1. What does it mean?
헬창 describes a person whose life seems to revolve around lifting or working out. The first part is 헬스, gym training; the ending comes from a crude expression about a life being consumed or ruined. Gym enthusiasts sometimes reclaim it as a proud, exaggerated label.
Also written or said as helchang
2. The nuance
It is rougher than 헬스 애호가, fitness enthusiast, and is not a clinical description of addiction. Avoid using it for strangers or in polite professional introductions.
3. Examples
“운동 얘기만 하다가 친구들이 나를 헬창이라고 놀렸어.”
After I kept talking about workouts, my friends teased me for being a gym obsessive.
“공식 소개에는 헬창 대신 운동을 좋아한다고 적었어.”
In my formal introduction, I wrote that I enjoy exercise instead of using that coarse gym label.
Sources
References support the meaning and usage. Example sentences are written for NoCapWiki.