Bodybuilding Through the Ages

Since the beginning of time, it has been a chief goal of man to become strong and powerful. In no other sport is this desire more tangible than in bodybuilding. For decades, bodybuilders and strongmen alike have both worked to increase their strength and muscularity so as to defeat others on the stage or lifting.

Over the years, bodybuilding has evolved and can really be broken down into different sections/eras. The original bodybuilders would not only show off their immense physiques, but would also do amazing shows of strength to prove that their muscle were not just for showing off with. Today, even though bodybuilders are stronger than ever, we focus much more on the aesthetic aspect of the show, and not so much the strength feats.

The man who could probably be called the first true bodybuilder was Eugene Sandow. I call him the first true bodybuilder because he focused not only on strength, but on aesthetics and symmetry, as well. Sandow was born in the 1860's and is still considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time...truly a groundbreaker. Sandow also started the first bodybuilding competitions ever, which William L. Murray won.

By the 1920's, equipment like barbells, dumbells, and other things which you would see in a gym today started to become more popularized and mainstream. Then the 1930's came along, also called the Golden Age of bodybuilding. It did not receive this name because it had the largest or best looking bodybuilders, but because it was when bodybuilding really started to become what it is today. Practicing posing and working out in groups became common practice, and workout techniques were becoming more refined and standard. This time period signaled an explosion in the bodybuilding population which continues on today.

By the 1940's, the first modern bodybuilding even, the Mr. America, came into the picture. This contest was won by John Grimek two years in a row, a bodybuilder who's physique was unparalleled at the time, and would have even drawn stairs today. Then along came Steve Reeves, who many caller the greatest bodybuilder of all time. He won both the Mr. America and Mr. Universe, and helped to increase the popularity of bodybuilding even more.

But even these big names of the 1940's would cower in the presence of the bodybuilders from 1950 to the present. These bodybuilders hailed the age of modern bodybuilding, and were true mammoths. Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, and Arnold Schwarzenegger are all older bodybuilders whom people still try to imitate today, and many still see them as the bodybuilders who achieved the best physiques, even more so than the bodybuilders today. Sadly, many bodybuilders today have forsaken symmetry and aesthetics for pure mass, and have become quite creepy due to massive steroid usage. The End.