4 ms·
Peacock's impressive tail does not make it a much better flyer, or fighter, or whatever. The huge feathers only demonstrate that the bird can still function ade
by nine_k 2y ago
Peacock's impressive tail does not make it a much better flyer, or fighter, or whatever. The huge feathers only demonstrate that the bird can still function adequately even with this useless and expensive ornamentation.
The same way, a "highly athletic" / bodybuilder body demonstrates that a man can spend resources on building all these impressive-looking muscles and can strictly ration carbs. (I don't even try to mention what women have to do to look "like a model".)
So it's the same demonstrative behavior, only the results are harder to buy directly than a supercar or a yacht. It's about as practical: not completely useless, but the point is not in the utility but in the hard-to-achieve aesthetics.
Much like a real able flyer looks much less impressive than a peacock (look at a goose or a crow), a real high-achieving athlete looks much less impressive than an athlete for show. But looks sometimes play a critical role, e.g. for an actor, or during dating, so it's not irrational behavior.
- lukas099 2y agoI largely agree with you, but in general more muscle => stronger so bodybuilder muscles are not strictly ornamentation. In fact it’s not uncommon for bodybuilders to become powerlifters and vice versa. Also, an underappreciated role of muscle mass is as a giant store of emergency amino acids.
- hkpack 2y agoYou generally train for the sport you’re participating in. Stronger in the non-important (for the activity) parts of the body makes it harder to be stronger in the important parts. And also there are many ways to be strong, as in not all muscles are the same and also your neurological ability to control your muscles may also very widely . Also powerlifters have much less impressive bodies than bodybuilders, and without pump and proper lighting you will generally might not even recognize that a person is top powerlifter.
- lukas099 2y agoI agree that strength is specific, but my point is that ‘bodybuilder muscle’ is not strictly ornamental. Powerlifters have incredible muscle mass, they just aren’t picky about covering it with body fat because it doesn’t make sense for the sport. The main reason bodybuilders are weaker is that their caloric intake is much lesser (especially at meet prep when they sometimes are practically starving themselves to death).
- sn9 2y agoThat's true around competitions, but the main reason they aren't strong relative to powerlifters is because they don't train to express maximal strength. They could easily add a few top sets of higher intensity work with low reps and get much stronger.
- lukas099 2y agoIf you define strength as one-rep max, sure.
- nine_k 2y agoWell, yes. Practical use of muscles -> strong muscles -> looks good -> pumping-up of muscles just for the looks. But the muscles are still there, only excessive for the practical use. OTOH weightlifting is still an activity performed for show, not practical tasks requiring strength. Equally, a Lamborghini is still a pretty nice car, and a Tissot watch is still a precise mechanical watch. But it's not the point. By contrast, a police car does not look like a super-fast car, even though it's very fast. Equally, most Marines don't look like bodybuilders, even though their job requires exceptional athletic prowess.
- nradov 2y agoPolice cars aren't very fast. The days of building police cars with special engines are long past. Most US law enforcement agencies use regular Ford Explorer SUVs for patrol now. https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/hybrid-utility/ https://www.ford.com/police-vehicles/hybrid-utility/
- nine_k 2y agoFord Utility Interceptor: 400 hp, 150 mph. Not much slower than a showy Lamborghini Huracán at 160 mph, all while looking like a boring utility car.
- nradov 2y agoWhich is exactly the same engine that any consumer can buy in a regular Explorer ST available at their local Ford dealer. My uncle bought one to tow his boat. The police model is nothing special or particularly fast.
- d0mine 2y agoUnless you use steroids or won the genetic lottery, you won’t look much different in clothes compared to someone who never lifts weights. There are proven short-term, medium-term, and long-term benefits of resistance training for men and women, both young and old.
- nradov 2y agoRight so for maximum benefit you need to remove your clothes whenever possible.
- strix_varius 2y agoThis just isn't true. The difference in the same person is visible immediately in the face and neck, even if they're wearing a parka. And in most places it's absolutely evident under normal clothing.
- lukas099 2y agoAgreed, pretty much any man can dramatically increase their lean body mass from baseline with 3-6 hours per week of resistance training for 6 months if they haven’t already done so.
- d0mine 2y agoThere are many women who avoid resistance training because they are afraid becoming too "bulky" Thanks, in part to people like you. It is nonsense of cause.
- s1artibartfast 2y agoWhat point are you trying to make? That no amount of lifting and muscle mass is discernable through clothes? I can walk through my office and immediately pick out who lifts or has lifted.
- tsss 2y agoArguably, women have to do much less to "look like a model" since that only requires not eating too many calories (facial proportions and such can not be changed anyway, require no effort), 15-minute daily skin-care routine and waxing every now and then. A bodybuilder has to alternate between bulking and fasting, pay attention to nutrition and spend many hours a week doing hard exercise to build muscle. A hollywood actor like Chris Hemsworth will not drink for two days before a topless scene to achieve that muscle definition. An emergency doctor has to be on set because it's so dangerous. And don't tell me about cosmetics or hair care... a typical football star will go to the barber three times a week minimum and they aren't even in close-up shots.
- cadamsdotcom 2y agoThe word “Arguably” is doing quite some work there!