Tip of the Week: Don't compare yourself to anyone but you.

In this day and age, we are bombarded with an influx of images of sculpted bodies and people who have the resources available to get themselves into the kind of shape many can only hope to achieve. From commercials to TV programs to magazine images and even billboards, we are constantly surrounded by idealized versions of the human form.

Of course, I've spent a lifetime helping people look their best, with some of them developing the greatest bodies the world has ever seen. However, I do realize that not everyone has the ability or even the desire to look like an Arnold Schwarzenegger or inaugural Ms. Olympia winner Rachel McLish. To these people, I say ignore the images confronting you each day and instead focus on your own goals.

Be they great or small, your goals shouldn't be affected by what others say or do, or by how they look. Letting them be is a pitfall you must avoid if you wish to continue making progress at a rate that suits your personal temperament and abilities. Focus on you, not them.

Q: I'm interested in learning more about steroids. I'm 19 years old and have been considering taking them to help make weight for my college football team. Is there one kind that's safer than the others, and if so, how much would you recommend?

Joe: Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've been asked a question like this, and I imagine it won't be the last.

My answer to you is simple, and should come as no surprise: stay away. You don't need steroids to reach your goals.

Now, I'm not going to demonize these anabolic drugs the way some do in the media. Steroids, like many other medical drugs, have their place. They are very effective in helping to build up the bodies of people suffering muscle-wasting disease. In fact, they were first introduced to the United States in the 1940s, when they were used to help keep wounded WWII soldiers from losing too much muscle mass while they were recuperating.

Since then, steroids have been co-opted by athletes who have found that the drugs will also put additional muscle on the bodies of the healthy. This use leads down a very rocky road, however. From health concerns to ethical ones, steroid use by perfectly healthy people has opened a Pandora's box of problems, for individuals and for society.

At 19 you have more than enough natural testosterone to build muscle without the use of anabolic agents. Train hard, eat plenty of protein from whole food sources, and get at least eight hours of rest per night — and you should be able to add as much weight as you want without the risks associated with steroid use.

Q: I don't know if you had the chance to catch much of the Olympics, but I was wondering if you could explain the feats of people like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt. These two guys in particular have so far exceeded the achievements of even the most elite athletes in their respective sports. It's pretty mind boggling to me!

Joe: As far as I'm concerned, there's one overriding factor that sets an athlete apart from his peers in terms of physical ability, and that's genetics. Some people are born with a gift — be it a talent, intelligence or physical prowess — that is innately theirs. It was passed down to them by their parents and is unlike the gifts bequeathed to any other person in the world.

This isn't to say that mental fortitude and a good work ethic, along with the support of trainers and nutritionists and therapists, don't also go into making a champion. But at the highest levels of sport most athletes have that killer instinct and that support team available to them. At this point, it is physical gifts that come into play.

I worked with a young athlete who had physical gifts unlike any I'd seen before or since. His name is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he is another example of a guy who set a new standard of excellence in his sport. Like Phelps and Bolt, he maximized an incredible genetic advantage to become a dominant champion.

Of course, Arnold, Michael and Usain could have ended up as also-rans, even with their gifts. Without the right attitude, even the most gifted people in the world can fail to achieve the greatness that is within their grasp.

Joe Weider is acclaimed as "the father of modern bodybuilding" and the founder of the world's leading fitness magazines, including Shape, Muscle and Fitness, Men's Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Hers, Golf for Seniors and others published worldwide in over 20 languages.To find out more about Joe Weider, write to him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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