Behind the Biceps: Gym Bros, Steroids, and the Mental Health Crisis Nobody Talks About

He’s jacked, vascular, and always shirtless in his Instagram stories. He talks about gains, macros, and grind culture like gospel. But behind that steel chest and those bulging biceps, there’s often something else brewing — anxiety, body dysmorphia, and emotional burnout that no amount of pre-workout can fix.

The modern African gym bro may look invincible, but inside? Many are quietly falling apart.

The Gym Isn’t Just About Fitness Anymore

Let’s be real — going to the gym used to be about health. Now, for many African men, it’s a performance stage. Social media pressure, hookup culture, and toxic masculinity have transformed lifting weights into a full-time identity.

Behind every flexed mirror selfie is a man who’s learned to express value through his body — not his mind, not his vulnerability, just his muscles.

And while it’s easy to laugh at the stereotype, the emotional toll is very real.

Steroids, Size, and Silent Despair

Steroid use is on the rise, even in African urban centers. Underground gyms in Nairobi, Lagos, and Accra now have whispered plugs for Tren, Anavar, and Deca. But most men aren’t doing it for sport — they’re doing it for validation.

Multiple studies link anabolic steroid use to serious mental health issues, including:

Paranoia and mood swings
Aggression and depression
Shrunken self-worth when off cycle

The bigger they get, the more fragile they often feel when the pump fades.

Muscle Dysmorphia: The Manorexia No One Talks About

This phenomenon mirrors much of what we uncovered in He’s Not Okay: Why African Men’s Mental Health Is the Crisis We’re Still Ignoring, where coping mechanisms rooted in external validation often backfire emotionally.

Most people have heard of anorexia, but have you heard of bigorexia?

It’s a type of body dysmorphia where men — no matter how muscular — believe they’re still small, weak, or “not enough.” They work out obsessively, skip social events, avoid intimacy, and even refuse affection unless they feel “on point.”

And in African societies where emotions are often mocked, many gym bros suffer in silence, hiding vulnerability behind reps and routines.

Mental Health Gets No Spotter

Here’s the truth: most African men weren’t raised to process emotions. The gym becomes a place to sweat out sadness, bench press heartbreak, and distract from self-doubt. But physical exertion isn’t therapy.

Without honest conversations, these men spiral — into isolation, rage, or numbing sex and porn addiction.

Testosterone, Toxic Masculinity & the Breakdown Loop

Steroid cycles artificially raise testosterone. But once off-cycle, men crash — hard. Libido disappears. Emotions flood in. Some turn to TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy), which brings its own challenges, including fertility risks and mood instability.

Meanwhile, toxic masculinity tells them to keep quiet — to “man up,” never cry, never show weakness. That’s how the loop continues.