The Evolution Of Bodybuilding Posing Trunks

The Old School style of bodybuilding from the 1970’s era, commonly called the “Golden Age” of physique, featured intense rivalries with even more intense training regimens. Over time, the demands placed upon bodybuilders by the judges has evolved the nature of the sport, and its attire: bodybuilding posing trunks.

Now there are a number of options available to those wishing to compete with physique, and ideal trunk choice largely depends on the division of competition. An athlete competing for Mr. Olympia will choose a posing thong, while the new division of classic physique athlete’s wear small, spandex-style, shorts. This wide variation in trunks of choice is influenced by a number of factors, but is primarily the direct result of evolving judgement criteria.

A Brief History

Bodybuilding was almost entirely unknown to most of the population until the mid-seventies, when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film Pumping Iron opened the eyes of the world to the inner workings of the longstanding underground sport. Long before Arnold, Eugen Sandow brought the sport it’s first level of fame around the turn of 20th century. He sought to model himself after the Ancient Greek & Roman standard of the perfect physique, which was commonly embodied in statues featuring the famously well-placed fig leaf. Sandow often posed in trunks or used his own well-placed leaf to recreate statuesque poses.

There is a long gap before the next big jump in bodybuilding, by the 60’s and 70’s most of the athletes wore tight, speedo-like posing trunks. This standard lasted in bodybuilding for quite a while, and is still worn in some fashion by competitors today. In the most extreme levels of bodybuilding, the trunks were phased out for their lack of ability to show off rock-solid glutes. Enter the posing thong.

Physique Competition, Now Divisional

As the sport continued to gain notoriety in the wake of the “Golden Age” Arnold brought in, there became a growing need for differences in competition. Not everyone wanted to bulk up to the extreme levels of top competitors, and soon events appeared that had a little more flexibility in what was highlighted. All the while, those at the forefront of packing on muscle continued to get more and more enormous, and soon even glutes were expected to be massive. Due to the judge’s increased attention on glutes, the posing thong became the new standard for extreme bodybuilding competition. This trunk reduction acted as further deterrent for those entering the sport to pursue extreme bodybuilding, and the divisional divides in the sport began to grow even more rapidly.

Now we are in a time when there are multiple levels of competition within divisions featuring vastly different judging criteria, posing trunks, and, of course, athletes. The sport is now varied enough to welcome many body types, physique enthusiasts, and muscular levels ranging from amateur all the way to professional. These numerous levels of competition feature vastly different posing trunks, which really allow for competitors to personalize their stage persona.