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Bodybuilding
as we all know today is a kind of sport wherein a person is engaged in body
modification using weights to build muscle. A person who is on board on this
kind of sport is referred to as a bodybuilder and in professional competition;
a person competes with other bodybuilders and are judged base on the quality of
their physique and appearance on stage.
This is
how we see bodybuilding today, but have we even thought of how this sport was
discovered and evolved? To start things off, bodybuilding did not start from
the era where cave men kill mammoths and bring their meat at home to be eaten
and shared to the entire tribe. Thus, the history of bodybuilding started in
Greece where people are training their bodies for battle by lifting different
sizes of rocks. This is how they modify their physiques and show how strong
they are. The primary goal of bodybuilding before is to enhance not only the
physical appearance but to actually improve strength. This doing evolved until
the late 19th century when Eugen Sandow of Russia started the new
era of bodybuilding and was referred to be the “Father of Modern Bodybuilding”.
He started to show other people his great body by different types of flexing
and posing and this nonetheless started the old school bodybuilding techniques.
This became a big hit and the first bodybuilding competition was held in
England with thousands of spectators wanting to watch the epic event.
As the
19th century progresses, bodybuilding evolved in to a full grown
sport wherein science was already incorporated to further enhance a person’s
physique by supplementing the body with steroids and other known drugs that
promote muscle growth and performance. This was referred to as the golden age
of bodybuilding, some of the great bodybuilders of this time even got to the
Hollywood; an example of which is the famous 7-time Mr. Olympia Arnold
Schwarzenneger. On this era, balanced physiques and low body-fats were the
concentration of the bodybuilders to win in the prestigious competitions that was
organized by International Federation of Bodybuilders which was formed by Ben
Weider and National Amateur Bodybuilders Association that was formed in England.
IFBB organized Mr. Universe and NABBA organized Mr. Olympia, in which both
competitions Arnold Schwarzenneger got the title. Other legendary bodybuilders
known at that time were Frank Zane, Dorian Yates, and Larry Scott in which
these bodybuilders share the same training, the high intensity training.
Today,
bodybuilding is not only for people who uses it to compete but also for people
who wants to change their physique and wanting to boost their self-esteem. This
sport became a global hit, wherein even the teenagers dive-in to have their
satisfaction. Some of the prominent stars in the Hollywood also did
bodybuilding to improve their performance and marketability. As for the bodybuilding industry, a balanced
physique was not the only focus today, but a more explosive and massive body
while maintaining a balanced physique must be achieved to win the title. As the
number of new bodybuilders increase, the competition becomes tighter due to
modern routines in exercises and good information about nutrition.