You see them all the time…physique transformation contests. The majority are the 12-week variety while others change the time frame according to some theme. A genuine physique transformation is amazing, but there are lots of scammers out there who do things just to win these contests so they can later sell their story and a product.
Before and After Pictures
Imagine that the fictitious potential competitor “John” hears ahead of time that a certain site is going to have a physique transformation contest. He is already lean and cut up. What can John do to make sure he wins a contest when he's already in amazing shape? He could purposely put on weight before the contest. He is already carrying enough muscle to assist with getting rid of any fat he will gain. In fact, it was quite common in the old days of bodybuilding for the bodybuilder to bulk and gain fat only to cut later. John could put on the weight, take before pictures and then go back to eating clean and burn off the fat. He would be back to looking incredibly lean and ripped. It might possibly be enough to win the contest.
Additionally, we have all seen the before and after pictures on supplement advertisements. It is a known fact that many of those pictures are reversed. The person started out ripped (after pic) and purposely put on a little weight (before pic) to make it look like the supplement got him/her in great shape.
Steroid Use
There are plenty of illegal drugs that will help a person take off fat. Is it fair to other competitors if the winner used those supplements in order to win the contest? S/he may have very well started out in terrible shape and transformed their body, but does it count when you use the help of drugs?
My Take
I believe that anyone messing with before and after pictures is a fraud and that's all I am going to say about that issue. However, the drug issue is different. If the rules of the contest don't explicitly prohibit the use of said drugs then I think the person has every right to use them. As long as they are operating within the rules of the contest they have done nothing unethical. It is a personal choice and one people make on a daily basis for other reasons. I do not look down on them or degrade the amount of hard work it still takes to transform a body in a short period of time.
What do you think? Share with us in the comments below.
