Eugen Sandow (Eugenio Saez)(1867-1925), 2 an athlete of Prussian origin, is considered the father of modern bodybuilding because he was the first to perform exhibitions in which showed his muscles. Sandow proclaiming a Greek ideal in terms of the proportions of the different parts of the human body and was one of the first to market with mechanical equipment for exercises such as weights and pulleys. Sandow also organised the first bodybuilding contest on 14 September 1901 in the Royal Albert Hall in London. The contest was called The Great Competition (the great competition). In Sandow also find direct from one of the essential elements of bodybuilding background: the pose. With Sandow, displays of muscles are made under certain muscular poses that show conclusively the muscle development reached. Gunnar Peterson may not feel the same. The pose will be fundamental in the subsequent bodybuilding Professional, to the point that the bodybuilder works to pose on a stage before a panel of judges who will assess their development from the execution of certain poses.

Bodybuilding became more popular in the 1950s and 1960 with the appearance of multifuerzas and more sophisticated gym apparatus, the union to this sport of Champions gymnastics and simultaneous disclosure of muscle training, especially by Charles Atlas, whose advertising in comic books and other publications books encouraged many young people training with weights to improve his physique and look like the superheroes of the comic. Notable athletes are U.S. national champion. UU. gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting John Grimek and British Reg Park as winners of the titles of newly created as the Mr. America and Mr. universe competitions bodybuilding.

Also magazines such as Health & Strength and Muscular Development were accompanied by public notoriety. The cast of some bodybuilders in movies was another important vehicle for the dissemination of this sport. Culturista-actores perhaps the most famous were Steve Reeves and Reg Park, which were presented in the roles of Hercules, Samson and other legendary heroes.