I know body building was around well before the 1970s, but I think that's when it came closest to hitting mainstream - a craze that continued well into the '80s. Lou Ferrigno was big back then - mainly for his role on The Incredible Hulk, but he was in a lot of magazines and popped up on TV a lot (like in The Fall Guy and even Mister Rogers).
Of course it was Schwarzenegger who is most responsible for bringing bodybuilding to masses. Pumping Iron was a pretty successful movie, and he also found his way into many a cameo and magazine article - well before he became Conan or the Terminator. Schwarzenegger has been very frank about his steroid use back then, but it wasn't illegal and pretty much every bodybuilder was using them.
I think the "sport" went nuts in the 1980's. Looking at the magazine covers, you can see it digressing from the very fit looking barrel chested Schwarzenegger in the late seventies to the late eighties and the guys (and now girls!) look downright scary: throbbing, sinewy, and lathered in oil. It had gone from being cool to kinda' creepy.
Well, sit back and enjoy a selection of muscle and fitness magazines from yesteryear. I'm not a huge fan of bodybuilding and don't know a whole lot about it, but it sure is interesting (and oftentimes amusing) looking at these covers. Common thread through most of these: hot women and ripped shirtless dudes. Sounds like a recipe for greatness to me - let's have a look.
