were you treated differently after gaining a lot of muscle?

[jy006m]

I have been scrawny my whole life, and it doesn't help that I'm also short. Before I started bulking up, I weighed a measley 120 lbs. People generally do not take me seriously, including girls.

Since we already have a thread for people to share their stories of going from being obese to being muscular and fit, I want to start a thread for people who had the opposite problem. So, how has your life changed after you've bulked up and become muscular?

[MC16]

As your body changes, so will people's perceptions of you.

People may come to respect you more if you carry yourself better with a more muscular physique.

You will begin to attract girls with interests in more fit guys.

its all exponential.

you said it brotha

[macrick]

I have been scrawny my whole life, and it doesn't help that I'm also short. Before I started bulking up, I weighed a measley 120 lbs. People generally do not take me seriously, including girls.

Since we already have a thread for people to share their stories of going from being obese to being muscular and fit, I want to start a thread for people who had the opposite problem. So, how has your life changed after you've bulked up and become muscular?

This is true to some point. I do get looks from women from time to time. However, in Singapore's context esp when it comes to Chinese women here. Generally, they are more keen on yr pockets then what U are packing.

As most Singapore women in general, are NOT gym OR exercise nut. Nor they express interest in fitness. Hence, the silmming centres business here are booming. Pls note that I'm NOT a sextist. I'm just presenting the truth.

[selffirst]

I think when you look and feel better......you show more confidence....that confidence is attractive to others....About being treated differently....I do get more attention since I have lost 45 pounds and I'm focusing on building mass....But I never forget the fact heavy,skinny, or ripped....I'm still a decent,friendly,respectful person.....Somethings never change.....Self

[hot_stuff007]

This is true to some point. I do get looks from women from time to time. However, in Singapore's context esp when it comes to Chinese women here. Generally, they are more keen on yr pockets then what U are packing.

As most Singapore women in general, are NOT gym OR exercise nut. Nor they express interest in fitness. Hence, the silmming centres business here are booming. Pls note that I'm NOT a sextist. I'm just presenting the truth.

u r right.. u'r statement represents most of south east asian gals.. ppl here r not too interested with fitness in general

[pound4pound30]

i was always a chubb kid now i always get compliments on how "jacked" i have gotten and from my family that they are proud of me for changing my life

[sykesy123]

i gained about 30 pounds from when i started
and people do seem to respect you more like when i was really skinny people would allways poke fun at me because i was seen as an easy target, but im definately going to make sure i dont turn into a bully

[Money Shot]

yes i used to be a pathetic skinny 130lbs biatch and people used to use me as an example of someone they could easily beat up. needless to say, that is no longer the case and my confidence has skyrocketed compared to then, when i didnt really have much (except when i played basketball)

[gottalift78]

yes.

You fit this "image" that people read about and see on TV. they are drawn to it for some reason. But I enjoy it, so you should as well.

If you think about it, you show off your hard work. There's no way around it, most people respect that.

[DeepnDirty8]

yes they treat you 100% differently, you get about 10x as many choosing signals from women, and much more respect from men. men don't challenge you at all if you are a big guy.

[bbeast]

Its very true and i think it is just an added prize for workin hard and getin bigger. I think people change their perspective and they might not admit it but they realize that u have put in so much effort and completely changed urself and done things that they probably cant do and they respect u for it. I say all people who push themselves to the limit should be recognized and its the best feelin me when u take ur shirt off and the beach and u start catching ppl lookin at u and u look at them and they look away quickly.

[mant001]

After training for a while I got alot more positive comments from people in general and people seemed to listen more to what you had to say on different subjects. On top of that I got a few people asking advice on getting into training which helps boost your ego as well as women checking you out when they think your not looking. Im far from big but putting on some size made a big difference.

[Saku39]

Yes. Both Men & Women treat you differently, both in positive ways

[microrahsheen]

I think the most important change is the mental one. Hitting the weights and changing your physique gives your more confidence in yourself and makes you feel better about things in general. People can sense that.

I've only put on maybe 10lbs of muscle and people treat me totally different. I've even had people tell me (jokingly) that they would no longer bother trying to fight me. They'd just shoot me. LOL. It's all about respect and confidence

[skitd103]

I think the most important change is the mental one. Hitting the weights and changing your physique gives your more confidence in yourself and makes you feel better about things in general. People can sense that.

I've only put on maybe 10lbs of muscle and people treat me totally different. I've even had people tell me (jokingly) that they would no longer bother trying to fight me. They'd just shoot me. LOL. It's all about respect and confidence

Exactly. When you're physique is great and consistently getting better, it makes you feel better about yourself and have way more confidence which directly affects all of your actions, whether you sense it or not. Other people can sense that confidence and in America it really attracts the females and earns you respect from the men. It doesn't matter how you look or if you're even the biggest person in the gym. It's close to the celebrity concept. There's a ton of ugly celebrities out there but they still get tons of women just for the fact that they stand out and have confidence (or "swag").

The fact is: Hitting the gym and living healthier is a upward linear (or even exponential) progress to your self esteem and overall quality of life.

[mr_miyagi]

i think being more muscled gives you confidence that other people seem to respect - since i bulked up i get a lot of respect from kids at my school

[turbotoast]

Part of it is confidence that grows with your size.

When you gain this confidence you carry yourself differently, and people notice it.

Part of it other guys being subliminally intimidated by it. Notice how there are more people being friendly to you?

Part of it is a showing of commitment to something that most people don't have the will to continue with to see results.

Women also have a natural instinct to be attracted to someone they feel can protect them better than the next guy.

There are many benefits to putting on size, but your biggets motivator should be you doing it for yourself and no one else becuase that way you always have to be your biggest motivator. It seems like the more weight I gain, and the stronger I get the more I find myself coaching myself in the gym. Basically telling myself I need one more rep all the time.

[LetsGoHeavy]

I've noticed a difference, especially from the females but people I knew before who wouldnt give me the time of day when I was really overweight seem an awfully lot more friendly now. I dont have much to do with them though - dont know if thats sort of bitter?

[Dr_Drummer]

Female attention has skyrocketed! It's awesome and my guy mates who are into fitness are really keen to start asking me how I'm going about my training. It's really cool. Respect really increases and if you stay a respectful person also people appreciate you even more.

However, has anyone noticed that some of your friends true colours become exposed. I have one 'friend' who has started to become more hostile towards me and trying to putdown everything I say especially in the last month. I can't help it's an insecurity/jealousy issue...any thoughts?

[MayBach]

bump... this thread motivated me

[noisewater]

I think the most important change is the mental one. Hitting the weights and changing your physique gives your more confidence in yourself and makes you feel better about things in general. People can sense that.

I've only put on maybe 10lbs of muscle and people treat me totally different. I've even had people tell me (jokingly) that they would no longer bother trying to fight me. They'd just shoot me. LOL. It's all about respect and confidence

Exactly. When you're physique is great and consistently getting better, it makes you feel better about yourself and have way more confidence which directly affects all of your actions, whether you sense it or not. Other people can sense that confidence and in America it really attracts the females and earns you respect from the men. It doesn't matter how you look or if you're even the biggest person in the gym. It's close to the celebrity concept. There's a ton of ugly celebrities out there but they still get tons of women just for the fact that they stand out and have confidence (or "swag").

The fact is: Hitting the gym and living healthier is a upward linear (or even exponential) progress to your self esteem and overall quality of life.

Very well said. It's true. It's not so much that people treat you differently because you put on muscle, they start treating you differently because you treat yourself differently.

The way you view yourself carries over into every aspect of your life because you try to stay consistent with your image. If you look at yourself as a skinny guy, the way you think and act will reflect that because you hold a set of beliefs about how a skinny guy should act and be treated by others. And as long as you play the part, people will respond accordingly.

But when you begin changing your body, the way you view yourself as a person changes accordingly. For example, if you start packing on muscle, you will begin identifying yourself as someone with more self confidence who deserves more respect, and this will completely change the way you interact with others. You may not even be aware of it yourself, but they will either consciously or subconsciously pick up on it, and it will change the way they treat you.

Have you ever seen the fat, ugly guy with the hot girlfriend and wondered how the hell he pulled it off? It's because in his mind he's the **** and she picked up on that lol. Somehow he didn't let his body image affect his self image and it worked like magic for him.

[b.spencer]

I have definitely been treated differently, but unlike some of you, not all of it has been positive. Don't get me wrong -- I have a huge amount of self confidence compared to before. I actually get attention from females and males now, and that never happened before. I walk into certain stores and staff almost fall over themselves to help me out.

On the other hand, now that I look the way I do, and that bodybuilding and fitness is such a part of my life, a lot of people take me as the "dumb jock." I have been in job interviews where assumptions because of my body have made prospective employers not take me seriously. One actually told me she thought she had the wrong file when she came out of her office. How can someone who looks "like they are in the gym all the time" actually be intelligent, articulate, and an effective verbal communicator. I was never given kudos when I was fat because I "speak intelligently." I remember when interviewing for my school for my PhD, one interviewing professor asking me if I had the background to handle science and mathematics. When I told him I had a minor in mathematics and had taught calculus, you could almost see the words, "You're lying" forming on his tongue. When I went on and said that calculus-based bio-mechanical analysis was nothing that some differential equations could not handle (and speaking in mathematical terms about motion analysis) it looked liked I had hit him in the face with a tuna. I got the spot in the department, BTW, and my advising profs love it that I can do their statistics for them, lol.

It's just sad really that there is the perception that you cannot have a strong brain AND a strong body among so many people out there.

[dangsayz]

As your body changes, so will people's perceptions of you.

People may come to respect you more if you carry yourself better with a more muscular physique.

You will begin to attract girls with interests in more fit guys.

its all exponential.

^^ couldn't have worded that any better

[Vipps]

oh for sure this is true. just work hard and you will personally see changes.

[MayBach]

bumppp.. i like to read this thread from time to time it gives me a boost in motivation

[flex321]

I use to be 5'10 160lbs right before the summer time. During that time i never made an all star team from baseball(pretty sure it was because of my size)...

Anyways i went from 5'10 160lbs to 5'10 185lbs. And people do take me serious now. No one in my school will ever fight me, and i have heard, pretty well everyone in my grade talk about how big i have gotten. Basically it has given me a **** laod more of confidence, and it also means that i don't take **** from people, who are dicks or stuff like that. I guess people respect me more, and i love it.

[pkahnman]

My friends think im crazy and make fun of me for being into this lifeststyle

Makes me motivated evn more lol

[Ruffryderzz]

I have definitely been treated differently, but unlike some of you, not all of it has been positive. Don't get me wrong -- I have a huge amount of self confidence compared to before. I actually get attention from females and males now, and that never happened before. I walk into certain stores and staff almost fall over themselves to help me out.

On the other hand, now that I look the way I do, and that bodybuilding and fitness is such a part of my life, a lot of people take me as the "dumb jock." I have been in job interviews where assumptions because of my body have made prospective employers not take me seriously. One actually told me she thought she had the wrong file when she came out of her office. How can someone who looks "like they are in the gym all the time" actually be intelligent, articulate, and an effective verbal communicator. I was never given kudos when I was fat because I "speak intelligently." I remember when interviewing for my school for my PhD, one interviewing professor asking me if I had the background to handle science and mathematics. When I told him I had a minor in mathematics and had taught calculus, you could almost see the words, "You're lying" forming on his tongue. When I went on and said that calculus-based bio-mechanical analysis was nothing that some differential equations could not handle (and speaking in mathematical terms about motion analysis) it looked liked I had hit him in the face with a tuna. I got the spot in the department, BTW, and my advising profs love it that I can do their statistics for them, lol.

It's just sad really that there is the perception that you cannot have a strong brain AND a strong body among so many people out there.

I know this is late, but b.spencer summed it up perfectly.

There is a stereotype that being muscular requires so much effort, attention and determination that people assume that you can never accomplish any other feat in life.

I am 5'8 and have been bodybuilding for the last 5 years (I admit, I haven't nailed the diet to a tee but I've went from 55 kgs to 70 kgs with a current body fat of 14%. I am currently training in neurosurgery but have also managed to do some academic degrees from leading universities (let's just say top 20 ranked university worldwide). People, especially on interviews are quiet surprised that I'm buff and a surgeon, but when the academic degrees, researches, etc come to light, the expression on their faces are priceless. I yet refuse to back down and am on track to accomplish another higher degree (MSc in Advanced Neuroimaging) after which I'll probably finish my EdD in Medical Education. So I expect that these expressions will continue coming.

On another note, confidence levels really do sky rocket, posture automatically get's fixed and attraction from women also increase. People seems to respect you more and it appears that no one tries to mess with you. Plus your designated the alpha by default. All in all, bodybuilding has got to be one of the most rewarding lifestyle changes one can commit to.

Stay calm and keep being awesome everyone

[1388joe]

bumppp.. i like to read this thread from time to time it gives me a boost in motivation

I figured that I'd respond to the recent interest in this thread.

I've always been skinny. I grew up poor and was severely malnourished as an infant and young child. This week I turn 42 years old. When I was 30 I ruptured a disc in my low back which prevented me from getting out of bed and walking. 1 Year after the injury I weighed exactly 115 lbs. For a guy who's 6'2 that's pretty frail. One evening it began weighing heavily on my mind. Feeling like an 85 year old lady could whoop my a$$ I hobbled myself into my local LA Fitness. I began a long journey. Within 2 years I worked my way up to a healthier 180 lbs. Up till then I had never weighed more than 150. I pushed and pushed and pushed almost every day for years. The gym became my sanctuary.

I was much more confident, I had a better look to me, my posture was much more stable and erect. (<-- haha) I was surprised at how well my chest took form. I've always been very boney so this was a new experience for me. Now that we have a little context for where I've been I can describe how I was perceived by those around me.

Women definitely began looking at me with lustful eyes, at least much more so than ever before. Being new to this type of attention it went to my head a little. I played it to my advantage and became quite the player for a few years. Random women would come flirt with me at the most odd times and places. Again, being new to this, I absolutely loved it!

So what kept me motivated once I hit my target weight and body build? I would schedule trips every 2 to 3 month where I knew that I'd be wearing my board shorts.... lake trips, the beach, cruises, BBQ pool parties in the summer months.... I found that I was addicted to the attention. To be honest, it's what kept me intensely engaged while at the gym. My top motivating factor was to look good for the next event. Today I have a beautiful woman in my life. While I love her and the security of being together I sure do miss the motivation of knowing that I could pull women 10 to 20 years younger than me. I still have the ability, but not allowed to lol. Now I'm looking for a new motivation to appease my shallow mind lol. :-/

[G245]

I'm a female and decided I wanted muscle 3+ years ago. I signed up at my gym to feel better after a break up but I got addicted to feeling stronger so I kept going back. People usually get surprised when I wear a tank/shorts and they notice my muscles. Proabably because I have a tiny frame and don't look like someone who can lift. People comment on how strong I am. My friends say I can probably crush someone's head with my thighs lol. I do notice quite a few people watching me work out, especially guys. Feels nice but I don't care either way. I don't bother wearing makeup to the gym.