Exercise/BodyBuilding - Sinful?

[NguyenKimPhat]

(Sorry, but I am not sure if this post belongs in this forum for Spirituality - but please move this thread to the correct sub-forum )

I had a question about exercising and body building, and I am really curious about this. I have a lot of catholic male friends who like to exercise / body-build to get muscular and buff. However, they do not seem to exercise for the purpose of staying healthy. Instead, I have spoken to a lot of them, and it seems as if they are trying to get muscular in order to “impress” their future wives in bed.

I don’t know if I am miss judging them, but is this sinful? Is it sinful to go to the gym everyday with the conscious motivation of “impressing” a girl in bed? A lot of these guys that I speak to are Catholic, and it seems awful that they go to the gym everyday thinking about sex - is that appropriate? How could someone exercise at the gym, thinking about sex, and a few days later receive HOLY COMMUNION?

I make this point because after speaking a lot to my male friends, the topic of sex seems EXTREMELY important to them - and their main motivation to go to the gym and get muscular is for the purpose of impressing their girlfriends and impressing their wives in bed.

Is this a SINFUL way to go to the gym? Just asking this question seems totally wrong on so many levels.

Short side question to wives / girls - does it even matter if your husband was muscular or buff? Do you even care at all? As long as they are normally healthy but not necessarily too muscular?

 

[theYS]

if they body build because they have fun and see it as a hobby, its fine. now if they are in love with their body and body build for sex…im not to sure. just because you body build doesn’t mean you’re a narcissist.

 

[Redeemed92]

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=76855&highlight=lifting+weights

Here’s a good place to start, but certainly don’t stop if this doesn’t answer all your questions.

 

[SemperFortis]

Well, let me start by saying that guys tend think about sex, ALOT! We produce more testosterone than females do, especially when we are young, and with all those hormones flowing through us it is extremely difficult not to think about it. Thinking about sex isn’t a sin, dwelling upon it in a way that perverts the act or demeans the partner is. Exercising solely for the reason of aesthetics can be dangerous. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to look good for someone, I would want to look desirable to my wife. Where it can be dangerous is when you are sinning against chastity or falling to pride and vanity.

I lift to build my body. My dream is to one day be a successful bodybuilder and to help others reach their bodies’ full potential. I love it. I’ve discussed this at length with my spiritual director, a very respectable priest, and my uncle, who is also a priest. God gifted me with the a body and genetics that a bodybuilder would kill for. Why not use the gifts God gave me? The body is an incredible thing! When I’m lifting I can see how pushing or pulling a weight impacts a group of muscles and ultimately impacts my physique. I feel the closest to God when I’m lifting because I’m witnessing firsthand just how complex and beautiful His greatest creation is! On top of feeling comfortable and confident in my body I use the the discipline I learn through lifting in my spiritual life. We are all made in the image of God and by bodybuilding I’m looking to complete that image, all for His Glory! Neither my spiritual director or my uncle condemned bodybuilding, but they both stressed the importance of the dangers of pride and vanity.

A lot of people see bodybuilding as a vain and prideful sport, this is not always the case. It can be used to glorify God and help you become a better Catholic through disciplinary practice. Lifting to be more appealing can be sinful when you put your body before God and use it in sinful ways, but could also be the way to get that special someone to notice you. Physical attraction should not be the foundation of any relationship, but has been the start of many great and holy relationships.