Beefcake is a slang word for erotic photos or realistic images of any well-muscled, well-built man, in a play on 'cheesecake', used since 1934 of images of sexy young women. In the US, the term is used mostly by gay men as a sexual term, but also by those women and men into bodybuilding and weight lifting.

Many professional male bodybuilders advertise their services, offering advice concerning nutrition, training, etc., often marketing their videos in which training programmes are demonstrated.

Since the late 20th century it has become more evident that buyers of such videos are attracted not just by a bodybuilder's mere bulk of muscles, but also by his sexual appeal. Browsing through a number of bodybuilders' home pages, one occasionally finds videos advertized which are said to include "frontal nudity", "sexually explicit material", etc.