IFBB pro and Animal athlete Erik "The House" Fankhouser introduces his video series documenting his preparation for the 2010 Mr. Olympia competition.

sund skrev:Mange tak for at du deler videoen, kom meget gerne med nogle titler på nogle andre bodybuilding videoer, eller dokumenterer du kan anbefale?

-MP- skrev:Stiller han op i 202'ern eller i den frie klasse? Han er jo ikke ret høj, og synes ikke han virker særlig stor i denne video.

pkrfrk skrev:Fed form, det der fangede min opmærksomhed var dog hans calfs. Der er fandeme godt med masse på calfs

Flotfyr20 skrev:Men han er vel krudtet trods alt?

Grow On
by The House

Everyone keeps asking me the same question over and over again. Why? Why I am doing it? Why am I competing in the Olympia? Well, let me start by asking you this: If you earned a spot on an all star team or, better yet, if you made it to a championship game, would you pass up the chance? Would you pass on it even if you weren't the number one pick or number one team? Shit, I know I wouldn't and brother I know if you were a true Animal you would not pass it up either. Competing in the Olympia had been a dream of mine, a goal I have had since I started bodybuilding.

I've always gone into each bodybuilding show competing against no one but myself. Anyone who has stepped on stage at any level knows that bodybuilding is not won or lost on the day of the show. It is won or lost in the months leading up to the event, because it is a battle each day and the day of the show is the day you show your winnings from all those previous days of battling yourself. Don't get me wrong... I want to win as much as the next guy on stage, but sometimes winning is bettering yourself. Sometimes winning is just going after your personal best.

There has been talk about me fighting for sixteenth place at the Olympia. Maybe, maybe not. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. But I ask, what is wrong with fighting for sixteenth place in the biggest show in the world? Is it better to lie down and just roll over and not put up a fight? Never. I will fight for my best even if my best puts me dead last. I will not give up. I will not quit. Surrender has never been an option for me. One guy even told me I was living a pipe dream. I ask, is it better to live a pipe dream, than to never go after something you've always dreamed of? That is why I am doing the Olympia, because I finish what I start. I always have. How you go about it is what defines you as a man, a warrior, an Animal.

Training for the Olympia so far has tested me in ways that I have never been tested before. I have had so many ups and downs. It all started off great at the New York Pro show back in May where I qualified for the Olympia by placing in the top five. Everything for that contest prep went just like it was supposed to. Then at my next show of the year, the Europa, my body did not respond like it had in the past. I was busting my ass but nothing seemed to work. This was hard for me to understand–to give it my all and not change enough was very mentally tough.

After my shitty placement and after having done so well the show before, I started questioning myself. Did I really give it 100%? Did I have the drive anymore? Could I push on and reach new heights? With only eight weeks till the Olympia after this disappointing showing, I had to get my head back on straight. I was questioning what I was doing before. Since it did not work for the Europa, I did not want to diet all the way back down for the Olympia and look like shit again. The hardest thing for me? Believing in myself again.

It was tough trying to get all the negative thoughts and comments out of my head. It took me a few weeks to have faith again in my training and myself, but once the smoke in my mind cleared and my body started to change again, I could really see and feel the results. Mind over matter. Each day, I kept telling myself, reminding myself, "I am my maker." I had to stop thinking and just let my body start doing.

Once I got back in the swing of things, I started to gain momentum and have been riding it ever since. When training for any show at any level, there are ups and downs. When the downs hit, you've got to be headstrong and believe in what you are doing. Without faith in your actions, you aren't fighting for anything and you will find yourself lost without a cause.

No matter what the outcome of the Olympia is, I know I will be proud of who I am. I will know that I gave it my all, gave everything I had. I could not ask for a better ending to a very productive year for me. I want to thank everyone that has kept me motivated. You don't know how much it means to me to have all the support I have here on Animalpak.com and the FORVM.

When I am up on stage, you guys will be up there with me in my heart because without your support I would not be half the bodybuilder as I am. Thanks for giving me light at the end of my road, and keeping my attitude high. Thanks to all the Animals, my brothers. I also wanted to thank my wife and kids and just let them know that I appreciate all the time and energy they put into this year with me. This is not the end and it's not just a dream. It's just another starting point. It's time to grow on.