By Taylor Pluim—Professional bodybuilding is perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood sports in the world. Generation Iron is a documentary that attempts to understand the sport and the athletes that partake in it.
Generation Iron follows the life and training of several of the top bodybuilders in the world, including Phil Heath, the top bodybuilder in the world. The documentary looks at the daily lives of these athletes and their training for the biggest bodybuilding contest in the world, Mr. Olympia. The film also brings up other topics such as their back-stories, motivation, and steroid use.
This documentary is about more than just looking at muscular guys; it’s about understanding a life-style that is misunderstood, and perhaps weird to some people. It does a good job of showing what these bodybuilders are all about. They show that it’s not just about being freakishly muscular, it’s about being the best at something and pushing yourself to new limits.
One of the most controversial topics of the film is steroid use. Many athletes have been criticized for using steroids, and many bodybuilders in the film wouldn’t talk about it. The ones that did comment on it mention that steroids aren’t the main focus of bodybuilding. It’s about the work ethic and steroids just enhance their work ethic. Many people wonder why people take the drug if it is so bad for them. Well, there was a survey done that asked athletes if they would take a drug that guaranteed them victory, but also guaranteed death in five years. The results were that over half of the athletes would take the drug. This shows how motivated these athletes are and how much they care about victory.
Overall I would say this was a very good documentary. It sheds light and understanding on a sport most people just don’t get. It gives you a new view of bodybuilders. It helps to view bodybuilders as people in a sport like other athletes, not just huge freaks. If you like documentaries then I would recommend this.
Leave a Reply