Body Building Secrets Revealed

Ever since the fitness craze in the 1980’s, we have become a

nation increasingly aware of our health and physique. Millions of

dollars are spent every year in the quest for a perfect body. Gyms are

big business, personal trainers are making a tidy living helping people

stay fit, and body building supplements are at an all-time level of

performance.

In actuality, the sport of body building has been around for quite

some time. In the late 19th century, the man known as the “father of

bodybuilding”, Eugen Sandow was credited with inventing the sport by

inviting people to view his body in muscle display performances.

Sandow built a stage performance around displays of strength

and agility as well as showing off a “Grecian” physique which was

considered the ultimate body. He became so successful, he created

several businesses around his fame and was among the first people to

market body building products bearing his name. As he became more

popular, he was credited with the invention of the first exercise

equipment marketed to the masses.

Sandow was also credited with beginning the first body building

contest called “The Great Competition” held in London. This

competition was the basis for many others to follow including the Mr.

Olympia competition that remains the most popular body building

contest to date.

When World War II broke out, men in the country were inspired

to become bigger in their physique, stronger, and more aggressive in

their behavior. Training techniques were improved, nutrition was

focused on more than ever, and body building equipment evolved into

effective means for working muscles in ways never thought of before.

It was also around this time that many body building

organizations came into being including the Amateur Athletic Union

and the International Federation of Body Building. In 1970, body

building was taken to a new level when the film “Pumping Iron” was

released starring Austrian newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger.