Did you see a “Sleeper Build” comment on TikTok?
If you did, you probably saw it on a fitness, gym, or physique video.
The phrase is very common on #GymTok, the fitness side of TikTok.
The hashtag, #GymTok, has over 130 billion views.
On the other hand, the hashtag, #sleeperbuild has over 110 million views.
It has videos of people working out, showing their transformation journey, diet, and more.
In this article, you’ll learn the meaning of sleeper build on TikTok, gym, or bodybuilding and memes of it.
What does sleeper build mean on TikTok?
A Sleeper Build is someone who looks skinny or weak until they start flexing their muscles.
When they do, their muscles are well-defined or their physique is ripped.
The trend usually comprises wearing an oversized t-shirt to de-emphasize one’s physique.
This includes long sleeves and wide armholes to conceal their arms.
This is because an oversized t-shirt will make people look smaller than they actually are.
In addition, people who take part in the trend are usually under good lighting.
Good lighting will make the person look more vascular and more defined.
That said, some people claim to have a sleeper build when they are actually just skinny.
On the other hand, some people participating in the trend are too heavy or lack muscle definition.
This led to the rise of other slang like “Awake Build”, “Coma Build”, “Insomnia Build”, and others.
They are used to mock the original poster for not being close to a sleeper build or not knowing what it is.
Sleeper build meme
The Sleeper Build meme/trend went viral on TikTok because of the element of surprise.
The earliest video of the trend was a teenage Russian guy chilling in an elevator.
In the video, the guy was wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt that made him look like a regular person.
A few cuts later, he flexed his biceps in front of the camera and it was surprisingly well-defined.
The video got over 75 million views and more than 7.9 million likes.
The guy is known as @saifiev on TikTok and he has multiple videos of himself flexing in a lift.
Many TikTok users compared him to an anime character named Baki—who has long hair and a muscular physique.
His second most popular video is yet another surveillance footage of himself flexing his biceps in an elevator.
In the video, he dressed up like a nerd—wearing glasses, carrying a backpack, and reading a book.
The video got over 34 million views and more than 6.4 million likes.
