Some might call it Extreme Body Modification. I call it Dysmorphia.
It can be hard to understand the lengths some people will go to so they can achieve a particular aesthetic. And it’s even harder not to look at someone who elects to inject themselves with synthol (85% oil, 7.5% lidocaine, and 7.5% alcohol) and wonder just what happened on the way to the gym. This strange subculture is the tip of an image-obsessed iceberg that gives little or no credence to strength, health or function. Rather, it masquerades as masculinity in what can only be described as an adult’s action superhero costume. Synthol is not a steroid, it does not enhance performance or muscle growth. It is literally a filler, the bodybuilder’s version of Botox, used to inflate muscles like cartoon balloons.
I won’t even begin to get into the horror stories of synthol use or the bizarre Popeye characters who have become internet anti-stars as a result of their own personal experiment. But there is undoubtedly a deeper, darker side to the freak show, a place where men, young and old, feel compelled to compete with some strange caricatured version of masculinity. We all elect to promote ourselves in some shape or form. Perhaps in an effort to feel comfortable exposing our most vulnerable selves we first need to feel armored. Whatever the case, the answer won’t be found in needles, steroids and artificial performance enhancement.
–Photo Credit: Davi Ozolin via Compfight cc
A big part of the problem is it is very widely used in professional competitions to polish off their look. Look up pictures of some of the stars of competition before and during the contest and see the results of this. I think the bigger issue is the widespread use of steroids down to even the high school level. I work out at a small local gym that isnt even a musclehead gym and i know of 6 guys right off the top of my head that openly use and admit steroid use. you can hardly pick up a barbell… Read more »
Am I reading this right- all hat & no cattle?
No strength gain?
Watching that video left me speechless. That guy’s body is so oddly out of proportion, and you can see the unnatural looking skin tones. I became interested in bodybuilding training from Arnold, who stressed real strength building exercises and discipline through diet and recovery. What I see here is insanity that brings the instant gratification epidemic to a whole new level. It’s sad that people go to these lengths, sacrificing their dignity for a fabricated image with huge consequences on health.
Synthol calls pity to my heart, first of all, but what’s more (and maybe this is wrong of me), but it fills me with this weird, base, sci-fi, alien revulsion when I see the results. I can understand the use of steroids, I really can. But this stuff is just bad news.