The latter slice of the 20th century will live long in the memory for those who were around to witness it. We scratched our heads over the Rubik’s Cube, fanatically waved imaginary lightsabers and had our lives altered forever by the internet.
Meanwhile, another craze was erupting; bodybuilders were becoming larger than life, quite literally. Not only were they blowing up to sizes we couldn’t comprehend, but these outrageously proportioned athletes were becoming global icons.
This was the golden era of bodybuilding. But what happens when legends hang up their weightlifting gloves? Let’s take a glimpse into the lives of the most cherished iron men.
The need for man to lift heavy objects and develop the body has been around for a tremendous length of time—an age where stone weights were the only way forward.
So, when you next step inside that hi-tech gym with machines beeping, flashing and vibrating, spare a thought for the hard toil of ancient bodybuilding. This public festivity of muscle development can be traced back to late 19th century Greek and Egyptian cultures.
But how did an activity that was first used to prime the human body for everyday life, turn into the ultra-competitive sporting event of today?