Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder

by Samuel W. Fussell and Samuel Wilson Fussell

Book Overview

At age 26, scrawny, Oxford-educated Samuel Fussell entered a YMCA gym in New York to escape the terrors of big city life. Four years and 80 lbs. of firm, bulging muscle later, he was competing for bodybuilding titles in the "Iron Mecca" of Southern California-so weak from intense training and starvation he could barely walk. MUSCLE is the harrowing, often hilarious chronicle of Fussell's divine obsession, his search for identity in a bizarre, eccentric...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380717638
• ISBN13: 9780380717637
• Release Date: August 1992
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Reflective and Insightful Journey into Body Image

In this entertaining and insightful masterpiece, Samuel Fussell takes readers on a wild roller-coaster ride through the world of bodybuilding, where the pursuit of muscle becomes an obsession. "Muscle" invites us to question society's standards of beauty and the extremes to which we're willing to go to achieve the perfect physique. With a blend of humor and wit, Fussell shares his personal experiences of transforming from an average Joe to a muscle-bound warrior. His self-deprecating anecdotes made me pause and smile as I related to his recounting of the demands muscle building made on his time and energy and the loss of a "normal" life. "Muscle" delves into the deeper issues surrounding body image. Fussell masterfully explores the psychological struggles and societal pressures that drive individuals to develop muscles beyond reason. He unmasks the absurdity of a culture that equates bicep size with self-worth, shedding light on the dark underbelly of body obsession. What sets this book apart is Fussell's insightful observations. He skillfully dissects the complex relationship between body image, self-esteem, and societal expectations, challenging readers to question their own perceptions of beauty and value. Fussell begs the question: Why do we admire, aspire and worship muscles? Why do we speak of health and wellness with muscles in mind, when the building of muscle is often an incredibly unhealthy pursuit? The outsized emphasis on restrictive diets, relentless training, self-obsession (perhaps even worship), drugs, steroids, and massive egos results in something far from healthy. Muscle is an insightful and reflective memoir about a man who aspired to be a different person, who believed muscles would change who he was; could make him a better version of himself. I think this is why many pursue a muscled physique; it's to build a layer of armor that protects them from the world. In his bodybuilding journey, Fussell discovered that muscles do not change the man, they can be used as a disguise, but we remain the same inside and must be true to that self.

Fear, desperation, muscle, back to a preferred reality

After reading Dean Karnazes' book "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner," I was interested in reading what others had to say about it. In amongst the plethora of reviews, I came across someone that compared Dean's journey to a man named Samuel W. Fussell and his journey from nothingness (physically) to an assumed greatness (a rather large and chiseled amateur bodybuilder). Samuel (The author of "Muscle") and Dean share a similar trait, and that is, an absolute, undiluted passion for their work. Dean a little less, I suppose, but none-the-less, both books, and especially "Muscle" completely pulled me in. Samuel will show you the scary side of bodybuilding. He'll challenge you to ask yourself questions about what's important. Certainly, most of us know friends and family are more important than hammering out four hours at the gym every day in hopes of getting larger and larger and larger. Samuel tells us smartly what it's like to push it all aside and focus on me me me, all for me me me. When I arrived at the last chapter in this book I had to put it down and let the already finished chapters of the book marinade in my head a little longer before I read about how it all ended. His bodybuilding passion ends abruptly, alright, but even more magnificent than the journey he embarked on over a span of four solid years of diet, lifting, sleep, diet, lifting, sleep, were the right-on observations he made about the bodybuilding scene in general. While at work, before I was able to finish the last chapter, I could literally taste the excitement to get home and ram through to the end of the book. "Muscle" is a completely engrossing novel, and I have to admit that I'm saddened that it was published in 91 and that I cannot find any more novels written by the author. Some of the reviews written about the book say he's not that great of a writer. I can't disagree more with those statements. I feel he does a fabulous job. I found myself reaching for the dictionary very often.

If you're a BUILDER you just HAVE to read this!!

A book for builders, if you're not one, forget it, you wouldn't understand a word. Muscle is by far one of the best and most honest books about bodybuilding ever written. Beware though, it's not for the faint of heart, it's for hardcore bodybuilders only, those who undertake the pain of training on a constant basis and just LOVE it. Right after I finished it, I wrote another name on my list of idols such as Arnold, Yates, Draper, Columbu, Oliva .... Samuel Wilson Fussell...

beautifully written, funny, moving book

I wanted to learn a little more about what makes bodybuilders tick. If the motive is basically sexual, then why are there straight bodybuilders? The first part of Fussell's book is a little confusing as to just what the motives were in Fussell's case. If we are to take him at face value, it would seem he was suffering from an acute case of paranoia, an extreme bully-kicks-sand-in-my-face Charles Atlas syndrome. I think the real reason is mentioned in passing only later on in the book, after he's been training seriously for awhile -- the place where he imagines he's driving through the city and encountering nothing but green lights, green, green, green. His bodybuilding quest, I think, was an extreme reaction to being cooped up in a gray, threatening, meaningless world; he thought he had found a way, his unique way, of escaping all this, of breaking through. The prospect of unobstructed progress is addictive and one will do anything, even make a Faustian pact, to keep it going. Unfortunately, Sam had to discover that this was impossible -- to use the Devil's favorite phrase, non datur. Fussell's experience might seem to be a rather special example, but it generalizes to the world at large, which is one of the reasons why his book is important. Although he portrays bodybuilding as a ridiculous caricature, as a microcosm somewhere well off the deep end of society, it is actually more representative than may first appear -- it applies to all those who strive immoderately. This has of course been known for a long time ("moderation in all things"), but the message bears repeating. There will always be souls incapable of moderation, and they end up destroying themselves; in the final analysis it's what they want, and preferable to being in *this* world. These people are rebels, and they pay the price. Sam had to decide for himself if the price was worth it, decided it wasn't, and looked back upon his experience with horror as a "disease".This book is beautifully and concisely written. Often in just a few words, Fussell conveys a scene with merciless camera-like accuracy. Given his obvious talent as a writer, one eagerly awaits further books by him. At the very least, his bodybuilding quest gave him something to say. I hope he can find other things to say and write about now that he's back in the ordinary gray world (which is its own disease, if a bit subtler).

Sam Fussell "Keeps it Real" throughout the whole book.

Finally, someone who isn't afraid of telling the truth about what it takes to make it in bodybuilding. Fussell remains honest throughout the whole book and keeps nothing back. This is a must read and an eye-opener for anyone who wants to know what bodybuilders go through to win. I really appreciate the honesty that Fussell brings to bodybuilding through this book. He takes a no-holds barred approach...he tells it like it is, I ought to know I am a former competitor myself. He is right on! If you are a bodybuilder and you read this book...it may scare you to see the truth, you know the truth but you are in denial...it's true and I too, can indentify with 100% of Fussell's feelings. Does anyone know where Fussell is now? This book is an easy read and you'll finish it in no time. Order it!

Not About Bodybuilding Per Se

Unfortunately, most of the reviewers below offer some skewed interpretatons of the story. Several said they were disappointed when Fussell quit lifting, but that's the whole point!! This was written as motivation for harder thinking, not harder lifting. Fussell finally sees that his aims are illusory, pointless. He sees in the end that he cannot outrun his fears and insecurities. This man spent years bulking up, and it took only a matter of months for him to deflate like a balloon. This is a story about re-evaluating life's material aims, whether they involve physical fitness or advancement in the workplace. We drive endlessly for this and that, but most of it's for naught. This may seem a rather fatalistic conclusion, but given some thought, it's really sort of freeing. It finally freed Fussell.