Obsession with cuts amongst younger lifters.

[Tennessee Mike]

I felt the need to bring this up.As I approach 35 yrs old,I tend to look back to when I was 16 and got really serious about training.Being big and strong was something I wanted from a very early age.I use to watch proffessional wrestling and think guys like Ivan Putski,Don Muraco,and Jimmy Snuka were the biggest guys in the world.When I started playing High School football,all I wanted to do was get bigger and stronger so I would be a better LB.Even when I started competing in bodybuilding,I loved everything about it but contest prep and dieting.Finally as a powerlifter I feel at home in my skin.Big and strong.

What I dont get is the obsession young guys have with cuts,abdominal detail,or just low bodyfat in general.When your old is when you should worry about bodyfat and cholesterol,blood pressure.Not at 18 yrs old.So many guys are afraid to bulk up if it means getting a belly.Why?Are you in the gym 4-5 days a week to impress chicks?Every year as a trainer,I have a few kids who wants to put on size for football(I live in TN,where high school football is as serious as collge in some areas) ,but yet the first thing he says is"I want a six pack".I truly blame magazines like Flex,Mens Health,Muscle and Fitness,and television for this.Its the same with women,I know.But for a young guy who has levels of natural testosterone I wish I still had to not eat enough food for growth,or to do massive amounts of running to stay lean while trying to bulk,is rediculous to me.We are men.We are supposed to be big.

And Im not directing this to certain types of athletes that require one to stay in a certain bodyfat range.Im talking about your average kid who claims he wants to "be huge".Whats the deal?

[Fuzzy]

I spent a happy few months very close to 240 pounds. Count me as one of the rare exceptions.

Most of it has to do with girls, alot of girls at younger ages are barely sticks themselves, and like wise they like skinny pretty boys, as they got older and suddenly they get more meat on their hips, they tend to appreciate a fellah with a bit more size.

I was always lucky that I look much much older than I am, plus, I prefer little Italian/greek girls who are more likely to get some more weight around their hips much earlier and as such want a boyfriend that is bigger than them, not lighter.

Regardless, it is not somethin you can do anything about and is really a social trend. I take pride in the fact that Im the kid at prom in a classic clean cut suit who let's his carraige and pride show through his posture than some emo punk smaller than my leg in a multicoloured suit.

I can answer more questions or go into more depth id you want, Im smack bang in the age bracket you are talking about.

[Tennessee Mike]

Ive always found that the girls woth getting like Bigger guys.But then again,I like my women a little more curvy.The one thing Im thankful for Is that I missed the Emo trend.Me and my Metal friends would have been cracking skulls if we were subjected to that kind of gayness.

[Fuzzy]

Ive always found that the girls woth getting like Bigger guys.But then again,I like my women a little more curvy.The one thing Im thankful for Is that I missed the Emo trend.Me and my Metal friends would have been cracking skulls if we were subjected to that kind of gayness.

If only I had friends like you now.

Another good example are teenagers and cars, many are willing to go to extremes to get a car to impress girls.

For ****s sake the only thing I want any girl looking at is me when I step out of the car!

[Isaac Wilkins]

Mike,

As a performance coach I definitely agree. I see it all of the time with my football kids and I see it in the gym.

Fuzzy's right, it's the girls. I remember mentoring a bunch of high school guys (not in weightlifting, it was a social work-type program) in a residential setting. They were all about getting the cuts to get the girls. I used to tell them: "Guys, the girls that you like are all about those cuts. The women that I date like their men big, strong, and able to lay it down". They all used to laugh, but they also used to give me a high five and say "damn!" when they saw my dates.

[smokinHawk]

i remember when this chikc i was dating insulated me my junior or senior year, she called me skinny, should have back handed her as i thought i was built back then.
then another chick said i was the biggest little guy she has ever seen, i was like whattheheck does that mean?
another chick disliked my "big" 15.5 arms and wanted me to ware shirts with long sleeves when we went out.
but most chicks like skinny cut guys in highschool
my wife now hates my round butt and doesnt want me to get more muscular, though she says i can get fatter.

[ct67_72]

isnt it crazy how that works out. I was one of the larger kids in school, not horribly fat but I had a gut whle most were pretty skinny, or really big. all the girls liked the skinny kids. the only respect I got was going over my friends house and having him show off my arms to his father lol, I think I was 15 and at about 16.5". now my girlfriend (who has hips but is very small, ) tries feeding me brownies every chance she gets.

[McLaughlin]

I wanted a 6 pack for a long time just for my own sake, because I never liked the idea of 'having a belly'.

But once I started coming here and learning more.... belly doesn't matter if it makes me stronger (or if not belly, lack of "abs" definition in that area)

I love this stuff, only downside I see is that I can't do it every day.

[bill]

I think most of is appearance, most of the college guys at my gym are more into aesthetics. We watched Fools gold and my wife is like why can't you look like him, he is built, but I have no desire to be that "small" I guess? Abs are cool but most people have to stay fairly small to keep abs, naturally anyway.

[RazorsEdge]

I think most of is appearance, most of the college guys at my gym are more into aesthetics. We watched Fools gold and my wife is like why can't you look like him, he is built, but I have no desire to be that "small" I guess? Abs are cool but most people have to stay fairly small to keep abs, naturally anyway.

funny my girl told me the same thing while watching that movie the other night.

[bill]

Razor Well I told the wife, it's win win, you keep looking him and I will keep watching Kate Hudson!

[smokinHawk]

kate is to skinny

[bill]

kate is to skinny

I disagree

[manowar669]

Gay men like skinny guys with 6 packs. That's all I'm saying.
I'm 39, my fiancee (she's 31) says she likes my shoulders traps and arms, and bigger calves. I think I look best at 12-15% bf. Feel better too. I'll probably never diet down to sub 10% again. There's a bunch of gay men in my neighborhood, I have to watch out for myself.

[smokinHawk]

I disagree

well if you like flat boards, then more power to ya.
not to say i wouldnt like to use her as a board press at all.

[Tennessee Mike]

I think we've gone off topic..horny bastards.

[Progress]

I can understand your gripe about guys who want to get cut up and have defined abs without much
size. That’s always annoyed me. What’s more is when a girl says something along the lines of “he
looks like he’s in good shape” while referring to someone that looks like Scott Weiland with his shirt
off. Just because he has no body fat and defined abs doesn’t mean it’s attractive. Get him up close
and you’ll understand.

However, what I did want to address is that I’m an adherer of getting big and staying lean. I’m not
focused on have full definition in my abs. But I want to grow in size and not get a gut. I’m not
impressed by guys with massive chests if their belly is competing for which can be further away from
the body.

On a sidebar I wanted to comment on the whole girls thing. When I was in high school I was small
and skinny. I remember dancing at a formal with a girl and she commented at how small my waist
was since she was touching it. It’s things like that that encouraged me to get bigger.

[IvanDrago]

I'm not old at all, but I remember the action heroes of my day being guys like Arnold. Now, Topher freakin' Grace plays Eddie Brock and Tobey McGuire is spiderman. Seriously, hollywood could not have emo-fied the spiderman series more.

Once I remember our ATC at school saying that Brad Pitt was so "ripped" in fight club. Even said he was "huge". He might have been 175lbs. This is where the kids get it. The fat-phobia of women has somehow migrated into male culture. Even in 300, they doctored up the abs for appearance. I know rangy guys are more accurate for the hoplite, but that's a step far. TC's article, Blue Lizard, is an interesting look at this sort of thing, testosterone culture and all.

The funny thing is, as mentioned, the kids are all obsessed with this mtv-driven crap for looks. If they really want a chicks attention (how about some confidence or pride from working hard with heavy weights instead?), get some back and shoulders. She ain't going to know what your abs look like anyway unless, well, she liked everything else first. The irony is that usually the guys that have the most impressive physiques are the ones that don't care about what their abs look like in different lighting.

emo sucks. I listen to Killswitch Engage, lift heavy weights, and eat cholesterol laden foods. Despite how "bad" this is supposed to be, my health and appearance pretty much trumps everybody that goes to the gym and curls away in the squat rack and finishes up with a $10 starbucks drink.

[TKisner]

Everything that is wrong in the world is embodied in the emo culture. If it was legal to beat a guy for being a raging emosexual I would have bloody knuckles every day.

[HP666]

Emo, like Goth, but for pussies.

[HP666]

[HP666]

[BFGUITAR]

My roommate only obsesses about arms chest and abs. He just want them so he can pick up girls.

My other roommate sees my way now. He still wants to look good but he understands he needs to work out his entire body, be proportionate and lift heavy weights. A lot of this is lack of knowledge and obsession with media.

[Tennessee Mike]

I use to compete at 6% bodyfat.I looked great and felt like ****.All the hard work I did ti get big and strong was wasted by diet.The last 4 weeks before a show,I was so ****in weak.For what?To stand in front of people in a pair of speedos and be judged?What the hell does that have to do with being a man?Its all about your goals.Im 16% bf right now and am 4 pants size bigger than before.But I feel good,look decent and am strong as hell for a Raw powerlifter of my size.I say **** or get off the pot.You wanna be big or cut?

[cphafner]

This comes up all the time. I don't understand why people care what other's goals are. I like being lean. Different strokes for different folks. I don't know why the powerlifters have to constantly bring up this debate. Maybe I come from a different perspective because I've always been lean. This prevailing notion that has infiltrated the site recently that only big is good drives me nuts.