History Main / FakeMuscles

* Used in XMenOrginsWolverine to create Frank Dukes' muscular build at the beginning of the movie. No point in paying a guy to bulk up for a few minutes of screen time when you're only going to have him in a fat suit later.

* Andy's stitch-job on Woody's arm in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' has this effect.

* Mr. Main Event wears a sleeveless shirt the same color as his skin with an ultra muscular design.

* In the ClassicDisneyShort "The Art of Self Defense", {{WesternAnimation/Goofy}} enters a gym sporting a TopHeavyGuy figure, until he takes off all the robes and towels he's wearing, revealing himself to be as lanky as ever.

* In one ''Franchise/PinkPanther'' cartoon, Pink puts on an inflatable muscle suit to impress a bodybuilder.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': SpongeBob obtains Anchor Arms to impress Sandy, though said arms prevent him from doing something simple as lifting a cup. By the end of the episode, his charade fails after failing to lift a heavy weight.

* There's a so-called "real-life [[{{Franchise/Barbie}} Ken]]" whose muscles are ''implants''. He actually has little to no upper-body strength.
* Synthol injections. TO give a basic idea, some bodybuilders tend to cheat, not with steroids, but with oils and fats into their muscles in order to make them appear larger than they actually are. This can make the muscles appear bigger... but also look like water balloons under the skin. [[NauseaFuel Especially if the injected area ruptures]].

* Andy's stitch-job on Woody's arm in ''ToyStory 2'' has this effect.

* Wrestling/{{WWE}} wrestler "Giant Gonzalez" had a [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ov1vR6RVtkQ/TJ2mQ-x1oeI/AAAAAAAADzc/_5zS5YyoR7Y/s1600/Giant_Gonzales_-_Jorge_Gonzales_08.jpg bodysuit with muscles drawn on.]]

* One episode of the Strong Bad Emails at ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' had him draw a fake six-pack on his round little body with a sharpie.

[[quoteright:231:[[Film/{{Mulan}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fake_muscles_ling_231x400_2549.jpg]]]]

Sometimes a hard and strenuous workout isn't worth the effort to get muscles, or the character just isn't that well-built. So the next best alternative is getting fake muscles for show. Just be careful in not actually doing anything that requires great strength.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode "The Buster Bunny Bunch" has a short called "Buffed Bunny" in which Buster tries to impress Babs (who he thought was looking at a picture of a gymnasium [[spoiler:it turned out she was looking at a carrot cake billboard]]) uses this at one point while trying to bulk up. One segment ended up as a bumper for reruns on Creator/TheHub.

[[quoteright:231:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fake_muscles_ling_231x400_2549.jpg]]

Sometimes a hard and strenuous workout isn't worth the effort to get muscles, so the next best alternative is getting fake muscles for show. Just be careful in not actually doing anything that requires great strength.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{X-Men Evolution}}'' had an episode where Kurt tries to tweak his [[MasterOfIllusion holoprojector]] to make himself appear muscular. It works for a while... then it malfunctions.

* ''MeetTheSpartans'', being a parody of ''Film/ThreeHundred'', has most of the actors playing the Spartans have obviously painted-on six-packs, Creator/KevinSorbo being the exception (being [[HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules]] helps).

* There's a so-called "real-life [[{{Barbie}} Ken]]" whose muscles are ''implants''. He actually has little to no upper-body strength.

* ''MeetTheSpartans'', being a parody of ''Film/ThreeHundred'', has most of the actors playing the Spartans have obviously painted-on six-packs, KevinSorbo being the exception (being [[HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules]] helps).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{X-MenEvolution}}'' had an episode where Kurt tries to tweak his [[MasterOfIllusion holoprojector]] to make himself appear muscular. It works for a while... then it malfunctions.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow RenAndStimpy]]'', in a parody of the old Charles Atlas "The Insult that Made a Man out of Mac" ads, Stimpy is humiliated at a beach, and is convinced by an Atlas stand-in (with a globe for a head!) not to exercise and get stronger, but to get a body fat transplant that ''looks'' like muscles.

* One episode of the Strong Bad Emails at ''WebAnimation/HomeStarRunner'' had him draw a fake six-pack on his round little body with a sharpie.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* One episode of the Strong Bad Emails at ''WebOriginal/HomeStarRunner'' had him draw a fake six-pack on his round little body with a sharpie.

* There's a so-called "real-life [[{{Barbie}} Ken]] whose muscles are ''implants''. He actually has little to no upper-body strength.

* {{WWE}} wrestler "Giant Gonzalez" had a [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ov1vR6RVtkQ/TJ2mQ-x1oeI/AAAAAAAADzc/_5zS5YyoR7Y/s1600/Giant_Gonzales_-_Jorge_Gonzales_08.jpg bodysuit with muscles drawn on.]]

* ''{{Mythbusters}}'': host Adam Savage sometimes wears a set of fake foam muscles for laughs.

* One episode of the Strong Bad Emails at HomeStarRunner had him draw a fake six-pack on his round little body with a sharpie.

* On the ''TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Muscle Beach Tom", Tom sticks balloons under his bathing suit to make himself look muscular. Because the balloons keep lifting him up, he had to tie an anchor to his waist to keep from floating away. Jerry gives him away by inflating the balloons further until they pop and Tom goes flying all over the place.
* In one ''PinkPanther'' cartoon, Pink puts on an inflatable muscle suit to impress a bodybuilder.
* In an episode of ''TheItchyAndScratchyShow'', Scratchy really does get pumped up by lifting weights but Itchy thinks he's just pulling this. Itchy pokes Scratchy with a pin, expecting his balloon muscles to explode.
* In ''RenAndStimpy'', in a parody of the old Charles Atlas "The Insult that Made a Man out of Mac" ads, Stimpy is humiliated at a beach, and is convinced by an Atlas stand-in (with a globe for a head!) not to exercise and get stronger, but to get a body fat transplant that ''looks'' like muscles.

* ''XMenEvolution'' had an episode where Kurt tries to tweak his [[MasterOfIllusion holoprojector]] to make himself appear muscular. It works for a while... then it malfunctions.
* In the ''SamuraiJack'' episode "Samurai versus Samurai", a supposed BadAss turns out to be wearing padding and a corset to look fitter than he really is.