BODYBUILDING: A CLASSIC LOOK

8202019 BODYBUILDING A CLASSIC LOOK

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0 WWWMAXMUSCLECOM ı JANUARY 2016

PRO

TRAINING

It is in the essence of mankind to

constantly strive to achieve his

greatest potential It speaks to the

core of what it means to be human

ndash to relentlessly pursue ongoing

innovation and tirelessly work

toward self-improvement and self-

actualization This unique trait of our

species is evidenced by our endless

list of monuments to progress

from the great pyramids to the

magnificent works of art of every age

to the pursuit of science technology

and athletics including the pursuit of

the development of our own ultimate

physical selves

Since the days of the ancient Greeks

the pursuit of physical development

and the muscular physique form has

been pursued as an ideal ndash celebrated

preserved in marble and stone The

turn of the 20th century saw the

birth of modern physical culture and

bodybuilding as we now know it In

1901 renowned strength and posing

exhibitionist Eugene Sandow organized

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contest earning the title ldquoThe Father of

Modern Bodybuildingrdquo Judging criteria

for this bodybuilding show focused

not merely on sheer muscular size

but focused on symmetrical balanced

muscular development As is the nature of all things human

the upper limits of performance are

constantly being challenged and

exceeded Modern bodybuilding presents

itself today in the form of massively

developed athletes representing the

upper echelon of genetic predisposition

the evolution of the technology of

nutrition and exercise and years of

focused training and a lifestyle dedicated

to the discipline of hypertrophy To

most modern bodybuildingrsquos current

champions represent ideal butunattainable levels of development even

for the most diligent most committed

athletes

A LOOK BACK 991251 TO THE FUTURE

As the sport of competitive bodybuilding

has continued to grow and evolve

the interest in participation in this

fascinating ancient (shall we say

instinctive endeavor) has grown

exponentially as well While admittedly

most individuals of ldquoaverage geneticsrdquo

could not hope to compare with

the current heroes of bodybuilding

many still participate in this the

physical culture founded by EugeneSandow Enter the new categories of

bodybuilding Physique and now Classic

Physique categories

The National Physique Committee

the largest governing body of the sport

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category in 2011 as an option for novice

bodybuilders and athletes who had

not invested the time to develop the

requisite muscular size for bodybuilding

Menrsquos Physique athletes would

now have a venue to participate in

bodybuilding contests and once againthe judging criteria shifted focused less

BY PETE CICCONE CSCS IFBB PROA CLASSIC LOOK

on sheer muscular size as on balanced

development and conditioning These

Menrsquos Physique contests have become

extremely popular across the culture

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lifestylerdquo Athletes wear board shorts

and are not judged on lower body

development

For the 2016 contest season the

NPC has now introduced what could be

considered a throwback to the ldquoGolden

Erardquo of bodybuilding the early 1900rsquos

through the Arnold era (1970rsquos and just

after) where symmetry and balanced

muscular development were emphasizedThe new division Classic Physique is

intended to be for competitors who

want to present more muscular size

than is currently acceptable for Menrsquos

Physique but not as extreme as current

bodybuilding standards Athletes will

wear standard black spandex posing

trunks and will utilize several of the

standard bodybuilding poses

There is an air of anticipation and

excitement in gyms across the nation

as athletes await the new division Itrsquos

going to be an aesthetic look back ndash intothe future of the sport MSampF

BODY983085BUILDING

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