ORIGINS, Eugen Sandow

Weightlifting has been around for centuries it can also be traced back to Ancient Greece. Athletes would train in a gymnasium however it wasn't to improve their bodies appearance but to improve athletic performance. Milo of Croton was a wrestler and he would carry a calf on his back everyday until it became a bull. Bodybuilding first came on the scene in the 11th century in India where they would carve out dumbells from stone for the purpose of getting bigger and stronger. But it didn't gain popularity for centuries to come. It was Eugen Sandow who maid it mainstream. He is known as the father of modern day Bodybuilding. By the time he was 19 years old he was already performing strongman stunts. But he realised people weren't looking at him lifting heavy weight the were more attracted to his physique. He then added posing routines to his performances which is the staple to modern day bodybuilding. Many people thought he had a godlike physique. This wasn't a coincident, when he was young he had visited Italy and after admiring the statues of the ancient gods his passion grew. He would measure the statues and use them as a blueprint for his body.