Muscle Implants: Do They Belong In Bodybuilding?
It’s common to see the female side of the fitness industry shelling out money on implants. Many competitors pay big bucks to get muscle implants, breast implants, and even butt implants—but that’s the nature of the breast, I mean beast on that side of the industry. But how is it received in the bodybuilding world? After all, the sport revolves around building your body in the gym and feeding it the nutrients it needs to repair and grow, right?
Putting in the blood, sweat, and tears in the gym and resting the body so it can properly recover the broken down muscle fibers to come back larger and stronger. Not paying to bring up lagging body parts that you don’t want to work to build. Am I wrong here?
In this article, we are going to dive deeper into the topic of muscle implants to uncover the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Table of contents
What Are Muscle Implants?
Muscle implants, also known as muscle augmentation or muscle enhancement implants, refer to a type of surgical procedure in which synthetic materials are implanted into the body to create the appearance of larger and more defined muscles. These implants are typically used in bodybuilding or cosmetic surgery to enhance the appearance of certain muscle groups, especially when traditional methods like exercise and diet have not yielded the desired results.
The implants are typically made from biocompatible materials such as silicone or other synthetic substances that are safe for implantation within the body. They are designed to mimic the look and feel of natural muscles and can be customized to match the desired size and shape that the individual wants to achieve.
The most common areas where muscle implants are placed include the biceps, triceps, pectoral (chest) muscles, calves, and buttocks. The surgical procedure involves making incisions in the skin, creating pockets within the muscle layers, and then carefully inserting and positioning the implants. The incisions are then closed using sutures or other closure methods.
It’s important to note that muscle implants carry risks and potential complications, just like any surgical procedure. These can include infection, implant shifting, scarring, discomfort, and dissatisfaction with the results. Additionally, the appearance of natural muscles achieved through implants might not look entirely natural, and there could be limitations in terms of movement and flexibility depending on the location of the implants.
As with any medical procedure, it’s crucial to thoroughly research and consult with qualified medical professionals before considering muscle implant surgery. It’s also important to have realistic expectations about the outcomes and potential risks associated with the procedure.
The Good with Muscle Implants
If someone is unhappy with the way they look and they are self-conscious about a part of their body and it makes them feel better to get an implant (or muscle implants) then, by all means, do whatever will make you happy—it’s your life and body. Or some people have muscle tears or have accidents that leave them with severe imbalances where they go under the knife for cosmetic surgery to balance out their symmetry. Seems reasonable. Then again you also have some extremely vain people who do it simply for the attention they will get from looking a certain way or having certain pronounced features.
Genetics is another reason some men get muscle implants. We all aren’t blessed by the testosterone God’s and can put on lean muscle mass easily. So some go the route of having surgically placed muscle implants put in.
If competing in the sport of bodybuilding, this could also be advantageous to quickly bring up body parts. A surgeon advised me that it’s not uncommon for clients to come in and get bicep, pec, and delt implants all at once—leaving them looking like a muscle God when it’s all said and done (at least from the waist up). Another area that many guys will get muscle implants is in their calves and even glutes.
Are there risks involved with getting muscle implants? Sure, but technology today has truly minimized most risks and surgeries seem to go off without a hitch, allowing people to get back to their normal lives fairly quickly.
The Bad with Muscle Implants
Getting muscle implants doesn’t come without some possible negative aspects. If word gets out that a bodybuilder has implants, there is a possibility that it could sway the judges to not score the individual as high compared to someone who is standing next to them without muscle implants but has the same size and symmetry—through hard work in the gym, not by opening up their wallet.
While performance enhancing drugs are commonplace in the industry today, muscle implants aren’t something we really see or hear about. Maybe we are too naive to think that athletes are doing it, or maybe they are simply covering it up extremely well? Either way, I honestly couldn’t tell you if any of the top IFBB bodybuilders have implants. If so, maybe someone can enlighten us.
Knowing that a certain bodybuilder has muscle implants could also hurt their chances of getting a sponsorship. If a brand/company knows the man behind the muscle really never worked for all of that mass, it might lead them to look past that individual. Paying for an athlete to represent your brand who has muscle implants could lead to criticism in the industry not only by other competitors, but by bodybuilding fans who feel that muscle implants don’t belong in the sport.
The Ugly with Muscle Implants
Let’s be honest, we have all seen some botched surgeries where someone had muscle implants put in that didn’t quite come out the way they had planned. On paper it was all gravy which led them to sign on the dotted line, but then after they woke up from surgery they noticed something wasn’t exactly right with the “look”. Or have you ever see someone who had an implant shift on them? Especially with women who had a breast implant shift and move around on them? Quite awkward. If that doesn’t make someone self-conscious I don’t know what will.
Another risk with muscle implants is that the specific body part sticks out like a sore thumb sometimes if it isn’t done right to give a natural look. Think of a reverse Popeye where now a guy is walking around with huge bulging biceps but it looks like he has toothpicks for forearms. Not a good look.
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