A Bodybuilding Subculture

They could be classified through religion, culture, style, outlook on life and many other aspects. The one subculture that has grown tremendously through out time is a very hard one to notice as a subculture opposed to a sport. Its said that bodybuilding started way back in the times of great philosophers like Plato who believed that a man should strive for a balance between mind and body and that there should be harmony between the two.Also Plato believed with UT a well-conditioned body the mind would ultimately suffer. Taken into aspect obviously someone perused the great words Of a historic philosopher or bodybuilders wouldnt be around today. Bodybuilding began when a new interest in muscle building arose in the beginning of the nineteenth century. When muscle building started in the early nineteen hundreds it was not used for a form of survival or defense. The Greek idea of bodybuilding was a way to celebrate the human body. This is where the modern age of a subculture started with the era when ancient stone lifting was popular.As this huge subculture continued to develop it slowly attached it self to many other cultures. Like in Europe where bodybuilding was a form of entertainment where big fat guys lifted rocks and didnt care what they really looked like. As for Americans though they were much more concerned about they re heath and appearance opposed to just being strong. As America developed more t started becoming a much more disgusting place with people who just didnt care what they looked liked as long as they where alive and didnt care what they ate as long as it tasted good.For the physical ultraist in these societies they battled to stay away from this way of life and felt as if the nation needed someone other then a rock lifting, beer drinking, pot belled European strong man. What this society needed was a role model whose physic could speak for it self and one who more closely resembled a Greek athlete. There was such a human out there and his name was Eugene Sundown. Sundown came to America in the sasss and was labeled as the first real strong man not only out doing every man in strength competitions but also keeping extremely lean and ripped while staying strong.Not long after Sundown emerged many others started on the same path like George Haciendas known as The Russian Lion and after George came Arthur Saxon, Hermann Greener, and Charles Atlas. These and many other men out there are the reason bodybuilding is what it is today. Not only did all of these men use the dynamics of isometrics to produce amazing physics but they are also what led to the transition Of weight training and figuring out building the perfect physic was a combination of the dieting, weight training and having a positive mental out look on what you where doing.The ruinations to bodybuilding actually happened around 1930 when men like Sigmoid Klein appeared with extreme definition, an amazing muscular shape, proportion, and balance will maintaining a frightening low body fat. But by nineteen thirty-nine a change started occurring. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) created the Mr.. America contest in Chicago on July forth. Even at this time all the contestants were not at all considered bodybuilders but came from all types of different sports to show off the physique they have worked so hard for . A year later after the first Mr.. America in nineteen thirty nine the iris real modern bodybuilding event was held in nineteen forty. Known today, as the first real modern body builder Clearance Glance Ross is who set the pace at which bodybuilders today follow. Clearance developed an amazing physique having built up flaring LATA, wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and ripped abs is what really set off the capability of altering the human body with simple movements and dieting.By the nineteen sixties bodybuilding was up running like any other subculture. There were many beliefs to live by and it was even split into two distinct worlds being the Europe side and the American side. Also like all subcultures you have levels as to where you consider yourself in the culture and one man of all could consider himself the beset of the Europe side, the American side, and the whole culture in general and that man is still known very well today and goes by the name Arnold Schwarzenegger.Arnold Schwarzenegger was known greatly around the entire world for his amazing body and ability to almost win every competition he was entered in. When entering the bodybuilding scene in nineteen sixty-six Schwarzenegger started off his success in bodybuilding in sixty-seven when he beat Dennis Timeline in the Mr.. America. Schwarzenegger kept striving for excellence and winning many competitions but by the nineteen eighties and nineties men like Schwarzenegger, Franco Colombo, and Frank Zane were slowly being defeated with no problem by the new age of modern bodybuilding.Todays modern bodybuilders opposed to the bodybuilders of the sixties and seventies look like they have evolved fro m some enormous inhuman creature with amazing genes. Looking at the average size and body fat percentages of old school bodybuilders they weighed somewhere between one hundred and eighty to two hundred and twenty pounds. Now if you compare that to todays bodybuilders weighing in at somewhere between two hundred fifty and three hundred pounds it makes you think what the heck happened in twenty years that the human body could become so genetically altered?From all the gossip around gyms ifs said that todays bodybuilders are so enormous do to the new formulated and wide variety of pharmaceuticals. Many bodybuilders in todays society claim to be all natural, but every one knows there are those out there that are just to gigantic and inhuman looking to be all natural. So bodybuilders do follow extremely cautious diets and lift ours upon hours a day, but this doesnt mean they dont have a little extra enhancement on the side. This doesnt mean all bodybuilders are drug users though either.Many other things contribute to the reason why modern day bodybuilders have become so much larger. One huge aspect that one really should consider hear is the history behind bodybuilding. If you think, bodybuilders have come so far and have learned most of their techniques through trial and error. Through time bodybuilders have figured out better ways of training and much more effective methods of dieting which also lead o the huge size difference between old school and new school bodybuilders. But this isnt all that lead to the improvement of bodybuilding.In the early nineteen nineties many bodybuilders started experimenting with all sorts of natural drugs such as every day minerals, vitamins, and proteins. After recording certain affects they realized these natural supplements messed with many growth factors in the body such as the thyroid gland and a whole range of biochemical agents in the body. After realizing this many bodybuilders started using motivational and mind boosting techniques. By owning this many bodybuilders realized they could exert so much more strength and energy into a work out help them perform so much better. Not only did this promote much more strength and hardness but it also lead to doctors and scientist studying the relation between the mind and body which goes back to Plats saying Without a well conditioned body the mind will ultimately suffer. Now back to drug use in the bodybuilding subculture. Many bodybuilders today are other wise known as juicers, rood heads, ass pokers, and needle stickers. This is due to the large amount of bodybuilders that have used terrors to help enhance their physical attributes. Many of these bodybuilders can be spotted through their looks though.For example one of the most popular drugs I found out which is the greatest muscle builder out today is known as growth hormone or(High). This drug is often used with insulin, which helps to minimize body fat and maximize muscular development. Yea those are the only good things it does though. Many bodybuilders who take this drug can be spotted because growth hormone will cause visual defects such as bone growth in the face especially around the chin and forehead. This rug will also cause bad acne and a large amount of heart problems.Aside from growth hormone there are many other drugs out there that reduce body fat, build muscle, and even thin skin. This is one of the main reasons bodybuilders are given a stereotype today because drug users ruin the name for the natural bodybuilders. Now aside from how bodybuilding became what it is today you see all these great names out there but what you don t see is a womens name. Bodybuilding is a very diverse sport through out culture and sex what we are seeing today though is the sport is just about equal between males and males. There is almost the same amount of females interested in the sport as males.In the early nineteen eighties was the first national competitive competition for women. Many women dont use bodybuilding like men as in ways of domination or who can look bigger and more cut, but they do use for a way to cope with problems, control there physique, help with weight loss, and maintain an all around healthy body. Aside from of the history, drug use, nutrition, and different sexes in the culture a lot of information in this paper was covered through several interviews. Through out the three interviews taken many questions about nutrition, beliefs, outlooks, and drug usage made for very good conversation.These three interviewees chose not to have their names released but did cooperate with all of the questions they were asked. From the three two are of the male sex and one is of female sex. To find potential bodybuilders I traveled to local gyms where I found a lot of candidates that considered them self bodybuilders. In the first interview with John Doe I went through a questioner that was made up before I started each interview. John Doe has considered himself a bodybuilder now for about ten years. He is thirty-two years of age weighs about two hundred and twenty pounds.He as someone who considers himself a body builder says he believes for a person of any Stature to consider himself or her a body builder they must follow a certain criteria. He showed me his favorite quote, which vividly described the difference between bodybuilders and those who think they are but are not. John pulled the quote out of his gym bag and before reading it said he keeps it theyre to remind him what he is. After that knew this guy was true to his subculture. But anyways the quote read The world is divided into two halves the Haves and he Have Onto. Have Onto make excuses to skip training such as the whether, a flat tire.When they are in the gym, they talk endlessly, take too many trips to the water fountain, and worry about their hair. The Have Onto train only so they can get a piece. The Haves? Ifs all about the iron. They approach lifting like its a job. Do it right the first time, don t screw up, never cut corners. Times a wasting. Your set is up. Which side are you on? After hearing that quote had to ask him if he was an all-natural bodybuilder or had a little help on the side. This was one main reason no names were released John demitted to taking to drugs or steroids known as dominant and Winston on the street these are known as D-boll and Whinny.The reason John had taken these drugs was because he said he started to feel discouraged because he had tried so hard to catch up to the others naturally but just couldnt do it. So instead of backing out of the culture John decided to juice just to help him catch up but that was three years ago and he still is a user today. Why? I asked, he said it gets him mentally pumped and when he sees himself in the mirror he likes what it has done to his body. That about concluded my first and favorite interview.