The Arnold Classic Weekend
Written by Shoshana Pritzker Monday, 17 May 2010 15:55
March 09, 2009
Anyone not living under a rock can relate to how incredibly boring a flight home from wherever you’ve visited can be. Basically you’re left with a couple of hours to sit and contemplate what you’ve just gone through. If it was a weekend like the Arnold Classic then you’ve probably got a lot to think about as well as a flight full of protein loaded bodybuilders and their fans. I’m surprised the abundance or supplements in the suitcase bay didn’t ground the plane. I know in my suitcase alone I managed to squeeze in 3 jugs of BCAAs, 4 bottles of Creatine, 1 bottle of a new super strong fat burner, and packets upon packets of samples. It’s amazing I was able to fit it all in. You better believe security was going through my bags!!
No matter how large the Arnold Classic (we’ll call it the ASC for now on) grows to be, one thing will always remain the same, there is never a shortage of large crowds and endless lines. The amount of people to attend this event every single year will continue to grow due to the growing amount of sporting events taking place. The ASC began as only a bodybuilding contest. Whereas now you can find events like fencing, ballroom dancing, powerlifting and strongman, cheerleading, marathons, scientific lectures, and even boxing with super large gloves. Whatever your hobby or interest you will surely find it there!
This is my third year attending the ASC and the biggest difference this year from all others is that I was not working at a supplement company booth. If you were unaware, the ASC houses one of the largest expos around. With row upon row, and booth after booth, of various supplement companies touting their product as superior to all others you’re surely to walk out with an abundance of product samples of funny aftertaste in your mouth. Let’s not forget all of the fitness girls dressed in little to nothing. This always confuses me because they must be cold when they walk out in to the winter Columbus weather. Guess that’s what coats are for. Be careful with all the samples though, many of these protein bars and shakes contain copious amounts of artificial sweeteners that don’t pair well with your GI tract. You may end up spending much of your trip in sitting on the porcelain throne.
One thing I find really cool about the entire ASC weekend is that many of the hotels around downtown Columbus provided special ASC menus in their restaurants to accommodate all of the ‘bodybuilding’ type of diets. That means I was able to easily stick to my diet while there. In fact, I ate at the same buffet about 4 times throughout the weekend and would’ve just preferred to eat there for all meals. They served the perfect menu of grilled chicken breasts, roast beef, steamed broccoli, brown rice, grilled salmon, and a full salad bar. If only there were restaurants like this at home, I’d be eating out almost everyday!
The most interesting thing about this entire event is that the majority of attendees are simply fans of the sport. Many of them look as though they’ve maybe stepped foot in a gym twice in their lives. If you’ve never been to the Arnold Classic, be sure to make 2010 your year to attend as it’s an event you should experience at least once in your lifetime. If you’re not a fan of the sport of bodybuilding, surely you can find another sporting event to attend there or at least walk away with a nice supply of supplement samples that are absolutely free!