There is a great deal of credibility that would pinpoint the late 1960s into the late 1970s as the glory days of bodybuilding. Actually, bodybuilding started many, many years before. All one has to do is take a look at the old circus and carnival circuit and see how prominently the strongman was presented. From strongmen of yesteryear to the prominent personalities of today, bodybuilding is certainly an important facet of pop culture.

The Pioneers

If there remained a person who was a pioneer, however, it would be Bob Hoffman, who started to promote bodybuilding in the 1930s. Later, the legendary Joe Weider started promoting bodybuilder types and the sport in general with the launch of his own publications, which would bring attention to the sport. Weider would go on to become the promoter of the Mr. Olympia contest that was the premiere bodybuilding contest in the world.

The First True Star

Another person who helped draw attention to the bodybuilding world was Steve Reeves. Reeves had a physique like no one ever had before. He was tapped to play Hercules in two silly Italian films on the strength (pun intended) of Reeves’ look. The films took in $12 Million dollars at the box office.

The Man Who Built the House the Sport Rests Upon

Of course, the bodybuilding world finally found its true superstar when a man who barely spoke English headed to Weider’s gym to train for the Mr. Olympia. That person, of course, was Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Arnold had a physique like no one had ever seen before. He had off-the-charts charisma that launched the glory years of bodybuilding in an era that saw the rise of some of the biggest legendary names in the business. The era is captured perfectly in the documentary Pumping Iron.

The Legacy

Granted, the general public felt that body building was a weird world, but there was curiosity that motivated people to take a curious look at it. Some of those people, particularly young boys, would go on to aspire to become body builders themselves. They wanted large muscles like Arnold’s. This interest in bodybuilding, spawned out of the glory years, has allowed the business to thrive and turn into a multi-million dollar business that is still going strong. This is the true legacy of the era, and it is a legacy that will endure for many years to come.