“Hey Dave, how are you able to have the muscular body that you have...?
Are your muscles the result of the type of physical activity that we do?” I asked Dave after seeing that he stands out of the rest of the guys.
I used to work in a physical job taking down trees and moving blocks uphill. Dave was back then my supervisor. He was a bodybuilder, but I did not know that until he answered the questions I asked him. “No, I wish. I exercise. This type of work helps, but I have a weight lifting routine that I do five times a week. What? Do you want to exercise?”
I was very skinny and I wanted to stand out from the crowd just like him, so I said yes to David.
David was my first mentor in the gym...
He taught me many exercises and the way to grow my muscles. I learned a lot from him.
I used to see him preparing for a bodybuilding show. He would eat a specific diet high in protein the weeks before his shows. I saw him many times eating plain chicken, with white rice or baked potatoes. His diet got high in carbohydrates a couple days before the show. Of course, he only ate this way before his shows. I honestly don’t think his diet was sustainable and he knew it as well. As soon as his shows ended, he would go back to eat what we called normal.
He would also take some dehydration pills, tan and use a special lotion to make his muscle stand out more before his shows. Dehydration helps the body to be more cut, tanning and lotion would give a visual illusion to be more muscular.
David’s body would look a lot more toned and “perfect” I would say when he prepares for a show...
However, in his daily living he was not as toned and perfect.
I am very curious about what people and commercials are trying to sell. Since I study psychology, I know there are many tools these people use to sell. I see many social influencers, actors and ads with an impressive body. Since I am in the industry of weight loss and body toning, I know by fact what is possible to achieve as an body image naturally and what is unreal.
Nevertheless, I do take my time to do some research about the topic. Besides many drugs that people can use to tone faster, there are other tricks that people use in videos and pictures to look even more toned like Dave.
The truth is that what you see in shows, television, commercials and videos most likely is not how a fitness celebrity looks in everyday life...
Please do not misunderstand me. Remember that thanks to Dave I got motivated to exercise, so that means that Dave did look good back then, but he was not as lean and tone as when he does he shows. Even bodybuilders who take steroids have an off season where they are fat and out of shape.
So, the conclusion is that it is impossible to have a “perfect” body (or I should say the image the media is trying to sell us) all year around without sacrificing our health. But that does not mean that you can’t improve your body and have an athletic body. That is possible, but be realistic in what is possible and what is fake.
Make sure you have a realistic goal that is mentally and physically healthy...
For example, if you try to become very toned to the point that you have to dehydrate yourself, you are not healthy anymore and your health can suffer. Remember that bodybuilders only dehydrate themselves for a show and when the show is over, they go back to drinking water, losing the perfect cut. Otherwise, a dehydrated person can die.
Another example is to do drugs. Yes you can look amazing being disciplined and taking some steroids, but your physical and mental health is in the line. There are so many side effects that you may be aware of steroids.
Get real with your body...
The goal is to have an attractive body, be healthy and in shape to have a better life. There is nothing wrong with being athletic, having a nice body and being the best version of yourself. But when this starts to get distorted, chances are that you are missing the point. So be realistic with your goals, get real with your body and find out how far you can push your body in a healthy manner.