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Health & Fitness
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SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student

Is Social media setting unrealistic beauty standards?

Here’s some context. I have been hitting the gym on and off for like a year now. My body weight is 65kgs. I can bench press 60 kgs, can deadlift 120kgs. I can jog 5kms in roughly 30 mins. I am 21 years old. Though I know these are decent numbers from a health perspective, I feel inferior when looking at people lift significantly more on social media. I feel like my body is not at all in a good shape. I see people posting insane transformations in 3 or 6 months, and here I am stagnant with my progress inspite of hitting the gym for a year now. Do anyone of you guys feel the same way? On top of this, when I share my progress with friends who don’t know much about fitness, they ain’t impressed at all. They see influencers lifting insane numbers and consider that too be the norm. FYI I don’t take any supplements, hence hitting my protein target has been pretty much not possible most days.

16mo ago
GoofyWalrus
GoofyWalrus
Stealth16mo

Deactivate instagram for some time. You will feel better. Way too much comparison.
You're healthy and fit. Don't worry, you're doing well.

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

Thanks 🙏 Staying off Instagram is the right option.

JumpyRaccoon
JumpyRaccoon
Indian Army16mo

In that case everybody should feel inferior after watching porn that runs for like 45 mins in one go.

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

lol 😂

JazzyWalrus
JazzyWalrus
Stealth16mo

I quit Instagram 4 years ago. Life is so much better

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

I too delete Instagram only to download it again after a few days 🥲. Short form content such as Reels has made it very addictive, I’ll try my best to quit Insta 🤞

SwirlyTaco
SwirlyTaco
PayTM16mo

OP bhai the trick to really quitting insta is setting password to something really difficult, deleting this new password from chrome and everywhere else and then deleting the app

WigglyPenguin
WigglyPenguin
Stealth16mo

find your own "why" for working out, then external noise won't matter

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

The “why” has been changing since I started working out. I initially weighed 82kgs when I started gymming (Gained weight during lockdown). The initial goal was to just lose fat and look good. Now that I have achieved that, I want those dream physiques that everyone seem to be having on social media. But ig that takes time and dedication to build such a physique.

SnoozyQuokka
SnoozyQuokka
Student16mo

Jeff Nippard and More Plates More Dates are YouTubers that talk about realistic goals and fact-based strategies to building muscle and losing fat. Highly recommended!

ZoomyMuffin
ZoomyMuffin
Stealth16mo

Standards are insane on SM. But you might get to know a lot. Especially if you are hitting a plateau/block.

Things I learnt (may seem obvious now):

  1. If you are building muscle, you gotta bulk up big in the first phase. Even get fatter. Coz putting on muscle with limited calories and just exercise is damn damn hard. Gulp atleast 1-2 scoops/day of whey powder
  2. If 1 is on track, progressively increase weights fast. Reps and volume comes second; loading is first priority. This is very risky too as you might get muscle strain, so better hire a good trainer.

I used to work out myself for 5-6yr and felt super fit, but then after I hired a trainer at my work gym, I could bulk up and see a transformation. Wish I had done that earlier. That trainer made me toil

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

Point 1 has been hard for me. I don’t take whey, so hitting protein target just from eggs and chicken has been difficult for me. I should probably start taking whey. As said in Point 2, I have been trying to increase weights even at the cost of lower reps, but this has made my recovery very slow. I experience a lot more pain on my muscles post workout when weights are more, this kinda leads to more rest days for me. But if I stick to high volume workout with lesser weights, my recovery is faster and hence I take lesser number of rest days. Hence a little confused on what to do.

ZoomyMuffin
ZoomyMuffin
Stealth16mo

You cannot do 2 unless you do 1.

Measure your protein intake clinically. Unless you are eating 6+ eggs/day, you won't hit protein targets. They are difficult to digest, so you need to eat a lot of fiber along. That requires more energy to digest in intestines and so you wud require to bulk up on carbs and fat. And now you are sitting on 3000 Cal requirement.

FuzzyMuffin
FuzzyMuffin
IBM16mo

You need to realise, most influencers are enhanced, tho they claim Natty, most like or have cycled a bunch of times. Doing it Natty takes time. Also , hitting the necessary amount of protein is very essential for your muscle recovery. Don't do sarms/test/tren. I'd say creatine mono does help in quicker recovery and better pump, having supplemented it. Also , get most of your proteins from some lean meat/eggs, more like chicken thighs and breasts. If you can't get it from the diet, you'll have to supplement it.

Never hit the gym if you're not serious about the diet, cuz if you're not, then it's only downhill and you'll get injured

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

Yep, I’ll have to focus on my diet, honestly maintaining diet has been more difficult than hitting the gym. Thanks 🤞

FuzzySushi
FuzzySushi
Stealth16mo

I am 21 too, and have been going to the gym on and off for around a year. You're doing great bud. Don't let social media ruin your motivation. Just compare your PR with your last PR and that's it.

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

Thanks man 🙏

GroovyDonut
GroovyDonut
Stealth16mo

Social media has ruined a lot of things. And self confidence is the top of that list.

Whatever you are doing is great.

And remember a fish will always lose in a tree climbing contest. So don't take the opinion of people who know nothing about lifting, compare with other people in your gym.

SnoozyUnicorn
SnoozyUnicorn
Student16mo

Thanks, needed to hear this.

The gym community has always been supportive, my friends who hit the gym have always motivated me irrespective of how much I lift.

Just annoyed that social media has made it all look really easy 🥲

BouncyQuokka
BouncyQuokka
EXL16mo

If you want muscles for attracting ladies, let me tell you majority of Indian girls don't find bulk up body attractive. To improve the aesthetic, try the athletic trainings. Flexible, confident and athletic physique is the way to go. Mentel health also improves drastically. Don't fall for SM body building trap

SillyMarshmallow
SillyMarshmallow
Genpact3mo

My bro don't compare yourself with those instagram and tiktok idiots majority of them would be on steroids

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