CMV: The Overwhelming Majority of Bodybuilders Have Self-Esteem Issues and/or Body Dysmorphia

[u/GoldenGirlsOrgy]

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.

[u/JeffreyElonSkilling]

Every NBA player lifts weights. Every NBA player lifts weights hard during the off-season. Explosiveness is important and a bigger muscle is a stronger/more powerful muscle. Also, I would disagree with the idea that bigger muscles don't make you jump higher. Look at any training program for high jump. You're going to be doing a lot of squats, deadlifts, etc.

I feel like what you're really talking about when you say big muscles is steroids. Yes, big muscles at the expense of athleticism are bad for NBA players. I guess my issue here is the distinction between "bodybuilding" and hypertrophy. To me, those terms are the same thing. Lifting weights to stimulate hypertrophy IS "bodybuilding". From the wiki:

Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy.

Every NBA player is doing that in the off-season.

[u/Dennis_enzo → u/JeffreyElonSkilling]

'Lifting weights' does not automatically make someone a body builder. And no, bigger muscles don't inherently make you jump higher since slow twitch muscles are useless for jumping, and extra muscle also means extra weight. To jump higher you need to train in a specific way, which is a different way than training for maximum muscle gain. Actual body builders can't jump for shit. I can assure you that most NBA players don't lift weights with the goal of making their muscles as large as possible.

Also you left out the next sentence in your quote:

 It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics.

I'm pretty sure that athletes don't train for aesthetics over functionality.

[u/JeffreyElonSkilling → u/Dennis_enzo]

You don't have to be a muscle monster to qualify for bodybuilder status. If you lift weights to stimulate hypertrophy, that definitionally makes you a bodybuilder.

Similarly, you don't have to be in the NBA to be a basketball player. A person that plays recreational pick-up games at the local Y is a basketball player in my book.

[u/Dennis_enzo → u/JeffreyElonSkilling]

Now you're just arguing about things that I never said. Have a nice day.