The world is full of fakes and phonies. From people claiming to be natural athletes (when they are clearly on steroids) to celebrities claiming to be natural beauties (when they have a large plastic surgery bill). We need to be able to identify the bullsh** from the real.
Specifically, in the fitness and bodybuilding world, Instagram “celebrities” lie to people everyday in order to sell products that barely (or don’t) work at all. From steroid taking – all natural claiming models and bodybuilders, to product pushers looking for their commission, the lying is completely out of hand.
Let’s take a look at the picture of me below, a clear difference in muscular size, definition, and overall aesthetics. These types of pictures are marketed to regular people as amazing results from a product taken in a short period of time. But the fact of the matter is real, healthy, clean transformation takes time, and is a process of dedication, hard work, and guidance. Yes, that’s right, I took those picture 2 minutes apart!
Transformation Time: 2 Minutes
So how can we weed out the crap.
Short timelines aren’t true – if they are claiming one-week transformation and it is a large difference, don’t buy in. However, if you see a 6 month or 1-year transformation being significant, you can believe that.
Compare Lighting – Lighting can change a lot, as seen above, and is a trick used to fool people. It really legitimizes to have the picture taken in the same spot with the same lighting.
Relaxed vs. Flexed – In the picture above I am slouching and relaxed in the before, and flexing in the after. You can tell mostly by body position, how open the chest and shoulder are, and where the arms rest
Change of outfit – Now for true tests you should be wearing the same thing. I changed the hat for flowing hair and tightened the pants to help make the waist smaller. This use is nothing compared to the outfit tricks that most use.
Selling a product – This is simple, if they are pushing a product, there is a good chance they are going to cheat one way or another, though this is not true for everyone!
Use the simple tools above to make these decisions for yourself. True, honest transformations should be praised and encouraged, but just know how to identify the scams and not let them fool you.