Gym culture and masculinity in fitness communities

¶ … GYM GUYS

Introduction to the Creature:

Since the 1980s, fitness has developed into one of the most popular recreational pastimes in the United States. Whereas gyms used to be relatively few and far between outside of school campuses, commercial gyms now exist virtually everywhere with major health club chains maintaining facilities in many different states. Among American males, working out has become tremendously popular although there are distinctly different reasons they participate in the same general activity.

Muscle heads workout mainly because they have selected building an imposing or intimidating physique as a primary psychological identity rather than because they have any specific purpose for building muscle. Narcissists workout exclusively for cosmetic purposes, also without any actual purpose for developing an impressive physique beyond a need for social attention and the admiration of strangers. Athletes have always worked out in connection with improving their sports performance. In many respects, these three classes of individuals workout in gyms for different reasons; however, in other respects, they may also share certain motivations on one level or another.

Subspecies Number 1 -- Muscle Heads:

Muscle heads seek to build muscle the same way that other tremendously psychologically insecure individuals may obsessively pursue financial wealth or positions of power or public notoriety. Instead of using the gym to improve their health or to maintain a level of physical fitness, many muscle heads workout obsessively because being recognized for a muscular build is their primary psychological orientation and manner of relating to others. They workout for the purpose of getting bigger and may devote as much time and attention to picking out clothes that are just slightly too small so that their physiques are apparent from any angle to anybody within a radius of fifty feet. Ironically, they often consume such ridiculous quantities of food that they spend as much time in the bathroom as in the gym and they manage to put on a layer of fat despite their interest in "physical fitness."

Subspecies Number 2 -- Narcissists:

Narcissists workout for very similar reasons as muscleheads, except with a slightly different focus and intended audience. Whereas muscleheads workout to impress everyone in general and to intimidate other males in particular, narcissists workout strictly for cosmetic purposes to maximize their sexual appeal to women (or to other men, in some in cases). Sometimes, gym narcissists become so obsessed with their workouts that they end up spending their weekend nights in the gym instead of trying to meet someone, seemingly undermining their reason for working out in the first place. In many cases, gym narcissists are very similar in their habits and objectives to muscleheads, except with a slightly different focus.

Subspecies Number 3 -- Athletes: