Bodybuilding is a type of physical sport where men and women train for years in order to create the perfect, muscular body. This involves high intensity resistance exercise, including the use of weights and machines for each muscle group.
During competitions, bodybuilders will intentionally dehydrate their bodies, overload on carbohydrates, tan, and eliminate as much body fat as possible. In the end, these are men and women that have done everything possible to accentuate their muscles, after which a panel of judges will judge them who make their final decisions based on a number of different criteria.
Professional bodybuilding is based simply on the aesthetic appeal of the muscular bodies, and no feats of strength are required in order to participate.
Bodybuilding History
Although there are records of early civilisations involved in strength competitions, the first real type of visual bodybuilding competitions did not come until the 19th century, through the efforts of a man named Eugen Sandow. Eugen Sandow broke convention by letting people simply view his physique, but without attempting feats of great strengths.
This proved to be extremely popular, and it was not long before bodybuilding as a visual experience outshone the previously popular strength competitions. Sandow spent years creating an empire around bodybuilding, and is credited with making the very first muscle building machines, such as dumbbells. Sandow’s image became one of the most used images of the 19th century.
Not longer after his rise to film, Sandow held the first bodybuilding competition ever in 1901. Men from all over England came to try win the golden trophy on offer, and Sandow acted as the judge. William L. Murphy was the first winner of the competition.
Bodybuilding Training
The amount of training and preparation that goes into professional bodybuilding is substantial, and many bodybuilders spend years perfecting their training and eating regimes before entering competitions. The first and most important is the weight training. The training is generally done over most of the year until the competition season arrives.
Nutrition is also a vital aspect, and most bodybuilders subsist on a diet of high protein, carbohydrates, and a much larger intake of calories than what most people eat. Dietary supplements are also used, all designed to increase muscle gain as much as possible. While there has been steroid abuse in the past, many bodybuilders still use anabolic steroids to enhance their muscle growth.
During the preparation phase, many professional-level bodybuilders will inject a substance into their muscles known as Synthol. This creates the effect of even and well-developed muscles in areas that may be disproportionate. Synthol, however, is extremely dangerous, and may cause a variety of harmful problems.
Bodybuilding Betting
Making bets in the bodybuilding world is considered quite difficult, even to experienced bettors. The main reason for this is because all bodybuilding competitions have judges whose criteria are often based only based on the opinion of the judge. There is, however, a thriving betting industry involved in bodybuilding, and betting on professional bodybuilding competitions is possible through online bookmakers and best mobile betting sites.