History
Early Years
Bodybuilding has its roots in India in the 11th century when men would lift a specifically sized piece of stone in order to determine which of the participants had the greatest strength.
However, bodybuilding became established in the West sometime during the period
1880 to 1930. Bodybuilding may be described as the art of displaying one's muscles.
It did not really exist before the late 19th century, when it was brought to prominence by a Prussian called Eugen Sandow, who is now generally referred to as "The Father of Modern Bodybuilding". He is credited as being the founder of the sport since he was the first to present himself in front of an audience so that they could enjoy viewing his physique.
Although audiences enjoyed watching men with well-developed physique, these participants simply displayed their bodies as part of strength demonstrations or wrestling matches. On the other hand Sandow stage managed, with the help of his manager, an impressive show which was built to augment these displays.
He became so successful with his shows that he established several businesses and was among the first to market products based on his own brand name. As his popularity increased, he was credited with inventing and selling the first exercise equipment that had mass appeal, including dumbbells, spring pulleys and tension bands.
He was a strong advocate of "the Grecian Ideal" which was based on the proportions of ancient Greek and Roman statues from the classical period that he regarded as personifying the perfect physique. This is the way in which he developed his own physique.
In the early years, men were judged by how closely they matched these "ideal" proportions. One of his greatest achievements was when he organised the first bodybuilding contest in 1901, which he called the "Great Competition", and held it in the Royal Albert Hall, in London. In order to create the required impact, Sandow himself was the main judge, and he was fortunate in securing the agreement of two leading luminaries of the period, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
As it turned out, the success of the contest exceeded his wildest dreams. It was completely sold out with hundreds of disappointed physical culture enthusiasts being turned away.
To demonstrate his complete invincibility, the winner's trophy was a bronze statue of Sandow himself, sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy, and was presented to William L. Murray of Nottingham, in England, the very first winner of this coveted award.
Since 1977, the winner of the Mr Olympia, which is uniquely regarded as the most prestigious bodybuilding contest anywhere in the world, has had the distinct privilege of being presented with the same bronze statue of Sandow that he himself presented to the winner of the first contest.
The very first American bodybuilding competition took place, in 1904, at the colossal Madison Square Gardens, in New York, at which the winner was declared "The Most Perfectly Developed Man in the World". A few weeks later, Thomas Edison made a film of the winner demonstrating various posing routines.
A few years earlier, Sandow had starred in two films, made by Thomas Edison, which established him as the very first person to star in three films depicting his finesse as a bodybuilder.
Two hugely popular exponents of the art of bodybuilding in the 20th century, Bernard MacFadden and Charles Atlas, continued to promote the sport across the world with great success.
Body Building - How To Succeed
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