Go big or go home: A thematic content analysis of pro-muscularity websites

Objectifying fitness: A content and thematic analysis of #fitspiration images on social media.

“…Furthermore, #fitspiration text messages positioned #fitspiration as a community, similar to the way in which proanorexia and thinspiration sites function as a community for those experiencing eating disorders (Borzekowski et al, 2010). #Fitspiration positions physical attractiveness as the central goal of exercise, which is a common theme across a wide range of fitness media (e.g., Willis & Knobloch-Westerwick, 2014;Murray et al, 2016), but it may have detrimental consequences. Acute exposure to appearance-framed exercise messages (over health) can foster feelings of body shame and heighten appearance goals for exercise (Aubrey, 2010) and for those highly motivated on such goals (e.g., weight control, body tone, and attractiveness), the risks of negative body image, depression, and eating disorder symptoms are increased (Strelan & Hargreaves, 2005;Strelan, Mehaffey, & Tiggemann, 2003).…”

“…Such an approach has been used effectively to explore and understand themes present in other understudied media content, such as men's magazines and pro-muscularity websites (Murray et al, 2016). The project received ethical approval from Leeds Beckett University.…”

Men, Muscles, and Eating Disorders: an Overview of Traditional and Muscularity-Oriented Disordered Eating

“…Alongside these bulking and cutting behaviors, a relatively recent eating phenomenon associated with the pursuit of the muscular ideal is the concept of ‘cheat meals’ [18,19]. Cheat meals refer to the discrete, planned or spontaneous, periodic departure from one’s muscularity-oriented dietary regimen, in a manner that includes consumption of an array of prohibited or restricted foods.…”

“…Such meals typically involve calorie dense foods in volumes ranging from 1,000-9,000 calories [19]. Curiously, cheat meals are thought to be goal-oriented [18]. Indeed, the influx of calories consumed through infrequent cheat meal engagement is thought to augment metabolic processes in the ongoing drive for muscular leanness.…”

“…Indeed, the influx of calories consumed through infrequent cheat meal engagement is thought to augment metabolic processes in the ongoing drive for muscular leanness. That is, interspersing strict dietary restriction with the sporadic influx of calories prevents metabolic adaptation to low dietary energy, and thus ensures that dietary fats are used as a primary energy source throughout periods of dietary restriction, which is thought to augment reductions in body fat without depleting muscularity [18]. While cheat meals are characterized by caloric volumes commensurate with binge eating episodes, and may also include a subjective loss of control and strict compensatory behaviors (i.e., reinvigorated exercise practices, further dietary restraint), it is unclear whether these behaviors are associated with subjective distress whether they may overlap with other traditional symptoms of ED psychopathology.…”