Michael Hadaway

Bodybuilding by Ziegfeld: The Great Promoter



Posted: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

by Michael Hadaway

Bodybuilding as we know it began in the late 1800’s.  Of course it wasn’t the way it is today, but it was a beginning of what has become a major part of western culture.  Eugen Sandow of Prussia is credited with being known as the Father of Modern Bodybuilding and it is no wonder that Sandow did it with great flair.  Read on to find out how this man was the forerunner of the modern art.

Sandow was the first to allow audiences to view his well-developed body in performances of muscle display.  Ever heard of the Ziegfeld Follies?  They were famous live shows well before we had TV or the web.  Sandow’s manager was Florenz Ziegfeld the famous promoter of the 1800’s and 1900’s.  Sandow was extremely successful because of Ziegfeld’s shrewd promotions.  Later, Sandow created a business and an industry because of the fame Ziegfeld helped him to create.  Sandow was among the first to take products and brand them with his name.  Later he invented and sold some of the first exercise equipment for the public.  Can you imagine how he sold these new gadgets before the infomercial was ever thought about?  Sandow was on the leading edge with his bodybuilding, but Ziegfeld promoted his to fame.

Sandow always claimed that he had a perfect physique because of his hard work, clean living, and an excellent diet.  We don’t know what the diet was, but it is certain that he worked hard in all areas of his life to make himself the fine specimen of his day.

The beginning of the bodybuilding industry was with Sandow.  It hasn’t stopped since then and has become a true industry, mainly in the western hemisphere.  Bodybuilding does go on in other parts of the world, but not to the same extent.

Some well-known people like Charles Atlas, Steve Reeves, Lou Ferrigno, and Arnold Schwarzenegger made their names as bodybuilders.  Reeves, Ferrigno and Schwarzenegger then went on to TV and movies.  Schwarzenegger made California’s day when he switched to politics although it appears that he hasn’t been quite the star in politics that he was in movies.  All three of these men, like Sandow, were excellent business men and profited off of their hard work and dedication toward becoming a champion bodybuilder.

There is no end in site for bodybuilding as people around the globe become more conscience of their bodies and how they look.  Not many will be like Sandow or the modern day bodybuilders.  But there will be others to follow in time. 

Bodybuilding is no longer just for men.  Women began bodybuilding seriously in the 1970's and the first U.S. Women's National Physique Championship was held in 1978.  It was the first contest where the female bodybuilders were judged solely on muscularity.  It hasn’t become as popular, but it continues to grow.

Men like Schwarzenegger will fade with time and there will be replacements.  But there probably will never be another man like Eugen Sandow who was the first to really make it a big business with the bombastic flair of Florenz Ziegfeld.

Vitamins and supplements play a key role along with nutrition in the world of bodybuilding.  At Health & Vitamins Info we have a report on nutrition for bodybuilding that gives you the lowdown on what it takes to become a true bodybuilding champion.
Michael Hadaway has been in the sales and marketing industry for over 30 years. He has researched health, nutrition and fitness in order to bring many new items to the market place. He now focuses on writing about the things he has researched. Join him at http://www.HealthyKitchenPlus.com or http://www.HealthyKitchenPlus.com/Grain-Mill-Comparison-Chart
This Article has been viewed 205 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.