The Truth About "Before And After" Pictures

If you've ever wondered whether some of those "before and after" pictures you see in the magazines are real or not, this is a short (68 seconds) video clip you might be interested in.

It's taken from a documentary called Bigger, Stronger, Faster, which is worth watching if you haven't seen it already.

Even though it's old news to anyone who's seen what goes on "behind the scenes" in the supplement industry, a lot of people are surprised when they realize that this kind of thing goes on.

But it's not the only "trick" that's used to create the impression of a rapid transformation.

In many cases, the people in the before and after pictures are fitness models who have spent a few months "slacking off" prior to getting their "before" pictures taken. When a muscle is trained, detrained and retrained, there is a faster change in muscle size during retraining compared to the initial training period from an untrained state [1], a phenomenon that some refer to as "muscle memory."

In other words, someone who's been in shape before will find it a whole lot easier to regain their old physique than someone who's starting from scratch.

Yet another good reason why you shouldn't always trust the glossy supplement ads you see in the magazines.

Reference
1. Staron, R.S., Leonardi, M.J., Karapondo, D.L., Malicky, E.S., Falkel, J.E., Hagerman, F.C., & Hikida, R.S. (1991). Strength and skeletal muscle adaptations in heavy-resistance-trained women after detraining and retraining. Journal of Applied Physiology, 70, 631-640