by Christian Duque
Alright friends let’s get ready for another installment of Christian Duque’s no nonsense articles at Iron Magazine. Today I want to talk about fakers in the fitness industry that have massive followings and that like to play with the emotions of their followers. What do I mean by playing with the emotions of their followers, exactly?
I mean that sounds kind of goofy, doesn’t it? Well not really because a lot of these influencers are not just telling people how to lift or what to eat but they’re also trying to become motivational speakers in a way as well. In fact, a motivational speaker only addresses you one time or something of that nature, right? Maybe like at a seminar or something like that, but influencers are even more than that because people who follow them want to be like them or watch them on a daily basis. An influencer might release 30 stories on Instagram in a day and their followers will watch each and every one of them.
If an influencer preaches discipline, or preaches financial responsibility, and then the follower sees them driving around in a European sports car and living in a plush condo, they may believe that these perks of life are quite attainable. But what if the European sports car was in fact a rental? What if the condo in question didn’t belong to the influencer? What if everything the influencer showed the viewer was a bunch of bullshit? Then how would you feel about that? How would you feel about having purchased a program to better yourself – from a fraud?
Now I’m not going to name any names. We have seen people like the Liver King purport to live off of a certain type of food and go about a certain type of lifestyle – only to find out they were nothing but frauds. And everybody who spent money on their protocols, their t-shirts, everyone who watched hours upon hours of their content now feel like they have egg on their face.
But people shouldn’t feel stupid. It’s not a question of intelligence. When you have an individual that is facing heart disease or may have already had a stroke and they want to find a way to take control of their lives, of their health and well-being, those people are by no means stupid. What they are is very vulnerable. They are seen as low hanging fruit by many influencers without morals. They will get taken advantage of in moment of despair. It’s disgusting to write about and it’s even more disgusting to think about. It’s actually happening – day after day – in this industry.
As someone that has done hundreds, if not thousands of interviews, I have spoken to so many people of all walks of life doing bodybuilding shows or just training at the gym. People are very, very green when it comes to fitness. They don’t know how the body works because a lot of what you learn along the way is never taught in school. Most high school and even college health classes simply parrot what the RDA says or what the United States Council on Fitness says, but a lot of the time they don’t educate people on what to eat or the value of exercise. It’s only when people hit rock bottom and a doctor is telling them that if they don’t lose x amount of weight they’re going to go diabetic or if they don’t stop eating a certain type of food they’re going to die of a heart attack, that some people actually take the plunge.
It just makes my blood boil when I see someone fighting for their life getting bamboozled by a bullshit influencer trying to make money. It also makes my blood boil to see high school and college athletes following the footsteps of a hack that not only never made it but is grandstanding about all of the many achievements in their life. It is basically selling snake oil. It’s selling an illusion. At the end of the day there is no person or organization that holds influencers accountable.
I recently discovered a page that Johnny Bravo follows called Baller Busters. I did a little story on Instagram and tagged them and they were nice enough to repost the story and follow me back. If you have an opportunity check them out, give them a follow, and show them your support. I think what they’re doing is an important service in the fitness industry.
But let me stress that I don’t have a problem with the next man making a living. I understand that airbrushing is a thing. I understand that marketing is a thing. I understand that entertainment is a thing. Believe me I am not new to this game. I understand that Pumping Iron would not have been the hit that it was or that it is 60 years later if there wasn’t some embellishments or some script writing involved. I understand that Pumping Iron is not an accurate portrayal of what was really going on but really hinged quite a bit on entertainment value. Again let me stress I understand the nature of the business but what I don’t like is when influencers are 100% frauds. Like I said, a little bit for entertainment’s sake, a little bit for shock value, maybe a little bit for marketing and maybe a little bit for exaggeration and if MOST of the rest is the truth, then that’s okay. But when the vast majority of the content is a lie, however, that’s a major red flag.
And so far we have spoken about people with health issues or maybe young guys and gals that want to put on some quality size. But what if we’re dealing with people with psychological issues? What if we’re dealing with people that have self-harmed or even attempted against their own life? What if they have found fitness as a way out of the insanity, quite literally, into taking over their lives. And then come to find out the person they have been spending so much money on and trying to mirror their lives after, is a complete fraud. imagine how they feel. Imagine how they’re going to look back at all of their trials and tribulations, how they’re going to reflect on their achievements, when they find out that the person who has been their sole inspiration is nothing but a quick-jaw artist, a con man, pulling the wool over their eyes and laughing all the way to the bank.
I have very little sympathy for people like this. I appreciate channels like Baller Busters and others that shine the light. Because at the end of the day Instagram is not going to do it. Facebook is not going to do it. You could even advertise for scams on these popular social media platforms. As long as your check clears, as long as your credit card works, they’re going to run the ad. There is no quality control. And if there is one, I would love to see it in action, because as of yet I have not seen it. People get banned on Facebook for the wrong political opinion, that I have seen. But people don’t get banned for lies, get rich quick formulas, motivational speaking that’s all hot air, or selling supplements that may very well be nothing more than sugar cubes. There needs to be someone, an organization, a group of people, someone that will call bullshit where it is patently obvious.
Unfortunately, we have a lot of shady-ass-people in the fitness industry. The same way that competitors have to navigate through a sea of questionable characters calling themselves coaches before they find the right one, so too must fans looking for someone to follow, do their homework. No one’s going to do it for you, unfortunately. You can’t trust anyone or anything in the fitness industry. And if it sounds like I’m preaching that you should be paranoid, then that’s exactly right. You should be paranoid, be skeptical. You should even reserve smiling for only when you know for certain that whatever it is that’s making you smile – is real. There are all sorts of fast talkers, bullshitters, just your run-of-the-mill hustlers. And even the word hustler, really depends on the context. In some circles being called a hustler is a cool thing. In this article, it is not. I am not looking to flatter anyone by calling them a hustler. I’m basically calling them a scumbag.
At the end of the day, I hope that none of you get scammed, whether it’s paying to join an affiliate program, buying books that are based on lies, or following people that are huge losers but purport to be great success stories. Have you ever been scammed?
As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. And no, don’t ask me who this article is about. I won’t tell you. lol.