Читать книгу The Secret Of Mind And Body - Gianluca Pistore - Страница 5

INTRODUCTION BY SLY

The preface that Sylvester Stallone had (never) written for us:

«You are too muscular» they rejected me in this way then I proposed myself for the role of protagonist for the film that I had written.

They offered me an incredible money amount to sell the play and to get me out from the business. They said that I could never be an actor, that I was not good for the role.

I resisted: Rocky It was me.

That film was born in a day when I said to myself “Why do not take this imagine of me and write something about the soul of a man hiding himself behind his rude appearance?”*

This is Rocky, a strong boxer, a solid fighter, a man that never give up and who has a great heart, that even if it is forced to be a captor for the organised criminality, he tries to do something to improve his life. Rocky is a love film* it is not a simple boxer story. It is the story of a man who does not give up, fighting in the life to achieve the results that he dreams.

During my cinema career, I have suffered a lot of accidents, followed several training and different diets that often have weakened me, this made me feel bad.

During the Rocky II training, with Franco Columbu who has been twice Mr. Olympia, I tore my pectoral muscle forcing me to undergo to a surgical operation lasting four hours. I came back to the set for the shooting and the result is still well visible: in the film I changed the guard not to surprise Apollo (as I tell) but because I did not be able to box well because of the surgical operation consequences.**

For the film Victory my diet consisted in just 200 calories per day, only protein food and a potato in case that I was feeling me passing out.

For Rocky III I began my day with two miles running, then 18 boxe rounds, two hours of weightlifting and of rope skipping. In the afternoon, after a nap, two miles more of running.

At that time, there was not many information about nutrition and I was using extreme methods to lose or put on weight, I arrived even to self-cannibalising. I had followed training and really unhealthy diets. I had massacred my body, I do not recommend to anybody to follow my advice. Today I train myself regularly each morning, while in the afternoon I deal with my business.

My nutrition is healthy and correct. I try to follow a balanced diet and I am living with a fat mass of about 6%, when I must play a role in a film I decrease the mass to 4%. My record was in Rocky IV when I went down to 3.7% of fat mass.

I think that the physical training is synonym of discipline, mental order and perseverance. Nobody can hit so hard as life, strong is not who going down for the count, but who that is gone down for the count once and has the force to get up.

I do not know the reasons leading you to buy this book, I do not know why you want to train yourself or follow a diet. I do not know if you want to lose or to put on weight, if you want to increase your muscles or to define them better, if you are a fighter or an athlete….but whoever you are, get free from the beast that you have inside! You know, when the others are not able to do a thing, they tell that it is you that are not able to do it!

Face to the adversities, to the difficulties of the life, it is not important what is the problem weight, we will make an effort to lift it! It is not important what will be the weight falling on our head, we will not kneel down. It is not important how you give hits, but how you are able to stand up to them, how you go down for the count after having taken the hits and you have the force to get up again, so you are a winner!

Each time that you will feel pain, that you will surrender, that you will be near to give up, remember what my trainer said and you have to tell yourself: “Ehi… I did not hear the bell, there is a round more?”

Good reading,

Sly***

* These are sentences really told by Stallone in different interviews

** This and many other information have been taken by the official website www.sylvesterstallone.com

*** To be surer we repeat: Sly did not consider us but we have no doubt that he would undoubtedly move and agree with these words.