During a recent podcast episode, fitness influencer Connor Sinnan sat with controversial looksmaxxing figure Androgenic, where he made claims about six-time Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead allegedly wearing height-boosting inserts in his shoes.
Androgenic, who stands 6’5″, openly admitted to wearing combat boots with lifts himself, adding an additional inch and a half to his height. When asked why someone already 6’5″ would need extra height, he explained the concept of “striking appeal” versus “broad appeal” in the dating and nightlife scene.
“6’7″ will probably get you approached more frequently,” Androgenic stated. “You’ve got like an instant striking factor that makes girls just spot them out instantly.”
The conversation took an interesting turn when Connor brought up his personal experience meeting Chris Bumstead. Connor explained that he photographed with Bumstead while wearing boots and noticed a significant height difference, despite both being listed around the 6’1″ to 6’2″ range.
Connor then raised a crucial point about competitive advantage: “At the Mr. Olympia, in order for Chris Bumstead to put on more weight for the classic physique category, they let him lie about his height because the weight class is based on height. So if he’s 6’1″, he can be heavier. And of course, he’s the most marketable guy. So he would be the guy they let do that.”
When discussing the implications of wearing lifts, Androgenic acknowledged the social risk. “For most guys who aren’t like they don’t have a big looksmaxxing platform or they’re shorter, it’s probably one of the worst things you can be outed for using,” he said. “Like if you’re like a 5’8″ guy and you’re like stuffing your shoes with a bunch of lifts and you get exposed by someone, it’s over.”
However, he justified his own use by explaining that as lifts become more prevalent, refusing to wear them puts men at a competitive disadvantage. “As it becomes more prevalent, I don’t want to have other people catching up to me by using shoelifts. I’m going to just stay ahead of the curve by using them myself,” Androgenic explained.
Connor shared an anecdote about a friend who wore three inches of lifts in his Balenciaga sneakers and was completely open about it with women, comparing it to women wearing high heels or push-up bras.
“Maybe this is just like wearing high heels on a girl. You can see when a girl is wearing heels, but it gives her a taller stature, she looks more attractive,” Connor said. “I really do think honestly 90 percent of guys are going to be wearing shoe lifts because really, what’s the harm?”
