Gym Bros: This Will Demolish Your Body Dysmorphia

Posted September 4Sep 4

Bodybuilding is stupid.

Sports are supposed to make you healthier, but competitive bodybuilding is one of the only sports that shortens your lifespan instead.

There probably isn’t a single professional bodybuilder today who hasn’t tried some sort of “enhancement” such as HGH, IGH, TRT or whatever other three-letter anabolic steroid that’s illegal somewhere. It’s rampant amongst fitness influencers, too, making the rest of us feel smaller and smaller every time we open a social media app.

What’s worse is that the standard of what’s considered muscular or aesthetic has become more and more caricaturized over time, a phenomenon known today as “physique inflation.”

Wolverine, the X-Men character played by Hugh Jackman, has always been known to be very muscular, right? Just look at this incredible physique from 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine:

What did you think of the Wolverine abs scene in Deadpool & Wolverine? In my opinion, I think both Wolverine and Hugh Jackman are actually very good looking and hot.
byu/Witty-Wedding-8723 inWolverin

Hugh Jackman’s role as Wolverine throughout the years has made society collectively associate him with muscles so much that he’s sometimes called “Huge Jacked Man.”

Remember him in the first X-Men movie in 2000?

I want to be buff like Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
byu/LiveLearnCoach inGymMemes

Yes, that physique used to be considered muscular enough for a superhero in a Hollywood movie. Most of us today are finding that hard to believe because of how Marvel just made everyone bigger and bigger over the years.

Physique inflation is giving us body dysmorphia.

Let’s talk about bodybuilding again for a second.

You might not think you will ever have the physique of a bodybuilder.

But what if I told you that you already do? Or that it’s actually achievable?

Take a look at this 32-second Youtube Short:

And take a look at some of the comments:

When bodybuilding didn’t give you heart attacks by 45 — @lumberjackagies5158

Healthy equals attractive. Being unnaturally muscular can be unhealthy.

As a women I don’t think women find modern body builders attractive. I think women love fit men but not the once on steroids. It’s the men who are obsessed with that. — @BookNooksandpages

Being unnaturally muscular can be unattractive.

As a woman, the men in 1941 are my personal preference in men, they’re really attractive. — @itzelmontalvo6645

Being healthily muscular to a realistic degree (which you probably already are) is more attractive.

Women prefer this. — @brittney3156

Most women will confirm this.

Even when I was a little girl, whenever I would see a bodybuilder on the cover of a magazine, I was INSTANTLY scared of them. I’d point and ask, “what’s wrong with him? Why are his veins trying to pop out of his skin??” — @justyouraveragebaka9493

We’re talking about instinctual reactions here.

News flash: this is what women(and gay men) prefer. It looks natural, it looks good, the guys look like they actually enjoy themselves and would be fun to be around. — @Smitywerban

Gym bros want to get so big that people question if they’re natty or not. Maybe it’ll be better if they don’t.

Back then, the women admired the bodybuilders. Now, it’s just the men that admire them. — @creating_in_the_clouds

Just look at the thirsty women in the crowd of that Youtube Short. You’ll be hard-pressed to find those kinds of women’s reactions in bodybuilding competition audiences today. I assume.

Realizing that those kinds of physiques are optimal for attractiveness can help with our body dysmorphia.

My physique is not mid, I prefer the term “vintage” — @WAVE0025

Bro’s waking up.

Remenber you dont have a mid physique you just got a bodybuilder one from 8 decades ago — @_kevin_7534

You’re already on par with our reproductively successful forefathers.

Body dismorphia is a real thing I’ve dealt with on my weight lifting journey, this video definitely helps — @phillipmerrell7908

We have more knowledge today that makes it easier for us to grow more muscle and shred more fat, so those 1941 bodies are easily attainable for us regular able-bodied dudes even after just a year or two of lifting. All we need is a little consistency and self-discipline. In fact, there’s a good chance that many of you reading this already look really similar to those competitors.

Bodybuilders back in the day had only a small fraction of the knowledge we have today. Hell, it wasn’t even until 2023 that science discovered that spot training actually exists. With the resources we have available today, the only reason you wouldn’t look as fit as those 1941 competitors is that you simply don’t want it enough.

If you want it enough, you’d search the internet for the science and recommended plans and easily find a mountain of them to try for yourself. Even if you don’t have the money to hire a trainer to find the best personalized plan for you, you will eventually find one that works well enough if you just try a bunch of stuff that’s out there.

The same goes for dating, seduction, flirting, courtship, game, rizz, c*ck marketing, or whatever you want to call it. There are a ton of resources available to us today that just didn’t exist a long time ago. Anyone who wants to attract women with orgasmic proficiency can learn how to do exactly that, no matter how they look. Even if you don’t have the money to hire a dating coach like me to find the best personalized plan for you, there are books that can teach you everything you need to know.

Have you ever struggled with body dysmorphia, thinking that you’re too small when you look in the mirror? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

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This post was previously published on ILLUMINATION.

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