The following articles contain lists of professional bodybuilders:
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Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature for aesthetic purposes. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive bodybuilding, bodybuilders appear in lineups and perform specified poses for a panel of judges who rank the competitors based on criteria such as symmetry, muscularity, and conditioning. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions through the elimination of nonessential body fat, enhanced at the last stage by a combination of extracellular dehydration and carbohydrate loading, to achieve maximum muscular definition and vascularity, as well as tanning to accentuate the contrast of the skin under the spotlights. Bodybuilders may use anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to build muscles.
Pumping Iron is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and Larry Silk, it is inspired by a book of the same name by Butler and Charles Gaines, and nominally centers on the competition between Arnold Schwarzenegger and one of his primary competitors for the title of Mr. Olympia, Lou Ferrigno. The film also features segments on bodybuilders Franco Columbu and Mike Katz, in addition to appearances by Ken Waller, Ed Corney, Serge Nubret, and other famous bodybuilders of the era.
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).
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".
Ronnie Dean Coleman is an American retired professional bodybuilder. The winner of the Mr. Olympia title for eight years in a row, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Alongside his eight Mr. Olympia wins, he held the record for most wins as an IFBB professional with 26 titles.
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.
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. The modern iteration of the sport originated in the late 1970s.
Valentina Chepiga is a professional female bodybuilder.
Iris Floyd Kyle is an American professional female bodybuilder. She is currently the most successful professional bodybuilder ever, female or male, with ten overall Ms. Olympia wins and two heavyweight wins, along with seven Ms. International wins and one heavyweight win. She ranks as the best female bodybuilder in the IFBB Pro Women's Bodybuilding Ranking List. She remains undecided about whether she would continue competing in professional female bodybuilding competitions.
Markus Rühl is a retired IFBB professional bodybuilder. Rühl began training at the age of 18 following a doctor's recommendation after sustaining a knee injury while playing football. At 120 lb., Rühl began training hard six days a week until deciding to compete on a professional level five years later. During this period he worked as a used-car salesman. Rühl signed a sponsorship deal with the famous brand Ultimate Nutrition in late 2008. In 2018 he started his own supplement company, Rühl's Bestes.
Serge Nubret was an iconic French professional bodybuilder, actor and self published author. He won numerous bodybuilding competitions, including 1976 NABBA Mr. Universe (1976). Serge Nubret was nicknamed "The Black Panther."
Craig Michael Titus is an American former professional bodybuilder.
Thomas Steven Platz is an American retired professional bodybuilder.
Flex is an American bodybuilding magazine published by American Media, Inc. The magazine is based in New York City.
Gary Strydom is a South African born IFBB professional bodybuilder. He is notable as being the only person to win a Championship title under Vince McMahon's now defunct World Bodybuilding Federation. After the fall of the WBF, Strydom decided to take a long break from competing in the mid 1990s. Prior to the WBF, Strydom won four IFBB professional titles.
Bill Wilmore is an American IFBB professional 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.
Silvio Samuel is an IFBB professional bodybuilder.