by davearnie on Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:48 am
I would argue that the whole image of bodybuilding has went away from body beautiful!
Back in bodybuildings infancy, before it was hip and cool to workout at gyms and eat properly etc. There were a few guys at down and dirty gyms working out.
Back then circa late 60s, 70s - Schwarzenegger's era - it was a sub culture of society, bodybuilding shows would attract about 300 people.
Back then noone trained with weights, no athletes, no football stars or movie stars.
Schwarzenggers's era heralded the end of it being a little sub culture.
Thanks to one movie 'Pumping Iron'. If you have ever seen this movie, we all agree that the bodybuilders are BIG. But look again and compare them to todays bodybuilders. Schwarzengger and co were well proportioned and not the monsters of today. Yes they took steroids - that too was in its infancy, everyone did it to get that little edge , but in nowhere near the quantities of todays athletes and bodybuilders.
One could argue that their bodies were the 'ideal' as depicted by artists throughout the years. Compare their bodies to famous muscular sculptures, they are not far off, if a little bigger - but still as proportioned.
In contrast, the female version of this sport/art , was no where near like it was today. In fact, the female version still celebrated the female form. Yes the females were cut and muscles, but in a feminine way, not in a masculine steroid enhanced way.
All this golden era changed when pumping iron became so successful. Everyone started hitting the gyms, and bodybuilding became a monster.
It was really the judges and magazines fault, not just that of the bodybuilders. The judges and audiences demaned bulk, meat, size. So thats what bodybuilders had to do, whatever way possible.
Over the years, the judges awarded the top prizes not to who was the best proportioned, best sculpted specimin - as in the 70s - but to the most massive.
Bodybuilders had no choice but to get bigger and bigger to win these competitions. Once they had devoted themselves to training - a little more meat, a little more drugs, and eventually you are a monster.
The same thing happened over the female side.
I am sure that most sane intelligent bodybuilders would not think that their bodies are the ideal and beautiful any longer. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger - who hosts a massive event in his name each year - has questioned if todays bodybuilders have any merit and if the sport has went to far.
It is irony that before the 70s you were a freak to want to look good and train like a bodybuilder - that that attitude all changed with the 'Arnold Era' - and now we are back to looking upon bodybuilders as freaks once more.
