Rather than target this from a sociological or art perspective, I'll tackle this from a science fiction angle. Fact 1. Heroes are strong. Acts of heroism usually require strength, Check this out be it lifting a bus to free children or punching a super-villain into the sun. All this requires strength of some sort. Leaving aside super-natural sources of strength (magic, physics), acts of strength required and build muscle. Steve Rogers and Peter Parker are superheroes because they received augmentations that build their muscles to allow them to be heroes. Muscle requires a lot of calories to maintain, acts of strength require calories to perform. Heroes rarely get a lot of downtime, and are frequently called upon to act. This means eating massive amounts when and where they can. To a certain extent science fiction is fiction, but energy comes from somewhere. Brain power is one of the largest drains on human energy, so physics or mental heroes, including Professor X, Magneto or Storm are all actively thinking at levels far beyond human people - which requires chemical energy, food, to perform.
This is backed up in canon by Amadeus Cho who is explictly stated as need to eat lots after his superhuman calculations. Lastly, Wolverine is constantly carrying many kilograms of metal on his bones, every action for him is weightbearing. His immense healing factor requires an intense metabolism. Heroes bodies have to adapt to prioritise repair over storage. Fact 3. Heroes hang out with other heroes. Cyclops's power comes from his eyes, but he is hanging with people like Wolverine and Quicksilver. He can never be as strong or as fast as them, but he still needs to hold his own. Also, these are para-military groups working with little support, if team members go down, which frequently happens, they need to be able to get them out. Physical training is a requirement of the job. In the movie XMen: Days of Future Past Mystique was shown working out, not for her looks (she can look how she wants) but so she was trained and able to keep up with the abilities of the rest of the team. Lets also not forget that heroes are human with all the same flaws. If you are Tony Stark standing next to Steve Rogers in the Avengers showers after a big day of fighting, you are going to feel a little diminutive, so you might work a little harder to prove even without the suit you can hold your own.
Why Did I Gain Weight After Working Out? There are several research-backed reasons why you might notice a slight weight gain after exercise. These include muscle gain, water retention, post-workout inflammation, supplement use, or even undigested food. In most cases, post-workout weight gain is temporary. Here is what you need to know about gaining weight after working out. Why Did I Gain Weight After Working Out? Gaining weight after working out is likely due to muscle fiber inflammation, muscle glycogen and water weight gain, and over time, muscle mass gain. If weight loss is your goal, seeing an increase on the scale when you've been making an effort to exercise can be frustrating. However, it is often a normal, common occurrence that is likely temporary. Here are some of the reasons why it might be happening to you. You will likely gain muscle when you start working out. How much muscle you gain depends on your diet and the type of workouts you do.
But any increase in physical activity is likely to produce at least some improvements in strength and muscle mass. If you participate in strength training workouts and consume adequate protein, you're likely to see more significant increases in muscle mass. Genetics also play a role in the amount of muscle mass you gain when starting an exercise program. If you tend to gain muscle easily, consider yourself lucky. Muscles help to shape a strong, healthy body. Some people put on muscle more quickly than others. But when you gain muscle, the number on the scale is likely to increase. In fact, even if you're also losing fat, you may see an increase on the scale. Muscle is more dense than fat, but it takes up less space. That means if you gain muscle, your scale weight may go up even as you're losing body fat. If you've been working out regularly, it's possible for you to lose inches even if you're not losing weight.
A higher number on the scale could mean that you are losing fat while gaining muscle-a positive trend that leads to a leaner, stronger body. Water retention is a common cause of temporary weight gain. Pre-menopausal people are especially prone to body-weight fluctuations throughout the month due to hormonal changes. If you have periods, you may notice some degree of bloating immediately before and during your period. Exercise can help reduce pre-menstrual symptoms, so it's helpful to keep up with your workouts, PrimeBoosts.com though you may still see an increase on the scale. Studies have shown that fluid retention peaks on the first day of menstrual flow. It is lowest during the mid-follicular period (the middle phase of your cycle) and gradually increases over the 11 days surrounding ovulation. The degree to which you see an increase on the scale varies from person to person, but at least a slight increase in weight-even after exercise-is normal.