Janar Rückenberg’s poetry was born in the grueling final weeks of getting into peak condition, when the body has been pushed to the limit and the mind starts looking for an escape somewhere other than the iron. These two poems were written while preparing for a bodybuilding competition, when discipline and sleeplessness turn the mind toward poetry. The original versions were written years ago; this is the author’s slightly revised take.
Why bodybuilding poetry is worth reading
In Estonia, bodybuilding is mostly a world of hard numbers and strict diets. Training logs, macro counting, weigh-ins. But behind it all there is always a living person, someone who wakes up to wheat bran and cottage cheese month after month. Sometimes that pressure produces something other than muscle mass: it produces words.
These lines are neither a lesson nor a guide. They are a snapshot of what a bodybuilder’s mind does when the body is at its edge. An athlete’s poetry that speaks about the sport from the inside: proportions, posing, stage nerve and that last night before the competition, when the cottage cheese is still waiting in the cupboard.
“Bodybuilding…” — the first poem
Bodybuilding, I wonder what it’s all about,
perhaps success awaits you in this field, no doubt?
So read the following lines with care,
good information is what I mean to share.
I’ll tell you honestly what the “catch” is,
why this sport is so hard, here’s the gist.
This sport is a story of the human body,
and the one with more muscle is rated higher, you see.
To begin, set yourself some goals,
get a workout shirt and hold on to discipline.
To put muscle on your bones and watch your bodyweight grow,
skip the idle stuff and find the nearest gym to go.
Thick legs, a massive back and a swollen chest,
the price is a heavy barbell, lifted regularly.
But mass alone is not the victory or the light,
it’s merely the foundation, the beginning of the fight.
Size alone won’t decide who rises above the rest,
you also have to shed the excess fat to look your best.
What is the winning standard, and you’ve done all you can,
you’re in contest shape, so is the win yours, sure as planned?
I’ve heard coaches wisely say,
those whose skin is thin as paper deserve to win on stage that day.
It’s not easy, but it’s possible, if your nutrition is flawless,
and practice shows that aerobic work helps too, no less.
You should be as dry as world champion Koovit,
provided, of course, you truly want to win it.
Fat shouldn’t bury precious muscle away,
and striations should cover a body shaped to display.
Definition, striations, grooves and powerful veins,
that’s how you’ll likely earn the win for your pains.
One more piece of wisdom I’ll bring to you,
the judges like good proportions too.
Powerful arms and a lower body that’s barely there,
there’s no harmony in that, nothing to repair.
Still, even great shape isn’t always enough,
it might not be your visa to victory, and that’s tough.
Traps, triceps, back and legs standing free,
chest and biceps, a mighty side pose, you’ll see.
Finally, skilled posing puts you in the picture,
so you can shine and proudly carry the winner’s label.
Did you get the idea, or does it still not click,
good grief, haven’t you seen Ott Kiivikas?
“My hour has come…” — the second poem
One more night is left to spend,
then we’ll see if my hard work paid off in the end.
Tomorrow judgment will be passed at the front,
and by the end of the day the scores will be on paper.
Month after month, one routine,
wheat bran and curd cheese.
My mind has long dreamed of something else,
I open the cupboard, yet cottage cheese still stares back.
Only a few hours are left,
my brother makes me hold out.
We’ll see what shape the others are in,
have the winning standards changed?
I believe no competitor is joking on stage,
why else would you come out at all?
I consider every competitor a rival,
so I set strict demands on myself too.
Soon I’ll be on my way to the battlefield,
strange, but my mind isn’t anxious yet.
Hair is in order, body hair shaved,
the body covered in a layer of makeup.
Weigh-in done, and when the time is ripe,
the posing trunks go on.
Though at first it seemed there were few competitors,
it looks like this will be a merciless fight.
A lot of work has been done, a lot of effort made,
will a medal land around my neck?
Whether the stage will favor me,
I’ll know once the poses are done.
One thing is sure and plain to see:
easy and bright it will not be.
Everyone who’s setting big plans, you see,
will have to take me seriously.
Whether I shine or whether I lose,
one thing is true: soon I’ll eat normally, too!
What these poems say about bodybuilding
The first text works like an introduction to the sport: a humorous but accurate summary of what really counts in bodybuilding. Mass alone is not a win. Definition, proportion, posing and thin skin are what separate those who simply step on stage from those who win on it. The reference to “Kiivika Ott” brings in Estonian bodybuilding culture; Otto Kiivikas was for a long time the flagship of our sport.
The second text is more intimate. It is a monologue from the night before a competition. There is cottage cheese in the cupboard, numbers in your head, and a brother beside you who won’t let you give in. Anyone who has ever peaked for a show will recognize it: the strange calm of the final days, when the nerves vanish and a kind of peace takes their place. “Soon I’ll get to eat normally” — that one line holds the whole sport.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Janar Rückenberg?
An Estonian author with a bodybuilding background, whose work grows out of personal competition experience. These poems were written during the final phase of bringing their own physique to its peak.
Why does the first poem talk about proportions, not just muscle mass?
Because in bodybuilding the biggest competitor doesn’t win; the most balanced one does. Judges assess the harmony of the whole package, the relationship between muscle groups and posing skill — not weight alone.
Is this kind of creative work by an athlete common in Estonia?
Not really. Most competitors leave their feelings in the gym and in their competition diary. That is exactly why Rückenberg’s poems offer a rare glimpse into the psychological side of peaking, set to rhyme.
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
