Comments on: The psychological effects of fitness DVDs.

The psychological effects of fitness DVDs.

Sir Rinse — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:13:03 -0800

A study of 10 popular commercial exercise DVDs showed that the imagery in the fitness videos may be perpetuating and reinforcing hyper-sexualized and unrealistic body images, said Bradley J. Cardinal, PhD, a kinesiology professor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University.

In addition, researchers found that one in every seven motivational statements on the DVDs was actually a demotivating statement that could reduce the effectiveness of the workout, diminish the user's hope and potentially cause psychological harm, said Cardinal, the lead author of the study. . . . Cardinal urged potential fitness DVD consumers to be mindful of the potential pitfalls of the product when selecting and using exercise videos. "Buyers should beware when making these purchases," he said. "Remember that we all have different body shapes and styles, and our bodies may respond differently to the exercises being shown. Don't expect to get the same results as what you see on the screen or compare yourself to others." Cardinal's research was published in the Sociology of Sport Journal.

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:22:01 -0800

Only a $250 million a year business? I doubt that.

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:26:46 -0800

If I go to an architect's house or office I expect it to be an unrealistic depiction of the typical home. That's not what upsets me about fitness DVDs. The part of fitness DVDs that IS a lie, is the implication that the models got that way by doing the DVD. These are fitness models, they aren't doing a DVD every other week in their living room. They're going to a gym, and instead of doing 10000 crunches they're doing a real workout routine. The real scam is that women are constantly being told to lift 5-10lb weights + cardio when that does jack shit for getting you really toned and fit. Those models are at the gym lifting real weights, while the DVD buyers are at home doing no-weight leg abductions for cardio. If you want to look like a fitness model you need to: 1. Train for hypertrophism (that's muscle growth). There's no such thing as 'toning'. That's lifting weights in the 8-12 rep max range. 2. Really watch your diet. Abs are made in the kitchen. 3. Have fantastic genetics Toning is the greatest lie sold to women, it is basically just a relatively small amount of hypertrophism + low body fat.

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:30:22 -0800

The latest thing I've seen on fitness DVDs is a warning about rhabdomyolysis. I mean jfc, if the product you're pushing can cause the same fatal condition as crush syndrome, you should consider changing your product.

By: Mr. Big Business

Mr. Big Business — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:30:56 -0800

Yup. Number 2 is the biggest lie. In order to have abs like a mens magazine cover, you need to have a ridiculously low body fat percentage, and probably be dehydrated.

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:31:30 -0800

Just to add in a good resource for women (because men have so many good resources, and women have so few), Strong Curves by Bret Contreras is the only BS free guide I've seen out there that specifically speaks to women, and the training goals they usually have (the toned + fit look). The problem is that any woman following this advice is going against centuries of myths around why women can't do the same exercises as the boys. Shockingly, training for women is not that different than training for men.

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:38:40 -0800

infinitewindow: rhabdo is fairly rare AFAIK, but some people are predisposed. Crossfit seems to have more cases of it because they yell at people till they push themselves beyond all reason, but that's why I don't do crossfit. Mr. Big Business: Yes! Plus, the other thing about abs is that a fitness photoshoot is prepared for over weeks or months. Bodybuilders go through bulk / cut cycles. Those cover shots are only ever done at the end of a cut, when the model has the highest ratio of muscle to fat. And has, as you mention, really cut back on water for the day of the shoot.

By: mattamatic

mattamatic — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:39:05 -0800

I'd like to see an analysis with the closed captions (maybe also tied to the current audio volume to find out if they're yelling) from a much larger set of workout videos with positivity charted against sales. If somebody ran it with Netflix or Amazon's data, they could also compare positivity and repeat viewings to see whether customers come back for more abuse. Personally, I like quiet workouts with old people hosts.

By: biffa

biffa — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:40:38 -0800

Toning is the greatest lie sold to women You'd think from all the stories in MeFi it would have been something worse.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:45:13 -0800

I have struggled for a long time to find fitness resources that aren't eating disorder triggers. I actually don't mind at all when the people look like fitness models. I'm never going to look like a fitness model, and I totally don't care. What I don't like is constant talk about weight-loss, skinniness, dieting, looks in general, etc. The second you say anything about a six-pack being made in the kitchen, I am turning you off and never coming back. I just want you to tell me how to do the damn exercise, and I can take care of how my butt looks in skinny jeans, thank you very much. I have finally found a YouTube channel that does fitness videos that don't make me crazy. One of the presenters has pretty strongly hinted that she's in recovery from an eating disorder, and I think she's more sensitive to this stuff than most fitness types are.

By: poffin boffin

poffin boffin — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:45:32 -0800

Toning is the greatest lie sold to women SPOT toning specifically. Every time I see an article about "toned flat stomach in 10 minutes a day!" that makes no mention of dietary changes and daily cardio for overall body fat loss I slip into a fugue state and commit atrocities.

By: sweetkid

sweetkid — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:46:30 -0800

The real scam is that women are constantly being told to lift 5-10lb weights + cardio I've had great results with spinning and barre and occasional interval training, mostly because I like it so I do it a lot. I feel really patronized when people say things like this. What exactly is "jack shit" about my body and physical health?

By: discopolo

discopolo — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:48:54 -0800

The part of fitness DVDs that IS a lie, is the implication that the models got that way by doing the DVD. I assumed this was just common knowledge. People know models get hired for these things, that there are casting calls for these things. I've had great results with spinning and barre and occasional interval training, mostly because I like it so I do it a lot. I feel really patronized when people say things like this. What exactly is "jack shit" about my body and physical health Seconding sweetkid. Pilates machine was amazing for me.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:49:58 -0800

Yup. Number 2 is the biggest lie. In order to have abs like a mens magazine cover, you need to have a ridiculously low body fat percentage, and probably be dehydrated. If you read interviews with men's fitness models they often reveal that they know weeks in advance about a shoot and target their workout and diet to it. It typically involves near starvation dieting close to the date, the complete avoidance of even a single grain of salt and definite dehydration. Then on the photo shoot day they pump themselves up. There is a reason why Gerrard Butler doesn't look like he did in 300 all the time. It's because it is unsustainable.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:52:26 -0800

The thing is, I'm not an idiot. I am not somehow under the mistaken impression that 30 minutes a day of exercise is magically going to transform me into a lithe 20-year-old who until two weeks ago was doing ballet 30 hours a week.

By: the painkiller

the painkiller — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:53:17 -0800

So you want to look like a fitness model? Do all the above, but don't forget your steroids either.

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:57:38 -0800

ArbitraryAndCapricous: I didn't mean to imply that people should want to have six pack abs, but that is how people get them if they want them ( I don't have them, and I don't specifically care about them). Glad to hear you found something that works for you! I mentioned that point about abs because there's all these DVDs touting 'targeted' abdominal exercises that don't do anything as far as actually creating six pack abs. Abs are a big sacrifice for something not very meaningful IMHO. sweetkid: Glad to hear your routine is working for you, but the question was how does one get the body of a fitness model. There is actually a lot of variety even among fitness models. A model hired for, say, a cycling photoshoot might look very different than a model hired for a fitness DVD (they typically have more muscle). All that being said the fastest, and generally most effective way to lose weight and have muscle tone is strength training + regulating your diet. Sure, barre and spinning work toward it as well, but implicit in the question is what is most effective. If that works for you, great! Do what you love :). I'd also add that flexibility is rarely discussed as a goal. You can look good but be terribly inflexible. I train for strength + power + flexibility. Everyone has different goals.

By: discopolo

discopolo — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 09:58:21 -0800

you read interviews with men's fitness models they often reveal that they know weeks in advance about a shoot and target their workout and diet to it. It typically involves near starvation dieting close to the date, the complete avoidance of even a single grain of salt and definite dehydration. Then on the photo shoot day they pump themselves up. You don't even have to read anything. If you ever catch any of those weird Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding competition footage, you know they're toning up backstage. I think a lot of people are far savvier these days because there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff, like what VS models do to get ready for the fashion show and make sure they look their best on their stage. Even the already fantastic looking/ lithe ones go on juice fasts to make sure they'll look thin on stage. (you're being unnecessarily condescending to sweetkid and others, sp160n.)

By: almostmanda

almostmanda — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:00:48 -0800

"you should be dying right now." The weight loss industry turned into guided self-flagellation so gradually I don't think any of us even noticed.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:01:31 -0800

All that being said the fastest, and generally most effective way to lose weight and have muscle tone is strength training + regulating your diet. Sure, barre and spinning work toward it as well, but implicit in the question is what is most effective

Implicit in what question? Why are you assuming that the goal is to lose weight? Why are you even assuming that the goal is to look good?

By: BuddhaInABucket

BuddhaInABucket — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:09:08 -0800

Even if you lift, even if you diet, even if you tan and dehydrate and hypertrophy-- every body is built differently. I have wide hips for a dude- I will never have a V taper. On the other hand, nobody will ever assume I skip leg day, even if I did. So not only is that fitness photoshoot or video a tiny sliver of an already exceptional person's existence, those exceptional people are culled from a pool of extremely fit people who have the wrong natural body proportions. Exercise for your health, to be strong, to feel good. Not to look like some model. I work in the fitness industry and I battle this all the time, both within myself and with my clientele. You can't have somebody else's body, but you can have your best body.

By: poffin boffin

poffin boffin — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:10:47 -0800

i lift so i can pick up multiple large dogs for cuddling at the same time

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:29:40 -0800

ArbitraryAndCapricious: Because people typically buy those products because they want to be healthier, look good, or both. Statistically, for most people, both of those goals involve one or both of losing weight and gaining strength. That may not be the case for you, but that is the case for most people who buy this stuff. That is a statistical fact. This is why we have so much Type-2 diabetes in this country. I do understand that for someone with a history of eating disorders (which it sounds like you have) diet and exercise are very complicated topics. I don't think I can address that completely in the scope of this thread. I do want to say that I'm sympathetic to your point of view, and that I wish you the best. I hope that I don't sound like I'm judging you (I don't know anything about you). If there's no road toward greater physical health without seriously compromising someone's psychological health, then they should just stay where they are (and they should not be judged for it), but that doesn't mean that the advice about physical health is wrong, it just means it can't be taken in isolation.

By: yueliang

yueliang — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:33:13 -0800

When I read about this, it makes me think of this awesome article by Virgie Tovar, a fat and body politics POC activist. Dear Virgie: "Why Does Exercising Feel So Complicated?"

By: Sophie1

Sophie1 — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:51:51 -0800

I have finally found a YouTube channel that does fitness videos that don't make me crazy. One of the presenters has pretty strongly hinted that she's in recovery from an eating disorder, and I think she's more sensitive to this stuff than most fitness types are. PLEASE TELL ME WHO!!! I am so, so desperate to find anyone who doesn't talk about dieting!!!!

By: sweetkid

sweetkid — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:54:04 -0800

All that being said the fastest, and generally most effective way to lose weight and have muscle tone is strength training + regulating your diet. Sure, barre and spinning work toward it as well, but implicit in the question is what is most effective Implicit in what question? Why are you assuming that the goal is to lose weight? Why are you even assuming that the goal is to look good? Right, there is no question, this isn't Ask. I don't need to lose weight and I know a lot about dieting etc. I mostly exercise as an antidepressant, and the music and other people aspects of barre and cardio are part of that for me. Also, I really like the regularity, there's a precision to barre class, even what you wear and what you do at different times during the class, that I find really soothing and like having as part of my day. It's weird to make a comment purportedly about lying to or deceiving women and then just assume that I am exercising to lose weight, not doing this in the "best" way, and must be a beginner to fitness.

By: j_curiouser

j_curiouser — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 11:04:38 -0800

Don't ...compare yourself to others." Are you trying to destroy capitalism?

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 11:10:20 -0800

I've been using workout videos for almost 20 years. The worst part is not addressed in that article. The wort part is that the exercisers never get any older, and I do. :(

By: the phlegmatic king

the phlegmatic king — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 11:33:18 -0800

The wort part is that the exercisers never get any older, and I do. but Wooderson

By: suddenly, and without warning,

suddenly, and without warning, — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 12:09:14 -0800

I have finally found a YouTube channel that does fitness videos that don't make me crazy. ArbitraryAndCapricious, is that a link you'd be willing to share? I'm interested

By: poffin boffin

poffin boffin — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 12:32:30 -0800

The wort part is that the exercisers never get any older, and I do. richard simmons though

By: juiceCake

juiceCake — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 13:01:00 -0800

I do interval training on a bike for half an hour 3 times a week (with the intervals and the less intense non intervals I'm able to keep my heart rate at 80 - 90% maximun) and a 5 x 5 weight program (5 sets of 5 reps, increase weight by 5 pounds each time, squats, bench press, overhead press, barbel row, dead lift, bicep curls, tricep pull downs) and about 180 reps of various ab exercises (takes about 40 - 50 minutes in total) for the other 3 days (Sunday is rest) and that combined with lowering my calorie intake for a couple of months resulted in being about 40 pounds lighter and getting what is referred to as "toned". Having done that I can only imagine an extreme version of this to get "cut" like these fitness models. I still do the same workouts but have a regular caloric intake now, though I have to say I was suprised by how easy it is to consume tons of calories a day. With many of us having desk jobs, it's even easier to consume a lot. Chaning consumption habits has been the hardest part. This is what worked for me. Long cardio and intense weight work always got me injured and burnt out. So I have the body type that responds to interval and compound strength training combined with lowering calorie intake. I know others who run for over 90 minutes and barely touch weights and they are very healthy as well. That would not work for me. It took a while to find what worked. Didn't bother with DVDs though, just a lot of research. Having said that I've seen bits of a few DVD programs and the fact that they don't combine the fitness models with at least one "beginner" to show how they are "transformed" (all these marketing keywords they use) is telling. Of course if that were really attempted (and perhaps it has been, there are so many programs) that would mean risking that that person drops out and isn't tranformed as it were by their presentation of what transformed means at least. Always amused by the results may vary or results not typical disclaimers as well. The fact that it's a fitness industry leads to a lot of boisterous bullshit claims, especially about supplements. I've never seen a Richard Simmons workout but at least he just looks like a regular guy, body wise.

By: telegraph

telegraph — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 13:07:22 -0800

I think that sp160n's posts are addressing the comment from TFA: "Don't expect to get the same results as what you see on the screen." Implicit in the fitness DVDs, for many people (if not for the well educated consumers who have commented in this thread), is that doing the DVD diligently will result in a body that looks like the one on the screen. This is rarely if ever the case; the bodies seen in fitness DVDs, for the most part, are the product of dedicated hypertrophy training, dieting, and a genetic pre-disposition to look like that (to say nothing of the fact that the people in these videos usually have nice looking faces). Finally, while it may be possible to achieve a similar aesthetic through other avenues (kickboxing, barre, spin, whatever) -- and often it's more possible on an individual level because those activities might be more fun for the person in the question -- there is no question that focused strength training with loads and patterns of repetition chosen to stimulate hypertrophy is the most efficient way to make muscles bigger. Let's put it this way: there's a city that a lot of people say they want to visit (I'm not saying everyone should visit this city or that everyone should want to visit this city; it's simple fact that a lot of people seem to want to go there, because there is a huge industry surrounding how to get there). There are very long and winding scenic routes and a direct route that is much shorter. There are huge industries dedicated to telling women to take the scenic route; some of the scenic routes that are promoted are so circuitous that you may never reach the city. All the advertisements for tourism to the city feature people who arrived there via the direct route, although they promote the scenic route. That's all there is to it.

By: sweetkid

sweetkid — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 13:24:00 -0800

I think that sp160n's posts are addressing the comment from TFA: "Don't expect to get the same results as what you see on the screen." sp160n's comments said that cardio and reps with light weights are a valueless program and "do jack shit." Look, not everyone needs to be physically "transformed" by exercise. I have heard all the stuff about weight training, I do it sometimes but I don't really like it. Hearing more stuff about how it is the thing to do and everything else is jack shit won't convince me I have to do it.

By: sp160n

sp160n — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 13:57:52 -0800

sweetkid: I can be prone to hyperbole. I apologize for that. telegraph gets it right. Both work, strength training works much, much, faster. For many people time is an important factor. Many people get discouraged if they don't see results fast. These are important considerations. I do think one complicating factor with recommending strength training is that form is so important. A lot of people either hop on a machine or pick up a dumbbell/barbell with no coaching and wind up hurting themselves and giving up. All that being said, I mix it up from an 'optimal' routine all the time because I get bored. I'm totally with you on balancing fun and purpose.

By: cotton dress sock

cotton dress sock — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 14:02:37 -0800

Negative statements included phrases such as "say hello to your sexy six-pack," "you better be sweating," and "you should be dying right now." I think at least one of those is from a Jillian Michaels DVD, which is what I started out with when I lost weight. I found it affirming, though. I felt like a bad-ass, dying right then with my 2 lb weights, ha. I was thinking, "oh yeah, she's so right, & those Amazon reviews were right, this workout is hardcore, and I am so hardcore for doing it". I found it helpful to know when I could expect the dying and sweating to be happening. I also was definitely in the market for a sexy six-pack, it didn't even occur to me that I wouldn't achieve that. (It happened that that workout + my asparagus & chicken dinners did get me pretty close to a ~ 3.5 pack). IOW, appeals to vanity of various kinds totally worked on me. My fitness improved, I got into working out for its own sake, felt stronger etc., and I moved on from JM to other things. Which was all fine, as far as I was concerned. Different story now that I have a compromised body. Focusing on function (usually rehab) and longevity isn't sexy-sounding and doesn't appeal to my tendency to want to do ten more reps, ten more minutes, whatever. I do struggle with the boring workouts I can do (between rehab moments), and it's hard to see not just fitspo-type stuff, but anyone doing fun things I can't do anymore. I accept it, but I am sometimes bitter. And bored, really bored.

By: cotton dress sock

cotton dress sock — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 14:04:48 -0800

(Tai chi etc. just do not hit the same spot.)

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 14:10:01 -0800

(to say nothing of the fact that the people in these videos usually have nice looking faces). My wife showed me a fun trick when her latest Athleta catalog came in the mail. She looked at the clothing and then put her hand over the model's face before deciding if she liked it. A lot of the clothing looked really sloppy when you couldn't see a pretty woman's face. It's pretty amazing what an attractive face can do to your judgement.

By: the thorn bushes have roses

the thorn bushes have roses — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 19:10:29 -0800

I assumed this was just common knowledge. People know models get hired for these things, that there are casting calls for these things.

I don't think it's common knowledge, but even if you know, it's still harmful to be constantly shown images of models as being the default shape, the only shape of woman "allowed" to exercise. I use Photoshop a lot in my line of work and have used it to make someone have a flat stomach or no wrinkles or whatever, when clients requested it. So I know images in the media are bullshit because I've made some of those bullshit images before I took a stand against it and yet it's still hard for me to see the barrage of unrealistic beauty standards women (and men) are subjected to. Fitness DVDs are just one more realm that signal to me that I am outside the acceptable range of appearance, that fitness isn't "for me". I'm not sure who in this thread is fat, but let me say that as a fat woman, I don't feel welcome at a gym, and fat women often use DVDs to lose enough weight to brave the gym. Just like in this thread, people love to tell fat women what has worked for them instead of considering that we already know what's best for us—it has happened to me at every gym I've gone to. When I run in Seattle I get patronizing comments and at best I'm an inspiration for people, "if that fat girl can run, there's no excuse for me!" It seems like ever single fucking place on the internet affirms this, with people rushing in to talk about what worked for them without considering that it probably won't work for me because I've been fat my whole life (and I'm not trying to change it). So it would be nice if fitness DVDs were actually welcoming to the fat women they're marketed to instead of giving them yet another message that no one wants to see fat women move their bodies. I don't expect to ever look like the models in the DVDs, but there really aren't a lot of body positive options for women when it comes to working out, it is nearly always about the ways in which our bodies aren't good enough as-is, almost never about the joy in movement. I applaud this study and will use the things that frustrate about me about this discussion here as fuel for my next workout (which I'm not looking to be congratulated for or given advice about, BTW), fuck those DVDs.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 21:23:48 -0800

In order to have abs like a mens magazine cover, you need to have a ridiculously low body fat percentage, and probably be dehydrated. So what you're saying is I'm halfway there.

By: bukvich

bukvich — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 05:41:08 -0800

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 07:05:38 -0800

ArbitraryAndCapricious, is that a link you'd be willing to share? I'm interested

Yes! But first, some warnings. The site is run by a husband and wife, and they do have fitness model gym bodies. There is also some talk about fat burning and calories. It's not enough to be a problem for me now, but it would have been at one point. However, they get tired and show it and sometimes can't finish a set, which is refreshing, and they have a sense of humor. They don't yell at you, and there's not a lot of peppy upbeat "go rah, lose weight/ burn calories, go you!" talk. There's no music, so you can use your own preferred music. Anyway, they're Fitness Blender.

By: aydeejones

aydeejones — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:04:39 -0800

If you ever catch any of those weird Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding competition footage, you know they're toning up backstage. That's called "getting a pump" and is a real thing and one of the fun parts of doing strength training in the gym, because you get to see what you might look like months down the road in advance; "toning up" tends to imply that spot-work actually tightens up fatty areas by pulling fat closer to the muscle, but what you're really doing (in the span of a workout) is "pumping" the muscle with blood and making it stand out against the mass of skin that would otherwise make it look saggier.

By: aydeejones

aydeejones — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:13:22 -0800

Those cover shots are only ever done at the end of a cut, when the model has the highest ratio of muscle to fat. And has, as you mention, really cut back on water for the day of the shoot. Another fun fact: it's super easy to make someone who is only 8 weeks away from looking like a Greek God look instead like a "before" pic. In other words, someone who has been "bulking" (eating excess calories to add muscle and some fat on the side) will always look slightly "out of shape" in the midsection even if they are strong as shit. Then they just need to hunch their neck down a little, pooch out their stomach, and maybe a little photoshop trickery is used to remove any vascularity or other visible indicators that "this dude is ripped underneath." The truth is that "ripped" just means "low body fat" and if someone has been "ripped" and then decided to "bulk" or even let themselves completely go for 90 days, they are just 8 weeks (or perhaps 90 days) away from a "totally ripped and jack physique!"

By: aydeejones

aydeejones — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:16:23 -0800

On another note, my body weight is always at its lowest when I've been away from the gym for 2+ days. I use creatine and suspect that after two days my muscles decide "fuck it" and drop a ton of water weight. Then suddenly I feel at my best, and I continue to shed water weight until I haul my ass into the gym. If I wait more than 4 days it begins to feel like fighting momentum, but all along my body is looking really damn good, quite an illusion. Alcohol is a total monkey wrench in any aggressive fitness plan for so many reasons -- it stops fat burning, it raises estrogen levels, etc...but damn if you don't look at your best when you're dehydrated and hungover after months of training. Or so I've been told.

By: aydeejones

aydeejones — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:18:38 -0800

But, you can't be dehydrated for several days, or your muscles flatten out completely! This was one of Arnold's secrets, really! He realized that he didn't want to be completely emaciated and "dried out" on the day of the competition, whereas a lot of body builders would cut their carbohydrate and water intake so much that they looked "ripped" but their muscles look "deflated." So fucking complicated, grrr, but Arnold is one of the people who convinced me that carbs are not the enemy, just a very powerful and predictable ally.

By: ArbitraryAndCapricious

ArbitraryAndCapricious — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:23:19 -0800

I totally, totally understand wanting to geek out about your favorite geeky thing, aydeejones, because I am a huge, huge geek about other things, but I'm not sure that bodybuilding geekery is really the point of this article.