Are bodybuilders "Athletes"?

[AWN2004]

You hear the term "Athlete" used many times when magazines, nutritionists, ect talk about bb'ers. Playing sports most of my life, Ive associtated playing an actual sport with being an athlete. Bodybuilding is a sport and one in which I participate. However, how is lifting weights athletic? Yes you do look like an athlete so to speak and you do better your body in most cases. I guess I just associate having a certain skill like being able to catch, run, swim, ect with being athletic. I'm just trying to see how others feel about this. Lets see what the board has to say.

 

[littlemack]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh man. You gotta lot of balls kid. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA

This is some funny shit. Are you fullybuilt?


Of course bodybuilder's are athletes! They compete on stage don't they? They've mastered the skill of building muscle and trimming fat to zero haven't they?

Now there are recreational lifters(like yourself), but you got guys playing flag football in the local parks too.

Oh man, this is a really funny question. I'll let the rest of the guys "try" and explain it to ya'. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

I think I just fell down I'm laughing so hard. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Enanthanator]

If runners are considered athletes why not us? There is absolutely no skill in running either. I play sports as well (well when I was younger) so I am not biased.

 

[Got Juice]

I would say so:

Defintion:
A sport is an activity requiring physical ability, physical fitness or physical skill which usually, but not always, involves competition between two or more people.

 

[Bullman]

I would say BBers are definitely athletes. It takes very strong motivation and dedication to create a great physique. It also takes excellent mental clarity and focus in the gym. True BBers are some of the most dedicated ATHLETES there are. They don't go on strike, go to salary arbitration, have a union or any of the things so called professional athletes do. It's all about the body and the sport. No sissies allowed!

 

[Conan21]

Little Mack what is so funny???

You talk as if Awn is some slouch recreational lifter. Have you seen pictures of him in competition?

My opinion is that bodybuilders are not athletes. It’s more of beauty pageant for Men with muscles. Not knocking it all, but that’s the how I view it.

I think to be considered a true athlete; some type of performance has to be involved. So as far as weightlifting goes; Power lifters, Olympic lifters, and Strong Man competitors could be considered athletes. Of those three, I would consider Olympic Lifters and Strong Men more of athletes than a power lifter because more athleticism is required.

Bodybuilding is based entirely off of looks and not performance based which is what sports is all about.

 

[km2000]

I disagree with you conan, Bodybuilders are the defination of athletes here is the def I found

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

I would like to know where bodybuilders dont fit in here. Many people dont consider bodybuilders athletes because on the day of the comp. we dont race jump or swing a bat. Do you consider Golfers athletes? many people do, I guess they could fall into this definition if you really think about it. All of strength, agility and endurance a bodyuilder does is off the stage. Competitve bodybuilders are the most dedicated athletes to their sport no questions asked. I challenge anyone to list a sport demanding more from an athlete than bdybuilding.

 

[littlemack]

Now you are making me laugh Conan! ahahahahaha

You talk as if Awn is some slouch recreational lifter. Have you seen pictures of him in competition?

My opinion is that bodybuilders are not athletes. Its more of beauty pageant for Men with muscles. Not knocking it all, but thats the how i view it.

I think to be considered an athlete, some type of performance has to be involved. So as far as weightlifting goes; Powerlifters, Olympic lifters, and Strong Man competitors are athletes.

Bodybuiding is based entirely off of looks. Not how Strong, fast, or athletic you are.

Don't you find it a little funny that this particular question is asked on this particular site? I'm not knocking AWN in the least. Your right. He does have a great physique. Its just a pretty funny question to ask here. I'm not sure how you can be involved with bodybuilding and not be thinking of it as a sport. BB'ers train just as hard as other athletes. They have just as much discipline as other athletes. Yes, bodybuilding is based on looks, but what got you that look? Do you think the judges are all female and looking for the best looking male on stage? No. Of course not. They are looking for size, symetry, conditioning, etc... Which lifting, dieting, and supplementation helped them achieve.

Bodybuilding has become a PROFESSIONAL SPORT with money prizes. Its that simple. Not a lot of money, I know, but it is still a PROFESSIONAL SPORT.

 

[Got Juice]

I would say so:

Defintion:
A sport is an activity requiring physical ability, physical fitness or physical skill which usually, but not always, involves competition between two or more people.

what the hell was i talking about????

 

[Nssca]

You hear the term "Athlete" used many times when magazines, nutritionists, ect talk about bb'ers. Playing sports most of my life, Ive associtated playing an actual sport with being an athlete. Bodybuilding is a sport and one in which I participate. However, how is lifting weights athletic? Yes you do look like an athlete so to speak and you do better your body in most cases. I guess I just associate having a certain skill like being able to catch, run, swim, ect with being athletic. I'm just trying to see how others feel about this. Lets see what the board has to say.

WOW.. well if you've ever worked out without talking to your buddies or watching TV at the gym you wouldn't be asking this question...

 

[littlemack]

And Powerlifters are....

some of the fattest fuckers on earth! bwahahahahahaha

Did you read my Anthony Clark story? My buddy went to get him backstage for his guest appearance and lift, and that guy was eating doughnuts backstage by the dozen! He was out of breath just walking to the bench to do his lift! You call that an athlete?


BigByrd is the exception, not the general rule when it comes to the strongest men on earth!

 

[littlemack]

Sorry AWN...I misread your post...

What you are saying is that you believe Bodybuilding is a sport(which I agree with), but "lifting weights" is not a sport. Is that right?

I really wasn't trying to be disrespectful here. I just think it takes a lot of balls to post a question like this, since most everyone will probably disagree.

And so it makes me laugh. ahahahahaa

 

[marbalizer99]

My opinion is that bodybuilders are not athletes. It’s more of beauty pageant for Men with muscles. Not knocking it all, but that’s the how I view it.

Wow, I would have said OF COURSE THEY ARE ATHLETES but this statement has got me thinking because I DON'T consider beauty pagent contestants athletes and they DO fit in into this definition.

Defintion:
A sport is an activity requiring physical ability, physical fitness or physical skill which usually, but not always, involves competition between two or more people.

The way I see it, athletes compete in sports and sports are defined as "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. "

Therefore I would say YES, BBers are athletes BUT so are beauty pagent contestants. <---I can't believe I'm saying that but its the only way I can justify calling BBer's athletes because I don't see how one can be and the other can't.

 

[littlemack]

Thank You Marbalizer....

Auto Racing is a Sport Too!

Unless, your saying that it does not require skill or athletic conditioning Conan.

ahahahahahahaha

 

[AWN2004]

I think most people didnt really understand what I was trying to say or I just worded it horribly. I was listening to some people talk about this and it just made me think about it more than normal. Im sure someone has done a thread on this type of thing before. But I was wondering what most peoples thoughts on this was (obviously Im getting the point). After participating in rugby and wrestling and now competing in bodybuilding, its very interesting to me at least, to see how being an athlete is compared between bodybuilding and other sports. I myself do think of bodybuilders as athletes..maybe not the same as say a decathelete or something but you get my point. As far as the comments go, I could care less. I was just trying to see what others thought.

 

[Ashop]

You hear the term "Athlete" used many times when magazines, nutritionists, ect talk about bb'ers. Playing sports most of my life, Ive associtated playing an actual sport with being an athlete. Bodybuilding is a sport and one in which I participate. However, how is lifting weights athletic? Yes you do look like an athlete so to speak and you do better your body in most cases. I guess I just associate having a certain skill like being able to catch, run, swim, ect with being athletic. I'm just trying to see how others feel about this. Lets see what the board has to say.

IMO bodybuilders are the most dedicated true athletes of any sport.

 

[littlemack]

I think most people didnt really understand what I was trying to say or I just worded it horribly. I was listening to some people talk about this and it just made me think about it more than normal. Im sure someone has done a thread on this type of thing before. But I was wondering what most peoples thoughts on this was (obviously Im getting the point). After participating in rugby and wrestling and now competing in bodybuilding, its very interesting to me at least, to see how being an athlete is compared between bodybuilding and other sports. I myself do think of bodybuilders as athletes..maybe not the same as say a decathelete or something but you get my point. As far as the comments go, I could care less. I was just trying to see what others thought.

Its obvious you don't think bodybuilders are glorified models up on stage AWN as Conan does. Let's say your not a competitive bodybuilder, but you are seriously into lifting weights (4-6 days per week). I still think this qualifies as an athlete. I cannot imagine it not qualifying. Its probably safe to say, that everyone on here has played competitive sports in highschool and some even in college. Having played sports competitively, I train just as hard now as I did with anything else 15 years ago. I have an athlete's heart. There isn't even a trophy in my sights, but you will still find me in the gym squatting to failure or until I pass out. Very similar to my training with Track or all that damn running they made us do in football practice. lol.

 

[SZona]

Ever watch a Non-Athletic Person Lift weights?! That will answer your question!

SZ

 

[Techy]

IMHO serious bodybuilders are athletes, it takes someone with some amount of skill in bodybuilding to be successful at it. This subject could be debated all day long though!

 

[stanio115]

Yeah bodybuilders are great athletes. Pro builders are stronger and more powerful than other pro atletes(except powerlifters).However BB shows by its nature are scloser to modeling than profesional sports. The competitors are not being judged by their atlethic abilities but their looks.