Abstract
The relationship between conceptions of masculinity and sport injuries is presented in this paper describing how male gym users, including bodybuilders and fitness practitioners, have shown risk behaviors that are typical of their gender. A qualitative and quantitative study was applied as a part of the methodology at a gym in the city of Hermosillo, Mexico, focusing on injury risks related to masculinity and their prevention. Questionnaire of injuries disposition and in-depth interviews were applied to gym users. Most of the surveyed users showed knowledge of the proper use of gym equipment and stretching and warming techniques as well as the support of the gym instructors. The main cause of injuries is related to behaviors, since they chose not to ask for instructions to show power and strength to others as a result of the male competitive tension that exists among them due to conceptions of masculinity. It is concluded that, in fact, there is a relationship between conceptions of masculinity and sport injuries. Users report the existence of social tension and that for the sole reason of being male they feel the responsibility and obligation of being the best without taking any prevention or safety measure.
Highlights
The present article intends to explore the risks of physical injuries caused by conceptions of masculinity among gym users, including bodybuilding and fitness practitioners
Of the total of 28 people who met the initial criteria of fitness practitioners, 18 replied that they had suffered an injury at the gym that prevented them from continuing their sports activities, and 10 answered that they had not suffered injuries at the gym while exercising
The results indicate a causal relationship between conceptions of masculinity and sports injuries, as evidenced this from the in-depth interviews as well as both survey instruments
Summary
The present article intends to explore the risks of physical injuries caused by conceptions of masculinity among gym users, including bodybuilding and fitness practitioners. The media has promoted and maintained a competitive image of men in sports (CGE-I, 2006); which could have served to foster competition. In physical activity amongst men and to generate a predisposition to injury. Masculinity is a concept that has recently become a topic of great social interest in the search for gender equality (Téllez Infantes & Verdú Delgado, 2011). The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, approved by the United Nations in September 2015, includes gender equality as its goal number 5, highlighting the delay women and girls have in obtaining benefits derived from the progress and development achieved so far. Inequalities in work and wages are stressed, as well as in a large amount of unpaid work, such as childcare and domestic work, without forgetting discrimination in public decision-making (UN, 2015)
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