Isnt exercising to look good pretty much a scam?

I think ive figured something out...
You cant make yourself look amazing, sexy, and young by exercising. Its bullshit and its all a scam.
Heres why: First of all(and this is to women) looking like those girls in the bowflex commercial is not sexy to ALL men. And neither is all the fake shit that all the models and stuff do to get their look. Hell, how many men out there actually prefer a woman that is heavy and doesnt ever exercise? Of course, even a girl with huge hips and breasts should exercise, EVERYONE should exercise its fucking good for you, just like green tea! But dont expect it to change you. Dont expect to "reverse the aging process" or any of that shit.
And for all those men out there trying to become the hulk... Its not going to happen. I remember reading a bodybuilding book and I think it was written by some guy named weider or something and they had all the main bodybuilders from around the 50's to the 80's, including arnie. And I was a teen when I read this book.. it was old and outdated by the time I got to reading it, it was my dad's. But anyways... These guys were my idol just like young women whose idol's were all those perfect stick-thin models. And well... the book basically leads you to think that if you to work out hard, eat good, and all that and you will look like all the men in this book... And gullible little teenage me wasted all this time working out for years and years... and it didnt happen. Hell I was in really good shape, but i didnt look anything like these hulks. It took me till I was at least 25 to realize that your muscles just will not grow and grow at the end of each week after working them out real hard in the gym. It does NOT work that way. Your metabolism will get a major boost, you will look trim and cut up but NEVER will you become a hulk by diet and exercise.
It pisses me off everyday to see how everyone even those who are about 30 years old, still be scammed by all this shit. They buy all this creatine, force factor, protein powder thinking their going to become the hulk.. And its just not going to happen! Theres a guy I work with who freaking always talks about how hard he works out, and he even stashes his creatine and protein powder in his locker at work. And hes not some huge fucking hulk and I know he never will be. Hes been doing that shit for years and hes still the same dude hes always been. I wish I could be like "that shit isnt going to work, and your wasting your time working out in the gym for two fucking hours man! 20 minutes in a day is going to do just as much as 2 fucking hours!" But that would be intrusive and getting into his business.
I think ive learned the reality of it all... The pros, the guys who hit home runs, become hulks, the major female porn stars and models are all doing shit that is 100% artificial!! I dont know why people cant get it thru their head that diet and exercise will get you anywhere near what these people are doing. If you go to sites where people talk about doping and steroid use, they'll tell you things like the key to getting jacked is to remember that it is 80% diet, 15% good workout, 5% gear(gear being anabolic steroids). So doing what these hulk bodybuilders do involves just getting rid of all your bodyfat with a good workout then pumping yourself up on an artificial drug. And not just roids, gear involves taking a whole cocktail of drugs to minimize side effects and shit. They'll take things to lower blood pressure, lower estrogen, and they'll go on this "PCT"(post cycle therapy) and take drugs that will bring their hormones back to "homeostasis" so that natural testosterone production is normal.
So now we got people all trying to do this shit the "natural healthy way".. Fuck... If you want natural and healthy your going to have to realize that your genetics are nature and if you want something different than that your going against nature.
So yea.. fuck GNC!!! Its all a rip-off. Want to be sexy and beautiful? Get the real shit, the implants, the drugs, the crap with all the nasty side effects. Dont want to be fake? Dont want side effects? Then walk 20 minutes a day, eat plenty of fruits and veggies, look in the mirror and be proud of who you are.

 

I put on seventy pounds of muscle in four years from exercising

 

So basically what you're saying is that just because you didn't succeed then the only people it works for are people on steroids? You don't have to be a hulk to look good or be healthy. Sorry you feel like you got scammed back in the day.

It is 75% and 25% gym and nobody is going to convince me that I'm wasting my time because I see and feel the gains in myself on a regular basis. I see the improvement in the people I work out with. So do you feel like it didn't work because you never got to be a hulk or because you never felt healthy? Because if you're healthy....it's working.

 

I know it doesn't work because if I work out over and over again for weeks nothing grows and grows and grows like people all say it will. And really, thats what we guys are trying to do when we hit the gym is enlarge our muscles. But you will never do it to the extent that the guys using all the artificial shit that advertise for all these bullshit protein powders, creatine, and force factor supplements. And to see guys using this shit and working out like a fucking maniac thinking their going to acheive the physique thats on the bottles of creatine just pisses me off. The REAL shit is illegal, and its bad for you. Its got nothing to do with health.
And theres a genetic limit to how much muscle and strength a person can gain through exercise alone. Your willpower is very admirable, and your dedication and hard work in the gym is definitely amazing especially if your sitting there screaming like a mad man with pain while you lift those weights, but think about it, you could put all that effort to something more important. All thats in the minds of these guys I see in the gym at college and shit is to use their willpower to make their muscles enormous, to go "past the limit!". And if you want to go above and beyond your genetic limit, your going to have to do something artificial. Because willpower is not going to pump you up like a hulk anymore than its going to move a mountain.

 

Not everyone is trying to be a hulk. Not everyone is even trying to build muscle mass. Some of the really big dudes are loud. I wear headphones. But you can't say that it doesn't work because it does. For example...I had a (non-workout related) injury that kept me out of the gym for 5 months. I lost muscle mass for reasons related to my injury. Once I was cleared to go 100% again, I got right back into my normal routine and put on 15 lbs of muscle since then. I'm not the biggest person in my gym (nor do I want to be) but I am definitely one of the best proportioned and well-cut people in that place. It didn't happen by accident.

That said....creatine doesn't build muscle so if a person is taking it and thinking it will build mass...they will be disappointed. And going back to diet....I don't care what routine you have...you can be busting ass for 2 hours a day but if you're still eating fast food, drinking soda, eating garbage every day.....you're wasting your time. It's diet, diet, diet.

 

And in addition to that....people trying to get bigger or lose weight hit natural plateaus that take time to break through. I know a guy who is 195 who was stuck at 175 for months no matter what he did. I also know some people losing weight who seemed stuck at their weight for a while but they eventually broke through. And sometimes building muscle while losing fat is happening but it doesn't show up on the scale because it's a trade-off. A good trade-off....but people feel like they aren't gaining because the scale stays the same.

 

Ever since I started doing yoga and running/walking/hiking regularly I've been really happy with my body. I don't understand why people spend a lot on gym memberships but I don't really understand the obsession with bulking up either. Everything you need to tone your muscles, not bulk but simply tone, and stay in shape can be done without a gym membership and expensive gym equipment.

 

Hey Meliai- I actually do agree with everything that you said. You def DON'T need a gym to get all the benefits of using a gym. But I do wanna just point out...when you said you don't understand why people spend a lot of money on gym memberships... well, for me personally-I don't have the money right now for an expensive gym membership-nor do I have the time to go w watching my son all the time... but back when I used to go to the gym- well, I went to a like, super gym- it was a community recreation commission and I LOVED it... I went because all the other stuff they had... I stopped going in the summer because there was so much I could do outside (well, I kept only the pool part of the membership and paid only for the pool), but in any case, I went because this place had a pool indoors and outdoors, squash, basketball (all indoors), tennis, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms and just tons of equipment. I went because I liked being able to use all the variety of things indoors in the winter and somedays...hell, somedays when I didn't feel like working out I would just go to take a book and chill in the hot tubs and steam rooms. lol. So, anyways, I can def see why someone would pay to go to a gym like that..esp in the winter.. but you are correct that you def don't NEED to.

 

I can't speak for anyone besides myself but here's why I do it.....I should say that I have no desire to be a hulk whatsoever.

1. I enjoy it. It makes me feel good and satisfies me in probably the same way that yoga does for you.

2. I like doing certain endurance types of events that you need to be in good shape for. So working out helps me stay in that kind of shape.

3. I see all sorts of people of all ages who are physical wrecks. That isn't going to happen to me. You ever see the pics that Shale posts? The guy is in great shape...especially for his age. I'm bigger than he is right now but one day I will probably start to lose a little mass and I expect to look very similar to him when I get to his age.

4. This one doesn't really matter but it makes me chuckle a little. "Living well is the best revenge". When I was younger, I was skinnier and people gave me shit all the time. I hated it in the same way that overweight people hate being shamed for being overweight. So now I'm not skinny anymore and the people who used to give me so much shit look terrible from their years of fast food and sitting on their asses. I see them around town and remember all the shit they gave me. Now they wished they looked like me. But the other side of that is that I work with a lot of people at my gym who don't look anything like me and I do whatever I can to help every one of them improve their health and live better. I'm happy to do that, even if it's someone who used to tease me years ago.

Edit to add #5. I have plenty of free time right now and my gym is a 40 second walk from my house so why not? I could be doing worse things.

 

Yeah, those are actually all good reasons to go to the gym. AT, I also didn't think of other things available at a gym like sports courts and pools, I would be more likely to use that aspect of it rather than the equipment.

I've never been able to get into the gym because I hate being cooped up inside. I would rather do some pushups in the grass and for a long walk but I also am fortunate to live in an area where I can work out outside year round.

 

Yea fuck gym memberships.
Just get a row of dumbells and bars and your good. Bulking up would be a very cool to experience. To gain like massive amounts of muscle within a short span of time would be amazing. I'd feel so confident and happy =P. But hearing anyone say shit like "you will gain 30 lbs of solid muscle in two weeks!" just pisses me off because I know if I dont run the risk of facing legal consequences then its all just bullshit. They'll tell you that you didn't diet or work out hard enough while taking our herbs! Thats why you didnt gain! Fuck, its ALL just because you didnt diet/work out hard enough.

But yea, more people need to stick with what you do and just get out of the house and fucking move around, ignore all the shit on dietary supplements and just be happy that their outside and moving. Because getting off your ass and taking that walk on a regular basis is going to do your health so much better than if you just sit all day long.

People need to understand that what people do to win at sports and get famous is NOT health. Its all to achieve ONE goal: To win the game, get the trophy, the fame, and the money. Even if your not doping in some way, working out a fuck ton, running for hours and hours, sleeping in a hypobaric chamber is not going to make you live longer, cure cancer, heart disease, or any of that shit. Its just going to adapt your body to your game of choice.

 

it's in the genetics, how much you can pull off and to what extent.

some guys can gain a lot of muscle mass by exercising and eating right, for others that doesn't work. and you can't turn a fat person into a skinny one, unless the overweight is caused by some disease or environmental factor alone.

generally, exercise changes some but not much. and what it does change will disappear when the corresponding regimen is ceased, so you'd have to keep it up continuously. already that is a hassle on its own.

 

Unless someone has a medical condition, there is no reason a fat person can't lose weight. I know people who say they can't lose weight but I also know for a fact that they are only trying hard enough to convince themselves that they're making an effort. They don't want to believe it but that's the truth.

 

I find I look more attractive when I lift weights and get cut. If anything I just feel more confident and that does the trick.

 

Exercise (from a weight loss perspective) doesn't account for much for a lot of people if they're eating the wrong foods. The notion of calories in/calories out is a myth, since we know that in fact calories are NOT all created equal. Telling a person who is fat to exercise is counter-productive and even punitive. A person needs to start by first changing what they eat as to get their metabolism working efficiently. Only then should exercise be considered. Eating candy and donuts, then getting on the treadmill to "work off the calories" is flawed thinking. It simply doesn't work that way. You could be at a calorie deficit and not lose a pound if your insulin levels are high, because when your insulin is high it is literally telling your body to store fat. The idea that obesity is caused simply by eating too much and not getting enough exercise just is not true.