Fitnessatleters välbefinnande i relation till den egna kroppen, samt motivation till tävling och träning

Sammanfattning: The overall purpose of the present study was to examine fitness athletes' motivation for competition and training as well as athletes' well-being in relation to their own body and its body ideal. A total of six interviewees participated in the study, of which four women and two men aged 25-34 years (M=29, SD=3.31). The study used a semi-structured interview guide based on a theoretical framework regarding body perception (Lox et al., 2014). The result was divided into three developed themes: preparation for a competition, the time after a competition and internalization of body ideals. The results showed that mental toughness and discipline are required both in terms of training and diet because it requires a strict diet and extreme training to achieve a form of competition which can also have an impact on the individual's social life. What drove the participants to compete in an assessment sport where the appearance is judged was the attention, the confirmation and the feeling of being on stage. Furthermore, sports psychological counselors or mental coaches were considered to be in demand as the time after a competition was perceived as mentally challenging. The results indicate that it is not risk-free to compete in assessment sports such as bodybuilding and fitness as it can contribute to negative psychological factors and unhealthy behaviors regarding diet, exercise and the pursuit of a specific body ideal.