Getting Shredded – What’s The True Motivation?

Whether it’s driven by insecurity or vanity, gym culture has taken over many men’s lives to the increasingly homogeneous Hollywood male physique of defined abs, bulging traps and bowling ball shoulders. Perhaps it could simply be popular by trend or tantamount to a fashion craze.

I recently started working out myself. I bought a couple of dumbbells and more recently, a free-standing pull up bar. I’ve been taking creatine and eating more protein in my diet. I’ve noticed some improvement but if I walk a few paces back from the mirror, it’s pretty underwhelming.

Many men say they work out to look good. But for whom? Are women really attracted to hench men or just less attracted to skinny men. Some have claimed women are more attracted to muscle for one night stands over long term relationships. A man certainly stands out in a nightclub if he is bulky and more so if he is tall too. When we think back to nights out, it wasn’t the skinny guy getting all the girls.

Workout out in my view has become a respite for men trying to remain masculine while quietly rejecting those who say muscle doesn’t matter. It may be driven by insecurity sometimes but it’s widely accessible with tangible results.

Some people claim they do it to get stronger but in the modern world, there is very little need for strength. We have forklifts and pulleys for that. Some people say they’ve done it to prove to themselves they can but why gaining muscle? Vloggers expound how self-satisfied they are due to their physique, that they can achieve anything. But is it really all for you?

Personally I am not convinced either way, so I view it as an experiment. I will keep going until I am noticeably bigger. Then I’ll know if it was worth it.