Most Influential People Of The Past In The Sport Of Bodybuilding.

[usa]

I was looking over some of my old BB'ing books from way back in the day. I have an old Gold Gym Book from the 80's I fished out the other day along with my Space Shuttle Operators Manual. I got to thinking about who has really shaped the sport of bodybuilding into what it has become today. If you look at some of the old books you can see cycles of theory from various people who were leaders within the sport. So lets post up who you all think are some of the most influential members who truly shaped the sport of bodybuilding into what it has become today. Below are my choices.

#1. Arnold- Duh
#2. The Weider Brothers.
#3. Dan Duchaine- Brought lots of AAS and drug theory.
#4. Bill Phillips- For his supplement marketing genius.
#5. Dorian Yates- IMHO Started the Mass Monster Movement.
#6. Arthur Jones- Inventor of Nautilus and HIT.

I couldn't put these into any particular order. Post up your thoughts and I will make another thread so people can vote when we get a good average of different people.

 

[barbellbeast]

I hate to admit, but like you said: Arnold and the Weider boys have probably put the most influence into the bodybuilding arena. They play the most childish baby-dick games though is why I hate to admit they've been the biggest influences. After that it almost seems like a wash, too many people to name that have brought their own thing to the game to make a big impact.

 

[Glycomann]

Reg Park

He did stuff like static holds in the squat rack with over 1000 lbs. He did a bunch of stuff like that well before any theory would suggest their usefulness. He was a pioneer and one of the strong bodybuilders.

 

[usa]

Reg Park is another good choice I didn't think about. He was a huge guy for back in the day. Especially since he was probably drug free most of his career. You can also add Charles Atlas to the era of bodybuilders as well. He had all the adds for his dynamic tension muscle program in the back of magazines through the 40-80's and even today can be found. 2 old school dudes worth mentioning as well.

 

[chicken_hawk]

I would throw Robert Kennedy and his periodical, "MuscleMag" in there too!

Hawk