Bixente Lizarazu and the psychological risks of muscle addiction

The transition from professional sports to retirement presents significant psychological challenges for athletes. Without the structured environments, medical supervision, and goal-oriented systems of professional competition, some former athletes struggle to regulate their activity levels.

This can lead to a condition described as ‘muscle addiction,’ characterized by an excessive urge for physical exertion to replicate the hormonal and psychological rewards of high-performance sports. Former French national player Bixente Lizarazu has been cited as a prominent example, having reportedly admitted to struggling with this compulsion. Instead of reducing intensity after retiring from professional football, Lizarazu has maintained an intensive regimen, particularly through cycling.

Experts suggest that such behavior is often an attempt to maintain the physical self-perception and reward systems established during an active career, which can transform daily life into a management problem rather than a period of recovery.