The Cries of Muscles

Well-proportioned, bronze-tanned men and women are flexing their arm, chest and thigh muscles. They are smiling but they are clenching their teeth. Focusing all their power to their muscles, they seem to be radiating heat.

On Thursday, the first round of the “2007 Mr. & Ms. Korea Bodybuilding and Fitness Competition” was held in Olympic Park in Seoul to pick the best Korean bodybuilders. Around 200 people, from an 18-year-old high school student to a 62-year old senior citizen, participated in the event. Mr. Korea has nine weight divisions and Ms. Korea has four.

The winning title will go to a man and a woman who have the most balanced physique among the winners of each category. About 500 spectators were fascinated by the efforts of these muscleman and women.

The struggle against oneself-

All the participants were the best bodybuilders in their hometowns. They did not relax at any moment as they posed before the nine judges. Judges scores were based on the competitors’ fronts, sides, and backs. The average scores from seven judges are counted and the highest and lowest scores removed.

Among the participants, Oh Me-gyeong, 42, who runs a fitness center in Euijeongbu, a city near Seoul, was outstanding. Her husband’s grandfather was late Min Gwan-shik, the “Father of Korean Sports Modernization,” who also served as the president of the National Sports Council. Oh displayed her beautiful physique in the first round of competition in the below 49kg category.

She said, “I exercise six hours a day. To get into great shape, I had to avoid eating carbohydrates such as rice, which was hard.” She began running eight years ago to treat her asthma, and fell into bodybuilding a year ago. She added that now she has more breathing capacity than average people since she started running and muscle training.

Cho Jun-gi, 63, an architect, was the eldest participant.

“Heavy drinking ruined my body, but I regained my health and youth when I began bodybuilding 23 years ago,” he said.

Male competitors had wide and thick muscles while females had smaller amounts of toned muscles. Female bodybuilders tend to have smaller chests and hips as their muscles increase and their fat levels decrease.

Behind the scenes: more competition-

The waiting area behind the stage heated up as hundreds of muscled men and women were doing push-ups or lifting dumbbells to get ready for posing. To get the dark bronze skin look, they smeared color creams and oils onto their bodies.

Chang Yong-chan, the director of the Korea Bodybuilding Association, said, “Bodybuilding is a struggle against oneself requiring the control of food intake and consistent training.”

The second and final round where a national bodybuilder will be chosen will start on Friday at 1:00 p.m. The group competitions between couples (men and women) and between cities and provinces will be fun, too.

beetlez@donga.com