The Golden Age of Bodybuilding (1940 to 1970)

The Golden Age of Bodybuilding is the period from 1940 through to 1970. It signified a shift in the idea of perception from the Greek Ideal to the more massive bodybuilder that we know today. It is thought that the onset of war led to this change, as some men became more aggressive in their approach to physical perfection. In addition to this drive, training techniques were improved, as was the understanding of nutrition on muscle growth.

The Golden Age saw the emergence of Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California. New faces took to the bodybuilding stage, including the charismatic Steve Reeves, Reg Park, John Grimek, Larry Scott and Bill Pearl to note a few.

In 1939 the Amateur Athletic Union decided to include a bodybuilding element into its weightlifting annual competition. The called it AAU Mr. America. However after by the mid 1940’s bodybuilders started to lose favor with the AAU as they only allowed amateurs, and the bodybuilding contest was also overshadowed by the weightlifting contest. Two brothers decided to take action to form a new organization, they were Ben and Joe Weider. Together they founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB), which held the IFBB Mr. America, open to all, professional and amateur alike.

Across the pond in the UK, another organization was founded in 1940, the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association, and they hosted the Mr. Universe contest in the UK. Then in 1965 Mr. Olympia was founded, and this continues to be the biggest and most important event in the bodybuilding calendar. Initially contests were for men only, but the NABBA added Miss Universe in 1965 and Ms. Olympia was started in 1980.

In 2003, Joe Weider sold Weider Publications to AMI, who owns The National Enquirer. Ben Weider is still the president of the IFBB. In 2004, contest promoter Wayne DeMilia broke ranks with the IFBB and AMI took over the promotion of the Mr. Olympia contest.

As of 2006, there has been more interest in the field of natural bodybuilding. In natural contests bodybuilders are routinely tested for illegal substances and are banned for any violations from future contests. What qualifies as an “illegal” substance varies between natural federations, and does not necessarily include only substances that are illegal.

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Recommended Reading • Bodybuilding Competitions: Mr Olympia and Mr Universe • Joe Weider: His Fitness Legacy • The Early Years of Bodybuilding (1880 to 1930) • How To Gain Muscle While Losing Body Fat • Advanced Bicep Training Video

Tags: Amateur Athletic Union, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ben Weider, Golden Age of Bodybuilding, Mr. Olympia, Muscle Beach, NABBA, Pumping Iron, Santa Monica, Steve Reeves

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Bodybuilding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

One Response to “The Golden Age of Bodybuilding (1940 to 1970)”

1. Rhonda

   July 18, 2009 at 11:42 pm

   Who made a machine that was in gyms that was a barrel shape with wooden rollers that you sat on while it turned to warm your thighs and buttocks before aerobics, circa 1970,s. Do you know where to find this machine or a name?

   #817