Rising obsession for muscular body image lures men to excessive workout regimes and

Steroids

By Iram Rizvi

  Shredded biceps, rock-hard abs and visibly pronounced pecs toned muscular body is an
ideal body image, these days men are striving for. This concept is not limited to young guys
who are in their teens or in their twenties, but the trend is growing beyond 40 or 50. The
obsession for body image has shifted from lean, slim bodies to being more muscular.

It was Salman Khan’s hit-movie Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya (1998), where he flaunted his
muscles and six-pack abs by throwing his shirt on the dance floor. The dance number is said
to be a trendsetter for Indian men to achieve perfect 6 abs muscular body.  Adding to that few
more films, advertisements, the popularity of wrestling shows stars like Rock, Triple H, etc
was enough to make men to shrill to leave their “dad bod” look behind and work hard for a
more toned muscular body. These unrealistic media images which were otherwise considered
a problem for women have now made men conscious about the way they look and contribute
to their low body image satisfaction.

Nowadays, the trend is getting stronger. Flick through your social media feed of fit men, you
are likely to get images of topless, steroid-induced muscular mountains chiselled by gods
themselves. Just as young women have become Instagram savvy and to see how they should
be looking; it has the same role for men. For them to be fit and strong, is important to get
likes their photos, they can go to any extremes to have a well-built body as well. This Adonis
complex of achieving more muscular and often unattainable male body idea is driving men to
consume anabolic Steroids and excessive gyming.

 The consequences of obsession to achieve muscle mass, a perfect masculine body, more men
are hitting the gym in the hope of transforming into wrestling star Rock or any Bollywood
heartthrob like Tiger Shroff, Hritik Roshan, etc. The obsession to achieve a perfect muscular
body is so strong that it makes men sensitive about their appearance and even influence their
behaviour. From spending hours at the gym to pushing their body far beyond its limits which
makes them compelled to do it again the very next day.

In the long term the dissatisfaction to achieve a perfect body even after a long workout many
men are resorting to anabolic steroids.  anabolic-androgenic steroids or just anabolic steroids
are used by men to increase muscle mass and strength. These steroids are primarily used by
bodybuilders, actors and athletes’ fitness to improve their physical performance and
appearance, and also give them a competitive advantage. But it is now prevalent among
fitness “buffs” who claim Steroids help them to increase lean body mass, strength and
aggressiveness. Another effect of steroids is also believed that it reduces recovery time
between workouts, needed for hard training and thereby improves strength and endurance.

In Young men particularly in the ’20s, the natural testosterone (natural steroid) production
peaks and helps them to accomplish phenomenal results naturally. So the use of artificial
steroids may be required in fewer quantities. There is an increase in the use of steroids among
men above 40-50 years, which can have an adverse effect on their bodies. The reason why
older men are taking steroids is the low testosterone level with age and regular workouts
don’t give the desired results.

Side Effects of excessive workout and use of steroids: Despite the potential benefits,
excessive workout and steroids. there are several possible side effects, depending on the
extent one you use steroids and is into the heavy workout. In the long term, it may lead to
‘bigorexia’ (a feeling that triggers the idea that your body is too small or not muscular
enough), depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction to steroids, etc. The
short-term effects include increased risk of heart disease, aggressive behaviour, gynecomastia
(swollen male breasts), decreased production of testosterone, etc.

Recommendations

 Eat a healthy, balanced diet high in proteins and fibre e.g eggs, fish, yogurt, and grains like
quinoa.  Regarding the workout routine, work on alternate muscle groups for the best long-
term results. Use natural supplements, ashwagandha, known scientifically as Withania
somnifera, D-aspartic acid and fenugreek seed extract, may help to raise testosterone levels
and improve muscle growth in men who have low levels.

The Rise of Excessive Workouts: Don’t go Overboard

Shredded biceps, rock-hard abs and a toned muscular body- that’s what men strive for
these days. This concept is not limited to youngsters who are in their teens or twenties,
but also those beyond the age of 40. The obsession in body image has shifted from lean,
slim bodies to being more muscular.

It was in Salman Khan’s movie Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya where he flaunted his muscles
and six-pack abs by throwing his shirt on the dance floor. The dance number is said to
have  been a trendsetter for Indian men to get ‘six-pack’ abs.  Add to that, the
popularity of wrestling stars like The Rock and Triple H was enough to make men
desperate to leave their “dad bod” looks behind and work hard for a more toned and
muscular figure. These unrealistic media images, which were otherwise considered a
problem for women, have now made men conscious about the way they look and
contribute to their lack of body image satisfaction.

Flick through your social media feed, and you are likely to get images of topless, steroid-
induced muscular mountains chiselled by the gods themselves. Just as young women
have become Instagram savvy; the same goes for men. For them to be fit and strong, it
is important to get likes on their photos. This Adonis complex of achieving a more
muscular-and often unattainable- male body idea is driving men to consume anabolic
Steroids and spend all their time in the gym.

The consequences of this obsession to achieve a perfect masculine body has led to more
men hitting the gym in the hope of transforming into a wrestling star like the Rock or a
Bollywood heartthrob like Tiger Shroff and Hritik Roshan. The obsession with achieving a
perfect muscular body is so strong that it makes men sensitive about their appearance
and even influences their behaviour, making them spend hours at the gym pushing their
body far beyond its limits.

In the long term, the dissatisfaction to achieve a perfect body even after a long workout
has led to many men resorting to anabolic steroids.  Anabolic-androgenic steroids, or
just anabolic steroids, are used by men to increase muscle mass and strength. These
steroids are primarily used by bodybuilders, actors and athletes to improve their physical
performance and appearance. But it is now prevalent among fitness “buffs” who claim it
helps them to increase lean body mass, strength and aggressiveness. Another effect of
steroids is that it reduces recovery time between workouts, needed for hard training and
thereby improves strength and endurance.

In young men, particularly in their 20s, natural testosterone production is at its peak,
meaning that the use of artificial steroids is required in fewer quantities. There is an
increase in the use of steroids among men over the age of 40, which can have an
adverse effect on their bodies. The reason why older men take steroids is that they have
lower testosterone levels, meaning regular workouts don’t give the desired results.

Side Effects of excessive workout and use of steroids

Despite the potential benefits of steroids. there are several side effects, depending on
the extent of its use and the intensity of workouts. In the long term, it may lead to
‘bigorexia’ (a feeling that triggers the idea that your body is too small or not muscular
enough), depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction to steroids, etc.
The short-term effects include increased risk of heart disease, aggressive behaviour,
gynecomastia (swollen male breasts), and decreased production of testosterone.

Recommendations

Eat a healthy, balanced diet, high in proteins and fibre, like eggs, fish, yogurt, and grains
like quinoa.  Regarding your workout routine, work on alternate muscle groups for the
best long-term results.

Use natural supplements. Ashwagandha, known scientifically as Withania

somnifera, D-aspartic acid and fenugreek seed extract, help raise testosterone levels
and improve muscle growth in men who have low levels of the hormone.