Who exactly is Joey Swoll and is he full of BS or real

[Virtuous]

Thinking about it, it doesn't bother me that they get more money and fame than bodybuilders within the mainstrrea, fitness people. Most people who tran in the gym dont understand or know bodybuilding, nor are they interested. I also don't dream nor am I interested in bodybuilders earning millions and being known all over the world. I have always said that my bodybuilder model in terms of mentality and personality is Dorian, not Arnold.

It bothers me that they receive more attention and are talked about more than pro bodybuilders within extreme bodybuilding circles, as this board supposedly is. They even get more attention than some amateur athletes and coaches who have made this board famous.

Here there are people who literally subtract years from their lives by looking jacked, spending thousands of dollars and without getting a single cent in return, which is the essence of something that is done out of passion. And they are admiring these characters who are the complete opposite, it makes no sense.

Here’s the thing: if you can’t monetize yourself, that’s a “you” problem.

No one “deserves” anything just because they sacrifice a lot.

Market decides value. I know a LOT of dudes that are really good at a lot of things that are broke because they haven’t figured out the game of life.

Joey is tacky, and I see why he rubs people like @slesh wrong, and yeah - he’s got a really shitty past.

That being said, I really enjoy the current reincarnation of Joey, because he does a couple things well:

- inspires gym positivity. This sounds tacky, and it is, but it also is helping at least slow down the tide of bullshit bitches dragging hapless dudes who just so happen to accidentally step into their video or accidentally glance over at a person filming.

- supports getting as many people in the gym as possible. We have a health crisis in America, so anyone getting people to the gym is okay in my book.

He’s also a genuinely cool dude (these days) in person, and openly talks about beating addiction and why the party lifestyle nearly killed him.

So yeah, I don’t follow him, and I wouldn’t miss him if he stopped posting, but I ain’t mad at him.

 

[Eguz22]

Anyone who posts philosophical diatribes on a hardcore bodybuilding message board has a few screws loose and abysmal social skills.

nobody on this board ever believed in nor supported liver king. 90% of us didn't know of him until he was making headlines for being exposed, with the exception of a few newbies, this is generally an elite level board

Muay Thai, you have opened dozens of threads on this board to talk, often in a confusing and inconsistent way, about religion, esotericism, mysticism and philosophy.

No one ever told you that you were in the wrong place.

It's also a joke to get social skills advice from people who literally spend their lives on this board.

 

[aHarness]

He is only famous for having altered an image a million years ago.

Ah yes, I’m sure he would be off the face of the earth now if it wasn’t for that altered photo (which apparently also his fans didn’t care about, which is somewhat contradictory to your statement)…

 

[aHarness]

It's true, I would prefer competitors to be the only ones who get fame, money and recognition. As it happens in all sports. As it was in bodybuilding until the Coleman and Jay years.

Soooo is no one allowed to be jacked unless they compete?…

 

[aHarness]

You miss the point, that man was the most extreme example of all these characters. He received a pass from many people, many supported him for getting rich with his tricks.

He didn’t move the point. You’re moving the goal post. How did anyone give him a pass? What did you want us to do? Have a thread on him? That would’ve made you mad to for discussing him.

It bothers me that they receive more attention and are talked about more than pro bodybuilders within extreme bodybuilding circles, as this board supposedly is.

And you know this is complete BS on this board. Just search “Nick walker” then search “Joey swoll” and see how many threads there are involving each. Not to mention OP (@powerlifter1983) has some weird fixation on these influencers like the rock etc and is hardly reflective of anyone else here.

 

[Flex500]

Thinking about it, it doesn't bother me that they get more money and fame than bodybuilders within the mainstrrea, fitness people. Most people who tran in the gym dont understand or know bodybuilding, nor are they interested. I also don't dream nor am I interested in bodybuilders earning millions and being known all over the world. I have always said that my bodybuilder model in terms of mentality and personality is Dorian, not Arnold.

It bothers me that they receive more attention and are talked about more than pro bodybuilders within extreme bodybuilding circles, as this board supposedly is. They even get more attention than some amateur athletes and coaches who have made this board famous.

Here there are people who literally subtract years from their lives by looking jacked, spending thousands of dollars and without getting a single cent in return, which is the essence of something that is done out of passion. And they are admiring these characters who are the complete opposite, it makes no sense.

Fair, but do you want the real answer for most of us? Bodybuilding is boring as hell (meaning being a spectator unless you are directly coaching or related to someone or competing yourself). There is nothing to talk about and a lot of us older bodybuilding "fans" are...older and the younger people now haven't gotten into being a spectator of it. In my 20's I used to go to the arnold and really get into it. Watching the "iron asylum" training vids on MD etc. and buying all the training dvd's in the 90's and early 00's.

That ship has just sailed man. This is professional muscle...not professional bodybuilding. Thing is, I get where you are coming from and am not trying to be combative...but times have changed man. I literally have no clue who won the last 5-6 olympias or arnolds and have no interest at all. It is what it is man.

 

[aHarness]

@Eguz22 As I have the site updated now, on the most recent threads we have ones discussing John Jewett, Stefan Kienzel and Fouad Abiad, a 2024 IFBB Pro Athlete and Shows running Mega Thread (that is continuously active), Andrew Berry, John Meadows, Stu Sutherland, Roman Fritz, Neil Curry and even one BY Shelby Starnes…

But because there’s also one on Sam Sulek and another on Joey Swoll, I’m sure this state of the forum is less than acceptable.

 

[rotinaj]

Him and his whole old “shredz” crew used to lift at my gym when social media was first popping off..
He used* to be a total douche but it appears he turned it around.

Still has a narcissistic/condescending tone seen by his public shaming of people though.
Yeah he public shames people who do weird/rude things, but two wrongs don’t make a right… he’s marketing himself off the harm he does to others under the guise of being “good.”

TLDR, seems to be the same type of guy he was a decade ago

 

[Fleezy]

Still has a narcissistic/condescending tone seen by his public shaming of people though.
Yeah he public shames people who do weird/rude things, but two wrongs don’t make a right… he’s marketing himself off the harm he does to others under the guise of being “good.”

not saying you're wrong.. but i do disagree

shame is necessary IMO.

i think the way society is right now makes it pretty clear what happens when shaming is something that people think should be avoided

 

[aHarness]

Yeah he public shames people who do weird/rude things, but two wrongs don’t make a right…

I don’t have an opinion on him personally as I don’t know enough about him, but I have seen his videos and don’t seen how this phrase of “two wrongs” applies here. All the clips I have seen of him are him calling out people for acting like assholes in the gym.

 

[rotinaj]

not saying you're wrong.. but i do disagree

shame is necessary IMO.

i think the way society is right now makes it pretty clear what happens when shaming is something that people think should be avoided

I don’t have an opinion on him personally as I don’t know enough about him, but I have seen his videos and don’t seen how this phrase of “two wrongs” applies here. All the clips I have seen of him are him calling out people for acting like assholes in the gym.

Right…
But let’s keep in mind, he public ostracizes the people.
He has the full ability to edit the names out of the videos he makes and message them, but he chooses not to.

The people he calls out are obviously not great people but giving someone’s name/information/account to millions of people all of whom immediately gather in group-think and attack said people… that’s not a objectively good thing to do when you can easily avoid it.

Is some cocky chick throwing a hissing fit about people being in her video annoy and stupid? Yes.
Is it worth causing 4,300,000 people(his following) to go that woman’s page and public harass and threaten her just because she lacks public etiquette?

No. It’s not.

Why not post the exact same video with their name cropped out and a private DM, and if he desires follow up with the name in it later?
He goes 110% on people with 10K followers which the majority of are probably not even real accounts(bots).

 

[aHarness]

But let’s keep in mind, he public ostracizes the people.
He has the full ability to edit the names out of the videos he makes and message them, but he chooses not to.

They’re the ones that posted it… and the whole point of his videos (whether genuine or not) is to spread a message

The people he calls out are obviously not great people but giving someone’s name/information/account to millions of people all of whom immediately gather in group-think and attack said people… that’s not a objectively good thing to do when you can easily avoid it.

Is some cocky chick throwing a hissing fit about people being in her video annoy and stupid? Yes.
Is it worth causing 4,300,000 people(his following) to go that woman’s page and public harass and threaten her just because she lacks public etiquette?

No. It’s not.

Again, they were the ones who posted the video. If they didn’t want it exposed, they shouldn’t have posted it. Personal responsibility there imo.

 

[Muay Thai]

Muay Thai, you have opened dozens of threads on this board to talk, often in a confusing and inconsistent way, about religion, esotericism, mysticism and philosophy.

No one ever told you that you were in the wrong place.

It's also a joke to get social skills advice from people who literally spend their lives on this board.

I have been a member here since 2008, and YES people have told me I was in the wrong place plenty, not for those things you mentioned but for being rigid or a judgemental asshole and stepping out of character. however you wouldn't know because you are less than a year old but I like where your head is at. IDK man I'm just trying to give the influencer benefit of doubt, tbh normally I'm way harder and more analytical, Its because I can empathize with his crusade I guess maybe I feel scorned against those gym goers he puts on full blast? maybe there's some deeper psychology there lol , anyway bro nothing personal , and I'm impressed actually of your remembering those intellectual concepts I have brought to this board as well. unfortunately very few people enjoy let alone can comprehend them but does not deter me from spreading the light ya feel me , and yes most of us are probably social lepers here.

 

[whacked]

Random

Joey is 5’6 215 (was nosy so I googled)

Great physique and seemingly good people ~ doing good things.

Kudos to him.
&
I hope he recovers well.

 

[Eguz22]

Here’s the thing: if you can’t monetize yourself, that’s a “you” problem.

No one “deserves” anything just because they sacrifice a lot.

Market decides value. I know a LOT of dudes that are really good at a lot of things that are broke because they haven’t figured out the game of life.

Joey is tacky, and I see why he rubs people like @slesh wrong, and yeah - he’s got a really shitty past.

That being said, I really enjoy the current reincarnation of Joey, because he does a couple things well:

- inspires gym positivity. This sounds tacky, and it is, but it also is helping at least slow down the tide of bullshit bitches dragging hapless dudes who just so happen to accidentally step into their video or accidentally glance over at a person filming.

- supports getting as many people in the gym as possible. We have a health crisis in America, so anyone getting people to the gym is okay in my book.

He’s also a genuinely cool dude (these days) in person, and openly talks about beating addiction and why the party lifestyle nearly killed him.

So yeah, I don’t follow him, and I wouldn’t miss him if he stopped posting, but I ain’t mad at him.

Its talk about the market as if it were a metaphysical and impersonal entity, when the market has owners who manipulate potential consumers at will.

Again, I'm not trying to see bodybuilders hit the mainstream market and make millions, although some of them do. It's something that worries me very little, all I want is to see good shows and for the prize money to be better distributed than it is currently, and for some shows, the prize to be bigger.

If influencers can make a lot of money with their nonsense, just like reality show parasites in the past, that is a problem for those who follow them and the type of society they are forming for the future. It is certain that they do not know what they are doing and that they will pay the consequences. It's something that sociologists could study.

Now, let's assume that in the US, fat and sick people have voluntarily decided to be in that situation. Why should Joey or whoever try to convince them to exercise and take care of their health?

I would also say that there are more people exercising and lifting weights now than ever before, and almost all competitors (more than ever before) are encouraging and promoting the lifestyle, so I don't see that there is a need for an fitness evangelism movement.

Joey can do this out of a "selfless" concern for others or for image reasons, doesn't make much difference.

Selfishness is something typical of the human being, that need to constantly think about yourself and obtain everything you need to achieve your own personal goals, the human being is like that, returning to altruism, charity or concern for others in an enormous fiction. Even the most selfless Christian who believes that he helps everyone selflessly is a lie because at the end of the day he gets a pleasure, or from a religious vision, he is doing it to earn a ticket to heaven, there is the selfishness.

When I go to bodybuilding websites I only want to find the same type of content that I found in bodybuilding magazines: articles on nutrition, training, history about sort, chronicles of past competitions, interviews with the best athletes, emerging promises... ..

This very reasonable request is attacked and ridiculed on a bodybuilding site.

 

[Eguz22]

I have been a member here since 2008, and YES people have told me I was in the wrong place plenty, not for those things you mentioned but for being rigid or a judgemental asshole and stepping out of character. however you wouldn't know because you are less than a year old but I like where your head is at. IDK man I'm just trying to give the influencer benefit of doubt, tbh normally I'm way harder and more analytical, Its because I can empathize with his crusade I guess maybe I feel scorned against those gym goers he puts on full blast? maybe there's some deeper psychology there lol , anyway bro nothing personal , and I'm impressed actually of your remembering those intellectual concepts I have brought to this board as well. unfortunately very few people enjoy let alone can comprehend them but does not deter me from spreading the light ya feel me , and yes most of us are probably social lepers here.

Everything I talk about philosophy is in context within the topic of the threads, I don't decide to speak randomly and without meaning. The problem is that many don't know shit and don't understand what I'm talking about.

I have been on bodybuilding forums for many years and I have only found one person with the same passion or interest in philosophy as me, David Johnston.

David Johnston

teamwarriorwithin.com

That's why I don't like to talk about that kind of stuff too much, in the end this is a bodybuilding forum, but it's very pathetic and very tragic to see people saying that philosophy is not important. Can you imagine the founding fathers if they saw what today's Americans think and say? They were great thinkers and they gave you a great republic, which little by little has been completely annihilated. And the only reason for this, yes, is the abandonment of philosophy, that ideas matter, and critical thinking.

 

[alfresco]

Its talk about the market as if it were a metaphysical and impersonal entity, when the market has owners who manipulate potential consumers at will.

Again, I'm not trying to see bodybuilders hit the mainstream market and make millions, although some of them do. It's something that worries me very little, all I want is to see good shows and for the prize money to be better distributed than it is currently, and for some shows, the prize to be bigger.

If influencers can make a lot of money with their nonsense, just like reality show parasites in the past, that is a problem for those who follow them and the type of society they are forming for the future. It is certain that they do not know what they are doing and that they will pay the consequences. It's something that sociologists could study.

Now, let's assume that in the US, fat and sick people have voluntarily decided to be in that situation. Why should Joey or whoever try to convince them to exercise and take care of their health?

I would also say that there are more people exercising and lifting weights now than ever before, and almost all competitors (more than ever before) are encouraging and promoting the lifestyle, so I don't see that there is a need for an fitness evangelism movement.

Joey can do this out of a "selfless" concern for others or for image reasons, doesn't make much difference.

Selfishness is something typical of the human being, that need to constantly think about yourself and obtain everything you need to achieve your own personal goals, the human being is like that, returning to altruism, charity or concern for others in an enormous fiction. Even the most selfless Christian who believes that he helps everyone selflessly is a lie because at the end of the day he gets a pleasure, or from a religious vision, he is doing it to earn a ticket to heaven, there is the selfishness.

When I go to bodybuilding websites I only want to find the same type of content that I found in bodybuilding magazines: articles on nutrition, training, history about sort, chronicles of past competitions, interviews with the best athletes, emerging promises... ..

This very reasonable request is attacked and ridiculed on a bodybuilding site.

Let’s stay on topic.

Thank you.

 

[marssel]

size and peds are not the problem here because Joe is not a giant, probably around 210lbs - the main problem here is his party lifestyle, alcohol and drugs, sleepless nights, etc.

Agreed 100% and most of our guys that have had issues young ball had heavy rec drugs WHILE on gear. But yea any heart attack under 40 should illicit some serious change to include the influencers lifestyle.

 

[Siggy]

He looks half midget.

 

[rAJJIN]

Who is looking better in a side by side photo
Eguz? You or Joey? He looks like a bodybuilder to me that does social media.
Not like a social media guy that does a little bodybuilding.