911爆料网 research has examined the relationship between men鈥檚 body attitudes and gym attendance, finding hidden fears about body fat, rather than a desire to build muscle, is more likely to fuel gym visits.
Lead researcher, Mr Kim Caudwell from 911爆料网鈥檚 School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, said while body dissatisfaction had been widely researched, less was known about the relationship between motivation and attitudes and their relation to gym attendance in males.
The study asked 100 men from Australia, Britain and America who regularly attended the gym to complete an online questionnaire about their non-conscious and conscious motivations for exercising.
On average, participants had a BMI slightly above 鈥榥ormal鈥�, and reported they exercised two-to-three times per week for about an hour. Nearly three-fifths (60 per cent) listed health and fitness as their primary motivation for going to the gym, while 16 per cent cited amateur body building or appearance.
鈥淩esults however, demonstrated male attitudes towards muscle and body mass index (BMI) didn鈥檛 predict how frequently men attended the gym, but their perceptions of body fat did,鈥� Mr Caudwell said.
鈥淢en who reported they were motivated by enjoyment or positive outcomes related to exercise, went to the gym more. When asked about motivation indirectly, they reported obligation, guilt, and pressure as driving factors for their gym attendance.
鈥淭his may mean that feeling guilty about missing or skipping workouts, and negative attitudes towards body fat, may lead men to participate in unplanned, sporadic workout sessions to alleviate these concerns. As the primary motivation for exercise, this could be difficult to sustain in the long run and has the potential for increased injury risk.
鈥淲e suspect portrayals of the 鈥榤uscular ideal鈥� are a contributor to image concerns in men, so while it鈥檚 great that more people are interested in exercise and fitness, there is a risk men may be susceptible to these concerns when engaging in exercise behaviours,鈥� he said.
The researchers recommended people, and indeed health and fitness professionals, focus on individual health-oriented goals, instead of image-related ones. This, in conjunction with having a good 鈥榞ym-life鈥� balance, may help to foster positive fitness habits throughout a person鈥檚 life.
The full research paper, The Effect of Men’s Body Attitudes and Motivation for Gym Attendance, was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and can be found .
