> If the only reason people work out is for aesthetics then everybody would just be a bodybuilder.
That makes an assumption that majority of the population thinks that bodybuilder physique is the most attractive one. If you are optimizing for aesthetics, imo the maxed out bodybuilding physique is both very difficult to achieve and isn’t going to optimize for most-liked aesthetic.
Out of bodybuilders i personally know, it is either about the challenge or going for the aesthetics that they themselves like and want (all while being very aware that it isn’t necessarily what most people like, and that’s valid).
That’s just a small nitpick though, fully agreed with the entirety of the rest of your comment.
> If the only reason people work out is for aesthetics then everybody would just be a bodybuilder.
You're assuming that the body builder aesthetic is everyones desired aesthetic, it's not.
Also, working out for your health and working out to be more attractive are not mutually exclusive things. I'd argue they're the same thing, and even if you disagree, it's still reasonable for a large numebr of individuals to cite both health and aesthetics as their motivation/reasoning.
> The downstream health effects of developing muscle tissue (and increased bone density) are largely positive;
But surely up to a point? I find it hard to believe that guys growing so much meat on themselves that they can't clap their hands over their head get only largely positive health effects.
How's having hand, that when shaken by somebody feels like kaiser roll for them, improves health?
> I feel silly that I'm even bothering to justify myself to an internet stranger.
Sorry. No offence meant. I can respect bodybuilding as a hobby (part of life that has self contained meaning and brings pleasure by itself). I just see people doing it as if it was a mean to something and that's what eludes me (apart from, growing muscles to attract some girls, I get that).
> Bodybuilding is something where you cannot shape your reality - no matter how hard you work - if you don't have the right build for it (genetics).
I am a tall, very thin male who struggles to gain weight. I can eat 5,000 calories a day while working out hard and barely gain a pound every month. I was made fun of in highschool and university for my body, and that made me very self conscious and shy. Typical "computer nerd" stuff.
From about age 20 onwards I've enjoyed and benefited from Bodybuilding immensely. It has changed how I view myself, how I view the world and changed my personality. I gained a lot of confidence, and I gained a perspective on the world I never had - doing difficult tasks and slow and steady improvements were important lessons for early 20s me.
I'll never compete, I'm not "huge" and was rarely even "big". (A few times people asked if I compete...) but I got stronger, fitter and for sure my body became a lot nicer to look at.
I'm 41 now and I'll never stop. I don't have incredible genentics, but I didn't let that stop or even slow me down.
Yes, you absolutely can shape your reality through bodybuilding.
> when I was younger I often wanted a bodybuilder physique
As someone who has competed in both bodybuilding and powerlifting, I can attest that you don't want that physique. It's not worth the pain, time, and effort for it. Plus, anyone you see with rock-hard abs looks like that for maybe a 3 hour window. Almost no one looks like that year-round all of the time.
> some jurisdictions have tackled models whose body fat percentage is dangerously low [...]
What are you talking about here?
> unhealthily large muscles
Taking steroids and other activities related to bodybuilding and sports more generally can sure take their toll, but I'm pretty sure nobody has problems because of overly large muscles.
> most body builders are unhealthy low in fat
Source?
> But of course, that is not what they desire, for that falls under what they consider to be their conventional ideal of beauty [...]
Aren't you contradicting your point now? Or maybe I misunderstood what your point is?
> Here’s a simple question: should you follow the same diet and training regimen as an olympic bodybuilder?
Bodybuilding is an aesthetic competition, not an Olympic sport. The Olympic sport is weightlifting. (And that picture is definitely a bodybuilder, not a weightlifter.)
First sentence: "Most bodybuilding advice is wrong", proceeds to list the most common bodybuilding advice.
The best thing you could do to learn how to build muscle is to go to a big bodybuilding forum and just do whatever bro-science they spout. I've been following bodybuilding forums and casually looking at research for many years, and invariably the bro-scientists are way ahead of scientific proof, in terms of methods and techniques, all the way down to finicky details. You'll also get the truth about what you can and can't do with/without anabolics.
Edit: I see that the author is here. It's not a bad guide, good design etc, but frankly it rubbed me the wrong way to basically read "I'm right and everyone else is wrong, because I researched", without having a highly impressive build to back it up. Even professional body builders don't prescribe certain techniques/methods as gospel.
What are you doing in the gym? From the point of view of aesthetics, doing cardio etc is basically a waste of time. Focus on lifting weights and building muscle.
I'm reliably informed that being 1. Muscular 2. Not fat and 3. Stylishly dressed will put you ahead of many men physically.
> What the hell is muscle use above a curent baseline? What does that even mean?
Meaning, a conservative increase over your current training regimen, as opposed to over-training. If you go from couch potato to running several miles a day, that's going to be way more stressful than gradual ramp-up. I made that caveat because intense over-training can cause really bad things such as rhabdomyolysis at the extreme.
>I’m pretty sure you’ve never taken a science class in your life.
I'm pretty sure I have a BS in chemistry and worked as a synthetic chemist for years, and you are talking out your ass.
> Body builders are physique athletes motivated by aesthetics.
They used to be, but now the majority of competitions have actually moved towards sheer size. Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, is a vocal critic of this so they actually created a new division called “Classic Physique” to address the problem which is now purely dedicated to aesthetics and proportion.
> I cant believe how much seemingly casual use it is getting for people to be a little better at their hobbies.
From my general observations, insecurity is rife in bodybuilding but generally nonexistent in powerlifting and strongman. Powerlifters/strongmen will use steroids for sport performance reasons and they’re generally in the sport because they just like lifting heavy shit. They’re not really comparing themselves to others, just trying to beat their previous PR and they’re generally not doing it to attract women. To an untrained eye they can often times look like a fat dude.
In contrast, a lot of bodybuilders are in the sport because they’re insecure and/or want to attract women. I would say the majority of lads training in the gym are really doing it for these two reasons. This is only made worse when they scan the gym and compare the weight they can lift with that of a power lifter who’s often times no where near as big yet capable of lifting more. As a result, you’re far, far more likely to see bodybuilders getting in scraps than powerlifters and strongmen, half because of the testosterone and half because of the insecurity. Sometimes they’ll find the confidence they’re seeking if they get big enough or start getting women but often times not. A lot of them would be better off doing a a martial art or boxing, probably the former as there’s more of a culture of “you only use this in self defence if you absolutely have to” whereas the majority of local street fighters almost always seem to have a boxing background and something to prove.
Says who?
Also interested in your hypertrophy training. Any books/reading material you recommend?
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