It is important to recognize that many of the super-muscular fitness models and Instagram influencers, both men and women, are on/ have taken steroids. Some of them, such as Noel Deyzel and Larry Wheels, are quite open and talk frequently about their steroid use. Others, such as Dwayne Johnson, have admitted it but don’t talk about it much.
I am not advocating for steroid use at all; quite the opposite in fact. Steroids can cause a wide variety of serious problems like strokes, blood clots, heart attacks, ruptured tendons, and many other issues. I want to convey the message that it is really difficult to put on large amounts of muscle. I have had a ton of people express that they are either concerned about getting too muscular from doing resistance training, or feeling like a failure because they don’t look anything like their favorite bodybuilder. However, neither person realizes that most of what they’re seeing is a result of steroids. If you are worried about getting bulky from weight lifting, don’t be. On the flip side, if you’re convinced that you’re going to add five inches of muscle to your biceps in a few months, don’t be.
Many people also see that their favorite fitness influencer always looks like they are ready for a magazine shoot. This too is a load of crap. Staying super lean year-round is incredibly difficult, and incredibly taxing for your body. Often times, influencers will film a bunch of content when the weather is warm and they are lean, and then they will spread that out over the course of the year and mix in some content where they are covered up a bit more to give the appearance that their weight never fluctuates. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like they are going from super lean to morbidly obese. However, your weight is going to fluctuate, and that is normal.
Fitness will best serve you if you focus on trying to be better than you were yesterday. If you show up to the gym and grind out a little bit of progress each day, you will be amazed at how far you go over the course of months, years, and decades. It is both fine and natural to compare yourself to other people a little bit, but you have to keep it within reason. There is always going to be someone in the gym who is stronger, leaner, or bigger than you – and that is a good thing. It helps to open your mind to what you can accomplish, especially when you are similar to that person physically. However, if you get too wrapped up comparing yourself to other people, you’re never going to be happy. The happiest and most successful people I have ever run across in the gym are the ones who focus the most on competing with themselves, not with others.
Seaotter Fitness 