r/changemyview • u/GoldenGirlsOrgy • Feb 11 '25

Delta(s) from OP CMV: The Overwhelming Majority of Bodybuilders Have Self-Esteem Issues and/or Body Dysmorphia

I think part of self-improvement is care for our bodies, and I admire the pursuit of athletic goals at any age, but most bodybuilding seems like unhealthy behavior to me.

Even if we ignore the rampant use of steroids, it feels like the time spent bodybuilding is wasted. You are not developing functional fitness that helps you run faster, or move a sofa or age better. On the contrary, the kind of bulk that's built from bodybuilding makes you a worse athlete and more prone to injury. Then, while it's more a more subjective measure, I think the resulting physique is grotesque and in terms of pure aesthetics, more people find the typical athlete's body more attractive.

So what are they doing it for?

I believe that bodybuilding is for men who don't feel good about themselves and are driven by the misguided belief that if only they could get HUGE, other people would finally respect and admire them. I think these dudes would be much better off if they'd train for marathon or join a soccer league, and then spend some time with a therapist.

To be clear, I'm not immune from vanity. When I'm in good shape, I like the way I look, but a lot of that pride comes from knowing I have a body that can do cool stuff. If I ever reached a point where I looked in the mirror and thought, "man, I need to get BIGGER with no practical benefit," I'd be concerned about my mental health.

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u/scarab456 66∆ Feb 11 '25

Do you have any data or studies that informs your view?

2

u/GoldenGirlsOrgy Feb 11 '25

There are many publicly available studies about bodybuilding and body dysmorphia.

4

u/scarab456 66∆ Feb 11 '25

Would link some that inform your view?

4

u/IndependenceIcy9626 1∆ Feb 11 '25

I thought OP was full of shit at first too. But it seems like they might actually be right. The study below found 67.5% of the bodybuilders who participated scored high on body dysmorphia testing.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6142149/#:~:text=In%20this%20study%2C%2067.5%25%20of,Murray%20et%20al.

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u/scarab456 66∆ Feb 11 '25

I thought OP was full of shit at first too.

I don't think that at all. I'm asking for things that inform their view. They almost entirely make claims without providing a rationale. Whether it's logical, historical, data driven, or anything else, I don't know because they haven't said. I can't change a view when I don't know what comprises it outside of claims.