A six-pack doesn’t make you happy

Geschatte leestijd: 3 minuten Congratulations! You finally have a six-pack. Finally, that dream figure you’ve worked so hard for. And now?

Money doesn’t buy happiness

When rich people say that money doesn’t buy happiness, I, like many others probably, can get quite annoyed. Especially when they are people with old money. People who have never experienced what it means to worry about your bills. When it comes to a six-pack, I could have been a scion of the Rothschild family; filthy rich without having to lift a finger. So, I am aware that not everyone will take kindly to me saying that a six-pack doesn’t make you happy.

It’s just a six-pack

For some, the dream is a six-pack, for others more muscle mass, a nicer butt, firmer arms, an Insta-worthy picture. “If that body is there, everything will be better,” some may delude themselves. Back in the day, you had ‘the Arnold route’. Boy starts training, boy becomes muscular man. Muscular man wins bodybuilding competitions and becomes a champion. Champion lands on magazine covers and becomes a movie star. That’s how people saw that route at least: Good body –> good life. As a result, we saw forlorn figures living in their cars next to the gym in L.A. hoping to be discovered on the street. The reality is, of course, different. Even if you have the body of Arnold, you shouldn’t expect Arnold’s success. A good body is just a good body. So, don’t expect admirers to suddenly swoon at your feet when you finally have a six-pack. You won’t suddenly have millions of followers on social media and become a famous fitness model. Your life is still exactly the same. You’ve lost the worry of getting rid of your ‘creamy’ body, but now there’s a new worry.

With a great six-pack comes great responsibility

Because once you have that six-pack, that dream body, those extra muscle bundles, there comes a great responsibility: Maintaining that body. You could be someone who just had a six-pack on their bucket list. Someone who just wants to take a few pictures with a six-pack. If you want to prove to yourself that you gave yourself a challenge and accomplished it. A bit like what Giel recently suggested. I understand such an attitude when it comes to bungee jumping, meeting an idol, or having a threesome. However, I have never understood it when it comes to the appearance of your body. Personally, I can’t imagine losing my muscle mass and becoming a 63 kg boy again. I’ve literally had nightmares about that.

Forget the best version of yourself

I myself have reservations about fitness motivational quotes like “become the best version of you”. That’s why I included it in the top ten list of wrong fitness quotes. I don’t want to see the best version of myself at all. I don’t compete, and I don’t use steroids. I don’t want to see myself with (even) lower body fat percentage and more muscle mass than I can naturally build. That’s a version that isn’t sustainable. Just a temporary representation of what my body could be under extreme circumstances. You can tell yourself that you understand that you can’t lead such an extreme life forever and that you understand that such a body is only temporary. That may not prevent the mental stress caused by setting the bar too high for yourself. Every time you look in the mirror, you can mentally compare that ‘best version of yourself’. How can you then be satisfied with the body you actually see in front of you? At least I couldn’t. That’s why I settle for, let’s say, 80% of the best version of myself. And even maintaining that 80% can sometimes be stressful enough.

How temporary is your six-pack?

It might be different for people who regularly compete. They know that there is a time for bulking and a time for cutting. A time for building and showing off. It’s easier to accept that you’re not at 100% when it allows you to grow to 110%. So, there will indeed be people who have no problem seeing their ‘best version’ only once. However, I have also spoken to clients who visited a psychiatrist because they had trouble accepting that their competition shape cannot be permanent. You can debate whether money makes you happy. After all, that’s subjective too. But I’m pretty sure being poor is less bad if you weren’t rich before. Just ask the lottery winners who squandered their millions within a year.