Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Inside Bodybuilding ...Past and Present (Part 1)

By Mick Hart

Bodybuilding is really beginning to piss me off and you might even describe the feeling as having hemorrhoids. I am constantly being swamped by journals and articles about how poor physique standards have become and what really gets at me are the concerns about professional contests judging results.

Having attended more such muscle show downs than most over an unrelenting half a century, I have certainly witness huge changes, i.e. the evolution of bodybuilding contests and what appears to be the requisites for 'star' standards, from finalists to winners.

I love to go and watch other people competing at international levels and I will always make my own personal opinion on the possible outcome, but there is one thing I will always resign myself from doing and that is judging other people.

Thus the following notes are in no way a criticism of those braver souls whom set themselves up as easy targets when they sit on judging panels, the results of which can make or break physique careers in the competitive jungle of the body beautiful, with all its commercial offspring's. Advertising, sponsorships, film careers even FAME.

To be quite frank with you I am not really sure what the exact percentage of bodybuilders is that train with the sole objective of competing in physique contests. I am pretty sure it is a very small amount as the majority of bodybuilders will have varying alternative targets from rehab, to just getting better in their chosen major sport. Many will just want to get fitter or stronger or just improve their own physique standard, gain or lose weight, as well as just adding some muscle.

Few are like Arnold, who reputedly intended from his first squat and dead lift, to become a bodybuilding champion. For most weight trainers, physique contests as such, are something that goes on in the background, that takes up perhaps too much space in the muscle mags, and possibly an event they may attend just once in a while, usually locally to support a fellow gym member, or nationally to see in the flesh some legendary bodybuilder they have seen in the journals. Almost every gym has its own local hero whom most guys agree should at least enter, if not win the area 'Mr Muscles on a Cake' award or even national fame. (Coming Soon Part 2) - 15266

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