Nowadays everybody knows at least one person who is a devout gym bunny that would rather sell their own granny than skip leg day. And it is now feared that 10% of gym-goers are suffering from muscle dysmorphia.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation chair Rob Wilson revealed the statistic and said:
Muscle dysmorphia is a preoccupation with the idea that one isn’t big enough, isn’t muscular enough,” he explains.
There are thousands upon thousands with it, who are going to be excessively concerned about their appearance, having very poor self-esteem, and also feeling very anxious and very worried.
Sometimes individuals can become very depressed and hopeless and that can even lead to suicide”
The cause of ‘bigorexia’ is unclear, but the pressure from society for men to look a certain way is exacerbating the issue, and it is believed to be more common in people who were bullied or abused when they were young.
Oli Loyne developed the condition as a result of insecurity surrounding his 5’2″ height, and began taking steroids to increase his size at the age of 18.
At 19 Oli suffered two heart attacks and a stroke, he then suffered a third and fatal heart attack when he was 20.
They say knowing is half the battle, so if you have a mate with an unhealthy obsession with bulking up, maybe have a quiet word and just check everything is OK.
