Why Copying Influencer Bodies Never Works

(And why it’s not because you’re “bad at fitness”)

Let’s talk about one of the most unspoken truths in the fitness industry.

Copying someone else’s body

will never give you their results.

Not because you’re doing it wrong.

Not because you “didn’t want it badly enough.”

Not because you missed a supplement or skipped leg day once in 2019.

But because… that’s not how bodies work.

Shocking, I know.

Social media doesn’t sell processes.

It sells bodies.

You’re shown:

• a physique

• a transformation

• a highlight reel that looks suspiciously like it was shot during golden hour

Then you’re handed:

• a workout plan

• a diet

• a supplement stack longer than your weekly food shop receipt

With the quiet promise:

“Do this… and you’ll look like me.”

They never actually say it out loud.

Because they don’t have to.

The implication does all the work.

And it’s an impossible promise to deliver.

Bodies are visual proof.

They’re persuasive.

They stop people scrolling.

They bypass logic entirely.

Your brain doesn’t go, “Hmm, I wonder about their training age and hormonal profile.”

It goes, “I want that.”

What you don’t see:

• genetics

• age

• training history

• lifestyle

• stress levels

• sleep

• hormones

• injuries

• years of consistency

• camera angles doing God’s work

• lighting

• filters

• edits

• and possibly dehydration-induced delusion

You’re copying the surface.

Not the system underneath.

That’s like copying someone’s car paint job and wondering why your engine still runs like a lawnmower.

What This Does to Real People?

People follow plans perfectly…

And don’t get the same results.

So they assume:

• they’re broken

• they’re lazy

• they “just don’t have discipline”

They bounce:

• programme to programme

• coach to coach

• plan to plan

Still chasing someone else’s outcome.

That’s not motivation.

That’s quiet, grinding frustration.

And it usually ends with:

“Maybe I just need to try harder.”

Or worse:

“Maybe fitness just isn’t for me.”

(Neither of those are true, by the way.)

Truth is, fitness isn’t about building a body.

It’s about building your body.

Your structure.

Your history.

Your lifestyle.

Your stress levels.

Your capacity right now >> not the imaginary version of you who sleeps 9 hours, has zero responsibilities, and meal preps like a monk.

Two people can follow the same plan and get completely different results.

And both can be successful.

That’s not failure.

That’s biology.

Sooooooo

Stop asking:

“How do I look like them?”

Start asking:

“What does my body respond to?”

Real progress comes from:

• personal baselines

• sustainable routines

• training that fits your life (not fights it)

• food that supports your energy, not punishes you

• expectations rooted firmly in reality

That’s how confidence is built.

Not from copying someone else’s highlight reel, but from understanding your own patterns.

Bottom line:

Influencer bodies are inspiration, not instruction.

You don’t need their body.

You need a plan built around yours.

And once you stop chasing someone else’s result, you finally give yourself a chance to succeed.

If you found this helpful, share it with a friend who needs to read it.

And if this hit home, i've put together a free book that goes deeper into why fat loss stops working the way it used to after 30 and how to approach it without starting over again.

You can read it here if you want.

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Here's to your success

Jason 'Keeping it real' Brownlie

Dad, Husband, Coach

www.kebofit.com

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