Muscle dysmorphia is an emerging condition that primarily affects male bodybuilders. Such individuals obsess about
being inadequately muscular. Compulsions include spending hours in the gym, squandering excessive amounts of
money on ineffectual sports supplements, abnormal eating patterns or even substance abuse. In this essay, I illustrate
the features of muscle dysmorphia by employing the first-person account of a male bodybuilder afflicted by this
condition. I briefly outline the history of bodybuilding and examine whether the growth of this sport is linked to a
growing concern with body image amongst males. I suggest that muscle dysmorphia may be a new expression of a
common pathology shared with the eating disorders. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating
Disorders Association.