Bodybuilding has a long and interesting history, growing from ancient practices to the modern sport today. Beginning in early cultures like Greece and Egypt, bodybuilding represented strength and fitness, which was important to their people. Over time, people started to focus on building muscle for aesthetics and strength. Now, bodybuilding is a global sport with athletes pushing their limits to achieve impressive physiques and records.
Two popular forms of bodybuilding are powerlifting and circuit training. Powerlifting is a strength sport where athletes compete to lift the heaviest weights in three lifts: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Circuit training is a workout method that involves performing a series of different exercises in a sequence, and targeting various muscle groups with minimal rest in between for maximum size growth.
Going into other variations of bodybuilding, two specifically are isometric weight training and high-volume training. Isometric weight training involves holding a static position under a heavy weight for a period of time. This training strengthens the muscles without changing their size. On the other hand, high-volume training includes doing a high number of sets and reps to increase muscle endurance and boost muscle growth.
Students who bodybuild were asked what they thought about it and how it affected them.
“Honestly, bodybuilding has changed my life for the better. I take motivation from characters, like Goku and Spiderman because they never give up. It taught me discipline and dedication,” said freshman Brody Egelhoff. “I love working out. It’s much more fun than work or school.”
Freshman Liam Griffith also shared his thoughts on the sport.
“Bodybuilding and working out has completely changed my life. I used to be super skinny, so I started working out with my stepdad in our garage,” said. Griffith. “I liked working out and was committed to it so I joined a gym which helped me work out a lot better with all the new equipment. I work out to put on mass and get stronger.”
With bodybuilding being a popular and quite competitive sport, there are many well-known competitions with different kinds of bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding has a long line of famous lifting competitions and competitors. The most well-known bodybuilding competition is the Olympia contests (1965-current). It was founded by Joe Weider, and won by top bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, and Ronnie Coleman. There have been 19 Mr. Olympia winners and a total of 60 contests.
Various categories for the Olympia contests include Men’s Bodybuilding, Men’s Physique, Classic Physique, Bikini, Women’s Physique, Figure, Wellness, Women’s Bodybuilding, and Fitness. The most popular category is the classic Physique.
Bodybuilding has a long fulfilling history with many variations and techniques. It is about building a body you love, having a good community, lifting others to build confidence, and pushing yourself to the limit.
“Bodybuilding has been a great addition to my life and is an amazing sport that I recommend everyone tries out,” Griffith said.
