Why Getting Ripped Isn't Worth It

A Fitness Model Explains What It Really Takes To Get Ripped

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This post originally appeared on Quora. It is written by Andy Johns, who worked as a fitness model while in college.

I think the most important point to be made about "being ripped" is that there is no physiological process known as getting ripped. You often hear guys at the gym ask each other "What are you working on today?" Sometimes the response is "I'm focusing on biceps and triceps" if they are doing muscle group isolations. Sometimes they'll say they are "doing an all-cardio day." But how many times have you also heard someone respond "I'm just working on getting ripped. Trying to trim up a bit." In casual conversation that makes sense. Physiologically it has no foundation, though.

So I think it is first important to clarify that there are two physiological processes that you can actually induce when you work out. When you exercise you are either gaining muscle or losing fat. People who want to get ripped are basically asking for a combination of muscle-building exercises and fat-burning exercises.

If we defined "getting ripped" correctly as a process of building muscle and losing fat, then it becomes easier to point out the benefits of "getting ripped":

Benefits of muscle gain and/or fat loss:

1. weight control

The amount of muscle mass that a person has significantly impacts the amount of calories they burn while at rest. In other words, the more muscle you have, the more likely you are to not put on excess fat/weight since muscles consume a lot of calories while at rest.

2. Injury Prevention

As you get older, you generally lose more muscle mass and become more physically unstable. It's common for elderly people to fall down doing everyday tasks such as using the stairs, getting out of a chair or just stepping off of the curb. That's because of lacking muscle support that leads to less balance. It's not because grandma has been throwing back Screwdrivers all morning.

3. Strength

With more strength, you're more capable of performing any sort of sport/activity, such as going on a hike with your family and friends, spontaneously participating in sports, etc.

4. Disease Prevention

Strength training can also help lower the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, arthritis, and several other degenerative conditions.

5. Improved Self-Esteem

There's no denying the value of having better self-image and how it impacts your performance at work, personal relationships and overall happiness.

My experience getting "ripped"

While in college, I worked several random jobs to pay my way through school. I exercised a lot and figured I could become a fitness trainer since $20-$30/hr pay was great for a college kid and something I would enjoy doing. I took a few programs to get certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and was well on my way to training people.

I also realized that I could combine that knowledge with decent writing skills and try to become a paid contributor of feature articles to health and fitness websites and magazines. You could make $1,000-$2,000 on a feature article in most respected websites/magazines. That's a lot for a college kid! After about three months of writing for free, I eventually got paid on a per article basis. I began meeting more people in the fitness industry, which was pretty easy to do since I was in Los Angeles. I eventually met a guy who ran a successful group fitness program in several Crunch gyms in Southern California that focused on core strength. He invited me to be a fitness model in an abs infomercial he was putting together since I was in pretty decent shape and he knew I could use some money.

At first I denied it because I didn't want to look ridiculous and it seemed completely out of character. But $2,000 for one day of work? Hell, I was in! I had about two months of additional training time before the infomercial shoot date, so I decided to kick my training and diet into full gear. I ate only lean meats, eggs and vegetables four times a day. I exercised six days a week and often did double days. I would lift weights for an hour in the afternoon and then swim for 30 minutes after weight training. I dropped down to just under 6% body fat, and it looked awesome! However, I found myself getting weaker and weaker athletically speaking as my roadmap to getting ripped progressed. I was basically on a bodybuilder's diet, which was pretty much all protein and little-to-no carbohydrates. I found myself lifting less and less weight and being fatigued more quickly in the pool as my body fat dropped.

For more of what it's really like to be a fitness model, read on...