Performance and Aesthetics – beauty, function, and capability
We have briefly touched upon this topic in previous posts, but we think that it is time to dedicate a blog post to this topic. When people get into exercising it is often in the pursuit of a more aesthetically pleasing body, and they start investigating how to achieve that desired look. A sport like bodybuilding is the embodiment of this way of thinking—you look at a body, assess it, and then start molding it into the most aesthetically pleasing version of itself. Arnold famously compared this process to an artist working on a sculpture—you have the raw piece, and then you begin the process of removing clay from some areas and adding some to other areas, until you have the perfectly symmetrical and proportioned body you desire. A guy like Frank Zane perfected this approach and was, rightfully, nicknamed “The Statue,” because of the artistic effect of his ideal proportions. So, if you assess your aesthetic strengths and shortcoming—and through dieting and bodybuilding can sculpt your body into the best version of yourself—then this must be the optimal approach for anyone that wants to get “fit,” right? Well, maybe not.
Firstly, why do we think that a muscular and lean body is aesthetically pleasing to perceive? The ideals for men and women are not the same, but there are general overlaps between the two gender modalities. Lean, and strong and healthy-looking, seem to be common denominators, and the fitness/bodybuilding ethos seems to achieve this look. But in our perspective, this is backwards thinking. What we find attractive and aesthetically pleasing is a capable body, a body that can do stuff—endure, be helpful, take care of, and provide for, the family. So, form follows function and we are evolutionarily highly attuned to assessing people via their physical appearance. This means that the normal fitness/bodybuilding culture is trying to reverse engineer a capable body by aiming for looks and not for function.
We think that this is a suboptimal approach for most people. If you want to compete in bodybuilding, then by all means, follow the strategy that maximizes the attributes that you will be judged upon—but there are other options to consider for the rest of us. If you look at the body of athletes, they’re all pleasing to the eye. It’s hard being a successful football player, triathlete, tennis player, or even a golfer nowadays without an aesthetically pleasing body. Again, form follows function—and to excel at your discipline, your body will inevitably adapt. This is why we believe that chasing numbers, sets, movements, skills, mastery of a sport, or anything else that is rooted in performance, is a better option than aspiring for only the looks. This is a faster and more sustainable path to follow, but also a more rewarding one. You get your cake and you can eat it too! A strong, capable body that can move freely should be the aspiration for most people. We have encountered plenty of bodybuilders with bad backs that have problems lifting their kids up for a hug—or that have become so imobile that they can’t scratch their own backs. Isn’t building a functional, capable body a better option? And the good thing is, you decide which path is right for you. Find the discipline that you always wanted to master or use our go-to strategy—find a good and competent teacher close to where you live, and listen to what they have to say. What he or she is teaching is not so important, remember form follows function—and almost all disciplines are more enjoyable than the repetitiveness of a standard “Globo Gym” program.
In fact, we are betting that you will be happier with this approach. We have found great freedom in letting go of how we look and focusing on what we can do. Inevitably, one hits a wall with bodybuilding— ”How big of an arm do I want?,” “How flat a stomach?,” “A four-pack?,” “A six-pack?,” “An eight-pack?” The process invites endless obsessing and focusing on one’s appearance—a highly negative process where you always end up feeling like you are not enough. By focusing on performance, we are betting that you will feel confident and proud of your successes along the way—with the wonderful fringe benefit of looking great, too.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart