Obviously there are a lot of women who like big muscles, but as a male I find them very ugly. Are there any people of either sex that feel this way?
Big muscles
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SuicideBlonde
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Calliegirl
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Clueless Git
Plant powered
An attractive physique is a matter of proportions, I think.
That is why 5 foot diameter biceps look totaly dumb-assed on anyone much under one half a mile in height.
That is why 5 foot diameter biceps look totaly dumb-assed on anyone much under one half a mile in height.
I used to be a power lifter.
When I was in high school I was approached and asked to become a competitive body builder.
I turned them down, as I didn't want to change my goals in lifting from strength and endurance to muscle bulk (plus I didn't want to shave my body hair and use man-tan).
I still have large biceps (though not as large as they once were) I don't believe I'm narcissistic and I've never actually looked at myself and wondered if I'm attractive - I'm just what I am - take it or leave it.
On the other hand I don't think I've ever looked out of balance like some of these guys do (but I could be wrong).
When I was in high school I was approached and asked to become a competitive body builder.
I turned them down, as I didn't want to change my goals in lifting from strength and endurance to muscle bulk (plus I didn't want to shave my body hair and use man-tan).
I still have large biceps (though not as large as they once were) I don't believe I'm narcissistic and I've never actually looked at myself and wondered if I'm attractive - I'm just what I am - take it or leave it.
On the other hand I don't think I've ever looked out of balance like some of these guys do (but I could be wrong).
I think some muscle looks good, in both men and women, but aesthetically I prefer "fit" over very big muscles. Also, if the attraction of big muscles is that they provide protection / security, then perhaps it makes more sense to admire actual self-protection skills.
ledboots
Peace
Agree.
My 22 year old son is a martial artist, and though he's a pretty big guy (6', about 175 lbs) he doesnt look muscly until he moves around. And his legs are big too, so there's not the whole unbalanced look. He doesn't lift weights (except himself in pushups and pullups.) When he jokes around and flexes it's pretty impressive though, lol.
I have a pistol, and I'm not an idiot with (as many seem to be) because I've been trained since I was a child in the respect and use of firearms.
But I doubt that it makes me more attractive.
Life is unfair.
ledboots
Peace
Calliegirl
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From what I've read the bodybuilders spend their time building up bulk but not strength. They also aren't very agile or have a lot of stamina (muscles use up a lot of energy). So, if you're looking for a bodyguard, you need to look for someone building up strength, not bulk.
Here's a video of a pro arm wrestler versus a pro bodybuilder in an arm wrestling match. The bodybuilder is on the left, which I guess is obvious by the size of his muscles.
The strongest man I ever met had biceps half the size of the smaller set above. He was about six feet tall and built like a stick. However he had what I call "Farmer's muscles". They came from his having done heavy sustained labor from a young age.
I knew him from having a YMCA gym membership at the same time as him and working out/lifting on similar schedules.
When working out he would do things like hanging a 45 lb. weight from a belt around his waist and then doing bar dips continuously for 45 minutes (this was part of his normal workout). He used to work out with a man who had five times the muscle bulk he had. The bigger man looked like he could have taken hold of the strong man and broken him like a twig, however they occasionally had to remove some of the weight off the bar when it was his turn to lift, and he seldom did as many reps.
I had a serious case of envy for his muscles.
In my opinion, doing set ups, push ups, and running will actually get you in better shape than lifting ever will, and you'll end up stronger in the long run, plus the muscles will last longer if you ever stop working out (disclaimer: you will gain strength faster by lifting). If you do as little as a hundred set ups, a hundred push ups, and run two miles daily you'll end up in great shape in short order. The workout combined with stretching* should only take around thirty minutes once you get into shape. (push ups should take 2 to 3 minutes, sit ups should take another 2 to 3 minutes, and the run 12 to 15 minutes = 21 minutes)
*stretching before working out is EXTREMELY important for any work out routine - maybe even more important than the actual exercising for your overall physical condition.
I knew him from having a YMCA gym membership at the same time as him and working out/lifting on similar schedules.
When working out he would do things like hanging a 45 lb. weight from a belt around his waist and then doing bar dips continuously for 45 minutes (this was part of his normal workout). He used to work out with a man who had five times the muscle bulk he had. The bigger man looked like he could have taken hold of the strong man and broken him like a twig, however they occasionally had to remove some of the weight off the bar when it was his turn to lift, and he seldom did as many reps.
I had a serious case of envy for his muscles.
In my opinion, doing set ups, push ups, and running will actually get you in better shape than lifting ever will, and you'll end up stronger in the long run, plus the muscles will last longer if you ever stop working out (disclaimer: you will gain strength faster by lifting). If you do as little as a hundred set ups, a hundred push ups, and run two miles daily you'll end up in great shape in short order. The workout combined with stretching* should only take around thirty minutes once you get into shape. (push ups should take 2 to 3 minutes, sit ups should take another 2 to 3 minutes, and the run 12 to 15 minutes = 21 minutes)
*stretching before working out is EXTREMELY important for any work out routine - maybe even more important than the actual exercising for your overall physical condition.
Clueless Git
Plant powered
The attraction of big muscles, size in general, is that they are a visible deterrent to attacks.
Actual fighting/protection skills are invisible untill an attack has already begun.
S'a (little) bit like the nuclear deterrent thingie ...
Safer to be in a country with enough visible bombs to deter attack than in a country with secret bombs that it may actualy have to let off.
Clueless Git
Plant powered
Rambling self indulgent story on the theme ...
Karate club I trained with in my twenties used to provide doormen for the pubs'n'clubs in one of the more 'lively' areas of our town.
Usefull beer money (and a bit of ad-hoc training) so I wanted in but was politely refused.
Reason given was that the physicaly bigger guys, nine times out of ten, would not get their skills tested. Being physicaly smaller then, nine times out of ten, my skills would.
I wasn't entirely happy about that but the logic that doormen are supposed to act as deterrent to fights breaking out rather than to win any fights that did break out was absolutely sound.
Karate club I trained with in my twenties used to provide doormen for the pubs'n'clubs in one of the more 'lively' areas of our town.
Usefull beer money (and a bit of ad-hoc training) so I wanted in but was politely refused.
Reason given was that the physicaly bigger guys, nine times out of ten, would not get their skills tested. Being physicaly smaller then, nine times out of ten, my skills would.
I wasn't entirely happy about that but the logic that doormen are supposed to act as deterrent to fights breaking out rather than to win any fights that did break out was absolutely sound.
Yes, I agree. I had someone round to pave my garden and I saw him carrying the paving slabs as if they were light as a feather. I had tried and failed to even lift one off the ground.
He had been doing hard physical labour from a young age.
beancounter
The Fire That Burns Within
I used to work out a lot (weight lifting/anaerobic) in my 20's, but being an ectomorph, I never got the muscular look. Although, I could tell that I has become physically stronger.
Bodybuilding.com - What Is Your Body Type? Take Our Test!
Bodybuilding.com - What Is Your Body Type? Take Our Test!
My father was like this, as were many of the small time farmers of his generation (field work was all still done by hand, with no tractors, etc., during his younger years).
As a result, I've always differentiated between "working" muscles and "show" muscles.
yakherder
老外
There are two types of muscular hypertrophy. Myofibrillar hypertrophy is caused by an increase in the number of contractile proteins, and is more useful to those who desire to increase strength. It does cause an increase in muscle size, but nowhere near to the degree caused by sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is caused by an increase in sarcoplasmic fluids, and has more to do with muscle endurance. It also causes the greatest visible gains in regards to sheer size, and is the primary goal of bodybuilders.
In and of itself, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy offers no gains in strength whatsoever. The two types of hypertrophy are somewhat mutually dependent, however, and it is impossible to have one without at least some degree of the other. Bodybuilders concerned only with bulk are, therefore, likely to be stronger than average even if they don't specifically concern themselves with maximal strength, but weaker, in spite of their larger size, than those who focus on exercises which lead to myofibrillar hypertrophy.
Even though sarcoplasmic hypertrophy offers increased endurance, alone it is not enough to make up for the increased weight of their muscles without sufficient accompanying myofibrillar hypertrophy. This is why bodybuilders will often have lower relative endurance compared to smaller people even though their endurance is theoretically greater. That said, it isn't always the case. A person with large muscles with a well planned training routine can still maintain relative endurance. Most just choose not to because they'd rather focus on size.
In and of itself, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy offers no gains in strength whatsoever. The two types of hypertrophy are somewhat mutually dependent, however, and it is impossible to have one without at least some degree of the other. Bodybuilders concerned only with bulk are, therefore, likely to be stronger than average even if they don't specifically concern themselves with maximal strength, but weaker, in spite of their larger size, than those who focus on exercises which lead to myofibrillar hypertrophy.
Even though sarcoplasmic hypertrophy offers increased endurance, alone it is not enough to make up for the increased weight of their muscles without sufficient accompanying myofibrillar hypertrophy. This is why bodybuilders will often have lower relative endurance compared to smaller people even though their endurance is theoretically greater. That said, it isn't always the case. A person with large muscles with a well planned training routine can still maintain relative endurance. Most just choose not to because they'd rather focus on size.
Clueless Git
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BronwynMendoza
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yakherder
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I have no interest in exceptionally large muscles. I'm happy with my medium build. I have nothing against it, though. Everyone's gotta do their own thing. It takes a lot of consistent effort, too, so even though I personally find it to be a pointless endeavor, I admire the accomplishment of a successful bodybuilder nonetheless.
