Pseudoathletic appearance is a medical sign meaning to have the false appearance of a well-trained athlete due to pathologic causes (disease or injury) instead of true athleticism. It is also referred to as a Herculean or bodybuilder-like appearance. It may be the result of muscle inflammation (immunity-related swelling), muscle hyperplasia, muscle hypertrophy, muscle pseudohypertrophy (muscle atrophy with infiltration of fat or other tissue), or symmetrical subcutaneous (under the skin) deposits of fat or other tissue.
The mechanism resulting in this sign may stay consistent or may change, while the sign itself remains. For instance, some individuals with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy may start with true muscle hypertrophy, but later develop into pseudohypertrophy.
