IS BIGGER BETTER?
Looking at How the Face of Bodybuilding has Changed Over the Years and Has it Become a Result of Fans Wanting More?
"Bodybuilding became m
ore popular in the 1950s and 1960s with the emergence of strength and gymnastics champions joining the culture, and the simultaneous popularization of muscle training, most of all by Joe Weider, whose advertising in comic books and other publications encouraged many young men to undertake weight training to improve their physiques to resemble the comic books' muscular superheroes." (Wikipedia)
I will be the first to admit that I am a big fan of bodybuilding and I love a muscular physique. To me, if you have a fit and toned physique I admire that. If you have an extremely muscular physique, truthfully, I admire that so much more. There is something about all that muscle that is amazing and truthfully can be very appealing. I love the sport of bodybuilding as well - both the men and the women. I competed in bodybuilding and feel that even though it was at an amateur level, I can appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that those who compete at a higher level go through in order to succeed. Now I know that over the years the "look" of bodybuilding has changed and that it continues to change it seems with every year that goes by. Some may like the change of the look and others may not, but the reality is, this ever evolving look seems to be the direction that the sport is going and that the fans want. Now this got me thinking about the sport of bodybuilding over the years and how the look has evolved. As with all things in life - change occurs. Be it for the better or not, change is pretty much a given. I have had this discussion with friends and fans of the sport on several occasions and it all comes down to the issue of - is bigger better and when will it be enough?
Looking back on the days when bodybuilding first became popular and "mainstream", there was an elite group of men and women that brought to stage physiques that were muscular, proportioned, symmetrical and pleasing to look at. They had classic shapes, lines and definition which were above average to the regular person, however, the look was not as out of reach or unattainable. The look seemed to show that with proper eating and tra
ining and following a structured routine, those who wanted to achieve a similar look possibly could.
"In the early seventies proportioned mass ruled. Extreme definition did not. "(Classic Bodybuilding Remembered The Way We Were:
(A Classic Bodybuilding Love Story by Shawn Perine)
As time went on and those who competed became popular, starred in movies and there was an actual interest in this look and what these men and women were capable of, the industry began to grow and change yet again:
"In profession
al bodybuilding a quantum shift occurred in 1992 when Dorian Yates won his first Mr. Olympia title. Whereas Lee Haney, the winner of the previous eight Olympias, retained a classical look that harkened back to the days of Steve Reeves (although with greater muscle size), Dorian ushered in a new era in which mass superceded aesthetics to the point of making them nearly obsolete. And that era persists to this day." (Classic Bodybuilding Remembered The Way We Were: A Classic Bodybuilding Love Story by Shawn Perine)
When I look at the pictures of the legends from the classic era, there is something about that look that made bodybuilding special and not defined as "freakish" or gross. The look was clean and the body was truly used in an artistic way. There seemed to be this appreciation for what the body could do and the men and women who competed, showcased their physiques off in artistic ways too. Back in the classic era it seems that it was not about becoming comic book like in looks but maintaining a shape and size that complimented the natural frame. As the time went on though, the size, shape and demands placed on competitors and the look of bodybuilding seemed to shift - maybe because of the sport becoming more popular, gyms becoming seen as health clubs in order to attract the everyday person, magazines becoming solely dedicated to the sport, and the fans demanding and wanting more out of the competitors' size shape and overall physiques. No longer was classic good enough...mass was not what w
anted as much anymore, but defined muscular mass was. A look of cartoon proportions and almost 3 dimensional expectations is what fans, competitions and the overall industry wanted. It seems that the clean, classic and artistic look could not cut it among the monsters.
This is somewhat of a grey area and topic of debate for many. I for one feel this huge shift was a result of bodybuilding becoming more popular and a pressure placed on those who wanted to compete or who were competing to size up and meet the demands and expectations that the fan following wanted. It seems that bodybuilding fans want to see this individual of insane size, muscle mass and proportion, an almost non human human. But I wonder if with all of these demands, has the art and heart of bodybuilding been lost? Have the demands placed on both male and female competitors to become these freaks been a direct result from us wanting more? In order to become more and bigger, those who compete have to go to extreme measures most often to live up to the expectations. The average person can no longer see themselves competing at that level unless they are willing to do all it takes to try and get there. For the females who compete in bodybuilding, I feel that the overall pressure on them has been insane. First they are talked about poorly among other females, either those who compete or by those who do not, called freaks or manly by men and overall frowned upon by society on a whole for wanting to have muscle to that extent. Yet at the same time, there are a group who follow, worship and fantasize on this look and want to see more of it. At the Olympia level, there is also the demand to have a clear distinction between the various classes that the women compete in and therefore, the women who compete in bodybuilding must have muscle and size of epic proportions.
The way society i
s nowadays it also seems that this bigger and cartoon ideal of what a competitor should look like was bound to happen. We are part of a society where everything needs to be done right now, have the latest and always want to see the next big thing in order to keep our attention. So for those who compete, what you looked like at one show or event has to make a drastic change in order to keep up with the demands of the fans wanting to see you look even more than you did at the event prior. In order to keep the fans coming and interested, there is the pressure to fulfill their needs. Now one can argue that the smaller and classic look is coming back with the 212lbs class. True it could be, but that class also underwent a shift from 2011 to 2012. It was first introduced as a 202lbs class and then the following year the weight increased by ten more pounds. There was even talk of making it 215lbs. Even at the amateur levels and your local gyms, you hear of competitors and males wanting to get big or bigger. This idea is almost ingrained in us that in order to be successful, one must get big.
When I look at the sport and the competitors, I admire all that they are doing in order to become the best them on stage for each and every event they are part of. The classic look of bodybuilding ma
y be seen as done to many; however, I think that maybe competitors like Shawn Rhoden and David Henry may bring back the Shawn Ray inspired look. Whatever the outcome may be on what future competitors are to look like at a show, it will always come down to what the fans want to see and expect. As long as there is a demand from the fans and an interest in the sport, where venues continue to sell out, and the overall expectation of fans wanting to see insane size and physiques on competitors, I think that the big look will be around for a while:
"The popularization of bodybuilding has, in reality, helped far more than hurt it as far as bringing money to the professional competitors and educating the public as to what bodybuilding is and what it isn't." (Classic Bodybuilding Remembered The Way We Were: A Classic Bodybuilding Love Story by Shawn Perine)
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