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It’s often said that nothing ever changes in bodybuilding. You lift weights, you eat food, and you grow as a result. The same weights and the same steak used by a lifter in 1962 will have the same effect upon the lifter in 2012. So what really changes in bodybuilding? Let’s examine the factors which have changed tremendously in the past 50 years.

Training
There are a variety of training methodologies which are used today which were perhaps not unheard of back in 1962. Pre-exhaust, super-sets, down-the-rack, and other techniques may have been used back then, but they didn’t have the fancy names. Bodybuilders have been creatively hitting their muscle groups for decades and not all that much has trained.

Equipment
A flat bench press in 1962 is the same as a flat bench press today. But the rest of the gym has certainly changed! The use of computers and overall depth of experience has led to the development of many adjustable machines which can target the muscle groups from any angle. Plus, you won’t see fixed incline benches in the gym anymore. Today’s benches can adjust from 9 to 90 degrees, and many offer the decline as well. This replaces a lot of equipment and makes a gym more spacious. Toss in kettlebells, and gyms look way different than they did 50 years ago.

Nutrition
Today’s athletes have a much greater availability of a wide variety of foods that simply weren’t available years ago. More efficient shipping and production methods means people in all parts of the country have access to many choices. Plus, athletes have a much better understanding of how to eat, compared to years past. A can of tuna for breakfast isn’t the normal anymore – now it’s measured portions of fats, carbs and protein. And athletes at all levels of all sports have grown bigger, stronger, and faster as a result.

Supplementation
Protein powder tastes better today than it did 50 years ago, but that’s not all. A huge variety of supplements helping everything from sore joints to increased water retention are now available. The athletes of the 1960s would have loved access to what today’s athletes can purchase in any grocery store!

Steroids
The advancements made in the world of anabolic steroids have been incredible over the past 50 years. Growth hormone, insulin, and IGF-1 have replaced the ‘handful of D-Bol’ used by athletes in years’ past, and the results in terms of changing physiques are undeniable!