There's a guy on the Internet who claims to be an amateur bodybuilder, but he looks kind of fat in his photos. He says that the bodybuilding magazines present an unrealistic image of bodybuilders, because the guys in the photos and in the competitions often deplete their muscles to a certain point, so that their musculature will be accentuated. Is this at all true, or is it a lie?
2007-12-14 09:35:17 · 10 answers · asked by tangerine 7 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
Bodybuilders diet down for a contest so by contest time their fat level is extremely low, and every detail of the muscle shows through the skin. Most pictures in bodybuilding magazines are taken at contests, or shortly after contests when the bodybuilder is in peak condition. People often refer to a bodybuilder who is not dieting for a contest as being "off season." The off season look for bodybuilders varies a great deal. Some gain a lot of weight and look fat. Others stay fairly lean. Many now try to avoid "bulking up" in the off season because of how difficult it can be to loose all that extra weight when getting ready for the next contest. Bodybuilding magazines have started to include more off season pictures, and many bodybuilders have websites that include off season photos.
2007-12-17 08:17:45 · answer #1 · answered by Lifterguy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-05-04 07:42:28 · answer #2 · answered by Vincent 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most of the guys in the muscle mags are genetic freaks. Yes, they often have the assistance of pharmaceutical aids, they do work their asses off too with their nutrition and training programs. This doesn't mean the average joe can't see a lot of progress by correctly applying diet and training, but the Joe Cutlers and Ronnie Colemans of the world do have more of a genetic predisposition than most.
If you look at any serious competitor, whether they're natural or not, amateur or pro, they go through similar phases to reach competition goals, meaning gaining mass followed by cutting. Precompetition diet changes, often they are under then over hydrated and have extremely low bodyfat percentages. You don't have to have a sandow or IFBB pro card to be able to do this either, many a gym rat with normal 9-5 jobs are competitors since most people can't make a living at bodybuilding. Also, if you could see these guys off season they look a lot different than during contests, which is typically around when these pics are taken.
Yea anyone can call themselves a bodybuilder and not have the first clue how to actually be one. You're not really a participant in the sport until you've competed on stage, and this guy obviously is either in the middle of his gaining phase, or has no idea how to cut.
2007-12-14 10:13:07 · answer #3 · answered by resistnzisfutl 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
He's half right.
I've known some hard-core bodybuilders in my time and these guys are just freaks when it comes to working out. Most of them are also on the juice to one degree or another because unless you're highly gifted genetically, you're not going to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger during his prime.
They go through a period of bulking and then cutting. To bulk they eat everything in sight and practically live in the gym. Every day is spent lifting in an attempt to get bigger muscles. Then they cut and this means lots of carido and an extremely strict diet to help remove as much fat as possible and get it down into the single digits.
Then two days before the competition they stop drinking water completely to dehydrate themselves, some going as far as to take diuretics to flush even more water from their systems. The less water means the better the muscles stand out and this is what they're looking for. It's incredibly dangerous and more than one bodybuilder has collapsed on stage due to their fluid levels being dangerously low.
2007-12-14 10:25:39 · answer #4 · answered by JavaJoe 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'm no professional body builder. I have a job so I don't have the time to spend 8 hours in a gym. I work out 3-5 days a week only for about an hour each of those days.
Compared to professionals that spend their entire day in the gym, I definitely slack far behind. But when I look in the mirror or take photos, I do not look fat at all. So, I'm not sure if what your friend says about bodybuilders is true. But I do know, that if he himself looks fat, it means just that, that he's fat, and that he doesn't work out as much as he claims to.
2007-12-14 09:43:07 · answer #5 · answered by Jared 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You need steroids to get that big. Im not sure what your potential is. But Id imagine lots of steroids, lots of food, and lots of working out can get you to become a 500 pound monster. Since there are 500 pound obese people on the planet...Now all they need is steroids and weight lifting....
2014-04-18 15:29:51 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, because like with body building competitions, body builders will get their body fat super low for photo shoots. But they don't maintain such low levels of body fat, it's all for show. But in everyday life they would not let their body fat stay that low. It's all for show.
2007-12-15 04:18:58 · answer #7 · answered by : ) 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unrealistic because none of them are able to get in the shape they are in without a lot of drugs!! They dont even look healthy and are not healthy.
They do lose weight low body fat to accentuate their muscles. You can't be a fat Body Builder.
I used to work out a lot and got in very good shape but only to be healthy, people who take drugs dont care about health only big muscles.
2007-12-14 09:59:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋
...I like bodybuilding lol. But its a hobby and I only really talk about it with other enthusiasts.
2016-05-23 23:46:56 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I answer a lot of boydbuilding questions on my free http://monsterbodybuilder.com website, including creatine usage, etc.
2007-12-17 11:20:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋