Samm Bate wrote:
I was just wondering from a Photographer/female model/mua and Hair stylist point of view which they prefer to work with, Built or Skinny males. I am a Skinny Male Model, and don't get as much work, was wondering if i should try and muscle up a bit?

Samm x

bulking up, male and female, is an absurd endeavor by cows. bigger is better. that's stupid. and very american. however....lean, mean, fighting machines: that's what i think not only looks good, but also operates well. like bruce lee. just forget about the part where he overdid things and gave himself an embolism. wiry, strong, fast. that's what i wish a whole lot more models would work towards. like hard core dancers and gymnasts. unfortunately they don't because the public wants soft and pretty, as do they.

Adam J Caldwell wrote:
I'd much rather work with you than some bulked up beefcake looking guy who just loves his body far more than anything else in the world....including his mother.

I don't think ill ever really understand that kind of look. Some muscles is fine, but it can be pushed wayyyy to far.

Yeah, not a beefcake fan.  For one, it's not healthy.  All those creatine and nitro compounds might make you bigger, but if your body can potentially lose 40+ pounds of mass in a single year after you quit lifting, that's probably a sign that you're not supposed to be that big.

I used to be a hard-core gym rat, and a couple years ago I decided I wanted to get a graduate degree, but I couldn't afford to quit working while I did it.  So over the last three years, I essentially haven't been to the gym.  I've lost some muscle mass since then, and gained some fat - I'm about one pant size larger, and I'm at a 40 jacket, where before I was right on the fence between 40 and 42.

But that's really not that bad, considering I've had three years off.  I mean I feel like a lazy, chubby, gross person, but I could be a hell of a lot worse.

A lot of people suggested going for 'lean and mean', and that's the healthiest thing anyone can do, never mind what looks best.  Do a protein shake or two if you want, but ignore the rest of the crap.  It's almost all bad for you, or unnecessary - and this is from a guy that tried a good amount of it.  Eating lots of spicy food will raise your metabolism, and if you're not vegan, drink lots of milk and eat lots of chicken.  And don't forget your veggies or your vitamins, just like your momma' said.

If you do hit the gym, make sure to do what I call 'real world' exercises.  Pull-ups, situps, squats, deadlifts and the 'clean and jerk', where you take a barbell from the floor, and lift it over your head, like you see on the Olympics.  Most of those exercises work muscles you use every day, so you'll be stronger all day long, for everything you do.  It's not important you use a lot of weight - just that you're doing it, and you're exerting yourself.  If it's easy, use more weight.  If it's hard, then keep the weight wherever it is.

Also, if you do the clean and jerk, buy a weight-lifting belt.  Just trust me on that one

That will make you bigger, leaner, and stronger .... but not silly-looking.  Most of the beefcake-looking guys are doing stuff like bicep curls and bench-presses, and those exercises really aren't useful in everyday life.  They make you look jacked, but you would be really surprised how rarely you use your biceps every day - which is why those guys shrink when they stop working out.

If you don't want to go to the gym, just look for ways to get exercise in everyday life.  If you have to carry something heavy to a third floor office for instance, take the stairs, and take every other step, so you dip down low.  You've just done your squats for today.  Washing and waxing your car?  Do it all by hand, and you just got a good shoulder workout.  Mowing the lawn?  Try buying a manual, non-motorized mower - that will work out almost every muscle you have.

There are a lot of ways that you can become more fit, without actually going to the gym.  And if you do go the the gym, that doesn't mean that you need to look like Arnold.

Story goes, Hugh Jackman worked his way up to benching 350 for the X-Men movies ... and if I had to pick a "physically perfect man", if would probably be him.  I think Bruce Lee did something like 280 ...  That's an incredible amount for a skinny guy - and probably as much as those goofs from The Jersey Shore.  So being strong and healthy doesn't have to mean looking like a weightlifter.

I always give really long answers on those topics ... can you tell I miss working out?