Do you really know? What is muscle dysmorphia?
Oct 14, 2025
The podcast explores muscle dysmorphia, a condition where individuals obsess over bulking up, leading to detrimental mental health effects. It delves into the history of exercise addiction, tracing its roots to the 1970s. The discussion highlights how compulsive workouts disrupt lives, relationships, and can cause physical injuries. A striking statistic reveals that around 10% of UK males who frequent gyms could be affected. Unresolved psychological trauma is linked to this obsession, making it a complex issue worth understanding.
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What Muscle Dysmorphia Is
- Muscle dysmorphia is an obsession with bulking up driven by a belief of being too skinny or lacking muscle.
- The condition mainly affects endurance athletes and bodybuilders who exercise excessively.
From Healthy Habit To Addiction
- Exercise addiction was first named by psychiatrist William Glasser in the 1970s and later seen as harmful.
- Over time the pleasurable effect of exercise can fade, creating a need for ever greater amounts of exercise.
Compulsion, Withdrawal, And Life Impact
- Compulsive exercise leads to withdrawal symptoms like irritability and paranoia when prevented from exercising.
- People may structure their lives around exercise, straining relationships and ignoring injuries.