It's always been humorous to me when people see me and expect that I have a super ripped body, only to be a bit let down when they lift up my shirt and realize they have to scrub their laundry elsewhere.
With the countless hours of training and exercise I do, it's a wonder that I am not a walking cover of Men's Fitness but it's not my focus or care. I often ask friends, clients, and even random people what their goals are for fitness, many of them gay, bi, straight, trans or whatever. The most common response among men, especially gay men, is that they want six-pack abs. They want to be ripped and have that nice body that our culture has come to expect. Like most gay men, I myself suffer from body image issues as well. It is no secret that sex sells, which is why ads and marketing material often contain images of hot people with hot bodies, mostly nude! Every once in a while I will stop myself and look at my body. No matter how it looks to others or where I am at in my training, I often still see my old, 190lb self that I had long shed. Yet this journey has never really been about how I look, it's been about how I feel about myself and really about what I can do and accomplish.
For most people to get a six-pack one needs to follow a strict regime of diet and intense exercise. To achieve a body such as that you must rid yourself of all those little treats that life offers you. You sacrifice so much to have the perfect body, but for who? For the guy at the bar who won't call you back the next day?
I have never had a six-pack nor do I care to. 90 percent of my daily diet consists of healthy foods. I eat clean but I am also not afraid to treat myself to some naughty sweets either. I can train up to 5 or 6 hours a day but as an athlete training for the chance to compete at the Olympic Games, each mile I put in, each drop of sweat, is for that greater purpose. In the end my body is a reflection of my habits, my goals and my actions. It's a part of who I am. Instead of trying to please others, it's important that we think about ourselves. Your goals, your dreams, your passions. It should be about what makes you feel good, not what you think other people want to see. There's so much I could go on about this subject but for now I think I will end it here.
Stay active, my friends!
David Smith is the owner of Stonewall Fitness, holds a degree in exercise science from Metropolitan State University of Denver and holds several fitness certifications including ACSM Personal Trainer and Group Fitness.
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