Because Bodybuilders Are Stupid... Right? • Russ Howe PTI

Last week I was approached in the gym by a worried parent who was concerned that letting his teenage son lift weights might have a negative impact on his intelligence.

Yes, seriously.

The root of his theory was the stereotype that bodybuilders have a reputation for being “big dumb meatheads” (sorry bodybuilders), so he asked whether there’s any science on this topic.

Of course, I reassured him this old stereotype is nonsense, but during the rest of the day I noticed that the more people I asked about this, the more seemed to share his opinion that bodybuilders (and musclebound people in general) are often perceived as “stupid”.

What Does Science Say?

Okay, let me be clear on this:

As a parent, one of the very best things you can do is encourage your teenagers to lift weights.

Weight training gives us so many positive benefits, from spiking those feel-good endorphins, to improving our mental health and, of course, helping us to carve an awesome body.

But what about intelligence?

Well, researchers from the University of Texas set out to established whether lifting weights from a young age would help or hinder the brain power of adolescents, and discovered that pupils who lifted weights three times per week had a higher GPA (grade point average) than pupils who did not lift at all. (1)

Combine this with more recent research from the University of Sydney, Australia, which showed that taking up weight training at a young age is also one of the best strategies to offset the development of amnesia (which over 135 million people are predicted to have by 2050!), and we have a recipe for success right here. (2)

Head researcher Dr. Yorgi Mavros adds this:

“What we found is that improvements to cognitive function are linked to gains in muscle strength, and the stronger people become the greater the benefits for their brain in later life.”

– Dr Yorgi Mavros

Why Does The “Big Dumb Meathead” Stereotype Still Exist?

I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.

I believe this stereotype really kicked into high gear during the 1980s, when movies were based around larger-than-life musclebound guys who seemed to give people the impression that being jacked meant being one dimensional and/or stupid.

Of course, what’s silly about this is that when we take a closer look at some of that era’s biggest stars we can see they’re incredibly intelligent individuals!

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Ah-nuld is often the first name to come up when people make these claims.

Sure, he sounds robotic, but we’d be foolish to overlook an ultra-impressive career in which he became a real estate millionaire by age 29, and then arguably the best bodybuilder ever, and then Hollywood’s #1 action movie star during the 1980s and 1990s. Also, if we take into consideration his modern day achievements we can see he’s done a tonne of charity work which he goes largely uncredited for, and in the last few years he started what is now one of the world’s most listened to daily podcasts (Arnold’s Pump Club).

But yeah, “big dumb robot voice”.

Sylvester Stallone

Sly is another easy target.

This is usually because of his somewhat slurred speech, which was caused by a doctor having a mishap with a pair of tweezers during his birth.

However, Stallone has an IQ of 160 – yep, “Rocky” has the same IQ as Albert Einstein – and has gone on to achieve some quite remarkable things throughout his long and storied career in Hollywood.

None are more impressive than the story of he broke through, though.

Seriously, if you’ve never heard Stallone tell the crazy story behind the making of the first Rocky move, set yourself ten minutes aside and go listen to it. I guarantee you’ll come away with a new level of respect for him. Sly has also been incredibly smart with his training over the years by learning how to adjust his exercise regimen to his body, which has given him the luxury of doing what he does best on the big screen well into his 70s.

Dolph Lundgren

Dolph’s breakthrough role (Ivan Drago) gave him a stereotype which he could never shake off.

His relationship with socialite Grace Jones – and all of their cheesy-as-fuck modelling shoots! – also did little to convince the public there was anything substantial beneath the surface.

However, Dolph Lundgren is a classic case of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”.

Fluent in seven languages, he has masters degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering, and was even offered a scholarship to MIT in 1984 (which he declined to land the role in Rocky IV). He also holds a 3rd Dan black belt in Kyokushin karate, and became European Karate Champion at 23 years old, so the scary thing about Dolph is that he could kick your ass from here to high heaven and then explain how he did it!

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The Rock… The People’s Champ… The Brahma Bull… The Great One… The Most Electrifying Man In All Of Entertainment… The Final Boss!

Six different nicknames, but only one stereotype; “a big dumb meathead who was in the right place at the right time!”

Really, though?

Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions is named after the famous story of how he only had $7 in his bank account when he moved back into his parents house at 23 years old, having been cut from the NFL and told he didn’t have future in the sport.

This set him on a path to becoming one of the world’s biggest stars and serial entrepreneurs; first by becoming one of the WWE’s best-loved performers of all time, and then a Hollywood leading man, followed by successfully launching various additional businesses (workout clothes, energy drinks, supplements, tequila, and skin care products) before returning to a position on the board of directors in WWE.

For a man so fucking busy, the fact that he still handles his social media profiles by himself is nuts. Then again, his social media is another success story in its own right, as he’s able to charge advertisers as much as $1 million per sponsored post.

At this point, The Rock is just completing side quests!