Francesco A. Castano

Will A Bodybuilding Hobby Lead To A Destructive Muscle Building Addiction?



Posted: Thursday, March 19, 2009

by Francesco A. Castano
IncrediBody.com

Weight lifting is a hobby that requires discipline and consistency in order to produce dramatic muscle building results, with weight lifters committing themselves to regular workout sessions, consuming strict meal plans, and aiming for sufficient rest each evening. For those who have the time to conveniently perform a weight training session each day, and who are able to observe the proper meal plan without difficulty, bodybuilding does not become an overwhelming chore, but certain weight lifters haphazardly organize their lives, and find themselves struggling to integrate life with proper weight training and diet variables, yet they feel so attracted to achieving muscle gain or fat loss progress that they begin abdicating responsibilities in other, far more critical areas of life in favor of their bodybuilding agenda.

This is why planning is essential to bodybuilding success, as having a specific time devoted to bodybuilding, as well as portions of the day where meals are consumed, will ensure that there is no daily struggle to choose between bodybuilding workouts and family or work. Yet, even those who structure weight training and diet around a daily, organized regimen many times will experience unexpected scenarios that force them to rearrange their day, and for those who become obsessive over muscle building, this can produce substantial internal stress, to the point where other far more critical aspects of life are ignored in favor of a workout. For most, proper scheduling is sufficient to avert any regular occurrences that promote skipped meals or abandoned weight lifting workouts, but life many times offers unexpected inconveniences, and when bodybuilding begins to take on a far more important meaning in life than that of its true classification (a hobby), relationships and our commitment to helping those around us can suffer greatly, leading to a loss of proper perspective on the meaning of our very existence.

Bodybuilding in and of itself is innocent, and does not need to become a narcissistic pursuit used to define self worth, yet for some, this is exactly what transpires, and bodybuilders begin valuing themselves based upon the type of attention they experience from others, which is linked directly with the amount of muscle mass that they display on a given day. Steroids complicate this matter further, as a bodybuilder establishes a status quo that is based on drug abuse, and to continue receiving an identical level of superficial attention from others, steroids need to remain a constant, and this leads to a powerful psychological addiction, both to drug abuse and the bodybuilding lifestyle.

Many families are destroyed by addictions of all types, including alcohol, drugs, and pornography, but while few view physical fitness as a dangerous pursuit, bodybuilding is a hobby that can generate obsessive feelings that will separate a weight lifter from others, to the point where life begins to revolve around a mere workout and diet regimen, with all else occupying a lower priority. This skewed psychological framework destroys marriages, causes a level of obsession with appearance that eventually leads to infidelity, and will promote a level of sadness and grief that can lead to feelings of depression and a wide range of addictions, such as those I highlighted earlier.

To avoid such one dimensional thinking, a bodybuilder should place the hobby in proper perspective, knowing that a meaningful existence is based upon how we love God and others, with making those around us feel special and wanted ranking far above whether we have a large biceps muscle or ripped abs; giving to others is what fuels true happiness. Yet, this does not in any way suggest that bodybuilding is contradictory to a well adjusted, selfless existence, as the vast majority, with disciplined scheduling, can easily integrate a potent bodybuilding routine into their agenda without harming relationships or daily obligations, yet for this to occur, organization is of paramount importance. Those who refuse to follow a structured timetable towards daily activities feel overwhelmed with what they must accomplish, but if carefully analyzing their day, will find that much time was squandered specifically due to haphazard living.

Therefore, to reduce the chance that bodybuilding will interfere with life's more pressing concerns, choose specific weight lifting workout and diet times that do not adversely impact family, friends or work, and do so knowing that if unexpected scenarios surface, you will rearrange your schedule to focus upon the most critical concerns first, so that bodybuilding enhances a joyous, well adjusted life, as opposed to severing the peace and harmony that we all aim for.

Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for muscle building without bodybuilding supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling weight training equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.
This Article has been viewed 993 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.