Unrealistic expectations in fitness mags

Barks

Barks

Barks

Soldato
Joined
20 Jul 2008
Posts
4,491
I decided today I would buy a popular Men's fitness magazine just to see if things have changed. I used to read it as a teenager and have since realised that most of the stuff in there regarding weight training is absolute rubbish.

Anyway, so there's an article where 4 celebrities go from looking like lager louts to ripped models in what they claim is "4 weeks."

This really annoys me because it sets completely unrealistic expectations on the reader. Some of the routines recommended involve things like 5 weights sessions and 6 cardio sessions a week which, done properly, would constitute over-training on a ridiculous scale. They also recommend doing 15-25 reps of things like DB chest presses.

I don't understand how they can get away with it. It is literally impossible to go from looking fat to ripped in one month, even with the most intricate and strict diet planning, optimum training regime, intelligent calorie partitioning it is simply not possible.

I understand magazines (and this also applies to PTs!) wouldn't sell if they told us the truth - that looking good is the result of hard work across all fronts of diet/rest/training and takes time but then how can we all take the **** out of college kids in the gym who know it all already if they're reading stuff like this?
 
They are just the male equivilant of the "glam" mags pushing unrealistic, airbrushed bodies onto women. Don't buy them.
 
I suppose it's only a matter of time until people apply the same attention to these magazines as the Ladies Mags and the associated problems with airbrushing, as identified by platypus.

The thing is that guys don't complain about issues like "I'm not getting huge" because it's not necessarily a health problem in the same way that chicks slimming down too far can be.
 
I hear you. It seems to me it's all about an almost sexualisation of weight lifting. Women are under misconceptions that men find them attractive if they're ultra-skinny in the same sense that a lot of lads seem to think women find huge muscles attractive. From personal experience my previous few girlfriends and most of my female friends find lean guys attractive but not guys who are absolutely enormous.

I think there's fine line between weight lifting because you enjoy it or lifting to try and enhance your attractiveness to the opposite sex. Too many people fall into the latter category. I personally do it because I find it motivating, enjoyable, competitive and healthy. There's definitely an element of confidence to be gained from being lean and looking good naked but I honestly don't think most women give too hoots. You're more likely to impress other lads, the irony is it's the same thing for super-skinny birds.
 
Barks said:
I hear you. It seems to me it's all about an almost sexualisation of weight lifting. Women are under misconceptions that men find them attractive if they're ultra-skinny in the same sense that a lot of lads seem to think women find huge muscles attractive. From personal experience my previous few girlfriends and most of my female friends find lean guys attractive but not guys who are absolutely enormous.

I think there's fine line between weight lifting because you enjoy it or lifting to try and enhance your attractiveness to the opposite sex. Too many people fall into the latter category. I personally do it because I find it motivating, enjoyable, competitive and healthy. There's definitely an element of confidence to be gained from being lean and looking good naked but I honestly don't think most women give too hoots. You're more likely to impress other lads, the irony is it's the same thing for super-skinny birds.
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Loads of women say this, they are just trying to make you feel better.
 
i bought one of them once and it was literally 90% adverts, the other 10% was mainly broscience and pictures.

same goes for FHM these days, it's just advert after advert after advert.

i mean with so many adverts, they should be giving it away for free imo.
 
I'm convinced most of these hollywood stars that get ripped in weeks already had the muscle mass under the fat to begin with and the ones who do it in a few months are probably prescribed steroids
 
'One-upmanship' over time is what has led to this situation.

One magazine offers this achievable body in 8 weeks.

The next offers it in seven, knowing people will buy theirs instead.

Over time we've ended up in the ridiculous situation we're in now.

Peoples perspectives are totally skewed nowerdays. I showed an online friend (from a clan) a photo of me and his first question was am I on steroids. Second was how long I'd been training. I said I was natty and I had started 5 years ago, but spun my wheels for 3. And the past two years is where all the changes had come in. He was incredibly disappointed and said he thought it was more like six months, and how he can't be bothered to spend 2 years to look like me...

He also thought once you looked a certain way, that was it, you didn't have to maintain it with much.
 
Hitchhiker: You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs?
Ted: Yeah, sure, 8-Minute Abs. Yeah, the excercise video.
Hitchhiker: Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 7... Minute... Abs.
Ted: Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going.
Hitchhiker: Think about it. You walk into a video store, you see 8-Minute Abs sittin' there, there's 7-Minute Abs right beside it. Which one are you gonna pick, man?
Ted: I would go for the 7.
Hitchhiker: Bingo, man, bingo. 7-Minute Abs. And we guarantee just as good a workout as the 8-minute folk.
Ted: You guarantee it? That's - how do you do that?
Hitchhiker: If you're not happy with the first 7 minutes, we're gonna send you the extra minute free. You see? That's it. That's our motto. That's where we're comin' from. That's from "A" to "B".
Ted: That's right. That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?
[Hitchhiker convulses]
Hitchhiker: No! No, no, not 6! I said 7. Nobody's comin' up with 6. Who works out in 6 minutes? You won't even get your heart goin, not even a mouse on a wheel.
Ted: That - good point.
Hitchhiker: 7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 dwarves. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office.
Ted: Why?
Hitchhiker: 'Cause you're ****in' fired!
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Begbie said:
Loads of women say this, they are just trying to make you feel better.
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Id disagree, my current girlfriend hates the fact that I have got big now and is a serious concern to her on how big I will be getting.
and out of the many gf;s iv had only 1 said they went for those type of guys.
 
iamtheoneneo said:
Id disagree, my current girlfriend hates the fact that I have got big now and is a serious concern to her on how big I will be getting.
and out of the many gf;s iv had only 1 said they went for those type of guys.
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Maybe she's scared you'll eat her on your next bulk :D
 
These magazines are ridiculous I agree. At the end of the day if they can make the folks in the magazines look bigger with a bit of air brush then of course that's what they're gonna do!

People are only interested in quick solutions these days. It took me a few years to rack up to 17 st in weight it was hardly going to take a single month to lose it all.

Plus reading a magazine about fitness is the easiest way to make you feel like you're contributing to your health so you don't actually have to go out and actually do exercise.
 
wozza2k said:
Maybe she's scared you'll eat her on your next bulk :D
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Of course it's unrealistic expectations but 90% are fooled into the vision.

It is literally impossible to go from looking fat to ripped in one month, I question this comment. Lighting, bloating out before hand etc can make a massive difference.

This on top of commercial photo shopping can become ridiculous, to the point were the model even comments it's going over the top. I have on many occasions said I was unhappy with the editing of images for commercial shoots, fact of the matter - it's what sells regardless what you think, or if you believe is possible.

It's gives the reader - hope ;)
 
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