Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles 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.
Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effort of a barbell loaded with weight plates. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as "odd lifts", which followed the same three-attempt format but used a wider variety of events, akin to strongman competition. Eventually odd lifts became standardized to the current three.
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.
Ronnie Dean Coleman is an American retired professional bodybuilder. The winner of the Mr. Olympia title for eight consecutive years, he is widely regarded as either 'the greatest' or one of the two greatest bodybuilders of all time along-with Arnold Schwarzenegger and as the most dominant bodybuilding physique ever to grace the stage. Winner of 26 IFBB professional titles, he is also renowned for his combination of size and conditioning, dominant body-parts and extremely heavy workouts, making him the strongest bodybuilder and Mr. Olympia of all time.
Beverley "Bev" Francis is an Australian gym owner and retired professional bodybuilder, powerlifter, and national shot put champion.
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.
The International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB), headquartered in Las Rozas (Madrid), is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness that oversees many of the sport's major international events, notably the World and Continental Championships.
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s, when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.
Jason Isaac Cutler is a retired American professional bodybuilder. An IFBB pro, he is a four-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010; and a six-time runner-up. He is considered to be one of the top pro bodybuilders in history, and was known for his quadriceps and the quad-stomp pose.
The 2009 World Games the eighth edition of the World Games, were an international multi-sport event held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from 16 July 2009 to 26 July 2009. The games featured sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games.
Fitness and figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events for women and 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.
Iron Man is an American publication which discusses bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting. It was founded in 1936 by two Alliance, Nebraska natives, Peary Rader and his wife, Mabel Rader.
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.
Janae Marie Kroczaleski is an American who previously competed as a professional powerlifter and competitive bodybuilder.
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.
Annie Rivieccio is an American bodybuilder and personal trainer. She competed at the Ms. Olympia in 2005–2007 with the best result of third place in 2006. She won the NPC Nationals in 2003 and New York Pro Championship in 2005. She started her bodybuilder career in 1986, aged 24, and later also competed in Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting.
FTM International is the oldest organization for trans men in the United States. Founded by Lou Sullivan in 1986, it is dedicated to the provision of resources for FTM individuals along with creating a visible community.
Aydian Dowling is an American YouTuber, entrepreneur, model, fitness and life coach, and transgender activist. He began his YouTube channel in 2009 to document his journey taking testosterone and experience as a transgender man. In 2015, Aydian was featured on the cover of FTM Magazine recreating a nude photo of Adam Levine, which led to the rise of his modeling career. Aydian won the Reader's Choice Award in the 2015 Men's Health "Ultimate Men's Health Guy", and was featured on the special edition cover in November 2015. He was the first transgender man to be featured on a cover of Men's Health. He was subsequently featured on the covers of both Gay Times magazine and IN Magazine in 2016.
Mikhail Volinkin is an Uzbekistani professional bodybuilder and winner of Arnold Amateuer Classics 2018 overall in heavyweight category.
