I know that exaggerations on the internet are as common as people that just work their arms in gyms. However people really need to think about some of the things that they say before they say them. Some of the exaggerations I hear all the time are so funny, I though I would list my top 4 favorites on BBing boards.
1. Bullshit arm measurements: Everyone seems to have 17”18” and even 19 and 20+” inch arms. First off, not to mention any names, but the CORRECT AND ONLY way you are supposed to measure arms is UNFLEXED, cold “no pump” relaxed with your arm hanging at your side. If you have a high % of bf, that doesn’t count either. Lots of obese people have 20+inch arms. A true 17” arm is large, a 19” is very large and anything over 20” while being fairly lean is insane. It seems like everyone’s arms are at least 17” and usually “19-20.”
2. Bullshit BF%: This one is the 2nd most common thing I see. I see tons of people claming to be like, for example 5’11” 270+lbs with below 10%bf. First off, the pinch test unless if done by a true expert is usually too low. “I saw some asswipe that was probably 12%+ get measured on MTV and it showed him at 6% with some girl measuring him.” If you really are 5”11” at 10% bf weighing 270+ “assuming you are holding very little water” you could probably be a pro assuming your shape is OK and you can diet down to the 4-5% range for a contest. That is a ton of muscle. To give you and idea, a true 12% is lean, 10-8% is very lean 6-7% is insanely lean shredded. And anything below that is in the “peeled” range. This means you will feel like complete shit, with face drawn in, you will have veins showing everywhere, and will either be dying or a bb a day before the show.
3. Bullshit Calorie intakes: I see all the time, people saying “I take in 5000-7000 calories a day when bulking” That is a whole hell of a lot of calories if you truly measure it all out. That amount calories for any extended period of time would make all but the most freakiest of metabolism’s and genetics “Dave Palumbo type metabolism” fatter than hell. These ultra huge amount of calories is unnecessary for 99% of people to put on muscle mass. You do need a lot, don’t get me wrong, but most ultra high calorie diets result in much more fat gain than they do muscle.
4. Not really an over exaggeration, but I though I would throw this in anyway. The squat and deadlift Nazi’s. The squat Nazi’s have been around forever. The deadlift Nazi’s are newer. They came out in real force after Ronnie Coleman’s unbelievable video. These people are convinced that if you don’t do squats, you can’t possibly have any kind of leg development, and if you don’t deadlift, you can’t possibly get any kind of back development. That is the exact same thing as saying if you don’t bench press, you’ll never get any kind of chest development. These exercises are great for some people and “yes I do them both” but to say you HAVE to do them to have any kind of decent development in back or legs is ridiculous. Notice the lack of “bench press Nazi’s?” My theory on this is that many people have a very shitty bench press and say the bench is a worthless overrated exercise to compensate for their shitty bench. Just because Ronnie does them, doesn’t mean shit. Ronnie’s back would grow huge no matter what exercise he does. Just because they work great for him doesn’t mean you will have the same results. He is an absolute freak of nature.
There are several more on the list, but those are my favorites. I am sure other people can come up with more.
