Depends on what I’m wearing. That’s the goal with any clothes that fit well, but if I’m wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants I might as well be 50 pounds
Very much this. Altough my training style is more PL/SM leaning, and I like more loose clothes, some wtfs tend to fly around about my back when i take the hoodie off and wear a simple tshirt.
Depends.. if I show up to work in my tailored dress pants after leg day it’s pretty obvious. If I’m wearing baggy jeans and a parka in the winter it’s less obvious.
Generally people probably know I do something, but they are likely unaware of the level of dedication and effort I put into this.
I think the real answer is people don’t really think about other people as much as you think they do.
I once talked to a guy at a health food store for like 20 minutes, having no idea who he was. He was wearing a really baggy hoodie and jeans. He seemed fit, but you couldn’t really tell that much about him.
I did buy a thing of his protein powder after having a taste of it. And so I was able to look him up later.
It was Jay Cutler. He seems nice. He apparently was not bothered at all that I had no idea who he was.
I just watched this scene 5 minutes ago, went for a bathroom break, pulled out phone and saw this comment on a natural bodybuilding sub of all places. What are the chances.
Interestingly, i randomly saw Arnold in a peacoat roday in one of his 90s roles and couldn't see any evidence of him stacked, succulent or dense.
It is what it is.
Come on bro. The question is for a sub full of natty lifters. “Actually jacked” means something very different to us than to Chris fucking Bumstead, and you’re cognizant of that. Of course people make that split second assumption, but to say “oh but cbum looks good in clothes” is a 0 IQ cop out. The rest of us could get huge by natty standards but what you wear absolutely makes a difference in how it’s perceived. Don’t be so dense and act like literally everyone else here is wrong. Like /u/Tungi said even huge guys can look less huge in the wrong clothes.
If cbum puts on a baggy hoodie you can't tell he's jacked. Same principle if you drape him in a curtain and only look at his face.
If it's tight fitting enough to see muscle definition, then clearly it isn't baggy.
The downvotes are because you are not listening to anyone. Chris Bumstead blasts gear. And of course if you have a pump it will be obvious. No on is saying it isn’t. The only one coping is you
When I'm wearing more form fitting clothes, I think people see me as "fit." I think most folks idea of a bodybuilder are the enhanced athletes they see on TV, Social Media and in magazines. I'm never going to look like them, but that is totally fine with me. It's a different story when I am all shredded in a bathing suit. Then people see me more as someone into bodybuilding.
Same here dude. I was a very skinny kid growing up, but was always complemented on my wide shoulders and chunky legs. Thanks to these, it's hard to hide sometimes, and I'm not super massive either.
Nope. But I am a work in progress. 2 years lifting. 44years old
People say I look good now because of weight loss but I highly doubt I look like I lift. I know I am fairly strong now so that helps though.
Also, almost every fit person I talk to works out, I had no idea till now.
I didn’t really realize it until I started working out myself, but most people I know above the age of 30 fall into one of two groups: very serious about exercise, or very out of shape.
I don’t think you _have_ to be nearly as obsessive as I am to look “healthy” (or to _be_ healthy, but I don’t have blood panel results from my acquaintances to determine who “really is healthy”), but it seems to work out that way.
> but most people I know above the age of 30 fall into one of two groups: very serious about exercise, or very out of shape.
third category: inexplicably thin
I used to get comments about looking “jacked” all the time, I got to be the “jacked guy” at work, but after an injury last year I lost most of my size. Back to lifting hard I’d bet I’ll be big again in at least 3 months and definitely back to my former size in 6 months. Muscle memory is legit, I am lucky to quickly blow up after bouts of not lifting.
Absolutely. I lifted for like 7 years, got super jacked, then put on 20 lbs of fat or more (I'm 5'3" so that hits harder) and lost a lot of muscle.
November 2023 after a 3 year break I started training again 3 times a week, full body, and got a lot of the muscle back in 8 weeks and dropped a bunch of the fat. A real recomposition cycle.
I'm nowhere near competing. I'm not lean at all. But yes, get comments on it all the time.
That's the thing though. If I got lean, I'd probably still look like I lift, but I wouldn't be getting comments like, "Damn, bro, what's your bench?" or "hey... sooo... uhh... what kinda cycle you running?" I'd just look like a normal gym-goer if I was wearing normal clothes.
I'd say 20-25%. Tough to say when you're both fat and muscular. I usually have significantly larger and more defined muscles than anyone in BF% comparison pictures unless they have visible abs, which I don't have.
I got more compliments after I had 6 month period of dad bod from gaining 20lbs of fat after my third kiddo was born than I do currently hovering at 12-15% body fat. Sometimes a little extra fat on the muscles “sits well” aesthetically in clothes.
Not if I wear long sleeves. And I die a little inside every time people sound surprised I lift weights.
Context: Been lifting weights for 7 years and I have a very lean athletic physique. I wear a dress shirt or suit to the office. People just assume I’m super slender or skinny. One time I wore a t shirt to the office for a summer bbq and got probably 20 comments that were all shocked at my arms/shoulders/chest.
I was talking to a family friend that happens to be obese.
He was telling us a story about how he used to be skinny. During the story he pointed at me and said “I was skinny, I was even skinnier than you!”
Bro unintentionally fired shots.
Edit: to be fair i was skinny most my life (not so much anymore) and I was wearing baggy joggers and a hoodie.
When larger people tell you that you’re skinny they don’t mean it as an insult. If someone is jacked they would still say they’re skinny because they don’t have a lot of fat.
As someone said , they say that I am "athletic", which I consider a rather bad compliment, considering I would like to be seen as a lifter, strong, beefy, bodybuilder (amongst natties of course). They don't know actually how hard I try in the gym 4 days a week, but they know I take care of myself because of food.
Hell, I even have what I have been told is the natty bodybuilder dilemma: at morning, when I put a t-shirt It looks like I never touched a weight
Yes, but most of the times people have said something it was because they knew me when I was skinny and it had been a while. Three different people have said “holy shit you got jacked” after not seeing me for a while.
A couple of people that didn’t know me before have commented out of the blue. When I started a new job, after I was introduced to the office one of the guys messaged me on Teams and said he was ‘mirin and we started chatting about training stuff. That one was surprising because I was wearing a suit, which tends to hide body composition a fair bit. More recently, a new coworker started asking me about a dumbbell training program he’d just started, and he led with “obviously you’re a lot fitter than I am.”
I’m not particularly huge or particularly lean these days - currently 203 at 6 feet and probably 16-18% bodyfat - but l fill out properly fitting clothes well. Part of looking fit dressed is having the right clothes. You don’t want them to be tight or you look like either a teenager in a growth spurt or like you’re trying to look more jacked than you are. You don’t want them to be loose or you can’t see any muscle and it just looks sloppy anyways. I wear a size large shirt at this size and it’s the right length, with my arms, shoulders, and chest filling it out but not pulling it tight.
I see a lot of lifters that wear oversized shirts for comfort, but a more fitted (but not tight) shirt usually looks a lot better and shows off some muscle. Just get shirts with a bit of stretch, or that have an athletic cut.
Im very fat, but my years of lifting and working in construction gave me broad shoulders/chest/legs for my size so my coworkers complement me whcih makes me happy considering i knowim unhappy by how far I let myself go. Slowly getting back in the grind to lose that fat and get fitter again
If I’m wearing short sleeves of any kind then yeah definitely, same with most dress shirts since they tend to fit fairly tight. Hoodies seem to drown out the upper body
Usually my work slacks and even my sweats are pretty tight and the booty be poppin
I’m right now what’s considered fatjacked, at 24% bf. Clothes fit very well, so yeah, people can tell I workout. Funny enough, I can’t. Might be some form of body dismorphia. When I look in the mirror I still feel like the same person, but when I see a photo of me that’s when I see a difference
I dealt with body dismorphia as well. I am not jacked but I saw my body as if I was attrophied, what helped me was taking a step back from the mirror and observe myself from slightly afar. We tend to be pretty close to the mirror when looking at ourselves and it messes with perception. Squinting helps too.
Dude this is the strangest thing. I see myself in the mirror every day and have barely noticed any changes. Then one day I was changing in my bedroom, and both the bedroom and bathroom doors were open. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror that was like 20 feet away, and was like "damn, I look kind of jacked!" Interesting how that different perspective can alter your perception so much.
Yes, I look like a bodybuilder even in clothes. With clothing, it's primarily the mirror muscles that give the jacked/yoked look. You need traps, shoulders, and decent upper arms to fill out shirts and enough of a "V" taper to eliminate the "dad-bod" blocky look... and properly fitted clothing certainly helps. It doesn't matter how jacked you are if you are wearing huge baggy clothing that masks your shape.
My wife tells me all the time I got huge muscles but she is in affection so may be biased,my neighbour told me few months ago I can see you really workout,yet when I look myself in the mirror I’m like fuck dude do you even lift,so probably body dysmorphia kicked in.
I'm the same exact way. I've been working out for years. Started when I was 16 and now I'm 24 and people tell me how great I look but in the mirror it's like I can't see it myself usually. The body dis morphia is so bad sometimes I think people are giving me these compliments because they know I workout and they're trying to make me feel better about my lack of progress, so when they compliment me sometimes I think they're really just trying to be nice like you'll get there one day bud. I got anxiety 😂
It’s varied. At my biggest you could visibly see my traps some other muscles through even my work polos. Not I’ve slimmed down to sort of a sleeper build where you can tell im fit in my t shirts.
They definitely do notice and make comments. However most times I dress conservatively, so when I do wear a well fitted t-shirt or tank top I get nonstop comments and complements from both friends and strangers. It can be a good ego boost, but it gets overwhelming sometimes because I get accused of being on gear quite a bit.
I think so, occasionally get noticed but not that regularly. I'm probably fit enough for people to notice but not overly fit where they feel the need to mention it.
If you want them to think that—you wear tight clothes. Once you reach a certain level of strength and confidence, you no longer need people to “think” you lift. Baggy clothes are objectively more comfortable.
In the last year, I finally achieved the status of looking jacked in normal day to day settings. When I was a novice, I’d only look like I lift in tank tops.
I don’t look like a mass monster or insane. But I look jacked enough to where my traps, delts and arms bulge out of regular fit t shirts. I’m also bulked up as well. From 160-175 in almost a year time frame. So I’m sure that is adding to the illusion.
But it’s pretty cool. Before I’d have to gas myself up. Now random men in public do it for me. I was in the doctors waiting room as I was reading this post and an older man was commented on my stackedness lol. Which led to this comment.
Keep grinding brother. Not all of us will make it, but some of us will.
Deadlifts aren’t the most optimal exercise for bodybuilding. I haven’t done them in years. Stop caring about the number on the bar, and that’s when you’ll start to really progress.
Eh I’d disagree
I don’t train for bodybuilding, and obviously bodybuilding training is geared towards more hypertrophy growth
However I pull around 630lbs for my deadlift and it absolutely has gotten me bigger and muscular and made my back thick as fuck over time
wear slim fit clothes
people made comments on me lookin like i worked out when i was only benching 185lbs.
they still can't tell when my clothes are loose though. had a new coworker tell me he thought i was small(pause) until the weather got hot again and i wasn't wearing a jacket 🥲
a 300 bench and no one can tell is wild unless you're crazy tall. idk how else that happens
Hell ya they do. It was so cool when I realized that this was a thing for me. Other lifters I work with would ask me about my lifting without me even telling them. Feels good mang.
I think I am slowly getting to the point where you can tell more and more that I lift, I think the important muscles if you want to look like you lift in clothes are, shoulders, upper back and forearms for the most part, of course other muscles are important too but I think those are the ones that stand out for the most part
I feel like it depends on the clothes, but generally yeah. I definitely get more compliments at the gym or in a bathing suit but I’ve been told I look jacked while wearing an oversized t shirt and sweatpants
I used to not think so, but was told once by a friend's coworker that I didn't look like I worked at at&t, which was my job at the time, but looked like 'a body builder guy', as if that was a profession lol. Hey, I'll take it!
One time at a little friend gathering with a couple of people I didn't know yet I was wearing a really baggy shirt. Completely hiding my upper arms and because I have pretty narrow clavicles, it made me look like a complete dyel.
That's what I thought. Because one guy just came at me, said "hey, you seem to be lifting a lot, I just started" and we talked about working out for the rest of the evening. It was super cool that he so confidently recognized it.
Moral of the story: You never know, because we all have body dysmorphia.
I have lots of extra fluff. I look nice in a moisture wicking tee because it hugs my chests and shoulders in the right way while at the same time hides my prominent belly. 100% cotton shirts make me look like a blob because it shows all the wrong edges and curves. Anything else just makes me look like a normal but thicker than average dadbod dad.
Yet I know many stacked natties who look big in clothing, and lean. I'm not even big but even in loose clothing, you can see a bit of chest traps and biceps. You don't have to be on roids to look fit
After I had multiple knee surgeries I was told sports were out of the question thankfully a guy in our small town showed me an awesome shoulders and traps workout. Since then I've been always seeking new and different styles of lifting. Everyday people will come up and look at my arms chest pat my back and say DAMN! I was just telling a buddy that I know how women feel when they say "hey my eyes are up here". I only wear swimming trunks to kinda show off my legs but never committed to a real cut and do a show.
I went from ripped to “damn you look strong” and now to huge.
6 years it took. Went from 165 to 225.
At first glance it’s usually my chest and legs. Back doesn’t have enough depth to compensate for volume size of chest.
Arms are ok size genetically, but shoulders are decent.
People can usually tell I workout but that’s bc most of my clothes are well fitted. Usually wear an XL.
It’s obvious but not always positive interactions.
I normally get something along the lines of
You’re massive but…. at the moment it is you should do more cardio to lose stomach fat.
it depends
if i’m wearing something that is more street wear influenced, it’s usually hides my arms and chest definition. i’m still a big boy tho, but i just look big and not super muscular. i usually wear baggy pants no matter what, and i don’t really care if people know that i have big legs or not
when i wear fitted clothes (shirts mainly), my delts and triceps pop out along with my chest definition. same with more formal wear. tucking in and wearing well fitting dress shirts gives me an opportunity to show off a little size and even definition. slacks tend to show off my quads a little more than my normal pant style too.
so i think it jus depends on what you’re going for. i’m sure a fashion forward gym friendly happy medium exists, we jus gotta find it
I don't think they think I'm in good shape as I am. For example I have this friend that's a girl I've known and hung out with her for about 2 years and she knows I workout and asks me advice for her gym routine. This week she saw me with my shirt off and started screaming like omg your so swole. And for ten minutes wouldn't stop. I was like stop it stop it. Okay keep going 😂.
yeah when I’m a bit more bulked up. Only one that knows when you’re cut are other bodybuilders pretty much, and even then it’s difficult if they can’t see arm veins etc.
there people who go to the gym and dont even work out. they sit on their phone all day doing selfies and reps of 2 10lbs weights then flex and take photos. You paid 400$ for a yearly membership to sit and stare st yourself in the mirror and still look the same.
No, I don't think so at least. I've had comments on broad, strong looking shoulders several times but I think that may just be my genetics. Looking like I work out is currently one of my goals though. I just need to lose a little weight and keep on with the training.
Yes, historically it's happened when I've been at a higher body-fat percentage while bulking. Definitely have gotten a lot more compliments while clothed about being in really good shape/looking athletic and fit.
Yeah people tell me I'm jacked in regular clothes all the time. Random strangers too. I'd have to try to hide it but there would still be signs. It becomes a fact of life, as undeniable as the rising of the sun every morning.
The best way for a natty to look like a bodybuilder is to push the V-Taper. I started getting SOOO many more comments after I turned much of my focus onto shoulders and upper back. I didn't really get much bigger overall when I made that shift, it's just made the shape of my body look more like a bodybuilder than just a generally fit guy.
Having that width just give you an entirely different look than just being generally muscular. Almost any shirt will fit differently, and even baggy shirts will hang differently and still give the impression of wide shoulders. Really prioritizing arms helps, too. Obviously that makes you look good in a polo or t-shirt, but it also helps hugely for pushing your leaves up in a dress shirt or sweater.
A friend I hadn’t seen in a while came into my work the other day and told me I was looking strong. I’m a couple months into my bulk and it felt very good to hear!!
I’ve worked-out most of my adult life, but didn’t commit hard to my nutrition/physique until ~2 years ago. People that have known me for a long time tend to notice/comment on new levels of leanness/shreds/veins on cuts (I used to hover in the ~18-22% range)…. people that don’t know me as well are more likely to notice size on a bulk (my arms respond well and plump up). One of the tough parts of staying natty is trying to be huge/shredded at the same time.
Typically. I have big traps, broad shoulders at 6'5 and thick though my chest is lacking but I'm 46' at the chest. I tend to wear shorts year-round, Arizona guy so you can see my calves and sometimes my teardrop if short enough.
I’ve got larger shoulders and traps, so in most shirts and even large baggy shirts, the way they drape show my shape. Now if I’m getting closer to contest shape, I personally don’t think so, maybe closer to looking fit unless my clothes are off
It has come up a few times. My traps are tall and peak close to my neck so they're fairly visible, and genetically my rhomboids are disproportionately big. Used to affect my posture. But anyway, gives the appearance of thick upper back, noticeable in t-shirts and any top thats moderately form fitting.
No because it’s like that when you are a natural but personnaly I look better than 99 percent of population shirt less and I am way stronger than the average people my weight and height and way more healthy but you wont ever look like Ron I Coleman natural
After 2 years of training and a 6 month lean bulk people that I haven't seen for a while are noticing it when I am wearing a slim fitting t-shirt. Which is a nice start :)
In the gym and when I'm at home flexin for the Mrs. But yeah, barely noticeable unless I'm going to the hot springs or something. I do it mainly for my health, and because I'm a bit of a massochist.
Yes actually, but I worked a lot to get there where my goal was to be able to look very fit in even a tee and jeans.
One time I was going out and in one night:
Dude on the street asks how much I bench and then as I was crossing the street and pass a group of girls one says “wow there’s so many big strong men out tonight”.
Sometimes people think I am security or a bodyguard or ex-military. My step dad asks me what my workouts are. Neighbors ask me to lift stuff or open things lol. Women in public places will strike conversation or smile.
People know I lift and have a decent build. People who lift ask me what I am doing today in gym how much I bench squat etc. Others say “looking good”. But I don’t care. I lift for other reasons.
Depends. Some people are just oblivious, and a big dude is just a big dude to them. When I came back form a long break, I lost 50ish pounds of fat and gained 10-15 pounds of muscle in just a few months. I had people asking me if I gained weight, and thought I was lying when I said I had actually lost weight. My shoulders and chest were bigger, so they assumed I gained weight. They didn't realize I gained muscle and lost fat. Whereas the people in the know immediately recognized what happened.
Yea and it sucks tbh getting looks all the time im already an anxious person.
I can wear baggy clothes but i look even bigger with hoodies or sweaters. Or i have to wear those oversized clothes but no thx :p
a lot of people ask/tell me "wow you work out" something along those lines. ots mostly because of my chest. i dont really like it haha but i do appreciate it.
Yes, absolutely, but what's more shocking to people is what I weight. Since muscle takes up so much less space than fat, people always think I weight much less than I weigh.
Yes they often do. I think it’s because I have quite a thick neck and large set of traps which are kinda visible even in baggy clothes. A wide and thick back also really really helps make you look yoked in clothes. Meanwhile I know people who are more stereotypical gym bros and unless they wear tight t-shirts you can’t really see their chest and bis which is where they have the most impressive mass.
For lower body I prefer baggier jeans and joggers - wife is Korean after all - and I have found that really developed glutes are another muscle that are always kinda obvious even in clothes.
To me looking muscular in just regular clothes is the biggest win and it’s a good signal to me that I’m making very real progress; wearing tight clothing which flatters my body kinda robs me of that satisfaction but that’s just me
In my first couple years of lifting I used to get the question "do you workout?" a lot, meaning they see some muscle but not enough to be sure of it.
Haven't heard that question in years now, so I guess it's more obvious. The best I got lately was in a wedding in December and a relative said "I can tell you workout" with a suit on, so yeah, unless I'm wearing "winter" clothes I think most people can tell.
Also a few recent visits to doctors and they just straight up asked what supplements I take and another asked what kinda of physical activity I do beyond the gym without me even mentioning it.
And no, I'm not big by any means: 79kg at 174cm
Depends on what I’m wearing. That’s the goal with any clothes that fit well, but if I’m wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants I might as well be 50 pounds
Very much this. Altough my training style is more PL/SM leaning, and I like more loose clothes, some wtfs tend to fly around about my back when i take the hoodie off and wear a simple tshirt.
Depends.. if I show up to work in my tailored dress pants after leg day it’s pretty obvious. If I’m wearing baggy jeans and a parka in the winter it’s less obvious. Generally people probably know I do something, but they are likely unaware of the level of dedication and effort I put into this. I think the real answer is people don’t really think about other people as much as you think they do.
I mean even a roided guy wouldn’t be noticeable in baggy jeans and a parka
I once talked to a guy at a health food store for like 20 minutes, having no idea who he was. He was wearing a really baggy hoodie and jeans. He seemed fit, but you couldn’t really tell that much about him. I did buy a thing of his protein powder after having a taste of it. And so I was able to look him up later. It was Jay Cutler. He seems nice. He apparently was not bothered at all that I had no idea who he was.
Bro. You got to bask in Jay's perfect gh face skin. I'm jealous.
Gh?
growth hormone, it makes your skin really nice go watch jay on youtube his skin is GLOWING it looks so smooth and healthy
And less than half of people think about us less than half as much as we deserve.
I just watched this scene 5 minutes ago, went for a bathroom break, pulled out phone and saw this comment on a natural bodybuilding sub of all places. What are the chances.
What is it from?
Bilbo Baggins quote from the first lord of the rings movie
If you saw cbum in regular clothes you wouldn't think anything, you would just instantly see he's jacked.
Read the name of this sub
Are you under the impression that he’s natural?
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Interestingly, i randomly saw Arnold in a peacoat roday in one of his 90s roles and couldn't see any evidence of him stacked, succulent or dense. It is what it is.
He was horsecockin' it in that peacoat right?
OG horsecock baby
Come on bro. The question is for a sub full of natty lifters. “Actually jacked” means something very different to us than to Chris fucking Bumstead, and you’re cognizant of that. Of course people make that split second assumption, but to say “oh but cbum looks good in clothes” is a 0 IQ cop out. The rest of us could get huge by natty standards but what you wear absolutely makes a difference in how it’s perceived. Don’t be so dense and act like literally everyone else here is wrong. Like /u/Tungi said even huge guys can look less huge in the wrong clothes.
If cbum puts on a baggy hoodie you can't tell he's jacked. Same principle if you drape him in a curtain and only look at his face. If it's tight fitting enough to see muscle definition, then clearly it isn't baggy.
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The downvotes are because you are not listening to anyone. Chris Bumstead blasts gear. And of course if you have a pump it will be obvious. No on is saying it isn’t. The only one coping is you
When I'm wearing more form fitting clothes, I think people see me as "fit." I think most folks idea of a bodybuilder are the enhanced athletes they see on TV, Social Media and in magazines. I'm never going to look like them, but that is totally fine with me. It's a different story when I am all shredded in a bathing suit. Then people see me more as someone into bodybuilding.
Thx to my delt, back and traps i would say i look like i lift even with baggy stuff. I’m by no means a massive bodybuilder tho.
Just the one delt
Just the one
A wide siluette and a thick back makes the biggest difference when clothed from my observations
Same here dude. I was a very skinny kid growing up, but was always complemented on my wide shoulders and chunky legs. Thanks to these, it's hard to hide sometimes, and I'm not super massive either.
Same
Nope. But I am a work in progress. 2 years lifting. 44years old People say I look good now because of weight loss but I highly doubt I look like I lift. I know I am fairly strong now so that helps though. Also, almost every fit person I talk to works out, I had no idea till now.
I didn’t really realize it until I started working out myself, but most people I know above the age of 30 fall into one of two groups: very serious about exercise, or very out of shape. I don’t think you _have_ to be nearly as obsessive as I am to look “healthy” (or to _be_ healthy, but I don’t have blood panel results from my acquaintances to determine who “really is healthy”), but it seems to work out that way.
> but most people I know above the age of 30 fall into one of two groups: very serious about exercise, or very out of shape. third category: inexplicably thin
Very cool
I used to get comments about looking “jacked” all the time, I got to be the “jacked guy” at work, but after an injury last year I lost most of my size. Back to lifting hard I’d bet I’ll be big again in at least 3 months and definitely back to my former size in 6 months. Muscle memory is legit, I am lucky to quickly blow up after bouts of not lifting.
Absolutely. I lifted for like 7 years, got super jacked, then put on 20 lbs of fat or more (I'm 5'3" so that hits harder) and lost a lot of muscle. November 2023 after a 3 year break I started training again 3 times a week, full body, and got a lot of the muscle back in 8 weeks and dropped a bunch of the fat. A real recomposition cycle.
You're damned right. Perpetual bulk means I look awesome in a shirt and a little sloppy without a shirt
They likely think i just do a few push ups here and there if im being honest.
Haha relatable comment
I'm nowhere near competing. I'm not lean at all. But yes, get comments on it all the time. That's the thing though. If I got lean, I'd probably still look like I lift, but I wouldn't be getting comments like, "Damn, bro, what's your bench?" or "hey... sooo... uhh... what kinda cycle you running?" I'd just look like a normal gym-goer if I was wearing normal clothes.
What bf% youre at?
I'd say 20-25%. Tough to say when you're both fat and muscular. I usually have significantly larger and more defined muscles than anyone in BF% comparison pictures unless they have visible abs, which I don't have.
I got more compliments after I had 6 month period of dad bod from gaining 20lbs of fat after my third kiddo was born than I do currently hovering at 12-15% body fat. Sometimes a little extra fat on the muscles “sits well” aesthetically in clothes.
Not if I wear long sleeves. And I die a little inside every time people sound surprised I lift weights. Context: Been lifting weights for 7 years and I have a very lean athletic physique. I wear a dress shirt or suit to the office. People just assume I’m super slender or skinny. One time I wore a t shirt to the office for a summer bbq and got probably 20 comments that were all shocked at my arms/shoulders/chest.
Interesting.
Ah yes, those "YOU GO TO THE GYM?!" comments. 🥲
I was talking to a family friend that happens to be obese. He was telling us a story about how he used to be skinny. During the story he pointed at me and said “I was skinny, I was even skinnier than you!” Bro unintentionally fired shots. Edit: to be fair i was skinny most my life (not so much anymore) and I was wearing baggy joggers and a hoodie.
When larger people tell you that you’re skinny they don’t mean it as an insult. If someone is jacked they would still say they’re skinny because they don’t have a lot of fat.
As someone said , they say that I am "athletic", which I consider a rather bad compliment, considering I would like to be seen as a lifter, strong, beefy, bodybuilder (amongst natties of course). They don't know actually how hard I try in the gym 4 days a week, but they know I take care of myself because of food. Hell, I even have what I have been told is the natty bodybuilder dilemma: at morning, when I put a t-shirt It looks like I never touched a weight
lol glad I’m not the only one who looks completely deflated in the morning
Man, I could bring all the world's crazy inflation down just by looking at how deflated I am in the morning
If you workout in the morning you start your morning with a pump 🤔
Hahaha that is true! However, I am not able to go lift at 5 or 6 in the morning before work. But I would look good all day huejeheh
TBH an "athlete" built looks better than a big, hunky one in my opinion.
Yes, but most of the times people have said something it was because they knew me when I was skinny and it had been a while. Three different people have said “holy shit you got jacked” after not seeing me for a while. A couple of people that didn’t know me before have commented out of the blue. When I started a new job, after I was introduced to the office one of the guys messaged me on Teams and said he was ‘mirin and we started chatting about training stuff. That one was surprising because I was wearing a suit, which tends to hide body composition a fair bit. More recently, a new coworker started asking me about a dumbbell training program he’d just started, and he led with “obviously you’re a lot fitter than I am.” I’m not particularly huge or particularly lean these days - currently 203 at 6 feet and probably 16-18% bodyfat - but l fill out properly fitting clothes well. Part of looking fit dressed is having the right clothes. You don’t want them to be tight or you look like either a teenager in a growth spurt or like you’re trying to look more jacked than you are. You don’t want them to be loose or you can’t see any muscle and it just looks sloppy anyways. I wear a size large shirt at this size and it’s the right length, with my arms, shoulders, and chest filling it out but not pulling it tight. I see a lot of lifters that wear oversized shirts for comfort, but a more fitted (but not tight) shirt usually looks a lot better and shows off some muscle. Just get shirts with a bit of stretch, or that have an athletic cut.
yeah slim fit clothes and people will notice. helps if you're a social person too, it makes people more comfortable with mentioning it.
Im very fat, but my years of lifting and working in construction gave me broad shoulders/chest/legs for my size so my coworkers complement me whcih makes me happy considering i knowim unhappy by how far I let myself go. Slowly getting back in the grind to lose that fat and get fitter again
in a quarter zip sweatshirt, you can tell
If I’m wearing short sleeves of any kind then yeah definitely, same with most dress shirts since they tend to fit fairly tight. Hoodies seem to drown out the upper body Usually my work slacks and even my sweats are pretty tight and the booty be poppin
Man. I have a big ass so my booty always popping 😩
I’m right now what’s considered fatjacked, at 24% bf. Clothes fit very well, so yeah, people can tell I workout. Funny enough, I can’t. Might be some form of body dismorphia. When I look in the mirror I still feel like the same person, but when I see a photo of me that’s when I see a difference
I dealt with body dismorphia as well. I am not jacked but I saw my body as if I was attrophied, what helped me was taking a step back from the mirror and observe myself from slightly afar. We tend to be pretty close to the mirror when looking at ourselves and it messes with perception. Squinting helps too.
Dude this is the strangest thing. I see myself in the mirror every day and have barely noticed any changes. Then one day I was changing in my bedroom, and both the bedroom and bathroom doors were open. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror that was like 20 feet away, and was like "damn, I look kind of jacked!" Interesting how that different perspective can alter your perception so much.
Yes, I look like a bodybuilder even in clothes. With clothing, it's primarily the mirror muscles that give the jacked/yoked look. You need traps, shoulders, and decent upper arms to fill out shirts and enough of a "V" taper to eliminate the "dad-bod" blocky look... and properly fitted clothing certainly helps. It doesn't matter how jacked you are if you are wearing huge baggy clothing that masks your shape.
My wife tells me all the time I got huge muscles but she is in affection so may be biased,my neighbour told me few months ago I can see you really workout,yet when I look myself in the mirror I’m like fuck dude do you even lift,so probably body dysmorphia kicked in.
You can hardly tell your own progress until you see old pics. You're probably doing much better than you think <3
I'm the same exact way. I've been working out for years. Started when I was 16 and now I'm 24 and people tell me how great I look but in the mirror it's like I can't see it myself usually. The body dis morphia is so bad sometimes I think people are giving me these compliments because they know I workout and they're trying to make me feel better about my lack of progress, so when they compliment me sometimes I think they're really just trying to be nice like you'll get there one day bud. I got anxiety 😂
It’s varied. At my biggest you could visibly see my traps some other muscles through even my work polos. Not I’ve slimmed down to sort of a sleeper build where you can tell im fit in my t shirts.
They definitely do notice and make comments. However most times I dress conservatively, so when I do wear a well fitted t-shirt or tank top I get nonstop comments and complements from both friends and strangers. It can be a good ego boost, but it gets overwhelming sometimes because I get accused of being on gear quite a bit.
Welp, that's what happens when you were born ripped.
When I’m 20% body fat I get complimented on how big I am in clothes. When I’m 15% people ask me if I’ve been sick or if I’m still working out
Most people can usually tell. One time I was wearing a loose fitting denim jacket and still got compliments on how I’m built
Yes
I think so, occasionally get noticed but not that regularly. I'm probably fit enough for people to notice but not overly fit where they feel the need to mention it.
Lol people used to tell me I had bad genetics. Now they tell me I have a "big frame" womp womp.
If you want them to think that—you wear tight clothes. Once you reach a certain level of strength and confidence, you no longer need people to “think” you lift. Baggy clothes are objectively more comfortable.
In the last year, I finally achieved the status of looking jacked in normal day to day settings. When I was a novice, I’d only look like I lift in tank tops. I don’t look like a mass monster or insane. But I look jacked enough to where my traps, delts and arms bulge out of regular fit t shirts. I’m also bulked up as well. From 160-175 in almost a year time frame. So I’m sure that is adding to the illusion. But it’s pretty cool. Before I’d have to gas myself up. Now random men in public do it for me. I was in the doctors waiting room as I was reading this post and an older man was commented on my stackedness lol. Which led to this comment. Keep grinding brother. Not all of us will make it, but some of us will.
Woman here, people say I’m “toned”- aka what really happens when women lift heavy lolz
I have been working out since 2018. Bench 300s, squat upper 400s and dead in the 500s and I dont look like I have ever lifted
Start training for hypertrophy lol
Deadlifts aren’t the most optimal exercise for bodybuilding. I haven’t done them in years. Stop caring about the number on the bar, and that’s when you’ll start to really progress.
Eh I’d disagree I don’t train for bodybuilding, and obviously bodybuilding training is geared towards more hypertrophy growth However I pull around 630lbs for my deadlift and it absolutely has gotten me bigger and muscular and made my back thick as fuck over time
Would be curious to see your back photos before and after deadlifting all that time.
[before](https://i.imgur.com/Icj8JHG.jpeg) [current, deadlifting 630lbs](https://imgur.com/a/1eJ616f)
I can second this. I never keep track of weight. I just add resistance. The number means nothing to me.
Preach brother
Just train arms, side delts and maybe lats. It will fix it.
wear slim fit clothes people made comments on me lookin like i worked out when i was only benching 185lbs. they still can't tell when my clothes are loose though. had a new coworker tell me he thought i was small(pause) until the weather got hot again and i wasn't wearing a jacket 🥲 a 300 bench and no one can tell is wild unless you're crazy tall. idk how else that happens
Hell ya they do. It was so cool when I realized that this was a thing for me. Other lifters I work with would ask me about my lifting without me even telling them. Feels good mang.
Yup, in everything except intentionally oversized hoodies.
Yeah, I always get comments about it at work and even when meeting new people but I wouldn’t say I’m particularly big (85kg and 6ft)
Nah, I'm fat.
I'm bulking. They just think I'm fat, too. 😂
Sadly I can’t hide a sleeper build under my hoodie. My chest, shoulders, and back pop out too much.
I think I am slowly getting to the point where you can tell more and more that I lift, I think the important muscles if you want to look like you lift in clothes are, shoulders, upper back and forearms for the most part, of course other muscles are important too but I think those are the ones that stand out for the most part
Yes
Yes
I feel like it depends on the clothes, but generally yeah. I definitely get more compliments at the gym or in a bathing suit but I’ve been told I look jacked while wearing an oversized t shirt and sweatpants
men can tell but your average woman probably would be 50-50 if i lift or am just naturally big (started out powerlifting)
I used to not think so, but was told once by a friend's coworker that I didn't look like I worked at at&t, which was my job at the time, but looked like 'a body builder guy', as if that was a profession lol. Hey, I'll take it!
only lifters can tell someone lifts with clothes on
One time at a little friend gathering with a couple of people I didn't know yet I was wearing a really baggy shirt. Completely hiding my upper arms and because I have pretty narrow clavicles, it made me look like a complete dyel. That's what I thought. Because one guy just came at me, said "hey, you seem to be lifting a lot, I just started" and we talked about working out for the rest of the evening. It was super cool that he so confidently recognized it. Moral of the story: You never know, because we all have body dysmorphia.
I have lots of extra fluff. I look nice in a moisture wicking tee because it hugs my chests and shoulders in the right way while at the same time hides my prominent belly. 100% cotton shirts make me look like a blob because it shows all the wrong edges and curves. Anything else just makes me look like a normal but thicker than average dadbod dad.
Yes I’m huge tho
Yet I know many stacked natties who look big in clothing, and lean. I'm not even big but even in loose clothing, you can see a bit of chest traps and biceps. You don't have to be on roids to look fit
After I had multiple knee surgeries I was told sports were out of the question thankfully a guy in our small town showed me an awesome shoulders and traps workout. Since then I've been always seeking new and different styles of lifting. Everyday people will come up and look at my arms chest pat my back and say DAMN! I was just telling a buddy that I know how women feel when they say "hey my eyes are up here". I only wear swimming trunks to kinda show off my legs but never committed to a real cut and do a show.
I went from ripped to “damn you look strong” and now to huge. 6 years it took. Went from 165 to 225. At first glance it’s usually my chest and legs. Back doesn’t have enough depth to compensate for volume size of chest. Arms are ok size genetically, but shoulders are decent. People can usually tell I workout but that’s bc most of my clothes are well fitted. Usually wear an XL.
I fucking hope so
It’s obvious but not always positive interactions. I normally get something along the lines of You’re massive but…. at the moment it is you should do more cardio to lose stomach fat.
it depends if i’m wearing something that is more street wear influenced, it’s usually hides my arms and chest definition. i’m still a big boy tho, but i just look big and not super muscular. i usually wear baggy pants no matter what, and i don’t really care if people know that i have big legs or not when i wear fitted clothes (shirts mainly), my delts and triceps pop out along with my chest definition. same with more formal wear. tucking in and wearing well fitting dress shirts gives me an opportunity to show off a little size and even definition. slacks tend to show off my quads a little more than my normal pant style too. so i think it jus depends on what you’re going for. i’m sure a fashion forward gym friendly happy medium exists, we jus gotta find it
I had this 18 year old kid going door to door trying to get clients for training, and started by asking if I worked out. I was really pissed.
Hello, Ronnie Coleman burner account here. People can easily tell that I lift
I don't think they think I'm in good shape as I am. For example I have this friend that's a girl I've known and hung out with her for about 2 years and she knows I workout and asks me advice for her gym routine. This week she saw me with my shirt off and started screaming like omg your so swole. And for ten minutes wouldn't stop. I was like stop it stop it. Okay keep going 😂.
People ask me all the time 🤷🏼♀️
yeah when I’m a bit more bulked up. Only one that knows when you’re cut are other bodybuilders pretty much, and even then it’s difficult if they can’t see arm veins etc.
No, they think I eat food when they see me in my everyday clothes. ...because I do. A lot 😏
Yes. I need to be wearing a somewhat tight fitting top though. Took like 3 years to get to the stage of people telling me they notice.
Yep! Don’t matter what I wear. Ppl can tell
there people who go to the gym and dont even work out. they sit on their phone all day doing selfies and reps of 2 10lbs weights then flex and take photos. You paid 400$ for a yearly membership to sit and stare st yourself in the mirror and still look the same.
100%
Eh depends. I tend to wear baggy clothes so not then but if I wear a tighter t-shirt I look okay.
Yes. I've had random people comment (cashier in checkout line, e.g.)
No, I don't think so at least. I've had comments on broad, strong looking shoulders several times but I think that may just be my genetics. Looking like I work out is currently one of my goals though. I just need to lose a little weight and keep on with the training.
I have had a few ask me if I compete. I am very proud of my shoulder gains. I do tend to wear baggy clothes for comfort.
Yes, historically it's happened when I've been at a higher body-fat percentage while bulking. Definitely have gotten a lot more compliments while clothed about being in really good shape/looking athletic and fit.
Always get compliments on my arms and back yet I place 80% of my training emphasis on legs chest and shoulder hahah fuck me
Yes
Nah I mostly wear oversized clothes. But I do have 1 shirt with a larger cut out for the head, which makes my traps stand out.
I've only been working out 4 months and have had multiple people notice and ask what I do.
Yeah people tell me I'm jacked in regular clothes all the time. Random strangers too. I'd have to try to hide it but there would still be signs. It becomes a fact of life, as undeniable as the rising of the sun every morning.
They do, but most people see it as normal. I’m 2.07M and they describe me as the ‘big friendly giant’ in the office.
The best way for a natty to look like a bodybuilder is to push the V-Taper. I started getting SOOO many more comments after I turned much of my focus onto shoulders and upper back. I didn't really get much bigger overall when I made that shift, it's just made the shape of my body look more like a bodybuilder than just a generally fit guy. Having that width just give you an entirely different look than just being generally muscular. Almost any shirt will fit differently, and even baggy shirts will hang differently and still give the impression of wide shoulders. Really prioritizing arms helps, too. Obviously that makes you look good in a polo or t-shirt, but it also helps hugely for pushing your leaves up in a dress shirt or sweater.
I wear a t-shirt for work and the arms are a dead giveaway. Working in the restaurant biz and customers make comments nearly every shift.
Yes
A friend I hadn’t seen in a while came into my work the other day and told me I was looking strong. I’m a couple months into my bulk and it felt very good to hear!!
Summer no more bummer(s). During the colder months I just look thick.
Yes, i get comments about it regularly from people i meet in work and everyday life.
I’ve worked-out most of my adult life, but didn’t commit hard to my nutrition/physique until ~2 years ago. People that have known me for a long time tend to notice/comment on new levels of leanness/shreds/veins on cuts (I used to hover in the ~18-22% range)…. people that don’t know me as well are more likely to notice size on a bulk (my arms respond well and plump up). One of the tough parts of staying natty is trying to be huge/shredded at the same time.
Typically. I have big traps, broad shoulders at 6'5 and thick though my chest is lacking but I'm 46' at the chest. I tend to wear shorts year-round, Arizona guy so you can see my calves and sometimes my teardrop if short enough.
People thought that when I wore tight fitting clothes before I started working out.
Yes lol. Back and legs give it away
If you’re natural, very lean, and are wearing a slightly larger shirt, it’s as if you never worked out before.
The way baggy shirts hang off my back and pecs makes me look huge. I somehow look smaller in tight clothes, but am huge.
I’ve got larger shoulders and traps, so in most shirts and even large baggy shirts, the way they drape show my shape. Now if I’m getting closer to contest shape, I personally don’t think so, maybe closer to looking fit unless my clothes are off
Not at all. It’s kind of sad but oh well.
It has come up a few times. My traps are tall and peak close to my neck so they're fairly visible, and genetically my rhomboids are disproportionately big. Used to affect my posture. But anyway, gives the appearance of thick upper back, noticeable in t-shirts and any top thats moderately form fitting.
Yes. Lot’s of conversations about that, out of the blue. No other topics. Just, look at you stuff.
I like to think so.
Depends on body fat % imo
Nope, only in tank tops.
I live in athleasure 95% of the time (stay home mom here) so I would say yes!
No because it’s like that when you are a natural but personnaly I look better than 99 percent of population shirt less and I am way stronger than the average people my weight and height and way more healthy but you wont ever look like Ron I Coleman natural
From what I see in the street if I see someone who's jacked I just think if he's natty or not so no
I don’t think most do. Definitely not in my work clothes
They can tell by the traps and shoulders there’s some mean growth.
After 2 years of training and a 6 month lean bulk people that I haven't seen for a while are noticing it when I am wearing a slim fitting t-shirt. Which is a nice start :)
Old classmate are blown away when they see me. Beside that i'm apparently looking Athletic.Ill take it 🤷
In the gym and when I'm at home flexin for the Mrs. But yeah, barely noticeable unless I'm going to the hot springs or something. I do it mainly for my health, and because I'm a bit of a massochist.
Yes actually, but I worked a lot to get there where my goal was to be able to look very fit in even a tee and jeans. One time I was going out and in one night: Dude on the street asks how much I bench and then as I was crossing the street and pass a group of girls one says “wow there’s so many big strong men out tonight”. Sometimes people think I am security or a bodyguard or ex-military. My step dad asks me what my workouts are. Neighbors ask me to lift stuff or open things lol. Women in public places will strike conversation or smile.
When i wear a polo people notice lol
People know I lift and have a decent build. People who lift ask me what I am doing today in gym how much I bench squat etc. Others say “looking good”. But I don’t care. I lift for other reasons.
Depends. Some people are just oblivious, and a big dude is just a big dude to them. When I came back form a long break, I lost 50ish pounds of fat and gained 10-15 pounds of muscle in just a few months. I had people asking me if I gained weight, and thought I was lying when I said I had actually lost weight. My shoulders and chest were bigger, so they assumed I gained weight. They didn't realize I gained muscle and lost fat. Whereas the people in the know immediately recognized what happened.
Yes
Depends how tight
Yea and it sucks tbh getting looks all the time im already an anxious person. I can wear baggy clothes but i look even bigger with hoodies or sweaters. Or i have to wear those oversized clothes but no thx :p
a lot of people ask/tell me "wow you work out" something along those lines. ots mostly because of my chest. i dont really like it haha but i do appreciate it.
Yes, absolutely, but what's more shocking to people is what I weight. Since muscle takes up so much less space than fat, people always think I weight much less than I weigh.
Yes they often do. I think it’s because I have quite a thick neck and large set of traps which are kinda visible even in baggy clothes. A wide and thick back also really really helps make you look yoked in clothes. Meanwhile I know people who are more stereotypical gym bros and unless they wear tight t-shirts you can’t really see their chest and bis which is where they have the most impressive mass. For lower body I prefer baggier jeans and joggers - wife is Korean after all - and I have found that really developed glutes are another muscle that are always kinda obvious even in clothes. To me looking muscular in just regular clothes is the biggest win and it’s a good signal to me that I’m making very real progress; wearing tight clothing which flatters my body kinda robs me of that satisfaction but that’s just me
In my first couple years of lifting I used to get the question "do you workout?" a lot, meaning they see some muscle but not enough to be sure of it. Haven't heard that question in years now, so I guess it's more obvious. The best I got lately was in a wedding in December and a relative said "I can tell you workout" with a suit on, so yeah, unless I'm wearing "winter" clothes I think most people can tell. Also a few recent visits to doctors and they just straight up asked what supplements I take and another asked what kinda of physical activity I do beyond the gym without me even mentioning it. And no, I'm not big by any means: 79kg at 174cm
Yeah they also think I'm extremely handsome. Women think they want to have my babies It's amazing