Movies that made you want to be a bodybuilder

[Baby Hercules]

Predator (1987)

One of the sweaty muscle classics. Just add jungle and bullets.







I can make the Predator sound! (Also known as the Eartha Kitt purr.)

[Baby Hercules]

Beastmaster (1982)

Cheesy as all hell but chock full of eye candy.

[Baby Hercules]

Rocky (1976)

Did you know Stallone wrote this? It won three Oscars, gave Michael Dorn his first role on the big screen, and featured a cameo appearance by none other than Joe Frazier.



Just a few bars of this music makes any gym rat wanna change into sweatpants and kick some ass.

[Baby Hercules]

Rocky IV (1985)

Of course, Dolph Lundgren really upped the ante with the sheer size of that torso.



Old school in the snow or new school with juicing?

[Fallen_Horse]

Does 'Way of the Dragon' count?

[Baby Hercules]

Does 'Way of the Dragon' count?

Only with a trailer and a date (1972) :

[HorseSense]

The Hulk series with Lou Ferrigno inspired me, and I was very young. Mr Universe was what was glorified back then. It was my "goal" back then (more of an unattainable dream as I will never do steroids) to become Mr Universe someday and my life would be "complete". Arnold was in all the magazines, and Frank Zane was seen as the reigning "full package deal" so I guess that's what's in my head. He Man was an inspiration and I had a lot of their action figures.

Of course I didn't REALLY start until I was out of high school as I was a non-sporting clumsy, skinny geek but something hit when I got out of high school and I haven't looked back since.

If I had to name a movie it would definitely be Conan the Barbarian (1982). The movie and it's sequels added "magic" to "muscle" in a way that I still admire and it gave it's female characters a whole new take on "feminine power" that I don't think anyone had gone before.

[Baby Hercules]

The Lost Boys (1987)

At 1:10 there's a scene with a bodybuilder sax player, Tim Cappello, that stuck in my mind forever. Whenever I hear that song on the radio....

[Baby Hercules]

Pitch Black 2000

If you enlarged Vin Diesel's body proportionately to fill out a 6'5" frame and put him in front of me, you'd see a very strong, independent women instantly melt and turn into a simpering, drooling mess of desire and suppliance. Yes, Vin. Whatever you say, Vin. Can I get you another another beer, Vin?



The Chronicles of Riddick 2004

Ditto. But you have to somehow overlook the preteen motocross/Dungeons and Dragons body armor on the baddies. I laughed out loud.

[Synny667]

For me it is Henry Rollins!!!!!!!!! Growing up on Conan, Beastmaster, all Patrick Swayze movies, Rocky... muscles became my first love. THANKS MOM!!!!

[DukeD]

I was lucky in having a bunch of friends who were big into bodybuilding in the early 00's (IMO height of bodybuilding) so we'd watch the videos of the times. Those were the days. I know they're hardly the spokesmen of health, but I'll always support and be a fan of steroid bodybuilding. Just think they could get the same results going vegan (and taking drugs of course). I remember watching:

A bunch of "Battle for the Olympia's"
Lee Priest's Blond Myth and the sequel
Ronnie Coleman "the unbelievable"
Nassar El Sonbaty "On my Way" or I think that's what it was.
Jay Cutler's first video,
Shawn Rays- Forget the Name
Craig Titus -Version 2.0

[Baby Hercules]

Gladiator 2000

You just can't beat bulging Roman muscles draped in tunics and accessorized with swords. A gleaming Djimon Hounsou in the sun? Now, there's a goal!