Bodybuilding is a hobby that’s beginning to grow in popularity. It’s not a hobby that helps pass the time, it requires a certain amount of dedication.
There are a lot of things to keep in mind when it comes to bodybuilding. To get the looks of an average bodybuilder, you have to work for it, and you have to work hard.
Some people have to put in a medium amount of work to achieve the desired look, and others have to work out a lot more. However, some things are mutual for all bodybuilders.
Whenever someone imagines a bodybuilder, they always imagine one with a nice, deep tan. And if you’re into bodybuilding, you can always hear other people talking about tanning.
Why do bodybuilders tan? Is there a specific reason why tan skin is a must-have for all bodybuilding enthusiasts, or it’s just a common preference?
We’ll cover all that in this article. To find out why do bodybuilders tan, among other things, continue reading our article?
Why Do Bodybuilders Tan?
Bodybuilding is sometimes described as a sport of illusions. The bodybuilders want to create an illusion of looking more muscular, lean, and aesthetic as much as they can.
Apart from training a lot and having a rigorous diet, more things help the bodybuilders appearing as good as they do. For example, bodybuilders practice posing for at least half an hour each day. Why?
Because posing is almost considered an art. Practicing posing gets the bodybuilder ready for competitions and helps them hide imperfections of their body.
There are even coaches that help bodybuilders learn to pose! So, it’s an important part of every bodybuilder’s routine.
Especially during bikini body competitions, you can see layers of fake tan on every competitor – men and women. There are a few reasons why bodybuilders prefer having a tan, and those reasons are:
Enhancing Muscle Definition
- This is the number one reason why bodybuilders like to tan. Muscles and the muscle definition look much better on darker skin tones.
- Sunbathing or more often, spray-on tanning helps a lot with the aesthetics of a bodybuilder. The effort you put in at the gym will be more prominent once you layer on that fake tan. Light skin doesn’t do much for your muscles. In fact, the body doesn’t look that lean when the skin is too light.
- Often, bodybuilders don’t stop at one layer of fake tan. The illusion of a truly ripped body is achieved with a true dark tan. Darker fake tan adds accent to the muscles and the whole body looks leaner with a darker tone.
- Why? Because of the lights at the competition.
- Light and pale skin looks washed up with all the lights pointed at it. The body looks less muscular then, and the flaws are accentuated with all the lights.
- So, that’s the main reason why. Dark tan and a lot of baby oil make the body of a bodybuilder appear perfect for competition. The sheen of oil on a dark tan makes the muscles appear larger and more defined!
Giving The Illusion Of A Slimmer Body
- We now know how the darker tan gives the muscles a better, more enhanced look. The muscles appear flexed with a darker tan, and also, the whole body looks slimmer.
- You may have noticed this after you went on a summer vacation that your body looks thinner, and you didn’t lose any weight. The darker skin tone makes the body appear slimmer, and this is also one of the reasons why bodybuilders like to coat themselves in some fake tanner.
- You can work with a tanning specialist to figure out what parts of your body would look better with a darker tone. This will help you look even slimmer!
- Do note that this doesn’t work like a charm. Looking thinner with a dark tan will work only once you reduce body fat under 10 percent!
- On the other hand, be careful about self-tanners and their use. Before a competition, research the rules and regulations – the last thing you would want is to be thrown out of the competition because you used too much fake tan!
Covering Up Stretch Marks
- Stretch marks are something so many people have. Whether you got them once you hit puberty, or during some sudden weight gain or weight loss, they’re there. And once you get them, that’s it.
- Creams and gels that promise to remove your stretch marks can only take you so far. They won’t remove the scar tissue that has formed.
- For regular people, that’s just something about your body you need to accept and move on. When you’re in a bodybuilding competition, that won’t cut it.
- The body has to appear perfect and without any flaws, and the stretch marks are a flaw. So many of us have them, we just have to hide them for the competition.
- Fake tanners hide away the stretch marks and blemishes making everything look perfect. They don’t call it a sport of illusions for no reason!
Giving A Better Look Overall
- We already covered the main reasons why getting a dark tan before competing is a good idea. It will help you win the competition!
- It’s not all about the tan – to get the best body ever, you have to work out, and keep an extremely restricted diet.
- Only if your body is already close to perfect, the self-tanner will help. Some time out sunbathing will also help if you want to track your progress between competitions!
- Be careful when applying fake tan, though. There is a fine line between a nice, deep bronze tan and looking ridiculous, and all that is thanks to pop culture and various reality shows.
- Using fake tan in bodybuilding has a purpose, whereas many famous people started doing it for the looks. Excessive amounts of fake tan look good on stage, but in reality, it looks tacky. Thankfully, fake tan washes away in a few days up to a week.
- Don’t be ashamed of using fake tan if you’re bodybuilding, and don’t be tempted to explain it to everyone that you feel is staring at you. You need it to look your best on stage, and that’s that.
- After all, it may look fake – but it’s the healthier option compared to sunbathing and tanning beds. Nothing shameful about taking care of your health!
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What Effects Does Tanning Have On Your Health?
Tanning may help you win a bikini body competition, but it’s not harmless. Tanning is associated with various risks like developing melanoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer.
If you are considering using tanning beds to achieve the desired, darker skin look – we strongly advise against it. Tanning beds pose the worst risk of getting skin cancer! Please, avoid using tanning beds at all times!
Sunbathing still poses a risk, but less than tanning beds. Spending some time in the sun is fine, even healthy, but keep yourself safe. Apply an SPF cream or gel to all parts of your body that are exposed to the sun.
While we’re at it, how long does it take to get a tan, anyway? Read our article to find out!
The SPF will not stop you from getting a nice tan, it will just help you get one without any risks. If you like sunbathing, check your moles for changes from time to time. UV rays are less dangerous when using SPF, but the danger is still real!
That’s why the industry developed fake tanners as a safer option. Fake tanners are applied to the skin to make it seem darker. There are so many fake tans out there – and the best type is the spray-on tan.
Do note that spray-on tans aren’t a risk-free method to get a tan. Spray-on tans contain chemicals that could affect your health too.
That is if you inhale the fumes from the spray. Some studies show that inhaling these chemicals semi-regularly could give you asthma! That may seem scary, but just make sure to close your mouth when you’re getting the spray-on tan!
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Why Do Bodybuilders Tan? – Conclusion
To conclude, bodybuilders have a reason why they tan, and it’s a good one. They need to be tan at competitions to look better and to make the chances of winning higher!
The reason behind that is that the lights are too strong at competitions, and they can wash out pale skin. A pale competitor will not look so lean, and the tanner one will!
So, the other reasons why are that the bodybuilder looks slimmer and the tan hides away the blemishes. Competing in a bodybuilding competition is all about the looks and posing to look your best, and a nice, deep fake tan will help you climb your way to the top!