Why you shouldn't compare yourself to others when working out! | The Odyssey Online
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Why you shouldn't compare yourself to others when working out!

Discover yourself and find your body type

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Why you shouldn't compare yourself to others when working out!

So a guy came up to me recently and asked me:

"Bruh, I've been hitting the weights mad hard today. I feel like I'm making them gainz but how come I can't see it?"

To this I replied:

"Well, how long have you been hitting the gym...Brah?"

Three Weeks.

Rant Mode Initiated:

I don't understand why once someone starts going to the gym; their whole dialect changes. It's like before people officially go to the gym they read the book of Gymnaism; crafted from the elders of whom were spawns of Hercules. The binding of the book is made of Bull hair and the paper itself is graphene. This is what I've talked about before, drop the ego and it will go a long way. Working out boosts your testosterone I get it, but that absolutely does not mean that you need to change who you are because of it. I've been in the same situation, honestly there was a point where I felt I was invincible; lifting hard and heavy and it was awesome, but I was so consumed with trying to get my "gainz" that I lost sight of what was important:

My Health and Well-Being

but that's a topic for another time.

Look, "gym talk" aside, let's be real here. Like I've said before, If working out was for everyone then every gym would be packed full of people like a pop tart is with carbs.

By the way,

Did you know that a single Cinnamon Pop-Tart (Because the Cinnamon flavor is Bae) has 35 grams in carbs. Meaning, that if you eat two, because two comes in a package; then you are eating 70 grams of carbs. I don't know about you, but I've never said "Man, am I full" after eating two Cinnamon Pop-Tarts; Especially after they've been toasted ever so lightly. I'm not trying to say don't buy Pop-Tarts, but realize that those delicious sugar patties will mess up your thighs for real. Also Kellog's, stop trying to make all these different flavors. Hot Fudge Sundae, Fruit Fusion, Maple Bacon, you had it right with the Cinnamon ones, trust. Toast them for about twelve seconds and I swear it's the cheapest thing closest to a cinnamon roll.

(Skyler stop advocating Pop-Tarts, this is supposed to be about Health and Wellness.)

Oh yeah, Back to the topic.

If the gym was for everyone, then we'd live on a Planet of Fitness. Where there's no Judgment because everyone looks great (sounds familiar). Go ahead! Eat that slice of pizza! It's ok, your washboard abs won't feel a thing.

Wrong.

We don't live in this perfect fitness world, and people starve themselves just to be able to have Ice Cream at the end of the day. Yet, we see on social media, fitness models that show themselves eating fast food, Ice Cream, and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. People fail at the gym because they see these false images and they think to themselves that they can do the same thing. If I could do the same workout that Superman does for a month; then I am now Superman. Absolutely false, it takes time, dedication, and a lot of mental constraint to be able to have a great body. Unless you're my friend Tyler who's always had abs since he was 12, but that's years of Football and various other school sports. I've seen this guy eat the wrong kinds of foods all the time. He looks great eating Wendy's while my gut plops out with a side of fries. When you look at his family though, they all played sports and they're all athletic; basically he has the genetics of Leonidas from 300.

(Forever Low-key Jealous, but it's whatever)

Here's what you have to realize. Your body type, is on a whole spectrum away from another person's body type. Yes, there are categories provided by Bodybuilder.com (picture below is not from Bodybuilder.com):

Ectomorph: Which are the skinnier people. Narrow Hips, small joints, long limbs. Super fast metabolism

Mesomorph: These are the "Naturally Athletic" Medium build, muscle tends to out portion the body fat.

Endomorphs: These are the "blockier people" Wider hips, easily able to store fat. Slowest of the metabolisms.

I myself am an Endomorph, and it sucks because I'll eat a slice of Pizza and will blow up; while homie Tyler will eat three slices, work it out and is as pristine as ever. If you want more information on it, check out the website Bodybuilder.com. It's one of the best sites for beginners! You can find workout programs, diet tips and a ton of different products that could help you in your fitness journey.

Back to the main topic:

You have to stop comparing yourself to others.

I fall down this pitfall all the time, but at the end of the day I remind myself that I will look good as long as I eat well, and work out efficiently. I've seen it with friends all the time they'll say "I want to look like this person." You're 6'5" and the person you're trying to equate your body type to is 5'8". It's great to find your inspiration, but it's another thing to attempt at working out; then suddenly think that you can have a god like body within a couple of weeks.

Although,

I do believe in finding your Idol. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a great model of influence, and if you can check out his documentary Pumping Iron. A lot of people also love Dragon Ball Z, they see themselves as Goku and that is awesome. Honestly, Goku never gives up no matter how hard the battle is, and that's a trait that people need; to never give up. If you like Superman, rock the heck out of the Superman shirts while you workout. You'll feel powerful, your workouts will rock, and you'll represent something that means something to yourself while you workout. That's just it:

Working out is supposed to mean something to you!

Find out why you truly want to "get fit". Are you tired of other people looking down on you? Are you trying to make a change for the better in your personal life? Do you want to eat Cinnamon Pop-Tarts guilt free? These are some of the questions that you might need to consider. If you're working out to impress someone else; it'll work for a while, but it won't last long. That person that you're trying to lose weight for will only be there for a limited amount of time. It's a bleak perspective I know, but honestly you have to do it for your own well being. No one else is going to push you to your max except for you.

Other than that, you should not compare yourself to another person's body image. If you do than you'll end up questioning why you'll never look like that person. Spiraling down an abyss that will be difficult to get out of.

Work out for yourself, and you'll see the results.

Let's make 2017 the year we say No to Fast Food!



Source for Body Types: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/know-your-body-type.htm

Source for Pop-Tart Nutritional Facts: https://www.poptarts.com/en_US/nutrition.html

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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