The Concept of Bodybuilding Diets - Research Paper Example

Bodybuilding – For Health or Body Image? Schools Number and of (e.g., December 6, 2014) Bodybuilding – For Health or Body Image? Bodybuilding is defined as the development of body through diet and exercise so the muscles of body become stronger and larger. Many males and females these days go to gyms to get perfect bodies. They even go to so much extents that they take supplements which may be harmful for them. In the race to get perfect bodies, people do not pay heed to the fact that they are actually harming themselves more by pushing the limits of their bodies. This paper argues that the motivation behind most people in bodybuilding is not health but the achievement of a perfect looking body even if it is harmful for them. Studies like that of Probert, Palmer and Leberman (2007) have shown that both male and female competitive bodybuilders take risks with regard to their health. Using a postal survey in New Zealand based bodybuilders, they found that males were “competitively aggressive” and had more involvement in the use of steroids while females were more at risk of eating disorders (p. 272). It is seen here that even athlete bodybuilders take health risks. However, it should be noted here that this research was based on professional athletes and not the general public. Many other accounts by newspaper reports and health organizations have pointed out that more and more people are involving in unhealthy and risky practices for body building. For example, in the New York Times, the example of David Abusheikh was given. This boy started weightlifting when he was 15 years old for two hours in six days a week (Quenqua, 2012). Since high school, this body added shakes and protein bars to his diet for putting on more muscles. He said to the newspaper that he wanted something that could help him get “bigger a little faster” (Quenqua, 2012). The paper put forward the crisis that boys are taking unhealthy risks to achieve perfect bodies. In a study, it was found that more than 40% middle school and high school boys took protein supplements and 6% used steroids (Quenqua, 2012). Supplements are not regulated and so it is difficult to know what they have. So when taken in large quantities, these could be harmful. Moreover, anabolic steroids are specially dangerous because they stop the synthesis of the testosterone hormone in men which is very bad because it will affect growth. Even online, boys and teenagers get very engrossed in weight lifting regimens and for popularizing well built ripped body images. In a study, Kanayama, Hudson and Pope (2008) to explore the problem of abuse of anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) by the general population found that long time usage of these may lead to cardiovascular toxicity which is not reversible. Moreover, it would lead to cardiomyopathy and atherosclerotic effects. Even more worrying concern is that people who abuse AAS have psychiatric problems in future like mood syndromes and the risk of getting into other kinds of drugs. In more examples that show that people are more into bodybuilding for body image than health, the Diseaseproof blog sheds some light. Pugliese (2008) wrote that – Bodybuilding diets are stupid because of the underlying motivation. Bodybuilders are concerned with getting big and getting big quickly. If its not about getting big then it is about getting cut and getting cut quickly. Both of these bodybuilding goals fail to address the scared little guy in the corner - your health. My many years in the martial arts and bodybuilding gyms have shown me that bodybuilders will almost always put their muscle gains ahead of their health. They will try supplements without knowing the side effects, they will use fat burners without understanding how it works and so on. If you are sitting there saying: "No, no, no... thats not me" then ask yourself this question: "What negative effects does all that protein you are eating have on your body?" As seen here, he mentions specifically from personal experience that bodybuilders almost always give more important to muscle gain than health. He also said that they use things like fat burners and supplements without even knowing their side effects or without even how they work. He also explain that bodybuilding very fast is harmful because it shortens lifespan. He also say from experience, that people are very protein obsessed because they want to get big fast and so take so many protein shakes and meat. Another big concern that the writer put forward is that bodybuilding magazines are so full of advertisements that sell supplements that people are influenced into taking them. Even bigger concern is that the articles in such magazines are written out of bias and interest towards the supplements to promote them and make the advertisers happy. So much so that our society is having completely wrong understanding of protein intake and supplements. Pope, Phillips, and Olivardia (2000) describe the Adonis Complex which is the obsession of males with their bodies. They say that many males are so obsessed with getting a perfect body that steroids are not the only drugs they use. Many other drugs are used that are available from local underground dealers. These drugs are such as human growth hormone, amphetamines, thyroid hormones, clenbuterol, gamma hydroxybutyrate and Nubain. Some of these are legally available only if one has prescription and some of the drugs are not even marketed for use by humans. However, to get perfect bodies, males do not consider their health and even go to such extents to get these drugs from black markets. There are even underground guides that teach how these drugs are to be used to lose body fat and get muscular. A big feature is that common males are influenced by the famous athletes who use steroids and drugs to boost their performance and for bodybuilding. By 1970s, the use of steroids was so much in the bodybuilding world that bodybuilders kept getting bigger and bigger by increasing their doses of the drugs. Pope, Phillips, and Olivardia further point out that men want to become muscular and strong with perfect bodies because they want to show their manliness and power. They say that according to arguments by some authors, bodybuilding is considered by many males as the “surest way to achieve muscularity”, because they believe male body represents strength, power and masculinity (p. 53). It is one way that men believe that it gives a sense of masculinity. The obsession to get this kind of body and strength also drives men to many other weird practices. For example, as described by Pope, Phillips, and Olivardia, a man reported that he tried to avoid any kind of unnecessary physical labor to save energy so that he can work out. So, this man limited sex to only two times a month and even when he was training for a competition in bodybuilding, he did not kiss his girlfriend out of fear that his girlfriend could transfer calories through her saliva. As seen here, health is not the main motive for most men to get involved in bodybuilding. There is so much of obsession to get perfect bodies that are very masculine and strong in order to show off a good body image. People could go to such extents that they take harmful drugs, get into unhealthy dietary habits, and could also hamper their sex lives. Another dimension to this is that of “hegemonic masculinity” (Locks and Richardson, 2013, p. 91). What Locks and Richardson described in their book is that bodybuilding in men is linked to the crisis of masculinity where men see muscular bodies as a way of “reasserting their dominance” because the traditional kinds of authority are getting lesser and lesser as the equality between men and women is becoming popular. Gender roles are changing and women are becoming more and more involved in livelihood and running the family that men see bodybuilding as a way of stressing their masculinity. Another dimension is that the idea that health and muscularity are closely related is promoted by the media. It is common to see magazines with titles like Muscle and Fitness which show that health and muscularity are interrelated, which is not really true. That is, one can be healthy without being muscular and being muscular does not necessarily mean that one is healthy. Some studies have shown that most young men think that bodybuilding is a means of getting good health and in pursuing perfect bodies through supplements, steroids and drugs, they are actually getting unhealthy. Here arises a counterargument to the thesis. As stated, it is the motivation behind most people in bodybuilding is not health but the achievement of a perfect looking body even if it is harmful for them. However, as stated, some people get into bodybuilding because it is popularized through media that bodybuilding and good health are interconnected. Therefore, the first step towards bodybuilding could be taken out of the motivation to get good health. However, as the idea to get the perfect body becomes stronger, people could deviate from the motivation of good health to the motivation of perfect body and then get into risk taking activities that include taking steroids and supplements. What drives people away from health motivation to the motivation of getting ripped muscles requires a more elaborate discussion and research. Conclusion and Summary As seen in the discussion, the main motivation behind bodybuilding for most people is the need to get the perfect body rather than to get good health. Two themes emerge from the discussion. One is that young boys take supplements and drugs to get big faster and to look stronger and more muscular. Some older men and adults are obsessed with bodybuilding because of their belief that a muscular and strong body shows masculinity and their manliness. Health is not the main motivation. However, people can get attracted to bodybuilding in the initial stages for health reasons because media often shows that health and body building are interrelated. But, after getting into bodybuilding initially for health reasons, people can get into an obsession to get perfect bodies, forgetting the need to good health. People get into steroid use and also get drugs from the black market to get muscular. These practices only affect their health. In summary, this research paper first discussed that bodybuilding means developing body through exercise and diet to make muscles stronger and larger. Studies have found that male and female bodybuilders take risks that affect their health and may even lead them to eating disorders. Young boys get used to taking protein bars and shakes to put on muscles faster. Also, they may get into too much of weightlifting that is actually bad for the body. Young school children as well as adults also use steroids, AAS etc. that have many side effects such as stopping testosterone hormone synthesis. These may also have health effects such as cardiovascular toxicity, cardiomyopathy and atherosclerotic effects. Also, psychological disorders may result. Still, people are not concerned with health but with getting big quickly. Bodybuilders almost always put muscles before their health. Moreover, health magazines are promoting supplements in their articles and in their featured advertisements. People buy drugs from black markets to lose body fat and get muscular. Also, getting muscular is thought to be a way of reasserting masculinity. The craze for this could be so strong that men may even get into weird practices that may ruin their occupational or even sex lives. Many research studies exist on why people get into the bodybuilding craze and these have explored many dimensions on the same. There are many views from which we can understand the craze for getting the perfect body. However, it is clear that people often harm themselves in getting muscular and they do not really care about their health. References Kanayama, G., Hudson, J. I., & Pope, H. G. Jr. (2008). Long-term psychiatric and medical consequences of anabolic–androgenic steroid abuse: A looming public health concern. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 98(1-2), pp. 1-12. Locks, A., & Richardson, N. (2013). Critical Readings in Bodybuilding. New York: Routledge. Pope, H., Phillips, K. A., & Olivardia, R. (2000). The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession. New York: Simon and Schuster. Probert, A., Palmer, F., & Leberman, S. (2007). The Fine Line: An insight into ‘risky’ practices of male and female competitive bodybuilders. Annals of Leisure Research, 10(3-4). Pugliese, G. (2008). Bodybuilding Diet, Bad Idea. Diseaseproof.com. Retrieved from http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diet-myths-bodybuilding-diet-bad-idea.html. Quenqua, D. (2012). Muscular Body Image Lures Boys Into Gym, and Obsession. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/health/teenage-boys-worried-about-body-image-take-risks.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. Read More