22: Bodybuilding, Addiction, and Mental Health

In my 20 years in the sport I’ve observed some consistencies with WHO this sport attracts.  We don’t talk about the psychological components to competing and how it affects people’s mental health.  This episode provides a deeper look into addiction and mental health in bodybuilding. 

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Key Takeaways:
*What exactly is addiction? (3:00)
*Compulsive behavior in bodybuilding (3:26)
*The affect of social media’s illusion of bodybuilding (7:06)
*The multiple levels of addiction (8:54)
*Exercise for mental health vs bodybuilding (10:42)
*Addiction and common substances in bodybuilding (12:24)
*How my own standards have changed since discovering bodybuilding 20 years ago (15:24)

—TRANSCRIPT—

This episode is going to provide you zero scientific data and purely my thoughts and observations on addiction and mental health in bodybuilding. I’m not a physician nor am I giving any medical advice. Please consult a doctor if this episode brings up any concerns. 

In my 20 years in the sport I’ve observed some consistencies with who this sport attracts. Besides the people whose egos are bigger than their careers, which by the way, man there is a lot of “I am so important” in this sport.  Like, no you’re not. Just because you work out and look good doesn’t make you important. What’s amazing to me is, you guys, in the next month I have some really great guests that you are going to be surprised to see on the show. People that you could say are “important” and whose CAREERS are bigger than their egos.   The episodes are going to be fun and informative. Some day I’ll talk about the egos of people that you think would be cool but really aren’t from my behind the scenes encounters when approaching them for a spot on the podcast.  Let’s make it to 1,000,000 downloads and I’ll spill the beans.  So be sure to share the podcast with fitness enthusiasts to get the word out. 

Ok back to the consistencies I’ve observed with addiction and mental health.

First, what exactly is addiction?   

“Addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual's life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”

The key phrase I want to talk about is the “compulsive behaviors that continue despite harmful consequences” and discuss this in the world of bodybuilding. 

Many might have heard of bigorexia also known as muscle dysmorphic disorder. It’s become more high profile with the documentaries that have walked us through the day to day of people with this issue. You might’ve seen some of them yourself.  

What happens with bigorexia is the person sees a distorted image of ones body, they are obsessed with muscle mass to the point that relationships are affected, their life revolves around the obsession to get big, and it’s so extreme they ignore health issues and might avoid appearances or events because they are worried about their appearance.  It’s more common in men than women and is on the rise. 

There is a case of a young man who was obsessed with biceps so he injected them with petroleum jelly to inflate them to an extreme level. He looked like the Popeye cartoon but he was a real human.  The tissue was so damaged from lack of blood flow that it turned purple. The damage became life threatening and he was forced to remove the implants or risk losing his arms or his life. Now he is left with hardened slabs of the jelly and dead muscle in his triceps and will have to undergo more surgeries to remove the rest of the hardened jelly.

Another extreme example is a woman physique competitor who became so sick from extreme protocols that included multiple different compounds including multiple diuretics and anabolics that she ended up with multiple organ failure. Despite being extremely sick, months later, while still recovering, she started posting about wanting to compete again and not caring what people think.

Although both cases are extreme, the obsession with one’s body, getting ripped, getting huge, feeling invincible, these are all common things you will see in bodybuilding, no matter which division.  It might not be to the extreme as getting Popeye arms, or multiple organ failure, but it’s still there.  We only hear about the extreme cases and think that well, that’s not me, so I’m fine.  But are many people actually “fine” in bodybuilding?    Are you really ok if you compulsively look at yourself in the mirror and are never satisfied no matter how hard you work and how many gains you see in the gym?  Are you really fine if no matter what you do it’s never enough and you are never happy?  Are you really “fine” if you are only happy with the way you look the 5 seconds you are ripped to shreds for a show and then for the rest of the year you cover up with moo moos and sweatpants?

You don’t have to have a compulsion or be classified as mentally ill to not be “fine.”  It’s ok to acknowledge you are not fine.  You are human and once you experience bodybuilding and all the extremes it has to offer, you will never be the same.  You may not be fine now, but you can learn to adapt.  

We don’t talk about the psychological components to competing and how that affects people’s mental health.

In fact, I think people UNDERESTIMATE the psychological component to competing.  Many think it’s going to be this fun thing that fills a check box on their bucket list.   They think they are going to look great so they will be happy.  Social media doesn’t help with all the fancy photos of competitors making it look like everyone is stage ready year round. Plus all the attention people get when they post a photo all ripped and the muscle worshippers come running with their 50 emojis and a marriage proposal.  Think about all that attention and how intoxicating that can be for people who have never felt good about themselves or felt important before. Oh and let’s not forget that every time you turn around someone is getting a pro card too so there is a status component to competing that has become very attractive.    

I’m going to go as far as to say that social media has created an illusion that bodybuilding is achievable for anyone. Technically anyone can register for a show, slap a tan on, and compete, but to be competitive is a different story.  Anyone can get motivated for something.  For example you are motivated to go to work so you can make money to pay your bills.  You receive a pay check consistently so that reward keeps you motivated.  But bodybuilding is different.  It’s a hobby.  It’s optional.  You don’t HAVE to be a bodybuilder, but you have to WANT to be a bodybuilder to be a bodybuilder.  To stay motivated for the months it takes to prepare for a show, with an unknown outcome, takes a specific mindset and skillset.

Not everyone has a strong WILL that will keep them on track during the process when things get tough.  You can’t have a bad day at work or a fight with a spouse and use it as an excuse to go off track with your nutrition and training.  Bodybuilding has a compound affect.  Everything you do this week will affect how you look in the weeks ahead.  To get your body fat down to extreme levels requires you to be precise and consistent.  You have to have a strong will that can’t be broken no matter how difficult life gets….or just don’t do the show.  If life is that tough then you need to consider your priorities. 

There is also a cost to getting really lean.  Although you think it’s a great idea, and it’s glorified on social media, your body sure doesn’t agree. This battle between you and your body’s #1 goal of survival, will be brought right to the surface. Who wins will, once again, be determined by your pain tolerance and will power. 

So now let’s talk about what happens when you actually win that battle and you get on stage looking all freaky.  The satisfaction you get from accomplishing that goal is only going to happen when you are stage lean. 

Which brings me back to the word addiction in bodybuilding. 

When people think addiction they think substance abuse and rehab. But I think there are levels to addiction.  For example, you can be addicted to coffee.  There are a lot of health benefits to coffee and a recent study that showed moderate amounts of coffee are a good thing. Moderate meaning more than a couple of cups of coffee.  A lot more than you would think.  But just not like 50 though.   So despite there be an addictive quality to coffee, we don’t think of it as taboo unless you are packing it full of sugar and fat in your triple venti latte and then all of a sudden we become all judge-y in line watching others grab their dessert coffee while we wait for our regular old coffee at Starbucks.

But can you be addicted to getting lean?  I don’t think the answer is really black or white. With bodybuilding there isn’t instant gratification.  You can’t just jump into the back of a cab with a suit and come out the other side all jacked with a cape on and fly away like superman.  Getting lean takes a lot of time and consistency.  You feel like dog poo during the process too.  It’s fun in a crazy way, but it’s really not all that fun.  The endorphins you get from working out, now I do think you can get addicted to that. The reward occurs after every workout.  Which is why I have seen many people go from having an actual substance abuse addiction to using exercise as a recovery agent.  

I’ve also heard mental health experts with a research background talk about how exercise causes the brain to release chemicals that mimic the affects of multiple mental health drugs taken at once. So in essence instead of taking two different pills for a specific mental health issue, exercise itself would have the same effect. For goodness sake talk to your doctor before stopping any medication.  But if you are curious about the latest research you can look up Dr. Jennifer Heisz who is an expert on the connection between exercise and mental health.

So there is exercising for mental health and then there is bodybuilding.

Things start out great with exercise.  Your intentions are good.  And as you continue to exercise you naturally start to make better choices with food.  Your body transforms and you are on a great path.

But then you go to a bodybuilding show and see your friend on stage and you decide to give it a try yourself.  You participate in your first show and now have the bug because you just watched your body morph into a cartoon character version of yourself.  For some, the high is so great, that the comedown after the show can be unbearable without that major goal driving them to the finish line.  The finish line becomes just that - and ending.  You now have to dial out of the show and put body fat back on.  You watch all the hard work you put into getting lean disappear under a healthy layer of fat.  And now you feel fat.  You might lose the desire to train at the gym or eat the foods you were eating on prep because there is no longer a reward keeping you motivated. 

It can be a hard crash for many people. I think some of this has to do with the protocols of course. I’ve been very vocal about how the protocol you use when preparing for a show matters. If you have bro science Jake with the 6 pack abs feeding you tilapia and asparagus for 16 weeks, the minute you have a burger and fries after the show, you are done. These unnecessary protocols bring out their own laundry list of mental issues that I’ve talked about in other episodes so I won’t dive into this since we are talking about the nature of bodybuilding and addiction from more of a 30,000 foot view. So for some the only way to combat how they feel after a show….is to pick another show… and start the cycle over again.  So in a way, you are chasing the lean physique….and in these cases I would consider the behavior to be more of an addiction.

But I have a question for you.  Do you think that the people who battled substances or those who battled eating disorders to achieve a physical goal before finding bodybuilding, are also the people that are more likely to become addicted to substances in bodybuilding that are so commonly used in non drug tested federations?  With the use now being rampant and what seems to be an unspoken acceptance, and even an encouragement among coaches training bodybuilders, to use anabolics, are people who had issues with substance abuse and eating disorders before bodybuilding MORE likely to abuse anabolics despite them being illegal and despite them altering their facial features and body structure permanently inside and out?  Something to think about. 

From what I understand the feeling you get when on PEDs is a feeling of invincibility and strength. Plus, your gains come much faster than you’ve ever experienced, and you get more compliments. So imagine in a few months of time you see more gains than you have with years of training.  You have a ton of energy.  You are stronger.  Everyone around you admires your physique. Your number of social media super fans grows exponentially.  Then it’s time to cycle off of them.  Energy goes down, strength goes down, and your body doesn’t look the same.  Remember what I said earlier about contest prep and how a show physique often sets a new bar for your physique standard?  Now imagine adding PEDs into the mix and the even greater gains of strength, size, and energy and the crash when you come off of them just like when you dial your physique out of a show without them?  In addition to the physique changes, without PEDs you have a noticeable energy change.  You now have a new bar set for what it feels like to have amazing energy.  Kind of like when you get that first buzz from drinking alcohol.  That high changes how you feel about going out and socializing.  Have you ever heard the saying, no good time ever started with a salad?  It’s because you know the difference.  With PED use you know the difference of what it feels like to feel invincible.  You know what it feels like to build more strength and size in a fraction of the amount of time.  So your standards have now changed forever.  How would this NOT affect your mental health?  And once again, let me ask you….do you think that he people who battled substances or those who battled eating disorders to achieve a physical goal before finding bodybuilding, are also the people that are more likely to become addicted to substances in bodybuilding? 

And for those who use substances, you can’t un-feel that high.  The bar has been set.  I’m honestly not sure how people manage this feeling.  Coming off the substances in bodybuilding has multiple letdowns.  When coming off alcohol or hard drugs you lose the high but physically you get healthier.  But with bodybuilding, you not only lose that feeling of invincibility and energy, you also lose the physical gains you worked so hard for. 

I bring all this to the surface to get you to think.  Not just about your own mental health but the health of your friends who might consider bodybuilding as well.  The mental health components of bodybuilding aren’t talked about, and  if they are, it’s about extreme cases that aren’t as relatable to the masses.

Whether right or wrong, I can say for myself that my standards with my own physique are much different after competing. I have a drawer I jokingly call my “hot girl drawer.” Hot girl drawer has clothes that are only worn when my physique looks a certain way. I wouldn’t be caught dead in any of these clothes otherwise. I am always amazed at people wearing half shirts with bellies hanging out. Or short shorts with cellulite on their legs. And they are all walking around like it’s hot girl summer.  And they do look hot because you can tell they believe they are hot.  Confidence is everything. But my idea of hot girl summer is extreme. I think muscle is beautiful and when that muscle is dialed in and you can see all kinds of cool details, that is my personal standard. If I don’t see that on myself, then I look just “meh” because I know myself different. 

I thought it was just me that had this attitude in my early years but after talking with people, from fellow competitors, to posing clients, I realized it is actually quite common.   It’s almost as if a show day physique sets a new bar.  A bar that you’ve never known possible, seen before, and absolutely love how absolutely bonkers you look. These feeling are so common that you’ll now see a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon on social media and posting messages about how a show day physique is not maintainable year round. We know that captain obvious.  But once you witness something extreme, impressionable, and life changing, you can’t un-see it.  Once you feel something extreme, you can’t unreel it. Instead, you learn to manage it. Or you don’t.

Alright guys, this was a heavy one, I know but I hope it sparks some thoughts and helps new people to better prepare.  Bodybuilding is an incredible sport.  I love it because it’s challenging.  But most people focus on the physical aspect of bodybuilding and don’t understand that there are mental skills that also need to develop in order to be successful in this sport. Speaking of mental skills, if you haven’t done so yet, come to one of my virtual posing clinics at www.posingpractice.com . Why do I say mental skills and posing? Because stage performance also requires specific mindset skills to get you out of your head and looking incredible on stage.  Do you want to look like a robot?  Or like you have no idea what you are doing up there?  I didn’t think so.  Your starting place is my clinics. Go to posingpractice.com and let me help you.  I’ll be back next week with another episode. In the mean time, please leave a review if you are on iTunes and like, share, and subscribe wherever you are listening from.  And post about this podcast in your favorite fitness groups to help reach more people in this sport that would appreciate the conversation.  Ok, I’ll talk to you next week!