Portal:Bodybuilding
Portal maintenance status: (October 2018)
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Introduction
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's musculature. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders appear in lineups and perform specified poses (and later individual posing routines) for a panel of judges who rank the competitors based on criteria such as symmetry, muscularity, and conditioning. Bodybuilders prepare for competitions through a combination of intentional dehydration, elimination of nonessential body fat, and carbohydrate loading to achieve maximum vascularity, as well as tanning to accentuate muscular definition. Bodybuilders may use anabolic steroids to build muscles.
The winner of the annual IFBB Mr. Olympia contest is generally recognized as the world's top male professional bodybuilder. The title was held by Phil Heath, who won every year from 2011 to 2017, but in 2018 the winner was Shawn Rhoden. The winner of the Women's Physique portion of the competition is widely regarded as the world's top female professional bodybuilder. The title is currently held by Juliana Malacarne, who has won every year since 2014. Since 1950, the NABBA Universe Championships have been considered the top amateur-bodybuilding contests, with notable winners such as Reg Park, Lee Priest, Steve Reeves, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Selected general articles
- The World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) was a bodybuilding organization founded in 1990 by Vince McMahon that lasted until 1993. It was a subsidiary of Titan Sports, which owned and operated the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). Read more...
- 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).
The Universe Championships includes the following classes: Read more... - Bodybuilding supplements are dietary supplements commonly used by those involved in bodybuilding, weightlifting, mixed martial arts, and athletics for the purpose of facilitating an increase in lean body mass. The intent is to increase muscle, increase body weight, improve athletic performance, and for some sports, to simultaneously decrease percent body fat so as to create better muscle definition. Among the most widely used are high protein drinks, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamine, arginine, essential fatty acids, creatine, HMB, and weight loss products. Supplements are sold either as single ingredient preparations or in the form of "stacks" – proprietary blends of various supplements marketed as offering synergistic advantages. While many bodybuilding supplements are also consumed by the general public the frequency of use will differ when used specifically by bodybuilders. One meta-analysis concluded that for athletes participating in resistance exercise training and consuming protein supplements for an average of 13 weeks, total protein intake up to 1.6 g/kg of body weight per day would result in an increase in strength and fat-free mass, i.e. muscle, but that higher intakes would not further contribute. The muscle mass increase was statistically significant but modest - averaging 0.3 kg for all trials and 1.0–2.0 kg, for protein intake ≥1.6 g/kg/day.
annual sales of sport nutrition products in the United States was over US$2.7 billion according to a publication by Consumer Reports. Read more...
Muscle is a soft tissue found in most animals. Muscle cells contain protein filaments of actin and myosin that slide past one another, producing a contraction that changes both the length and the shape of the cell. Muscles function to produce force and motion. They are primarily responsible for maintaining and changing posture, locomotion, as well as movement of internal organs, such as the contraction of the heart and the movement of food through the digestive system via peristalsis.
Muscle tissues are derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells in a process known as myogenesis. There are three types of muscle, skeletal or striated, cardiac, and smooth. Muscle action can be classified as being either voluntary or involuntary. Cardiac and smooth muscles contract without conscious thought and are termed involuntary, whereas the skeletal muscles contract upon command. Skeletal muscles in turn can be divided into fast and slow twitch fibers. Read more...
Muscle fibres may be "microtorn" during microtrauma
Microtrauma is the general term given to small injuries to the body.
Microtrauma can include the microtearing of muscle fibres, the sheath around the muscle and the connective tissue. It can also include stress to the tendons, and to the bones (see Wolff's law). It is unknown whether or not the ligaments adapt like this. Microtrauma to the skin (compression, impact, abrasion) can also cause increases in a skin's thickness, as seen from the calluses formed from running barefoot or the hand calluses that result from rock climbing. This might be due to increased skin cell replication at sites under stress where cells rapidly slough off or undergo compression or abrasion. Read more...- Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB). Joe Weider created the contest to enable the 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 record number of wins is eight, held by Lee Haney (1984–1991), and Ronnie Coleman (1998–2005). Shawn Rhoden currently holds the title. The film Pumping Iron (1977) featured the buildup to the 1975 Mr. Olympia in Pretoria South Africa and helped launch the acting careers of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno. There is also a female bodybuilder crowned, Ms. Olympia, as well as winners of Fitness Olympia and Figure Olympia for fitness and figure competitors. All four contests occur during the same weekend. From 1994 to 2003 and again in 2012, a Masters Olympia was also crowned. Read more...
Muscle hypertrophy involves an increase in size of skeletal muscle through a growth in size of its component cells. Two factors contribute to hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, which focuses more on increased muscle glycogen storage; and myofibrillar hypertrophy, which focuses more on increased myofibril size. Read more...
Nikki Fuller performing a side chest pose
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions. Read more...
Physical fitness is generally achieved through exercise. Photo shows Rich Froning Jr. – four-time winner of "Fittest Man on Earth" title.
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest.
Before the industrial revolution, fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, with automation and changes in lifestyles physical fitness is now considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations. Read more...
Iron Man Magazine is an American publication which discusses bodybuilding, weightlifting and powerlifting. It was founded in 1936 by two Alliance, Nebraska natives, Peary Rader and his wife, Mabel Rader. Read more...
Chemical structure of the natural AAS testosterone (androst-4-en-17β-ol-3-one).
Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related and have similar effects to testosterone. They are anabolic and increase protein within cells, especially in skeletal muscles, and also have varying degrees of androgenic and virilizing effects, including induction of the development and maintenance of masculine secondary sexual characteristics such as the growth of facial and body hair. The word anabolic, referring to anabolism, comes from the Greek ἀναβολή anabole, "that which is thrown up, mound". Androgens or AAS are one of three types of sex hormone agonists, the others being estrogens like estradiol and progestogens like progesterone.
AAS were synthesized in the 1930s, and are now used therapeutically in medicine to stimulate muscle growth and appetite, induce male puberty and treat chronic wasting conditions, such as cancer and AIDS. The American College of Sports Medicine acknowledges that AAS, in the presence of adequate diet, can contribute to increases in body weight, often as lean mass increases and that the gains in muscular strength achieved through high-intensity exercise and proper diet can be additionally increased by the use of AAS in some individuals. Read more...- Pumping Iron is a 1977 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.
Shot during the 100 days leading up to the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions and during the competitions themselves, the filmmakers ran out of funds to finish production and it stalled for two years. Ultimately, Schwarzenegger and other bodybuilders featured in the film helped raise funds to complete production, and it was released in 1977. The film became a box office success, making Schwarzenegger a household name. The film also served to popularize the culture of bodybuilding, which was somewhat niche at the time, and helped inspire the fitness craze of the 1980s; following the film's release, there was a marked increase in the number of commercial gyms in the U.S. Read more...
Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or outcome of an exercise routine.
Exercise equipment may also include such wearable items as proper footgear, gloves, and hydration packs. Read more...- Growth hormone therapy refers to the use of growth hormone (GH) as a prescription medication—it is one form of hormone therapy. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction. In the past, growth hormone was extracted from human pituitary glands. Growth hormone is now produced by recombinant DNA technology and is prescribed for a variety of reasons. GH therapy has been a focus of social and ethical controversies for 50 years.
This article describes the history of GH treatment and the current uses and risks arising from GH use. Other articles describe GH physiology, diseases of GH excess (acromegaly and pituitary gigantism), deficiency, the recent phenomenon of HGH controversies, growth hormone in sports, and growth hormone for cows. Read more... - Overtraining occurs when a person exceeds their body's ability to recover from strenuous exercise. Overtraining can be described as a point where a person may have a decrease in performance and plateauing as a result of failure to consistently perform at a certain level or training load; a load which exceeds their recovery capacity. People who are overtrained cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is also known as chronic fatigue, burnout and overstress in athletes. It is suggested that there are different variations of overtraining, firstly monotonous program over training suggest that repetition of the same movement such as certain weight lifting and baseball batting can cause performance plateau due to an adaption of the central nervous system which results from a lack of stimulation. A second example of overtraining is described as chronic overwork type training where the subject may be training with too high intensity or high volume and not allowing sufficient recovery time for the body. Up to 10% of elite endurance athletes and 10% of American college swimmers are affected by overtraining syndrome (unexplained underperformance for approximately 2 weeks even after having adequate resting time). Read more...
- The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. One amateur organization per country is recognized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB), which claims to be bodybuilding's international organization and the IFBB recognizes the NPC as its amateur extension for the United States. Advanced athletes can progress as professionals and join the IFBB Professional League.
In order to become an IFBB professional bodybuilder in the United States a class must first be won at the NPC Nationals Championship or be the overall winner at the NPC USA Championship. However, there are other organizations and federations in the US that also promote amateur athletics and have a professional extension. While the NPC and the IFBB are the largest and most well known, there are other amateur and professional bodybuilding organizations and federations. The NPC also sanctions bodybuilding fitness and figure competitions across the United States. Read more... - Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It utilizes the force of gravity in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks in order to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight training uses a variety of specialized to target specific muscle groups and types of movement.A complete weight training workout can be performed with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a set of weight disks (plates).
Sports where strength training is central are bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman, highland games, hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw. Many other sports use strength training as part of their training regimen, notably: American football, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, mixed martial arts, rowing, rugby league, rugby union, track and field, boxing and wrestling. Read more... - The International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB), headquartered in Madrid, is an international professional sports governing body for bodybuilding and fitness that oversees many of the sport's major international events, notably the World and Continental Championships. Read more...
- Professional bodybuilding or pro bodybuilding can refer to bodybuilding for an income and/or possessing qualifications such as an IFBB Pro Card.
A professional bodybuilder may be one who earns his or her primary income from bodybuilding. It is possible, though difficult except at the highest level, to earn a reasonable income purely from competition winnings. It is much more likely that a particular athlete will be sponsored by local companies and supplement manufacturers. Many bodybuilders use their newfound fame and knowledge to pursue business ventures such as higher-level personal training or opening their own gyms. Guest posing and public appearances also support income. Read more... - Natural bodybuilding is a bodybuilding movement with various competitions that take place for bodybuilders who abstain from performance-enhancing drugs. This categorically excludes the use of substances like anabolic steroids, insulin, diuretics and human growth hormone. If a bodybuilder meets the requirements of the sanctioning body (the recognized group or authority that sanctions and validates competitions) that they are competing in, then they are considered to be "natural". There are numerous sanctioning bodies who provide their own rules and regulations that govern the competition procedures, event qualifications, banned substance lists, and drug testing methods. Doping detection methods include urinalysis and polygraph testing, and federations typically conduct these tests on the day of competition, or shortly before. Out-of-season testing, although less common, may also be used. Each organization will specify within its rules the length of time that its athletes should be drug-free, which may vary from testing clean on the day of the event, to being drug-free for a number of years, right up to a lifetime natural requirement.[citation needed]
Since natural bodybuilders avoid using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, they seek to optimize their training, diet and rest regimes to maximize natural anabolic hormone production, thereby accelerating recovery and increasing hypertrophy and strength. Certain legal supplements may also be used to aid recovery and promote muscle growth, although diligence is needed as some over-the-counter products contain ingredients that are banned by natural bodybuilding organizations.[citation needed] Read more...
Selected muscle-building exercises
- A bent-over row (or barbell row) is a weight training exercise that targets a variety of back muscles. Which ones are targeted varies on form. The bent over row is often used for both bodybuilding and powerlifting. It is a good exercise for increasing strength and size. Read more...
- The Russian twist is a type of exercise that is used to work the abdominal muscles by performing a twisting motion on the abdomen. The exercise is believed by those who practice it to build explosiveness in the upper torso, which may help in sports such as tennis, swimming, baseball, track & field, hockey, golf, lacrosse, or boxing. Read more...
- Calf raises are a method of exercising the gastrocnemius, tibialis posterior and soleus muscles of the lower leg. The movement performed is plantar flexion, a.k.a. ankle extension. Read more...
- The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowered to the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press. Read more...
- The good-morning is a weight-lifting exercise. It is known as a good morning because of the movement in the erector spinae which resembles the rise out of bed to stretch. The erector spinae muscles of the lower back work isometrically to keep the spine in an extended position while the hamstrings and gluteus maximus work isotonically to perform hip extension. Other muscles are involved in stabilizing weight on the back and maintaining balance.
The degree of knee bend used will change the focus. The straighter the knees, the more the hamstrings are stretched and stressed by the movement and this stretch involves them more as the hip extensors. Bent knees can shift the weight forward, which allows the pelvis to drift back further as the body hinges in hip flexion. Read more... - The front raise is a weight training exercise. This exercise is an isolation exercise which isolates shoulder flexion. It primarily works the anterior deltoid, with assistance from the serratus anterior, biceps brachii and clavicular portions of the pectoralis major. The front raise is normally carried out in three to five sets during a shoulder workout. Repetitions depend on the lifter's training program and goals. Read more...
A lunge can refer to any position of the human body where one leg is positioned forward with knee bent and foot flat on the ground while the other leg is positioned behind. It is used by athletes in cross-training for sports, by weight-trainers as a fitness exercise, and by yogis as part of an asana regimen.
In difference to the Split squat exercise, during the lunge the rear leg is also activated. Read more...
In strength training and fitness, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quadriceps femoris muscle (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs as well as developing core strength. Squats are typically used to hone back, thigh, and hip stability. Isometrically, the lower back, the upper back, the abdominals, the trunk muscles, the costal muscles, and the shoulders and arms are all essential to the exercise and thus are trained when squatting with the proper form.
The squat is one of the three lifts in the strength sport of powerlifting, together with deadlifts and bench press. It is also considered a staple in many popular recreational exercise programs. Read more...
The shoulder fly (also known as a lateral raise) works the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. The movement starts with the arms straight, and the hands holding weights at the sides or in front of the body. Body is in a slight forward-leaning position with hips and knees bent a little. Arms are kept straight or slightly bent, and raised through an arc of movement in the coronal plane that terminates when the hands are at approximately shoulder height. Weights are lowered to the starting position, completing one "rep". When using a cable machine the individual stands with the coronal plane in line with the pulley, which is at or near the ground. The exercise can be completed one shoulder at a time (with the other hand used to stabilize the body against the weight moved), or with both hands simultaneously if two parallel pulleys are available.
This movement, when the shoulder is kept in neutral rotation, primarily targets the middle head of the deltoid. The anterior (front) and posterior (back) heads of the deltoid will also co-contract to aid in the abduction function. If the shoulder is laterally (externally, outwardly) rotated, the anterior deltoid becomes the prime mover of the glenohumeral joint, the posterior deltoid de-activates, and the middle head assists. By bending at the waist or leaning against a bench, the line of pull created allows the lateral deltoid to be isolated to a higher degree. Read more...
Lying triceps extensions, also known as skull crushers and French extensions or French presses, are a strength exercise used in many different forms of strength training. Lying triceps extensions are one of the most stimulating exercises to the entire triceps muscle group in the upper arm. It works the triceps from the elbow all the way to the latissimus dorsi. Due to its full use of the Triceps muscle group, the lying triceps extensions are used by many as part of their training regimen.
Triceps extensions are isolation exercises, meaning they use just one joint. While compound exercises are recommended for developing all the muscle groups involved in the functional movement, triceps extensions can be beneficial for fixing imbalances in the triceps or rehabilitating from injury. In bodybuilding, this exercise is used to target the triceps for growth. Read more...
The sit-up (or curl-up) is an abdominal endurance training exercise to strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles. It is similar to a crunch (crunches target the rectus abdominis and also work the external and internal obliques), but sit-ups have a fuller range of motion and condition additional muscles. Read more...- The press, overhead press or shoulder press is a weight training exercise with many variations, typically performed while standing, in which a weight is pressed straight upwards from racking position until the arms are locked out overhead, while the legs, lower back and abs maintain balance. The exercise helps build muscular shoulders with bigger arms, and is one of the most difficult compound upper-body exercises. Read more...
- A pull-up is an upper-body compound pulling exercise. Although it can be performed with any grip, in recent years some have used the term to refer more specifically to a pull-up performed with a palms-forward position.
The term chin-up, traditionally referring to a pull-up with the chin brought over top of a bar, was used in the 1980s to refer to a palms-away (overhand/pronated) grip, with a palms-toward (underhand/supinated) grip being called a "reverse-grip" chin-up. Read more... - The wrist curl is a weight training exercise for developing just the wrist flexor muscles of the forearm. It is therefore an isolation exercise. Ideally, it should be done in combination with the "reverse wrist curl" (also called wrist extension) to ensure equal development of the wrist flexor and wrist extensor muscles.
Wrist curls can be performed with a dumbbell or with both hands holding a barbell. To perform a seated wrist curl, the lifter should be seated on a bench with knees bent and the forearm(s) resting on the thigh, or with forearms on a bench and hands hanging off the edge. The palm should be facing up and the hand should be free to move completely up and down. At the starting point, the wrist should be bent back so that the fingers are almost pointing down at the floor. In a steady motion, the lifter should raise the weight by using the forearm muscles to bring the hand up as far as possible. The forearm itself should remain resting on the thigh. Then the weight should be slowly lowered back down to the starting point. Read more... - The good-morning is a weight-lifting exercise. It is known as a good morning because of the movement in the erector spinae which resembles the rise out of bed to stretch. The erector spinae muscles of the lower back work isometrically to keep the spine in an extended position while the hamstrings and gluteus maximus work isotonically to perform hip extension. Other muscles are involved in stabilizing weight on the back and maintaining balance.
The degree of knee bend used will change the focus. The straighter the knees, the more the hamstrings are stretched and stressed by the movement and this stretch involves them more as the hip extensors. Bent knees can shift the weight forward, which allows the pelvis to drift back further as the body hinges in hip flexion. Read more...
The chest fly or pectoral fly (abbreviated to pec fly) primarily works the pectoralis major muscles to move the arms horizontally forward. If medially (internally) rotated, it is assisted in this by the anterior (front) head of the deltoideus in transverse flexion. If laterally (externally) rotated, the contribution of the deltoid is lessened and the pec major is strongly emphasized as the transverse adductor.
The hands are usually brought out further than the elbows, in which case the flexors contract isometrically to inhibit undesired excess extension of the elbow. Muscles which do this are the biceps brachii, the brachialis and the brachioradialis. The biceps may also play a limited role in shoulder flexion. The straighter the elbow is, the more stretch in these muscles. For safety, many avoid locking out the joint. Read more...- The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowered to the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press. Read more...
- The leg press is a weight training exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press also refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise. The leg press can be used to evaluate an athlete's overall lower body strength (from knee joint to hip). It has the potential to inflict grave injury: the knees could bend the wrong way if they are locked during a leg press.
There are two main types of leg press:- The diagonal or vertical 'sled' type leg press. Weight disks (plates) are attached directly to the sled, which is mounted on rails. The user sits below the sled and pushes it upward with their feet. These machines normally include adjustable safety brackets that prevent the user from being trapped under the weight.
- The 'cable' type leg press, or 'seated leg press', commonly found on multigyms. The user sits upright and pushes forward with their feet onto a plate that is attached to the weight stack by means of a long steel cable.
- The supine row (or inverted row) is an exercise in weight training. It primarily works the muscles of the upper back—the trapezius and latissimus dorsi—as well as the biceps as a secondary muscle group. The supine row is normally carried out in three to five sets, but repetitions depend on the type of training a lifter is using to make their required gains. Read more...
The chin-up (also known as a chin or chinup) is a strength training exercise. People frequently do this exercise with the intention of strengthening muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and biceps, which extend the shoulder and flex the elbow, respectively.
It is a form of pull-up in which the range of motion is established in relation to a person's chin. Read more...
In strength training and fitness, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quadriceps femoris muscle (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs as well as developing core strength. Squats are typically used to hone back, thigh, and hip stability. Isometrically, the lower back, the upper back, the abdominals, the trunk muscles, the costal muscles, and the shoulders and arms are all essential to the exercise and thus are trained when squatting with the proper form.
The squat is one of the three lifts in the strength sport of powerlifting, together with deadlifts and bench press. It is also considered a staple in many popular recreational exercise programs. Read more...- Variations of the bench press involve different groups of muscles, or involve the same muscles in different ways:
- The flat bench press involves both portions of the pectoralis major muscle but focuses on the lower (sternal) head as well as the anterior deltoid muscle. The term 'bench press' on its own is assumed to refer to a flat bench press.
- An incline elevates the shoulders and lowers the pelvis as if reclining in a chair; this variation emphasizes anterior deltoids with little emphasis at the upper (clavicular) head of the pectoralis major. This variation is called the incline bench press.
- A decline bench press elevates the pelvis and lowers the head, and emphasizes the lower portion of the pectoralis major whilst incorporating shoulders and triceps.
- A reverse grip bench press utilizes an underhand (supinated) grip on the bar. A supinated grip externally rotates the humerus, which puts the shoulders in a much more favorable position for the lift, decreasing injury potential without compromising range of motion. It emphasises the clavicular head of the pectoralis major more than an incline bench press. On the eccentric phase of the lift, the bar path will create a larger arc and eventually touch a point on the chest that is lower compared to the regular bench press, because the upper arms and elbows are closer to the body and the angle between the humerus and the torso is smaller.
- A bench press performed with the hands close together ("close grip") relies on the triceps to complete the pressing motion. Called the close grip bench press, this variation is best performed with arms in a near-vertical position to reduce strain placed upon the wrists, elbows and shoulders. A close grip bench press can also be performed with dumbbells.
- A bench press performed with the hands far apart ("wide grip") shortens the range of motion, lessening the contribution of the triceps.
- A lifter can elect to lower the bar to nipple level, to the xiphoid process, or even further, to the abdomen. On the other hand, a lifter may lower the bar to a very high point on the chest, or even to the neck; the latter variation is called a guillotine press and emphasizes the upper pectorals.
- The bench press can be performed with various modifications to make the lifter or the weight less stable. Examples include lifting on a Swiss ball, using dumbbells instead of a barbell, or lifting with the legs on the bench or in the air
- The bench press can be performed with chains and bands, which are used to strengthen the top end of the range of motion in the movement (the "lockout") and develop explosive power in the bench press.
- An "equipped" bench press is performed with a stiff, supportive shirt that allows greater weights to be used. The materials and cut of the bench shirt, as well as the skill of the lifter and the rules of performance, will determine how much additional weight can be pressed in the shirt as opposed to without it. The contrast between equipped, and unequipped (raw) bench press weights is illustrated in the progression of the bench press world records, with the record equipped lift exceeding the unequipped lift by hundreds of pounds.
- People who suffer from shoulder injuries can use a specialised barbell such as the Swiss Bar or Football Bar that allows them to hold the bar in a neutral grip, reducing the amount of external rotation on the shoulder. It also engages the shoulder more, increasing power in upper body movements. Another variation is the Hex Press in which two dumbbells are squeezed against each other, with the palms facing inwards. This puts the strain of the exercise on the triceps and inner chest rather than the shoulders. The Floor Press is another variation that puts less strain on the lifter's shoulders, due to the shorter range of motion.
Dip exercise using a dip bar
The dip or push-ups is an exercise used in strength training. Narrow, shoulder-width dips primarily train the triceps, with major synergists being the anterior deltoid, the pectoralis muscles (sternal, clavicular, and minor), and the rhomboid muscles of the back (in that order). Wide arm training places additional emphasis on the pectoral muscles, similar in respect to the way a wide grip bench press would focus more on the pectorals and less on the triceps. Proper form is important to avoid putting undue stress on the wrists. Read more...- The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowered to the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press. Read more...
A push-up (or press-up) is a common calisthenics exercise performed in a prone position by raising and lowering the body using the arms. Push-ups exercise the pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids, with ancillary benefits to the rest of the deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis and the midsection as a whole. Push-ups are a basic exercise used in civilian athletic training or physical education and commonly in military physical training. They are also a common form of punishment used in the military, school sport, or in some martial arts disciplines.
In the past this movement was called a floor dip. Read more...
The pulldown exercise is a strength training exercise designed to develop the latissimus dorsi muscle. It performs the functions of downward rotation and depression of the scapulae combined with adduction and extension of the shoulder joint.
The cable lat pulldown is done where the handle is moved via a cable pulley, as opposed to doing pulldowns on a leverage machine. Read more...
Dip exercise using a dip bar
The dip or push-ups is an exercise used in strength training. Narrow, shoulder-width dips primarily train the triceps, with major synergists being the anterior deltoid, the pectoralis muscles (sternal, clavicular, and minor), and the rhomboid muscles of the back (in that order). Wide arm training places additional emphasis on the pectoral muscles, similar in respect to the way a wide grip bench press would focus more on the pectorals and less on the triceps. Proper form is important to avoid putting undue stress on the wrists. Read more...
The crunch is one of the most popular abdominal exercises. It primarily works the rectus abdominis muscle and also works the obliques. Read more...- The shoulder shrug (usually called simply the shrug) is an exercise in weight training used to develop the upper trapezius muscle. Read more...
Standing EZ curl bar curls exercise for biceps
The term "biceps curl" may refer to any of a number of weight training exercises that target the biceps brachii muscle. Read more...- The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowered to the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises, along with the squat and bench press. Read more...
In strength training and fitness, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quadriceps femoris muscle (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs as well as developing core strength. Squats are typically used to hone back, thigh, and hip stability. Isometrically, the lower back, the upper back, the abdominals, the trunk muscles, the costal muscles, and the shoulders and arms are all essential to the exercise and thus are trained when squatting with the proper form.
The squat is one of the three lifts in the strength sport of powerlifting, together with deadlifts and bench press. It is also considered a staple in many popular recreational exercise programs. Read more...
The chin-up (also known as a chin or chinup) is a strength training exercise. People frequently do this exercise with the intention of strengthening muscles such as the latissimus dorsi and biceps, which extend the shoulder and flex the elbow, respectively.
It is a form of pull-up in which the range of motion is established in relation to a person's chin. Read more...
The bench press is an upper body strength training exercise that consists of pressing a weight upwards from a supine position. The exercise works the pectoralis major as well as supporting chest, arm, and shoulder muscles such as the anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, scapulae fixers, trapezii, and the triceps. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.
The barbell bench press is one of three lifts in the sport of powerlifting (alongside the deadlift and squat) and is the only lift in the sport of Paralympic powerlifting. Read more...- The rear delt raise, also known as the rear deltoid raise, or rear shoulder raise is an exercise in weight training. This exercise is an isolation exercise that heavily works the posterior deltoid muscle. The movement is primarily limited to the two shoulder joints: the glenohumeral joint and the scapulothoracic joint. Scapular movement will also cause movement in the sternoclavicular joint and acromioclavicular joint. If the elbow bends during the extension exercises, it gravitates into a rowing motion. Read more...
- The leg raise is a strength training exercise which targets the iliopsoas (the anterior hip flexors). Because the abdominal muscles are used isometrically to stabilize the body during the motion, leg raises are also often used to strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle and the internal and external oblique muscles. Read more...
The muscle-up (also known as a muscleup) is an advanced strength training exercise, within the domain of calisthenics. It is a combination routine of a radial pull-up followed by a dip. Variations exist for the rings as well as the bar. Read more...
Selected male bodybuilders
- Edward Kawak (also known as Eduardo Kawak) (February 28, 1959 in Lebanon – May 21, 2006 in China) was a professional bodybuilder.
Kawak moved to France and began his career in bodybuilding. After winning 5 NABBA Universe titles, Kawak moved over to the IFBB. He died from a heart attack in China. Read more... - Guy Anthony Grundy (born 9 July 1970) is an Australian bodybuilder and actor.
Born in Penrith, New South Wales, Grundy has placed first in the Mr. Australia championships twice and placed 2nd in the Mr. World competition twice (in 1999 and 2001). As a professional bodybuilder, he was photographed regularly for major muscle and fitness magazines. He has also written articles for magazines such as MuscleMag. Since retiring from professional bodybuilding, Grundy has appeared as an actor in films, advertisements, and television shows. He was featured in a documentary on bodybuilding by British documentary maker Louis Theroux. Read more... - Henri Christophe "Chris" Dickerson (born August 25, 1939) is an American former professional bodybuilder. Read more...
- Shawn Ray (born September 9, 1965 in Placentia, California, U.S.) is a former professional bodybuilder and author. Read more...
Marcus Haley (born Marcus Haley October 5, 1972 in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.) is an IFBB American bodybuilder. He most referred as Haley's Comet. Before touching weights, Marcus was taking care of his four little brothers while his mother was fighting a bout of drug abuse. An outstanding running back and defensive back at Pahrump High School, he earned a scholarship to Dakota Wesleyan University. He attended Dakota Wesleyan University for two years, but after encountering a lot a racism he returned home. Haley admits that he always looked up to Shawn Ray and Mike Ashley as a youth. While in Las Vegas, Haley started training at Golds gym and met a female bodybuilder named Gabby. His first show was the Golds Gym Classic in Las Vegas. Not knowing how to diet, he ate hamburger patties from McDonald's. Carb loading was done with rice and French fries. He placed third in the show.
He earned his IFBB pro card by placing 1st in the Super Heavyweight division in the 2005 USA Bodybuilding/Figure Championships. He was outdone by Phil Heath, who won the overall in that show. Read more...- Dan Lurie (April 1, 1923 - November 6, 2013) was a founding father of bodybuilding, television star, entrepreneur, world record holder for amazing feats of strength and a physical fitness pioneer that won the Mr. America title of "America's Most Muscular Man" four times by 1949 and made history arm wrestling U.S. President Ronald Reagan on the Oval Office desk of the White House. Read more...
William Bankier (10 December 1870 – 4 September 1949) billed as 'Apollo, the Scottish Hercules', was an early bodybuilder and strongman stage performer who in 1915 and 1919 was also 'King Rat' of the showbusiness charity the Grand Order of Water Rats. Read more...
Gregory Mark Kovacs (December 16, 1968 – November 22, 2013) was a Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder. According to Canadian bodybuilding publication, Muscle Insider, Kovacs retired from competitive bodybuilding in 2005 to start his own business and coach competitive athletes. Read more...- Joel Stubbs (born 30 December 1967 in Nassau, Bahamas) is a former IFBB professional bodybuilder. Read more...
- Clarence Ross (October 26, 1923 – April 30, 2008) was a bodybuilder from the United States.
Ross was born in Oakland, California on October 26, 1923, the second of the four children of Hershel Ross, a teamster, and his wife Jeannette Levi. His mother died when he was young, so he grew up in a series of foster homes. He started weight training at age 17, weighing 135 pounds at a height of 5'10". He was motivated by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to enlist in the Air Force, which he did on October 31, 1942 at San Francisco, and was then stationed in Las Vegas. Around this time he married his wife. Read more...
Stephen Lester Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made peplum films, playing the protagonist as muscular characters such as Hercules, Goliath, and Sandokan. At the peak of his career, he was the highest-paid actor in Europe.
From 1959 through 1964, Reeves went on to appear in a string of sword and sandal movies shot on relatively small budgets and, although he is best known for his portrayal of Hercules, he played the character only twice: in the 1957 film (released in the US in 1959) and its 1959 sequel Hercules Unchained (released in the US in 1960). By 1960, Reeves was ranked as the number-one box-office draw in twenty-five countries around the world. Read more...- Larry Dee Scott (October 12, 1938 – March 8, 2014), 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. Read more...
- Lee Andrew Priest (born 6 July 1972 in Newcastle, Australia) is a former International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) professional bodybuilder and a current National Amateur Body-Builders' Association (NABBA) professional athlete. Read more...
- Premchand Dogra is an IFBB professional bodybuilder from [India]. Also known as Premchand Dogra. He won the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships title in the short-height 80 kg category in 1988. He was also awarded the "Achievement Medal" by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) in 2003, for winning its World Middleweight Champion title in 1988.
Degra lives in Hoshiarpur (Punjab) and trains budding body builders in his own gym. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 by the Government of India. Read more... - Dennis "Danny" Padilla (born April 3, 1951) is an American bodybuilder nicknamed "The Giant Killer" because of his short 5'2 stature and amazing ability to defeat much taller competitors. Read more...
Darrem Charles (born July 22, 1969 in Arouca, Trinidad) is an actively competing IFBB professional bodybuilder. Read more...
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Selected images
Frank Zane, three-time Mr. Olympia
Eugen Sandow, often referred to as the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding"
Lukas Osladil posing onstage with a variation of the Most Muscular pose
Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the most notable figures in bodybuilding, in 1974
Protein milkshakes, made from protein powder (center) and milk (left), are a common bodybuilding supplement.
Pro female bodybuilder Nikki Fuller performing a side chest pose
Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia, pictured in October 2009
Model Jackie Coey with Mr. Los Angeles contestant Ed Fury in 1953
Selected female bodybuilders
- Shelley Beattie (August 24, 1967 – February 16, 2008) was a professional female bodybuilder and actress. At the peak of her competitive career as a professional bodybuilder, Beattie reached the top three at the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia contests, the two most prestigious shows for female professional bodybuilders. She was one of the few deaf professional female bodybuilders in the world, making the cover of DeafLife magazine twice in the 1990s. After her retirement she joined the Grinder on America3's America's Cup team and managed to reach second place in both 1994 and 1995. In 2008, she committed suicide. Read more...
- Alina Popa (born October 12, 1978) is a Romanian-born professional female bodybuilder currently living in USA. She ranks as the highest-ranked Romanian bodybuilder on the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) Pro Women's Bodybuilding Ranking List. Read more...
- Yolanda R. Hughes-Heying (born October 30, 1963) is a professional female bodybuilder from the United States. Read more...
- Rasa von Werder (better-known as Kellie Everts; born Rasa Sofija Jakstas, July 16, 1945) is a former stripper, female bodybuilder, and founder of her own church. Read more...
- Fabiola Boulanger (born August 10, 1978) is a French Canadian professional female bodybuilder born and raised in Repentigny, Quebec. Read more...
Nikki Fuller (born January 23, 1968) is an American professional female bodybuilder. At her largest, Fuller weighed 240 lb (109 kg) and her biceps measured 20 in (508 mm). Some of her best lifts are 315 lb (143 kg) for a max on bench press and 1100 lbs for multiple reps on leg press. Read more...- Margaret "Margie" V. Martin (née Smith) (born February 7, 1979) is an American professional female bodybuilder. She is the first Ms Rising Phoenix of the 2015 and the 2016 IFBB Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix World Championships. Read more...
Debbie Bramwell-Washington (born June 9, 1966) is an American professional female bodybuilder. Read more...- Kay Baxter (October 3, 1945 – May 16, 1988) was a pioneer female bodybuilder.
Baxter competed in women's bodybuilding from 1979 to 1986, competing in four IFBB Ms. Olympia competitions between 1982 and 1985. She was inspirational for many up-and-coming female bodybuilders, especially those who desired a physique that would be large and muscular even by bodybuilding standards. She was a groundbreaker in making wrestling videos and short action movies that catered to fans of women's bodybuilding. Baxter also trained singer David Lee Roth. Read more... - Marie Laure Mahabir is a retired professional bodybuilder and personal trainer of the French West Indies. As professional bodybuilder she became well known for development of the chest muscles, the biceps, and back muscles. Her highest achievement as a professional bodybuilder was reaching the top-five at both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia in 1994. Today Mahabir lives in France and works as a personal trainer. Read more...
- Cammie Lusko (born April 5, 1958) is an American athlete best known for her contributions to female bodybuilding in the 1980s.
Born in Los Angeles, California, Lusko entered her first bodybuilding contest in 1979, finishing third in the Robby Robinson Classic (Roark, 2005) in her hometown. The following year, she placed 9th in the inaugural Ms. Olympia competition. Read more... - Dr. Lisa Aukland (born September 16, 1958) is an American professional female bodybuilder and amateur powerlifter. Read more...
- Charlene Rink (born February 11, 1972) is a former professional fitness competitor, wrestler and competitive female bodybuilder. In 1999, she won first place in the Fitness tall class at the National Physique Committee Fitness USA Championships. Read more...
Melissa Coates (born June 18, 1971) is a Canadian professional wrestler, bodybuilder, fitness model and actress. She is perhaps best known for appearing in the first two seasons of the Game Show Network show Extreme Dodgeball. Read more...- Heather Marie Armbrust (née Policky) (born July 21, 1977) is an American professional female bodybuilder. Read more...
- Sharon Leigh Bruneau (born February 1, 1964) is a model and retired professional Canadian female bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Read more...
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