Tiamat
05-07-2009, 01:14 PM
Drug-free bodybuilder paid heavy price for win
Gurunlian endangered by bizarre diet
DAVID YATES, Freelance
Published: Wednesday, July 11 2007
No one is ever likely to kick sand in the face of the well muscled Chris Gurunlian, who has been shaping and chiselling his body for eight gruelling years.
But a diet heavy on broccoli and low on salt - part of the preparation bodybuilders undergo while preparing for a competition - nearly killed him last month. And it happened shortly after his greatest achievement in the sport.
Gurunlian is the kind of guy who is tailor-made for bodybuilding, which attracts attention for several reasons - not all of them good. He loves lifting weights for more than an hour a day and tops that with another hour of cardio work, such as running.
Bodybuilders may be seen as primping and preening narcissists who waddle around in muscle-bound bodies, thanks to help from steroids and growth hormones. But Gurunlian says he does not fit that image.
"I am a 100-per-cent natural athlete," he said, sitting at a small table beside endless rows of fitness machinery and several acres of mirrors at the Powerflex Gym in St. Laurent.
Gurunlian is adamant about rejecting drugs to build his body, but there's certainly a bit of showman in him.
"I'm the kind of person that I just love being on stage and performing in front of people," said Gurunlian, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 154 pounds when he's in top shape for competition.
But Gurunlian, who weighs close to 180 pounds when he's on a normal diet, is much more than his bodybuilding image. He recently completed his BA in physical education at McGill University, has been coach of the LaurenHill Academy juvenile basketball team for three years, and at 25, is the youngest basketball referee at the CEGEP Triple-A level, officiating more than 100 games a year. He also works as a waiter at the Baton Rouge restaurant in Complexe Desjardins.
But bodybuilding holds a special place in Gurunlian's heart. The countless hours of hard work, lifting weights and running finally paid off on June 16, when he won the Men's Classic Short division of the Canadian BodyBuilding Federation Championship in Toronto. It's a competition that tests athletes for drugs that are not permitted.
His colleague Bruce Garnes, who is 5-foot-9 and competes at 165 pounds, won the Men's Classic Medium, qualifying both to go to the world championships in South Korea in October.
The championship victories left both men on top of the world, but as they drove home from Toronto, nearly immobilized in the back seat of a car, a series of bizarre circumstances began to unfold. Their bodies were dehydrated from avoiding salt and sulphur in the months preceding the competition in an effort to reduce their body weight. With no salt in their bodies, fluids are flushed quickly through their systems.
Their bodies were also full of vitamin K, thanks to eating five servings of broccoli and greens a day. The vitamin reduces the possibility of cramps as competitors flex their muscles for the poses in the competition, but is also a factor in blood clotting.
A week after returning to Montreal, Gurunlian felt sharp pains in his stomach and shoulder, and had difficulty breathing. He rushed to the Jewish General Hospital, where a CT scan showed multiple clots in his lungs. The clots had originated in his legs. He spent four days in the hospital, receiving blood thinners as treatment.
On release, the doctors told him he could do no strenuous exercise for six months, effectively dashing his dream of going to the world championships.
A few days later, Garnes noticed a swelling in his right calf, prompting him to go to the out-patient clinic at the hospital, where a clot was diagnosed. He was treated for three days at the clinic and was also told to lay off the exercising.
"I was depressed and upset, but at the same time, the doctor told me that I was lucky to be alive," Gurunlian said. "You only have one life and there will always be other competitions."
Gurunlian will now turn his attention to basketball and referee at the national under-15 basketball tournament in Sherbrooke next month.
Then Gurunlian, son of Varouj Gurunlian, a former member of the Canadian national basketball team, will head for the U.S., where he will enroll in more refereeing clinics with the hope of being hired as an official for a Division 1 U.S. college conference.
"If that doesn't work out, I've always got my degree from McGill and teaching to fall back on," he said.
Taken from canada.com
Gurunlian endangered by bizarre diet
DAVID YATES, Freelance
Published: Wednesday, July 11 2007
No one is ever likely to kick sand in the face of the well muscled Chris Gurunlian, who has been shaping and chiselling his body for eight gruelling years.
But a diet heavy on broccoli and low on salt - part of the preparation bodybuilders undergo while preparing for a competition - nearly killed him last month. And it happened shortly after his greatest achievement in the sport.
Gurunlian is the kind of guy who is tailor-made for bodybuilding, which attracts attention for several reasons - not all of them good. He loves lifting weights for more than an hour a day and tops that with another hour of cardio work, such as running.
Bodybuilders may be seen as primping and preening narcissists who waddle around in muscle-bound bodies, thanks to help from steroids and growth hormones. But Gurunlian says he does not fit that image.
"I am a 100-per-cent natural athlete," he said, sitting at a small table beside endless rows of fitness machinery and several acres of mirrors at the Powerflex Gym in St. Laurent.
Gurunlian is adamant about rejecting drugs to build his body, but there's certainly a bit of showman in him.
"I'm the kind of person that I just love being on stage and performing in front of people," said Gurunlian, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 154 pounds when he's in top shape for competition.
But Gurunlian, who weighs close to 180 pounds when he's on a normal diet, is much more than his bodybuilding image. He recently completed his BA in physical education at McGill University, has been coach of the LaurenHill Academy juvenile basketball team for three years, and at 25, is the youngest basketball referee at the CEGEP Triple-A level, officiating more than 100 games a year. He also works as a waiter at the Baton Rouge restaurant in Complexe Desjardins.
But bodybuilding holds a special place in Gurunlian's heart. The countless hours of hard work, lifting weights and running finally paid off on June 16, when he won the Men's Classic Short division of the Canadian BodyBuilding Federation Championship in Toronto. It's a competition that tests athletes for drugs that are not permitted.
His colleague Bruce Garnes, who is 5-foot-9 and competes at 165 pounds, won the Men's Classic Medium, qualifying both to go to the world championships in South Korea in October.
The championship victories left both men on top of the world, but as they drove home from Toronto, nearly immobilized in the back seat of a car, a series of bizarre circumstances began to unfold. Their bodies were dehydrated from avoiding salt and sulphur in the months preceding the competition in an effort to reduce their body weight. With no salt in their bodies, fluids are flushed quickly through their systems.
Their bodies were also full of vitamin K, thanks to eating five servings of broccoli and greens a day. The vitamin reduces the possibility of cramps as competitors flex their muscles for the poses in the competition, but is also a factor in blood clotting.
A week after returning to Montreal, Gurunlian felt sharp pains in his stomach and shoulder, and had difficulty breathing. He rushed to the Jewish General Hospital, where a CT scan showed multiple clots in his lungs. The clots had originated in his legs. He spent four days in the hospital, receiving blood thinners as treatment.
On release, the doctors told him he could do no strenuous exercise for six months, effectively dashing his dream of going to the world championships.
A few days later, Garnes noticed a swelling in his right calf, prompting him to go to the out-patient clinic at the hospital, where a clot was diagnosed. He was treated for three days at the clinic and was also told to lay off the exercising.
"I was depressed and upset, but at the same time, the doctor told me that I was lucky to be alive," Gurunlian said. "You only have one life and there will always be other competitions."
Gurunlian will now turn his attention to basketball and referee at the national under-15 basketball tournament in Sherbrooke next month.
Then Gurunlian, son of Varouj Gurunlian, a former member of the Canadian national basketball team, will head for the U.S., where he will enroll in more refereeing clinics with the hope of being hired as an official for a Division 1 U.S. college conference.
"If that doesn't work out, I've always got my degree from McGill and teaching to fall back on," he said.
Taken from canada.com