I believe that people should do what they enjoy and if they like to follow bodybuilding, that is cool.
That being said, it still boggles my mind that such a large amount of people watch bodybuilding contests, idolize professional bodybuilders, etc. I figured bodybuilding would die out back in the early 90’s at the end of Arnold’s popularity on the big screen, but it is still going strong.
[The guy on the left, Ric Arango, was a Calvin Klein Obsession model in the 90’s. This is a recent picture of him and he still looks great. The guy on the right, Ronnie Coleman, is an eight time winner of Mr Olympia. To me Ric has a much better physique than Ronnie Coleman. Coleman’s muscles are so big that they look droopy, not angular and masculine. What is up with his abs?]
“I Do It for Myself Not for the Approval of Women!”
Typically when I point out that most women find bodybuilder physiques repulsive…the comeback is that these guys don’t care what women think and they aren’t looking for approval.
I believe in “choosing your path” as a man and that is what women find attractive in man. I get what is being said, but still don’t get why they themselves think it is a good look.
Spandex, Bleached Hair, Ultra Dark-Tans…Welcome to 1988!
I feel like I’m in a time-warp when I hit a lot of the big bodybuilding sites or look through a bodybuilding magazine. The funniest photos to me are the ones of the supposedly “sexy” female fitness models.
I swear some of them used to be backup dancers for Motley Crue…”He’s the one they call Dr. Feel good! He’s the one that makes ya feel all right!”. Between the weird poses and crazy expressions…these women actually scare me a little!
Roid Use, Roid Rage, Roid-Like Results, Roid Side Effects
Bodybuilding has a sickening dark side…steroids. I remember picking up a few magazines in the early to mid 90’s that blatantly talked about steroids. Bill Phillips had a magazine called Muscle Media 2000 that promoted a book called the Steroid Handbook.
The magazine back then had Q&A about steroids and how to avoid side effects, etc. Many of the articles made me sick to my stomach, but I respected the authors for not pretending that professional bodybuilders got huge from supplements.
One of their most talented writers, TC Luoma, went on to form T-nation several years later. Bill Phillips went on to build a brand for the masses called, Body For Life.
Working Out to Live -NOT- Living to Workout
The biggest problem with bodybuilding is that it absorbs people’s lives. In order to gain mass, the muscle must be damaged and broken down. The sore damaged muscle must be rested in order to heal.
A life around being sore and broken down, resting…then repeating the process. Everyday life gets affected. When you are not training you are sore. If you want to get huge, your day revolves around eating…no thanks!
Too Many Gyms Still Encourage Bodybuilding Principles
The whole 6-12 reps to failure approach is out-dated. If you want to build muscle mass, that is fine…but what about the 25 year old woman who wants to look good in her wedding dress?
How about the 30 year old guy, who wants the “GQ” look and wants to look great in a suit? There are so many people who want to look great in clothes as well as on the beach in a swimsuit. These “bodybuilding inspired” workouts just don’t do the trick.
A Growing Movement Away from Bodybuilding
Two years ago, when I first started this site there weren’t many options for men and women who wanted to get the lean and slim fit look. I’m not saying that my site was the first to address this audience, but I did my best to “draw a line in the sand”.
I wasn’t going to put up with any of the profanity and rampant homophobic remarks that many of those sites thrive on. Unfortunately, many bodybuilding sites have forums that are out of control.
No disrespect to the guys who run those sites, but I wouldn’t want my name associated with that garbage. Luckily, there is an increasing number of great places to get fitness info.
Why Normal is “The New Black”
I think that overly developed physiques create a “forced” look. Normal looking while keeping in decent shape is the way to go. I don’t even think reaching 4-5% body fat is necessary (unless it comes easy for you). There is something to be said for just a nice lean, but healthy look. I like this trend.
Note: I just feel the need to write a post like this about every 6 months or so.
Just to let the newer readers know what the focus of the site is about…looking great in and out of clothes, while leading a fun-filled and rewarding life.
Isn’t it an oxymoron being a bodybuilder/bodybuilding fan and hating gay people? Considering that bodybuilding is one of the most homoerotic activities (not a sport at all) out there where these men prance around the stange and even off the stage and practically rub their muscles rght in people’s faces, homophobia doesn’t make sense here.
Ah, don’t forget, at least a 50% (modestly) of all bodybuilders are gay and bisexual men who just like their heterosexual counterparts want to look sexy for guys.
Bruce lee’s physique is the kind of physique I fancy to have
He’s the cross between all kinds of physiques,his physique is fluid
It can flow or it can crash
You hit it right on the head bro. Women like muscular men but not so big they look like gorillas who can’t scratch their ow back and might go on a killing spree cause of the roids. Unless the woman is herself a bodybuilder, I guess they like scratching gorillas backs. Lol
I get where you are coming from about the freak bodybuilder look. But I’d like to point out that bodybuilding doesn’t mean you have to take steroids and get overly massive.
If you look at the body’s on the natural bodybuilding shows, you have to be impressed.
as a bodybuilder I am starting to like the hot ass fitness girls and physique mamas (not the buff bodybuilder chicks lol) I want to marry one of those women who take fitness as serious as I.
Bodybuilding has its purpose. But the bad part of bodybuilding is that is all just about looks and nothing more. People for some reason think that if they build a lot of muscle that they will be a man and be a tough as nails. If you want to look nice and big then bodybuilding is the thing for you. But if you want to be really strong, look good without a large amount of muscle, fit to the level where you can run miles and be tough then do something like MMA. I like, I did bodybuilding for 1 year and it was great but I decided I want to work on more than just looks.
”I realize there are also bodybuilders who are courteous and kind, but the jerks who make it an unpleasant experience need to be put in their place.”
Ok, so u dont respect us and think we need ”to be put in our places” u don’t sound fucking kind at all man, it would be funny to see u saying that i need to be puted in my place face to face with me.
If anything the biggest bonus with women from being a bodybuilder is you stand out from the crowd. If a lean fella walks into the bar he looks the same as everyone else in the bar apart from the fatties. You have nothing going for you if your just lean because everyone else is lean too.
A big muscular fella walks in and he totally stands out from the crowd. Instant win. Fair enough the likes of ronnie coleman do look weird but he’d still draw attention. However he’s pushing it to the ABSOLUTE limit, 99% of bodybuilders are 40lb’s less lean mass than him or more and are still huge…. Ronnie is truely massive. However im sure hes not caring since hes regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time and has made himself a rather healthy bank account from bodybuilding…..
Damn, theres some strong insecurity in here.
I love how everyone on the internet is so militantly against bodybuilding, especially when they literally know nothing. Nothing about bodybuilding and very very little about fitness.
Bodybuilding at a competitive level is about steroids and other meds, plain and simple. This is one area you all know nothing about. Steroids contrary to popular belief have virtually no side effects, bodybuilding is kind of a closed circle. Mostly because its driven underground. Once your in your in. You’d be horrified at how many people are using steroids, most of them are people you would never suspect. I know an absolute tonne of steroid users, the worst side effects ive EVER seen is some gyno (pretty rare and easily managed) and mostly guys just look like theyre going through puberty again but making monster gains. No one dies from steroids, no one. Less hospital visits caused by steroids than multivitamins. Not bad for one of the most prolific drugs in the country….. Dont buy into all the government spouted crap fools…. If the government told you the moon was made of cheese would you believe that because theres more chance of that being right than what they say about steroids…..
As far as attracting women goes, dont really care whether theyre attracted or not, its incredibly sad to live your life to impress women. I love bodybuilding, the constant change, the dedication, the theory everything, its absolutely great. Thats why i do it, im constantly beating myself. I suppose most of you wouldnt know that feeling though, the feeling of success….. Anyway, back to women. There are alot of women who dont dig the look yes, but there are ALOT of women who do, considering how small a portion of the population bodybuilders make up, its a pretty target rich environment out there if thats what your interested in. The only thing i will say is generally the women who are attracted are errr, unscrupulous. Not a problem though because most bodybuilders are pretty top blokes and have no problem getting a quality woman who overlooks his unusual obsession.
Bodybuilding doesnt over run your life either. I spend at most 2 hours in the gym 4-5 days a week. I prepare all my meals but that doesnt take long since boiling veg, rice and cooking chicken doesnt take long especialy when you do it in bulk. Plenty of time left over……
Most of the people writing comments have no idea ! In my experiences women find my large physique attractive and it becomes a talking point with women, they want to feel my arms and love the big chest , Im tall 6’5″ and train fanatically with pure heavy weight training weigh 270 pounds. So to all you bodybuilding haters out there … get real and get huge !
I have been a bodybuilder for about 40 years, and it has been great. 99% of us are not at the Ronnie Coleman level or even at the competitive level. Most of us look more like the running backs and linebackers you see in football. We are big, strong, and fit. The amount of time we work out isn’t really different from what I see posted at this site. Even looking at the comments, I notice that the guys who want to be lean seem to list workouts that involve more time lifting than I put in. We don’t live to workout. We workout to live.
And life has been good. I notice guys writing about how the girls think bodybuilder’s physics are disgusting. That is what they tell you lean guys. However, I have never gone out and not had women touching me and wanting to enjoy my body, and I also have never had men not wanting to talk and be friends. Ever since I was in junior high, my body has been like a magnet for people, and it has kept me popular my whole life.
Finally, I am surprised that a fitness site talks about how the bodybuilder’s life is affected by working out and then resting, while most every workout on this site does the same thing. You body improves through the stress of working out and the recovery from that workout. If you want to look normal, that is fine with me, but don’t let people lie to you that being bigger won’t make your life even better.
Here’s the thing. Bodybuilding is not just about looking like Ronnie. Anybody that works out and tries to looks great is considered a bodybuilder. They are a bunch of categories and Ronnie was the part of the heavy weight. Is like boxing or MMA…it’s not a free for all…they are categories.
Now Jay talks about what he eats. That man has a nutritionist that gets paid more than 7K/person a year and I’m sure that is just from normal people. Now 7K not seem like a lot but think what if he has 20-30 clients. Yeah now it seems like a lot of money. They know their stuff and why they eat what they eat. Diets change left and right according to what you want to do.
Now lets talk about people’s favorite subject…STEROIDS. Steroids is not some joke and it’s not just injection. These guy know what they inject, how to inject, and the chemistry behind it. They get blood works left and right. They have doctor looking after them. There is Steroids, GH, Peptides, SARMs, and a billion other things. Hell even pro-hormones that are sold in supplement stores are steroids in caps(no seriously they are steroids)! If those chemicals killed them and gave them a billion problems then they would not live such a long time. Most bodybuilders live a LONG life and they look and feel great. Joints feel good, stamina, LIBIDO(even when they are 60+), sleep…everything!
Then there is why they do it. You grow to love it. I mean your changing all the time while other people still look the same or worst. You get stronger, faster, leaner, bigger. It’s just amazing! You don’t have to be huge to lift big(look up john inzer)…do you know how satisfying it is to lift hundreds of pounds?
Most people just respond with “What’s the point of doing all this?!” which kind of is an annoying comment. Because think about it…what is the point of football, basket ball, driving 100mph, hell what is the point of giving 55 orgasm(28 was cumming and 45 of them were back-to-back) to a female? It’s fun! Now the last part was about me and it might sound impassible but its not. And no, no toys or anything were used. I just treated it like workout…let get one more.