This would be my first impression too. If I look at a guy and think “boy, he looks like he spends a hell of a lot of time in the gym”, that is a very unattractive quality to me. I prefer the look of muscle built by normal use (actually I even prefer guys who are a bit pudgy/soft around the middle to bodybuilder types). The thing is that I’m not anti-gym, I don’t care if the guy *goes *to the gym. I don’t even care if he actually *did *get his muscles at the gym, I just don’t like that look that says “I spend many of my waking hours in the gym”. That might not make sense, I know, but that’s how I feel (I don’t want to speak for **chiroptera **here).
My initial impression of really ripped bodybuilder types is that they’re going to be self-centred and high-maintenance, and often judgmental of others who are not as obsessive about physical fitness. This may not always be fair, but you can’t really control your first impressions.
I agree with others that the no-smiling facial expressions don’t really do anything for the OP. If I were to just see your photo I wouldn’t think “that looks like a fun guy to hang out with!”. I also agree that the comments about the other guy were extremely off-putting - for the record I wasn’t offended by you saying he didn’t really belong in the competition, I was turned off by you calling him ‘little fat piggy’. You seem to be missing the aspect of those comments that’s actually offensive.
Now see? This is how discourse should work. This is the very first time, I believe, that you have ever responded respectfully to anything I’ve posted.
The reason I was so over-the-top with my language describing the guy was because I was offended that he was there. “Fat little piggy” was in the context of him as a bodybuilder. I would never talk about him, or describe him that way in any other context. But bodybuilding is about your physical appearance and his utter disregard for everything that the sport is about was offensive and disrepectful to the other participants and the sport itself. So I think my language is somewhat mitigated by the context.
You say on the photo comment thread that that guy came in fifth overall. How many people did he beat? Fifth doesn’t seem that bad for a first timer (or were you only competing against four other guys at that event?) How has he done since then?
Why did the people running the competition let him in, then? I mean, is it something anyone (in a wheelchair) can do? If it’s the latter, not really seeing the big deal.
Yes, most shows allow anyone in a chair to compete. It is only the National shows that have invitation-only shows. Why does that make it “no big deal” to you? Most amateur able-bodied bodybuilding competions allow anyone who wishes compete. But you’d never see a morbidly obese guy who had basically never worked out before in his life competing in those shows. But with wheelchairs, many people have the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality and it renders true accomplishment nearly obsolete (or it can at least get in the way).
Look at it this way - his entry fee helps cover more of the cost of the event and helps the promoters offer more in the way of prizes, promotion, etc for future events.
Eh, with lots of things they give out ‘Also Ran’ ribbons - you still won the damn thing - slagging off the guy that came in last makes you sound like a weeny.
If you really want to compete where there are no ‘Also Ran’ awards, why don’t you try out for the paralympics? There’s powerlifting, which I assume you would be good at, as well as athletics.
I guess many people don’t really consider body building a competitive ‘sport’. It’s a bit like a beauty pageant for boys. You’re young, you could probably do quite well at a more sporty activity that has less of a focus on appearance and more focus on actual fitness.
Ha! There’s one that obviously knows absolutely nothing of bodybuilding. “Actual” fitness, as well as foundational knowledge of nutrition, health, physiology and exercise are crucial components of a serious bodybuilding career. You’re right, many people who don’t know anything about it don’t really consider bodybuilding a sport; but as a lifelong athlete I will tell you that bodybuilding is far and away the most intense and physically demanding sport I have ever participated in. Ask any other serious bodybuilder and they will tell you the same. It’s almost like a cult.
If a morbidly obese guy who wasn’t in a wheelchair wanted to enter a regular bodybuilding contest, I wouldn’t see that as a big deal either. Yes, he might look silly but if there aren’t any clear standards you have to reach to enter, I don’t see why it’s anything to get upset over. If the event organizers let him in, clearly they’re fine with it.
Well, I’m not sure it’s a sport either. There’s no resistance from competitors. The actual competition itself is just going on stage and flexing, right? You are, essentially, competing in a beauty pageant.
Nowhere in any of his posts did Jamie compare himself to an Olympic athlete. He said that bodybuilding was the most intense and demanding sport that he had ever participated in.
The only reason is because the Olympics doesn’t feature a bodybuilding section. To categorically say that bodybuilders can’t be compared to Olympic athletes is glaringly ignorant…
Perhaps. I read his response as a comparison. YMMV. Whatever though, if he enjoys bodybuilding, great. I just suggested something he would probably be good at where he wouldn’t have to put up with ‘fat little piggys’ sharing the stage with him when he won.
First of all, bodybuilding is not a beauty pageant for men, because it is not a men’s sport. Both genders compete in bodybuilding.
I am a female who has been lifting weights for years, and I can’t count the number of people who have asked me if I compete. When I say no, they ask me why not, and I say I’m not good enough yet. Let me put it this way: if you’re an adult who’s never played soccer, you’re best off starting out in a rec league, and moving your way up to the more competitive leagues. You learn the basics before competing.
Thirdly, I will admit that it’s debateable as to whether or not bodybuilding is a sport. However, it is still an activity that demands hard work, training, and discipline, and to have someone come and compete who has not properly trained is, to an extent, making a mockery of an activity that other people take seriously. If I get to the point where I compete, and I’m competing against women who just started lifting three months ago, I would have similar thoughts myself. (I would not, however, post them on a photo of the person on my facebook page.)
Lastly, to address the people who say that body-building is a turn-off because it’s self-centered: body-building is a hobby. I’ve spent 7.5 hours working out this week, and it’s only Tuesday. Lots of people have spent 7.5 hours on something this week. Maybe it’s riding your bike, maybe it’s cooking, maybe it’s reading … but we all have our hobbies. We all have something that we do to unwind, that is for our own mental health. I work 40 hours a week and volunteer at the fire station 20 hours a month. I have relationships with others that I work hard to maintain. But I also have my hobby, and it gives me motivation, pride, discipline, strength, health, and a sense of accomplishment. I wish it weren’t looked at with such disdain.
I don’t really think that’s true, but then I haven’t been keeping track like you apparently have.
Well I don’t really think that makes it any better. It paints you as the kind of person who is perfectly willing to judge someone and insult them based solely on their outward appearance, and frankly that’s not a very attractive trait. The fact that you did it in a (relatively) public forum implies that you don’t even care if everyone knows you are shallow enough to judge a book by its cover.
All of us have to deal with people that we don’t like or people that don’t really deserve to be where they are. It doesn’t seem worth it to get so bent out of shape about it.
I didn’t compare myself to an Olympic athlete. I said to categorically say that anyone who competes in bodybuilding is not comparable to anyone who is an Olympic athlete is ignorant. And it boils down to nothing more than the sport not being part of the games.