Lifting/bulking is a pretty core tenant of TRP it seems. Currently I'm reading No More Mr. Nice Guy where the author makes the distinction between engaging in what he calls "attachments," which are behaviors like trying to achieve a perfect body to impress others, and "taking care of yourself" such as exercising for health reasons. The Book of Pook describes how Pook put on 50 pounds of muscle and found he could get any woman he wanted. Pook mentions that adding the muscle was to "improve himself" and the by product was the women.

If the idea is that by putting on muscle Pook likes what he sees when he looks at himself in the mirror, then that seems like a perfectly sensible thing to pursue. I think that putting on muscle because he thinks that will get women would be a mistake. This is a very fine line. What is the TRP rationale for putting on muscle and not merely getting in shape through say swimming or running which would also be "improving yourself"? Is it that society expects men to be big or some other reason?