The true cost of gym culture
Gym culture’s supposed endorsement of personal empowerment is clouded by misguided fitness advice from those filled with ego, greed, and power. What used to be an outlet for stress or simply a place to move one’s body now accommodates a culture that endorses scarfing down caffeinated powders and injecting performing-enhancing drugs into one’s body. Toxic gym culture refers to the harmful and unrealistic expectations and behaviors within the fitness industry. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have led to the rise of fitness influencers who showcase statue-like physiques, explicitly promoting a demanding body standard as the epitome of health and attractiveness.
Emerging lingos like “gym rats” and “gymcel” show that going to the gym has become more than a hobby for some: It’s now their entire personality. The isolation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in health influencers’ popularity. Frequent gym-goers turned to digital content to fill the hole a lack of gym access left. These workouts presented the idea of a self-improvement journey or essentially a “cure” to any fitness or body struggle they had faced.
Simultaneously, the pandemic provoked an increase in mental illness. Some of these issues, specifically those relating to body image and restrictive eating, gave way to a bigger audience for fitness influencers to leech off of. Whether you were familiar with or a novice to the fitness world, this community quickly morphed into something not so health-improving. This emerging online culture strictly revolved around one’s physical appearance. Influencers’ followings continued to grow when gyms opened back up, and so did this harmful culture more prominent.
Fitness ideals, including associated strength, dominance, and stoicism, are deeply ingrained in cultural norms of masculinity worldwide. The perpetuation of such narrow masculine ideals reinforces harmful gender norms. Many discussions of manliness focus on how masculinity cannot exist without fitness, glorifying an idealized muscular physique.
Scott Murray was a young Irish fitness influencer afflicted by this toxic culture. Despite having a bachelor’s degree in health and performance, Murray’s infatuation with the “perfect body” resulted in a harsh, intense regime, including steroids, performance-enhancing drugs (IPED), and synthetic supplements. With his health ignored, Murray’s body gave out, and he unfortunately passed away.
This story highlights the more intense side of toxic gym culture, especially the usage of anabolic steroids. But, with the rise in demand for such products, associated with the rise in toxic gym culture, these products are becoming more readily available, making the risk of such harm to the body higher. Side effects of abusing these drugs include liver tumors, blood clotting, as well as heart disease and strokes.
These ideals don’t just plague men. The portrayal of women within the fitness space often reduces them to mere physical attributes. The purpose of such a culture is to focus on aesthetics over substance. Women find themselves whittled down to accessories only valued for their physical appearance.
Toxic gym culture is a much bigger issue than many realize. The first step is recognizing the problem. Going against the age of expectations of unrealistic standards is much more challenging than a simple discussion. But, by openly acknowledging these impacts on mental health and well-being, a cultural shift away from accepting such expectations as the norm can begin. Gyms and other fitness institutions, where these ideals often manifest, have a significant role in turning away from this harmful way of thinking. They must create an environment prioritizing mental health, diversity, and individual well-being over superficial standards. Insecurity sells, but it also kills, so recognizing the impact of this toxic culture is the first step towards getting over these narrow standards.
