Little Big Men: Bodybuilding Subculture and Gender Construction

by Alan M. Klein

Book Overview

Little Big Men is a study of competitive bodybuilders on the West Coast that examines the subculture from the perspective of bodybuilders' everyday activities. It offers fascinating descriptions and insightful analogies of an important and understudied subculture that has risen to widespread popularity in today's mass culture.

Alan Klein conducted his field study of bodybuilding in some of the world's best-known gyms. In studying the social...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791415600
• ISBN13: 9780791415603
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

an interesting book for anybody who weight trains

When I was a little kid Use to marvel at many of the bodybuilders. Arnold Swartzengger was my childhood hero. I bought flex magazine regulary. I bought Weider training videos. When I was 12 years old I bought all this bodybuilding stuff and I wanted to look like Arnold when I grew up. Well somewhere along the way I lost interest in bodybuilding and got more interested in sports in high school. This book explains why young teenager boys 7are lured to bodybuilding because they are insecure and want to make up for it by being very muscular and strong. This book did an excellent job of explaining the lifestyle of the bodybuilder and the motives why they became bodybuilders. I found much of the information true, however on some occasions I think the author's analysis was flawed. For instance the author said something along the lines that bodybuilders just have big muscles, but don't have enough strength to lift very heavy weights. So they just look strong, unlike powerlifters who can lift very heavy weights. This is not true bodybuilders don't lift very heavy weights because they wan't to isolate muscles rather than try to lift the most weight. Many bodybuilders could bench press just as much as a powerlifter if they used bad form, arched their back,and wore bench shirts. Other than that this book was fantastic! This book reveals how bodybuilder is more like an addiction rather than dedication for many bodybuilders. Many bodybuilders couldn't stop lifting weights if they wanted to. It really is a depressing book to read. Bodybuilders spend as much as 8 hours a day in a gym some of that time training, some of socialicing. This book reveals how bodybuilders throw their life away to the gym and because of it they fail to develop the necessary friendships and social skills necessary for a healthy life. This book reveals bodybuilders are dirt poor and because of that they often resort to prostiution and selling steriods just to get by. I remeber my classmates telling me not to get into bodybuilding because most of them are gay, after reading this book I realize my friends were right and I am glad I didn't go into bodybuilding. This book reveals their is a lot more risks in bodybuilding besides steroids. Anyone who is seriously considering bodybuilding should read this book first so they know exactly the lifestyle they will be getting into.

Readable format, intriguing study.

Insightful examination of an extreme manifestation of societal tendency, and how this reflects on gender construction in our society as a whole. I purchased this book for use as one of the (many!) references for my thesis (on gender role traits and food selection.) While probably not for a lay audience, this book is written in a very easy-to-read style for a study. Although I have to do hours and hours of reading every single day, I still found that this book held my interest.

Big Words

I found this book to be interesting and true when it comes to bodybuilding. It is not always an easy read. It may be better suited for someone in the industry or at least an anthropologist