www.wittenbergtorch.com

Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: News

Media Credit: www.wittenberg.edu Wittenberg's weight room, located in the basement of the HPER.

There is a new trend on campus and it doesn't have to do with fashion. Visit the weight room or cardio center anytime from 2-7 p.m. and you will see a plethora of over-muscled, grunting men, shiny with sweat and critically eyeing their muscles in the mirror as they lift.

It seems as if college men are getting more and more obsessed with working out and achieving the perfect body type.

According to Fitness Management Magazine, a person can be suffering from exercise addiction if they exhibit certain characteristics, such as relying excessively on exercise to be able to function on a daily basis, exercising to cope with stress or anxiety, exercising while injured or ill, or even experiencing withdrawal symptoms after a missed workout.

According to the magazine, these men "experience withdrawal symptoms that are similar to those felt by heroin addicts.

"Commonly reported symptoms include sleep problems, changes in appetite, mood disturbances and depression."

Senior Ben McAnnis-Entenman says he works out four to five times a week, the length of workouts being "easily and hour and a half to two hours." Would he pick working out over schoolwork?

"Hands down, yes," he said.

Although McAnnis-Entenman may simply be exhibiting normal workout patterns for a health-conscious individual, some others take it to the extreme.

A graduate of Wittenberg, who wishes to remain anonymous, missed his girlfriend's birthday dinner because he had to get in a workout, a feat that usually takes him over two hours.

"If he doesn't work out, he gets really grumpy," said his girlfriend, a senior. Although she admits that sometimes his need to workout affects their relationship, it is simply a character trait of his that she chooses to accept.

Meghan O'Rourke, a senior, tells various stories about her brother, another 20-something male on the verge of being obsessed with working out.

"He was 25 minutes late to Christmas Eve Mass because he had to work out," she said.

O'Rourke said this caused much controversy within her strict Catholic family.

"Another time, I went to his school to visit him, and he and his housemates had a party at their house. Halfway through the party, I noticed he was gone, so I went upstairs to look for him. He was in his room, doing crunches."

Continued...

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