History Of Bodybuilding
From Ancient Man to Mr Olympia
As we read into history we find many references to mans dependence on physical skills and endurance, and of all of these muscular strength in particular has perhaps been the most imperative and appreciated characteristics of the lot.
Physical strength which we could categorize as the precedent to modern day bodybuilding has been admired and mystified throughout ancient history. Strong and heroic men were not only common sight in classic mythologies such as those of the Greeks and Romans but many civilizations have shared strength and muscularity to denote a sense of well being and power.
These common trends make it hard to pinpoint where true bodybuilding really started, because at its roots mankind has always trained and developed this feature of the body. This article will take a look at how physical resistance training and bodybuilding as a sport evolved to what it is today.
Muscle In Time
There are many remnants from hellenic culture featuring muscular bodied figures indicating a close relationship with inspirational arts and the concepts of harmony and beauty. Athletes from ancient Greece trained their bodies by means of weight lifting, squatting and other athletic endeavours just as we do today. For the Romans having a powerfully built body was a sign of virility and power.
Gladiators showed their physical competencies in the fatal arena of the Coliseum, where your life was the thing to fight for. These ancient warriors were not only admired and loved by the people but many roman myths depict gladiatorial champions with super human abilities.
Perhaps the most popular testimony of how much both the ancient civilizations appreciated and endorsed the ideal of physical perfection would be the Greco-Roman myth of Hercules (Heracles) the father of heroic figures; a son to Zeus (Jupiter) he was a man who had been gifted with supernatural strength.
Imperial China also had a part in this ancient history of bodybuilding, since many military generals trained their soldiers by means of stone lifting and other exercises similar to the ones you would perform in any modern gymnasium. This way, Chinese soldiers would endure much more in the battlefield, which was of prime importance in the culture’s early history.
Bodybuilding & Religion
Bodybuilding isn’t commonly associated with religous texts but even the Bible carries references to strong, muscular men. The Bible has the tale of a certain Samson, a man of mythical strength, awed and respected for his power, a story that would much later inspire Siegel & Shuster to create the modern day superhero Superman.
Another reference is the story of David and Goliath, where the clever minded David takes down the strong bodied giant Goliath. With extensive descriptions of the amazing size and proportions of Goliath and the insummountable odds David faced this story in itself was one to awe and wonder at.
Humans love power and strength and even middle aged Europe cultivated its own bodybuilding culture as “holy” knights used similar training methods in order to better endure the weight of their armor and weaponry. In simple terms oversized bodies, muscularity and strength are features that humans have respected and been impressed by since the start of time.
Pumping Iron
Ok so we’ve looked at history but let’s move forward a thousand years to the present and the part where we talk about a famous German. No, not about who you must probably be thinking of and who’s not really German, but Austrian by the way.
For modern Bodybuilding history we refer to a Prussian man by the name of Eugen Sandow, “The Father of Bodybuilding”. In simple terms consider Sandow as being an exhibitionist who would display his well trained physique to amuse audiences at wrestling contests and carnivals, and as such, he was the true starter of the muscle showoffs we now know as Bodybuilding contests.
Sandow realized how all the sweat and push ups he burned at the gym could pay off if he began to show off his muscles before an auditory. Not only was he showing his physique at a public event but he was also the first to commercialize his own brand of Bodybuilding products, all bearing his name.
On September 14, 1901, the first ever Bodybuilding competition was carried out with Sandow himself in its organization and jury, other big names included the novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Charles Lawes. The event was promoted simply as the “Great Competition” and took place at the Albert Hall, in England.
The winner of this historical match, attended by hundreds of Bodybuilding cultists and enthusiasts was British contestant William Murray. The prize, a statue of Sandow himself, mustache and all.
I’ll Be Back
Nowadays, the greatest Bodybuilding contest held is the Mr. Olympia, which represented a definitive evolutionary step for physique culturists all over the globe, as it took the “cult” and made it popular and accessible to the masses worldwide.
And yes, both the 1977 movie “Pumping Iron” and main villain former Terminator and actual Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger had much to do with it. Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Olympia contest seven times in a row after which he retired from professional competition.
Finally, throughouot the 20th century, years and years of study and experimentation in matters of Bodybuilding have made room for the development and perfectionism of training techniques, equipment, and the planning of dietary systems. In fact, judging by today’s standards, champions from the 50’s era, though respectfully remembered, could only be compared to actual beginners.
That’s All Folks
Even today, we still watch in amazement and admiration at those modern Herculean performers, and even today we pay homage to physical prowess just as the Greeks and Romans did with their myths. Comic books are perhaps one of the most popular depositaries of that in that we eagerly follow the adventures of our modern Olympic men battling against all things evil; good versus bad; just like Gods and Monsters from ancient cultures. Bodybuilding has always been in our blood, and it’ll always be there.