Wellness: From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’
- InsightTrendsWorld
- May 20
- 13 min read
Why it is the topic trending:
The article discusses a visible and concerning trend of fitness influencers promoting extreme masculinity through social media, gaining significant attention due to its visual nature and bold claims.
It links this trend to the popularity of figures like the Liver King and the rise of extreme endurance activities, demonstrating how these examples embody the ideals of hypermasculinity being promoted.
The article highlights the potential negative public health consequences of this trend, particularly for young men, who may be influenced to pursue unhealthy or dangerous fitness practices.
It connects the promotion of extreme behaviors to the social media algorithms that amplify such content, explaining how these algorithms incentivize increasingly sensational performances.
Overview: The article explores the trend of fitness influencers on social media, such as the Liver King and proponents of ultramarathons, who are glorifying extreme masculinity. This performative masculinity, often centered around extreme self-discipline, intense exercise, radical diets, and pushing through pain, is being amplified by social media algorithms. The article discusses the potential risks of this trend, including negative impacts on both the viewers and the creators, and argues for the need to challenge this narrow and punishing idea of masculinity.
Detailed findings:
A new Netflix documentary about the Liver King highlights performative masculinity in social media fitness, showcasing how influencers construct an online persona around extreme ideals.
The Liver King built his brand on extreme workouts, eating raw organs, and "ancestral living," while secretly using steroids, exposing a disconnect between the promoted image and reality.
Social media rewards the spectacle of hypermasculinity, especially extreme behaviors, as these generate high levels of engagement and visibility.
Extreme self-discipline, exercise, eating, and wellness have all become forms of public performance online, where influencers showcase their dedication to these ideals for audience consumption.
"Discipline content" floods platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, framing pain and effort as masculine worth, suggesting that suffering is necessary for achieving true masculinity.
Male fitness YouTubers establish authority through visible strength and brand affiliations, sometimes showcasing personal records as proof of masculinity, equating physical achievements with their status as men.
Extreme leanness and muscularity are often framed as moral virtues, implying that physical appearance reflects inner character and discipline.
Posts use language of “resilience,” “discipline,” and militaristic rhetoric, telling men to "go to war" in the gym, using aggressive and confrontational language to describe fitness.
This is often "pseudo-stoicism," where emotional suppression is presented as strength, discouraging men from expressing vulnerability or normal human emotions.
Gen Z athletes are less likely to exercise for health reasons and more for performance, focusing on pushing limits and outperforming others, indicating a shift in motivation towards external validation and competition.
There's a surge in extreme endurance activities like gravel biking, trail running, and ultramarathons, with individuals pushing their bodies to extraordinary lengths for public display.
Fitness content often portrays suffering as a sign of legitimacy, with pain as “proof” that you’re serious, reinforcing the idea that genuine effort must involve significant discomfort.
Social media algorithms boost intense, emotionally charged, and morally loaded content, which includes "wellness" extremism, creating an environment where sensational and provocative content thrives.
Influencers profit from selling supplements, gear, and coaching plans, incentivizing increasingly extreme content, as greater visibility leads to more sales and revenue.
Risks include hormone damage, mental and physical decline, injury, and even death, highlighting the very real dangers associated with pursuing these extreme ideals.
Young men are fed a narrow idea that pain equals purpose and that suffering is necessary for achievement, limiting their understanding of masculinity and well-being.
Key success factors of product (trend):
Spectacle of Hypermasculinity: Extreme behaviors are visually striking and capture attention on social media due to their dramatic and often unbelievable nature.
Emphasis on Control and Discipline: The narrative of controlling one's body through intense effort resonates with certain audiences who may feel a lack of control in other areas of their lives.
Motivational and Self-Help Framing: Content is often packaged with inspirational messages and anecdotes offering viewers a seemingly clear pathway to self-improvement and achievement.
Algorithmic Amplification: Social media platforms tend to promote intense and emotionally charged content regardless of its potential harm or validity.
Financial Incentives: Influencers are motivated to create extreme content due to potential profits which can be substantial through various monetization methods.
Key takeaway: Social media is amplifying a trend of fitness influencers glorifying extreme masculinity, which can have negative consequences for both creators and viewers, particularly young men who are presented with a narrow and potentially harmful definition of manhood.
Main trend: The Glorification of Extreme Masculinity in Fitness Influencer Culture.
Description of the trend: "Pain as Purpose: The Rise of Hypermasculine Fitness Performances." This trend describes the increasing prevalence and amplification of content by fitness influencers on social media that promotes an extreme form of masculinity centered around intense physical exertion, enduring pain, radical self-discipline in diet and exercise, and the constant public प्रदर्शन of these behaviors. This performance often equates suffering with strength, frames extreme leanness and muscularity as moral virtues, and utilizes militaristic and battle-like rhetoric, particularly resonating with younger audiences seeking guidance on masculinity.
What is consumer motivation:
Seeking Inspiration and Role Models: Young men may look to these influencers for guidance on how to be "masculine" or achieve fitness goals especially in the absence of healthier role models or clear societal definitions.
Validation and Achievement: The idea that "pain equals purpose" might appeal to those seeking a clear path to self-improvement and validation offering a seemingly straightforward formula for success.
Desire for Physical Transformation: The promise of extreme results through extreme methods can be alluring for individuals seeking rapid and dramatic changes to their physique.
Community and Belonging: Online fitness communities built around these ideologies can offer a sense of belonging for those who identify with these ideals and seek like-minded individuals.
Aspiring to Perceived Ideals: The curated image of hypermasculinity presented by influencers can become an aspirational ideal for some viewers who may believe this represents the pinnacle of male achievement and worth.
What is driving trend:
Social Media Algorithms: Platforms tend to promote content that is intense, emotionally charged, and visually striking, which often includes extreme fitness performances as this type of content tends to generate high user engagement.
Financial Incentives for Influencers: The potential for profit through sponsorships, merchandise, and coaching drives influencers to create more extreme content to gain visibility in an increasingly crowded online space.
Prevalence of Performative Culture Online: Social media encourages a degree of performance and spectacle, which fits with the display of extreme fitness behaviors where authenticity and relatability can sometimes take a backseat to dramatic presentations.
Search for Masculine Identity: Young men navigating societal expectations of masculinity may be drawn to these seemingly clear and defined models that offer a simplified and often rigid framework for understanding manhood.
What is motivation beyond the trend:
Genuine Interest in Fitness and Self-Improvement: Some viewers may be genuinely interested in pushing their physical limits, although perhaps not to the extremes portrayed and may be drawn to aspects of the discipline and dedication shown.
Desire for Discipline and Structure: The structured routines and intense discipline promoted by these influencers might appeal to those seeking more order in their lives providing a template for self-improvement and goal-setting.
Description of consumers article is referring to: This article primarily refers to:
Young Men: Identified as the primary audience being influenced by this trend and the demographic most likely to internalize these narrow definitions of masculinity.
Gen Z Athletes: Highlighted as being less motivated by health reasons and more by performance, aligning with the focus on pushing physical limits.
Viewers of Fitness Content Online: Individuals who follow fitness influencers on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
Aspiring Fitness Enthusiasts: Those looking to achieve significant physical transformations and may be drawn to seemingly effective, albeit extreme, methods.
Wellness preferences:
Prioritize Physical Performance and Achievement: There's a strong preference for wellness that translates into demonstrable physical results, such as increased strength, speed, endurance, and a sculpted physique. The focus is often on athletic performance and pushing physical limits rather than just general health.
Value Visible Physical Markers of Discipline: Achieving extreme leanness and muscularity is highly valued as a sign of dedication, control, and moral virtue, suggesting a wellness preference where outward appearance is a key indicator of success.
Willingness to Endure Pain and Discomfort: These consumers seem to accept, and even glorify, pain and extreme physical effort as a necessary part of their wellness journey, believing that "pain is the point" and that it signifies true commitment and progress.
Potential Neglect of Mental and Emotional Well-being: The concept of "pseudo-stoicism" suggests that there might be a tendency to suppress emotions and prioritize physical discipline over mental and emotional health, indicating a potentially unbalanced approach to overall wellness.
Interest in Extreme or "Ancestral" Diets (for some): The popularity of figures like the Liver King suggests an interest in unconventional and sometimes extreme dietary approaches, potentially rooted in a belief in "ancestral living" or radical self-control as pathways to wellness.
Reliance on Supplements and Fitness Gear: Consumers influenced by these trends are likely inclined to use supplements, specialized fitness gear, and potentially engage in intense coaching plans, indicating a preference for products and services that promise to accelerate their progress towards these extreme wellness ideals.
Conclusions: Social media is fostering a culture where extreme masculinity in fitness is glorified, presenting potential public health risks and promoting a limited and potentially harmful understanding of what it means to be a man. The incentives of social media platforms and influencers contribute to the amplification of this trend.
Implications for brands:
Fitness Brands: Need to be cautious about associating with influencers who promote unsafe or unhealthy extremes as this can damage brand reputation and alienate consumers who prioritize well-being.
Public Health Organizations: Have a role in creating counter-narratives and promoting healthier ideals of masculinity to challenge the dominance of hypermasculine portrayals in fitness.
Social Media Platforms: Should consider the impact of their algorithms on promoting potentially harmful content and explore ways to prioritize healthier and more balanced fitness information.
Implication for society:
Narrowing of Masculine Ideals: The trend contributes to a restrictive definition of masculinity based on physical extremes and emotional suppression potentially harming young men who feel they don't measure up to these unrealistic standards.
Potential for Negative Mental and Physical Health Outcomes: Viewers may be inspired to engage in dangerous behaviors in pursuit of these ideals leading to injuries, eating disorders, and mental health issues.
Implications for consumers:
Unrealistic Expectations: Viewers may develop unrealistic expectations about fitness and masculinity leading to feelings of inadequacy and disappointment with their own progress.
Potential for Body Image Issues: The focus on extreme leanness and muscularity can contribute to body image problems and potentially fuel unhealthy relationships with food and exercise.
Risk of Injury and Health Problems: Attempting extreme fitness routines and diets can lead to physical harm including overtraining, nutritional deficiencies, and long-term health complications.
Implication for Future:
This trend may continue to grow as social media algorithms continue to amplify extreme content unless there is a conscious effort to promote alternative narratives and hold platforms accountable.
There is a need for alternative narratives and offline spaces that promote healthier versions of masculinity providing young men with diverse role models and supportive communities.
Platforms may face increasing pressure to address the amplification of harmful content as awareness of the negative impacts of "wellness" extremism grows.
Consumer Trend:
Name: Performative Hypermasculinity in Fitness
Detailed Description: The increasing trend of individuals, particularly men, publicly displaying and exaggerating traditionally masculine traits like strength, aggression, and emotional stoicism within the context of fitness and physical achievement on social media platforms.
Consumer Sub Trend:
Name: "Discipline Content" Consumption
Detailed Description: The widespread engagement with online content that associates extreme physical effort, endurance of pain, and unwavering self-control in fitness with notions of masculine worth, moral superiority, and overall success in life.
Big Social Trend:
Name: Social Media Amplification of Extremes
Detailed Description: The inherent design and algorithms of social media platforms often favor and promote content that is highly sensational, emotionally charged, and polarizing, leading to the increased visibility and influence of extreme ideologies and behaviors, including those in the fitness realm.
Worldwide Social Trend:
Name: The Global Search for Masculine Identity in the Digital Age
Detailed Description: Young men across various cultures and societies are navigating evolving and often conflicting expectations of what it means to be masculine, with the digital sphere serving as a significant, and sometimes problematic, source of information, role models, and validation in this ongoing process of identity formation.
Social Drive:
Name: The Desire for Validation and Belonging Through Shared Ideals
Detailed Description: Individuals may be drawn to these extreme fitness communities online as they seek validation for their efforts and a sense of belonging with others who share similar aspirational ideals of masculinity.
Learnings for brands to use in 2025:
Be aware of the potentially harmful nature of extreme masculinity and avoid promoting influencers who endorse such views to protect your brand image and ethical standing.
Focus on promoting inclusive and healthy approaches to fitness that prioritize well-being over extremes emphasizing sustainability, enjoyment, and mental health alongside physical achievement.
Recognize the influence of social media algorithms and the need to offer content that challenges narrow definitions of masculinity by showcasing diverse body types, varied fitness goals, and healthy emotional expression.
Strategy Recommendations for brands to follow in 2025:
Partner with influencers who advocate for balanced and sustainable approaches to fitness and health and who promote positive messages about body image and mental well-being.
Create content that promotes body positivity, mental well-being, and a diverse range of masculine ideals featuring stories of individuals with different fitness journeys and definitions of success.
Engage in conversations that challenge harmful narratives around masculinity and fitness on social media by directly addressing misinformation and promoting evidence-based and inclusive perspectives.
Final sentence (key concept) describing main trend from article and what brands & companies should do in 2025 to benefit from trend and how to do it: The glorification of extreme masculinity by fitness influencers poses significant risks, urging brands and public health agencies in 2025 to actively challenge this narrow ideal and promote healthier, more inclusive narratives around fitness and manhood through authentic and responsible content creation and partnerships.
Final note:
Core Trend: Glorification of Extreme Masculinity in Fitness Influencer Culture
Detailed Description: Social media is increasingly showcasing and amplifying fitness influencers who promote an extreme version of masculinity through intense physical feats, radical diets, and the suppression of emotions.
Core Strategy: Promote Inclusive and Healthy Fitness Narratives
Detailed Description: Brands, public health organizations, and social media platforms should actively work to counteract the trend of extreme masculinity by promoting balanced, healthy, and inclusive approaches to fitness that value well-being and diverse expressions of masculinity.
Core Industry Trend: Social Media Amplification of Extremes in Wellness
Detailed Description: Social media algorithms tend to favor sensational and often extreme content in the wellness space, including fitness, creating an environment where harmful or unrealistic ideals can gain prominence and influence.
Core Consumer Motivation: Seeking Inspiration and Validation in Masculine Ideals
Detailed Description: Young men are often drawn to these extreme portrayals of fitness and masculinity in their search for role models, validation, and a sense of belonging within online communities that promote these ideals.
Final Conclusion: The pervasive trend of extreme masculinity in fitness highlighted by social media demands a critical response from brands, public health organizations, and platforms to counter potentially harmful messages and foster healthier, more inclusive understandings of fitness and manhood, especially among younger generations who are particularly susceptible to these online influences.
Core Trend Detailed description:
The Glorification of Extreme Masculinity in Fitness Influencer Culture describes the increasing prevalence and amplification of content by fitness influencers on social media that promotes an extreme form of masculinity centered around intense physical exertion, enduring pain, radical self-discipline in diet and exercise, and the constant public of these behaviors. This performance often equates suffering with strength, frames extreme leanness and muscularity as moral virtues, and utilizes militaristic and battle-like rhetoric, particularly resonating with younger audiences seeking guidance on masculinity.
Key Characteristics of the Trend (summary, detailed description):
Summary: Fitness influencers on social media are increasingly promoting extreme forms of masculinity through intense physical displays.
Detailed Description: The core characteristics include the promotion of extreme self-discipline in diet and exercise, the glorification of pain as a necessary component of achievement, the emphasis on achieving extreme leanness and muscularity, and the use of aggressive, militaristic language to frame fitness activities. Influencers often perform these extreme behaviors publicly on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, presenting them as ideals of masculine worth.
Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend (summary, detailed description):
Summary: The popularity of figures like the Liver King and the rise of extreme endurance events on social media indicate the trend's traction.
Detailed Description: The rapid rise in popularity of influencers like the Liver King, who embody hypermasculine ideals through raw meat diets and intense workouts (albeit secretly supplemented with steroids), serves as a significant market signal. Additionally, the increasing engagement with "discipline content" on platforms like TikTok and the growing participation in extreme endurance events like ultramarathons, often documented and shared on social media, further support the cultural prevalence and appeal of this trend.
How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior (summary):
Summary: Young men are increasingly motivated by performance and pushing physical limits, potentially at the expense of health, influenced by these extreme ideals.
Detailed Description: This trend is shifting consumer behavior, particularly among young men, by fostering a mindset where fitness is less about health and more about achieving extreme physical performance and a specific hypermasculine physique. The focus on "pain as purpose" can lead individuals to push their bodies to unhealthy limits, potentially disregarding their physical and mental well-being in pursuit of these online ideals.
Implications Across the Ecosystem (For Brands and CPGs, For Retailers, For Consumers, summary)):
Summary for Brands and CPGs: Brands face the risk of associating with harmful ideals if they promote extreme masculinity. Retailers may see demand for products supporting extreme fitness. Consumers face risks to their health and well-being and may develop unrealistic expectations.
Detailed Description for Brands and CPGs: Fitness brands and consumer packaged goods companies must exercise caution when selecting influencers to partner with, as promoting those who glorify unsafe or unhealthy extremes can damage their brand image and alienate consumers who prioritize balanced well-being.
Detailed Description for Retailers: Retailers in the fitness and wellness sector may see increased demand for supplements, specialized gear, and products associated with extreme training and dietary regimes promoted by these influencers.
Detailed Description for Consumers: Consumers, especially young men, are at risk of developing unrealistic expectations about fitness and masculinity, which can lead to body image issues, unhealthy behaviors, and potential physical and mental harm from attempting to replicate the extreme feats and lifestyles promoted online.
Strategic Forecast:
The trend of glorified extreme masculinity in fitness is likely to persist as long as social media algorithms continue to amplify sensational content and influencers find it profitable to promote such ideals. However, there is a growing need for counter-narratives and a potential shift towards more inclusive and health-focused fitness content as awareness of the negative consequences increases. Platforms may also face pressure to moderate harmful content.
Final Thought:
The glorification of extreme masculinity within fitness influencer culture on social media presents a complex issue with potential public health implications, demanding a critical examination of the narratives being promoted and the development of healthier, more balanced alternatives that prioritize well-being and inclusivity over harmful extremes.
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