When pumping up gets you down

Have you ever thought to yourself: "I'm only 5'9 and 95kg – damn I have to get bigger!" How about looking at your bicep and measuring it a couple of times each day? Do you spend hours in the gym? Has your training interfered with your job, relationships or family?

 

If this describes your behaviour or your experiences, you may have what psychiatrists call muscle dysmorphia. Sometimes called bigorexia, muscle dysmorphia is a mental disorder where bodybuilders think they are puny and constantly try to attain more muscle mass regardless of its effects on personal relationships, career or family.

 

Dr. Harrison Pope, principal investigator, along with other fellow psychiatrists say they discovered this disorder in several athletes in Massachusetts USA. These athletes also showed signs of distress if they missed even one day of working out.

 

Additional examples provided by psychiatrists, show that those with this disorder would train in the gym constantly and for extended periods, not go to a swimming pool and wear baggy shirts and pants for fear their physique is not good enough to be seen.

 

In a case of anorexia nervosa, a person diets until they are severely underweight. Yet, when they see their reflection, they perceive themselves as fat. Muscle dysmorphia is when a muscular bodybuilder sees his or her reflection and perceives himself or herself to be out of shape. Scientists think that, while the preoccupations go in opposite directions, anorexia and muscle dysmorphia may be linked. The researchers think that an increasing number of people may be afflicted as weightlifting increases in popularity among both men and women.

 

"Americans spend about $3 billion a year on commercial gym memberships," Dr. Pope said. "And this doesn't count the more than a million Americans who work out at home. With this explosion of interest, it may well be that muscle dysmorphia will become the body image disorder of the 90s, just as eating disorders leapt into public awareness in the 80s."

 

But at what point does healthy pursuit become unhealthy obsession? Are we making too big a deal of bigorexia? Food scientist and competition bodybuilder Eric McEntyre gives his views.

 

"These are interesting behavioural observations about bodybuilders. Athletes and bodybuilders on the inside of the loop have known about it for many years," Eric said.

 

"I would suggest it is a fine line between what is a "normal" act of discipline displayed by enthusiastic hobbyist and athletes vs what is considered excessive and possibly obsessive.

 

"Many of the behaviours noted by scientists exist with other types of athletes, not just bodybuilders. For example, swimmers, triathletes and tennis players often neglect other parts of their life too in order to train for hours a day, in search of that ultimate performance.

 

"Some bodybuilders choose to limit their careers and may give up an active social life to pursue what makes them happy – bodybuilding.

 

"I think some bodybuilders may carry things to an extreme and perhaps they are obsessive, but these behaviours can be found in all hobbies or sport to this degree. The difference is that bodybuilding is about image and we can see the results of the work done by bodybuilders constantly. On the other hand we don't see the result of the time and effort others put into their sport or hobby.

 

"I think it's extreme cases that psychiatrists, such as Dr Pope, are talking about, and this needs to be emphasised to the public and the medical community. Dr Pope makes mention that what is being observed is generally harmless and is not as damaging to health as anorexia.

"If you think you've crossed that line into unhealthy obsession, always remember that size is in the eye of the beholder. Keep in mind also that when it comes to achieving your bodybuilding or athletic performance goals the best approach is a balanced approach. You don't need to give up your life to achieve the body, and health, you want."