Bodybuilding, Drugs and RiskCurrent popular interest in bodies, fitness, sport and active lifestyles, has made bodybuilding more visible and acceptable within mainstream society than ever before. However, the association between bodybuilding, drugs and risk has contributed to a negative image of an activity which many people find puzzling. Using data obtained from participant observation and interviews, this book explores bodybuilding subculture from the perspective of the bodybuilder. It looks at: * How bodybuilders try to maintain competent social identities * How they manage the risks of using steroids and other physique-enhancing drugs * How they understand the alleged steroid-violence link * How they 'see' the muscular body. Through systematic exploration it becomes apparent that previous attempts to explain bodybuilding in terms of 'masculinity-in-crisis' or gender insecurity are open to question. Different and valuable insights into what sustains and legitimizes potentially dangerous drug-taking activities are provided by this detailed picture of a huge underground subculture. |
Contents
Introduction risking the physical and social self | 1 |
Bodybuilding a demonised drug subculture | 25 |
Parameters for successful bodybuilding | 45 |
Creating the perfect body a variable project | 73 |
Bodybuilding ethnopharmacology managing steroid risks | 95 |
Steroid accessory drugs | 129 |
Bodybuilding steroids and violence | 156 |
Conclusion constructing appropriate bodies and identities | 181 |
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| 209 | |
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Common terms and phrases
activity aggression Alan Aldactone anabolic steroids androgenic athletes Augé Bitch Tits Bloor bodies and identities bodily bodybuilders claim bodybuilding subculture builders chapter Clenbuterol competent competition bodybuilders competitors considered construction culture cycle Cyclofenil Dianabol diet Diuretic Dorian Yates dosage drug-taking drugs and risk embodied enhance Ephedrine ethnographic ethnopharmacological knowledge ethnopharmacologists ethnophysiological example female bodybuilders Field Diary fucking Furosemide gear gender genetics Giddens going Grunding and Bachmann gym members hegemonic masculinity hormone individual injecting Interview Klein lifestyle look male bodybuilders mean milligrams muscle muscular body negative Nubain nutritional participants physical physique-enhancing potential Primobolan protein Pumping Iron receptor sites recognised regimens relevant reportedly Respondent 21 Riem and Hursey risk society risky Roid-Rage side effects similar Soccer social specific sport steroid abuse steroid cycle steroid users steroid-using bodybuilders supplements Sustanon take steroids testosterone theory types of steroid violence weight trainers Winstrol women Yeah