It's completely natural for us to look outside of ourselves for inspiration, ideas, and guidance beyond "just us". Throughout time, people have looked to others from strongmen to singers, film stars to fashion models to bodybuilders whether it's so we can mimic a look, style,
sound, physique or even hairstyle.
In the world of fitness there are endless sources of inspiration. The internet has given us access to a raft information on every different way you can exercise and train, add in the huge popularity of social media and we have access to fitness regimes from celebrities to athletes to every day people - like me and you. Somewhere in all this are the fitspo influencers - people who may share snippets of their exercise routines, photos of what they eat, as well as images of themselves in their gym gear looking happy, healthy and vibrant. That is all well and good. Fitspo, or Fitspiration, was started as an answer to the droves of images of dangerously thin women which were found to encourage eating disorders. Fitspo arrived to promote health, fitness and wellbeing as well as a healthy diet. However, even this positive message is going awry.
Where it goes wrong is when the posts go from offering a general window into the fitspo's world to dishing out advice to followers that has absolutely no scientific background.
For example, there are many fitspo posts I have seen recently that go from claims that it is possible to out-train a bad diet, to advising that you train like a person possessed for 7 days a week, from claiming that squats are not really good for your legs, or chastising those who can't dedicate as much time as they do to the gym, to a claim that women shouldn't lift heavy weight because they don't have man muscles!
For those who follow these people, it's very easy to take this rubbish as fact, and they will yearn to to be able to copy their "idol", feeling inadequate if they don't or can't put in as much "effort". It's discouraging to anyone who is contemplating going to the gym, especially women. It becomes an insurmountable commitment if we aren't performing like our fitspo, we aren't being good enough, whether that is dedicating as much time as they do or looking like them in a similar period of time. It is off-putting. Surely, we should be encouraging each other to take a step in the right direction to look after our health (particularly for women who may be thinking of taking up strength/powerlifting) as opposed to immediately putting them on their back foot because their favorite fitspo is berrating anyone who isn't doing exactly what they are or telling them that they shouldn't be doing man exercises!
Many fitspo is based on look with less emphasis on what can be achieved in terms of strength or training and I don't think many feel truly "inspired" by butt shots of a squat or a selfie. Very rarely do you get to see these people actually training, huffing and puffing or sweating.
So, this is where the fitspo advice becomes harmful. Followers want to believe what they are being told and will take these throwaway comments as a road they too should follow.
There is nothing wrong with publicising your journey on social media - whether you are having a baby, documenting your travels, or undertaking a form of training. Heck, even I post - but it's a reflection of my journey, my progression in training, my time with my family, not anyone elses. I think the important point is for anyone who is setting themselves up to be a fitspo to make sure that if they are going to make a claim, that it is accurate, particularly when it comes to health and fitness, that it has scientific backing.
Maybe it's time we stopped looking so far outwards for inspiration. Perhaps the inspiration needs to be found within ourselves and within those positive people around us who celebrate with us. On social media, follow people who are similar to ourselves, who are just sharing their journey - no more, no less. Not some random stranger who may look the part but actually has no idea of what they are talking about.
We are all very different, and what is a good fit for one isn't always the case for another. We need to learn to appreciate what our own bodies can achieve. The more we look out towards anyone and everyone who fits our idea of perfection, the further away we get from appreciating ourselves.
And here's a novel idea - how about we researched our training ourselves, learnt about what we should be doing from educated sources, instead of a complete stranger with no education in the field? Granted, this can be tricky as there is a lot of dodgy information out there, and unfortunately, commercial gyms are not in the business of providing scientific based advice and technique, but there are also great sources available, if you know where to look and who to ask. But internet, self-appointed 'experts', commercial gyms and the 'bro-science' communities are most definitely not it.
Perhaps try an independent gym or weight training club. It may seem like an off the wall step at first, and you will certainly get a different take on how to effectively train, but you will definitely receive an education and a focus that isn't about anyone else but you!
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