Body building is reputed to have begun in the west between 1880 and 1930. Body building as the art of displaying the well formed and toned muscles is not known to have existed before the 19th century. The history of body building is synonymous with its reputed pioneer, from Prussia, Germany. The German, Eugen Sandow is generally referred to as the father of contemporary bodybuilding.

Eugen is single handedly credited for pioneering body building as a sport because he used to allow a passive audience to view his amazing physique in what was called muscle display performances. Then, audiences were simply thrilled when they saw well-developed physiques. Body building displays were public performances where the packed bodies were displayed only as a sideshow to strength contests like wrestling matches.

By himself, Sandow commanded a popular stage show constituting the muscle displays. The events were managed by Ziegfeld Florenz. In 1936, Nat Pendleton played the role of Sandow in the film ‘The Great Ziegfeld’, an Oscar winning recount of the humble beginnings of modern body building. In the film like in most accounts of the history of body building, body building as a sport began with Sandow’s display his toned body for German carnivals.

Sandow was so successful in flexing and posing his physique that he eventually established a chain of businesses founded on his fame. Most of these businesses initiated marketing of utility products using his name as the brand name. The great Ziegfeld further credited Sandow with the invention and selling of the pioneer body building equipment such as dumb bells, tension bands and spring pulleys.

Interestingly enough, Sandow was an ardent advocate of the Grecian Statues Ideal. This was a standard of measurement an ideal physique close to the ancient Greek Mathematical proportions and Roman classical statues. Sandow therefore built his fame around his own physique as judged from how closely it resembled the ideal proportions.

The first body building dubbed the Great Competition was organized on September 1901 at London, UK. The judges were Sir Arthur C. Doyle and Sir Charles Lawes. The contest held in the Royal Albert Hall and tickets were sold out to the extent that many body building enthusiasts were turned away. A bronze statue of Sandow sculptured Pomeroy Frederick, was awarded the winner, an Englishman William Murray.

Body building contests have since evolved to be a multi – million dollar industry. The current most prestigious and highest prized body building contest is Mr. Olympia launched in 1977, and in which the overall winner has always been awarded the same bronze sculptured statue of the Great Sandow.

Beside Sandow, there were other body builders who were as important in the history of body building before 1930. Some of these pioneers included Earle Liederman a prolific writer of the earliest body building instruction manuals, Seigmund Breitbart the famous Jewish pioneer body builder, Alan Mead, the legend muscle building champion who had conquered despite having lost a leg to the World War one, Maxick the pioneer of body builders art of posing, Gustav Fristensky the infamous Czech body building champion and Parcaut Ralph, a wrestling champion who authored a pioneer body building review book called The Physical Culture.

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