As a sport, bodybuilding goes all the way back to the 12th century in India where we find the first training techniques and bodybuilding specific nutrition. By the 1500s in India, bodybuilding had become a national pastime and people from all over the world had also taken up the practice and used stone and wood to create the first dumbbells, thus giving birth to the crucial component of bodybuilding which is lifting weights.

Among the general public, bodybuilding first became recognized as a widely popular sport for commercial purposes in the late 1800′s with the introduction of strongmen like Eugene Sandow. National and International competitions began taking place by the early 1900′s. Sandow was one of the main figures in the early bodybuilding movement and was known as The Father of Modern Bodybuilding. He consistently pushed his ideas and theories on bodybuilding and fitness to the world through exhibitions, personal appearances and his breakthrough magazine, Physical Culture.

It was the persistent efforts of Sandow that led to the incorporation of weightlifting into the Olympics at the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. In 1904, Sandow was chosen as an honored judge at a major bodybuilding event held at the Royal Albert Hall in London that attracted over 2,000 people to watch.

The sport became even more popular and profitable as a business in the 1920s with newcomers like Charles Atlas coming on the scene. Who doesn’t remember his ads that appeared in magazines, comic books, and newspapers all over the world? Remember, the bully kicking sand in his face? That was the first bodybuilding course I bought back in the mid seventies. The manufacture of dumbbells and barbells started gaining momentum all over the world and new innovations in training, dieting, and exercise equipment were coming out more every year.

Bodybuilding developed a cult following from the forties to the seventies with movies like Hercules featuring the incredible Steve Reeves, as well as the popular Tarzan series of movies that was played by many different bodybuilding actors. Some of the notables of this time period were Joe Gold, the founder of Gold’s Gym and World Gym franchises, Harold Zinkin, Two time Mr. America John Grimek, and Great Britain’s Reg Park. Bodybuilding was now beginning to set itself apart from weightlifting and became even more popular. The early seventies saw the introduction of a young bodybuilder who would become a pop icon and a household name all over the world, Arnold Schwarzenegger who used his superb talent and charisma along with a never before seen physique to become the best developed man in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about trophies and Sports Trophies at http://www.shop4trophies.com

Even the most loving and supporting parents can become frustrated from time to time. Probably the biggest concerns that I hear from parents seems to be the amount of playing time that their child is receiving or that their child is not utilized enough in the actual scheme of things. Whether your concern is playing time, or some other issue, here is a prospective from a coach’s point of view that may help you to better understand how to deal with a problem whenever one arises.

First off, you need to understand that football is a team sport and individual recognition is not the objective. Secondly, people do not choose the coaching profession for the money. To be honest, most coaches are not paid at all and this includes coaches at the high school and college level. So when the pay is minimal or nonexistent, why does someone choose to be a coach? It is for the love of your child with the hopes that as coaches, we can have a positive impact and help instill character traits that will help make your child successful in life. Coaches and parents do have one major objective in common, and that’s the well being of the student athlete themselves.

We are on the same team and when coaches and parents work together, it’s the child that wins. So as a parent, what can you do to make sure your child has the most nurturing experience possible? For starters, give the coach the benefit of the doubt until you talk to them and find out otherwise. There are always two sides to a story, so be sure and get the coaches prospective of the situation before you make any judgments. Next, remember to treat the coach as a professional and with respect at all times.

If you have a concern, make an appointment to come in and talk to the coach in his office at a time that is mutually acceptable to the both of you. Pulling a coach aside to vent your frustrations after a game or on the practice field will accomplish nothing. Delicate issues relating to your child require thought, with a cool head and in an environment that is private. I can assure you that venting your frustrations in the stands and making derogatory comments about the coaching staff always makes its way to the coaches through other fans or parents. This usually happens before you have a chance to have your meeting. Try and refrain from this so there is not the potential for hard feelings before your actual meeting can take place.

During your meeting with a coach, never bring another player into the discussion. The meeting is about your child and not someone else’s. When you bring up another player and make comparisons that demean that player, you will put the coach in a defensive posture and more often than not, the coach will cut you off. Coaches do not like attacks on any of their players and will defend any and all of them when provoked. This will end your meeting abruptly and nothing will be resolved.

Lastly, try your best to look at your child’s ability and performance objectively. In today’s society the reality is that coaches lose their jobs because of their wins and losses. While I do not agree with the wins and loses philosophy in determining a good coach, more often than not, it is a fact. Do you really think a coach can afford not to play his best players?

Your view of your child’s ability and the coach’s opinion may be different but the only way to know and understand his opinion is to communicate with him and not at him. Coaches do value and appreciate the support and opinions of all parents associated within the program. The best relationship is one of mutual respect between the coach and the parent and the role they both play in the child’s development. Sometimes you may both simply agree to disagree. There is nothing wrong with that outcome and at least you will both know where you stand on the issue.

When in doubt, refer to the golden rule and treat others as you would like to be treated. Believe it or not, coaches and parents have the same desire – the love and well being of your child.

Tony Lotti is an award-winning Georgia high school football coach and the author of Fourth Down and Long: Everything is Possible When You Believe. Learn more about Coach Lotti at http://www.tonylotti.com

I felt the Eagles-Saints matchup last week was more of a “trap” game then a “letdown” game. After defeating the Dallas Cowboys in a game that grabbed Super Bowl-like attention the Birds would have to be on their game 2 weeks in a row as they faced a new and definitely improved New Orleans Saints team. The Saints are leading the NFC South, and for good reason, they have a legitimate NFL quarterback in Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Deuce McCallister provide outside the tackle speed as well as power up the middle in the running game. Their defense can be tricked as you saw on Sunday but for the most part they play hard and get after you. Sean Payton is a fresh-faced head coach who has yet to be figured out. Most importantly, the Saints are the sentimental favorites of the league as they return to a post-Katrina New Orleans. This is a focused and united team playing for a city and a region. Pushovers no longer, the Eagles found themselves in a dogfight instead of a cakewalk. Give credit to the Saints they did come back late in the game but everything the Eagles are feeling this week was self-inflicted.

No unit in football requires more focus than special teams; this unit can change the complexion of a game and break the spirit of the opposition. Sunday lack of focus possibly cost the Eagles the game when late in the first half Ryan Moats backed into return man Dexter Wynn causing a muffed punt deep in Eagle territory leading to a Saints touchdown late in the first half giving them a 17-3 lead. Head coach Andy Reid argued that Moats was blocked into Wynn. At any rate, Moats should have held his block and known where he was in relation to Wynn.

I like Michael Lewis as a person and as a player, but he has slowly become a liability in the Eagles pass defense. Opposing quarterbacks from David Carr to Drew Brees have gone deep at some point or another finding Lewis out of position to help over the top. He is not the primary culprit in the Eagles having the 27th rated pass defense, but his fingerprints are on several deep passing plays this season. Insert second year safety Sean Considine who has been playing in the dime package and has held his own. In yesterday’s press conference, Reid acknowledged that Lewis and Considine would platoon the strong safety position. Lewis would be in for running situations with Considine subbing in for passing situations. The only thing we can hope for is a fire lighting under Lewis, who was a pro bowler two seasons ago and that he can regain his confidence that has taken a major blow. As for Considine who I’ve watched closely since the pre-season, I hope the playing time he’s being given pays some long term game dividends. He’s earned a place in the defense we just didn’t expect it to be at Lewis’ expense.

I thought time management was a subject we would not have to touch this season because the Eagles had done such a decent job of doing so, until it cost them a chance at winning the game Sunday. Reid says he has to do a better job at managing the clock but he’s been saying that since he showed up 8 seasons ago. Taking a timeout after a sack is useless, if his first 10-15 plays are scripted and you’re mixing it up after that, Reid & Co. should not be burning a time out until well into the second quarter. I’m almost resolved to taking a delay of game penalty in the first and third quarters just to hold onto the timeout. If there was a timeout available late in the game Sunday maybe rookie linebacker Omar Gaither gets off the field before the fatal 12-man on the field penalty is called and we’re not having this discussion. Nevertheless, Andy continues to buck common sense at times and says that he will continue to call timeouts when the play clock is running down, Donovan McNabb agrees. The argument here is why continue to push yourself back by taking 5 yard penalties constantly. That’s why the timeout is there. No. How about getting to the line of scrimmage with a sense of urgency and getting the play into McNabb on time. Better yet, send him in with three plays to call, similar to what the Indianapolis Colts do with Peyton Manning. McNabb has the liberty to call his own plays, which makes this all even more baffling.

No need in crying over spilled Mint Juleps, the Birds are 4-2, with a Tampa Bay Buccaneer squad on life support and the suddenly not so scary Jacksonville Jaguars up. The Eagles have two winnable road games before the bye week, finishing at the midway point 6-2 or even 5-3 is more than any of us could’ve expected. Looking at the way things are panning out around the league this season, that December from hell isn’t looking too bad.

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Ron Glover is a Philadelphia Sports writer for www.phillysportsline.com