Eugen Sandow

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Eugen Sandow

Born Friederich Wilhelm Müller
April 2, 1867 (1867-04-02)
Königsberg, Prussia
Died October 14, 1925 (aged 58)
London
Burial place Putney Vale
Known for Bodybuilding

Eugen Sandow (April 2, 1867 – October 14, 1925), born Friederich Wilhelm Müller, was a pioneering bodybuilder of the Victorian era and is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding".

Contents

[edit] Early life

Sandow was born in Königsberg, Prussia in 1867, in what is today Kaliningrad, Russia. He became a great admirer of Greek and Roman statues of gladiators and mythical heroes when his father took him to Italy as a boy.

[edit] Career

By the time he was 19, Sandow was already performing strongman stunts in side shows. The legendary Florenz Ziegfeld saw the young strongman and hired him for his carnival show. He soon found that the audience was far more fascinated by Sandow's bulging muscles than by the amount of weight he was lifting, so Ziegfeld had Sandow perform poses which he dubbed "muscle display performances"... and the legendary strongman added these displays in addition to performing his feats of strength with barbells. He also added chain-around-the-chest breaking and other colorful displays to Sandow's routine. Sandow quickly became a sensation and Ziegfeld's first star.

[edit] Motion pictures

In 1894, Sandow featured in a short film by the Edison Studios.[1] The film was of only part of the show and features him flexing his muscles rather than performing any feats of physical strength. While the content of the film reflects the audience attention being primarily focused on his appearance it also made use of the unique capacities of the new medium. Film theorists have attributed the appeal being the striking image of a detailed image moving in synchrony, much like the example of the Lumière brothers' Repas de bébé where audiences were reportedly more impressed by the movement of trees swaying in the background than the events taking place in the foreground.

The Grecian Ideal: physique built to exact proportions of classic Greek and Roman sculptures. In this photo, Sandow portrays "The Dying Gaul," a pose taken from an ancient Roman Sculpture.
The Grecian Ideal: physique built to exact proportions of classic Greek and Roman sculptures. In this photo, Sandow portrays "The Dying Gaul," a pose taken from an ancient Roman Sculpture.

Sandow's resemblance to the physiques found on classic Greek and Roman sculpture was no accident. He actually measured the marble artworks in museums and helped to develop "The Grecian Ideal" as a formula for the "perfect physique." He built his physique to those exact proportions. Because of this, he is considered to be the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding," having been one of the first athletes to intentionally develop his musculature to pre-determined dimensions. Eugen Sandow in his book Strength and How to Obtain It stated that you should lift for ten reps any weight up to 80 pounds,from 80 to 100 pounds you should lift the weight for 6 reps,100 pounds and over should be lifted for 3 reps.The exercises he used to build his physique can be found in his book Sandow's System of Physical Training.

Sandow performed all over Europe, and went to America to perform at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He could be seen in a black velvet-lined box with his body covered in white powder to appear even more like a marble statue come to life. In 1894, he appeared in a short Kinetoscope film that was part of the first commercial motion picture exhibition in history. His popularity grew, due to his cultured appearance, high intelligence, and well-mannered disposition. He also dressed very well and had a charming European accent, coupled with deep blue eyes and hearty laugh. He wrote several books on bodybuilding, nutrition and encouraged a "healthy" lifestyle as being as important as having a sound mind.

He was married to Blanche Brooks Sandow and had two daughters. He was constantly in the company of other women who actually paid money to feel his flexed muscles back stage after his stage performances. He also had a close relationship to a male musician and composer he hired to accompany him during his shows. The man was Martinus Sieveking, a handsome pupil of Sandow whom he featured in his book Sandow's System of Physical Training. The degree of their relationship has never been determined, but they lived together in New York for a time. It is clear Blanche was jealous of his relationships.

The SandowLithograph - 1894Library of Congress Collection
The Sandow
Lithograph - 1894
Library of Congress Collection

Sandow authored five books: Sandow's System of Physical Training, Strength and How To Obtain It, Body-Building, Strength and Health, Life is Movement,and The Construction and Reconstruction of the Human Body (all of which can be found in the external link Eugen Sandow and the Golden Age of Ironmen). He was also a businessman. He owned a mail-order physical instruction and exercise equipment business and was the inventor of a unique spring-loaded dumbbell and a weighted rubber band resistance training system. His fame was instrumental in popularising home training equipment. He also produced Sandow Cigars, Sandow's Health & Strength Cocoa and Sandow, a magazine devoted to physical culture. He opened a Physical Culture Studio in London, one of the first health clubs to contrast starkly with the 'sweaty' gymnasiums that had already existed, and made exercise fashionable for all classes. Once having conquered Europe, he set out to conquer the world with his ideas of health for all through bodybuilding.

Sandow organized the first ever bodybuilding contest on September 14, 1901 called the "Great Competition" and held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Judged by himself, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the contest was a huge success and was a sell-out with hundreds of fans turned away.

He was befriended by the likes of King George V of the United Kingdom, Thomas Edison and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was portrayed by the actor Nat Pendleton in the film The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

[edit] Death

He died in London on October 14, 1925.[2] A "cover story" was released that Sandow died prematurely at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud. The actual cause of death was more likely the painful complications from syphilis.[3] He was buried in an unmarked grave at the request of his wife, Blanche (who never divorced him) is buried at Putney Vale Cemetery near London. In 2002, a gravestone and black marble plaque was added by Sandow admirer and author Thomas Manly. The inscription (in gold letters) reads Eugen Sandow, 1867-1925 the Father of bodybuilding. In 2008 the grave was bought by Chris Davies who is Sandow's Great Great Grandson. The gravestone placed there by Thomas Manly has been removed and replaced with another one.

[edit] Legacy

As recognition of his contribution to the sport of bodybuilding, a bronze statue of Sandow sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy has been presented to the Mr Olympia winner since 1977. This statue is simply known as "The Sandow".

A biography Sandow the Magnificent - Eugen Sandow and the Beginnings of Bodybuilding was written by David L. Chapman in 1994. In 2002 a novel For The Love Of Eugen was published by author Thomas Manly which is a ghost story featuring Sandow as the leading character.

[edit] Books authored

  • Sandow's System of Physical Training
  • Sandow, Eugen (1897). Strength and How To Obtain It.. 
  • Body-Building
  • Strength and Health,
  • Life is Movement
  • The Construction and Reconstruction of the Human Body\

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Sandow is said to have made the bent press move popular. His record is said to have been 271lbs [1]. He is often depicted doing this technique (see "The Sandow - Lithograph 1894" above), which is considered the best one in the "one hand, anyhow" class in strongmen competitions.
  • The "Tooltime" set of the television show "Home Improvement" (1991 - 1999) featured a photograph of Sandow hanging on the left wall. It is often visible in episodes of the TV show.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Souvenir Strip of the Edison Kinetoscope. Film Threat. Retrieved on 2008-04-20. “The film began with Sandow holding his hands behind his head, enabling a conspicuous bit of bicep flexing and abs display. (Speaking of display, Sandow’s posing shorts left very, very little to the imagination.) Sandow then folded his arms across his meaty chest, followed by a modified version of the crab pose that enabled another view of his abs while showing off his forearms. After a quick single bicep pose, Sandow turned around for a lat spread, showing off a ridiculously well-developed back. After a few stretching exercises, Sandow turned back to the camera and repeated his poses.”
  2. ^ "Eugen Sandow.", Hartford Courant, October 15, 1925. Retrieved on 2008-04-20. "Poor boys often make rich men and weak boys become strong men Eugen Sandow, who died yesterday in London, was a physical weakling as a child and yet he became known as "the world's strongest man" and was probably entitled to the honor. ..." 
  3. ^ Tithonus, Pednuad, J.. "Eugen Sandow - Father of Bodybuilding", The Human Marvels. Retrieved on 2008-04-20. "At the time of his death in 1925, a cover story was released stating Sandow died prematurely at age 58 of a stroke shortly after pushing his car out of the mud. The actual cause of death was more likely due to complications from syphilis." 

[edit] Further reading

  • Chapman, David, "Eugen Sandow and the Birth of Bodybuilding", Hardgainer (May 1993)
  • Chapman, David, Sandow the Magnificent: Eugen Sandow and the Beginnings of Bodybuilding (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1994)

[edit] External links

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