Any Way To Cure These Body Image Problems?

ucimigrate

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Hi Everyone,

I just did a heavy weights session. In fact, for me, it is close to my all time strength highs:

225 lbs/8 times Squat
Supersetted with 225/5x Bench

I did that four times. In between very long rest periods of about 5 minutes, I did planks, mobility exercises, etc. that still worked me, but not to exhaustion.

By no means am I lean. I am probably close to 30% bodyfat.

I am trying to use free weights to build strength, hypertrophy program to build muscle mass, and bodyweight cardio to strip it away.

After working out, I noticed I looked so big. By no means do I look fat and obese. Rather, I just see all my muscles pumped, etc.

However, showing good posture is different than slouching, and my tummy, etc. looks big.

Is there any way to get over this sort of body image problem?

Logically, I know that I am on a good path (strength training, hypertrophy training, bodyweight cardio, moderate diet). But, one bad body image can derail a person's psychology completely, restricting diet inappropriately, and skipping meals only to eat poorly later, etc.


Thanks
 
Tank88

Tank88

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We all go through that, you see yourself pumped after a workout, once the pump goes away (as it always does), you're like where did my gains go? I don't know your normal training program and i'm by no means an expert, but if the workout above is your normal workout, you will probably look like a powerlifter, that's more the type of thing they do and you'll never get to where it sounds you want to be. one thing that works for me when i want to cut down, is doing lots of supersets in my workout, and decreasing rest periods, for me personally that works better than doing tons of cardio, although i also do a lot of cardio when cutting down. The other thing you mention which is probably everyone's biggest stumbling block is a moderate diet, diet is the most important thing. If that's not dialed in, nothing else will ever be dialed in unfortunately.
 
SFreed

SFreed

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Honestly (and thankfully) it never goes away. If you were happy with your body today, why would you continue pushing yourself to get better? Chances are, you wouldn't.

When you're 30%, you push yourself to get to 20. When you're 20%, you gotta get to 15. It's not a bad thing to want to be better.
 
Aleksandar37

Aleksandar37

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Honestly (and thankfully) it never goes away. If you were happy with your body today, why would you continue pushing yourself to get better? Chances are, you wouldn't.

When you're 30%, you push yourself to get to 20. When you're 20%, you gotta get to 15. It's not a bad thing to want to be better.
This. As long as it's not a disorder, it doesn't hurt to have motivation or want better.
 
HIT4ME

HIT4ME

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You should start by reconsidering your actual goals and WHY you have those goals. So many people do this for "looks" - which is a nice side benefit - but it's going to come slow and in 6 months when you don't have what you'd hoped for, you will wonder why you are doing it at all.

On the other hand, if you start focusing on becoming the most capable/strongest version of yourself and realizing that you have people in your life that depend on you and being physically capable is a huge asset and being incapable will eventually become a burden to those around you that you care about - or whatever real motivation you have that has roots in the quality of your life - you will worry a little tiny bit less about how you looked pumped vs. unpumped. It will also put your 30% bodyfat in perspective - that you need to get down to a healthy weight for those reasons, not for looks, and then when you are 20% instead of 15% you will have motivation but not disappointment.

And then one day, when you are 60 and your friends are all struggling and burdening their children and you look like you're 45 ....you will look back have something to be proud of.
 
Ptlhains

Ptlhains

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I used to be over 400lbs and am now 240lbs and about 15-17 percent body fat. When I am not feeling my best, I may not like what I see in the mirror. Know that you are on a beautiful long lifetime journey of giving to yourself via weight training. Just be good to yourself first and enjoy the journey and all the gifts along the way.
 

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