I like to base my workouts on science and tried and tested methods. I also like to not injure myself and every now and then I will see a short or an Instagram post about this 'new and exciting way" of doing something.
While this is all fine and I do enjoy trying new things it seems like there is a constant battle for everyone to have new material and new reasons to post so everyone is just contradicting one another.
I see many posts talking about the benefits of zone 2-3 cardio and then a bit later I'll see a similar video that talks about how that sort of training is a waste of time: Both groups claim to have scientific research that backs up what they are talking about.
I have come to the conclusion that these people are making money by the amount of posts that they make and if they didn't have something interesting or even controversial to talk about they wouldn't have anything to post about and therefore they are always coming up with something that "everyone is doing wrong."
Take bicep exercises for example: This is very common with men but it seems like every time I turn on IG there is some obviously roided out person standing there telling me that the exercises that I have used my entire life and subsequently gotten actual results from, are WRONG and a waste of time.
I'm willing to try out new things but how are you going to tell me that something that works for me isn't correct?
I also have no notion of ever looking like a lot of these men do because they are definitely lying about how they got to that form. Since these guys, outside of a few of them like that South African dude Noel Dryzel, are lying about the PED usage I don't think we can really take a lot of what they are saying seriously anyway.
Noel admits to having a steroid and other PED cycles and never claims to me natural. He also reminds us regularly that he will never discuss what his cycle is and discourages people from doing PED's. I don't really know what to make of this because is this a "do as I say not as I do" sort of thing. I dunno, but I guess I kind of admire the guy because he is being honest, unlike a lot of other jokers our there that are clearly juiced to the gills and trying to lie to us about how they are natural.
I personally know a reasonably big fitness influencer who has something like 200,000 followers on something or other, and I will not reveal who they are because I don't want to damage them but they informed me of something that I think is pretty obvious when we are talking about the extremely competitive world of becoming an influencer of any sort.
everyone is lying
I was told that it is pretty well-known in those YouTube, Ticktock and whatever else there is out there that almost none of these people actually use the programs or supplements that they claim to be using. The one main thing that they are using though is steroids. But for legal reasons and because they have to maintain their super shredded form else they lose subs, they have to lie and say that some sort of mix of amino acids and the right amount of eggs and salmon with a bit of light exercise is somehow going to make you look shredded AF.
I don't think very many people are dumb enough to believe this.
I have know about a half dozen people in my life that were properly mutant-looking shredded and ALL OF THEM admitted to using steroids.
So anytime I see some really buff dude telling me that if I just adjust how I am doing my bicep curls that I can really make my arms "pop", I immediately presume that they are full of shit.
I sometimes enjoy perusing the various shorts about some sort of lifting procedure but at the end of the day I think that if something is working for you, then it can't be wrong. I've seen several people kind of ruin their lives pursuing perfection when honestly, it's kind of a game you can't really win unless you cheat and roid up like all the people with popular channels are, but most will never admit to.
I think if you want to learn how to do a certain exercise then look for that. Someone will show you the correct form in a video, there's likely hundreds of videos about any imaginable exercise.
For me though, I get really tired of being told constantly that I am doing it wrong, regardless of what I am doing. I think we can all agree that exercise is important and if you are doing some of it, maybe just strive to do a bit more of it rather than trying to emulate someone online that is clearly lying about how they got to where they are.