Bodybuilding/ Powerlifting Sport or Not

[inoverdrive]

The other day I saw a Gatorade comercial and it bothered me because they showed all these sports such as: skateboarding, football, basketball, olympics, etc but not one shot of a bodybuilder or powerlifter. Now I will not consider my self a bodybuilder like most of you guys but I do work hard with diet, nutrition and weight lifting although I never plan on a competition.

No disrespect to other sports but to me bodybuilding has to be the toughest sport out there. The entire day is revolved around it from the moment you get up. From your morning cardio to breakfast, from your 6 or 7 meals, to your hours of weight training and then not tomention the right amount of rest and more important, the knowledge you have to gain to succeed. Show me one more sport aside the womens fitness challenge, or the UFC that has as much dedication to it as bodybuilding.

Other sport figures (football, baseball, basketball, etc) are alweays having there off season where they do nothing and some stay so damn drunk or high its not even funny, yet these guys are the "hardcore" soprts people. Well as you know bodybuilders, powerlifters and fitness models never have there off season, well they do but it is continued with prep work for the next contest, not filled with relaxing and drinking.

Sorry for the rambling but it just irritates me that this sport never gets the right recognition it should get.

 

[pumpt73]

I've always thought of sports as competition, so if we're competing I see it as a sport. If you look up the definition of the word, bodybuilding and powerlifting fit right into the category.

Taken directly from Homepage | Dictionary.com


–noun 1. 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.

2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.

3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

4. jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously.

I think definition number 3 covers it for us. JMO.

 

[superman21]

Dude, most "normal people" dont have any clue about what us bodybuilders/powerlifters do. They think "ohh, he just juices up and works out all day! anyone can do that". Its the said truth bro, i hate it like you do. Hell my mom seriously thinks i have a eating disorder cuz i eat every 2-3 hours haha.
The general public dont know how much KNOWLEDGE goes into it.

I feel ya man. I gotta say i used to not think golf could be a sport.... but when i started hangging with a couple buddies who golf, i learned that that is one F'IN hard game to play. Its not an endurance sport but very high skill and a little luck game.

My point is people shouldnt knock a sport until they have a good understanding of what really goes into it.

I dont know if this is the answer you are exactly looking for, so i guess im ranting a little bit, haha.

p.s ohh yea, golf isnt the best sport when your boobs get in the way of your swing, haha seriously

 

[inoverdrive]

Dude, most "normal people" dont have any clue about what us bodybuilders/powerlifters do. They think "ohh, he just juices up and works out all day! anyone can do that". Its the said truth bro, i hate it like you do. Hell my mom seriously thinks i have a eating disorder cuz i eat every 2-3 hours haha.
The general public dont know how much KNOWLEDGE goes into it.

I feel ya man. I gotta say i used to not think golf could be a sport.... but when i started hangging with a couple buddies who golf, i learned that that is one F'IN hard game to play. Its not an endurance sport but very high skill and a little luck game.

My point is people shouldnt knock a sport until they have a good understanding of what really goes into it.

I dont know if this is the answer you are exactly looking for, so i guess im ranting a little bit, haha.

Not really looking for answers I just wanted to bitch some and get it off my chest. So many people catagorize us as "meatheads" yet we probably have well more knowledge about the human body then most doctors!

 

[superman21]

Not really looking for answers I just wanted to bitch some and get it off my chest. So many people catagorize us as "meatheads" yet we probably have well more knowledge about the human body then most doctors!

I completely agree with you. However, There are the "Juiceheads"(guys that rely purely on juice) that walk around the gym trying to be "Mr. Toughguy". Those are the guys that are giving us that "meathead" name. It pisses me off that everyone has to get categorized like that before people get to know us. Haha i feel like im an alien thats not accepted into society....in a way...we kinda are!

 

[Lee Salado]

Powerlifting is a sport. Bodybuilding is a sport.
Archery is a sport. Some fishing/hunting is sport.

But here's a question....are bodybuilders athletes?

I have a friend who is a "C.S.C.S." and claims that bodybuilders cannot be considered athletes because they don't have the 4 staples of athletics.

The "4 staples of athletics" (according to him) are:
1 Strength
2 Endurance
3 Speed
4 Agility

....or something like that. I should have it memorized by now cause he flaunts it so much.

He likes to target me cause I like bodybuilding.

He also says bodybuilding isn't a sport, its more like a beauty pageant.

I suppose its how you look at it. Bodybuilding is definately a pageant (physique competition). But I always considered it a sport.

Either way, I think its just too underground for mainstream sports folk to enjoy.

 

[superman21]

Powerlifting is a sport. Bodybuilding is a sport.
Archery is a sport. Some fishing/hunting is sport.

But here's a question....are bodybuilders athletes?

I have a friend who is a "C.S.C.S." and claims that bodybuilders cannot be considered athletes because they don't have the 4 staples of athletics.

The "4 staples of athletics" (according to him) are:
1 Strength
2 Endurance
3 Speed
4 Agility

....or something like that. I should have it memorized by now cause he flaunts it so much.

He likes to target me cause I like bodybuilding.

He also says bodybuilding isn't a sport, its more like a beauty pageant.

I suppose its how you look at it. Bodybuilding is definately a pageant (physique competition). But I always considered it a sport.

Either way, I think its just too underground for mainstream sports folk to enjoy.

Strength- definitely from weight training
Endurance- Cardio, and some styles of weight training
Speed- cardio, and some styles of weight training
Agility- stretching, yoga, etc.

Now what about basketball or golf? Basketball dont train for strength, because it can mess up a players shot. Golf.... now we all know some of them golfers dont have any endurance!

If a bodybuilder does things right, then he should fall into all those categories. I know a couple people that are very athletic that are bodybuilders. just my .02

 

[malcom young]

PL is much more of a sport than BB.

Sports have an accepted winner and loser, as judged by OBJECTIVE rules and guidelines. Two different judging panels in a PL contest will arrive at the same results for all competitiors. You either put the bar up or you don't, you make the point or you don't. Thats a sport.

BB is much more SUBJECTIVE, one panel may like the monsters, while the next one may prefer the more classical lines. There is no definitive rule book to follow, at least not in reality.

 

[617ricky]

Show me one more sport aside the womens fitness challenge, or the UFC that has as much dedication to it as bodybuilding.

How can you assume that bodybuilding absolutely has the most dedication? All the things you named off: diet, cardio, training, rest - well there are plenty of athletes out there that do all that in addition to whatever sport they play.. Dedication is also extremely subjective.. A teenage chick gymnast, or an Asian ping-pong olympian could very well be much more dedicated to what they do than you are to bodybuilding.. And there are definitely pro bodybuilders that aren't 100% dedicated to the sport - they're out there partying and getting high, with the eating and lifting being more of a chore to them..

 

[pumpt73]

How can you assume that bodybuilding absolutely has the most dedication? All the things you named off: diet, cardio, training, rest - well there are plenty of athletes out there that do all that in addition to whatever sport they play.. Dedication is also extremely subjective.. A teenage chick gymnast, or an Asian ping-pong olympian could very well be much more dedicated to what they do than you are to bodybuilding.. And there are definitely pro bodybuilders that aren't 100% dedicated to the sport - they're out there partying and getting high, with the eating and lifting being more of a chore to them..

Exactly ricky. Most pro football players really don't have an offseason. Once the season in done, they'll take a few weeks off, but then it's right back to the gym, running, plyometrics, studying your playbook, etc. Same thing with baseball players. Most of them play in fall and winter leagues after the regular season is done.

Most all athletes keep their diet and nutrition in check. Heck, if anything most pro athletes have it tougher nowdays with all of the stringent rules on supplements and drugs.

Another I will bring up, though most won't consider it a sport, is professional wrestling. Once you're in the big leagues (WWE, TNA, ROH), you're on the road something like 300 days a year. That's travelling, hotels, getting to the arena, etc. Then with all of that, they have to keep themselves in shape by weight training and keeping their diets in check all while doing this away from home. Not an easy thing to do.

 

[Iceman1800]

PL is much more of a sport than BB.

Sports have an accepted winner and loser, as judged by OBJECTIVE rules and guidelines. Two different judging panels in a PL contest will arrive at the same results for all competitiors. You either put the bar up or you don't, you make the point or you don't. Thats a sport.

BB is much more SUBJECTIVE, one panel may like the monsters, while the next one may prefer the more classical lines. There is no definitive rule book to follow, at least not in reality.

very good response

 

[inoverdrive]

How can you assume that bodybuilding absolutely has the most dedication? All the things you named off: diet, cardio, training, rest - well there are plenty of athletes out there that do all that in addition to whatever sport they play.. Dedication is also extremely subjective.. A teenage chick gymnast, or an Asian ping-pong olympian could very well be much more dedicated to what they do than you are to bodybuilding.. And there are definitely pro bodybuilders that aren't 100% dedicated to the sport - they're out there partying and getting high, with the eating and lifting being more of a chore to them..

Im really not going to argue about that, your right. My main point is that the powerlifters and bodybuilders dont get the recognition I feel like they deserve.

 

[inoverdrive]

PL is much more of a sport than BB.

Sports have an accepted winner and loser, as judged by OBJECTIVE rules and guidelines. Two different judging panels in a PL contest will arrive at the same results for all competitiors. You either put the bar up or you don't, you make the point or you don't. Thats a sport.

BB is much more SUBJECTIVE, one panel may like the monsters, while the next one may prefer the more classical lines. There is no definitive rule book to follow, at least not in reality.

Good point, never thought of it that way.

 

[dropshot001]

PL is much more of a sport than BB.

Sports have an accepted winner and loser, as judged by OBJECTIVE rules and guidelines. Two different judging panels in a PL contest will arrive at the same results for all competitiors. You either put the bar up or you don't, you make the point or you don't. Thats a sport.

BB is much more SUBJECTIVE, one panel may like the monsters, while the next one may prefer the more classical lines. There is no definitive rule book to follow, at least not in reality.

however, by this argument, how do you place something such as diving, gymnastics or figure skating? they are objective. i mean, how do you determine who has a higher degree of difficulty? one trick may be extrmeely hard for one person to do as compared to another. i don't know how they are judged as they are not my sport, but in the same way that one judge may like a freaky mass monster and the other may look for other things in a bb'er, a judge in diving may grade a person who does several twists in the air higher than they may a person who does several flips. or they may put more emphasis on how clean the entry into the water is. either way, these things are considered sports so if they can be considered sports, so can bodybuilding.

 

[Lee Salado]

Definitions of beauty pageant on the Web:

A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, competition based mainly, though not always entirely, on the physical beauty of its contestants, and often incorporating personality, talent demonstration, and question responses as judged criteria. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_Pageant

A competition in which participants compete for a determination that one is the most physically attractive
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beauty_pageant

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.


Powerlifting seems to be more of a sport. Bodybuilding more of a pageant.
Thats just my opinion though. Bodybuilders go through hell to look a certain way on stage, but the actual competition itself requires little in the way of . An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

I suppose one could argue that posing is the physical activity.

Hell, I don't know. They both have my respect. I'm just not sure I see bodybuilding as a sport anymore.

Maybe it could be better described as an unconventional sporting competition.

That my 7.5 cents.

 

[BillyTheHorse]

First Post, go easy

Hi im new to the board, great place, been lurking in the shadows for a good while now. I am returning to competition after a 10year lay-off this year. In regards to whether bodybuilding is a sport or not ? I would say its is not. In my opinion bodybuilding cannot be a sport because it cannot be judged fairly like other sports. Example, a powerlifter lifts a certain weight, he either lifts it, or does not, there is a clear outcome. If a footballer scores a goal, he/she scores a goal. If sprinter beats his/her opposition in a race, its clear cut. Now with bodybuilding, you are being judged on the way you look by a panel of judges. These judges may all be thinking different things about the same physique. For example if I think someone is very good looking it doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way, you may think that person is ugly. So how do you fairly judge a bodybuilding competition ?? there is no clear cut definition like in other sports which I have mentioned above. 2 bodybuilders standing next to each other, same weight and size, how would you decide who wins ? its in the eyes of the judge as to what they think looks better. In football, a goal is a goal regardless of where you take the shot from. Powerlifting/strongman competitions, you either lift a particular weight or you cant. Unless bodybuilding can be judged fairly across the board, I feel it cannot be a sport. Well that's my first post, hopefully i'll be posting regulary from now on.

BillyTheHorse

 

[smootheavy]

Powerlifting is a sport. Bodybuilding is a sport.
Archery is a sport. Some fishing/hunting is sport.

But here's a question....are bodybuilders athletes?

I have a friend who is a "C.S.C.S." and claims that bodybuilders cannot be considered athletes because they don't have the 4 staples of athletics.

The "4 staples of athletics" (according to him) are:
1 Strength
2 Endurance
3 Speed
4 Agility

....or something like that. I should have it memorized by now cause he flaunts it so much.

He likes to target me cause I like bodybuilding.

He also says bodybuilding isn't a sport, its more like a beauty pageant.

I suppose its how you look at it. Bodybuilding is definately a pageant (physique competition). But I always considered it a sport.

Either way, I think its just too underground for mainstream sports folk to enjoy.

Sounds like you friend has a big Ego. How about this? Bodybuilding does require
1 Strength
2 Endurance
3 Speed
4 Agility

It is all perspective. So therefore based on his logic, it has to be a sport.

 

[Gutz4glory]

Well to me Powerlifting yes, bodybuilding no. I guess it all depends on how you look at it every sport uses diet, nutrition, rest, and strength training along with many other techniques although its not considered as part of the sport for example football its just training. So if you consider the training as part of the sport the yes IMO if not its a pageant. To me anyways the actual art of competitive bodybuilding is like an extreme pageant no disrespect intended that's just how I see it. I do enjoy it and give the utmost respect to the competitors for their hard work and dedication posing onstage is just not a sport to me but I grew up playing traditional sports so maybe I am a little bias.

 

[SisyphusRocks]

The other day I saw a Gatorade comercial and it bothered me because they showed all these sports such as: skateboarding, football, basketball, olympics, etc but not one shot of a bodybuilder or powerlifter. Now I will not consider my self a bodybuilder like most of you guys but I do work hard with diet, nutrition and weight lifting although I never plan on a competition.

Without getting too far off topic I would say you should consider
the demographic target of those commercial - probably teens.
A lot of people that I know that lift started in high school for other
sports (football) but it took a couple of years to see the results and
continued after they were finished with football just because they liked
lifting weights.