Bodybuilding world champion: the story of Estonia and the world
2006 is a jubilee year for Estonian bodybuilding — the first championships were held in 1966, which makes it 40 years ago. It’s a good moment to look at how a bodybuilding world champion comes to be, where the sport has come from and what it means for today’s enthusiast.
Bodybuilding world champion: the origins
That training with weights makes you strong and shapes muscles was well known as early as ancient Greece. To a greater or lesser extent, the sculptures from that time have remained the ideal of beauty to this day.
The roots of bodybuilding as a sport reach back to the end of the 19th century, when heavy athletics circles emerged in both Europe and the United States. Competitions were mainly in wrestling and weightlifting, but there are also records of physique contests being organized. In that sense, our own Georg Lurich can also be considered one of those who stood at the cradle of bodybuilding.
The pioneer of bodybuilding worldwide is considered to be Eugen Sandow, born in East Prussia. He developed and promoted various weight training systems, applying them to himself as well — the result was a classically proportioned physique. In 1903 he published the book “Body-building” in London. It is precisely this English name that conveys the essence of the sport most accurately.
At first the sport developed hand in hand with weightlifting. Because of differences in goals and methodology, bodybuilding split from weightlifting in the middle of the 20th century.
How a bodybuilding world champion is made
The International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) was founded in 1946. Today it unites 173 countries and is the largest bodybuilding organization in the world, and the only one recognized by the IOC. Estonia joined the IFBB in 1992.
The IFBB is divided into amateur and professional divisions. Amateur World Championships have been held since 1959 and European Championships since 1968. The professional division has over 200 athletes, whose most coveted title is Mr. or Ms. Olympia. Women’s bodybuilding at competitive level dates back to the late 1970s.
What is judged at competitions? Muscle size, definition and shape. The proportions between muscle groups, but also skeletal traits, which a person unfortunately can’t change. Over time, the weight of these components in the judges’ eyes has shifted — to a certain extent it is subject to fashion.
For the past couple of decades, muscle size has been considered very important, and this has driven the sport into a kind of impasse. The world’s top level, especially among professionals, has reached the point where the “link to reality” tends to get lost. Top athletes are no longer a direct role model for the ordinary trainee or for young people.
The solution has come through new divisions. First to split off was women’s fitness, where, in addition to physique, a free routine is judged — it must include elements of acrobatics, dance and sport aerobics. Soon bodyfitness was added, which has no free routine; muscularity, physique and overall appearance are judged. This division is the closest to what is known as a beauty contest.
So as not to discriminate against the stronger sex, men’s fitness was soon given the right to exist as well. The youngest division is called classic bodybuilding — the first world championship medals will be awarded in the autumn of 2006. In essence, it is bodybuilding with a muscle mass limit: the competitor’s maximum body weight is set according to height. This reduces the importance of muscle mass and gives all the more weight to proportion, quality and skeletal traits. As the name suggests, the aim is to move closer to the roots of bodybuilding.
Estonia’s road to the top of bodybuilding
Among Estonians, Inna Uit is the one who has so far won a world title (1996). European champions have been Olev Annus (1985), Ain Paavo (1990) and Inna Uit (1996). These are numbers with years of work in the gym and the kitchen behind them.
I also want to touch on the topic of doping, because in the common perception bodybuilding and doping go together like oil and water — or rather, the opposite. What can I say as someone inside the sport? Doping control has been applied at IFBB amateur title competitions since 1986. Member countries are also required to test at their national championships — in Estonia this has been done since 2001. In addition, countries must test in advance the athletes they send to title competitions. Whether this is actually done everywhere, I don’t know.
Unfortunately, we have to admit that professional competitions have no doping control that meets IOC requirements. Here, it seems, ideals give way to business interests. Out-of-competition testing of IFBB athletes is planned to begin in 2007 — that would be a big step in the right direction.
FAQ: the bodybuilding world champion and the enthusiast
Who is the first Estonian bodybuilding world champion?
Among women, Inna Uit won the world title in 1996. That same year also brought her the European champion title.
How does classic bodybuilding differ from regular bodybuilding?
In classic bodybuilding, a maximum body weight is set according to height. This shifts the emphasis from muscle mass to proportions, quality and skeletal traits — closer to the roots of the sport.
Is bodybuilding suitable for the average enthusiast?
Elite sport, with its joys and troubles, is unfortunately for only a few. I consider bodybuilding’s greatest value to be its ideal suitability as a recreational or health-oriented sport, as shown by the growing popularity of gyms around the world.
Author: Indrek Otsus, secretary general of EKFL
Source: WHO – physical activity.
Come and train! ArtGym
