Bodybuilding the Early Years

Bodybuilding has become a very popular competitive event where the individuals entered in the competition pose for a panel of judges who score their physiques based on the definition and bulk of individual muscle groups as shown off by the various poses. Some individuals may wonder about the origin of bodybuilding as a competitive event. The early years of body building were very different than they are today.

The very first recognized professional bodybuilder was a Prussian named Eugen Sandow. This man was an expert showman as well as enthusiastic pursuer of the Greco-Roman ideal of the perfect male physique as displayed in the statuary of ancient Greek and Roman cultures. He calculated the mathematical proportions based on these statues to determine the ideal proportions a male physique should be composed of and worked to achieve this view of perfection.

Once Sandow had achieved the desired appearance, he hired a manager, Florenz Ziegfeld who booked him performances in various carnivals where he posed and showed off his perfect physique for the crowds. All of this took place in the period from 1880-1930.

In addition to being a master showman, Sandow was an avid businessman who created some of the first in home workout equipment available to the general public. He has his own brand of dumbbells, tension bands, and spring loaded pulleys that were marketed under his name.

In 1901, Sandow organized the world's first bodybuilding contest which was held in London. He was one of the judges, as were Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Charles Lawes. The contest was so unique for its time that it was sold out very quickly. In fact, hundreds of individuals who were devotees of Sandow's idea of masculine perfection were turned down as entrants into the competition. The winner was William Murray from Nottingham, England. His prize was a bronze stature of Sandow created by the sculptor, Frederick Pomeroy.

Bodybuilding has changed a great deal since those early years. Then, the ideal was to strive for the closest possible match to the mathematical proportions used in Greek and Roman statues to represent the ideal male physique. Today, the goal is to build the muscles of the body to an extremely hyertrophic state with each muscle group well defined and visible from a distance to a panel of judges. The premier event in male bodybuilding today, is the Mr. Olympia competition. The winner each year is awarded the same bronze statue of Sandow that was won by Murray in 1901.

With a history that stretches back over 100 years, bodybuilding is a popular competitive event where participants are judged based on their physical appearance and musculature. In the early years, the goal of bodybuilders was to duplicate the mathematic proportions of the ideal male physique as shown by the statues from ancient Greece and Rome. Today, the goal is more to accentuate the individual muscle groups in the body and reduce the body fat percentage so that the muscles can be seen clearly by a panel of judges.

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