Venice Beach, California is home to Muscle Beach, the exclusive Santa Monica location of the birthplace of the physical fitness boom in the United States during the 20th century. Muscle Beach Venice is the contemporary title of the outdoor weightlifting platform constructed in Venice, California, a distinct neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, 18 years after Muscle Beach was established.
Can you tell which one is me?
Every year on the 4th of July, Muscle Beach holds a Mr. Muscle Beach and Ms. Muscle Beach Contest. Sooooo, let’s look at some muscles!
Muscle Beach
The folks who run the competition must think that we all know the players and the rules, because there is no flyer telling who is on stage and what we should be looking for. Therefore, we will provide our own descriptions.
Flying Solo
The body builders have the opportunity to show off their physique in a way that best suits their personality or their muscles.
He would win the Mr. Striptease contest, for sure.
This happy fellow gives us a little show by stripping off his shorts. Unfortunately, that’s where he stops. But, always the showman, he wears a watch to help us remember that time is money.
Smile!
Most of the contestants smile while posing. We don’t know if this is a requirement of a nice-to-have. This fellow is one of the few performers whose smile looks natural, as if he is always happy.
The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Despite he hair transplant, 42’s vein-popping body inspires us to cut down on our cholesterol. Note that this is just a pose; he can walk upright like the rest of us.
We know that his muscles are well-oxygenated.
We look at this well-formed specimen and think, “We he gives a blood sample, the lab technician probably shakes with anticipation, thinking of all the many blood-drawing opportunities.”
And in a lighter vein….
Number 138 shows us that a body builder can build a body and NOT have veins that look like they are about to explode. And that it’s okay for men to wear thumb rings.
The Atlas pose.
I don’t know if this is really called “the Atlas pose”, but that’s what I call it. Named not after Angelo Siciliano, but after the Titan who was condemned to hold up the celestial heavens or sky for eternity after the Titanomachy.
Yes, this article features many galleries of builders for your added enjoyment.
Aside from That
The body builders work on all parts of their body. They grace us with side views of the magnificence.
A Māori Haka wannabe.
These are the muscles you need when someone asked you, “Which way to the beach?”
I didn’t even know you could build up that muscle.
This is one of the best external abdominal oblique muscle development we’ve ever seen. Thus guy has skills.
Pretty boys all in a row.
Here we see a multitude of body builders displaying their sidewards attributes, doing their best to smile and make it look easy. The girl in pink is unimpressed.
If you like body builder’s sides, check out this gallery!
Ah’ll be Bock
According to the internet, “the back has a total of 40 muscles. There are 20 muscle pairs, one on each side of the body. Depending on how the muscles are counted, the total number may vary.” Let’s take a look.
Yup, I can see all 40 of them.
With some of these muscles, I find myself thinking, “How can he locate them so that he can develop them? I mean, he can’t even seem them.”
A back for all seasons.
Although each athlete is developed differently, you can appreciate the work that goes into crafting your body thusly. And if you like muscly backs, well…..yum. On the other hand, the girl in pink finally sees something she likes.
Baby got back.
Apparently, it’s also important to hyperextend your lower back and stick your butt out to get maximum backage. And you can see how wearing light-colored trunks can sometimes draw unwanted attention….
Relax, guys.
As the performers leave the stage, we can see that their backs, unflexed, look better than most people’s back EVER look.
Back to basics.
Back to basics.
We are sitting in the bleachers, watching the performance and minding our own business, when this girl sits directly in front of us. So, we can add her back to our section on backs. ?
Come back for more!
Duos
The body builders present themselves solo, in groups, and in duos. We don’t know the rules, but we suppose this helps us compare and contrast the muscles.
They would feel at home in Notre-Dame.
Here is a good example of the way that biceps differ. One arm’s bicep is a fairly distinct lump, while the other bicep is more a part of the entire arm musculature.
Squeeze!
Having shiny, hairless, tattoo-less skin is a plus for a body builders. Remember, it’s not about presentation. A body builder does not want to distract from those magnificent muscles.
These guys could almost be twins.
Which body builder has the natural smile. Look closely….it’s the guy watching from behind the stage! That’s what the performers aspire to do, but it seems to be very, very difficult.
Please enjoy these other duos displaying for you.
Chorus Line
We don’t know what to call it when the performers line up to display their virtues, so we are calling it a chorus line because, why not?
Flex! But don’t look like you are flexing. Flex casual.
Standing straight seems to be a particularly difficult pose for body builders. They must both stretch to show their size and flex to show their muscle development. Notice the gentleman in the black shirt on the left: we have no idea why a place like this needs a bouncer.
Here we see the models in various trunk styles.
You might think that the performers costumes (trunks) would be standard issue, and you’d be wrong. Some trunks highlight the length of the leg, while other highlight the width of the pelvis. And what is the story with that guy wearing sunglasses? (1) Is that even allowed? (2) Smile, dude!
Check out these abs!
These fellows are good examples of the natural variation in abdominal muscle development and presentation. Some abdomens are flat and seamless, while others are lumpy. Development of the external oblique muscles seems to be a hindrance in this case, don’t you agree?
We have lots and lots of chorus line photographs for you to enjoy!
Funny Guy
If they gave an award for Mr. Congeniality, this fellow would take that prize.
Yes, there are two body builders in this photograph.
We don’t know how they pair-up body builders for these performances; like we said, the organizers provide no information to the audience. But the fellow on the left had a good attitude about it, saying with a smile, “Why am I always on stage with this guy?”
Flex!
The front double biceps pose shows off arm musculature, especially biceps size and peak. This pose also conveys forearm size, front lat width, quadriceps size and definition, and front calf musculature.
Mr. Muscle finally smiles!
The front lat spread allows the performer to display lat width from the front, chest thickness, shoulder width, front arm and forearm size, quadriceps mass and separation, and calf development from the front.
They could be twins, right?
The side chest is a pose that displays chest size and thickness from either side. In addition to the chest, this pose also displays shoulder, arm, and forearm size from the side, along with thigh separation and calf development, both again from the side.
I think Mr. Muscle is checking out the gluteus maximus in the billboard.
The rear double biceps pose shows off arm size and separation from the rear, particularly biceps mass and peak. This pose also shows off the thickness and definition of back muscles, including trapezius, infraspinatus, teres major, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae. Furthermore, the rear double biceps conveys glute and hamstrings development and separation, along with rear calf size.
Question: why do they look so dirty?
The “most muscular” pose displays overall muscularity from the front, including the mass and definition of upper trapezius, shoulders, chest, arms, forearms, abs, quadriceps, and calves.
Dude, do you even work out?
As Mr. Muscle continues to dominate the stage, Mr. Congeniality, in a show of good sportsmanship, concedes defeat. Or he is laughing at how weird this guy looks all flexed. Either way, we are indeed entertained.
The Winner
If you are lucky enough to be born with a symmetrical body and proportional limbs, and you have the time, money, and desire to live at the gym, you might eventually win a body builder competition.
Chillin’.
This is what he looks like before he flexes.
He makes it look easy.
I don’t think he’s flexing yet. I think he just impatient, and this is his “Can we get on with it?, I’m bored,” look.
Not bad….
Compare this photograph to the first photograph of this fellow to get a better idea of just how impressive this front lat spread really is.
Hulk smash!
Notice that, despite the strain of flexing, his face is relaxed. That’s how you become a champion.
All that glitters is silver.
Notice that some of the performers have veins popping on top of their veins, while others have very smooth skin. We don’t know why. Meanwhile, a woman can barely stay awake….
Compare and contrast.
When two body builders flex, it’s easier to have an appreciation of the differences in muscle development and muscle presentation.
“Is that the best you can do, girly man?”
Here’s a tip for those sitting in the audience: If you must open your umbrella, DON’T!
The winner!
We are sitting next to a group of people who loudly cheer for this fellow every time he is on stage. I ask the man to my left about it, and he tells me that he is his uncle, and the family is here to support him. So when this fellow is awarded the Grand Prize, he thanks the audience, and then starts crying like a little girl. Well, I was about to call him out on that and show him for the effeminate sissy-boy that he is, but, in deference to his family, I kept my mouth shut.
Plus, he could have crushed me like a bug.
If you enjoy big, muscular guys, you will enjoy this gallery.
Ms. Muscle Beach
This event features female body builders, although they do not seem to share the same dedication to lifting weights as do the male body builders. It seems to be more of a beauty contest. But, what do we know….
These performers sport tattoos and after-market accessories.
This appears to be the front lat spread, showing, among other things, the width of the chest.
They seem to have issues balancing.
The side chest is a pose that displays chest size and thickness.
At least the audience is finally paying attention.
Note that these body builders display a wider variety of costuming than do the male body builders.
These athletes are taller than the other ones.
We are not sure what division this body builders are in, but you will notice that they are not wearing platform shoes (as contrasted with the contestants above). This means something…..
Notice that the audience is suddenly taking photographs. Well, they know what they like.
One of these things is not like the others…
The photographers have suddenly lost interest. ? And, if you are body-aware, you will notice that the contestant with short hair is the only one not hyper-extending her back to artificially suggest a larger gluteus maximus.
Okay…..
We aren’t really sure what is happening. No one is flexing anything.
There is a lot about this sport that we don’t understand, that’s for sure.
If you like legs…
We don’t know if they have a category for “longest legs”, but they should.
Why is there only one guy paying attention?
Just another view of these legs for you to enjoy.
Bye bye!
If you enjoy muscles and are in southern California, stop by and visit Muscle Beach. Even if there is no competition, you’re likely to find plenty of muscles!