Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding is the process of developing muscle fibers through the combination of weight training, increased caloric intake, and rest. Someone who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. As a sport, called competitive bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their aesthetic appearance.

Sport

For biographies of professional bodybuilders see list of professional bodybuilders and :Category:Bodybuilders

Related Topics:
List of professional bodybuilders - :Category:Bodybuilders

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In competitive bodybuilding, bodybuilders aspire to develop and maintain an aesthetically pleasing (by bodybuilding standards) body and balanced physique. The competitors show off their bodies by performing a number of poses - bodybuilders spend time practicing their posing routine as this has a large effect on how they are judged.

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A bodybuilder's size and shape are far more important than how much he or she can lift. The sport should therefore not be confused with strongman competition or powerlifting, where emphasis is on actual physical strength, or with Olympic weightlifting, where emphasis is equally split between strength and technique. Though superficially similar to the casual observer, the fields entail a different regimen of training, diet, and basic motivation.

Related Topics:
Strongman - Powerlifting - Strength - Olympic weightlifting - Diet - Motivation

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The main organization that promotes, funds, and judges bodybuilding competition is the International Federation of BodyBuilders. They organise bodybuilding's most prestigious competition - Mr. Olympia.

Related Topics:
International Federation of BodyBuilders - Mr. Olympia

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Contest preparation

The general strategy adopted by competitive bodybuilders is to make muscle gains for most of the year (known as the "off-season") and approximately 3-4 months from competition attempt to lose body fat (refered to as "cutting up"). In doing this some muscle will be lost but the aim is to keep this to a minumum. There are many approaches used but most involve reducing calorie intake and increasing cardio.

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On the day before contest, some bodybuilders attempt to dehydrate themselves to make their muscles more defined. However, some experts argue against this since it can reduce blood pressure which affects the vascularity (size of the blood vessels). Bodybuilders also increase their electrolyte consumption (potassium and sodium) to reduce the risk of muscle cramps when on stage.

Related Topics:
Dehydrate - Blood pressure - Vascularity - Electrolyte - Potassium - Sodium - Cramp

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Right before performing on stage bodybuilders will apply various products to their skin to improve their muscle defintion - these include fake tan (to make the skin darker) and various oils (to make the skin shiny). They will also use weights to force blood to their muscles to improve size and vascularity.

Related Topics:
Fake tan - Oil

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Female Bodybuilding

Main article: Female bodybuilding

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In the 1970s women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions. However, they often face difficulties for a number of reasons:

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• The standards for judging of women bodybuilders changes almost every year.
• They are criticized and viewed negatively for not conforming to traditional ideas of feminine beauty and gender roles.
• There is limited funding, so many female bodybuilders turn to female muscle pornography.
• Female bodybuilders are given prize money that is often a quarter or less of what is given to male bodybuilders.

Female Fitness and Figure

Closely related to female bodybuilding (often held as part of the same event) is female fitness and figure competitions. Whereas female bodybuilding is judged on muscle size, fitness is judged on the competitor ability in a number of strength and flexibility exercises, and figure is judged purely on the physical form (there are no muscle flexing poses).

Related Topics:
Strength - Flexibility

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