Close Menu
    Germany

    The First Bodybuilding Show



    Robert Baraban Chest Expander: https://shop.handgripper.net/chest-expander.html

    Check out Barbell Films
    YT: https://www.youtube.com/@BarbellFilms/
    Insta: https://www.instagram.com/barbellfilms/

    Conor’s website: https://physicalculturestudy.com/

    Old School Bodybuilding playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK7oVKkif-qXRDEob5MKbaT0KEZRe9niu

    In 1901, the world’s first bodybuilding show took place, and it was organised by none other than Eugen Sandow, the father of modern bodybuilding. The competition was attended by 60 competitors, who each had to secure their place through a series of rigorous qualifier competitions, held across Great Britain. In the end, it ended up being a sellout success at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Yet, difficulties faced by Eugen Sandow almost meant that the world’s first bodybuilding show never took place. In this documentary, we take a look at how the competition came to be, from the build up, to the difficulties faced by Sandow, to the night of the event itself. From setting the foundations for competitive bodybuilding, to the birth of the iconic Sandow Trophy, designed in the image of Eugen Sandow, the first bodybuilding show was a highly influential in the history of bodybuilding. Thanks to the name and star status of Eugen Sandow, the event gained attention from audiences worldwide, and put bodybuilding on the map. When looking at the legacy of Eugen Sandow, it’s hard to not see the first bodybuilding show in history as his most impressive accomplishment.

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 – Intro
    01:31 – The Competitors
    02:23 – The Build up
    04:39 – Sandow’s Intentions
    07:13 – The Delays
    10:34 – The Judging Criteria
    12:08 – The Prize
    13:38 – The Attire
    14:46 – The Competition
    18:17 – The Winner
    21:57 – The Impact
    24:33 – The Lives of Murray, Cooper and Smythe
    34:20 – More Thoughts on the Competitors
    36:16 – The Future of Murray’s Trophy
    37:30 – Really the First?

    Share.
    View 41 Comments

    41 Comments

    1. @NattyLifeYT on

      It's such an honour to share this magnificent documentary with you all. The collaboration was made possible by Robert Baraban's chest expanders, the perfect first sponsor for this channel. Robert builds this stuff to a standard which would even make Sandow blush and I have been using my expander daily for several years now. If you buy one, it will last you a lifetime. You can pick up your own expander here: https://shop.handgripper.net/chest-expander.html

    2. @jggrskate94 on

      Would you ever consider making a video about Santiago Ramón y Cajal, spanish scientist, nobel prize winner and also an early times bodybuilder? There might be an interesting story for you to investigate and make another great video! Cheers from Andalusia.

    5. @Muonium1 on

      Scrupulously researched and interesting. A bit of unrelated minutiae – the device on the floor to Sandow's left at 12:09 is a Dowsing 4 bulb "electric fire" manufactured by the Dowsing Radiant Heat Company and produced by inventor Herbert John Dowsing, who performed one of the first public displays of cooking using electricity at the Crystal Palace in 1892. The "sausage" bulbs themselves in the assembly were vacuum carbon filament lamps drawing around 250-330 watts each, and thus blackened rapidly, owing to the composition of the filament, and necessitating frequent replacement. A fact which we can see exemplified by the new, lighter colored bulb in the third position from the left. It was arguably the first practical electric heater in existence.

    9. @salvadorromero9712 on

      I want to see more especialy about my fellow chadlet Mr. A.E. Smythe! I am actually quite surprised that this guy didn't win. He had a very developed upper body but pretty developed legs too. It's hard to tell from this photo but he seems to have the best V taper, with nice lats and abs and everything just very well developed and balanced. Good arms and very nice delts too! Also pretty facially handsome, which I'd imagine would be an important factor at the time. Third place is quite good but at least from these photos I wonder if he suffered from some penalization at the time where perhaps people thought of short stature as a sign of poor health and nourishment? I did notice critics seemed to praise the second place guy just for being tall. If so it's odd to see it at the hands of the very same handsome short dude who originated the explicit return of muscle as an aesthetic pursuit in addition to a functional.

      Anyway I seem to return absolutely nothing in an attempt to Google Mr. Smythe so it would be nice to see as much as possible on him.

    10. @salvadorromero9712 on

      All this war talk had me pondering a couple things. First, from this video it seems the war was winding down enough by 1901 that the competition was not literally and directly competing with it, in the sense that absolutely anyone with a brain would have said, "Young man, if you are such a physical specimen, why on earth are you using your physique to preen with shaved armpits on a stage in London instead of fighting the Boers?" However, the odor of war was still in the air enough to at least have the danger of making the thing look a little frivolous, so that even the shamelessly venal Sandow felt compelled to forgo all his profits. And I wonder to what degree did you at the time see the perpetual genpop opinions of bodybuilding already in tension there, deciding whether it was very masculine or very unmasculine. You can imagine its proponents saying the show did much to promote and celebrate health and bodily strength among young Britons at this crucial time to cultivate the future backbone of the empire. You can also imagine detractors saying this circuslike theme did nothing to encourage productive and manly use of youthful strength, but directed it to frivolity, or whatever. I wonder what evidence there is left to us of various attitudes like this. I think there should be more done to comprehensively track the genpop attitudes toward bodybuilding and even strength training through time.

    13. @stefanosprokopis6974 on

      Instead of having ww1 they should have got all the men that enlisted for war to compete in a body-building contest. The winner would than get to determine the fate of the nation's

    15. @Blondeguylifts on

      Hey @Natty Life, just wanted to say this was a fantastic video! I really appreciate the effort you put into both the editing and the research behind it. A+ work, brother!

    18. @GirolamoZanchi_is_cool on

      For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
      – Romans 3:23

      And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
      -Jeremiah 29:13

      “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
      – John 3:16

      Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.
      — Acts 3:19

      If you’re in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna, Urcna, or a Canrc church
      (These are conservative and actual Reformed/Presbyterian churches)

      If you’re Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC.
      (Different from the Church of Scotland)

      If you’re English I recommend the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England & Wales and the Free Church of England
      (Different from the Church of England)

      Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups, it’ll show you locations

      And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
      —Hebrews 10:24-25

    20. @fitg6251 on

      i have been meaning to comment since you've been back to posting videos again. All I can say is that you do a phenomenal job with your research and presentation of information. I love your channel for that reason! However, to share such an amazingly, well-researched, well put-together video from another channel shows your willingness to share other's phenomenal work and your own love for such topics. This documentary deserves an award, no joke! Thank you!

    29. @nomad6086 on

      Phenomenal documentary! Very well researched! 👍 It's incredible seeing such muscular, aesthetic physiques during a time period where limited equipment existed, and no anabolic steroids or testosterone was available. The top three guys looked fabulous! The Bronze era was such an interesting time period for the infancy of bodybuilding. Watching that documentary was like going back in a time machine.

    36. @lorocator on

      Thanks mate, I'm a 40 year old who only cares about getting strong and healthy naturally, progressively and with no extra pressure to fit any influencer standard in any sense, no fancy clothes, no extras more than good nutrition. This videos help keeping motivation to achieve the stronger, healthier version of myself and if it makes me look good then I take that as a bonus.

    37. @ProductionsFromBeyon on

      My roommate in college works in Sociology of Sport and has always talked highly of Conor. Didn’t expect to see him in this video, but when he popped up I was like “oh, I know of him!”

    39. @petegallows5494 on

      What a fantastic documentary. All I ever knew about this show, was the photograph – the competitors flexing and Sandow, Sir A. C. Doyle..and some other guy as judges. Well done!

    41. @tomsharkey243 on

      Really enjoyed the film, great to have the story the Weiders proprogated told in such detail. I am sure there are many more stories from the era that would make good documentaries. Even though people iften see phyical culture as a bit strange they are still facinated by it

    Leave A Reply