Like other sports, bodybuilding too had several eras. The period from 1940 to the 1960s is considered the silver age. Anyone who has looked into bodybuilding history on internet forums and social media has definitely seen phrases like the bronze, silver, and golden eras being bandied around.
So, what do these phrases even mean? Is the silver age merely a time on the twentieth-century calendar? Far from it. These periods marked a significant transition in the evolution of bodybuilding, with the silver era being particularly transformational.
While many people are obsessed with the golden age and bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the silver era may not receive the recognition it deserves. This period established the groundwork for all that 70s bodybuilders contributed to.
What Distinguished the Silver Period of Bodybuilding?
While bodybuilding became popular during the Bronze Age, the majority of bodybuilders at the time were powerful men. The man who inspired the Mr. Olympia trophy, Eugine Sandow, is regarded as the father of bodybuilding. While he and other bronze-era bodybuilders created powerful and attractive physiques, it was the silver-era bodybuilders who demonstrated what was possible.
The Rise of Bodybuilding in America
During these three decades, America emerged as the world’s bodybuilding capital, with California dominating the scene. The world-famous muscle beach debuted in 1934, and the inaugural Mr. USA event took place in 1949. Gyms began to open across America, and fitness became a cultural norm. Competitions also encouraged silver-era bodybuilders to improve on their bronze-era colleagues.
The Influence of Bodybuilding Magazines
Bodybuilding periodicals were very prominent during this time period. While we could find our favourite fitness influencer by clicking on Instagram on our smartphones, magazines were the only medium that allowed people to look at pictures of men in their pursuit of the perfect physique.
This was the peak of Muscle Power, Muscle Builder (as opposed to Muscle & Fitness), and Iron Man publications. However, these were not the only firsts of the era.
The Era of Firsts
From Mr. USA to Mr. Universe to Mr. Olympia, all of the major bodybuilding competitions began during the silver era. With these competitions emerged governing bodies. The National Amateur Body-Builders’ Association (NABBA) was created in 1948. Then there emerged the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB), which has grown to become the largest bodybuilding federation today.
The Evolution of Aesthetics and Training
While these are the most critical firsts that propelled bodybuilding into a sport, something else occurred as well. Bodybuilders elevated their physiques. Unlike their bronze-era contemporaries, silver-era bodybuilders worked every muscle group to achieve unprecedented beauty and symmetry.
Advancements in Training and Nutrition
Aside from adopting diet advancements to gain lean muscle, they prioritised chest development and larger, more symmetrical legs. The silver-era bodybuilders were the first to demonstrate the highly sought-after v-taper on bodybuilding. However, a few aesthetic bodybuilders rose to prominence as the era’s poster children.
The Bodybuilding Icons Who Characterised the Era
John Grimek, a two-time Mr. America, emerged as the 1940s’ bodybuilding superstar. Grimek brought muscularity, symmetry, and aesthetics to the table, and in 1948, he won the most prestigious award of his era, Mr. Universe. The champion was also an excellent sport ambassador, raising awareness about health issues beyond aesthetics.
Steve Reeves: Poster Boy of the Silver Age
However, the most recognisable silver-era bodybuilder was Steve Reeves, the first live-action Hercules. With his Hollywood hero looks and outstanding aesthetics, Reeves is best known as the poster boy of the silver age. Reeves also won the bodybuilding triple of his era: 1947 Mr. America, 1948 Mr. World, and 1950 Mr. Universe. After bodybuilding, he pursued acting.
Legacy and Influence on Future Legends
Reeves was not just a period figure, but also an inspiration to bodybuilders like as Reg Park, his successor, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, seven-time Mr Olympia. “I still think that Steve Reeves was the greatest bodybuilder of all time because of the kind of beauty he had and the body and all that stuff,” Schwarzenegger remarked of Reeves in 2022.
Reg Park and the End of the Natural Era
Reg Park was another legend of the day. After winning Mr. Britain in 1949, the English bodybuilder won the prestigious Mr. Universe three times consecutively.
Like his predecessor Reeves, Park too transitioned to acting and ended up portraying Hercules on movie. However, among the flood of positives, the end of the era may have signalled the end of natural bodybuilding.
