Muscular Body Research Articles

Impact of Four Weeks of a Multi-Ingredient Performance Supplement on Muscular Strength, Body Composition, and Anabolic Hormones in Resistance-Trained Young Men.

Although multi-ingredient performance supplements (MIPS) have increased in popularity because of their array of ergogenic ingredients, their efficacy and safety remain in question. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of supplementation with T+ (SUP; Onnit Labs, Austin, TX, USA), an MIPS containing long jack root, beta-alanine, and branched-chain amino acids, and other proprietary blends, on strength, body composition, and hormones in young resistance-trained men. Subjects were randomized to consume either T+ (SUP; n = 14; age, 21 ± 3 years; body fat, 18.3 ± 4.7%) or an isocaloric placebo (PL; n = 13; age, 21 ± 3 years; body fat, 21.5 ± 6.2%) for 4 weeks. Both groups underwent a progressive, 4-week high-intensity resistance training protocol. Before and after the training protocol, mood state, body composition, blood hormones (also collected at midpoint), and maximal strength were measured. SUP had significantly greater increases in bench press (SUP, 102 ± 16 kg to 108 ± 16 kg vs. PL, 96 ± 22 kg to 101 ± 22 kg; p < 0.001) and total weight lifted (SUP, 379 ± 59 kg to 413 ± 60 kg vs. PL, 376 ± 70 kg to 400 ± 75 kg; p < 0.001) compared with PL. Additionally, deadlift strength relative to total body mass (calculated as weight lifted/body mass; kg:kg) (2.08 ± 0.18 to 2.23 ± 0.16; p = 0.036) and lean mass (2.55 ± 0.19 to 2.72 ± 0.16; p = 0.021) increased significantly in SUP but not PL (2.02 ± 0.30 to 2.15 ± 0.36 and 2.56 ± 0.31 to 2.70 ± 0.36, respectively). No other significant differences were detected between groups for the remaining variables. Supplementing with SUP enhanced resistance training adaptations independent of hormonal status, and thus SUP use may warrant inclusion into peri-workout nutrition regimens. This study was registered with clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT01971723).

'Fit is the new rich': male embodiment in the age of austerity

Since 2014 there has been a significant rise in the amount of young men going to the gym to fashion spectacularly muscular bodies and then sharing images of them on social networking sites. Cultural commentator Mark Simpson has called this phenomenon ‘spornosexuality’ – a portmanteau of sportsman and porn star. This article asks, what can the rise of spornosexuality tell us about living in the current historical conjuncture? It argues that spornosexuality can be understood as an attempt to embody neoliberal ideals in the constrained spaces of austerity culture; seeing it as a limited form of value creation when the means that young men have traditionally relied on to feel socially valuable are being diminished by post-crisis austerity policies. By drawing on interviews with men who engage in spornosexual practice the article concludes by intervening in current debates about what structure of feeling dominates the present moment and thinking where it might be most effectively contested.

BODY IMAGE AMONG MEN WHO PRACTICE BODY BUILDING: COMPARISON BY AGE, ECONOMIC STATUS, AND CITY SIZE.

Identifying the factors that influence the body image of body builders is important for understanding this construct. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between body image and age, socioeconomic status, and place of residence of body builders from two cities in Brazil. A cross-sectional study of 301 body builders with an average age of 25.2 yr. (SD = 3.5) was carried out. The Muscle Silhouette Measure scale was used, in which the discrepancy between current and desired silhouette was examined. Older body builders showed greater discrepancy between current and desired silhouette, reflecting their desire for a more muscular body.

Usage and perceptions of anabolic-androgenic steroids among male fitness centre attendees in Kuwait--a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundConsidering the recent popularity of bodybuilding and the apparent spread of anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use amongst bodybuilding enthusiasts in Kuwait, there is a relative lack of scientific investigation into the use, knowledge and attitudes towards AAS amongst the population at risk of abusing it. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the frequency, knowledge, attitudes and practice of AAS use amongst male fitness centre attendees in Kuwait.MethodsA cross sectional survey utilizing a self-administered questionnaire was used. Information on demographics as well as knowledge and attitude about and towards the use of AAS was included in the questionnaire. Ten fitness centres in Kuwait were randomly selected and questionnaires were distributed to all individuals leaving each centre on randomly selected days and periods of time for each centre. Overall n = 400 questionnaires were distributed.ResultsA total of n = 194 questionnaires were returned completed (~49 %). Of the responders, 22.7 % used AAS. The 19–25 age group had the highest occurrence (46.8 %) of first-time AAS use. In contrast with non-users, most (70.5 %) of AAS users believed that having an optimally muscular body can only be achieved by using AAS, and a small minority (6.8 %) believed that AAS usage would have significant harms to health. Only 18.2 % of AAS users had appropriate knowledge regarding the side effects of AAS. Non-users were as much uninformed as AAS users regarding the side effects of AAS.ConclusionThe usage of AAS is high amongst male gym users in Kuwait and is likely to present an additional burden to the health service. An effective initiative to minimize the burden of AAS abuse should focus on changing the attitudes towards AAS rather than spreading awareness of their side effects.

Internet Pornography Use, Body Ideals, and Sexual Self-Esteem in Norwegian Gay and Bisexual Men

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between perception of own appearance, Internet pornography consumption, preferences for pornographic actors’ appearance, and sexual self-esteem in gay and bisexual men in Norway. An online survey of 477 gay and bisexual men showed that, despite the prevailing muscular and lean gay body ideal, many men with less ideal bodies also preferred to watch pornographic actors with body types similar to their own. Self-perceived attractiveness, having an ideal body type, and viewing Internet pornography in longer sessions each made a unique contribution to higher self-esteem as a sexual partner. Preferring to watch pornographic actors with ideal bodies was not related to sexual self-esteem. The findings underscore the importance for gay or bisexual men of both self-perceived attractiveness and being athletic or young and fit, for a positive self-evaluation of sexual performance and competence.

Don’t stop till you get enough: Factors driving men towards muscularity

This study tested a modified Tripartite Influence Model with 307 men (age M=27.05; SD=6.25). Sociocultural influences (media and male peers) were predicted to be associated with both internalisation of the muscular ideal and body comparisons, which in turn were predicted to be associated with muscle dissatisfaction and then drive for muscularity behaviours. The model was only partially supported. The results suggested that, contrary to what was predicted, muscle dissatisfaction was not related to drive for muscularity behaviours. Instead, internalisation of the muscular ideal was found to lead to body comparisons, which in turn were found to lead to drive for muscularity behaviours. In addition, internalisation and male peer influence were found to lead to muscle dissatisfaction; male peer influence and internalisation were found to lead to body comparisons; and both media and male peer influences were found to lead to internalisation.

Discussion of "The effects of pre-exhaustion, exercise order, and rest intervals in a full-body resistance training intervention"--Pre-exhaustion exercise and neuromuscular adaptations: an inefficient method?

Dear Editor, we appreciated reading the article by Fisher et al. (2014), entitled “The effects of pre-exhaustion, exercise order, and rest intervals in a full-body resistance training intervention”, published in the November 2014 issue of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (APNM). This article determined the effects of a 12-week pre-exhaustion training intervention on muscular strength and body composition, comparing chronic adaptations between 3 groups: a pre-exhaustion group, a group performing the same exercises in the same order with moderate rest intervals between exercises, and a group performing the same exercises in a different order. The results showed no significant difference betweengroup effects for strength in chest press (1.32, 1.67, and 1.25 effect size), leg press (1.15, 1.36, and 1.89 effect size), or pull-down (1.82, 1.49, and 1.54 effect size) exercises, or for lean body mass (0.41 ± 1.08; –0.34 ± 3.37; –0.40 ± 0.60 kg) changes in pre-exhaustion group without rest interval and pre-exhaustion group with 60 s of rest interval between exercises and control group, respectively. The conflicting results regarding the hypothesis of the preexhaustion method originally proposed by Jones (1970) and the results of Fisher et al. (2014) on muscle performance and body composition changes can be, at least in part, explained by the lack of a gold-standard and/or most appropriate methods to analyze important variables regarding muscle hypertrophy and training. For example, the authors mention the recommendations of the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) for trained individuals, a recommendation based on the totality of the research literature. However, these authors suggest that single set resistance training leading to failure is far more time-efficient to increase muscle strength, and even acknowledge that this can be an alternative recommendation to increase muscle strength. However, for trained subjects, it is important to note that resistance training volume can increase the magnitude of muscle strength improvements (Krieger 2010). Moreover, 2 acute studies of Gentil et al. (2007) and Augustsson et al. (2003) revealed that the pre-exhaustion method does not increase muscle electromyographic activity. However, Junior et al. (2010) found that when the pre-exhaustion method was performed not to failure, the magnitude of motor units’ recruitment was higher when a single-joint exercise preceded a multijoint exercise. It has also been shown that muscle strength can increase even without a significant increase in muscle electromyographic activity (evaluated as the root mean square of the electromyography (EMG) signals) (Watanabe et al. 2014). It has been proposed that muscle hypertrophy can be achieved by the pre-exhaustion method based on the hypothesis that a target muscle can be exhausted with an isolation exercise preceding a compound exercise without rest (Schoenfeld 2013). Thus, thismethodwould increase the time under tension andmetabolic stress, a method that has been widely and empirically used by bodybuilders (Schoenfeld 2013). The metabolic stress manifested by accumulation of metabolites, such as lactate and H+ ions, and acute muscle hypoxia associated with resistance training can mediate hypertrophic adaptations, such as cellular swelling and alterations in local myokines, including interleukin-6 (Schoenfeld 2013). In this sense, considering the possible higher metabolic stress induced by the pre-exhaustion method, it is surprising that no metabolic measures or any other valuable markers of hypertrophy were obtained in the study of Fisher et al. (2014). Moreover, to draw precise conclusions regarding muscle hypertrophy, magnetic resonance and ultrasound should be used, while this was not the case. In our opinion it is premature to assume that pre-exhaustion training offers no greater benefit than a traditional resistance training approach, at least formuscle hypertrophy and for strengthwhen more sets are incorporated. Although the authors mention the lack of dietetic control, this is clearly a study limitation. Also, the lack of modifications in body composition may also be the result of a very low-volume training, considering the trained background of the studied subjects. It has been widely shown that training-induced improvements will be reduced as training progresses (Rhea 2004). The study should also provide more details regarding the training background of participants as this can result in significant variations. Additionally, there is no mention of the presence of high responders versus low responders in each group. This may also help to explain the results. For example, Garcia et al. (2014) found that the allocation of the groups resulted in bias because more high responders were unintentionally located in the multiple-sets group as compared with a group submitted to a tri-set method. This may also confound data interpretation. Thus, the identification of responders and nonresponders to resistance training may help to avoid data misinter-

Racial variations in binge eating, body image concerns, and compulsive exercise among men.

Binge eating in young men is associated with obesity and metabolic dysfunction, as well as disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Although preliminary research suggests that Asian American males might be more likely to binge eat and report body image concerns compared with men of other races/ethnicities, few studies have investigated racial variations in this disordered eating behavior and its correlates. The goal of the current study was to examine binge eating, body image concerns, drive for muscularity, and compulsive exercise in a sample of Black, Asian American, and White men (N = 365). Results suggest that men who reported binge eating also reported higher body mass, male body image concerns, internalization of the male body ideal, and compulsive exercise than men who did not engage in binge eating. Asian American men endorsed higher body image concerns relative to White and Black men. Furthermore, compulsive exercise was particularly high among Asian American men with binge eating. Although additional research is needed to examine potential variations in binge eating, body image, and compulsive exercise in diverse racial and ethnic groups, results suggest that Asian American men might be at higher risk for disordered eating attitudes and behaviors consistent with a desire to achieve a muscular body type. Future research should examine cultural factors, such as acculturation, that might contribute to these potentially harmful cognitions and behaviors.

Effects of Yoga in a Behavioral Weight Loss Program on Body Composition and Fitness

Yoga is currently a popular form of exercise; however, little is known as to its impact within the context of a weight loss intervention. PURPOSE: To compare a behavioral weight loss program with a prescription of aerobic exercise only (AR) or yoga plus aerobic exercise (YOGA) on changes in muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition, and cardiorespiratory fitness at 6 and 12 months. METHODS: Thirty-seven women (age=46.8±6.0 years; BMI=30.6±2.9 kg/m2) were randomized to AR (n=19) or YOGA (n=18). Both groups received a reduced calorie diet. AR was prescribed aerobic exercise that progressed to 40 min/day, 5 days/wk. YOGA was prescribed the same dose of aerobic exercise plus yoga for 3 days/wk. Participants attended weekly intervention meetings for 6 months and then received monthly telephone contact for 6 months. Muscular endurance (1 minute sit-up test), flexibility (sit and reach test), body composition (bioelectrical impedance), weight, and cardiorespiratory fitness (graded exercise test) were measured at baseline, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: Chi-square analysis of retention rates revealed 94.7% YOGA vs. 72.2% AR (p=.063) at month 6 and 94.7% YOGA vs. 61.1% AR (p=.013) at month 12. Analyses were conducted with baseline values carried forward for missing data and results are presented below.Table: No title available.CONCLUSIONS: YOGA vs. AR resulted in a significant improvement in weight loss, percent body fat, and fitness at 6 and 12 months. There was an improvement in muscular endurance and flexibility for both groups at 6 and 12 months; however, this difference was not significant between the groups at either time point. Retention was significantly better for YOGA vs. AR. Thus, the addition of yoga to a behavioral weight loss program appears to be a promising option that warrants further investigation.

Analysis of body image perception of university students in navarra

Current models of beauty represent an extreme thinness in the women and a muscular body in the men. The body image perception will condition the search of ideal beauty through different behaviors and can be transform in eating disorders. The university students, with the changes typical of youth and university transition, are a vulnerable group. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the body image perception of university students in Navarra. The study included 1162 subjects of which 64.2% were female. Students asked for a self-managed questionnaire and they were weighted and heighted to calculate the body mass index (BMI). Their body image perception were obtained asking the students to select a picture, according to their perception which corresponded to their current body image from nine different silhouettes for men and women. Their BMI were calculated and compared with their perceived BMI. 43.03% of students, overestimated their body image (10.65% in males and 59.69% in females) and 10.20% of students underestimated it. 46.75% of students had concordance between BMI and body image perception. There were more cases the alterations in the body image perception in women. In general, women saw themselves as being fatter than really were while men saw themselves as being thinner than they really were. The results shown that the women were more worried about their weight and body image than the men.

Resistance Training and Protein Supplementation on Muscular Strength and Body Composition in Breast Cancer Survivors

Resistance Training and Protein Supplementation on Muscular Strength and Body Composition in Breast Cancer Survivors

Structural origin of the drastic modification of second harmonic generation intensity pattern occurring in tail muscles of climax stages xenopus tadpoles.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is a powerful tool for studying submicron architecture of muscles tissues. Using this technique, we show that the canonical single frequency sarcomeric SHG intensity pattern (SHG-IP) of premetamorphic xenopus tadpole tail muscles is converted to double frequency (2f) sarcomeric SHG-IP in metamorphic climax stages due to massive physiological muscle proteolysis. This conversion was found to rise from 7% in premetamorphic muscles to about 97% in fragmented muscular apoptotic bodies. Moreover a 66% conversion was also found in non-fragmented metamorphic tail muscles. Also, a strong correlation between predominant 2f sarcomeric SHG-IPs and myofibrillar misalignment is established with electron microscopy. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate the higher sensitivity and the supra resolution power of SHG microscopy over TPEF to reveal 3D myofibrillar misalignment. From this study, we suggest that 2f sarcomeric SHG-IP could be used as signature of triad defect and disruption of excitation-contraction coupling. As the mechanism of muscle proteolysis is similar to that found in mdx mouse muscles, we further suggest that xenopus tadpole tail resorption at climax stages could be used as an alternative or complementary model of Duchene muscular dystrophy.

Between gyaru-o and sōshokukei danshi: body discourses in lifestyle magazines for young Japanese men

This article investigates how two lifestyle magazines aimed at young Japanese men negotiate masculinity with regard to body discourses. Although both magazines incorporate discourses of outward appearance into their constructions of masculinities and thus show how gender discourses in general have changed, they significantly differ from each other as far as the idealized man is concerned. ChokiChoki mainly deals with health care, beauty, and the overall body physique. It heavily incorporates strategies into the discursive construction of masculinity that used to be understood as distinctly female. The magazine Men’s Egg focuses on body physique and the sexual act. It tends to idealize the muscular body and links it with sexual potency, which is one of the magazine’s main aspects of proving masculinity. While Men’s Egg targets gyaru-o (from English: ‘gal’) and relies on conduct that is strongly affiliated with hegemonic masculinity, the much stronger incorporation of once exclusively female practices by ChokiChoki constructs an ideal close to the sōshokukei danshi (‘herbivorous man’). Both magazines, while reproducing mechanisms of hegemonic masculinity, semantically expand the male habitus and body language

New body contouring technique in male: the muscular sculpture.

Optimal male body contouring considers the entire body and drapes tight skin over the muscles. Males have pride in the appearance of their muscular development. There should be a deliberate effort to achieve an athletic body contour that reveals superficial musculature and selectively highlights adherences. We describe a new technique of male body contouring to achieve tight skin that very well reveals muscular bulk and accentuates adherences; minimal observable scars; a male muscular and athletic body, even for patients who are not, nor have been in the past, bodybuilders. Normal-weight and overweight patients need one operative step, in which the fat is removed and the muscles are sculpted at the same time by using selective liposuction, and if necessary, the fat is repositioned through lipofilling. The ex-obese patients need two operative steps: in the first, we perform abdominoplasty with inguinal scar (to remove the excess abdominal tissue and to lift the pubis) and periareolar scar (to breast lift and reduction); in the second, we sculpt the muscles and the adherences by selective liposuction. In all male patients, the authors strive to achieve a trapezoid chest and sculpted pectoralis major muscle, pronounced alba and semilunar lines, evident muscular bulk, and adherences in both the abdomen and extremities. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

A Bronze Hellenistic Dwarf in the Metropolitan Museum

A Bronze Hellenistic Dwarf in the Metropolitan Museum

Malignant hyperthermia deaths related to inadequate temperature monitoring, 2007-2012: a report from the North American malignant hyperthermia registry of the malignant hyperthermia association of the United States.

AMRA (adverse metabolic or muscular reaction to anesthesia) reports submitted to The North American Malignant Hyperthermia Registry of the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States from 1987 to 2006 revealed a 2.7% cardiac arrest and a 1.4% death rate for 291 malignant hyperthermia (MH) events. We analyzed 6 years of recent data to update MH cardiac arrest and death rates, summarized characteristics associated with cardiac arrest and death, and documented differences between early and recent cohorts of patients in the MH Registry. We also tested whether the available data supported the hypothesis that risk of dying from an episode of MH is increased in patients with inadequate temperature monitoring. We included U.S. or Canadian reports of adverse events after administration of at least 1 anesthetic drug, received between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2012, with an MH clinical grading scale rank of "very likely MH" or "almost certain MH." We excluded reports that, after review, were judged to be due to pathologic conditions other than MH. We analyzed patient demographics, family and patient anesthetic history, anesthetic management including temperature monitoring, initial dantrolene dose, use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, MH complications, survival, and reported molecular genetic DNA analysis of RYR1 and CACNA1S. A one-sided Cochran-Armitage test for proportions evaluated associations between mode of monitoring and mortality. We used Miettinen and Nurminen's method for assessing the relative risk of dying according to monitoring method. We used the P value of the slope to evaluate the relationship between duration of anesthetic exposure before dantrolene administration and peak temperature. We calculated the relative risk of death in this cohort compared with our previous cohort by using the Miettinen and Nurminen method adjusted for 4 comparisons. Of 189 AMRA reports, 84 met our inclusion criteria. These included 7 (8.3%) cardiac arrests, no successful resuscitations, and 8 (9.5%) deaths. Of the 8 patients who died, 7 underwent elective surgeries considered low to intermediate risk. The average age of patients who died was 31.4 ± 16.9 years. Five were healthy preoperatively. Three of the 8 patients had unrevealed MH family history. Four of 8 anesthetics were performed in freestanding facilities. In those who died, 3 MH-causative RYR1 mutations and 3 RYR1 variants likely to have been pathogenic were found in the 6 patients in whom RYR1 was examined. Compared to core temperature monitoring, the relative risk of dying with no temperature monitoring was 13.8 (lower limit 2.1). Compared to core temperature monitoring, the relative risk of dying with skin temperature monitoring was 9.7 (1.5). Temperature monitoring mode best distinguished patients who lived from those who died. End-tidal CO2 was the worst physiologic measure to distinguish patients who lived from those who died. Longer anesthetic exposures before dantrolene were associated with higher peak temperatures (P = 0.00056). Compared with the early cohort, the recent cohort had a higher percentage of MH deaths (4/291 vs 8/84; relative risk = 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-28; P = 0.0043 after adjustment for 4 comparisons). Despite a thorough understanding of the management of MH and the availability of a specific antidote, the risk of dying from an MH episode remains unacceptably high. To increase the chance of successful MH treatment, the American Society of Anesthesiologists and Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the U.S. monitoring standards should be altered to require core temperature monitoring for all general anesthetics lasting 30 minutes or longer.

Sportsmania and American Men’s Undergarments: 1880–1930

In the late nineteenth century men’s interest in smart dress combined with an addiction to sports engendered stylish men’s undergarments that combined functionality, sensuality, and color. I traced the evolving style of men’s underwear as a result of their unprecedented participation in social sports and their desire to be fashionably undressed. The muscular body and its association with masculinity was valued by both men and women and has continued to be valued into the twenty-first century. I have examined men’s underwear from the collections of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Costume Institute, New York as well as Munsingwear online collections. Other sources I studied included fashion publications, trade journals, retail store catalogues and advertisements.

Eating Disorder Risk and Body Dissatisfaction Based on Muscularity and Body Fat in Male University Students

Objective: To investigate the relationship between risk of eating disorders, body dissatisfaction, and perceptual attractiveness in male university students. Participants: Research was conducted January–April 2012 and involved 339 male and 441 female students. Methods: Eating disorder risk was assessed with the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and body dissatisfaction and perceptual attractiveness determined with the Bodybuilder Image Grid (BIG). Results: There was a positive correlation (r = .16, p < .01) between the EAT and fat dissatisfaction and a negative correlation (r = −.14, p < .05) for muscle dissatisfaction, 28% of the males had an EAT score indicating that they were at risk for an eating disorder. Males chose a significantly more muscular and leaner body type than what females chose to be attractive. Conclusion: College-aged males may be at risk for eating disorders based on distortions in their perceived ideal body image, both for fat and muscle.

French validation of the Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale in a sample of young men

Summary Concerns about muscle development are important in the elaboration “General body appearance dissatisfaction of body image” for males: for men, the ideal body is lean and muscular. In a recent study, 85% of French men reported being dissatisfied with their muscle mass. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest stability, and convergent validity) of the French-language translation of the Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale (MBDS). Method Three-hundred and nineteen young males aged 15 to 23 years (17.0 ± 1.85) participated in this study. The participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: the Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale (MBDS), the Body-Esteem Scale (BES), and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES). Test-retest reliability for the MBDS was evaluated at three weeks. Results Exploratory factor analyses revealed two factors: “Muscular body dissatisfaction” (eight items) and “General body appearance dissatisfaction” (10 items). These two factors explain 42.73% of the total variance of the MBDS. The internal reliability coefficients from the two subscales were calculated. Cronbach's alpha was 0.88 for factor 1 and 0.82 for factor 2. Test-retest ( n = 263) reliability was high for the total scale ( r = 0.81), as well as for the subscales (Muscularity body dissatisfaction: r = 0.86; General body appearance dissatisfaction r = 0.70). These two factors correlated with the BES and the RSES. Discussion The MBDS appears to be a useful tool in identifying and creating treatment programs for body image disorders in young men. In addition, it could be useful for evaluating treatment efficacy.

Psychometric Properties of the Drive for Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire Among Irish Men

The Drive for Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire (DMAQ) was developed to measure men’s desire to attain an idealized muscular body. To date, the cross-cultural suitability of this measure has received limited attention. The current study addressed this omission by testing the psychometric properties of the DMAQ using an online sample of Irish men ( N = 327). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a unidimensional model adequately matched observed data (i.e., fit indices suggested acceptable model fit). Analyses also showed that the DMAQ yielded reliable and construct valid scores, suggesting that the scale holds promise as an indicant of the drive for muscularity among Irish men. Strengths and limitations associated with this study are discussed, such as advantages and disadvantages of Internet research. Directions for future research are given, including the need for more psychometric work.