Before and After Transformation Photos
The fitness industry is full of smoke and mirrors. Perhaps the worst example of this is the before and after transformation photos that you'll see.
What a lot of people don't understand is they often don't give an accurate idea of the changes.
In fact, it's very easy to fake the results in just minutes using simple tricks, such as,
The video below is a good example of what I'm talking about. He shows how he made the before and after pictures within 5 hours of each other. He even did the after picture first!
What a lot of people don't understand is they often don't give an accurate idea of the changes.
In fact, it's very easy to fake the results in just minutes using simple tricks, such as,
- Use of different lighting. The lighting you use can make a dramatic difference to how you look. I can make myself look skinny and soft to muscular and ripped in seconds just by taking a photo in better lighting. Better lighting is used in the vast majority of after pictures.
- Getting a pump. The pump is when your muscles swell up during your workout, which is caused by the excessive amount of blood going into the muscle. Having a pump will make your muscles look a lot bigger.
- Angles and posture. Have you ever seen girls on Instagram twisting their body and sticking their bum out in an unnatural way? They do this as it makes their waist look tiny, and their bum bigger. Slouching versus standing up tall will make a dramatic difference to how much fat it looks like you're carrying.
- Foods you eat before the photo. Making yourself look bloated can make you look much fatter in your before picture. It's a common tactic to drink a lot of fizzy drink before taking the photo. This can make you look pregnant.
- Getting a tan. Getting a tan helps make your muscles look more defined. It's why bodybuilders put so much fake tan on when they're competing.
- Grooming. I've seen so many before photos where people have messy hair, or unshaven in the before picture, but are perfectly groomed in the after picture.
- Steroids. This is more common most think. There is a well-known gym that has loads of transformation pics where they clearly started using steroids. This gives people unrealistic expectations, and gives people false confidence in the trainers ability.
The video below is a good example of what I'm talking about. He shows how he made the before and after pictures within 5 hours of each other. He even did the after picture first!
Even in my transformation photo, while I gained 27kg kg which is a significant amount, I'm much more tanned and the lighting is much better in the after photo. I can't remember, but I guess it was after a workout and I had a pump.
Keep all this in mind when you next see a before and after transformation photos. Don't let these give you unrealistic about what you will achieve.
Chris Adams
Personal Trainer
Nottingham
Chris Adams
Personal Trainer
Nottingham