I love this ad! I bet Death is a smoker.
Everything I learned about fitness models I learned from a stripper. Well, an ex-stripper. She was at the book-signing table next to me at local event a while back and because neither of us were selling any books (book signing = sitting and trying not to cry into the water you had to buy for $5), we ended up chatting most of the night. First, I learned a lot about the stripping business as she was selling a book about how to apply stripping principles to the business world (they have more in common than you’d think). My favorite story, included in her chapter on real estate: she used to tell her customers she had three kids and that that night she’d had to feed them “ketchup soup” because “mommy has no money.” She never had children. And she made a crap ton of money.
But as soon as she heard that I write for Shape and do workout slideshows for Shape.com, she was on a one-woman mission. Despite me telling her repeatedly that I have zero input on casting models for the magazine (ZERO MINUS), she kept trying to convince me to get her friend, an aspiring fitness model, in the magazine.
“She’s got the best body I’ve ever seen!” she gushed – an accolade I took seriously considering how many female bodies she’d likely seen over the years.
“What kind of workouts does she do?” I asked out of curiosity. (For the record, I also asked her what kind of workouts she did (answer: nothing) and if stripping was a good workout (answer: pole, yes. Lap dancing, not so much.))
“Oh she can do whatever you want her to! She’s amazing!”
I considered repeating for the tenth time that I couldn’t help her friend but instead asked, “No, I mean what kind of training does she do to stay in such great shape?”
“Oh, not much actually. She runs sometimes. I kind of hate her.” This, coming from a woman so gorgeous that when she said she was in her 40’s I demanded to see her ID as I would have guessed she was 25. I kind of hated the both of them. “She was pretty much born that gorgeous.”
And there it was. The answer to one of the perennial fitness questions: Does your training determine your body shape or does your body shape determine your training? Also known as, “Will I get a ‘dancer’s body’ by dancing?”
This conversation was brought back to mind as I was reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women
He writes, “Let’s say you accept the impossibility of developing a celebrity’s proportions without being a clone of that celebrity. Chances are, you still believe you can achieve a ‘type’ of physique if you train like people who have that type.
“Magazines feed this notion, rarely stated in so many words, by showing tall, lean models doing workouts that promise readers a long, lean physique. Of course this makes perfect sense from the magazine’s point of view. They aren’t going to sell many copies if they show short, chunky women in their workout features. But you have to understand that the models doing the workouts are just that. They were cast by photo editors specifically because they already have what the feature promises. If the exercises in the feature are unique, you can bet the model is doing them for the first time. She had that body when she walked in the door of the studio, and she’ll still have it when she walks out. That’s why she’s a model.
“An obvious point? Okay. But raise your hand if you believe that running will make you look like a runner. If your hand isn’t in the air you’re probably not being honest.” (Emphasis mine.)
I was nodding in agreement the whole time I read it. And I still raised my hand at the end. It’s hard to look at those whippet-thin women who run marathons professionally and not think that it was the running that gave them that body rather than thinking it’s more likely they naturally excel at running because they are built like a whippet. I’m not saying they don’t work hard to be that good – I’m just saying they are attracted to the sport because they have some natural ability in it. When you look at the non-pros that run you will see every body type imaginable because lots of us enjoy it regardless of our shape. But when you look at elite levels there is very little deviation from the lithe mold. Kind of like professional models.
I think the other reason I’ve believed this for so long is because I want it to be true. I want to believe that Pilates will give me “long, lean muscles” even though I know that the length of my muscles was determined by my genes before I was even born. I want to believe that if I do Gwyneth Paltrow’s workout that I will look like her. Even though I know Madonna does the exact same one and she and Gwynnie look totally different. I want to believe it because the alternative is learning to accept and the love the body I’ve been given and that can be very hard work. But you, if you believe this myth too, and I pay for this belief. We pay in money when we buy the magazines or DVDs but even more we pay with our tears, body hate and punishing workouts in pursuit of a goal that was never attainable.
This is the best argument in my mind for exercising for health over exercising for looks. Of course workouts have the ability to help you look the best with the body you have – dropping fat and gaining muscle looks good on everyone! – and workouts do, to some extent, shape your body to the work you are performing (see boxers and their buff arms). But no workout has the ability to give you a new bone structure or more height or make your body suddenly decide to start storing extra fat in your boobs instead of your thighs. I don’t know why this is a lesson I have to keep re-learning. Thank goodness for (ex)strippers!
What do you think – do you agree with Lou Schuler that this is a myth or do you think you look like what you do? Were you as surprised as I was when he said that the photoshoot was likely the first time the model had ever tried that workout? Anyone else have Lady Gaga’s “Born this way” stuck in their head now too?? You’re welcome.
I agree with you and Lou. I recently purchased the NROLFW myself, though I’m not very far into it. I’m also working on the book Health at Every Size, and then will re-read Intuitive Eating. PS, I love you. (not in a creepy stalker way) I get so excited when a new post from you shows up! Especially because they always come late at night (I work night shift in the Eastern time zone so I’m awake with nothing to do at 3am on my days off). Thanks for all the great blogging!
I completely agree. You can improve upon what you have, but you can’t change it. If there was a workout that would make me about three inches taller I’d take it.
My training partner and I do almost identical workouts but get different results. She is always better at the longer running distances, and I always have a little more foot speed and do better at shorter races. We both do the same strength training but I tend to come out with a little more muscle tone than she does. We are doing the same things, we are both improving what we have, but we are getting individualized results because we are individuals.
I think your body shape is mostly determined by genetics, but it can be shaped by lifting weights in particular. I was a dancer for 15 years, and I never had that thin dancer’s body. Despite dancing for 5-6 hours a day and barely eating anything, I always had a big booty and boobs. Looking back now, I had what most people would consider a ‘perfect’ figure, but I hated it and just wanted to be thin like the other girls in my class!
I then tried running long-distance, and again, I did not have a marathoner’s body at all. If anything, my waist disappeared and I got slightly fatter.
Since I started lifting, however, I have completely transformed the way my body looks. My upper arms used to be so thin I could wrap my hands around them, but now I have 13 inch biceps! My lower body used to look hugely out of proportion against my tiny upper body, but I have been working my butt off to add size on top. I now have a very triangular shape with broad shoulders and a small waist. I purposely tried to bulk out by eating a lot of food, so this didn’t happen by lifting alone. My body now looks more in proportion, and if I dieted down enough I could have that fitness model physique.
That being said, one of my closest friends is a fashion model turned sports model. She doesn’t do much lifting at all, but naturally looks lean with muscle definition. Side by side, if you had to guess which one of us worked out, you’d probably pick her! Being leaner often makes you appear more muscular than you actually are.
Ha! Charlotte, get out of my head! I was just reading that *exact* same chapter of NROLFW today! And I liked that section you quoted.
Like Lou, I have also laughed out loud when hearing Pilates-pushers talking about their workouts making muscles “longer”. Really? You can magically make my femur or tibia longer? Have at it! I’ve always wanted to be tall…
Absolutely agree with you both. And I think NROLFW is one of the BEST weight training books I’ve ever read/used.
This is such a “DUH” thing, and yet I need to have it pounded into my skull time and time again! It’s only been recently (in my 40s!) that I’m starting to accept that my body will never be lithe and slinky. If I have curves, I’m gonna make them the best damn curves I can, and weightlifting (starting out with NROLFW two years ago) has been the best thing I’ve ever done toward that end.
I love that you wrote this. Mainly because I was just telling my husband, “I need to get ripped because I want to see what my body looks like under my fat.” Lol. Who knows if I look like the chicks in Oxygen? Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. But I’d sure like to find out.
I mostly agree…except that if you want to have defined muscles, you do have to work. There are women who don’t have to do anything to be skinny- it is their genetics. But I don’t know any really strong, fit women who are that way without working. So while I think it is important to recognize that you probably can’t look exactly like the celebrity/model in the photo, I feel a bit like you’re skimming over the work they do to look that way.
As an example- I have a friend who has a runner’s body. Even when she is out of shape and not running, her legs are smaller than mine will ever be. I have strong, muscular legs that are good for biking and hiking, but will never look like runner’s legs, no matter what I do. Likewise, when this friend is in shape, she has a six pack. I have NEVER had a six pack, and don’t think I ever will. But, as much as that is true, my friend doesn’t get one just by wishing. She has to work really hard for it. So don’t get too caught up in trying to look like someone else, but also don’t fall into the trap of mentally putting other people down by saying “it’s just genetics” etc.
Yes, I agree, kind of. But I do think people use the, “Well, this is just how I’m built so I may as well eat a box of donut holes,” as an excuse to not work out and, well, eat a box of donut holes. And by “people” here, I mean me…on occasion. I mostly work out for decent reasons, health and wellness, yada yada, but I also work out because, I admit it, somewhere in my little pea brain hope springs eternal and thinks if I work out enough I will look like Cindy Crawford. And when that doesn’t happen I do sometimes get discouraged and reach for the donuts. Ugh. Viscous cycle. Not sure where I’m going on this. I guess I agree, yes, certain body types can’t morph and become Giselle. But most can become at least better versions of themselves and maybe that’s what we should all shoot for.
Gaye
I completely agree with Mr. Schuler. When I was teaching Pilates, SO MANY clients asked if it would make them taller, because they’d heard it on an infomercial or read it in a magazine. This is what I told them: Pilates will strengthen the muscles that support the spine. As a result, you may “gain” half an inch in height, but it’s only because you’re standing taller and not slouching. You’re using your core muscles to help support you, which is their job. You won’t start a series of 10 classes being 5’4″ and finish them being 5’10”. When instructors talk about “lengthening” the muscles, it’s not literal. It’s really about stretching the muscle after you’ve worked it, so that it becomes/stays supple and flexible.
Pilates was invented because its creator suffered from very ill health growing up, and he wanted to be stronger. He then used it to keep prisoners in POW camps from getting sick. (When there was an outbreak of typhoid in the camp, the prisoners he worked with were some of the few spared.) The Reformer came about because he invented a series of weights and pulleys to put on the beds of prisoners who were bedridden. Dancers use it to stay strong and prevent injury, as do boxers.
As far as the models go, they attend casting sessions, much like actors do. They are booked for their appearance: Not just for beauty, but because they look like whatever the client has in mind for the shoot. Kinda like the shorter stockier guy in a movie who plays the beat cop as opposed to the tall, muscle-y, square-jawed leading man. 🙂
This is so true. I’m not a pilates instructor, but practice 3-4 times a week. Yes, I stand a little taller, but I don’t think I AM any taller. As for the muscles getting “longer,” well yes and no. Obviously, the muscles can only be as long as the bone structure allows. However, through pilates, my muscles have become stronger and more flexible. Thus, they can move through their entire natural range of motion. Thus, “longer” muscles. While I love pilates and it works for me, this can probably be achieved through any good, consistent strengthening and flexibility workout.
I look different depending on what sport I’m doing, but it’s always a different version of ME. I had much less of the linebacker shoulders when I was just running and not triathloning. As a gymnast and dancer I was longer and leaner, but definitely not “long and lean” compared to most. So, I think it’s a bit of yes and no. You may be able to influence your body to look more of a certain way, but you are always going to be you.
I agree you won’t create a whole new body, but I do think workouts can create more changes than we give them credit for. It is just diet and then consistency in our workouts. Because, while I by no means have tree trunk legs now, I have a gained A LOT of muscle on my butt….which I’m very proud of.
So no I’ll never have gigantic legs, but I can still make them more muscular (and have) with some work!
I agree that there is some selection bias at work in the “dancer’s body” idea. It might be the case that a person is more likely to enjoy – and therefore persist in – an activity their body is well adapted for. It’s certainly the case that having a convenient physique would help a person get to the top of their sport and so be the popular face of it.
I’ve never imagined that a model was other than a model. She’s a professional, doing her job; her job is to look a certain way and sell you a certain product. You are doubtless just as good at your job as she is at hers. She’s as likely to be using the workout she’s selling as any of the perfect imaginary citizens of Adland are to be loyal consumers of their products.
To some degree you can change your body, but in the end its genetics what matters. I was skinny all my life, but since i started going to gym i packed 10 pounds of muscle and lost a couple of inches around my waist. Its remarkable because both my parents are short and not fit.
You can’t change your body type or how short or tall or gymnast type bod or long lean bod or whatever it is you have to the extent of looking like a person that started with that type of bod. YES, you can add muscles or less muscle or develop certain areas .. but me, I am NEVER going to long & lean & have a dancer body – never! I am never going to look like what is in the magazines period now matter how fit I am…
“if I do Gwyneth Paltrow’s workout . . .”
You’ll end up getting weaker, shallower and end up with half the smarts of her mom?
Thank you for this laugh!
Charlotte, lady, you know I love you, right?
So I have to tell you that this phrase “…dropping fat and gaining muscle looks good on everyone!” sounds…body-snarky.
It actually contradicts what you are saying previously about exercising for health, because some people, as you and I well know, just won’t ever look “toned” or “defined”, no matter what exercises or diets they commit to.
*Health* looks good on everyone.
xoxo
Hey,
What was the name of the stripper’s book?
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I started doing pilates to cope with fibromyalgia. That was 5 years ago and now I look totally different. When I first started I would look at the advanced students and know that I would never ever look like them. Aaaaaaand now I do. I grew a little under an inch because my posture was all jacked up. My legs look longer because my butt is higher. My neck is longer because it is properly supporting my head. Everything else is toned and slim. I don’t look like anyone else but I sure look good. And more importantly I have learned that my body and I can work together rather than being mutually disgusted with one another.
Yes,you can get a amazing body just from dancing. I used to dance 6 days a week and ate anything I wanted lots of whataburger and ice cream. I was consuming about 6,000 calories a day. And was solid muscle. Its possible.