Bowers 1 Spencer Bowers Professor Murdock English 2989 19 November 2012 The Discourse Communities of Bodybuilding Bodybuilding has swept over the world, as thousands of men and women are pushing themselves to be muscular, vascular and fit. But thinking deeper into the specifics of these men and women, what do they value and what are their standards? What keeps them in line with their muscle building regime? First, these bodybuilders have been formed into two groups; the steroid-using muscle heads who want to gain the softer and fuller look and the lean and cut group who desire that rock hard body. These two groups differ in the way they act and the characteristics they value, and this essay will show the literacies and how these discourse communities act but still working towards the same goal, being fit and healthy. Thinking of the subject of bodybuilding as discourse community, one must understand that the concept of a discourse community more than simply knowing the audience as to who it draws (1). This was a statement written in an article entitled Knowing Discourse Community by the blogging community known as Squidoo. Relating this statement to the prospected audience of this research, the typical audience of bodybuilding would be young adults aged twenty to thirty years old according to an article entitled Physical Activity and Adults written by the World Health Organization (WHO). The World Health Organization is a reliable and trustworthy site to receive such statistics on physical
Bowers 2 health in adults. Overall, this research on the discourse communities of bodybuilding is meant for all those who are already in these discourse communities or who are striving to become physically active and exercise more often. 1. Defining a Discourse Community One must understand what a discourse community is first until one digs deeper into the specifics of the discourse communities of bodybuilding. According to an article by DePaul University entitled What is a Discourse Community? a discourse community is a group of communicators with a common goal or interest that adopts certain preferred ways of participating in public discussion (1). In other words, a discourse community is a group of people who share the same values to achieve a certain goal. Relating this source to other source of the definition of a discourse community, the Eastern Oregon University writing lab as distinguished a discourse community to be a concept describing all forms of communication that contribute to a particular, institutionalized way of thinking (3). This definition was found in an online article entitled Describing and Analyzing a Discourse Community. Each of these sources references the idea that a discourse community is an audience that is objectified to aim at one particular goal or one particular way of thinking. Discourse communities can be found almost anywhere. In schools, religions and families, but in bodybuilding, one can truly understand the discourse community s values by reading an article entitled Bodybuilding as a Discourse Community written by Jordan Meyer. This article is a great resource for researching in-depth on the values and characteristics of the discourse communities in bodybuilding. These values and characteristics can include but are not limited to, the type of communication between participants, the language used and how these groups dress.
Bowers 3 2. Appearance First, the type of appearance that these discourse communities value. According to Meyer, the serious bodybuilders (steroid-users) carry a certain air about them. The muscular and vascular look that they have fronts a sense of confidence and content in the minds of these people. What they wear to the gym is very important, as they look to achieve the most muscle movement with their workouts. These workouts are different day by day. Mondays could be leg day and Tuesdays could be chest and arms day. Each day is a different body part to be worked on. For instance on leg day, these bodybuilders (steroid users) wear either camo cargo pants to help fit their enormous legs to achieve the most movement with these muscles. On chest and arm day, a cut-off t-shirt with a y-cut back is very common to see in the gym, as this type of shirt will not limit the movement of these muscles when performing exercises. These types of shirts are common with bodybuilders of both communities and are optimal when obtaining complete muscle movement. To visualize how these y-cut shirts look like, the following link is a visual to help understanding what this type of shirt looks like. This picture was found on the forum.bodybuilding.com webpage and the complete URL is found in the works cited page of this essay. Although one will see these types of shirts worn by this community and understand that this is what this community generally wears, seeing pictures in magazines and on the web also help in communicating the identity of the community. According to an article entitled Bodybuilders and Men s Suits An Extreme Athletic Fit by Antonio, he states heavily-developed men have a much more pronounced drop from the
Bowers 4 shoulders and chest to the waist. Something similar happens below the waist, where the thighs and the buttocks are significantly bulkier than the legs below the knee (5). This means that this particular bodybuilding discourse community must dress in a way that is able to fit their muscles, and this certainly will identify themselves in the outside communities. According to Daniel Smith, another contributor to Meyer s article, Smith states the attire reflects our values in the sense that because of the effort we make to build a body that doesn t match normal standards we wear these clothes as a badge of honor, because it is really all we can wear, but it also helps identity us for who we are (4). Smith s statement is a great resource because one is reading of a first-hand account as to what this particular group of people believes in and how they identity themselves in society and also what they strive to become in their lives. Thinking about the dress standards that the neighboring community contains, these lean and fit men and women certainly dress similar to each other. To help with the understanding of how this group dresses in the gym, an interview was performed with a male bodybuilder who will be called Kevin who would classify as a member of the lean and cut bodybuilding community. After explaining to Kevin what the purpose, motive and idea of this project was, Kevin was asked a series of questions beginning with How does your bodybuilding community dress on a regular day at the gym? Kevin answered; men usually wear regular shorts and a t- shirt, sometimes a dry-fit technology shirt. To backup Kevin s claim, Carol Sorgen, an author to WebMD s article Look Good While You Get Fit, states that A short-sleeved shirt and mid-thigh-length shorts with a relaxed (but not oversized) fit are a good choice for men and women alike (7). This statement is describing the dress and appearance of a person who is objectifying themselves to be lean and cut.
Bowers 5 These dry-fit shirts help those who wear them to breathe easier and keep them from drenching their shirt with sweat. This first-hand account interviewee provided reliable and useful information in understanding the lean and cut bodybuilding community as more questions were asked in finding out more information. 3. Diet One will see that the way these bodybuilding communities dress is indeed different and each community takes pride in how they appear to others. Along with the appearance question that the previous interviewee Kevin was asked, the series of questions continued in the interview and the next question that was asked was, what type of diet does your community share? Since dieting is a major part in bodybuilding, an interview was performed with Kevin and also a male member from the serious bodybuilder (steroid-user) community about the type of diet that their groups share, and not surprisingly, the type of diet between the two groups is different. This interviewee of this neighboring bodybuilding community will be referred to as Jason. Jason says that the bodybuilders in his community eat plenty of eggs, brown rice, and the number one source for good lean protein, chicken. This diet is certainly in agreement with Meyer s article and also Arnold Schwarzenegger s book entitled The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding written by Schwarzenegger himself. In Schwarzenegger s 790-page book on bodybuilding, one will read the foundation of a good diet. This diet consists of plenty of chicken, turkey and rice (751), just like Jason answered in the interview. To back up both of these claims, an article written by Shannon Clark entitled Hardgainer Helper: 10 Training And Nutrition Tips For The Skinny Guy, states don't stuff your stomach with mountains of low-cal carrots; instead, focus on eating calorie-dense foods (4). This means
Bowers 6 that this particular discourse community needs to thrive on calorie-dense food to build the desired muscle. Thinking of the same question given to Kevin, this interviewee also suggested that his community bases their diet off chicken, salad and rice, but the big difference in between these groups is how many calories they are taking in which makes these diets very different. The serious bodybuilding group is taking in as many healthy calories as possible to bulk up, while the lean and cut community is looking to decrease those calories and burn as many calories as they can when they are in the gym. After approaching the concept of dieting in these communities, this is when gaining membership into these communities is pushed to the limit. In an online blog entitled College Writing and Beyond written by Beaufort, one will read that being accepted into a discourse community doesn t require administrative approval (1). But in this discourse community, guidelines such as dieting takes dedication and discipline, and although it isn t impossible to achieve these characteristics, it will be a struggle to adapt to these lifestyle choices. Both interviewees were sent final copies of the final project and both interviewees agreed for their responses to be used in this essay. A signed consent of permission to use these responses was obtained before using any statement given by the interviewees. 4. Communication One will see a major difference here regarding dress and diet between these two communities and these groups truly stick to these regimes according to the interviewees. Yet another question arises, how do these participants communicate with their fellow group members about these values and standards? Thinking back to Meyer s article, he states; The gym is not
Bowers 7 play time; you will not catch a bodybuilder making small talk between sets (8). This means bodybuilders do not communicate with each other while working out at the gym, so where and how do they communicate? An example on how bodybuilders communicate successfully is through text and books such as Schwarzenegger s book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. Published in 1977 and a bestseller, Schwarzenegger s book is classified as a part of the historical genre, by providing information on workout routines, dieting and other bodybuilding information that has been provided to bodybuilders over the years. But one of the biggest sources that both communities utilize to communicate is personal online blogs such as blog.bodybuilding.com. Meyer s article about the discourse communities in bodybuilding was posted onto blog.bodybulding.com and this is certainly one of the ways that communication is successful in these communities. These blogs posted onto blog.bodybuilding.com are not the only sources that these discourse communities can communicate through, as there are other blogs online such as blogspot.com. A blog by Robert Ramirez, an ACE certified personal trainer, dated on September 10 th, 2011 reveals more information on the discourse communities of bodybuilding. Relating this blog to the discourse communities that have been researched, one will now dig further into these discourse communities. In both communities (steroid-users and lean and cut groups), Ramirez states that the majority of people in these groups are male, but there are a handful of females every now and then (1). These ages range from the early 20 s to the late 40 s and there are certainly participants younger and older than this age, but each of these participants have one
Bowers 8 goal in mind and that is to win. Winning in the sense that each individual s health benefits and that working out is also a great stress-reliever as well. One will realize here that the statements that Ramirez has said are very relatable to DePaul University s article that was mentioned earlier entitled, What is a Discourse Community? The main relation being that these participants are working to achieve the same goal in mind; to win. Besides personal online blogs, other resources of communication like bodybuilding magazines such as FLEX and MuscleMag are also used for communication between the participants of the bodybuilding communities. Online sites such as bodybuilding.com and prosource.com also have valuable information in which participants may communicate through by using the communication tools provided on the sites. But if online communication is not available to a participant, other text and books are readily available to those who seek the communication used in these communities. 5. Communication through Visuals The type of communication in these types of resources contains tips and workout routines that one may use if they wish. The magazines and websites listed previously all have resources that list workout routines and other bodybuilding tips like dieting and supplementing, so that one may use the information to their benefit. Pictures and poses of an exercise communicate to the reader as to how the exercise is performed, and these websites may also have videos to give a clearer demonstration. To show how communication is used through videos and pictures, the following website contains an example of how this is done. You will find this information on the website;
Bowers 9 bodybuilding.com. The complete URL of this resource will be available in the works cited page of this essay. To further explain the specifics of this webpage and its use in communication of these discourse communities, this webpage is a workout exercise called the barbell curl which is used to exercise your biceps. This webpage not only includes a video demonstration and pictures to show how to perform this exercise, but the webpage also includes what will be called exercise data. The exercise data includes information as to what body part you are exercising (in this case, biceps), how difficult this exercise is and also what gym equipment to use. The exercise data is exclusively to communicate to readers on how to perform the exercise when you exercise. These workout routines listed on not only this website but other work-out websites are designed to communicate to the readers on how to perform these exercises so that they will be able to use them to their personal benefit. Both of the discourse communities use these communication tools to their advantage, as these pictures and videos are a very reliable source for their workout routines, nutritional tips, and other information. 6. Survival of a Discourse Community Using Communication In an article by John Swales entitled Approaching the Concept of Discourse Community, one will read of six survival guidelines of a discourse community but two of these have stood out in this research. They are (2) mechanisms for intercommunication between members, (3) survival by providing information and feedback. These two concepts have stood out because of their reference to the importance of communication between the discourse communities members.
Bowers 10 Looking at the first concept listed above, intercommunication refers to the mutual communication and connections between the members. Intercommunication according to WebSphere MQ, is also referred to as sending messages from one queue manager to another (1). This definition was found in WebSphere MQ s article entitled Concepts of Intercommunication. This is made possible by using personal online blogs to their advantage and also communicating through bodybuilding websites. If online access is not available, there are many texts and readings that are available to gain the same information. Looking at the second concept listed above, the members of a discourse community will only survive in the group if they provide information and feedback towards each other. Providing information such as the workout routines listed online and in text resources is essential in the survival of these communities. Survival is also dependable on participants giving feedback through blogs and outside conversation with fellow members and prospects. 7. Conclusion Understanding discourse communities before approaching a specific discourse community was absolutely needed to not only write this essay but also to understand communication in the communities and how these discourse communities identify themselves in society. One will see that this entire bodybuilding community identifies itself by the lifestyle that they have chosen. The appearance and dress they value, the diet they choose and how they communicate are all ways this entire community identifies itself in society. Gaining membership to these communities doesn t require a contract, but it requires the will and strength to survive in these courses. The dieting, the dedication and the self-will are all required to gain membership to these communities and the present members of these
Bowers 11 communities know what it takes to survive in these communities. Thinking specifically of these discourse communities, one will see that even though both communities use different strategies, have different values, and set standards to achieve their personal goals to win, both of these communities strive and thrive in what they do at the gym to benefit their health and bodies. One will also see the importance of communication and how these values of the communities are communicated through technology and visuals. Communication in any discourse community is key to survive and one will understand how this is so by understanding how communication is demonstrated and transferred throughout the members of the communities.
Bowers 12 Works Cited Antonio. "Bodybuilders and Men's Suits - An Extreme Athletic Fit." Real Men Real Style. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. "Barbell Curl." Exercise Guide and Video. Bodybuilding.com, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. Bawarshi, Anis S., and Mary Jo Reiff. "Rhetorical Genre Studies Approaches to Teaching Writing." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. Bazerman, Charles. "Issue Brief: Discourse Communities." Issue Brief: Discourse Communities. National Council of Teachers of English, Nov. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Beaufort. "College Writing and Beyond." Discourse Communities. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Borg, Erik. "Discourse Community." Oxford Journals, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. Clark, Shannon. "Hardgainer Helper: 10 Training And Nutrition Tips For The Skinny Guy." Bodybuilding.com, 12 July 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. "Concepts of Intercommunication." IBM, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. "Describing and Analyzing a Discourse Community." Eastern Oregon University, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Friedlander, John. "Principles of Organization." Principles of Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.
Bowers 13 "Knowing Discourse Community." Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Meyer, Jordan. "Bodybuilding as a Discourse Community." Bodybuilding as a Discourse Community. Bodybuilding.com, 4 May 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. "Physical Activity and Adults." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Ramirez, Robert. "Robert Ramirez." Robert Ramirez. BlogSpot, 10 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Schwarzenegger, Arnold, and Bill Dobbins. The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998. Print. Sorgen, Carol. "Look Good While You Get Fit." MedicineNet. WebMD, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Swales, John. "Approaching the Concept of Discourse Community." ERIC, Mar. 1987. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. "What Is a Discourse Community?" Discourse Community Definition. DePaul University, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Wiegers, and Yvonne. "MALE BODYBUILDING: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF A MASCULINE IDENTITY." EBSCO Host, Fall 1998. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. "Y-Cut Shirt." Forum.bodybuilding.com, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2012.