes of making a return to the skater lifestyle I had. I slowly got hooked on lifting weights and made decent progress pretty fast in an old Gold’s Gym in Montreal. Guys at the gym started asking me for advice on training and nutrition since I somehow managed to make faster progress than they did. I started to sell training and diet programs to people and developed a long list of clients at an early age. But to take my knowledge to the next level, I got certified as a personal trainer, which o cially put me in the fitness business! Never would I have thought that 20 years later, I’d still be doing the same thing and loving it. I never set out to be a trainer … I just became one.

BODYBUILDING MADE ME A BETTER MAN

A few years later, I entered my first bodybuilding competition and won the overall title and best poser award! I was hooked. Hardcore bodybuilding was now my thing. I traded my “I don’t care” attitude for a more disciplined and organized lifestyle that positively influenced every aspect of my life. I never missed a workout, never skipped a meal. I entered a few more bodybuilding competitions and placed runner-up each time. But I must say, after winning an overall title, coming in second place felt like a failure. I retired from competition to focus on my family and growing my training business. Bodybuilding definitely made me a more dedicated man and devoted father to my two beautiful daughters.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

After a five-year break from competitive bodybuilding, I made a comeback and started winning almost every show I entered. In 2012, I won the CBBF Canadian National Championships in the Masters division and finally became an official IFBB pro. It might have taken me 18 years to fulfill my dream of turning pro, but I’m here now and I’m never going to give up. Whatever happens to you, you grow from the experience and you learn from it. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is tattooed across my chest for a reason. We bust our asses in the gym and tear down muscle fibres, only to make ourselves bigger and stronger in the end. Focus, dedication, commitment, discipline, work ethic—that’s what the bodybuilding lifestyle is all about, and that’s why I love it.

Editor: For more info, contact Larry at: larryvinette@hotmail.com or larryvinette.com