Let me start by say
ing I love bodybuilding. It’s arguably one of the hardest activities to master, which is what I think makes it great. But who is anyone kidding? Competitive bodybuilding is not a quest for optimum health. It’s entirely about achieving a lean, muscular and symmetrical appearance. There is no judging criteria for health or any health-related measures but with the recent passing of another bodybuilder perhaps this should be taken into consideration.
Now before you start sending me hate mail let me clarify, I am NOT saying that bodybuilders are unhealthy or that bodybuilders don’t care about their health! Many do care about their health and I’m sure many are in fact, very healthy. What I am saying is that on the competitive level bodybuilding is not a QUEST for health and neither are most highly-competitive sports.
Although proper nutrition and appropriate exercise are important components of good health, competitive bodybuilding like many competitive sports tends to takes things to the extreme. Despite numerous research studies that suggest that physical activity has a positive outcome on health, high-level competition is not the same. The main distinction is that competitive athletes appear to be willing to subordinate their health to performance. Waddington (2004, p. 293) summarizes this point by saying that “the health-related arguments in favor of regular and moderate physical activity may be clear, but such arguments are considerably less persuasive in relation to competitive, sport and very much less persuasive in relation to elite, or professional, sport.”
With regards to bodybuilding, sponsorships, contest earnings, and other marketing opportunities may be impacted by how impressive the athlete looks or how well he or she places in competition. And when competing at an elite level the incentive to succeed may increase the temptation to use any method available to achieve the desired goal.
It’s quite common for bodybuilders to follow protocols prior to competition that include fluid restriction, diuretics, carbohydrate depletion and loading and numerous other practices that alter water and blood volume as well as electrolyte balance. These practices can be potentially harmful and are certainly not intended to improve the participant’s health.
Athletes are going to use drugs. Period!
The use of drugs to improve performance has been reported as early as the 3rd century BC. Many high-level competitive bodybuilders have been known to use drugs such as anabolic androgenic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH), insulin, diuretics, thyroid stimulating drugs, anti-estrogens and other pharmacologic agents in any effort to gain an edge. All of these substances pose potential health risks. At the same time the participant’s success is based largely on displaying extraordinary muscle mass and body fat levels that are the physiological minimum for humans. And while many condemn bodybuilders for using too many drugs they also applaud their outstanding physiques. These factors place even more pressure on them to succeed at the expense of their health.
In a 1995 poll, 198 el
ite athletes were asked if they would use a banned performance enhancing drug given the guarantees of not getting caught and winning. Only three of those athletes said they would not use a drug (Bamberger & Yaeger, 1997). Other studies also conform to the theory that athletes believe that the use of a potentially harmful substance is a viable response to further advance their career.
The use of performance enhancers has been reported for centuries, and ultimately, bodybuilders like many high-level athletes are faced with the choice of using them or not using them. Based on the literature, it is reasonable to believe that a majority of elite athletes in most sports and bodybuilding will use performance drugs if it provides a competitive edge. And it appears that many are willing to risk their health in order to meet the pressures to win.
While a goal of true health, proper diet, and appropriate exercise are necessary requirements –competitive bodybuilding is focused not on health but on achieving the subjective winning “look”. Therefore, it’s important for bodybuilders to approach things with a modicum of intelligence, to achieve and maintain reasonable quality health and long life expectancy and remember to place the value of their health above the short-lived reward of a trophy or sponsorship.
And to those who love and promote bodybuilding; if we want to keep bodybuilding alive we need to keep BODYBUILDERS ALIVE! If there is a true concern for safety, then future efforts should focus less on testing, condemning or passing judgment and more on medical screening and supervision for health and safety.
Train smart and good luck!
