Pro natural bodybuilder believes the state of bodybuilding is in a sad state right now.
Brandon Wadas, a professional natural bodybuilder, believes that the competition for bodybuilding is so enhanced that’s it’s causing many bodybuilders to die. Drug abuse is leading to deaths piling on top of each other in the sport. However, the evolution of bodybuilding is morphing positively with the awakening of natural bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding History
Bodybuilding in its simplest form is the pursuit to build your most compelling physique possible. It’s been around since early mankind. The ancient Egyptians and Greek societies would use stones to build strength and muscle. It traces back to as early as the 16th century in India where weight training became common using Nals – stone dumbbell weights.
Although bodybuilding has been around from our primitive days, the sport of bodybuilding can be traced back earnestly to the 19th century. For those who have been following bodybuilding since the dawn of time, you may remember Eugen Sandow, whom the Mr. Olympia statue is modeled on, from the 1890s.
Although bodybuilding began as an innocent way to develop the human body to its full potential, drug abuse has become problematic in the sport over the last century.
Drug Use in Bodybuilding
The competitive nature of the sport and the quest to be the best has made drug use common in bodybuilding. The deaths of many renowned faces, including George Peterson, Shawn Rhoden, and Rich Piana, from drug abuse, are coming to light.
To compete at the top level of IFBB, you need to be the most humongous and ripped as possible. The physiques of top competitors require more than the human body is capable of naturally. This is leading top bodybuilding athletes to abuse drugs. (1) Unfortunately, many competitors have died during peak week or have been rushed to the hospital from severe dehydration.
Is there a way to prevent this unfortunate ultimatum?
The Rise of Natural Bodybuilding
That’s where natural bodybuilding swoops in. Natural bodybuilding hasn’t been around quite as long as original bodybuilding. However, its popularity is growing and it’s a promising progression of the sport.
The earliest natural bodybuilding show dates back to 1977 when The Hercules Aphrodites took place, with Karl Marshall coming out on top. In 1990 Denny Kakos founded PNBA (Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association) and further expanded it to INBA (International Natural Bodybuilding Association) in 1994. It hasn’t grown nearly as much as the IFBB since it’s not as glamorous.
The PNBA/INBA organization looks out for its athletes and levels the playing field of competition by requiring all bodybuilders competing to undergo drug testing from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – the pinnacle of drug testing for professional sports.
Final Word
Drug abuse is putting many athletes’ lives at risk in bodybuilding. Natural bodybuilding is growing, and it supports natural competitors, which makes competing just and safe for bodybuilders.
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References
1. Sepehri, G., Mousavi Fard, M., & Sepehri, E. (2009). Frequency of Anabolic Steroids Abuse in Bodybuilder Athletes in Kerman City†This article has been published in the Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in Persian language. Addiction & health, 1(1), 25–29.