The Rise of the Negative Influencer: When Fitness Becomes a Performance

The Ninfluencer.

I was having a conversation with a trainer at the gym.

A new fitness influencer seems to pop up every day. They usually showcase an incredible transformation achieved within an extremely short period of time. Most people know that these kinds of transformations can take years to achieve naturally. This trainer, a friend of mine, pointed out a new influencer he had come across who had gained an amount of muscle seemingly unknown to humankind in just a couple of years.

More often than not, these influencers are boastful PED abusers.

I was shown the profile briefly, and one thing immediately caught my eye. In his bio were the words: “Here to inspire.”

Inspire what exactly?

Shortcuts? Skipping the work? Ignoring the skills, lessons, and character that are built along the way?

The fact that progress takes time is part of what makes it meaningful. It helps shape you into a better version of yourself. The journey is just as important as the result. Fitness is about self-improvement and working on yourself. While a better physique is certainly a positive outcome, it is the consistency, dedication, discipline, and effort required to get there that truly matter.

If your goal is to become an influencer, or if your physique is a key part of your profession, then perhaps it makes sense from a business perspective. In this particular case, the individual wants to be an influencer, so everything revolves around displaying the physique. It becomes what I like to call the Instagram or social media window, the carefully curated snapshot that sells what they have to offer, much like the approach taken by Liver King.

But if the goal is simply to live well and become the best version of yourself, then I struggle to see the value.

How is taking potentially self-destructive substances to manufacture a disingenuous image for others to admire truly beneficial? So that strangers can marvel at what they see on a screen?

It becomes a performance for other people when fitness is supposed to be about you.

You.

Not how others look at you.

Trust me, you can satisfy one viewer, and another person with completely different tastes or expectations will see the exact opposite. Chasing approval is a losing game.

The real reward in fitness has never been the admiration of others. It has always been the person you become through the process.

And if it’s health you’re after, then steroids and PEDs are certainly not the way to do it.