Muscle Worship: a Kink With Mass Appeal!

Got a fetish for mammoth muscle? Discover more about the dynamics of muscle worship – or sthenolagnia to give it its proper name. And while gay muscle worship is clearly a big thing among males, female muscle fetish is also a kink gaining in popularity.

Within the world of muscle worship, gender inequality is still the big bad dom. When one thinks of muscles, one usually thinks of men. And who seem most obsessed with men with muscles? Men who fancy men, of course. Evidence? Exhibit A: endless headless torso shots on gay hook-up sites and apps.

But gay muscle worship is hardly a new thing. Indeed, it can be traced right back to sex in Ancient Greece and the Olympics. Muscles have always denoted strength, dominance, and power. Need more proof? Check out all those muscly demigods in classical art.

Gay muscle worship and male culture

Before the legalization of homosexuality, gay men sought out images of bodybuilders and a regular cottage industry sprang up. Pioneer of physique photography, John S Barrington, forged a scandalous career by snapping the bulging biceps of sailors and soldiers in wartime London where his pursuit of muscle worship even landed him in jail.

Hands-down horny: muscle adoration is a popular kink

Later, from the 50s onwards, queer artist Tom of Finland celebrated gay muscle worship with his graphite drawings of hunky leather men and daddies enjoying their sexuality to the extreme. Sporting super-sized muscles, nipples, and genitalia, these horny queer cartoons and imagery struck a chord with the queer community. Nowadays, Tom's artwork of horny, musclebound hunks is exhibited across the globe.

Of course, in this day and age, things have moved from print and magazines, and there are plenty of websites out there featuring bodybuilders posing for legions of admirers – and they’ll even put on private shows for those into muscle worship – for a small fee.

However, muscle worship and fetish isn't all about gay men. There are also websites devoted to women who worship hot male bodybuilders and vice versa. So, what is it about muscle worship that makes it so hot?

Pumped to play: gay muscle worship

Sthenolagnia: turned on by muscle worship

The scientific term for muscle worship is sthenolagnia, which means becoming sexually aroused by displays of strength and muscles. But then there’s also cratolagnia, which describes sexual arousal from strength.

Sthenolagnia can be as extreme as your imagination allows. If you want it tame, then you can start by gently caressing – or just touching in absolute reverence – the Dominant’s magnificent muscles.

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A submissive will naturally feel privileged that this divine creature is even allowing you into their presence. But sthenolagnia can move into some serious BDSM body contact. This can be as ferocious and intense as you choose. Wrestling throws, lifts and grappling – while licking, rubbing and massaging – are all to play for here.

“Gay muscle worship is hardly a new thing – it can be traced back to sex in Ancient Greece. Muscles have always denoted strength, dominance and power.”

Crucially, with sthenolagnia, it’s the sub and Dom who get off on the frolics of choice. The Dominant – who is always significantly bigger than the sub – will become aroused by being worshipped. And the submissive will revel in being given license to idolise the Dom. Both partners are playing off on one another for ultimate gratification.

Mass appeal: muscle worship is also known as sthenolagnia

But nor does having a fetish for muscle worship mean that you need to be into BDSM. You can leave your whips and chains at the door and keep it strictly vanilla. If you must.

Female bodybuilding and muscle kink

Although muscle worship kink it particularly common in the gay male community, sthenolagnia isn't just a man’s world. Female bodybuilding first emerged in the 1970s and continued to grow in popularity in the 1980s.

After Playboy magazine featured one of its competitors, Anita Gandol, on its front cover in 1984, female bodybuilding went more mainstream. Today, female bodybuilding has thousands of adoring fans worldwide, but, we move on from mere bodybuilding to something more interesting...

Female bodybuilders are worshipped by female muscle kinksters

Fantasy femmes

Female Muscle Growth (FMG) refers to a sexual fetish which people can have for excessively muscular women – women who look like superwomen. Additionally, FMG has a long tradition in cartoon art, dating back to the 1940s. However, FMG brings these fierce female warriors to life.

“Crucially, with sthenolagnia, it’s the sub and Dom who get off on the frolics of choice. The Dominant – who is always significantly bigger than the sub – will become aroused by being worshipped.”

But the back stories of these huge ladies – why they chose to become so powerful – are also central to this form of sthenolagnia. These remarkable stories of transformation can be found on many FMG websites out there.

Male muscle worship vs female muscle growth

Yes, you guessed it: gender inequality reaches far and wide in sthenolagnia. While male bodybuilders are accepted and celebrated, their female counterparts are too often regarded as grotesque.

Muscle worship and adoration is big in the gay community

In a world which peddles the infinite desirability of the size 0-8 model, the super-strength lady is seen as an aberration. As being unhealthy. Because, of course, being a size 0 is the epitome of vitality (not).

Consequently, those into Female Muscle Growth – both Dom and sub – are too often stigmatized. FMG as a form of muscle worship still has a long way to go before becoming a more mainstream sexual fetish.

Looking to explore the world of muscle worship? Find fellow kinksters into sthenolagnia on Fetish.com.