Until recently, the use of anabolic steroids was the privilege of elite athletes. But the use of performance-enhancing drugs among young men has now reached alarming proportions.
a lot of these men aren’t building confidence, they’re building armor.
Armor looks strong. Armor feels strong. Armor can even protect you.
But armor is not the knight.
The documentary shows the armor, but it doesn’t interrogate the knight inside.
Men who never learned internal confidence try to manufacture it externally.
The media loves to act like male body dysmorphia is the ultimate crisis of our time, but it completely ignores the elephant in the room. The cult of female physical perfection is so deeply rooted in culture that we barely even notice it anymore. Pointing fingers at gym culture while ignoring the non-stop, lifelong bombardment of beauty standards directed at women is a massive blind spot.
I switched to callisthenics after 16 years Bodybuilding because I didn't like my conditions any more. No real power, no stamina, no flexibility and no overall strength. Just big muscles. And dear god after 2 years into callisthenics I feel so damn good. For me personally best decision so far.
I spent years in the gym, I did a couple physique shows , I didn't do great cause I didn't have money for the juice and all the extra supplements my peers were using. About 15 years ago I found Jiu-Jitsu and Judo, I traded one addiction for another. I also learned that a big muscular frame is absolutely useless when you're a competitive grappler. Strength and endurance is a different story, fortunately I built the base in the gym that gave me longevity in my sports.
Nice doc. The pattern that also aligns with me is that we were almost all bullied in our youth for being too small. so while others may just see a meat head, it’s really trauma that forced them to the gym. Then they realize that the gym is like a therapy, an escape. And they never look back
Forget aesthetics!
Aim for functionality and mood enhancement.
Exercise outside when possible instead of inside a gym. The more natural the setting, the better.
I have a home gym, but when the weather allows, I go take a hike or go to the park and use the body weight equipment there.
When I was 16 we were also obssessed with bodybuilding and some of my friends took steroids. I remember two of them having bowel cancer by the time they got to 21. Thats when I realised that feeling better is more important then looking better.
i think at the heart of this lies the inability to accept themselves for who and what they are. Its a need for external acceptance and and affirmation. What happens when they are unable to continue with this.
A lot of men build their bodies less for women’s desire and more for the gaze of other men
I feel they are building a body that other men would envy, respect, or aspire and also being muscular often functions as a form of homosocial signaling too
In the 80s bodybuilders got to be actors. Now actors are expected to be bodybuilders. It’s ridiculous. Gone are the notions of inner strength like Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen. We never saw their bodies.
I’d just rather be a fit 62 year old. Maybe I’ll live longer.
Nothing wrong with working out and building muscle but doing it in such an obsessive and drug-induced manner is mentally and physically unhealthy. This is body dysmorphia and disordered eating. As simple as that. People are afraid to acknowledge the obvious because they think that confronting their vulnerabilities is a form of "emasculation." Very sad :/
I think one of the biggest problems today is obsession. People become so obsessed with one goal — money, success, fitness, appearance, fame, or some big idea — that they forget the most important thing: to actually live.
There is nothing wrong with being strong, ambitious, or having goals. But when one goal becomes your entire life, you stop noticing life itself — people, nature, conversations, quiet moments, and the world around you.
Sometimes we become so focused on building a better body or a better future that we forget to experience the life we already have.
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Armor looks strong. Armor feels strong. Armor can even protect you.
But armor is not the knight.
The documentary shows the armor, but it doesn’t interrogate the knight inside.
Men who never learned internal confidence try to manufacture it externally.
Nothing wrong with becoming fit.
But taking capsules and steroids to appear and become fit is wrong.
Aim for functionality and mood enhancement.
Exercise outside when possible instead of inside a gym. The more natural the setting, the better.
I have a home gym, but when the weather allows, I go take a hike or go to the park and use the body weight equipment there.
I feel they are building a body that other men would envy, respect, or aspire and also being muscular often functions as a form of homosocial signaling too
I’d just rather be a fit 62 year old. Maybe I’ll live longer.
There is nothing wrong with being strong, ambitious, or having goals. But when one goal becomes your entire life, you stop noticing life itself — people, nature, conversations, quiet moments, and the world around you.
Sometimes we become so focused on building a better body or a better future that we forget to experience the life we already have.