In Australia, around 1.5 million men report lifting weights regularly, with countless young guys in their teens, twenties and beyond structuring their lifestyle around building their body in the gym.

For many, the gym is a safe haven providing structure, growth and community providing huge physical and mental health benefits. But there is a dark side… with research showing one in ten gym-going men may experience muscle dysmorphia, a body image disorder based on an obsession with not being muscular enough.

The dramatic rise of young fitness influencers, and constant exposure to extreme, often steroid-enhanced physiques on social media, has raised the standard of what’s now considered impressive to heights that would’ve been unthinkable a few decades ago. Making it harder and harder for young men to separate their expectations from what’s realistically attainable.

For gym rats, bodybuilders, and teenagers just starting their fitness journeys, the drive to get bigger and leaner can easily become all consuming if not tempered with a healthy perspective.

Oli and Rayan are 21-year-old natural bodybuilders prepping to compete for the first time. Their journey started like many others — as overweight school boys chasing confidence and control. Years later, they’ve built the bodies they used to wish they had, but it’s hard to love the way you are when the goal posts keep moving.

This is Oli Wright and Rayan Abou-Hamdan.