General Appreciating the Physically Fit People

[Joe]

We re-watched Vacation a week or so ago, the sequel / 2015 movie with Rusty Griswold played by Ed Helms, it's pretty fun/funny, especially if you're a fan of the earlier movies.

Anyway, Chris Hemsworth in that ... holy mother of god.

When he comes out in his skivvies, I always pull the Ralph Wiggum line from the movie, "I like men now!"

That scene cracks me up when he has his junk all in their face

 

[User.191]

We are __not__ usual.

And water is wet.

 

[DT]

That scene cracks me up when he has his junk all in their face

There's some really funny outtakes, because apparently he went off direction in that scene a few times, especially at the end where he puts his leg up, hahahaha

Speaking of Norse deities ...

Are you watching Loki?

 

[User.45]

So much this. I'm there to workout. Don't bother me in the middle of my workout. It's kind of a off-putting when I see displays of such vanity when I come across people taking mirror selfies or posing in workout positions. I'm not generally a judgemental person, but it's pretty clear they're more interested in posting their pictures to all their Instagram followers than actually working out. Don't hog the equipment if you're just going to use it as a prop.

This also ages me a little because selfies weren't really a norm in the gyms yet when I was active... When cameras flip out the pygmalion effect comes to my mind and it usually kills the moment I'd found worthy commemorating. Also agree with don't hog equipment. One of the guilty immature pleasures I get is taking over after the young machos hogged the machine feeling strong and I turn all the weights to max to do a series (it's fun when you're in shape, it's stupid when you aren't).

I agree with that 100%. It also helps to be introverted. I wouldn't want to get caught staring at someone, particularly staring in the wrong place. I can barely bring myself to read the name tags cashiers and waitresses wear.

But #2 is the one that breaks my brain. After years of being taught not to stare, someone told me if she didn't want guys looking, she wouldn't dress the way she does. I just couldn't process that one. There doesn't seem to be any way to tell group A from group B, so I just shut up and mind my own business and follow the same rules that have served me well so many years.

Same here. For an analytic person Eric Berne's Games People Play is a super dated but eyeopening book. It's based on transactional analysis where the basic idea is people's interactions are driven by unspoken undercurrents that produce asymmetrical benefit to the participants. This "made you look" sort of thing is part of it. My general approach is to avoid people who rely too much on pathological transactions.

I think visually speaking being fit for a lot of people just comes down to being young and having good metabolism. Not a lot of hard work going on there and I feel pretty confident most people aren't scanning hard for muscle definition when they say somebody is fit. Of course, there are limits.

With that in mind, there probably isn't a better time in history to be a young male. Slim with some definition seems to be in now. The bulky muscular look is out.

But on another level, it's also a bad time to be a male as women (and possibly gay men) are finally done putting close to zero expectations on men's fitness for most of history. This isn't to say a higher level of fitness wasn't appreciated, but the majority of the male population could be out of shape and still be desirable. I think that is starting to change and now I think being out of shape is also being linked to other potential issues that go beyond just what they look like. But I'm also a straight middle aged male and there's a good chance I don't know WTF I'm talking about here.

Agree...male ideals have been changing and we hit the healthiest to date. I'm glad the 90s steroid pumped bodies are out of fashion. It was absolutely ridiculous and unhealthy then. One thing I noticed from my track-and-field days, that people who do actual sports and not only lifting have smaller looking but much more functional musculature. Then I noticed that the people with the largest muscle mass actually consumed like 4-5K calories a day and (like relentless power AFAIR) and essentially went into panic mode when they missed a protein shake. Now that's just useless bad musculature if you ask me. It also accelerates atherosclerosis...

Personally, it took me 2 years, but I developed a routine that allowed me to have to get my workout done in less than 30 minutes a day (5K, pushups, pullups situps). As you're saying, this even took me 2 years before I was 30 to make this routine virtually effortless and now it would take me much more effort to get in the same shape nearly a decade later. I can still have the same net output but the recovery times are just markedly longer. I can still do a 100-yard around 12 sec but my hip bones will hurt for 2 weeks. Kinda sad

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Agree...male ideals have been changing and we hit the healthiest to date. I'm glad the 90s steroid pumped bodies are out of fashion. It was absolutely ridiculous and unhealthy then. One thing I noticed from my track-and-field days, that people who do actual sports and not only lifting have smaller looking but much more functional musculature. Then I noticed that the people with the largest muscle mass actually consumed like 4-5K calories a day and (like relentless power AFAIR) and essentially went into power mode when they missed a protein shake. Now that's just useless bad musculature if you ask me. It also accelerates atherosclerosis...

Personally, it took me 2 years, but I developed a routine that allowed me to have to get my workout done in less than 30 minutes a day (5K, pushups, pullups situps). As you're saying, this even took me 2 years before I was 30 to make this routine virtually effortless and now it would take me much more effort to get in the same shape nearly a decade later. I can still have the same net output but the recovery times are just markedly longer. I can still do a 100-yard around 12 sec but my hip bones will hurt for 2 weeks. Kinda sad

My cousin and his friends were 20-something gym monkeys starting in the 80’s and they continue to be gym regulars into their 50’s, a little smaller now because of age but still mostly having that bulky build. One of them, built like a gorilla, tried to become a Navy Seal but they rejected him because he’s too big from all his years of weight lifting. There’s valid reasons for that rejection, but it seems kind of counter intuitive that somebody is too muscular to be an official government trained top tier badass. The movies mislead us!

I might try to reinvent myself via Apple Fitness...but we'll see.

 

[User.45]

My cousin and his friends were 20-something gym monkeys starting in the 80’s and they continue to be gym regulars into their 50’s, a little smaller now because of age but still mostly having that bulky build. One of them, built like a gorilla, tried to become a Navy Seal but they rejected him because he’s too big from all his years of weight lifting. There’s valid reasons for that rejection, but it seems kind of counter intuitive that somebody is too muscular to be an official government trained top tier badass. The movies mislead us!

I might try to reinvent myself via Apple Fitness...but we'll see.

Not at all crazy tho. Real athletes have efficient musculature, not just big. Just imagine he's deployed and his ration doesn't cover his 6K calorie need to maintain his bulk. Let's add to the extra and unnecessary strain on joints from the huge weight of muscle.

 

[User.45]

My cousin and his friends were 20-something gym monkeys starting in the 80’s and they continue to be gym regulars into their 50’s, a little smaller now because of age but still mostly having that bulky build. One of them, built like a gorilla, tried to become a Navy Seal but they rejected him because he’s too big from all his years of weight lifting. There’s valid reasons for that rejection, but it seems kind of counter intuitive that somebody is too muscular to be an official government trained top tier badass. The movies mislead us!

I might try to reinvent myself via Apple Fitness...but we'll see.

BTW, a super rich patient told me the secret to be as fit as a 20-year-old at retirement age: a personal trainer + recombinant human growth hormone.

 

[Alli]

And water is wet.

Don’t tell that to my husband. He will argue against it to his dying breath.

As far as the rest of this thread, I’d rather watch women than men any day. Our bodies are just nicer looking even when they’re not in good shape.

 

[User.45]

Don’t tell that to my husband. He will argue against it to his dying breath.

As far as the rest of this thread, I’d rather watch women than men any day. Our bodies are just nicer looking even when they’re not in good shape.

Even heterosexual females pay more attention to females when watching erotic content, but when I tried to dig up the eye tracking study, it really opened a weird can of worms. I'm both amused and shocked by some of these studies:

Google Scholar

scholar.google.com

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Not at all crazy tho. Real athletes have efficient musculature, not just big. Just imagine he's deployed and his ration doesn't cover his 6K calorie need to maintain his bulk. Let's add to the extra and unnecessary strain on joints from the huge weight of muscle.

Plus I wouldn’t imagine the bulk helps the stealth and motion factors.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

BTW, a super rich patient told me the secret to be as fit as a 20-year-old at retirement age: a personal trainer + recombinant human growth hormone.

Also the key to being super rich is to start out being impressively rich. Buy my book to find out more.

 

[thekev]

Maybe that's because I/we are extremely sexual, I just don't have any of that type of response from other women, like it's no big deal. Both the wife and I are super open, either of us might bring up the attractiveness of men and/or women, we flirt with our friends**, but we have such an intense relationship, we focus 100% of that energy towards each other.

** Hahaha, we have a couple we know, he's a little kissy, just sort of a flirty greeting peck, last time we saw them, same routine, a little peck on the wife's lips, so I said, well, me too, laid a wet one on him, then on this wife ...


We are __not__ usual.

 

[lizkat]

The covid minister of New Zealand was trying to make a pitch for physical fitness here, but his gaffe was totally hilarious...

‘Spread your legs’: New Zealand makes hay with Covid minister’s gaffe

Chris Hipkins delivered some light relief from Covid news with an x-rated health advice slip-up

www.theguardian.com

 

[Huntn]

What about "appreciating" the not particularly "physically fit"?

Fine and dandy, but I picked this as a topic because the results of staying in shape make those who apply themselves look like, how many of us used to look before the days of Fat America and reap the rewards of being physically fit,

 

[Huntn]

Perhaps.

But, as a woman, I must say that I get very tired of the male wired brain insisting on letting me know that women are "appreciated".

And - to be quite candid - I have come to see men insisting that their appreciation be voiced - why not keep it to yourselves - I have already remarked upon the fact that the gym is a public space that is dedicated to keeping fit, and work-outs, which is what almost all of the women who attend a gym wish to be able to do without receiving unwanted, unasked, and unsought, "attention", "appreciation", "condemnation" or "correction", courtesy of the privilege society has traditionally awarded the male gaze, historically and culturally.

"Appreciated" is a very short step - in the lived experience of many women - from judged, condemned, and criticised.

Okay: Let's put it another way.

If women were twice your size, twice your mass, with twice your strength, would you - or any of the males who are so enamoured of the privilege bestowed by the possession of the male gaze - be quite so willing to announce how happy you are (all this hardwired biological stuff, so blithely invoked) to indulge quite so proudly - and publicly - in it?

This is a conversation in a safe space forum about something that makes an impression on my male wired brain. I am very aware of my brain’s wiring. Should I apologize for it? As a rule I never voice this in person, realize it might not (most likely not, but maybe) appreciated, but I’d never chance it with someone I don’t know.

I also realize the sensitivity coming from a gender who generally speaking rightfully feels put upon by male wired brains.

 

[Hrafn]

I read a lot of weightlifting magazines back in the day. I was also going to the gym 3-4 times a week, and due to youth and lifestyle, got fairly "ripped" although not very large. It was not uncommon to hear guys say things like "dude, check out my glutes" in the gym.

Just an observation.

 

[User.45]

I read a lot of weightlifting magazines back in the day. I was also going to the gym 3-4 times a week, and due to youth and lifestyle, got fairly "ripped" although not very large. It was not uncommon to hear guys say things like "dude, check out my glutes" in the gym.

Just an observation.

 

[Hrafn]

View attachment 8343

“Oh, bench? Yeah I warm up with 135…”

 

[DT]

Fine and dandy, but I picked this as a topic because the results of staying in shape make those who apply themselves look like, how many of us used to look before the days of Fat America and reap the rewards of being physically fit,

Oh yeah, I always consider the effort, focus, etc., to getting exceptionally fit, I've had periods - er, I guess "back in the day" - where I was pretty shredded, especially when I was very actively practicing MAs. The ultra "visibly fit" is a hard place to stay, those single digit BFs are nearly impossible to maintain - I think there's a good, healthy fitness level that a pretty far distance from max ripped-ness

 

[Huntn]

Oh yeah, I always consider the effort, focus, etc., to getting exceptionally fit, I've had periods - er, I guess "back in the day" - where I was pretty shredded, especially when I was very actively practicing MAs. The ultra "visibly fit" is a hard place to stay, those single digit BFs are nearly impossible to maintain - I think there's a good, healthy fitness level that a pretty far distance from max ripped-ness

When I was young I was chubby, not fat/obese, but never did anything like exercise outside of normal chores which did burn some calories.

In high school, 11th grade, late starter, I have no idea why, but I went out for the football team and ended up playing defensive end. This is where I was introduced to running as an exercise. I hated running until… I loved it, got kinda buff, weighted 185lb (5’10”). And I learned of the feminine appeal towards football players. I even got invited to play football for a small college in Hershey, Pa, but no scholarship, so no thanks.

In college, University of Miami (1971) Coral Gables, Fl) too many evenings in the common room playing pinochle, and eating cheese and salami from my personal fridge and Dominos Pizzas, as in an entire pizza for myself. Moving towards tubby, I decided to hit the track, this is where I became dedicated runner. I was not doing anything astounding, running 5 miles, 3 times a week, and the weight just fell off me, dropped to 160 lb.

I thought I had hit the fountain of fitness. With this routine, I could virtually eat whatever I wanted. And empowered, I may have become a somewhat fitness snob, looking down on tubys as in, it’s not that hard.

This routine served me for about 25 years, but in my 40s, I started noting changes, dreaded weight gain as my routine no longer sufficed and my fitness started slipping away. Then I could no longer run (back issues), and unless you power walk, walking is ok, but not a substitute for running and a youthful metabolism. Then I could not walk as an exercise (back issues),

So now I swim, I spend more time at the gym and pool, than I ever did before, but IMO, while I am healthier, I have little to show for it (other than avoiding obesity), as compared to the good ole young days. Since I cut out breakfast and am making efforts to control over all calorie intake, I have dropped 5lb, but still weigh 218.

And damn it, I don’t eat that much during the day. No breakfast, I come home from working out and drink a liquid meal (200 calories) and have cut back on eating what I would consider a full meal at dinner, and nothing after 5pm. Something has to start happening. I’m starting to feel a little empty when working out and this is a good sign, because I think it means I am starting to burn through my fat reserves, and nothing like exercise to force the body to burn calories.

So when I’m at the gym and see these buff 20 something young men and female-buffed young women, I appreciate it. And because of my male wired brain, the women look simply amazing, slighter frame than men, but slim, toned, with great shapes, beautiful in a way men just can’t be, that I can’t help but notice and remember the good ole young days.