What does “sich das antun” mean in German?

A reporter watches a firefighter race up stairs with 19 kilos on her back, drag weights, and fight a fake fire, then asks: “warum tut man sich das an?” — why does a person put themselves through this? It is not a real question about firefighting. It is the slightly amazed, half-joking thing you say about anything tough that someone chooses to do. The tone here is admiring, not complaining.

Spoken in the clip: “Ist nur die Frage, warum tut man sich das an?” — “The only question is, why does someone put themselves through this?” In a sentence the verb splits apart: “ich tue mir das an” (I put myself through this), “du tust dir das an” (you put yourself through this). It nearly always points to something hard, tiring, or unpleasant that you still decided to do. “Warum tust du dir das an?” — Why are you putting yourself through that? (a friend, when you sign up for a marathon) “Das tue ich mir nicht an.” — I am not putting myself through that. (turning down something you would hate) “Hast du dir das wirklich antan?” — Did you really put yourself through that? (said afterwards, half-admiring) Usage note: the tone shifts with context — it can be warm and admiring, like in the clip, or a real complaint. The hard thing you took on by choice comes after it.