In this article, we explore what had become a predominant focus on the body and on shaping and refining the body through frequent, intensive workout and strict, controlled diets among a group of young people engaged in strength training in fitness gyms in Denmark. Theoretically and analytically, we draw inspiration from French sociologist Loïc Wacquant’s ethnographic study of professional boxers in Chicago around 1990. First, we use the concept of bodywork to explore and understand the meaning of the young people’s exercise and diet practices. We argue that the young people’s bodywork can be understood as the building up of bodily capital. Second, we aim to explore the social implications of this bodywork. We explore how and in what ways the young people’s bodily capital can be converted into other resources, or forms of capital, that are essentially social: social relations and sense of connectedness; knowledge, expertise and future plans; and recognition, self-worth and identity.
