Bodybuilding: Sport or Show?

What is it about?

The paper "Is Bodybuilding a Sport?" by Adrian Kind and Eric R. Helms explores a longstanding debate about whether competitive bodybuilding qualifies as a sport or is better classified as an art form. For years, people have debated whether bodybuilding is truly a sport or just a type of artistic performance. Bodybuilding competitions involve athletes being judged on how their muscles look—things like size, symmetry, and definition—while performing poses. Some argue that this focus on appearance makes bodybuilding more like an art show than a sport. This paper dives into the debate and argues that bodybuilding is a sport. The authors critique a previous argument by philosopher István Aranyosi, who claims bodybuilding isn’t a sport because it fails three key tests: It doesn’t require "physical skill"—only good genetics and muscle-building. It’s not "active" since posing is a static act, not a dynamic activity like running or swimming. The judging doesn’t focus on skillful execution but on the end result of the athlete’s appearance. Kind and Helms refute these points, arguing that: Posing requires physical skill. Learning to pose involves years of practice, coordination, and muscle control. It’s as much a skill as gymnastics or figure skating. Posing is active. Holding poses on stage requires significant physical exertion and endurance, comparable to other static sports like gymnastics' "iron cross" or weightlifting. Judging does involve skill. In competitive bodybuilding, athletes are scored on how well they display their physique, including their ability to execute poses effectively and artistically. The authors also tackle a second argument from Aranyosi, which places activities like bodybuilding on a spectrum between sports and arts. He suggests bodybuilding leans more toward art because it focuses on aesthetics rather than physical performance. Kind and Helms counter this by showing that even widely accepted sports, such as gymnastics or rhythmic gymnastics, involve artistic and aesthetic elements. By this logic, bodybuilding fits just as well within the definition of a sport.

Featured Image

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This discussion is important because it helps clarify what counts as a sport and why. If bodybuilding meets the same standards as other judged sports like gymnastics or figure skating, it deserves recognition as a sport. This has implications for how bodybuilding is perceived in culture, including its inclusion in organizations like the Olympics.

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