Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, works with a variety of people in order to build their strength and confidence. She’s noticed a couple of trends via the news and social media – it’s time to discuss celebrity and gym floor influences…
Social media has thrown a couple of similar topics at me at once lately. One is Paul Mescal, who’s been promoting the film, Gladiator 2, and the other is the ability of a 25-year old personal trainer to understand clients whose lifestyles differ from their own.
Mescal’s given a lot of interviews lately, and in our digital age, quotes get pulled out and distributed quickly via social media videos. One of the most widely viewed is about the physical training he underwent to prepare for the role. Some of this involved learning to ride a horse – his natural connection with the animals has been remarked upon – and some was gym training. The clip which has been seen by many is one where he mentions that he’s not sure that actors who claim to be doing lengthy workouts and eating huge numbers of calories per day are being truthful. He then continues to clarify that his workouts average at 45-minutes, and part of the reason he can maintain the physique he does with that style of training is because he has a sporty background; essentially, he acknowledges his advantage and privilege.
Whilst I’ve spoken before about celebrity workouts not necessarily being relevant or realistic for those of us among the rest of the population, and I’ve heard some celebrities comment on the realities of what they went through to achieve a certain look, this is the first time I’ve come across someone clarifying that they have an advantage beyond time and money.
Mescal’s brief comment alludes to his sporty background, age, and possibly genetics playing a part in him being able to make his body look the way it does. Which leads me on to the other character in our tale: the young personal trainer who doesn’t appreciate why a client can’t or won’t adopt a similar lifestyle to their own – committing to a heavy training load, and eating a specific diet, for just two factors.
A lot of young personal trainers forget that they themselves work in a place that allows them to train easily. That they possibly have little responsibility for others outside of their job, and nobody else impacting their food choices. Nor are they perhaps aware that they have an advantage over their clients simply by being a decade or more younger than them.
It’s very much time for us to take on board two key messages.
Firstly, all bodies are different, and all bodies will respond differently to training. There are many factors involved in this, and none of us knows the full story behind anyone else’s physique. I’m starting to wonder whether one of the classic female fears of “getting bulky” is perhaps due to seeing certain images. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to ask someone to show me an example of what “bulky” looks like to them, but I’m very curious to do so!
Secondly, it’s just not worth trying to obtain someone else’s physique. Because, without drastic surgery, it’s not doable, and even if you did go down the surgical route, the extent and permanence of the results would be questionable.
If you want to change the way your body looks and feels, the best thing to do is start where you are, and make steady, realistic changes. Remember that the process takes time, and some things it’s absolutely not possible to change are your age and genetics.
The next time you allow yourself to feel bad about your own body when witnessing someone else’s, remember that it’s not just about the work they might have put in, but also the fact that their life is possibly very different to yours – and that’s absolutely ok.