SARM Goblin

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About

SARM Goblin or SARMs Goblin is a slang term used to refer to young, often inexperienced, teenage fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders that use a type of performance-enhancing drug known as "Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators" or "SARM." The SARM Goblin stereotype is that of an adolescent boy that got into fitness over the COVID-19 pandemic but lacks adequate gym etiquette. A SARM Goblin is typically defined as spending more time preening, socializing and making content for social media than working on perfecting their physique and weight-lifting routine.

Origin

Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) are a type of Image and Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) prominent among younger teenage bodybuilders. The term "SARM Goblin" gained traction in the fitness and bodybuilding community due to a generation of weight lifters that embraced the readily available, yet under-researched, oral supplements in order to bulk quicker, primarily during the early 2020s.

The earliest known mention of the phrase "SARM Goblin" appears on March 26th, 2021, on Twitter^[1] via user @keynen64 in a tweet that read, "1st day back at the gym 2 kids asked me.for sarms already 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #sarmgoblins" (seen below).

The earliest known meme about SARM Goblins was posted to the subreddit /r/moreplatesmoredates.^[2] On August 12th, 2021, Redditor RustyGains posted an image of a cartoon goblin munching on SARMs capsules with the caption, "SARMS GOBLIN #mpmd #sarmsgoblin #sarms #sarmsandwiches." The post received over 110 upvotes and 20 replies in 11 months (seen below).

Spread

On August 4th, 2021, YouTuber^[3] Shredded Sports Science posted a video titled, "Teenagers Taking SARMs is a TRAGEDY." The video has gathered over 800,000 views and 25,000 likes in over a year (see below).

On December 3rd, 2021, TikToker^[4] @brodieshreds posted a skit titled, "Tag your gym’s sarm goblin, tryna see something 👀👀." The video contained a text overlay that read "POV: you try to give your gym's sarm goblin a chance," and depicted him interacting with a SARM Goblin (played by himself), whose off-putting and immature attitude propelled him to cancel his gym membership. The video accrued approximately 700,000 plays and 90,000 likes over the course of eight months (shown below, left).

On December 28th, 2021, TikToker^[5] @joshiooo_ posted a skit containing a text overlay that read, "POV: When you pull up to the gym as a SARM GOBLIN." The video depicted him complimenting the cameraman's form, asking him if he is "natty" and questioning him about what steroids he is on. Upon learning that SARMs are to be credited for the cameraman's build, @joshiooo_ gets excited and beckons him to the janitor's room, presumably to share some SARMs. The video gained over 800,000 likes and approximately 8 million views in seven months (seen below, right).

By March 2022, the term SARM Goblin had pervaded online fitness circles. Many older fitness enthusiasts and long-term bodybuilders denounced the use of untested and under-researched performance-enhancing drugs, especially when abused by teenage boys impatient for quick "gains" but unwilling to invest the necessary time and effort to bulk safely. Moreover, several fitness enthusiasts expressed annoyance at the SARM Goblins' lack of gym etiquette, critiquing their tendency to herd around bench presses, film videos in public and their tendency to constantly perform unsafe and potentially injurious "personal record" (PR) reps.

On March 26th, 2022, the Instagram^[6] page @jack3d_memes posted an Average Fan vs. Average Enjoyer meme that depicted the difference between a SARM Goblin and the "Average Gear Enjoyer." The post gained over 18,000 likes in four months, despite pushback from comments that criticized the use of "gear" (slang for steroids) (seen below).

On June 28th, 2022, VICE^[7] published an article titled, "'SARM Goblins': The Young Men Hooked on Steroids." The article discussed the widespread use of SARMs among youth in the U.K. and the various adverse effects of using clinically untested performance-enhancing drugs. On the same date, U.K. news outlet Sky News^[8] tweeted an article titled, "Tens of thousands of men at risk of needing breast reduction surgery due to steroid use." The tweet gained 70 likes in a month.