Fitspo photography without the commitment


There are two kinds of people in this world. People who keep fit, and people who feel tired just thinking about keeping fit. Working out? Eating healthy? Err, the only six pack I’m getting is a six-pack chicken nugget set from McDonald’s, thanks.

Now if you speak my language and the only workout you do is occasionally running for the bus, it’s time to make a change. I’m not talking about actually running – whoa, hold up buddy. I’m talking about making people think you’re running.

So, come with me on this journey, young Padawans, as I teach you the art of faking it till you make it – on Instagram of course. Because no one really needs to know the secret to your #fitspo success 😉

More photo “hacks” to fool your friends:

1. Men’s 200m Canoe

Expectation


men's canoeing olympics

What it looks like: Rowing your way to Tokyo’s 2021 Olympics (Lol). Canoe believe it? Neither can I.


Reality


fitspo bluff canoeing

What it really is: Jumping into a dirty fountain and hoping no one gets some parasitic disease. Oh, and also getting judged by random aunties.

Things you’ll need: Tight clothes, sporty sunglasses and a broomstick.

Up your game with a life vest – and no, not a real one. What are we, legit?! Just go to the nearby fruit stall, give the vendors your best puppy eyes and get a giant red plastic bag for free. Hey, it worked for us.

Tip: So you’ve got your broom and red plastic ba- err, I mean life vest. Now what? Set your camera to a high shutter speed in order to capture that sick water droplet effect.

2. Men’s Pole Vault

Expectation


men's pole vault olympics

What it looks like: Vaulting your way to success, 20FT in the air.


Reality


fitspo bluff pole vault

What it really is: Trying not to vault your way into a longkang, 20CM off the ground.

Things you’ll need: Two mops. And possibly someone willing to sit in a longkang for that money shot.

3. Women’s Uneven Bars Finals

Expectation


olympics gymnastics uneven bars singapore

What it looks like: Hanging from a horizontal bar, just like that gold medal is about to hang from your neck.


Reality


fitspo bluff uneven bars gymnastics

What it really is: Hanging from a children’s obstacle bar and getting sand up your pants.

Things you’ll need: A black picnic mat, lots of glitter, and the art of deception.

Let me tell you what you don’t need: To hang upside down. There’s a reason the rotate function exists.

4. Men’s 100m Butterfly

Expectation


olympics swimming butterfly stroke joseph schooling

What it looks like: Joseph Schooling who? 2016 might have been his year with the Olympics actually happening and all, but 2021 is gonna be yours. No one needs to know that you really need arm floaties.


Reality


fitspo bluff swimming

What it really is: Waddling in a children’s pool, hiding from lifeguards, and trying not to get struck by lightning in the pouring rain. Anything for the ‘gram, fam. Anything for the ‘gram.

Things you’ll need: Swim cap, goggles, and an excuse in case the lifeguard catches you.

5. Men’s Parallel Bars Finals

Expectation


olympics parallel bars

What it looks like: Just another day at the gym, working on that core routine.


Reality


fitspo bluff parallel bars

What it really is: Shaking uncontrollably while trying not to fall, and inconveniencing grannies who are trying to go about their daily routines in the process.

Things you’ll need: Lots of masking tape to keep your look and your lies together.

6. Women’s Rock Climbing

Expectation


rock climbing olympics

What it looks like: Precariously dangling from a rock wall no one has dared to scale, gripping onto the final climbing hold for your life. But you don’t give up – you’re a winner.


Reality


fitspo bluff rock climbing

What it really is: Not so precariously dangling onto a kid’s rock wall, more sand up your pants.

Things you’ll need: Baby powder for that authentic chalk look and a face full of determination.

7. Men’s Basketball

Expectation


men's basketball olympics singapore

What it looks like: Michael Jordan WHO? Shaquille O’Neal WHAT? NBA’s got nothing on you, buddy.


Reality


fitspo basketball olympics
Caught red-handed – all with just one click of a shutter button.

What it really is: Levelling up after years of trying to throw trash without getting up from your seat. Still not scoring though.

Things you’ll need: A bag of trash. Confused spectator optional.

8. Men’s Ultimate Frisbee

Expectation


olympics frisbee layout score singapore

What it looks like: And there he goes, taking one for the team! 10 years of training has boiled down to this moment. He’s got the frisbee – but will he go for a layout score?


Reality


fitspo bluff frisbee
Scroll down to find out how we took this shot!

What it really is: Pain.

Things you’ll need: A paper plate, gravity, and friends who enjoy seeing you suffer.

No frisbees were harmed in the making of this photo. In fact, no frisbees were involved in this photo at all.

9. Women’s Long Jump Finals

Expectation


olympics long jump singapore

What it looks like: Perfect form and excellent execution – here we have someone about to break the world record in the long jump category.


Reality


fitspo bluff long jump

What it really is: Trying not to step on a sunbathing stranger.

Things you’ll need: A sandpit, preferably sans sunbather.

10. Men’s 110m Hurdles

Expectation


olympics men's hurdles

What it looks like: Jumping over all your haters.


Reality


fitspo bluff hurdles

What it really is: Jumping over a careful assembly of cleaning apparatus borrowed from McDonald’s.

Things you’ll need: A broom, two wet floor signs and no shame whatsoever.

11. Track & Field: 200m Race

Expectation


olympics marathon winner singapore

What it looks like: Huh? What was that? Sorry, can’t hear what Usain over all this win. *crowd goes wild*


Reality


fitspo bluff marathon

What it really is: Trying not to get bolted down by a car in the middle of a driveway.

Things you’ll need: After a grand debate on whether toilet paper or paper towels worked better as a finish line, paper towels won. You’ll also need two minions to help hold them up.

Capturing that picture-perfect moment right

sony cybershot dsc-rx100m5

Though no one needs to know the secret to your Olympian-esque accomplishments, we’ll let you in on ours. All photos in this article were taken with the SONY Cyber-shot™ DSC-RX100M5, a compact camera with the world’s fastest autofocus and continuous shooting functions.

fitspo swimming olympics gif

We’ll admit – we’re no Joseph Schooling, but the RX100M5 definitely brought us a step closer. With its high-speed continuous shot mode that can shoot up to 24fps with Autofocus/Auto exposure tracking – that’s 150 shots at one time – we were able to stitch an awesome gif from the shots we took. And no need to worry about taking ages to capture a golden moment – high frame rate to the rescue.

You wouldn’t have guessed this was done in a children’s pool either.

Another perk of this function would be being able to capture moments that happen faster than you can say ‘ouch’. Because that’s what we said while taking this perfectly timed shot:

fitspo bluff frisbee shot
Moments before poor John took one for the team – onto the ground. 

This camera is capable of tracking, locking and capturing fast movements just as quickly as they happen – we were able to get this shot in just 0.05 seconds.

sony dsc-rx100m5 close-up

Unlike its predecessor, being able to focus in 0.05 seconds makes the RX100M5 the perfect camera for fast-moving action shots, like live sports games or even your very own frisbee photoshoot.

If you’d like to delve into videography, this camera can record movies in extreme slow motion up to 960fps – which is 40x the normal frame rate. Even better? This camera does it for twice the recording duration of the RX100M4.

sony cubershot dsc-rx100m5 close up

It’s light and compact too – so if lugging around a giant DSLR isn’t your thing, you’re in luck. It’ll also save you the embarrassment of calling attention to yourself while you’re trying to channel your inner Serena Williams with a fly swatter.

Find out more about Sony’s DSC-RX100M5 here


This post was brought to you by Sony.
Originally published on 3rd February 2017. Last updated by Ra Krishnan on 15th June 2021.

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