Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Sri Chinmoy's progress in weightlifting
- Part I
- Franco Columbu: How important are yoga stretching exercises to the mind?
- Franco Columbu: Are there yoga stretching exercises which benefit nerve conduction or nerve supply to the muscles?
- Franco Columbu: What will be the percentage of change or help to the mind when one does bodybuilding?
- Franco Columbu: What will be the change in the mind when someone is training professionally in comparison to someone who is not training professionally?
- Part II
- Mary Roberts: I have been bodybuilding for approximately seven years. I find that now I am very interested in helping other women learn to compete. Do you feel this is a proper attitude for a champion to have?
- Ken Hall: I've been bodybuilding for over 40 years now. I've watched many changes come to this sport. One of the most significant changes in recent years is the ever-increasing number of women who are entering this field. I feel this is a wonderful change, both for women and for bodybuilding in general. Do you agree?
- Terri Locicero: When I'm competing on stage and it is not going well — for instance, if the audience is not applauding or there is a technical problem with my back-up music — I have to struggle not to lose my concentration. How can I keep poised when problems arise?
- Terri Locicero: When I win a contest, I'm on top of the world; I'm so happy! When I lose, I worry too much about why that happened. How can I learn to keep a proper balance when I compete in a contest?
- Nina Schoenbaum: They say in bodybuilding, "No pain, no gain." To me, that sounds ridiculous. I've never been in pain. Bodybuilding is the fountain of youth — you get stronger as you go along. I've made gains without pain. Why do people feel they have to hurt themselves to improve themselves?
- Jean Laguerre: When I feel that I've honestly done my best, how can I feel that the outcome of the competition has been fair and just, if I didn't win?
- Part III
- Question: How much of heavy lifting is mental preparation and how much is physical preparation?
- Question: How do you mentally prepare yourself to lift a weight that is much heavier than your training weight?
- Question: Do you actually meditate on the weight itself before you lift it?
- Question: If a seeker has physical strength, what other quality does he need most?
- Question: How do the qualities of strength and power differ?
- Question: How can an athlete use his soul-power to increase his mental and physical strength?
- Question: How can I use my strength to please God?
- Question: What type of strength challenges overwhelming ignorance?
- Question: What is the connection between weight training, will-power, determination and spiritual aspiration?
- Question: What is the inner aspect of the quality of virility?
- Question: Sometimes I wonder why we take the trouble to compete in weightlifting or bodybuilding.
- Question: If a person has a job in which he does heavy work or heavy lifting, is that as beneficial for the body as weightlifting?
- Question: When one acquires physical strength, do other positive or negative qualities come with it?
- Question: How can you build a well-developed body and not become vain in the process?
- Question: Are bodybuilders over-concerned with their physical?
- Question: Does lifting weights cause the vital to become more aggressive?
- Question: Does serious weight training tend to make an ordinary person's consciousness more aggressive?
- Question: Why is it that after a very demanding weightlifting workout we feel more relaxed, more at peace with ourselves, purer and less aggressive?
- Question: Is there any difference between the effect of weight training on a woman's consciousness compared to a man's?
- Question: Can a woman ever be too muscular?
- Question: Would women benefit more from weightlifting or from bodybuilding?
- Question: In weightlifting, how much does the idea of failure hold back your progress in training or competition?
- Question: Can you get rid of an injury by lifting weights?
- Question: Do muscles get happier when they are trained on weights?
- Question: With the advent of plant steroids and the genetic restructuring of growth hormones to eliminate unwanted side effects, do you foresee an acceptance of steroid use?
- Question: A very famous Russian gold-medal Olympic weightlifting champion described intense moments of joy while lifting heavy weights in competition. He called these moments "white light experiences." What was he experiencing?
- Question: What is the relationship between God the Supreme Weightlifter, God the Supreme Runner and God the Supreme Musician?
- Question: How far can your students go as strength athletes?
- Question: Is weightlifting an end in itself, or is it better to do it in conjunction with another sport?
- Question: How much weight training do we need to do to supplement our running?
- Question: Is it really possible to be a great weightlifter and a great runner at the same time?
- Question: You have said that for physical fitness, it is not necessary for your students to lift more than 30 pounds, except for the few who practise weightlifting seriously. But if we practised weightlifting in the past, can we now start weightlifting again with the goal to lift much higher weights?
- Question: As a sprinter, what can I do to make my calves bigger? I've tried many things.
- Question: How much weightlifting should I do in connection with training to swim the English Channel?
- Question: Do you feel that your weightlifting represents one of your greatest physical achievements?
- Question: How did you decide to start lifting weights? Did it happen gradually or just suddenly?
- Question: Why have you taken up weightlifting?
- Question: What warm-up exercises do you do before you try a heavy lift?
- Question: Is there any particular exercise that you do not feel like doing when you first start training in the morning?
- Question: When you lift those incredibly heavy weights, do you feel that you are lifting a little bit of the darkness and ignorance of the whole universe?
- Question: When you lift extremely heavy weights, are you using the cosmic strength that comes from Heaven, or is it actually human physical strength? When I saw you lift the 106¼ pounds, I felt I saw the spark of energy that created the universe!
- Question: In your strength training, which quality is your greatest ally?
- Question: Are there any tricks that you use to help you concentrate when lifting?
- Question: When you achieve a goal that you have set for yourself, such as lifting 155 pounds, what inner experiences do you have?
- Question: In the one-arm military press, what do you feel is the ultimate a human being can do right now?
- Question: Do you appreciate weightlifting or bodybuilding more?
- Question: Do you feel any younger since you have been lifting weights?
- Question: Did your physical get more tired from the intense training when you were running a lot than it does from the intense weight training?
- Question: If you had a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane, would this give you great joy?
- Question: What lessons can we learn in the inner world and in the outer world from your weightlifting?
- Question: Because we can see your new physical strength with our outer eyes, does it help us spiritually?
- Editor's preface to the first edition
