Why don't I look like a fitness model?

[liquidstayce]

This is from one of my favorite web sites out there. Great article and it really illustrates how my thinking has changed. I don't try to look like anyone else.. I try to look like myself but only fitter. 2 years ago or maybe even 18 months I was posting pictures of fitness models saying that is what I want to look like. Now I know better and my thinking around what is realistic is so much healthier.


why don't you look like a fitness model?


Some time ago a reader emailed me to ask why I did not look like a fitness model. She proceeded to suggest that perhaps my advice was not good if I did not provide evidence that said advice had worked. I assume that the evidence in question was a shot of me posing awkwardly in high heels and a bikini. She didn't seem overly interested in evidence which consisted of me lifting large heavy things while dressed in oversize sweatpants and army boots. Amazingly, my video entitled "Sweaty Krista Covered In Chalk and Plate Dirt" just isn't selling too well. Perhaps I should try the fetish market.

Anyhoo, this question raised some issues for me that I'd like to discuss.

1. The assumption that fit women all look like fitness models. There are all shapes and sizes of fit women and female athletes in the world, from 90 lb. gymnasts, to 150 lb. sprinters, to 200 lb. shotputters, and everything in between. There are female athletes who are mentally or disabled but could kick my ass from here till next Tuesday. A great example of an elite athlete who doesn't resemble a fitness model is Lynne Cox, the world's best cold water distance swimmer. Cox is so hardcore that she swam to Antarctica without a wetsuit, and has amazed exercise physiologists with her ability to withstand near-freezing water temperatures. Frankly, I find her much more inspiring than the bunnies on the cover of Shape magazine.

2. The assumption that fit women all want to look like fitness models. Some do, some don't. Most female athletes are more concerned with performance and achievement than aesthetics. There is nothing wrong with trying to look like a fitness model, if it's a goal that you have set for yourself, and a goal you can achieve safely and sanely. But it's not the only way to be visibly or actually fit. The goal of a fitness model in competition is perfection: good skin tone, nice physical display (which includes costume, hair, makeup, and a smile), pleasing physique, looking good in exercise wear, a swimsuit, and often evening wear. While a fitness model is certainly an athlete, she is not supposed to show the exertion of her performance. The goal of an athlete is achievement, and that often means getting dirty, getting bruised or cut, competing wearing things like tape, bandages, knee braces, and so forth. The athlete's attire is often unflattering or baggy, because it's usually designed to maximize the athlete's capability of movement, not her aesthetic presentation (Brazilian volleyball player uniforms, erm butt floss, notwithstanding). Athletes can guzzle water or pour it over their head to cool off, spit, throw up at the finish line, jump into the dirt, and do a variety of unattractive things in the course of their endeavours. So, while I do not mean to suggest that fitness models are not athletes (because their training usually necessitates a wide variety of activities), I do mean to suggest that fitness models are not the only ideal for female physical fitness. In fact they are a somewhat poor one for many types of athletes.


3. The assumption that there is one aesthetic goal to which we should all aspire. Some women want big muscles. Some want to be super-lean. Some women with low bodyfat have breast implants; some prefer the sleekness of small breasts. Everyone's values about physical appearance are different. Moreover, people have different genetic gifts. A small, stocky woman is going to waste her life if she tries forever to look like a female basketball player. A big, muscular woman is likewise going to experience a world of disappointment if she directs all her efforts towards being little and cute. Many, many fit women and female athletes don't look like fitness models and are very happy with this state of affairs. People who write me to tell me that they find my legs too big are barking up the wrong tree. I want my legs to be bigger dammit!

4. You will achieve the appearance that is right for you, given your training parameters and genetic gifts/limitations. Don't try to look like someone else. Try to look like yourself, only fitter. If you have big muscular legs, use them to squat with. If you have narrow hips, take up running. If you have wide shoulders and big hands and feet, enjoy beating the hell out of everyone else at swimming.

5. The world does not need more pictures of women in bikinis. People who want to see fitness models can go to the bazillion fitness model sites online. I don't bother with that shit here because it takes space away from lifting information, and frankly I get enough email from lecherous weirdos already. Furthermore, beginners often get very turned off by images of apparent "perfection" (I use that term advisedly) because it seems so unattainable. It's much more inspiring for many people to know that fitness is something which anyone and everyone can do to see benefits. Plus, I'm not good enough with Photoshop to airbrush in bigger shoulders and better thigh definition.

6. Even fitness models don't look like fitness models. The fitness industry is about as truthful as the sideshow industry. Let's break this down.

Low bodyfat. By and large, fitness models are photographed only when they are in "contest shape", which means that they have dieted down to a low bodyfat for a short period of time. In the "offseason", most carry a higher bodyfat level because extremely low bodyfat levels are physiologically unmanageable. Many fitness shows hosted by models are filmed only a few weeks out of the year for this reason. And by the way, dieting down to 10-12% bodyfat is much, much less exciting than you would think. You do not feel sexy and attractive. You feel hungry. All you can think about is how crappy you feel, how hard it is to concentrate on anything, and how you would kill your own momma for a bag of Cheetos.

Photographic tricks. Start with the basics of lighting, angles, and posing. Posing in itself is an art. Posers must learn how to present their body so their "flaws" are hidden or camouflaged, and their best features are emphasized. Ever wonder why we don't see too many "after" shots where the subject is posed slouching and photographed with a cheap flash camera? Things also look different in reality than on film. Davin's page on bodybuilding photo tricks illustrates this beautifully. We all know people who are "photogenic", which means they look good in pictures, and we all know people who are attractive but don't photograph well. Many photogenic people look too angular or "imperfect" in person, yet their face comes beautifully to life through the camera lens. Add the magic of Photoshop and airbrushing. Hell, a good computer graphic artist could make me look like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (although they probably couldn't help my little problem of being incapable of sinking a basket).

Extreme dieting. I've already mentioned dieting. However I should add that this isn't your run of the mill eat-celery-sticks-for-a-few-days kind of diet. This is a diet that spans up to 20 weeks at a time, and involves a highly regimented eating pattern. We're talking food scales and measuring cups which dole out precise amounts of brown rice and chicken breasts. We're talking Shaolin monk level of spiritual and physical discipline. We're also talking about mommy's little helper: drugs.

Drug use. Some fitness models DO use anabolic steroids, just like female bodybuilders. Other drugs used are thermogenics, diuretics, appetite suppressants, amphetamines, and the plethora of "gray market" bodybuilding supplements.

Wardrobe, hair, tanning, makeup. Pretty standard stuff for a fashion shoot, really. Tanning is crucial because it emphasizes muscle definition, as does applying something shiny like oil or an iridescent powder. Often a topical bronzer is applied over a base tan. In person it sometimes looks like a weird orange colour.

Tricks of the trade. This means stuff like aluminum or painted wood plates so it looks like the person is lifting a ton (I have aluminum and wood plates at my gym; they're designed to be the height of 45 lb. plates but lighter... I don't mind people thinking I'm lifting 135 lbs. over my head!). Duct tape or masking tape is a must. Drag queens and models alike know that it helps prop up cleavage and can be used to pull back skin to increase visual definition. Two-way tape or Bikini Bite helps stop the inevitable wedgie or embarrassing exposure which is a risk with tiny bathing suits. Pre-photo dehydration (achieved usually with the help of drugs) is crucial for optimizing definition, flattening tummies, and leaning out faces.

Surgery. A nip here, a tuck there, a little fat sucked from here, a little collagen added there. Breast implants and lifts, tummy tucks, calf implants, nose jobs, chin jobs, etc. etc. etc. Nothing wrong with surgery--after all, it makes sense if your face and body is your living--but let's not pretend that it's Ma Nature's handiwork.

Again, this isn't to denigrate the hard work of women who work as fitness models. But it's a job like any other. Fitness models don't crawl out of bed with a hangover and raging PMS and immediately have someone snap their picture with a cheap Instamatic. Their representation is a carefully planned event and construction of an image, which has little to do with them as people.

7. This is a bit of a tangential issue, but frankly I am sick of other people telling me what I should look like. As women we get subjected to lots of commentary on our physical appearances. Male strangers tell us to smile, they ogle our breasts, they scream "Nice ass!" or "Hey fatso!" from passing cars. We're all well aware that we are judged every day on how our bodies look. I would be lying to you if I said I didn't care about how I looked. BUT we should look good on our own terms, without other people feeling that they have the right to judge us or tell us how we should look. My ideal for myself is different than many other people's ideal for me, which is fine as long as they keep it to themselves. Besides, according to the media ideal we're never good enough anyway, so ya might as well divert all that negative mental energy you waste on worrying about it. In media ideal terms, there's so much wrong with me that the only thing to be done is burn the whole house down and start again! Hahaha! Oh wait, my teeth are straight. Those can stay.

I am a normal woman. I am not a fitness model. I work out in slobby gym wear with no makeup, and I get dirty and sweaty and messyhaired. My breasts are not lifted and separated; they are mashed onto my chest by my cheapo sports bra. When I forget to shave my legs I don't really care. I am in there to work hard, to lift some heavy shit, and to forget about how my body looks in favour of thinking about what my body does. After having had a few injuries and illnesses, I am happy that the old girl works at all! Can I get out of bed in the morning without pain and make it to the coffeemaker? If so, then yay body!

That is the point of this site: weight fitness and weight training are for everybody and EVERY BODY! Yes, you will look better and feel better with weight training. I know that I do. But sorry, you're not going to see pictures of me stuffed into a bathing suit. Let's just deal with it and move on.

SOURCE: http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=38
Krista rules!

[Eziekial]

My goal is to look like a roman god, only fitter.

[Martrae]

Thanx, Stayce, this was really good advice.

[Phlegm]

why don't you look like a fitness model?

Because I dont lift weights and Lay's bbq flavor potato chips.

[Trielelvan]

Excellent site! Thanks Stayce

[liquidstayce]

Glad you guys liked it. Krista is brilliant. I love her style. If you have the free time I encourage you to read all of her site. It is full of good info for women and men working with women as well as men in general. Everyone can benefit from it at all levels of fitness.

[Jimmy Durante]

Krista's been around for a while, and also used to post on Usenet. I personally found her pieces on proper squatting and deadlifting form invaluable.

[liquidstayce]

Yep. I like her variations for women. That helped me with squats.


"feminine problems"


In the words of every sleazy comedian, "Men and women, they're so different. Back me up on this, ladies." I'll spare you the crappy jokes about the toilet seat (hyuk hyuk) whose "Best Before" dates, like the milk in the back of my fridge, have long expired.

All kidding aside, women tend to have wider hips, shallower pelvises, narrower shoulders, and shorter legs and arms. The distinctively female pelvic structure gives us a little funk in our trunk when we walk, and a lower centre of gravity, meaning that on average, women have better balance than men. The biomechanics of the pelvic structure can also make women more prone to knee problems, although women's knee problems appear to result from both nature and nurture. While the knee injury rate in women's sports is fairly high, athletes such as basketball and soccer players who are trained to land and pivot properly have a much lower rate of knee injury than those who have not received such training. However, the wider pelvis does require women's femurs (thighbones) to swoop towards the knee at much more of an angle than men's, which can cause some structural trouble where the thigh bone connects to the knee bone. On the plus side, we can do that cool thing where we cross one leg over the other, then hook the ankle of the top leg behind the shin of the bottom leg.

Women tend to be looser than men, at least in terms of connective tissue. We tend to be more flexible on average, which like most elements of physiology is a mixed blessing. This flexibility results in a greater range of motion, but when joints are lax, they can also be more easily injured. Pregnant and premenstrual women in particular have circulating hormonal environments that relax the connective tissues even further. Female gymnasts can twist themselves into pretzels, but the long term result is a much higher risk of spine injuries such as spondylolysis.

In addition, for those of you who like factoids as much as I do, women have more body fat, greater surface area-to-mass-ratio (which means we float better), less lean muscle mass, a lower basal metabolic rate, and lower red blood cell mass relative to men. Much of this difference is due less to gender and more to the general characteristics of relative amounts of body fat and muscle mass, since women and men do not differ in muscle fiber type or muscle adaptation. Oh, and women seem to have an advantage in dry heat. You want to smarten up your husband? Take him to Death Valley and show him what being a woman really means!!

Oh yeah, and we can make babies.

[And to respond to the one reader who worried that by saying this I was imposing some kind of biological Foucauldian-esque disciplinary imperative on the gentler sex, I said we "can", not "should" or "have to" or, in my case, "even want to so thankfully another sibling did it for me and I'm off the hook with my parents about the making grandchildren issue, jeesh".]

Anyway, sometimes minor modifications in form are needed to ensure that an exercise is comfortable for women to execute.

squats

Many women find that the traditional squatting leg position of legs at shoulder width or narrower isn't the best for them, since it seems to put pressure on the knees; many with wide hips do not feel particularly stable in this position either. A good variation is to place the feet wider than shoulder width, as wide as you feel comfortable with. This has the added benefit of giving you a more solid base to support the weight on your shoulders. Turn your toes out a bit. Don't try to make them point forward if they don't want to.

Some women also say that the bar is uncomfortable because they don't have a lot of muscle in their upper back yet. Make sure the bar is sitting low, not up around the neck. While squatting, consciously pull shoulders back and push your chest out so that whatever upper back muscle you do have makes a little shelf for the bar. You can roll the bar in a towel if desired but make sure the padding isn't too thick or it becomes difficult to hold the bar properly.

More on good and bad squat form
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayar ... hp?aid=123
More on learning to squat in general
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=52



This is a relatively wide stance. A helpful tip which keeps your back straight is looking up a teensy bit above eye level as you squat. Don't crank your neck up too much. Your body follows your eyes. If you look down, your back tends to hunch


If you follow this link you can also learn more about the dead lift, pull-up, bench press .....
http://www.stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=40

I prefer sumo style deadlifts like her since I am also fairly short with wider hips.