The Harm of the Digital Fitness Industry 

Social media has shifted the gym from a place to promote body positivity and well-being to a toxic environment where individuals feel that they have to physically strive to be the best. Five months ago, ripped bodybuilders on my Instagram page influenced me, among millions of other teens, to start working out. As an avid gym teen who works out five times a week, I have directly witnessed discussions about going to the gym to simply “look good” and impress others. In my latest gym session with my friends, I asked my friend if the squat rack simply had too much weight for him. He replied, “Nah, I’ll go for a new personal record–I want to squat higher than you.” 

Given his reaction, I noticed then that the gym had turned into a place of competition for susceptible teens. On social media, fitness influencers post endorsements after endorsements, working to promote supplementals, meal guides, and training courses. This leads to the rise of a toxic gym culture that promotes an unrealistic and often dangerous lifestyle of excessive exercise and even the use of unsustainable supplements and substances. While trying to promote body positivity, social media is ironically promoting body negativity. 

When constantly exposed to exaggerated or edited photos, clips, and posts about workout routines and diets, adolescents force themselves to think that they, too, must lift the strongest weight, satisfy unrealistic body standards, or even surpass fitness influencers. On social media, bodybuilders use weights greater than their body capacities and strength as a sole form of success in the gym. This influences teen lifters to mimic them recklessly, testing the maximum strengths of their bodies and therefore suffering unprepared injuries. 

Furthermore, the pressure to pursue unrealistic workout goals has led some teens to pursue supplements. According to a New York Times article in May 2020, nearly a third of teen boys are prone to take “pre-workout” muscle-building and weight loss supplements to chase weights. Indeed, educated use of these supplements can be beneficial. According to a 2016 study published in the National Library of Medicine, these supplements contain caffeine that directly inhibits pain receptors and therefore can benefit lifters to try pushing a little further beyond their limit. However, overuse of these supplements is problematic, as they prevent people from noticing when they are pushing too much weight. 

Sometimes, teens use not only supplements but also steroids (enhancement drugs to increase muscle mass), which causes even more harm. Enhanced steroids have serious chronic effects including but not limited to high blood pressure, strokes, mood swings, and aggressive behavior. Despite these serious side effects, teens are still choosing to use steroids. In fact, according to Verywell Family, teens have represented over 75% of the steroid usage population since the 2000s. The sad reality is that teens cannot differentiate between a natural physique and a steroidic physique. Jacob Mathiasmeier, a 21-year-old who started his own fitness page, talks about this problem: “My social media homepages are filled with bodybuilders who look like they are on steroids but claim to be natural, which makes it really difficult for me to know what is realistically achievable as a young person trying to get into the fitness game.” An Irish boy named Philip Compyn died at the age of 17 as a result of feeling “agitated” and “disoriented” in his brain activity. He was a victim of one of the many steroid-related cases of death among teens. This reminds us that the friends and family around us could also face the same tragic fate. 

In conclusion, this is not to say that the gym is a harmful place. As a place of physical exercise, experts have scientifically proven that the gym is a place to boost energy, raise, confidence, and reduce stress. However, the gym is a great place to achieve one’s body goals only when people know how to differentiate between toxic habits and recommended healthy ones. Those who are in support of the digital fitness industry argue that the gym always brings body positivity. However, this argument is viable only when teens ignore the misleading advice given by “fitness influencers” on social media. 

As a teen myself, I care for the well-being of teen gym-goers. We need to educate teens to understand that everyone has different dietary and workout standards and to stop comparing themselves to social media influencers. We need to teach teens that numbers that gauge their muscle mass and strength are not the absolute indicators of their progress. Rather, workouts are supposed to focus on body positivity and boost self-confidence. Supporting and promoting positive inclusivity will create a welcoming gym environment for all people, especially teens. With collaboration and determination, we can endorse the true meaning of fitness: to stay healthy. 

Photo Credit: Pexel