DON'T CALL ME "MUSCLE BOUND!"
You hear the term "muscle
bound" all the time, but many bodybuilders don't realize it is actually
a pejorative term, an insult, a put-down. When you call somebody muscle-bound you're denigrating their
athletic ability. You're
saying that having big muscles makes you slow, inflexible, uncoordinated
and clumsy. And probably
slow-witted as well.
It dates back from the
days when coaches refused to let their athletes work out in the weight
room. But those days are
past. Just look at athletes
like Bo Jackson. Anyone
care to describe him as muscle-bound? If
so, try to tackle him in the open field or get a fast ball by him. Lee Haney, Mr. Olympia, is heavyweight
boxing champ Evander Holyfield's strength coach. If you think Holyfield is muscle-bound, you might try asking
Buster Douglas.
Muscle-bound is also
a phrase used by insecure, 98 pound weaklings to rationalize their own
insecurities, their fear of individuals who are bigger and stronger than
they are. Of dealing with
memories of schoolyard bullies. If
you can't lick 'em, make fun of 'em.
Calling a bodybuilder
or other athlete muscle-bound is like calling an African-American a nigger,
an Italian a wop or a Latino a spic. It's
a disparagement, a belittlement, a smear, a slander, a slap and a slur.
So next time you hear
somebody called muscle-bound, don't let it pass. Speak up. Put
in your two cents. You probably
won't have much trouble. Whoever
uses the term will probably be some kind of pencil-neck anyway.