Mike is an accomplished powerlifter, four-time"Mr. Natural Universe" (bodybuilding competition), former star of the TV show "American Gladiators," a fitness model, and successful entrepreneur. He also visits children's hospitals on the weekends and spends a good deal of his time helping other people reach their fitness goals. O'Hearn's resumé has "hero" written all over it.
However, when we dig below the surface, we can see that Mike O'Hearn's "heroism" is nothing more than a facade. Mike has lied about some of his accomplishments, and thousands of people still buy into his false claims.
Before I debunk Mike's bullshit, let me acknowledge a question that might arise: why call out Mike O'Hearn? What am I accomplishing? Hopefully, you'll find that the answer ties into a larger message that could benefit the general population.
Mike claims to be a completely natural (steroid-free) athlete. However, if I pull a little science out of my pocket, I can prove that his claim literally must be false. A measurement called the Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI), which takes into account height, weight, and body fat percentage, quantifies someones progression as a bodybuilder. The limit (as proposed by a study by Kouri EM et. al) for a natural individual's FFMI is 26. Hmm... Mike's FFMI is 29. Gee, I wonder why!
Big deal! He lied about steroid use. What's the harm?
Well, this is where I will use Mike's lie about steroid use to elaborate on this widespread problem in the fitness industry. People see that Mike has an amazing physique. People who want to achieve similar results will hear that Mike has "never used steroids," and thus expect to able to obtain an O'Hearn physique. When they fail to do so (the law of biology will prevent them), they will wonder where they went wrong in training, diet, lifestyle, etc. They may even resort to buying supplements (which are largely ineffective- I will touch on that in another blog post) to "fix" their lack of progress. Frustration, sadness, anger, and feelings of inadequacy may ensue.
Unfortunately, Mike's case isn't unique. Many of YouTube's fitness gurus lie about their use of steroids. In my opinion, their decision to lie perpetuates the lack of clarity that prevails within the fitness industry. People deserve to live a natural lifestyle with healthy eating and exercise habits without the burden of expecting impossible results. For many, it can be tough to accept that natural athletes have much slower progress than enhanced athletes, and sadly, many bodybuilders and powerlifters succumb to the temptations of steroid use.
My advice: treat fitness as a mode of self-improvement. Don't compare your results to other people's results. Let the Mike O'Hearn's of the world do their thing, but don't let them confuse you. Follow your own path. Be okay with slow progress, and never feel bad for having slower progress than an enhanced athlete. In the end, we use fitness as a means of learning life-lessons, staying happy, and self-reflection. All of that is wholly possible without steroids. Don't strive to be like Mike O'Hearn. Strive to be best version of yourself.
Photo credits to Joseph Belyea
However, when we dig below the surface, we can see that Mike O'Hearn's "heroism" is nothing more than a facade. Mike has lied about some of his accomplishments, and thousands of people still buy into his false claims.
Before I debunk Mike's bullshit, let me acknowledge a question that might arise: why call out Mike O'Hearn? What am I accomplishing? Hopefully, you'll find that the answer ties into a larger message that could benefit the general population.
Mike claims to be a completely natural (steroid-free) athlete. However, if I pull a little science out of my pocket, I can prove that his claim literally must be false. A measurement called the Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI), which takes into account height, weight, and body fat percentage, quantifies someones progression as a bodybuilder. The limit (as proposed by a study by Kouri EM et. al) for a natural individual's FFMI is 26. Hmm... Mike's FFMI is 29. Gee, I wonder why!
Big deal! He lied about steroid use. What's the harm?
Well, this is where I will use Mike's lie about steroid use to elaborate on this widespread problem in the fitness industry. People see that Mike has an amazing physique. People who want to achieve similar results will hear that Mike has "never used steroids," and thus expect to able to obtain an O'Hearn physique. When they fail to do so (the law of biology will prevent them), they will wonder where they went wrong in training, diet, lifestyle, etc. They may even resort to buying supplements (which are largely ineffective- I will touch on that in another blog post) to "fix" their lack of progress. Frustration, sadness, anger, and feelings of inadequacy may ensue.
Unfortunately, Mike's case isn't unique. Many of YouTube's fitness gurus lie about their use of steroids. In my opinion, their decision to lie perpetuates the lack of clarity that prevails within the fitness industry. People deserve to live a natural lifestyle with healthy eating and exercise habits without the burden of expecting impossible results. For many, it can be tough to accept that natural athletes have much slower progress than enhanced athletes, and sadly, many bodybuilders and powerlifters succumb to the temptations of steroid use.
My advice: treat fitness as a mode of self-improvement. Don't compare your results to other people's results. Let the Mike O'Hearn's of the world do their thing, but don't let them confuse you. Follow your own path. Be okay with slow progress, and never feel bad for having slower progress than an enhanced athlete. In the end, we use fitness as a means of learning life-lessons, staying happy, and self-reflection. All of that is wholly possible without steroids. Don't strive to be like Mike O'Hearn. Strive to be best version of yourself.
Photo credits to Joseph Belyea
I agree with every single sentence you wrote Jesse! We live in a society that runs on unrealistic body expectations, it's almost as if people DEMAND you to aim for unfeasible results. What's interesting to me (but maybe obvious to others) is that people often forget about the double standards of beauty when it comes to men and women. We hear about how WOMEN are objectified and pressured into having an unviable physical appearance, but you almost never hear about men going through the same issues. In a society in which loving ourselves is a crime, your blog post sheds some light on a topic people rarely touch upon.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post. You really decode the image that is O'Hearn, and you apply a down-to-earth and intelligent perspective with a casual tone. And i loved how in the end, you add a bit of inspiration and reasoning for readers to be unique and steroid free. Good job!
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