Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow (born Friederich Wilhelm Mueller on April 2 1867 in Königsberg, East Prussia, died on October 14 1925) was a pioneering bodybuilder of the Victorian era and is often refered to as the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding".

Related Topics:
April 2 - 1867 - Königsberg - East Prussia - October 14 - 1925 - Bodybuilder - Victorian era

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Sandow had been a great admirer of Greek and Roman statues of gladiators and mythical heroes when his father took him to Italy as a boy. By the time he was 19, he was already performing strongman stunts in side shows. The legendary Florenz Ziegfeld saw the young strongman and hired him for his carnival show. He soon found that the audience was far more fascinated by Sandows' bulging muscles, than by the amount of weight he was lifing, so Ziegfeld had Sandow perform poses which he dubbed "muscle display performances"... and the legendary strongman added these displays in addition to performing his feats of strength with barbells. He also added chain-around-the-chest breaking and other colorful displays to Sandows routine. Sandow quickly became a sensation and Ziegfelds' first star.

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Sandow's resemblance to the physiques found on classic Greek and Roman sculpture was no accident. He actually measured the marble artworks in museums and helped to develop "The Grecian Ideal" as a formula for the "perfect physique". He built his physique to those exact proportions. Because of this, he is considered to be the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding", having been one of the first athletes to intentionally developed his musculature to pre-determined dimensions.

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Sandow performed all over Europe and came to America to perform at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He could be seen in a black velvet-lined box with his body covered in white powder to appear even more like a marble statue come to life. He popularity grew a great deal, since he was cultured, highly intelligent, and well-mannered. He also dressed very well and had a charming European accent, coupled with deep blue eyes and hearty laugh. He wrote several books on bodybuilding, nutrition and encouraged a "healthy" lifestyle as being as important as having a sound mind.

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He was married to Blanche Brooks Sandow, had 2 daughters, but was probably unfaithful to her. He was constantly in the company of other women who actually paid money to feel his flexed muscles back stage after his stage performances. He also had a close relationship to a male musician and composer he hired to accompany him during his shows. The man was Martinus Sieveking, a handsome pupil of Sandow who he featured in his book "Sandow's System of Physical Training". The degree of their relationship has never been determined, but they lived together in New York for a time. It is clear Blanche was jealous of his relationships.

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Sandow authored five books: Sandow's System of Physical Training, Strength and How To Obtain It, Body-Building, Strength and Health, and Life is Movement. In 1901, he organised the world's first physique competition, which was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. He was also an erudite businessman. He owned a mail-order physical instruction and exercise equipment business and was the inventor of a unique spring-loaded dumbbell and a weighted rubber band resistance training system. His fame was instrumental in popularising home training equipment. He also produced Sandow Cigars, Sandow's Health & Strength Cocoa and Sandow, a magazine devoted to physical culture. He opened a Physical Culture Studio in London, one of the first health clubs to contrast starkly with the 'sweaty' gymnasiums that had already existed, and made exercise fashionable for all classes. Once having conquered Europe, he set out to conquer the world with his ideas of health for all through bodybuilding.

Related Topics:
Royal Albert Hall - Dumbbell - Physical culture

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He was befriended with the likes of the King George V of the United Kingdom, Thomas Edison and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was portrayed by the actor Nat Pendleton in the film The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

Related Topics:
George V of the United Kingdom - Thomas Edison - Arthur Conan Doyle - Nat Pendleton - Film - The Great Ziegfeld - 1936

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Sandow organized the first ever bodybuilding contest on September 14, 1901 called the "Great Competition" and held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Judged by himself, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the contest was a huge success and was a sell-out with hundreds of fans turned away.

Related Topics:
September 14 - 1901 - Royal Albert Hall - London - UK - Sir Charles Lawes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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At the time of his death in 1925, a "cover story" was released that Sandow died prematurely at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud. The actual cause of death was more likely the painful complications from syphilis. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the request of his wife, Blanche (who never divorced him) at Putney Vale Cemetery near London, until 2002, when a black marble marker was added by an admirer living nearby.

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As recognition of his contribution to the sport of bodybuilding, a bronze statue of Sandow sculupted by Frederick Pomeroy has been presented to the Mr. Olympia winner since 1977. This statue is simply known as "The Sandow". A biography was written by David L. Chapman entitled: "Sandow the Magnficent - Eugen Sandow and the Beginnings of Bodybuilding".

Related Topics:
Frederick Pomeroy - Mr. Olympia - 1977

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