SIGN GUESTBOOK |
READ GUESTBOOK |
|
FEMALE GALLERIES |
INDEX |
SIGN GUESTBOOK |
READ GUESTBOOK |
|
FEMALE GALLERIES |
INDEX |
"Abdominal and thighs". The 7th and last pose in IFBB compulsory round.
Thierry Pastel (France) doing an "abdominals and thighs" pose.
Age. In other sports, it's difficult to find athlets over 40 or 50 years. Bodybuilding is an exception. Robby Robinson, Albert Beckles, Chris Dickerson, Ed Corney and many others made demonstrate this conjecture. As Dorian Yates says: "Bodybuilding is a long-term project, which can be misured in decades, and not in days".
Chester Yorton (USA) in 1967 and in 1978. Note the improvment of the abdominals and the mass in general.
"Back double biceps", "Back lat spread". Respectively, 3rd and 4th pose in IFBB compulsory round.
Left: Ronnie Coleman (USA) doing a back double biceps pose.
Right: Mike Francois (USA) doing a back lat spread pose.
Category (or class). In every competition, the athlets are divided in categories of weight or height. Sometime, at the end of the competition, the winners of every class pose for the Overall title. IFBB rules allow Overall only in national competitions (there's no "world overall champion"). The IFBB bodybuilding male categories are the following:
| Category name | From ... | ... To |
| Bantamweight | - | 65 kg (143 lbs.) |
| Lightweight | 65 kg (143 lbs.) | 70 kg (154 lbs.) |
| Welterweight | 70 kg (154 lbs.) | 75 kg (165 lbs.) |
| Middleweight | 75 kg (165 lbs.) | 80 kg (176 lbs.) |
| Light-heavyweight | 80 kg (176 lbs.) | 90 kg (198 lbs.) |
| Heavyweight | 90 kg (198 lbs.) | - |
The IFBB >bodybuilding female categories are the following:
| Category name | From ... | ... To |
| Lightweight (or -52) | - | 52 kg (114 lbs.) |
| Middleweight (or -57) | 52 kg (114 lbs.) | 57 kg (125 lbs.) |
| Heavyweight (or +57) | 57 kg (125 lbs.) | - |
IFBB special categories / prices:
| Category name | Carachterization |
| Under 21 | Male/Female athlets less than 21 years old |
| Over 35 | Female athlets more than 35 years old |
| Over 40 | Male athlets more than 40 years old |
| Over 50 | Male athlets more than 50 years old |
| Mixed Pairs | Couples (a man and a woman) |
IFBB Professional categories:
| Sex | Pro. Categories (used in Mr./Ms. Olympia contest) |
| Men |
Unique category - up to 1979, two categories: under 200 lbs. (90 kg) and over Over 40 and over 50 category (Master Olympia) |
| Women | Two categories: under 135 lbs. (61 kg) and over - up to 2000, unique category |
NABBA categories are concerned with height, and not weight.
The following are the NABBA male categories:
| Class Name | Height |
| Class IV | Up to 1,65 m (5 ft. 5 in.) |
| Class III | From 1,65 m (5 ft. 5 in.) to 1,72 m (5 ft. 8 in.) |
| Class II | From 1,72 m (5 ft. 8 in.) to 1,79 m (5 ft. 10 in.) |
| Class I | From 1,79 m (5 ft. 10 in.) |
NABBA female categories (physique):
| Class Name | Height |
| Class II | Up to 1,63 m (5 ft. 4 in.) |
| Class I | From 1,63 m (5 ft. 4 in.) |
Dumb-bell (or simply Dumbbell). The following image represent a dumbell: there's a little bar, to be catch with an hand, and the plates at the two sides are the same. For this kind of dumb-bell, there's no possibility to change the weight: another types of this tool allow the user to increment the weight.
A 45 Lbs. (20 kg.) dumb-bell.
Evolution. The following tables illustrate the evolution of the body-builders in IFBB Mr. Olympia from 1983 to 1997.
| Athlete | Rank | Weight |
| Samir Bannout | 1st | 85 kg (187 lbs.) |
| Mohammed El Makkawy | 2nd | 72 kg (159 lbs.) |
| Lee Haney | 3rd | 104 kg (229 lbs.) |
| Frank Zane | 4th | 81 kg (178 lbs.) |
| Bertil Fox | 5th | 95 kg (209 lbs.) |
| Jusup Wilkosz | 6th | 102 kg (225 lbs.) |
1983 Mr.Olympia.
Average Weight: 90 kg (198 lbs.)
| Athlete | Rank | Weight |
| Dorian Yates | 1st | 120 kg (264 lbs.) |
| Nasser El Sonbaty | 2nd | 122 kg (269 lbs.) |
| Shawn Ray | 3rd | 93 kg (205 lbs.) |
| Kevin Levrone | 4th | 114 kg (251 lbs.) |
| Paul Dillet | 5th | 122 kg (269 lbs.) |
| Lee Priest | 6th | 100 kg (220 lbs.) |
1997 Mr.Olympia.
Average weight: 112 kg (247 lbs.)
Average weight increase: 24,4% in 14 years
"Front double biceps", "Front lat spread". Respectively, 1st and 2nd pose in IFBB compulsory round.
Left: Anja Langer (Germany)
doing a front double biceps pose.
Right: Valentina Chepiga (Ukraine)
doing a front lat spread pose.
Mr.Olympia. The most important male body-building competition. The following table illustrates the winners of Mr. Olympia contests.
| Year | Winner | Location |
| 1965 | Larry Scott (USA) | New York (New York, USA) |
| 1966 | Larry Scott (USA) | New York (New York, USA) |
|
1967 |
Sergio Oliva (Cuba) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1968 |
Sergio Oliva (Cuba) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1969 |
Sergio Oliva (Cuba) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1970 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1971 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
Paris (France) |
|
1972 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
Essen (West Germany) |
|
1973 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1974 |
200 lbs. class: Franco Columbu (Italy) Over 200 lbs. class: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) Overall winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
New York (USA) |
|
1975 |
200 lbs. class: Franco Columbu (Italy) Over 200 lbs. class: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) Overall winner: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
Pretoria (South Africa) |
|
1976 |
Franco Columbu (Italy) |
Columbus (Ohio, USA) |
|
1977 |
200 lbs. class: Frank Zane (USA) Over 200 lbs. class: Robbie Robinson (USA) Overall winner: Frank Zane (USA) |
Columbus (Ohio, USA) |
|
1978 |
Frank Zane (USA) |
Columbus (Ohio, USA) |
|
1979 |
200 lbs. class: Frank Zane (USA) Over 200 lbs. class: Mike Mentzer (USA) Overall winner: Frank Zane (USA) |
|
|
1980 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) |
Sydney (Australia) |
|
1981 |
Franco Columbu (Italy) |
Columbus (Ohio, USA) |
|
1982 |
Chris Dickerson (USA) |
London (UK) |
|
1983 |
Samir Bannout (Lebanon) |
Munich (West Germany) |
|
1984 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1985 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
(Belgium) |
|
1986 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
Columbus (Ohio, USA) |
|
1987 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
(Sweden) |
|
1988 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
Los Angeles (California, USA) |
|
1989 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
Rimini (Italy) |
|
1990 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
Chicago (Illinois, USA) |
|
1991 |
Lee Haney (USA) |
Orlando (Florida, USA) |
|
1992 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Helsinki (Finland) |
|
1993 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Atlanta (Georgia, USA) |
|
1994 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Atlanta (Georgia, USA) |
|
1995 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Atlanta (Georgia, USA) |
|
1996 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Chicago (Illinois, USA) |
|
1997 |
Dorian Yates (UK) |
Long Beach (California, USA) |
|
1998 |
Ronnie Coleman (USA) |
New York (New York, USA) |
|
1999 |
Ronnie Coleman (USA) |
Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) |
|
2000 |
Ronnie Coleman (USA) |
Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) |
|
2001 |
Ronnie Coleman (USA) |
Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) |
Ms. Olympia. The most important female body-building competition. The following table illustrates the winner of Ms. Olympia contest.
|
Year |
Winner |
Location |
|
1980 |
Rachel Mc Lish (USA) |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) |
|
1981 |
Kike Elomaa (Finland) |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) |
|
1982 |
Rachel Mc Lish (USA) |
Atlantic City, New Jersey (USA) |
|
1983 |
Carla Dunlap (USA) |
Warmister, Pennsylvania (USA) |
|
1984 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
Montreal (Canada) |
|
1985 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1986 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1987 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1988 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1989 |
Cory Everson (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1990 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1991 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
Los Angeles, California (USA) |
|
1992 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
Chicago, Illinois (USA) |
|
1993 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1994 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
|
|
1995 |
Lenda Murray (USA) |
Atlanta, Georgia (USA) |
|
1996 |
Kim Chizevsky (USA) |
Chicago, Illinois (USA) |
|
1997 |
Kim Chizevsky (USA) |
New York, New York (USA) |
|
1998 |
Kim Chizevsky (USA) |
Prague, Czech Republic |
|
1999 |
Kim Chizevsky (USA) |
Secaucus, New Jersey (USA) |
|
2000 |
135 lbs. class: Andrulla Blanchette (UK) Over 135 lbs. class: Valentina Chepiga (Ucraina) |
Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) |
|
2001 |
135 lbs. class: Juliette Bergmann (Holland) Over 135 lbs. class: Iris Kyle Overall winner: Juliette Bergmann (Holland) |
Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) |
Off-season. The period in which the athlets do less training and follow a more permissive diet than in pre-contest time. Usually the off-season weight is about 10% more than in contest time.
Valentina Chepiga. Left: off-season, right: pre-contest.
Pre-contest. See off-season.
Relaxed poses. In spite of their name, they are not so "relaxed". They are used in the first round to evaluate simmetry.
From left to right: Dave Draper (USA), Reg Park (UK) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austria) standing in a front relaxed pose in 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe contest in London.
Repetition (Rep). A complete movement with a weight. A repetition is divided into two parts: the positive one, in which the lifter works against the gravity force, and the negative one, in which he/she returns to the inital position.
Rounds. The IFBB rounds are four: simmetry, obbligatory poses, free poses and pose-down.
1st
round (Simmetry). All
the athlets, together, are evaluated in four poses: front, left side,
right side and back relaxed
pose.
2nd
round (Obbligatory poses). All
the athlets, together, are evalueted in seven poses: front
double biceps,
front
lat spread, side
chest, side
triceps, back
double biceps,
back
lat spread,
abdominals
and thights. IFBB
rules doesn't allow women to do lat spread poses in 2nd
round.
3rd
round (Free poses). Every
athlete poses alone, doing a free poses routine with its own music.
Amatorial rules allow each athlete to pose for one minute in the 3rd
round.
4th
round (Pose down). All
the athlets, together, can make their free poses.
Set. A group of repetitions. Usually, the body-builder would make a particular number of sets of a particular exercise, all with the same number of repetitions. For example, he/she can make 3 sets of squat, each of them made of 8 reps. We would write, that he/she made "Squat 3x8".
"Side chest", "Side triceps". Respectively, 3rd and 4th pose in IFBB compulsory round.
Left: Lee
Haney (USA)
doing a "Side
Chest" pose.
Right: Valentina
Chepiga (Ukraine)
doing a "Side
Triceps" pose.
Squat. Probably the heavier exercise of body-building. You put a barbell on your neck, and make a squat, then you return to the standing position. Without experience and strenght, a squat is difficult with only 50 lbs., but for a body-builder is common to lift 300-400 lbs.
Dave Draper in the final position of squat (the barbell is 180 kg heavy) assisted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
