Bodybuilding in the United States

Last updated
Bodybuilding in the United States of America
Highest governing body IFBB Professional League
NicknamesUS BB, USA, BB, A BB
Characteristics
Contact No
Team membersNo teams
Mixed-sex No
TypeIndoor
Equipment Bikinis & thongs
Venue Auditorium
Presence
Country or region United States of America
Olympic No
World Championships 1978–2017, 2020
Paralympic No
World Games 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2005 & 2009

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.

Contents

History

Gymnasiums began to be built in the United States during the 1860s, with most of the first ones based on the east coast. The spread of the tradition of physical conditioning was helped during this era because of the concept of muscular Christianity. [1] In 1944, the sport made its way to Hawaii. By 1948, a resident of San Francisco moved to Oahu and opened a gym, one of the few at the time that catered to the specific needs of bodybuilders. The gym, Mit-Miks Health Studio, became one of the most influential centers for the sport in the state. [2]

During the 1940s and 1950s, Chuck Sipes and Bill Pearl were two of the most entertaining bodybuilders in the United States. Their influence began to wane during the 1950s though as other competitors came on the scene. [3] The United States was one of the two founding members of the International Federation of Bodybuilders, which was created by Ben and Joe Weider in 1946. [4] [5] A Mr. Hawaii competition was being held in 1950. [2] A Mr. America contest was being held by 1953. [2] By 1955, there was a national magazine for the sport. [2]

The golden era of bodybuilding on the United States's west coast took place in the 1960s and 1970s, with much of the most active scene occurring in California. [6] A fair amount of this activity took place at Golds Gym in Santa Monica, which was the home base for a number of competitors during this era including Arnold Schwarzenegger. [3]

Bodybuilding for women began to take off during the 1970s at a time when culturally there was a tension between governmental attempts to control women's bodies, and women trying to exert control using their own physicality. Bodybuilding was seen by some women as form of recognition of their physical strength. During this period, bodybuilding judges in the United States were debating the standards to which women should be judged in competition and if they should be using the masculine ideal. [7] [8]

In 1979, the Hawaiian Islands Body Building Championships were held for the first time, and assisted in renewing interest in the sport in Hawaii. [2] During the 1980s, the sport underwent a number of changes in the United States and internationally as it sought to appear more of a sport. This included changing the names of several competitions held in the United States. [3] In 1982, Chris Dickerson became the first African American to win the Mr. America contest. [3]

In 1990, the Hawaiian Islands Body Building Championships included a women's competition for the first time. [2] The 1992 edition of the Ms. Olympia contest was held in Chicago, Illinois with 20 competitors, including at least one from the United States. [9]

Governance

The United States has a national organization: the NPC that is recognized by the IFBB Pro League as the national federation, representing the country's bodybuilding community. [10]

Pictures

Amateur
Professional

List of bodybuilding federations in the USA

Natural bodybuilding federations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodybuilding</span> Control and development of musculature

Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting, which focuses solely on gaining physical strength.

The Universe Championships are annual worldwide bodybuilding events organised by the National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA). Originally promoted as the Mr. Universe contest, the event was expanded to include women's classes in 1968. Notable previous winners include bodybuilder, actor, and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, and bodybuilder and actor Steve Reeves (1926–2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenda Murray</span> American bodybuilder (born 1962)

Lenda Murray is an American professional female bodybuilding champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Physique Committee</span> Organization of competitive amateur bodybuilders in the United States

The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is commonly used to refer to athletes participating in contests sanctioned by the NPC and IFBB Pro League, nine divisions are represented including men's bodybuilding, women's bodybuilding, bikini, men's physique, classic physique, women's physique, figure, fitness, and wellness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Pearl</span> American bodybuilder (1930–2022)

William Arnold Pearl was an American 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.

Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

Lora Ottenad is a American professional bodybuilder and powerlifting champion from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lee Andrew McCutcheon is a competitive bodybuilder. He is a former International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) professional bodybuilder and a current National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA) professional athlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitness and figure competition</span>

Fitness and figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events for women and recently also men. While bearing a close resemblance to bodybuilding, its emphasis is on muscle definition, not size. The class was originally introduced when bodybuilding's popularity began to noticeably decline, in terms of both fanbase and number of participants.

Kay Baxter was a pioneer female bodybuilder.

Professional bodybuilding or pro bodybuilding can refer to bodybuilding for an income and/or possessing qualifications such as an IFBB or Wabba International Pro Card.

Brigita Brezovac is a retired Slovenian professional bodybuilder.

Debi Laszewski is an American retired professional female bodybuilder. She ranks as the 3rd best female bodybuilder in the IFBB Pro Women's Bodybuilding Ranking List.

Rhonda Lee Quaresma was a Canadian professional female bodybuilder and International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) competitor.

Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls is an American professional female bodybuilding champion, fitness, and figure competitor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleesha Young</span> American professional bodybuilder

Aleesha Young is an American bodybuilder who won the NPC USA Championships in 2014. At her largest, her biceps measured over 18 in (457 mm) and her quads over 28 in (711 mm).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rūta Bunkutė</span>

Rūta Bunkutė is a current IFBB/NPC Amateur fitness and figure competitor from Lithuania.

Calum Jose von Moger is an Australian actor and bodybuilder. He is best known for his portrayal of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2018 film Bigger.

Carlos G. Duque is an actively competing International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness professional bodybuilder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilshod Niyazov</span> Professional Uzbek bodybuilder

Dilshod Niyazov is an Uzbek professional bodybuilder, trainer and Master of Sports of Uzbekistan in bodybuilding. 2013–2015 years President of Andijan region Bodybuilding Federation and 2015–2017 years President of Bodybuilding Association of Fergana region. In 2012 he graduated Andijan State Medical Institute.

References

  1. ↑ David L. Chapman (1994). Sandow the Magnificent: Eugen Sandow and the Beginnings of Bodybuilding. University of Illinois Press. p. 3. ISBN   978-0-252-02033-9.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dan Cisco (1999). Hawai_i Sports: History, Facts, and Statistics. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN   978-0-8248-2121-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Robert H. Kennedy (20 August 2013). Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. Robert Kennedy Publishing. ISBN   978-1-55210-130-8.
  4. ↑ "About The IFBB". International Federation Of Bodybuilding And Fitness. 2013. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Maria R. Lowe (1 January 1998). Women of Steel: Female Bodybuilders and the Struggle for Self-Definition. NYU Press. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-8147-5276-0.
  6. ↑ Dick Tyler (1 January 2004). West Coast Bodybuilding Scene: The Golden Era. On Target Publications. ISBN   978-1-931046-29-9.
  7. ↑ Cahn, Susan K (1994). Coming on strong : gender and sexuality in twentieth-century women's sport . New York: Free Press. pp.  275-278. ISBN   0029050758. OCLC   28889489.
  8. ↑ Hargreaves, Jennifer (1997). Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women's Sports (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. pp. 168–169. ISBN   0-415-07027-9.
  9. ↑ Maria R. Lowe (1 January 1998). Women of Steel: Female Bodybuilders and the Struggle for Self-Definition. NYU Press. pp. 1–6. ISBN   978-0-8147-5276-0.
  10. ↑ "International Federation Of Bodybuilding And Fitness". European Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation. 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bodybuilders dying as coaches and judges encourage extreme measures". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 2023-03-28.
  12. ↑ Schwarzenegger wants drug testing at bodybuilding events
  13. ↑ Coached until she collapsed, an aspiring bodybuilder is now on life support
  14. ↑ What bodybuilders do to their bodies — and brains
  15. ↑ HOOKED: MUSCLE WOMEN
  16. ↑ 2023 IFBB Pro League NPC Worldwide Ben Weider Naturals PRO / AM
  17. ↑ Mr Universe to take stage
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.