What is more important to you - being strong or looking strong?

[coreygb]

I think a lot of people would say they'd rather be strong as kind of a reaction to people who look great but aren't stupid strong. Since I don't play sports, have a demanding job, compete, or have a desire to rip someone's head off, I think I'd rather just look strong. But of course both are ideal.

 

[DaBangEm]

Well I believe that if I work out for that beach body I should be big and thats what I prefer. It is awesome that I can lift lots of weight too. With that said I used to work for a Greek man who gave me a job as a personal trainer in HS. He looked overweight (slightly), was going bald, wore sports like goggles for glasses but that motherfucker was strong as an ox. Would I trade that strength for a nice beach body???Prolly not.

 

[C.K.]

I have nothing to prove I just wanna look good... girls rarely hit on me when i'm lifting weights compared to when i'm stretching or doing cardio and about 90% want a ripped lean guy over a gorilla juice head with no abs and honestly unless you do physical labour or play certain sports what good is being strong gonna do for you?

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Ya know I have to admit that I don't look my best right now.

I look like a stocky guy with abit of a gut. Not a beer gut, but like stocky construction dude. Girls don't hit on me.

Sometimes it get's me down, but then I realize I don't lift weights to look good for girls. I life weights to be big and strong. For my personal enjoyment and it's something I learned awhile ago.

I'm not saying all guys that are predominantly concerned with their physical proportions and bodyfat % don't like training for what it is, but if tomorrow every girl stopped giving a fuck what a guy looks like I can guarantee there would be ALOT less guys hitting the gym.


One last thing to consider is that while looking good does attract the opposite sex, if you're only repping 225 on bench or lucky to full squat 315 vs a typical beginning gym member that can rep anywhere from 95-155lbs on the bench first time then you are not that strong.

90% of the guys I see in the gym that look good are only moderately stronger than your untrained guy. Even less difference from a guy that does hard labor for a living. When I wasn't even lifting weights, but working construction I was demonstratably stronger than most gym dudes. Things like stacking 3-100lbs plates and picking them up to the chest.

When guys see me they assume I am strong. Then when I lift even more than they might have guessed it's like that is how it should be.

Who cares if you have a 6 pack and I have a small gut when I can superman your ass with ease or pick up a +300lbs rock easily?

Form is good, but without function it's just pure vanity imo.

 

[teenytinypecker]

Being strong. I am all about function. I want to be able to chase my son around the house and do things that most dads my age can't with their children. I like being able to utilize my strength. My size is just a byproduct of my strength training.

 

[moya]

funny, i have been doing this body transformation, dropping bf and gaining some muscle and getting stronger at the same time... im probably coming close to hitting a wall at how strong i will be at this bf%... but still, you can have both, not easy... but it is possible...
now, why do i prefer the strength? well, i find it very self satisfying to walk up to the big guy/ strong looking guy in the gym and smoke him on the squats or deads...
thats the alpha male in me i guess... i know there are guys out there a lot stronger than me, just trying to mark my territory lol...

 

[ExtraMile]

Once I dieted down and got leaner I suddenly realised how much better everything was once I was lifting to look good rather than just to squat/dead/bench more weight. I still care about strength now just not exclusively

 

[bblazer]

Don't get me wrong, and I sincerely am not trying to be a dick, but I just really don't understand these numbers and replies. I honestly am asking the question, why would you want to look strong and not be able to actually be strong? To me its like the squid that buys a BMW s1000rr or 'busa and can't do anything but ride it in a straight line.

Maybe its just my frame of reference. I train to be strong. I want to be the one people come to ask for help lifting or moving things. I want to be competitive with my strength. I don't want to be a showpiece.

Again, I really don't want to offend anyone and if I did I apologize.

B-

 

[teenytinypecker]

BBlazer, I think it's an evolution of sorts. When we are younger we all want to look good so we can get the girls. It hides our own unique insecurities for while. We want to be the biggest and best looking. When we start to age we learn more of what is important. We start to get aches, develop our relationships, our lives...our kids. We get a job we settle down in, usually not one (Such as my case) that makes training easy. We learned from our mistakes about training and about life...we just have time to make more mistakes. I realized why I chose powerlifing,...it wasn't to be the strongest, it was just to get away from the narcissism that I was obsessed with when I was young. I wanted to be productive and be able to apply function to all that useless hypertrophy that I had developed. Powerlifting was just the next evolution. Now as a man of 38, I am going to try my first strongman because to be honest, it is that curiosity of pushing my limits and displaying what I have worked hard to do.

I honestly just think it is an evolution of priorities to get to where we are both at.

 

[cuthroat]

so I couldn't lump myself into any of the results. I lift heavy, train for strength, and look good anyway so...fuck.