The History of Bodybuilding

When you think of bodybuilding, you’re probably not surprised to know that “aesthetic” bodybuilding, as opposed to athletic competition, has been around a long time, in fact many centuries. You may, though, be surprised to know that the ancient Greeks, who developed the Olympics, did not practice bodybuilding. Greek athletes trained in several competitive sports, and were well-rounded athletes, but were not bodybuilders for the sake of bodybuilding. It is thought the sport of bodybuilding began in 11th century India. The history of bodybuilding in this country began with athletes lifting carved stone dumbbells, which were called “Nals,” much the same as we currently do with our metal dumbbells. In fact, gyms have been found in India which date back to the 11th century, and by the 16th century, bodybuilding was a national pastime in India. However, when you look at the complete history of bodybuilding, you will see that between the gyms of India in the 16th century and the emergence of bodybuilding in Europe and North America in the middle of the 19th century, not much happened. The history of bodybuilding picks back up in 1896, when the first modern Olympics included two weightlifting events. In the early days of weightlifting and bodybuilding, these sports were largely confined to the sideshows, where “Strong Men” were very popular. Most of the contemporary bodybuilding techniques we use now were developed by a former sideshow “Strong Man” named Eugen Sandow, who began to see his body not as something for a freak show, but as a work of art, and started touring “Muscle Display Performances.” Sandow became personal trainer to King George V, and was a great advocate for physical fitness and proper diet. Sandow died in 1925, by which time bodybuilding was becoming quite popular throughout Europe and South America. Barbells and dumbbells were commercially available, and men (mostly) were discovering weightlifting and bodybuilding. One of these men, in the 1930s, was Charles Atlas. The Golden Age of bodybuilding, between 1940 and 1970, saw many magazines and competitions. Bodybuilding was very popular and the basic ideology became entrenched: “Train for health, strength, fitness and refined muscular development.” During this Golden Age, Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California became ingrained in our national consciousness – muscle-bound guys lifting weights on the beach. Bodybuilding now, in the first decade of the 21st century, is much different than it was in the 1930s and -40s when Charles Atlas was the epitome of the bodybuilder. Today’s bodybuilders are more “cut up,” with much less body fat than early bodybuilders. Health supplements and better equipment and information are making it possible to get much bigger and better defined muscles, even without the use of steroids. However, one thing remains the same from the days of Eugen Sandow in the 1890s. Bodybuilders must lift weights and work out very hard to develop the ripped look they’re after. They must pay attention to the principles of bodybuilding and proper nutrition. They must know what to do and not only be willing to do it, but actually do it. So bodybuilding in history is not so different from bodybuilding today in many ways.