Bodybuilding Wizard

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Smart Ways To Put A Stop To Emotional Eating For Good
    • Nutrition plan for building muscles and losing fat at the same time
    • MusclePharm Assault Pre-Workout Review
    • Cellucor C4 Original Pre-Workout: Science-Based Overview
    • Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout Review
    • Crazy Nutrition 100% Tri-Protein Review
    • Hilarious video: Woman complaining about gaining weight
    • Labrada Elasti-Joint Review: The First Choice for Joint Health
    RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest Instagram
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Training
      • Weight training basics
      • Advanced bodybuilding
      • Workout programs
      • Home weight training programs
      • Cardio workout
      • Bodybuilding glossary
      • Exercise equipment
      • Weight training accessories
      • Weight lifting injuries
    • Exercises
      • Chest exercises
        • Middle chest exercises
        • Upper chest exercises
        • Lower chest exercises
      • Back exercises
        • Middle back (latissimus dorsi)
        • Upper back (trapezius)
        • Lower back (erector spinae)
      • Bicep exercises
      • Tricep exercises
      • Shoulder exercises
        • Front deltoid
        • Side deltoid
        • Rear deltoid
        • Rotator Cuff
      • Neck strengthening exercises
      • Quadricep exercises
      • Hamstring exercises
      • Calf exercises
      • Tibialis anterior exercises
      • Abdominal exercises
        • Upper abdominal exercises
        • Lower abdominal exercise
        • Oblique exercises
      • Core exercises
      • Forearm exercises
      • Glute & Hip exercises
      • Kettlebell exercises
      • Foam rolling & Stretching
      • Explosive (dynamic) lifts
    • Motivation
      • Videos
        • Motivational videos
        • Funny workout videos
      • Pictures
      • Quotes
      • Funny Fitness
      • Transformations
    • Diet
    • Supplements
    • Anatomy
    • FAQ
    • Forums
    Login
    Bodybuilding Wizard
    You are at:Home»Training»Advanced bodybuilding»Do You Have Muscle Dysmorphia?
    Advanced bodybuilding

    Do You Have Muscle Dysmorphia?

    krunoslavBy krunoslavJanuary 26, 2022Updated:January 26, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
    muscle dysmorphia
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Tumblr WhatsApp

    It’s a fact that increasingly men and boys have become dissatisfied with their body shapes and sizes. They begin working out, which can be part of a healthy exercise routine but sometimes becomes an obsession. That is, some boys and men become so concerned about their bodies that on a daily basis they give up any social life to spend hours in a gym or at home with workout equipment to improve their muscularity. Even then, they do not believe they are in good enough shape to be seen in public. And this is where a serious problem arises – condition (psychiatric disorder) we call muscle dysmorphia.

    What is muscle dysmorphia?

    Muscle dysmorphia is a sub-type of BDD (body dysmorphic dosorder). The main characteristic of muscle dysmorphia is the belief that one’s body is too small or insufficiently muscular or “puny”. This is the opposite of anorexia nervosa. Anorexics starve themselves because they believe they are too fat, while people with muscle dysmorphia believe they are too small and underdeveloped (not muscular). Even though they look normal, or in some cases very muscular, these men want to become even more muscular. They also worry about not gaining fat. Therefore, at the root of muscle dysmorphia is a distortion of body image.

    signs and symptoms muscle dysmorphia

    What behaviours are associated with muscle dysmorphia?

    It is important to distinguish muscle dysmorphia from working out or body building. Most men who go to gyms and pump iron do not have muscle dysmorphia. We are diagnosing this disorder across three levels: the way people think (cognition); the way this makes them behave; and the impact of this on their lives.

    COGNITION

    • the perception that your body is not sufficiently muscular;
    • the drive to gain weight without gaining fat;

    BEHAVIOUR

    • excessive exercise;
    • dietary compulsions;
    • use of performance-enhancing drugs (supplements, anabolic steroids);
    • extensive mirror checking;
    • asking other people if they look muscular enough;
    • continuation of behaviour despite adverse outcome such as muscle injury or overtraining;
    • wearing big, bulky clothes or many layers of clothes to look bigger;
    • comparing your own body size and muscularity with other men’s bodies and with men in muscle magazines;

    IMPACT

    • A restricted repertoire of social/occupational activities;

    What causes muscle dysmorphia?

    We know less about this disorder than anorexia nervosa or bulimia. We strongly suspect a genetic, biological element. In the same way that some people with anorexia are triggered into extreme weight loss by dieting, it appears that certain physiologies are at risk of muscle dysmorphia in response to over-exercise.

    Again comparable to anorexia nervosa and bulimia, psychological factors such as childhood teasing and past traumas seem to render people at risk. There seems to be a particular link to having witnessed your mother as a victim of domestic violence — the powerlessness of childhood being compensated by the exaggerated muscularity of adulthood.

    There is a big overlap with depression. Over half of all people with muscle dysmorphia have suffered from major depression. There is also an overlap with anorexia nervosa and bulimia. There is some overlap with anxiety. Almost a third have suffered from an anxiety disorder, such as social phobia (very extreme shyness). There is also an overlap with steroid abuse, but in most cases the use of steroids seems to stem from the muscle dysmorphia rather than vice versa.

    Finally, cultural factors create a climate in which “heroic men” are portrayed as having excessively defined musculature.

    causes of muscle dysmorphia

    Treatment of muscle dysmorphia

    There have been very few studies of treatments for muscle dysmorphia. Those that exist point towards the same treatments as anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

    Closing thoughts 

    Men have become trapped between the male “body image industries” and their own inability to articulate their feelings. Behaviours associated with muscle dysmorphia include spending extensive time at the gym (even when severely fatigued or injured), extensive mirror checking, camouflaging, maintaining a diet low in fat and high in protein, and the use of nutritional supplements and anabolic-androgenic steroids. All of these in an attempt to help them reach their impossible ideal of an Adonis-like body.

    Although we typically associate this disorder with males, it can occur in females also. It can have catastrophic physical consequences including kidney failure, heart disease and musculoskeletal injuries. Effective treatments for muscle dysmorphia use the same approaches as eating disorder treatments.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
    krunoslav
    • Twitter

    Hey! My name is Kruno, and I'm the owner and author of Bodybuilding Wizard. I started this website back in late 2014, and it has been my pet project ever since. My goal is to help you learn proper weight training and nutrition principles so that you can get strong and build the physique of your dreams!

    Related Posts

    Hip Versus Quad Emphasis in Lower Body Exercises

    Superslow Strength Training: Does It Work?

    Lifting to muscle failure

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    WE ARE SOCIAL
    • Facebook 181
    • Twitter 474
    • YouTube 97
    • Instagram
    RECENT POSTS
    May 20, 2022

    Smart Ways To Put A Stop To Emotional Eating For Good

    May 19, 2022

    Nutrition plan for building muscles and losing fat at the same time

    8.3
    May 17, 2022

    MusclePharm Assault Pre-Workout Review

    7.5
    May 16, 2022

    Cellucor C4 Original Pre-Workout: Science-Based Overview

    8.8
    May 14, 2022

    Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout Review

    RECENT COMMENTS
    • Justin Dew on Designing your own home gym
    • krunoslav on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • Christina on Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?
    • jack on Types Of Whey Protein
    • igtropin on Stiff-Leg Deadlift Technique
    LATEST GALLERIES

    Subscribe to Updates

    Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from our team.

    ABOUT
    ABOUT

    We are a group of bodybuilding enthusiasts and this is our effort to have all the details about bodybuilding at a single website. Bodybuilding Wizard will make your dream body your reality.

    We're social, connect with us:

    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    POPULAR POSTS
    April 2, 2014

    Lying Leg Curl Exercise Guide

    February 18, 2019

    Meet Your Muscles: How muscles are named?

    March 30, 2014

    Workout Frequency

    BODYBUILDING WIZARD
    Bodybuilding Wizard Footer Logo
    Copyright © 2014-2021 BodybuildingWizard. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress.
    • About
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Friends
    • Advertising

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?