Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American actor, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and former politician who served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. As of 2020, he is the most recent Republican governor of California.
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses on physical appearance instead of strength. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In professional bodybuilding, competitors appear in lineups and perform specified poses for a panel of judges who rank them based on symmetry, muscularity, size, conditioning, posing, and stage presentation. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions through the elimination of nonessential body fat, enhanced at the last stage by a combination of extracellular dehydration and carbo-loading, to achieve maximum muscular definition and vascularity; they also tan and shave to accentuate the contrast of their skin under the spotlights.
Francesco Maria Columbu was an Italian bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and a licensed chiropractor.
Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB). Joe Weider created the contest to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and to earn money. The first Mr. Olympia was held on September 18, 1965, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, with Larry Scott winning his first of two straight titles.
Sergio Oliva was a Cuban bodybuilder known as "The Myth". This sobriquet was reportedly given to him by bodybuilder/writer Rick Wayne but Oliva himself has doubted this claim. Supposedly Wayne had begun calling Oliva "Champagne" because everyone who saw him at the 1967 Montreal World's Fair said he was "Just unbelievable".
Lenda Murray is an American professional female bodybuilding champion.
Shawn Ray is a former professional bodybuilder and author.
Larry Dee Scott, nicknamed "The Legend" and "The Golden Boy," was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder. He won the inaugural 1965 Mr. Olympia competition and defended the crown at the 1966 Mr. Olympia contest before retiring.
William Arnold Pearl is an American retired professional bodybuilder and athlete. During the 1950s and 60s, he won many titles and awards, including winning the Mr. Universe contest five times, and was named "World's Best-Built Man of the Century." He later became an expert trainer and author on bodybuilding.
Teagan Clive is an American writer, bodybuilder and actress. She has appeared in various roles in movies and on television.
Roy "Reg" Park was an English bodybuilder, businessman, and actor. His first title was Mr Britain in 1949. He then won the Mr Universe in 1951, 1958 and 1965. He also starred in five films, four featured as Hercules, and in one, Hercules in the Haunted World (1961), he co-starred with Christopher Lee. Besides his own career and titles, he is probably best known as an idol and mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Joseph Weider was a Canadian bodybuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of the Mr. Olympia, the Ms. Olympia and the Masters Olympia bodybuilding contests. He was the publisher of several bodybuilding and fitness-related magazines, most notably Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Men's Fitness and Shape, and the manufacturer of a line of fitness equipment and fitness supplements.
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. The modern iteration of the sport originated in the late 1970s.
Bodybuilding.com is an American online retailer based in Boise, Idaho, specializing in dietary supplements, sports supplements and bodybuilding supplements.
Betty Brosmer, later known by her married name Betty Weider, is an American former bodybuilder and physical fitness expert. During the 1950s, she was a popular commercial model and pin-up girl.
Tony Pearson grew up in St. Louis, Missouri is an American bodybuilding champion. His bodybuilding championships include individual and couples competitions.
Dennis Tinerino was an American bodybuilder, most prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. He won the Mr. Universe title four times in 1968, 1975, 1980 and 1981 and Mr. World in 1971 in the tall man's category, and Mr. America in 1978. After becoming involved in a life of crime, running one of the biggest escort services in California, he became an international evangelist. The 1983 edition of The Gold's Gym book of bodybuilding cited him as "one of the most successful bodybuilders of the past decade or two". He is an inductee of the National Fitness Hall of Fame, IFBB Hall of Fame and National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Bodybuilding in the United States traces its early history to the 1860s when it was based on the east coast. By the 1940s, it had arrived in Hawaii. In the same period, the country was involved with the early internationalization of the sport. The sport had a golden age during the 1960s and 1970s when much of the activity was taking place on the west coast. Bodybuilding for women began to take off during the 1970s. A number of changes took place in the 1980s.
Bodybuilding in China dates back to the 1930s. It was first introduced to the Chinese in Guangzhou, when missionary school attendee Zhao Zhuguang started promoting it, having attended overseas bodybuilding courses. However, its early history was marred with controversy, and the Communist Party of China, led by Chairman Mao Zedong, publicly condemned the sport and officially banned it in 1953. The ban was only abolished close to three decades later; thereafter, bodybuilding contests for men started to be organised, and China became a member of the International Bodybuilding Federation in 1985. Competitions for women were held soon afterwards. China now has a national federation governing bodybuilding in the country, the Chinese Bodybuilding Association.[source?]
Siegmund Klein was an American strongman, bodybuilder, magazine publisher, and gymnasium owner prominent in physical culture. He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2006.
