This book investigates extreme sports, defined as sports in which athletes challenge and transgress societal perceptions of what is humanly possible to achieve, in terms of physical training and bodily development/performance. Situated within a growing body of literature analyzing the impact of new training trends on an individual's body, identity, lifestyle and perception of his/her social surroundings, this book focuses on the gendered and embodied experiences of bodybuilding, Ironman triathlon, and mixed martial arts. Through their ethnographic analysis, the authors present a unique and updated account of the increasing phenomenon of extreme sports and extreme bodies in contemporary Western society, grounded in the sociology of sport, body studies and embodiment literature. The title relates corporeal experiences and achievements to the socio-cultural context; assesses the ways in which assumptions about health, gender and the body are embedded in extreme-sport practices; and contributes to a new understanding of three key extreme sports: mixed marital arts (MMA), ironman triathlon and bodybuilding.