Dedication or obsession?
Bodybuilding as an activity can be looked at through many different lenses. It could simply be viewed as a way of life, as simply a pass time, or an obsession. Hitting the gym, pushing weight and making gains can become a never ending ritual that sees a person make progression and then continuously push past that point in order to achieve more and more development. Bodybuilding as a sport, however, is a different kind of beast.
Professional bodybuilders aren’t your average athletes hoping to improve upon a relatively normal physique. Instead, they’re more concerned with improving upon a frame that has already built up a tremendous amount of muscle and strength and that in itself sets apart the amateurs from the professionals.
To be a pro bodybuilder it takes a certain amount of dedication, at times bordering on obsession. In fact, the reality is that most bodybuilders are obsessed with the goal of attaining more muscle and improving those imperfections that most people can’t even see. It essentially becomes an experiment that you put your body through in order to see the most development and look better than how you did last week and the week before and the week before that.
When body dysmorphia is talked about, most times we think of male bodybuilders who are expected to build massive muscle. We never consider the fact that, though it may not be highlighted as much these days, that female bodybuilders could be faced with the same issues. Rene Campbell is an IFBB Pro Female Bodybuilder who has gone from pencil thin to a mass monster. Many people may not agree with the change, but it’s become apparent that without bodybuilding Rene would be a different person physically and mentally and according to her that would’ve been a truly sad existence.
How far has Rene come and how far does she plan to go? Check out the video below as she tackles the issues of being a woman suffering from “Bigorexia.”
What’s your opinion on body dysmorphia in bodybuilding? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
