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THE ART OF SHAPING ONE’S BODY
Bodybuilding or ‘the art of displaying the muscles of the physical body’, did not as such exist before the late 19th century. It was first promoted by a man from Prussia (of course), named Eugen Sandow, who is now generally referred to as “The Father of Modern Bodybuilding”. He is generally considered to be the pioneer of the sport, because he allowed an audience to enjoy viewing his physique in “muscle display performances”. Although audiences were thrilled to see a well developed physique, these men at that time men displayed their bodies in essence as part of strength demonstrations or wrestling matches. Sandow created a complete stage show built around these displays, with the help of his manager, the well-known Florenz Ziegfeld. Sandow became so successful, that he later created several businesses around his fame and was among the first to market products branded with his name alone. As he became more popular, he was credited with inventing and selling the first exercise equipment for the masses (machined dumbbells, spring pulleys and tension bands).
