The Founding Father of Bodybuilding

Both men and women paid up to $300 to “feel and finger” his muscles.

Eugen Sandow sourced from wellcomeimages.org and taken from Wikimedia Commons.

Eugen Sandow flexed his way into the history books. Despite living in one of history’s more conservative periods, Sandow had the guts to disrobe to his underwear in front of thousands. He had the charisma to get the thousands to pay to watch him do it. Widely regarded as the father of modern-day bodybuilding, this is Eugen Sandow’s incredible story.

Before Stardom

Before taking the name Eugen Sandow, Friedrich Wilhelm Müller was born in East Prussia in 1867. He kept an active lifestyle in his childhood and was genetically blessed with good looks. He was also ambitious.

To avoid military service, Müller travelled all over Europe and eventually came under the tutelage of a strongman named Professor Atilla.

These are images of young Sandow with commentary sourced from wellcomeimages.org and taken from Wikimedia Commons.

With Professor Atilla, he joined the circus, changed his name to Eugen Sandow, and performed feats of strength. But the income from this wasn’t enough to sustain him.

Fortunately, he leveraged his physique and attractive features to model for sculptures. His frame was…