re: Body building taken to the extremes....what kind of mental deal is behind it?

I know a lady who got into it pretty hardcore. She went through a divorce and was having to work 3 or 4 jobs to pay her rent and pay for her kids school, or at least help. Constantly working and pretty down. She joined the gym I was a part of and it was her only release, and she got hooked. Was there constantly. I guess she eventually decided to do it competitively.

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I personally like to lift and like to push myself to see how strong i can get. Its my only real hobby. I enjoy it and its kind of a stress release for me. To each their own.

But i am not a bodybuilder like you see pros on tv nor would i ever want to be. Im only 205lbs. And i agree with you about the huge guys but if thats their thing, more power to them.

I grew up hunting everyday and now as an adult i don't see how anyone would think going to sit in the cold waiting on a deer would be fun, but to each their own.

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I understand "to each their own", and it makes perfect sense.

The difference between hunting and bodybuilding, is that hunting doesn't put your body through unnatural/unnecessary stresses like bodybuilding does. Also, I assume you don't hunt 5+ days a week.


Also there seems to be a trade-off with bodybuilding regiments, where they are trying to gain weight, and they neglect cardiovascular exercise. The stress benefits/physiological benefits of bodybuilding exercise vs. cardiovascular exercise are VERY different, and cardiovascular exercise is FAR better overall for your body (not just in terms of fat loss)

If you're going to take time to be in the gym I'm guessing 9/10 times you will not also do a 20-30 minute cardio exercise to compliment your exercise, which is the minimum required output for the positive benefits of the exercise.

Hunting is a COMPLETELY different activity from either, and you are in a very different environment, and you can bond with friends, bring home food to your family, and how many sons form lifelong memories/bonds with their fathers through hunting? Anyone bonding with their sons/fathers through bodybuilding? Are bodybuilders bonding with people over their workouts? Most bodybuilding workouts I've seen are done alone, and they are not talking to anyone at all. Seems like a very egocentric activity when it comes down to it...and thats OKAY to an extent....


At the end to each their own without a doubt. I have no problem with pushing your body, but with a balanced life (social, work life, maintaining other areas of life), I have serious doubts whether someone could end up at a bodybuilding level physique without neglecting a more foundational area.

For some people, it's a psychiatric disorder. I have a friend/high school classmate is a fricking monster. I mean 205 pounds but benches over 500, squats over 600 and has abs so thick that with a shirt on, it looks like he has a pot belly. Dude got offered a scholarship at a local community college just by his measurables/physique, didn't even have to do any on the field drills.

Well anyway, he sees himself as a small. He's military with 2 tours in Iraq and he went back with a private security contractor once or twice as well so when he comes home, he doesn't have to work and he just lifts weights all day, everyday. I mean 4-5 hour sessions at the gym based solely on strength training and then an hour of cardio. shite is insane.

Everything you posted about what exercise is better blah blah blah is pretty much wrong, but im sure you are an expert on it. And bodybuilding doesn't put your body through any crazy stress unless you are talking like big boy competition like olympia 280lbs monsters.

Im not a bodybuilder, i lift in my garage. My young sons see me lifting and are interested in it. Its a good healthy hobby and i hope they do lift with me when they get older and we spend lots of time together doing it.

And plenty of people who lift make it a social thing.

I agree thiugh the monster guys who compete in the olympia and stuff are weird and take the steroid thing way way too far. Like they wanna die early crazy. But the guy who lifts to get stronger and stay in shape and look good is not crazy. Is crossfitting a mental disorder? Not really understanding why its such a big deql to you what others decide to do.

I mean i have one real hobby, that lifting and working out. I spend all day busting arse at work (civil eng), i come home and spend time with my kids until they goto bed, wife is preggo so she goes to sleep by 8 like the kids. I lift or workout from 8 til around 10 and sometimes early in the morning around 5am also. Do you think i have a mental disorder because of this?

Guess my question to you is, are you talking average joe that lifts weights and looks like he lifts or are you talking mr olympia people?

Yes it is debatable.

Well you are wrong on it.....so yea kinda. Plenty of studies that show lifting heavy is better for fatloss do to calories burned after exercise. Plenty of studies that compare injury rates of runners vs weighlifters that show runners are far more likely to be injured. Also your claim of 30 minutes min to make it worthwhile is shite because there are plenty of studies on sprints and tabata workouts proving you wrong.

Also there is the fact that people who run long distance are all pretty much giant pussies, but hey to each their own. To your credit most people who so called bodybuild are giant douches too. Its why a built a home gym.

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Body building taken to the extremes

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Im not a bodybuilder

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he's asking about the extreme physiques of pro body builders and you are just some dude that toss a few pounds around in his garage, trying to make an argument that he's not asking about....

he's not asking about the normal working out shite, or even strength training... he's speaking SPECIFICALLY about the way, way extreme body building that you see in magazines and shite...

for the OP, the correct answers are body dysmorphic syndrome, along with possible narcissism, insecurity, and/or underlying, unresolved mental issues....

Did you read the thread? It started as that then he started talking about anybody that lifts bodybuilding style.

I agree with the op it was after he went off the rails.

Trick question.

The guy on the left is trained to perform at the highest level in his sport. The guy on the right is trained to perform at the highest level in his sport.

Which is "healthier" for the average person? Probably the guy on the right. But it's pretty likely that neither of those guys are all that healthy.

You can't really compare elite athletes, their training routines, and their body type to the average person.

I guess it depends how you define resistance training and how you define cardio. There is a lot of gray area and overlap there.