In today's day and age, the glorification of good-looking people and toned bodies is at an all-time high.

Because social media keeps shoving amazing-looking people in your face, the overwhelming majority are programmed to value beauty and muscular, toned physiques.

You can try to hide the fact that this is happening, but let’s be honest here—people with good-looking bodies are everywhere on social media.

And it's shaping how we view the world and what we value. Back in the day, bodybuilding and building muscle weren’t mainstream or even that popular.

But in the social media age, that’s what most people seem to glorify. Like everything in the world, though, you've got one extreme, and then you've got the other extreme—the people who absolutely dislike this.

You probably know where I stand on that spectrum (if you forgot who I am, I’m that dude posting physique pics online and giving you the tips).

Well, I stand smack in the middle. HAH, gotcha right there.

No, but in all honesty, I stand right in the middle of it.

I absolutely love working out and building a body that’s admirable—by myself or by others. Of course I do, I’m not going to sugarcoat that. But I also preach having other good qualities, like social skills or other passions.

So, I absolutely dislike people whose entire personality revolves around how big their muscles are. Just posting about muscles and flexing online—that’s their whole shtick.

Don’t get me wrong, when you start working out, you’ll probably begin with the mindset of wanting a good-looking physique. That is 100% fine. I did it too. But this mindset will 99.69% change in the future.

The benefits and reasons why you work out will evolve over time. In the beginning, most of the reasons fall into a simple platitude of muscles, baby. But as you go further in your journey, your reasons will shift.

And these reasons are often hidden—not noticeable with the naked eye.

So, without further ado, let’s hop into the reasons.

1. Growth Mindset

Most people have the limiting belief that they’re stuck at a certain level for the rest of their lives. This is especially true with fitness. They assume they’ve already hit their genetic potential—without ever touching a weight in their life.

If I had that mindset, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I always wanted to start working out and build muscle, but people around me didn’t believe in me. I kept hearing the same thing over and over—"No matter what you do, you won’t build muscle. You’re just a naturally skinny dude."

Well, I proved them wrong. Haha.

Out of every skill you can master, fitness is the one that truly builds a growth mindset—the belief that you can improve anything if you put in the work.

And here’s why fitness is the most powerful example of that:

Unlike other skills, where progress can feel abstract (like coding or learning a language), fitness is tangible. You’re literally growing your muscles by putting in the work. Every rep, every workout—it all adds up. You don’t have to "trust the process" blindly because you can see the results happening on your own body.

That’s why fitness builds a growth mindset. You develop undeniable proof that effort = results. And that mindset transfers to every other area of life.

Oh, and let’s not forget—the confidence boost that comes with it. When you see the results, you believe in them. And when you believe in them, you believe in yourself.

It is undeniable proof of work.

2. Undeniable Proof of Work

Every time you look in the mirror, every time you walk around in a fitted shirt (or pants if you’re a woman), you’re showing yourself—and the world—the undeniable proof of work you’ve put in.

No matter how you slice it, building muscle and sculpting the body you want takes hard work. And that effort? It builds your inner confidence like nothing else.

But when I say undeniable proof of work, what I really mean is indestructible inner self-confidence.

In Dutch, confidence is called "zelfvertrouwen", which literally means "self-trust." That’s exactly what confidence is—the trust you have in yourself to do the things you want and go after what you desire.

And this level of confidence? It’s forged in the gym.

To build the body you want, you have to push through discomfort—lifting heavy weights, grinding through days when you don’t feel like working out, saying no to foods you crave. Every time you do this, you’re proving to yourself that you have control, that you’re capable, that you can get results through effort.

This process builds your inner confidence like nothing else. And as a bonus? You get to see that undeniable proof of work in the mirror every single day. And yeah—others see it too.

But like I said in the intro—don’t let this be everything.

Use this self-trust and inner confidence to level up other areas of life. Don’t just be a meathead—be unstoppable.

I’ve seen this transfer into other areas of my life—whether it’s business, relationships, or just handling setbacks. Once you prove to yourself that effort = results, you start trusting yourself in everything you do.

3. Attraction. Yep, It Is What It Is.

Attraction. It’s not that complicated. But for some reason, people love to act like muscles don’t play a role. Let’s cut the BS for a second.

I don’t get why people act like this isn’t the case. Somehow, a lot of people refuse to believe that muscles create initial attraction.

Yes, don’t get me wrong—personality is super important. In fact, it’s even more important than physical looks and muscles in the long run.

But let’s be real for a second.

When you meet someone for the first time, the first thing they see is your body. Not your personality, not your values—just how you physically present yourself. There’s no way around that (unless we develop some kind of technology to instantly read someone’s personality on sight, which we don’t. Yet.).

And honestly? Having muscles is one of the most natural attraction triggers you can have. It’s way more primal than most things people chase in order to be attractive.

Strength = Attraction. It’s Science.

Think about it for a second.

Muscles represent strength and power—two things that, biologically speaking, have always been attractive to women. It’s literally wired into human nature.

You know what else is attractive? Money.

But here’s the difference:

1. Money is something you can lose overnight. One bad investment, one business failure, one market crash—gone.

2. Money is a man-made construct. Society decided it has value, but it’s not a natural, primal sign of strength or survival ability.

Muscles? That’s different.

They’re built through effort. They can’t be faked. They don’t depend on a bank balance. And they send a raw, instinctive signal that you’re strong, disciplined, and capable.

That’s why muscles are one of the strongest attraction triggers out there.

And just to be clear—I’m talking about attracting women because, well, I’m a heterosexual dude. I have no clue how to attract men, lol.

4. Mental Clarity of Water.

There are studies and scientists who have proven that working out improves cognitive capabilities. But who cares about studies and all that nerd sh*t? (Lol, just kidding.) Instead, let me share some actual anecdotal experiences.

As some of you may know, I used to work as a software developer. Even more so, I was a lead software developer at my previous job. So, it’s no secret that I had to use my brain at full capacity every day.

I remember one time when I was just sick enough to skip the gym for a few weeks, but not sick enough to take time off work. The first few days were fine, but after that, my brain got foggy, and focusing became ridiculously hard.

And it’s not just me—numerous clients of mine have noticed a significant boost in mental clarity once they started working out regularly.

If you really think about it, human beings were never designed to sit around all day with minimal movement.

5. Toughness of a Rock or the Rock.

Fitness is the one thing in your life that you do purely for yourself—something that is truly yours. You don’t do it for your spouse or your kids, and your body isn’t owned by anyone else (at least, I hope that’s the case for you).

Because it belongs to you, it’s also your responsibility to take care of it. Nobody is going to motivate you to hit the gym. Nobody is going to force you to eat healthy. In fact, some people might even push you toward habits that ruin your health.

At the end of the day, you have to do everything yourself. You have to push the weight yourself. You have to challenge yourself to lift heavier. You have to be the one to get out of bed in the morning and show up at the gym.

And that’s just the fitness part—then there’s your diet, too.

All of this, and there’s no one telling you that you have to do it. It’s all on you.

6. Energy of Thor the Thunder Hugger.

You lose what you don't use.

Humans are built to move and lift heavy things—basically, manual hard labor. And to do that, you need energy. If you consistently push yourself to lift heavier weights, your body adapts by increasing its energy reserves to match that demand.

The reverse is also true. If you don’t lift heavy things and don’t work out, the opposite happens. Your body notices the lack of movement and compensates by cutting down the amount of energy you have.

This is why you feel sluggish when you don’t work out. And I’m not even counting the trash diet most people have, which leads to packing on a shit ton of weight.

So, imagine the average person—someone who doesn’t work out and eats like garbage. Their energy levels? Absolute dog sht*.

(Sorry for cursing, but hey, that’s just who I am. Lol.)

And don’t underestimate the importance of energy. I swear, people forget how crucial it is.

Energy allows you to actually function—crushing it at work, playing with your kids, and, let’s be real, it even helps you fuck better (which is also important, haha).

Without energy, you can’t do anything. A perfect example? Someone so sick they’re bedridden all day. That’s what low energy looks like.

But if you work out, your energy reserves grow, giving you the fuel to do all the things that make life worthwhile and amazing. Unless, of course, you’d rather just lie in bed all day.

Last words.

Yeah, having a Greek god-like physique looks great and definitely feels nice, but the biggest benefits of fitness aren’t the ones you can see with the naked eye.

Sure, you might start working out because you want to look better. But after a while, you’ll keep doing it because of all the unseen benefits that come with being fit.

Being fit shouldn’t be a luxury—it should be a necessity. It makes life so much more enjoyable.

Thanks for reading this article and we will see each other next time!