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What do you know about Bigorexia

Bigorexia, adonis complex, musclebuilding

Bigorexia is catching men (but increasingly women too)- here's why! Men are buying into the beauty myth, except that instead of being thin – its BIG….big muscles that is. It’s about obsessing about ‘pecs’, ‘lats’ and a washboard 6-pack.

No longer are body dissatisfaction and breast implants the sole domain of women as they once were. There's a new focus on male bodies leading to a new disorder. In psychiatric circles, it is known as ‘muscle dysmorphia’ (an obsession about muscle building) but to the layman it’s Bigorexia. (BIG.uh.rek.see.uh) n or the Adonis Complex. It's like reverse anorexia.

People start off being interested in muscle building programs.

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P.S. If you find an article similar to this one on the www - please note that I have not copied them. They have used an article I wrote for Mens Health magazine which was rejected. They have not named me as author of that article, nor was I ever paid for it, and they ignore all my correspondence.

This isn't your average gym-goer, who works out a few times a week, can miss the odd session and isn’t obsessed with how his body looks.

More typically it’s male bodybuilders, other sportsmen and increasingly the gym-goer who becomes fanatical as they view themselves through a distorted lens and become obsessed about what they perceive as their physical inadequacies.

It is estimated that probably 10% of the men in any hard-core gym have muscle dysmorphia, ranging from mild to crippling and that this figure could be three times as high if sub-clinical statistics were added.

It's vastly more prevalent amongst men than women. However with the advent of TV programs like Gladiator and WWF wrestling, it's a growing phenomenon amongst women. Body-building for women has also grown in popularity.

In one study of over 1000 men, over 50% were unhappy with their bodies and 40% said they would consider chest implants in order to achieve bigger pectorals.

When asked to draw their ideal body, the body ideal was so muscular it could only be achieved by taking the risks associated with using anabolic steroids. However, bigorexia is an under-diagnosed condition because, for muscle building and being big is acceptable for men. Increasingly, having sculptured big muscles is to be admired, envied and thought of as powerful.

It's no surprise that bigorexia is a growing disorder in gyms and health clubs given the hype about impressive pecs, large lats and six packs being sex packs that drive potential partners wild. When the real truth is that sexual prowess and sexual desire suffer and are often impaired.

For more information on musclebuilding and bigorexia click here