There he goes, bag over his shoulder as if he is carrying the weight of the world

Contemplating if something this heavy should be bench-pressed or curled

Each step towards this place fills his body with a unique sense of being

As if every muscle in his body knows what he is going to be doing

He stands in front of the door, mentally preparing himself for what’s to come

He needs his energy to be up or else none of the exercises can be done

…

Society told him how he needs to look and feel

Society has restricted his perception and convinced him lies are real

Images of a body that is deemed desirable are flung in front of him

Day in and day out, everywhere he goes, a vicious cycle he wears as a ring

Because that’s his motivation and drive

A six-pack, arms like steel and a chest that dances as if it were alive

…

He knows it goes step by step, so he takes it one day at a time

Following a regime that he hasn’t realized has consumed his mind

His diet keeps him slim and reinforces the idea that he looks good

The fact that he feels dizzy at times

has become a phenomenon that’s considered good

Because that means the diet and exercise are working

No pain no gain, drink some supplements and back to running

…

This image of beauty he is chasing is destroying him

To the point where looking sexy is actually an unhealthy thing

Depriving your body of food so you can stay a size you have no business being

Hurting yourself over and over, under the guise that you love exercising

Since when has pain become the way to feel good?

Since when has eating nothing been right?

A car doesn’t move because of its body but what’s under the hood

And soon your engine will stall, if you keep making its need for gas a fight

…

He stands in front of the mirror in the gym with his shirt off

His muscles flexed, his stomach tightened to seem hard

Both arms up to show his biceps, but still something seems off

For some he has already reached where he needs to be

But all he can see is fat and the parts which still feel soft

He is lost in a concept given to him by a media that wants to sell products

Spiralling down into a dark place where disorders are the norm

But to him his sweat is the proof that he is doing something worth living for

If he doesn’t leave the gym reeking of sweat, he will have to go back in and do more