Academic at University of Bolton is examining pressures on today's young rugby players

Paul Russell, sports psychologist and the programme leader for the MSc in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Bolton is examining the relationship between perfectionism and muscle dysmorphia in rugby. Muscle dysmorphia, sometimes called reverse anorexia nervosa, is a disorder in which a person becomes obsessed with the idea that he or she is not muscular enough. Sufferers often believe they are skinny when they are actually above average musculature.

Paul believes the condition can be particularly damaging for young rugby players whose determination to make the first team can lead to taking extreme methods of gaining muscle as they try to 'make weight'.

Paul thinks there is an enormous amount of pressure on sportsmen and women these days. He says, 'The majority of research looking at muscle dysmorphia has been conducted in America and has focused primarily on bodybuilders. I want to look at rugby, both league and union, and focus on the young players making the transition from academy rugby to the reserve and first team. These young players will be 17-19 and nowhere near fully grown or ready to deal with a 16 stone adult, first-team player.

He continues, 'But the pressures to get into the first team are huge and to do that you have to make weight. Whether young players have the strength of character to resist quick, possibly illegal and potentially career-destroying shortcuts is questionable.

'Muscle dysmorphia has been demonstrated to leave individuals vulnerable to a range of psychological, biological, and environmental risks including; depression heart failure, renal failure, and dehydration, the use of extreme dieting behaviours, exercise addiction and the use of anabolic steroids that have been associated with the premature death of several bodybuilders.

'Steroid use is well documented in other sports and they are remarkably easy to get hold of – the temptation is definitely there.'

Paul concludes, 'My research aims to explore whether young players are at risk, psychologically from muscle dysmorphia, and whether there is a link between muscle dysmorphia symptomatology and perfectionism.'

Paul's research project will run for three years as he contacts a number of professional rugby league and union clubs, aiming to assess over 200 young elite players during that time.

Find out more about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning.

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Content added on 20th October 2010.

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