If your TikTok FYP is anything like mine, more than half of the videos that show up are gym-related. It is so so easy to get sucked in by GymTok, but as most things online, its information should be taken with a grain of salt—and here’s why.
The “ideal” body that you see online is probably not real
Now what I’m not saying is that no one has a perfect or good-looking body. What I am saying is that the percentage is very small compared to the average person. Even the ones we see online who seem to have this ideal body type could either be taking advantage of the right angles to portray themselves in a more favorable manner or just edit their content to deceive their viewers. Remember, we are all human, so our bodies will behave as such. All of the stretch marks, stomach bloating, and body fat we have is all normal. So please don’t beat yourself up if it feels like you don’t look like your favorite fitness influencer.
you don’t have to do every single workout you see
If you scroll through GymTok for about five minutes, you will quickly see the immense number of workouts that people do for different body parts. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do all of them. In fact, some of the exercises you may want to add to your routine could hinder your goals. For example, if one of your fitness goals was to make your arms appear slimmer, then why in the world are you doing bicep curls with heavy weights? That will stimulate more muscle growth, making your arms appear bigger than you want them to be. This isn’t a bad thing, but if we’re looking at what your goals are, the exercises that you do should reflect that.
the gym process isn’t linear, nor a “quick fix”
How to get abs in one week. How to lose all your belly fat in two weeks. How to grow a dump truck in one month. These video titles may be eye-catching and appealing at first glance, but the reality is that the gym process is exactly what it sounds like—a process. It’s not a straight-forward path that social media has made it out to be, nor is it a quick solution to your body physique goal. It can take months, even years, for you to gain the amount of muscle that will create a noticeable difference. And that’s just reality.
So really, don’t be too hard on yourself when you compare your gym journey to those creators on GymTok. I promise you this—not everything you see is what it appears to be.