“Alright dumba**, welcome to lesson two here at fat f*** university.”

So begins one of the countless fleshy blurs of locally-produced fitness content pumped algorithmically into the feeds of Australian Instagram, TikTok and Facebook users.

It’s the sort of engagement-baiting approach that yields viewers and followers — designed to push men out of some apparent masculine malaise and into retaking control of their body and masculinity, usually via paid workout programs, products or supplements. 

It’s also the type of content increasingly filtering into the phones of teenage boys.

While there is a more developed conversation about idealised images on social media and body image pressures on young girls, experts say research is less advanced when it comes to boys.

“I think boys are now objectifying themselves like never before and we do need to be really concerned,” said Danielle Rowland, Head of Prevention at national eating disorder charity the Butterfly Foundation.

“The intensity of training advice, nutrition and misinformation is greater than ever.”

Feeds serving up different diet 

When Anthony Lee started high school in regional Victoria six years ago, social media had a different feel to it.

“In Year 7, it was just basically a way to keep up with your mates,” he said.

By the time he finished Year 12 last year, the feeds of his classmates had changed. So too, the surrounding culture.

“There is a growing problem with men having that feed of perfect body content,” he said.

“There are people who will see influencers on social media and say, ‘I’ve got to have bigger arms, toned legs, I got to have calves the size of mountains’.”

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Linger on one Instagram reel showing off a set of dumbbell exercises, and you’ll likely get five more videos zeroing in on how to get “boulder shoulders”, or some protein-heavy diet advice from a shirtless influencer.

Josh Ward travels to schools in Sydney and around regional NSW, hearing from young boys as part of his work as a facilitator for men’s mental health organisation Tomorrow Man.

“There’s been a huge jump in the last two to three years in the amount of boys opening up in workshops around their body,” he said. 

Mr Ward believes there’s no coincidence it’s occurred alongside a “big spike” in the amount of fitness and gym influencer content turning up in their feeds. 

“The danger for young people is they don’t realise they’re actually the pioneer generation in terms of that exposure.

“In the last five years there’s been a crazy amount of fitness content, but that’s just what they’ve always been exposed to, so they don’t realise how strange it is.”

‘It creates a false sense of the world’

For many teenage boys on the path through puberty, working out in gyms has long represented an accelerated part of the journey into manhood.

Images of muscle-ripped celebrities and athletes serving as aesthetic inspiration, if not an unattainable physical ideal, is nothing new either. 

But it’s the nature of that exposure — the type of content and the saturation of it — that has experts concerned. 

“It’s that ‘in-your-face, all-the-time’ aspect of it,” said Associate Professor Ivanka Prichard from Flinders University.

“It’s seeing something on Instagram when we’re perhaps not in that frame of mind, making a comparison to this really fit person and have that influence the way we might feel about ourselves.

“We’re fed a whole range of things through those algorithms that we would never have had exposure to before and would never have sought out.”

Multiple experts the ABC spoke to reported seeing digitally-altered and even AI-generated images of supposedly naturally-fit bodies on social media.

Ms Prichard, a former fitness instructor whose research sits at the intersection of psychology, social media and exercise science, believes the constant barrage of perfectly sculpted bodies could destabilise the mental health of some teenage boys.

According to Fabiano, new clubs are allocating between 600 to 2,000 square feet to recovery spaces.

West Wood Clubs, which has six locations in Dublin, Ireland, recently opened a new recovery room with heated hydrotherapy massage and cryotherapy beds at its Sandymount location. At the Clontarf Club, the company gutted its existing spa to build a bigger space that includes two giant Jacuzzis, a larger sauna and steam room, an ice room, a salt room, heated loungers, and a cold plunge pool.

“Members absolutely love the new spa area, and usage is out the door,” says Karen Polley, the managing director at West Wood Clubs.

Longevity Club created a dedicated stretching and recovery area, and also now offers acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and functional medicine in-house.

“We built our brand on hospitality, where people feel cared for,” says Jennie Brooks, the owner/president of the Longevity Club. “So, we offer convenience in as many ways as we can, including a variety of curated services that we know members appreciate having under one roof.”

Healthworks Fitness Clubs in the Boston area debuted the Restore Spa after refurbishing its 19,000-square-foot flagship facility in Cambridge. It features a cold plunge pool, infrared sauna, eucalyptus steam room, whirlpool, spa showers, and restorative massage services.

“Recovery and longevity technology and services are just as important as cardio and strength,” observes Mark Harrington, the president of Healthworks.

Because recovery also encompasses mental health, some clubs are incorporating meditation pods, quiet rooms, and spaces with a strong connection to nature to help members release stress and relax.

Accentuating Ambiance

In addition to recovery spaces, locker rooms represent a haven and are a frequent target for upgrades.

“Members now expect more spacious grooming areas, increased privacy, and larger showers, and upscale clubs are offering heated shower floors, full-body dryers, and private dressing niches,” Fabiano says.

Carter adds that unisex bathrooms with private showers are becoming more common among studios and smaller clubs.

Equally as important are club lobbies and reception areas, which today are viewed as places to showcase the brand and linger.

“Lobbies have become much more inviting and less intimidating,” Carter reports. “Rather than offering sightlines to a mass of exercise machines, these areas are being designed to make a great first impression that is welcoming to both new and existing members.”

West Wood also unveiled a new reception and café area in Clontarf, which Polley describes as “a bright, beautiful, and friendly hub of the club.” Healthworks likewise designed a new reception area and lounge where members can relax and socialize.

At the Longevity Club, Brooks focuses on sensory appeal and making a stellar first impression when members enter not only the reception area, but also each floor of the multi-story facility.

“Taste has a big effect on memory, so we offer amenity bars with complimentary mints, fruit, tea, and coffee at the entrance and exit of each floor so that members come in and leave with a lasting pleasant impression,” she explains.

Co-working spaces have been limited to large, multipurpose facilities to date, but some clubs are placing communal tables with charging stations in the lobby as a convenience for members.

“The integration of co-working areas reflects a broader, more holistic approach to member services, acknowledging evolving lifestyle needs that blend work, fitness, and wellness,” Fabiano observes.

Lighting, colors, and flooring all contribute to fostering a custom environment that differentiates brands, attracts customers, and encourages repeat visits.

“There’s a trend toward creating visually stunning and immersive environments through thoughtful lighting, color schemes, and overall design as consumers increasingly expect higher quality in fitness facilities,” Januszek says.

Return on Reinvestment

Design upgrades and remodels are an ongoing cost of stimulating growth amid competition.

“We are always busy, and the facilities get old and tired every few years,” Polley says. “It’s a constant cycle of reinvestment, which is essential to meeting the evolving needs of our members and keeping us ahead of the curve.”

Januszek acknowledges the worth of engaging spaces. “By offering a comprehensive experience that goes beyond traditional workouts, clubs give members more reasons to value their membership and return.”