Why I Regret Getting Shredded

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Have a great week guys! Cheers.

[Hunty]

I remember watching another fitness expert saying that 10-12% body fat is not sustainable year in, year out. He was saying that influencers usually get to this shredded physique and take thousands of photos and videos with multiple clothes for a week, which they upload during the year to give the illusion that they are like this throughout the year. Then they fatten back out. Like everything from influencers, it's all an illusion for the grift.

[jeffjgarrett]

I really appreciate this video. As a long-time "non-accepter of my body" and also "denier of my emotions", this video spoke to me on many levels. Thanks

[ifthennotagain]

Your point about cardio is so true. IMO if your “health habits” leave you out of breath and when doing basic life tasks, you’re doing it wrong. Thanks for the great commentary on the complexities of getting lean!

[mmurphy]

I needed this. Finding the balance between respecting and appreciating the accomplishments made vs a healthy amount of attention to what’s left to improve isn’t easy. I appreciate your perspective on this.

[johnwagner]

In my late 30s, I've come to the realization that I'm not the same Marine I was when I was 26. This video helped put the challenge in perspective. It's really all about the daily habits to help prolong your life and mental well being. Working out is now a release versus an eye pleasing endeavor. Maintenance versus shredded....just humbling to accept. Beats saying you take drugs to make it happen.

[junkequation]

I've had the exact opposite happen to me as I've leaned down.

As soon as I got to about 175 pounds, ~15% body fat according to my fat calipers measurements, I could not stop looking at myself in the mirror. I am constantly taking my shirt off at home and insisting that my exasperated wife admire my physique. I am afraid that, if I catch a good glimpse of myself in the reflection of a body of water, I may fall in and drown.

[adud]

Happens with everything. The physical side has been covered here, but the same thing happens when you pursue a topic intellectually. Quick progress at the start, then it gets slower and harder until it feels like you don't get any better. Return per time invested gets slimmer and slimmer, and you can either accept it and "flatline" at a certain level, or invest exponentially more time and effort to progress just a tiny bit. Until it sucks up all the time you have. Is that worth it?
The best thing you can do is be aware of it, and try to live with it. But obviously this is easier said than done.

[justinwahe]

Thank you for making this video and being honest about your struggle. I’m glad that you are working towards being happy and healthy instead of being shredded. Good for you.

[graefx]

I'm glad you mentioned Coach Greg, I'm reminded of something he said, that the drop from 25% to 20% isn't "5%" it's losing 20% of your body fat. And then the drop from 15% to 12% is that much too and that much harder. The importance of reverse dieting to let your body recover from a deficit. And just the pervasive body image issues with media. Be healthy, be happy, and the most important thing is focusing on enjoying the active. Goals can be a great motivator but they can also have a backlash effect of making us feel discouraged or get caught in a cycle of constantly chasing the dragon

[NukaMilk]

I went from fat teen to 6 pack in my 20's. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Now I'm just normal looking in my 30's. I workout regularly still. I focus more on just keeping my body strong. Trying to keep my joints from getting too mad at me lol. Taking er easy as I venture through life. My brother warned me back when I was trying to get 6 pack that you're always 1-2 meals away from not even seeing them. It's pretty true. Everyone just get up and move around. Its better than doing nothing.

[jasmine-]

I used to obsess over my waistline all the time. But once I began to pre-occupy my fitness with performance goals and eating to perform well, my waist shrank and I got what I wanted to achieve. Only focusing on aesthetics makes fitness less enjoyable and way more stressful. Focus on a fitness goal that will make you happy.

[sammurphy]

Devyn is my coach too!! Signed up with CoPilot awhile ago on a different promo with y’all. 😂 Thanks a ton for this video — I think this is something that a LOT of people struggle with. Feels like no matter how much I remind myself that long term health is more important than aesthetics, it’s hard to accept sometimes.

[BVtok]

I've had a heart condition that prevented me from working out for most of my life. I was obese as a kid and teen but later learned to lose then maintain my weight through diet alone in my 20's. I've never really had any muscle tone or strength, just a life of being fat or skinny/fat. I eventually went through a few surgeries that solved my heart problem and made it possible for me to go to the gym for the first time when I turned 40. Even though it was unknown territory to me I became determined about making up for lost time...your videos were definitely part of it. My clothes started to fit differently, I got a lot of compliments, physical activities that I used to barely be able to do became easy, I was definitely the strongest and fittest I've ever been in my life!

Sounds great, and it was, but like you I started to fixate on my stomach/lowerback/love handles. Yeah my arms turned from twigs into something you could call muscular but I was still embarrassed to take my shirt off cuz of the spare tire that wouldn't go away. I thought I looked like a melting candle w/ my new body emerging out of my old but never being able to get rid of it completely. I dug in and decided to do a cut until I could have a waist like the fit people I saw around me. Over the course of 4 months I kept to a very strict diet and workout routine. it's not that I just didn't have a cheat meal, I didn't have even a cheat bite! I literally ate the SAME things every single day w/ no deviations like clock work. I had 1g/lb of protein per day and was going to the gym 6x/week for about an hour at a time. My goal was to lose my back fat finally by my 41st birthday and have a slice of cake to celebrate then go back to maintaining... but I didn't reach my goal. Yes I lost fat but never in the spots I wanted to. Every ounce of fat from the rest of my body melted away. I saw striations in my shoulders and chest for the first time, my arms and back were shredded... but I still had lower back fat no matter what I did. Instead of compliments I had multiple people voicing their concerns to me. I kept being told that I looked too skinny while I only ever saw myself as fat cuz I was fixated on just the one place where it was. Every time I saw myself shirtless I wished that my body would just hold fat equally throughout my body instead of just in my waist but that's not the card that I was dealt. I started feeling weak and tired at work. Instead of lifting heavier weights at the gym I started struggling to lift the same weights I had before.

Right before my birthday I went on a hike w/ my friends and got winded almost right away. I couldn't understand why, I was fit now wasn't I? We took a group photo when we reached the summit and it's the comparison between us that really shook me. I didn't look fit... or fat, I looked gaunt. Very noticeable cheek bones on a face that was usually round. Yes I had very defined and vascular arms but they looked skinny and dehydrated compared to everyone else's. While everyone else looked full and healthy I looked like I was wasting away. At my weigh-in a couple of days later I had gone from 165lbs to 137lbs. I gave up trying to have a perfectly slim waist after that because I realized that MY body would not give up those fat stores unless I was severely malnourished and probably close to 130lbs which I didn't want to be.

I spent the next few months regaining the strength and weight I had lost w/o it being all fat. I'm around 155lbs now and back to fitting my clothes right and getting compliments again. My goal now is to become stronger and bigger so I look more proportionally correct. More of what I call a strong dad bod instead of a cut lean bod because that is more align to what my body wants to do naturally. It's funny cuz when I look at guys w/ a strong dad bod, I don't even notice their lack of abs. Even if they have WAY more chunk than me, all I can see on them is how strong they are. It's only when I look at myself that I fixate on my waist. Classic body dysmorphia I know but I'm trying to force myself to look at the rest of me, me as a whole not just my waistline, and also where I came from compared to what I look like now.

Brendan I never even saw your lower ab fat until you specifically pointed it out on this vid... all I could see was how strong and fit you are. I think it's what most of us see. I've been following you for a few years now and you've been an inspiration to me not just in my fitness goals but in goals in general. I find it kinda interesting that in the video where you got shredded that inspired me so much, where you had achieved exactly what I wanted to achieve, you were instead going through the same struggle that I had this past summer. That small pocket of what is probably less than 1lb of fat is not worth juicing up for. Despite what social media makes you believe, you are probably w/in the top 1%-5% fitness-wise of the people around you. You should not compare yourself to the genetically perfect % of a % of people that you see on Instagram. It is a skewed data set and a gateway to disappointment and self doubt.

Do you look good and feel comfortable in your clothes? Do you feel strong, fit, and capable? Are you in good health? These are the fitness goals that are important. Not shredded abs 24/7 especially if you feel horrible and are missing out on life because of it. Lastly don't underestimate the power of good lighting and a pump. The lighting by that lake was horrible and washed you out. Do you think the guy @1:50 was in dim offset lighting by mistake? Do you think he wasn't working out right before that? Half of the game is angles, lighting, the pump, and smoke and mirrors. Social media is not reality, never forget that.

Stay strong and don't let a goal become a hyperfixation to the detriment of everything else.

[DoctorHemi]

Your story is very relatable. I've been working out since the age of 15 (I'm 56 now), and for the longest time in my 20's and 30's I was always trying to be shredded, but never quite got to where I wanted. I'd get tons of compliments, but I'd feel weak, tired, depressed and hungry. By the time I got into my 40's I made the decision to stay around 15% BF and then slim down to around 12-13% BF for the summer. I never look shredded, but I feel good and am much healthier than before. I still get lots of compliments, but it's almost always with the "for your age" caveat.

[Beefcake]

I have the exact same bit of fat on my lower belly. I started my weight loss at 245lb and got down to 160. I was skinny everywhere except that spot. I starved myself trying to lose it and ended up just feeling weak and tired and cold all the time.

[TrevorH-zx]

Can totally relate to this video. Chasing Abs sucks, I cut down to 9% fat 170lbs at 6'2" and still didn't have prominent Abs. Everyone just carries fat so differently and under 10% BF gets so ridiculously hard to keep the weight dropping. I just gave up and start a bulk again

[youngsuit]

The thing that is fun about this channel is that the big progress happens in the first phase because it's all so new and the room for improvement is so fast but it soon dips off the farther and farther you go. It was great you did this video because it shows how much harder it is to progress in later stages.

[mohitpw]

Thanks a lot. It's a great lesson. I am 43 and started training around a year ago. Every time people ask me why I am doing this, my answer is always that "I want to feel good". Looking good comes naturally if one exercises but feel good is critical. After watching your video, my feeling got stronger.

[ericgolban]

I can totally relate to just about everything you said and in this video and experienced. My lower belly fat is extremely stubborn as well and for guys like us that just want the washboard abs look, it can be extremely demotivating.

What really helped me is looking at before/after pictures to see the progress I’ve made and reminding myself that fitness is a journey and I am now living a healthy lifestyle.

I appreciate your vulnerability! It’s comforting to know others go through the same issues.

[DynamicDana-]

Thanks for sharing. I've recently hit a point where I've had more issues with how I look now even though I'm in better shape. In the last four months my body fat mass went down 12.4 lb. and my visceral fat level went down from a 15 to an 11. I found myself nitpicking how I look and just not satisfied. I appreciate hearing that other people have similar things they're working on overcoming. I appreciate your honesty. It helps me to know this is just a phase and I can get through this.