Dealing with the modern fitness industry

[jonathanbewell]

@mollym029 Seriously lol this one did it

 

[mamabdog]

@ninjascourge Good comment

 

[wyattwrd]

@mamabdog I also get a little discouraged sometimes too. Something to remember is that what you see on the internet is often not real, feel free to cruise through /r/instagramreality as evidence. People obsessed with their internet image are often photoshopping / facetuning, utilizing good lighting, doing things specifically for the photo or video op, etc. They're cultivating an image that's probably not very representative. You don't see the things they don't want you to see.

Not to mention, certain choices (e.g. steroids, constant partying, etc) will have long-term consequences that won't be apparent til later.

 

[dawn16]

@mamabdog The biggest factor about social media photos are photoshop and outangleing imo. Don’t worry about others bro. If you’re lifting for the approval of others, you will never be satisfied. You can take gear and look godly, but why not work hard as fuck and feel proud of the accomplishments you made? I guarantee that at 21, you’re already bigger and stronger than 90% of average Americans of all ages. I’ve been lifting 8 years, and I finally benched 3 plates in the beginning of 2020. Deadlift 475. It’s nothing special compared to serious powerlifters, but I’m still proud and I know I’m stronger than so many people! I used to have a lot of body image issues, but working on it over the years helped a lot. Don’t worry dude, you’re gonna make it one day

 

[beawakeandrepent]

@mamabdog Social media is all an illusion, don’t allow yourself to be confused by the fake images that other people create. There’s a whole industry of influencers, social media managers, PR companies and corporations who are all experts in creating the exact kind of dissatisfaction and insecurity you describe. It’s all engineered for profit, ignore it

As a last resort you could always delete your socials, or at least freeze/ deactivate them while you concentrate on lifting

 

[urlelove]

@mamabdog I‘ll echo what others have said, try deleting social media apps off your phone at least for a while. I did it back in June because of other reasons but I have noticed my self image has seriously improved. You don’t need to be sub 10% BF and lift insane amounts of weight in the gym to look good.

 

[pxw521]

@mamabdog Should have posted this with a physique pic.

Hard to say if you’re actually training and dieting right without context.

I’m natural. And no I don’t feel like this. I feel like I have one of the best physiques in the weight room whenever I go. I don’t compare myself to ig because I know most dudes are on gear plus they only take pics in best lighting plus they edit their pictures.

The biggest reason I don’t compare myself to others is because I know the hard work and dedication it takes to reach a great physique. If I’m not there it’s because I haven’t worked hard enough nor put in enough effort into my diet. That’s fine with me as I sometimes cheat on my diet and I’ll take eating pizza or chipotle once a week over having shredded abs.

 

[bubblegoose42]

@mamabdog And you think you can handle hanging out with 25 girls all over you? Is that the kind of person you think you are capable of? Is anyone capable of that?

Let’s be realistic. They are getting paid to be there. Stop falling for the “do my what I do and you’ll be here” when they are some random person. They aren’t trying to help you. Listen to those that share what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.

And if you don’t look like you lift, you aren’t lifting correctly or eating correctly.

But is years just 2? You expect to look like a genetic monster after 2 years of lifting? Or 3. 3 is usually(if you trained hard), you look like someone who knows what they are doing and you probably went through every myth and mistake on the journey everyone without a good coach makes.

Everything should be simple. Progress on your lifts. Eat slightly above maintenance to gain, slightly below to lose fat. There’s no secret, your body is going to react to that stimulus. If you see shit progress, but did everything right? Too bad, that’s the body you got, should’ve chose better parents. So stop complaining and lift like you’re on steroids yourself because the training doesn’t feel different. You just sacrifice life for faster progress.

If you really think you’re low on test, see a doctor.

 

[calledkeptbeloved]

@mamabdog It’s not that fact that it was tempting only that I said I need money so I invested in my body and the. Use it to market my products on Instagram and in-person
I will not say who I am but I have 213k followers on Instagram and am making more than enough (23 yr old on Test)

 

[mamabdog]

@calledkeptbeloved Do you claim natty?

 

[calledkeptbeloved]

@mamabdog Yes for sponsorships
But everyone close to me knows the truth

 

[chrissy7]

@mamabdog The journey of fitness and reaching your goals is long and slow. There are shortcuts and im making.no moral judgments about gear. But, there are risks involved. Just keep pushing man, trust the process and results will come. Fuck the gear, its not necessary

 

[dawn16]

@mamabdog I've been on both ends of the spectrum here. When I was in my 20s I did three cycles over a 10 year period. While I won't deny the awesomeness that I experienced, I will say that i now appreciate the natural gains more. It's more fulfilling to exceed a 1RM jacked up on a protein shake and a banana than what I was doing 10+ years ago.

Also, I'm in my 30s and could fkn care less what my eye candy status is. I lift to relieve stress, nothing more. You're young, I've been there, but my advice would be to lift for you and no one else.

 

[mamabdog]

@dawn16 I appreciate your advice, good to hear from someone who has been on both sides of the spectrum. Why did you eventually decide to stop cycling? And why did you choose cycling over blast and cruise? To me personally cycling would seem very hard on the mind

 

[dawn16]

@mamabdog At the time, I was very reckless and uninformed. Never even knew what BnC was and I was using some heavy stuff, smallish doses, but still. It wasn't until my 3rd one that PCT became difficult - terrible sides, depression, semi-psycho behavior.

I wouldn't be against doing it again but I would indeed BnC if I were to. I guess at my point now, I've been surpassing plateaus on my own, granted the quarantine set me back, but I know it's possible. Additionally, I'm more diet/training disciplined now than I was back then so that plays a huge factor.

 

[theresea]

@mamabdog Man, I'm the same length, 24 years old, and 10 kg lighter... You got 10 kg of solid mass on me, since we have about the same fat percentage. I could learn from you dude.

 

[mcolley10]

@mamabdog Its noise, just tune it out. Also, for every gym shark fuck out there, there are 100 or 1000 guys who fucked themselves up, there are 10xx guys who are battling side effects, there are 10xx guys suffering from psychological problems, anxiety, depression associated with their drug use, there are 10xx guys that wasted their money on bad shit, and all have not too much to show for it, or if they do, it is just superficial.

Any, and I mean ANY problem you have in your life is still there when you are big and still there when you are shredded.

I'm not going to try to convince you NOT to take drugs, that is your choice to make and yours alone, but you need to become an expert on it before you do it. Don't just be enamored by the insta life bullshit, but talk to everyone that uses, and discover for yourself the reality of that life, and the downsides to it before determining if it is for you.

If I were you, I would keep my head down, blinders on, and just keep working. You look great now, great base, lots to work with. Give yourself 5 really good more years of improvement and then reassess. It also gives you time to grow up a little, mature, figure out who you are, and then determine if drug use helps you achieve the goals you have or not.

Every dude who has ever lifted has faced this situation, you are not alone, but live a little life before you permanently alter the course of it for something that in the grand scheme of it doesn't matter too much (like being more jacked than you already are)

 

[eklisiarh]

@mamabdog Dude, you look absolutely incredible for having worked out only 2.5 years. Wtf are you talking about

 

[dawn16]

@mamabdog No offense OP but you might have some dysmorphia going on.

 

[jessicaautumnreds]

@mamabdog lolilol