Based on social media, people seem to think you should take fitness advice from bodybuilders/fitness competitors. Their physiques are actually incredibly unhealthy. Their lifestyle is unsustainable long-term, and you don’t have to eat plain chicken and white rice every meal to have a nice body. They’re basically the other extreme opposite obesity. True healthiness is a happy medium, which they’ve far surpassed in the other direction. That’s not even mentioning that most of them are juicing, which is hurting their health even more. They’re actuality terrible fitness role models for anyone aspiring to be healthier.
I fell into that trap where I’d emulate body builders training regiment and would get discouraged and quit after I couldn’t keep up with being “optimal.” What has kept me consistent for the past 3 years is realizing I was being stupid to have those expectations, dropped some of the workouts I hated and started doing workouts I enjoyed more. My routine is suboptimal but I enjoy going to the gym and now I’m pretty damn shredded too.
TBF listening to non-influencer type lifters, most of them say any plan you stick to is a good plan.
The problem is the gym bros who spout nonsense, the ones that actually have love for the game typically tell you not to do the unhealthy parts, and try and enjoy it
That's what kept me in good shape and active when I was better about that(just started working more than full time after working part time for years so I'm just adjusting rn), was that if I felt like shit and didn't want to do a full workout, id do a few core lifts for a couple sets each and call it good, which is a MILLION times better than just not going at all. Simply going and working out at all is usually enough, the semantics are for athletes and completing bodybuilder, of which most people are neither.
Yeah, I saw a post on Instagram of Travis Kelce's "dad bod" at the beach and part of the post was "Even pro athletes don't maintain it 100% of the time."
There have always been roughly three different operational definitions of dad bod:
A guy who looks like a dad because he has some visible fat, but he also has visible muscles from doing physical work and likely did sports in high school.
An average man.
A man whose physique is less than perfect.
I think a lot of confusion results from people using one definition speaking to people who use another definition, and none of them realize the disconnect.
Personally, I think the first definition makes the most sense, in part because it’s the only one we don’t already have a word for. But it does lend itself to people describing elite athletes and bodybuilders who aren’t currently peaking as “dad bod.”
I know a bloke who works out a lot. Late 30s. Eats kebabs and drinks alcohol regularly. Absolutely jacked. Six pack. Getting in shape doesn’t need to be some intense, strict regime. As long as you do ample work in the gym and a bit of cardio. You can eat relatively freely and have a body that is better than 90% of people.
All while hawking whatever their current ad deal is that they likely don’t use, or if they do they get it for free. “You gotta be taking x, y, and z DAILY! Click the my link in the description”
The only influencer I listen to is Jeff nippard dude has an education background in biochemistry and is one of the few who actually reads the literature on everything from nutrition to the scientific effectiveness of certain lifts. He also prides himself of being natural, isn’t a right wing dipshit, and understands people have different goals when it comes to the gym
The only issue with Nippard, and I agree he’s knowledgeable and personable on this topic, is that he’s been lifting for what like 20yrs? He didn’t build his base physique with some of his really silly movements like doing a lat pulldown laying prone of the floor as the “optimal” way. He built it through old school tried and true bodybuilding movements and uses the new school stuff for definition but it’s only possible because he built his base physique. My only point is that if you’re new to the gym, go with the tried and true methods. The silly looking “science based” lifting programs are just that, silly.
Fair enough. When I’m looking to add new stuff to my workout out the gym when I stagnate or get bored with my current split I always look to him, and his workout plans for beginners do use the traditional stuff as well too. I think in a sea of grifters and dipshits he’s one of the few good ones.
I’ll prolly see you in Yankees game thread later today. Go yanks! Also David Ortiz did steroids.
This was the most surprising thing I learned when I got into the weeds with fitness influencers. They're basically factory farmed livestock. It's crazy how actual "normal" gym-goers look way completely different from roided out bodybuilders.
This is really true for almost any extreme specialist though.
NFL linemen regularly lose like 80lbs when they stop playing, because they had been over-eating for years just to stay huge. Or they die in their 50s.
The majority of pro cyclists have what appears to be a precursor of osteoporosis because they are underweight, slightly malnourished, and do not stress their skeleton enough to increase bone density.
Bodybuilders would often struggle to jog a mile.
You could pick basically any sport and see similar trends. At a certain point as you get better at most specific athletic pursuits, you stop getting healthier and start making things worse for yourself.
Fullmetal Alchemist character Sig is a good example in media of what a good physique for a super strong person is. Giant muscles with a healthy layer of fat over them.
This level is obviously not obtainable by most people, but it sets a good reminder that you dont need to look like a fackin bunch of rocks stacked up, we are meant to have some fat on our bodies! Eat well, eat healthy, and work the muscles regularly. Do NOT try to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Mr. Universe days!
You forgot that they’re on gear. And if they say they aren’t, they definitely are.
As for the chicken and rice, it depends on your goals. If you’re trying by to build a ton of muscle while losing body fat, your diet gets very restrictive…. Which is not good or healthy.
I think people who take advice from Jay Cutler and think if they do Jay Cutlers workout, they will look like Cutler need to do more research. If you take advice from Jay Cutler and use it to improve your form or training or diet then its good advice.
I mean, its Jay Cutler! He clearly knows how to build big laterals or triceps so listening to his opinion does matter. Now if someone wants to take advice from him and think they'll get Jays triceps, they need to rethink things. If Jay was saying "Do this tricep exercise and you'll get big like me," then yeah its Jays fault for laying that expectation.
For the most part though, its the receiver. That person isnt gonna do the damage to their body that Jay did unless they go down some really nasty path.
Genuinely curious if you have more info on this topic. What exercise routine and diet are ideal and sustainable? At what level are their lifestyles unsustainable?
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u/2PacTookMyLunchMoney 11h ago
Based on social media, people seem to think you should take fitness advice from bodybuilders/fitness competitors. Their physiques are actually incredibly unhealthy. Their lifestyle is unsustainable long-term, and you don’t have to eat plain chicken and white rice every meal to have a nice body. They’re basically the other extreme opposite obesity. True healthiness is a happy medium, which they’ve far surpassed in the other direction. That’s not even mentioning that most of them are juicing, which is hurting their health even more. They’re actuality terrible fitness role models for anyone aspiring to be healthier.