Redefining Fitness in the Era of Comparison

Fitness creator Ben Chai opens up about training naturally, rejecting unrealistic standards, and building a healthier relationship with strength.

Walk into any gym today and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Social media is flooded with shredded physiques, impossible transformations, and endless advice on how to look bigger, leaner, or stronger. For many beginners, it can make stepping into the weight room feel more intimidating than inspiring.

For Malaysian fitness creator Ben Chai, better known online as @asianchickenlittle, fitness has never been about competing with everyone else. Instead, it's about becoming a little better than the person you were yesterday.

"The only competition is yourself," Ben says. "At the end of the day, it's not about comparing yourself to others. It's about asking yourself how you can improve."

Ironically, his fitness journey didn't even begin inside a gym.

"I started with calisthenics," he recalls. "I'd do pull-ups and push-ups at the park, sometimes joining friends just to try it out."

It wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic that he began training consistently in the gym. Like many newcomers, he found himself comparing his progress to everyone around him. Over time, however, his perspective shifted from trying to look like someone else to focusing on becoming stronger and more capable in his own way.

That mindset continues to shape how he approaches fitness today.

Choosing Health Over Hype

As fitness culture continues to evolve online, Ben believes there's never been more information available, but also more pressure.

"People are definitely more educated in the fitness space now," he says. "However, more than ever, people also feel pressured to look a certain way because they're constantly comparing themselves to top athletes."

Comparison is a thief of Joy. While those physiques may seem aspirational, Ben reminds people that many represent years of elite training, unique genetics, or circumstances that aren't realistic for the average gym-goer.

"The goal should be to become the best version of yourself, not to look exactly like someone you're not."

Instead of chasing aesthetics at any cost, Ben grounds his decisions in a simple question: Does this align with my values?

"What's the point of working out to be healthy if you're not actually healthy?" he says.

"Whether it's steroids, peptides, or having a bad relationship with food, that's not what fitness means to me."

For him, sustainability always comes first.

"I always ask myself, 'How can I be fit in a more sustainable way?' Because life is all about balance."

De-normalizing Unhealthy Trends

One of Ben's biggest concerns in today's fitness culture is how casually performance-enhancing substances are sometimes discussed online. The culture behind it has been so normalized that it would be odd to go the natural way instead of the unnatural path.

"The unhealthy trend is people being tempted to take substances they're not fully educated about," he explains. "It's always possible to become fit naturally as well."

Rather than searching for shortcuts, Ben encourages people to invest in consistency, patience, and learning proper training habits, qualities that create long-term progress instead of temporary results.

Behind The Content

While creating fitness content may look effortless on social media, Ben admits balancing training with filming, editing, and posting requires careful planning.

"There's a lot of time management involved," he says. "I block out time to plan, execute and edit throughout the week."

Instead of creating content every single day, he prefers batching his work.

"It's much better to batch your content rather than doing the whole process day by day. That way you don't have to constantly think about what you're posting every day."

The approach allows him to stay consistent both as a creator and as an athlete without burning out.

Advice To Start Your Own Fitness Journey

For those still standing outside the gym doors because they're worried about being judged, Ben offers a reassuring reminder: you don't have to figure everything out alone.

"I'd advise beginners to ask for advice or even work out with friends who already have experience," he says.

Although he has never hired a personal trainer himself, Ben credits much of his own growth to learning from people around him.

"I worked out with people who were better than me. My friends taught me throughout the journey, and there's always something new to learn because everyone trains differently."

Eventually, he says, every lifter develops their own style and discovers what works best for their body.

Progress Over Perfection

In an age where algorithms reward dramatic transformations and highlight reels, Ben's message is refreshingly grounded. Fitness isn't about keeping up with someone else's timeline or sacrificing your health to achieve a certain look.

It's about building habits that last, staying true to your values, and remembering that the strongest version of yourself doesn't have to look like anyone else.

As Ben puts it, "Life is all about balance."

Follow Ben on his Instagram @asianchickenlittle