Bodybuilding is the practice 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 increasing the physical load one can exert.
Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanctioned by the IFBB Professional League. Joe Weider created the contest to enable the amateur 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. The equivalent female title is Ms. Olympia.
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 an American professional bodybuilder and powerlifting champion from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Ms. International female bodybuilding contest was considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders, from its inception in 1986 through to its final staging in 2013. It was first held in 1986 by the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB). In 1987, the IFBB allowed the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) to sanction the Ms. International as an amateur event. In 1988, the contest was again sanctioned by the IFBB. From 1989 the contest was part of the Arnold Sports Festival.
Bob Paris is an American writer, actor, public speaker, civil rights activist, and former professional bodybuilder. Paris was the 1983 NPC American National and IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion. In 1989, he became the world's first male professional athlete to come out as gay in the media while still an active competitor in his sport.
Fitness and figure competition is a class of physique-exhibition events mainly for women but also men. While bearing a close resemblance to bodybuilding, its emphasis is on muscle definition, not size. The class was introduced when bodybuilding's popularity began to decline.
In bodybuilding and physique, a posedown is a free for all posing round in a bodybuilding or physique competition where the participants strike various poses, highlighting specific muscles and their overall physique. Posedowns are usually the final part of the competition and can often decide a close competition. Some competitors like to keep pre-set routine for the posedown in order to keep the flow going and show off their muscles. There are strategies competitors adopt during posedowns to best dominate or intimidate opponents, such as the forced perspective of posing as massive as possible and covering up other opponents on stage or forcing opponents into another pose, which can throw off their pre-set posing routine. For this reason, some competitors like to go through a spontaneous routine and keep the competition off-guard.
Darrem Charles is an actively competing IFBB professional bodybuilder.
Johnnie Otis Jackson is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder and powerlifter. Jackson has been said to have one of the best developed upper bodies in professional bodybuilding in the world. He is known for training in Arlington, Texas, with fellow American IFBB pro competitor Branch Warren. Due to his strength, he has sometimes been referred to as the world's strongest bodybuilder.
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 Pro, IFBB Elite Pro or Wabba International Pro Card.
David Christopher Palumbo is a retired American bodybuilder. He competed in his first bodybuilding competition in 1990, an NPC national competition in New York City, where he placed 6th place weighing in at 168 lbs. In just 5 years, Palumbo would gain 70 lbs and win the overall at the 1995 NPC Junior Nationals. His best placing in competition came at the 2003 NPC USA Championships where he finished 2nd place in the Super Heavyweight class.
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.
The 2001 Ms. Olympia contest is an IFBB professional bodybuilding competition and part of Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend 2001 was held on October 26, 2001, at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Paradise, Nevada. It was the 22nd Ms. Olympia competition held. Other events at the exhibition include the Mr. Olympia and Fitness Olympia contests.
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.
Colette Nelson is an American professional female bodybuilder and women's physique competitor.
Cedric Kennan McMillan was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder and United States Army Instructor. His last victory was the 2017 Arnold Classic.
Mikhail Volinkin is an Uzbekistani first IFBB professional bodybuilder and winner of Arnold Amateuer Classics 2018 overall in heavyweight category.
