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    Default Why the Classic Physique Will Never Die

    You will always need the different classes. I think this allows more to get involved and helps keep the sport growing!




    In recent news the NPC (National Physique Committee) added a brand new class to their mountain of physique judging criteria. This new class is entitled 'Classic Physique'. The class is meant to have a judging panel who will judge to display of the human form upon a more timeless physique, as opposed to the monstrous physiques we see so often in the limelight. I find it interesting that the cry for the classic form has been so well heard that even the NPC, quite possible one of the biggest committees on the planet in terms of bodybuilding, was willing to add another class to their competitions. I think this news speaks to something greater than simply an outcry for less bulk and more form. The thing about the classic physique is that it inherently holds something that modern, pharmacological bodybuilding hasn't been able to fulfill since the 'classic' days, i.e. authentic, timeless beauty.
    Another article I read recently entitled Self-Sculpture: Is Bodybuilding an Art? challenged it's reader to look at bodybuilding as much more than a vain, incoherent past time and see the inner-workings of what might really be going on. The question of, is bodybuilding an art, most certainly can be a narrative that most are either unable or unwilling to enter. However, I might challenge those who have an appreciation for art to take a step back and think about what the body is. The body, in its form and matter, is the most beautiful aspect of all of creation. St. Thomas Aquinas would argue that true art is that which leads us closer to our ultimate identity, which we Christians would say is a life in the love and person of God. As Imago Dei, we are given the profound opportunity to have something rare, something no other creature on this earth shares. Aquinas would argue that true art would require a certain amount of transcendency to be considered good, and when it comes to the body, this means form in it's most natural sense. In other words, the more we disfigure that which is already made in the image of the divine, the less transcendent it becomes and therefore the less it ought to be considered good and beautiful. In a certain sense, possibly the most important sense, beauty is indeed objective.
    The classic physique is that which aims to proportionate the human form unto it's utmost qualities. The body contains the ability to reach a look which is symmetrical, proportional and subjectively defined. When doing this each body is able to bring that which makes it unique but can then be judged under the light of the objective sense of beauty. I want to make the argument that the reason the classic physique will never die is precisely because it is timeless and it is timeless because it is authentically beautiful. Many look to the era of the 60's to say classic physique, such as Arnold and Zane, and while I do say that Zane would indeed fall under the classic physique, unfortunately drugs were used to attain it. However, if we go back to the days of Reeves, Eiferman, Ross, Colbert, and the like, we see a continuation of something that goes as far back as ancient Greece. In other words, the classic physique is a 3,000 year old tradition and isn't going anywhere. The transcendency of beauty cannot be wiped away in 40 years with the introduction of drugs into the sport, neither can the monstrous physiques we see today fulfill that desire within us to see something which draws us into a deeper sense of who we truly are.
    The introduction of other fitness regimens, such as crossfit, which express the desire for function is yet another reason why this ideal classic form will forever be a desire. Within the confines of the classic physique you have an individual that is still athletic, still can fit in regular clothes, yet has a body which shows discipline in all matters of training and diet. It doesn't put function over form nor form over function, rather it accepts the fact that one ought to lead to the other and the lifestyle choices of health only add to the incredible benefits of attaining a truly timeless body.





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    That's the class I'm going to go for when I compete.

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    Quote Originally Posted by LeatherHead View Post
    That's the class I'm going to go for when I compete.

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    Good luck!
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    It really is a great add and I will be shooting for my pro card in it at the end of August. Without it us tall guys had an almost impossible chore under the old system.
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