The sport of bodybuilding is judged based on the physical appearance and demonstrations of the participants. There is currently a campaign to have bodybuilding adopted as an Olympic sport, but this campaign is met with strong resistance by some sectors. It is commonly argued that bodybuilding is not an actual sport, as the contest itself is non-athletic. When competitive bodybuilders compete, they demonstrate a number of poses intended to accentuate certain muscle groups. This posing is a large part of competitive bodybuilding, and many bodybuilders spent up to half of their training time perfecting their posing routines.
Bodybuilding as a sport is not athletic and should not be confused with lifting sports or strongman competitions. The focus on bodybuilding is a specific aesthetic and balance of muscle mass, not feats of strength of agility.
There are a number of techniques used for gaining and sculpting muscle mass, both in the competitive and personal arena. A distinction is often made between those who are able to continually gain mass and strength through a regular routine, and those who quickly plateau. The latter are often referred to as hard gainers, because it is more difficult for them to gain strength than for many others who pursue bodybuilding seriously.
The most common technique is to acquire as much mass as possible for an extended period of time, working on being able to lift more and more weight each week. Once a threshold has been reached, or in the case of competitive bodybuilders, once a major competition is nearing, the focus is shifted to sculpting the existing muscle mass.
Some experts on bodybuilding advocate a training program of moderate weight for extended reps until failure, followed by occasional high-weight sets. Others advocate a system focusing on very difficult weights for low reps and low sets.
While bodybuilding, it is important to increase one's intake of vitamins, minerals and protein. A wide range of bodybuilding shakes and supplements are available on the market, most of which will be more than adequate for a beginning bodybuilder. Chemical supplements are also available, though their use is prohibited in most competitive bodybuilding arenas and they are not recommended for health reasons.
Ultimately, the best tactic for bodybuilding is to experiment with a number of different workouts to find what works for your body. Combining a suitable workout with a high protein diet and plenty of rest in off times will ensure pleasing results.
History Of Bodybuilding
By most accounts, the actual sport of aesthetic bodybuilding (different from athletic competition) is unofficially dated back to 11th century India, where
athletes lifted carved stone dumbbell weights (called Nals) much the same as modern fitness equipment is used to fatigue and
tear our 21st century muscles. In fact, gyms in India have been traced back to
this same period, and by the 16th century, it is said that bodybuilding was one
of their national pastimes. There must be something intrinsically human about
changing the human body, because it seems to be a fairly consistent activity
throughout all recorded history, regardless of the method.
Though much has been made of the importance of physical fitness in
the ancient Greek (and later, Roman) empires, the specific pursuit of
bodybuilding did not yet exist. Instead, the athletes were trained in several
sports and were expected to be consistent in each. These athletes were
professionals in the truest sense of the word, and enjoyed great festivals in
their honour at the conclusion of every sporting event. The very early Olympic
games were held between cities, which each supported their own stable of elite
athletes. Unfortunately, quite a large gap exists between those early days and
the middle of the 19th century, when bodybuilding began in earnest in North
America and throughout Europe. At the first modern Olympics in 1896, there were
two weightlifting events, variations of which continue today. Many North
Americans were first exposed to bodybuilding through the strongman at traveling
circus sideshows and carnivals. The man credited with ‘inventing’ many of the
contemporary bodybuilding techniques was a German named Eugen Sandow, who, like
many other strongmen before (and since), traveled with sideshows until the 1890’s. Before long, however,
he came to see his body as a work of art, and began touring to show off his
amazing physique during “Muscle Display Performances.” Hired as the
personal fitness trainer to King George V, he was able to reach out to the
public and advocate the potential of the human body through diet and increased
physical activity. He was very influential in starting up a Ministry of Health,
among other initiatives. As early as his influence was on bodybuilding, he is
still revered as a deserving pioneer in the body building industry — as a
tribute, the Mr. Olympia trophy is a gold statue of Sandow.
By the time Sandow died in 1925, bodybuilding had begun to take on
some degree of popularity throughout England and Europe. Weightlifting equipment
such as barbells and dumbbells were available commercially throughout the world,
and a new generation of (mostly) men began lifting weights to create a more
‘masculine’ physique. To give you an example of the popularity of bodybuilding,
who hasn’t heard of Charles Atlas? He was in his hey-day in the 1930’s, and
he’s still a household name.
The “Golden Age” of bodybuilding is recognized as the years between
1940 and 1970. There were many new magazines devoted to the sport, and
international organizations were in charge of hosting competitions for athletes
worldwide. Most of us have an internal image, however stereotypical, of big guys
lifting weights on the beach — it’s almost archetypal — but that place existed
in Santa Monica, California. It has been referred to as Muscle Beach since the
1930’s. It was during this period when the basic ideology of bodybuilding was
laid out: ‘train for health, strength, fitness and refined muscular
development.’
