Are bodybuilders athletes?
I was listening to a contest, either the Colorado or NY Pro, and Bob Chic said "lets hear it for all these great athletes" or something along those lines.
What stuck out to me was the word 'athlete'. What does a bodybuilder do that could be considered athletic?
Is a model an athlete?
Is a beauty pagent contestant an athlete?
Body Building is about astetics not a test of skill, strength or athletic ability.
IMHO, BBers are NOT athletes... Your thoughts?
A strong argument from a strong girl...
Many enter a gym on a regular basis to maintain their health, strength, or sense of youth. Admirable and worthwhile, but that doesn't make them a bodybuilder.
For the Bodybuilder each day in the gym is goal-specific, calculated, educated & balanced; from weight training, to cardio, to nutrition. These are all elements of the athletecism prior to stepping before the panel of judges.
The physique of a Bodybuilder is indeed artistic but the pursuit is athletic. The execution of a swimmer is also artistic by appearance but the performance is athletic.
Each bodybuilder is judged for their symetry, mass, definition. All evidence of the individual's experience, perserverance, strength, stamina, & discipline. The technique to best display it takes skill and is far from a pageant. Ever doubt that then pay closer attention next time there's a drunk idiot in the stands of a stadium displaying their "most muscular" pose for the camera! Dont forget the other bodybuilding athletes: Included with them are the power lifters and yes, even the figure and fitness females.
Personally, my muscle mass, definition, symetry & female curves got there by years of intense and educated training as a bodybuilder; Not from pure genetics or the years of ballet, cheerleading or Muay Thai. The combination of all of these things doesn't make me a bikini model or beauty pageant girl, but rather one hell of a competitive BODYBUILDING FIGURE & FITNESS ATHLETE!