This book investigates the complex relationship between bodybuilding culture, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and the rationalization of health risks among practitioners. Lee F. Monaghan, a sociologist, utilizes ethnographic research to examine how bodybuilders navigate the tension between the pursuit of an idealized physique and the potential long-term physiological consequences of substance use. The text argues that risk-taking in this subculture is not merely a result of ignorance but a calculated social practice embedded within the norms of the bodybuilding community.

Experts in the sociology of sport and health recognize this work as a significant contribution to the understanding of body modification practices. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the nuanced approach the author takes toward a stigmatized subject.