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Body Building Science Journal Vol. 2, No. 2, 2010

60

Bodybuilding Performance Measurement

Bogdan VINTILA

Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania

[email protected]

Abstract: The concept of bodybuilders performance is defined taking into account the

particularities of this sport. Different criteria for performance assessment are identified. In

order to establish the dynamic of the sportsmen evolution the anthropomorphic

characteristics are taken into account, measurement procedures are build and the display of

the results is made under different forms such as numeric series or images. For the qualitative

aspects of the sportsmen evolution criteria and ways of differentiating and creating

hierarchies are built. The procedures and criteria are analyzed in report to the stability and

the risks of error appearance. A model is built for determining the period between the on-

season and off-season measurements. The correlation between the quality of the training

sessions and the evolution of the sportsman highlighted by the measurements is analyzed. The

database of results for the bodybuilders is structured. The diverse information that must berecorded is analyzed and the benefits of including it are explained.

Keywords: performance, training, evaluation, hierarchy, procedures, errors,

correlations.

1. The Bodybuilding ActivityBodybuilding is a sport with large audience among those concerned by the way they

are physically developed and look, correlating the shape of the body with the weight and

especially increasing the quality of the health state through sport. The preoccupations for the

physical aspect of the persons are very old. The ancient sculptures figure men and women

whose bodies respect a series of proportions and their state of tension highlights the

development of muscles thus obtaining an ideal building form of the heroes in marble or

bronze. This trend manifested in the period of the Renaissance when all the pictures and

sculptures give special attention to the human body. The male characters have well developed

muscles exhaling power, health and the wish of being winner. The female characters,

regardless the hypostasis, respect the proportions imposed to the female ideal according to

every age.

Late in the 19th

century Eugen Sandow set the basis of the physical training with the

objective of developing the body so that the obtained results comply with the existent ideal

from the art masterpieces of the antiquity, Renaissance or the modern world. Sandow was the

first to invent and sell training equipment for the masses. Sandow also organized the firstbodybuilding competition. It was named the Great Competition and it took place on

September 14, 1901 in London. The winner was presented a bronze statue of Sandow [1].

Things evolved and since 1977 the most prestigious contest Mr. Olympia is being

held every year. The prize is also the bronze statue of Eugen Sandow. This contest attracted

many valuable contestants. The winners of the contest from the first edition until 2009 are

given in .


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Table 1. Winners of Mr. Olympia contestYear Winner Venue1965 Larry Scott New York City, New York, United States

1966 Larry Scott New York City, New York, United States

1967 Sergio Oliva New York City, New York, United States



1970 Arnold Schwarzenegger New York City, New York, United States

1971 Arnold Schwarzenegger Paris, France

1972 Arnold Schwarzenegger Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany



1975 Arnold Schwarzenegger Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

1976 Franco Columbu Columbus, Ohio, United States

1977 Frank Zane Columbus, Ohio, United States

1978 Frank Zane Columbus, Ohio, United States

1979 Frank Zane Columbus, Ohio, United States1980 Arnold Schwarzenegger Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

1981 Franco Columbu Columbus, Ohio, United States

1982 Chris Dickerson London, England, United Kingdom

1983 Samir Bannout Munich, Bavaria, Germany

1984 Lee Haney New York City, New York, United States

1985 Lee Haney Brussels, Belgium

1986 Lee Haney Columbus, Ohio, United States

1987 Lee Haney Gothenburg, Sweden

1988 Lee Haney Los Angeles, California, United States

1989 Lee Haney Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

1990 Lee Haney Chicago, Illinois, United States

1991 Lee Haney Orlando, Florida, United States

1992 Dorian Yates Helsinki, Finland

1993 Dorian Yates Atlanta, Georgia, United States



1996 Dorian Yates Chicago, Illinois, United States

1997 Dorian Yates Long Beach, California, United States

1998 Ronnie Coleman New York City, New York, United States

1999 Ronnie Coleman Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

2000 Ronnie Coleman Las Vegas, Nevada, United States2001 Ronnie Coleman Las Vegas, Nevada, United States





2006 Jay Cutler Las Vegas, Nevada, United States



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2008 Dexter Jackson Las Vegas, Nevada, United States


In time, the bodybuilding expanded and different forms of organizations appeared in

all countries. Bodybuilding clubs and associations appeared because there were many fans of

the sport. In Romania, the first edition of a bodybuilding contest was held in 1966. The

contest was differentiated on height categories. The contest was organized both for amateursand professionals. From 1970 until 1989 in Romania existed The Romanian Federation of

Weightlifting and Bodybuilding. In 1990 The Romanian Federation of Bodybuilding was

established. The first president was the engineer Eugen Baldovinescu. After this moment the

interest for bodybuilding in Romania increased.

In Romania, each year, are held many bodybuilding competitions:

The National Championship of Fitness, Bodyfitness and Bodybuilding for Juniors andMasters;

For this competition the participation categories are:

- Junior Female Fitness 163 cm;- Junior Female Fitness +163 cm;- Junior Fitness Male Open (170 cm, 175 cm, 180 cm, +180 cm);- Bodybuilding Classic Masters +40 years Open (170 cm, 175 cm, 180 cm, +180

cm);

- Bodyfitness Female Junior 163 cm;- Bodyfitness Female Junior +163 cm;- Bodybuilding Masters 40-49 years 70 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters 40-49 years 80 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters 40-49 years 90 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters 40-49 years +90 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters 50-59 years 80 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters 50-59 years +80 kg;- Bodybuilding Masters +60 years Open;-

Bodybuilding Female Masters +35 years Open;- Bodyfitness Female Masters ; The National Championship of Classic Bodybuilding Juniors;

For this competition the participation categories are:

- Small Male Juniors 60 kg;- Small Male Juniors 70 kg;- Small Male Juniors +70 kg;- Large Male Juniors 65 kg;- Large Male Juniors 70 kg;- Large Male Juniors 75 kg- Large Male Juniors 80 kg;- Large Male Juniors +80 kg;- Small Female Juniors Open;- Large Female Juniors Open;- Classic Bodybuilding Juniors Open (170 cm, 175 cm, 180 cm, +180 cm);

The National Championship of Seniors and Juniors;For this competition the participation categories are:

- Seniors 65 kg;- Seniors 70 kg;- Seniors 75 kg;- Seniors 80 kg;


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- Seniors 85 kg;- Seniors 90 kg;- Seniors 100 kg;- Seniors +100 kg;- Juniors 65 kg;- Juniors 70 kg;- Juniors 75 kg;- Juniors 80 kg;- Juniors +80 kg;- Senior and Junior Fitness Open;- Female Bodyfitness Open;- Senior and Junior Classic Bodybuilding (170 cm, 175 cm, 180 cm, +180 cm);

The Sebastiano Cup, Regin;Some of the participants during the competition are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Participants at The "Sebastiano" Cup

The Cup of Romania, Hercule Trophy; Memorial Poapa Anatol.

Some of the best Romanian sportspersons in 2009 at the European Amateur

Championships Juniors and Masters are given in Table 2.

Table 2. Romanian Finalists at European Amateur Championships Juniors and Masters in2009Category Name Place


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Junior Womens Fitness up to 163 cm Cupsa Laura Mariana 1

Junior Womens Fitness up to 163 cm Csernak Melinda 5

Junior Womens Fitness up to 163 cm Coroian Corina Alexandra 6

Junior Womens Fitness over 163 cm Nistor Mihaela 4

Junior Mens Fitness Open Man Ionut Florin 1

Junior Mens Fitness Open Costescu Ioan Christian 3

Junior Mens Fitness Open Ghinea Robert 4Junior Mens Fitness Open Alistar Florin 8

Junior Womens Bodyfitness up to 163 cm Zetea Tanita Doria 2

Junior Womens Bodyfitness up to 163 cm Zlotea Roxana 6

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Gherghel Ramona 4

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Bolba Catalina 5

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Serban Beatrix 6

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Valinti Elena Irina 7

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Szmutku Kinga Timea 8

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Rotaru Andreea 9

Junior Womens Bodyfitness over 163 cm Rotaru Ana Marie 10

Junior Womens Bodybuilding Open Pall Liliana 1Junior Womens Bodybuilding Open Duta Alina Mihaela 2

Junior Womens Bodybuilding Open Vrabie Diana Raluca 3

Junior Mens Classic Bodybuilding Open Andrei Virgil 7

Junior Mens Classic Bodybuilding Open Tofan Sergiu 8

Junior Mens Bodybuilding up to 75 kg Sabou Sergiu Ilie 4

Junior Mens Bodybuilding up to 75 kg Almas Vlad Traian 8

Junior Mens Bodybuilding up to 75 kg Bota Vlad Razvan 9

Junior Mens Bodybuilding up to 75 kg Csukat Amelin Alexandru 10

Junior Mens Bodybuilding up to 75 kg Festila Ioan Catalin 11

Junior Mens Bodybuilding over 75 kg Gogoase Andrei 6

Masters Womens Bodyfitness Open Chirac Cristina Elena 8

Masters Womens Bodyfitness Open Ungureanu Marinela 9

Masters Womens Bodybuilding Open Muntean Irina Nicoleta 1

Masters Womens Bodybuilding Open Palecian Judit 3

Masters Womens Bodybuilding Open Tarcea Luminita 4

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 40-49 years up to 70 kg Craciun Vasile 3

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 40-49 years up to 80 kg Torcea Costel 7

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 40-49 years up to 80 kg Balogh Domokos 8

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 40-49 years up to 90 kg Rusu Adrian 9

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 50-59 years up to 80 kg Serban Vasile 8

Masters Mens Bodybuilding 50-59 years up to 80 kg Sibiceanu Mircea 11

Masters Mens Bodybuilding over 60 years Open Kantor Eugen 3

National champions in Romania are: Petru Ciorba, Florin Uceanu, Vasile Ardel,

Constantin Bebeselea, Costel Torcea, Cristian Mihailescu and Virgil Buruiana.

This sport is very costly for the ones that practice it. There are cost for the training

facility, equipments, supplements and nutrition.

The bodybuilding domain is well documented. There is a vast literature:

Books that describe training techniques, equipments, nutrition and everything else thata professional bodybuilder needs. Some of the most known and used books are:


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- The Athletes Guide to Making Weight by Michelle Macedonio and MarieDunford is a complete guide that leads the sportsmen from amateur to professional

[2];

- Optimal Muscle Training by Ken Kinakin approaches all the muscles a sportsmanshould train; different types of exercises are described and their effects are

commented [3];

- Stronger Arms & Upper Body by Joe Wuebben and Jim Stoppani highlights theupper part of the body; the book aims to be a complete guide for training the armsand upper body [4];

- Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning by Thomas R. Baechle andRoger W. Earle has a high interest for the techniques that lead to the increase of

strength; conditioning is also taken into consideration by the authors [5];

- Exercise Technique Manual for Resistance Training: Step-by-step Checklists for57 exercises by the National Strength and Conditioning Association is focused in

increasing the resistance of the sportsmen; the 57 exercises approached in the book

are of great help for the ones desiring to increase their resistance [6];

- Awesome Abs by Paul Collins is a book that aims at improving the mostproblematic part of the body for the bodybuilders; abs is quite difficult to train and

the results take lot of time to appear; also, constant training is needed to keep theobtained condition [7];

- Womens Guide to Strength and Anatomy Training by Mark Vella is a book thatshows that bodybuilding is practiced by many women; the book leads the women

on the path of strength through many exercises;

- Hardcore: Ronnie Colemans Complete Guide to Weight Training by RonnieColeman and Michael Berg describes the training routines of one of the greatest

champions of the world; with 8 Mr Olympia titles Ronnie Colemans training

routine is guaranteed to be successful but there are not many of those that can do it

[8];

- Ripped the Sensible Way to Achieve Ultimate Muscularity by Clarence Bassshows that building muscles is not enough is you dont know how to show them;

the book shows how anyone can eliminate the unwanted fat [9];- Mens Body Sculpting by Nick Evans has three sections for building muscle mass

and strength, cutting off the calories and body fat, and add muscle definition; the

book describes exercises for every of the three parts and also gives many

nutritional advices [10];

- The Book of Muscle: The Worlds Most Authoritative Guide to Building YourBody by Ian King and Lou Schuler contains hundreds of color photographs along

with the workout programs for all levels from beginner to advanced [11];

- The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger andBill Dobbins is useful for everyone that works out, from elite bodybuilders to

gymnasts, from amateurs to trainers; the authors approach the domains of weight

training, competitions, diet, nutrition, sports [12];

- Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger shares a partof the Austrian Oak; the book explains the way towards success that Arnold

Schwarzenegger followed [13].

Magazines that present to the public the latest news from the bodybuilding domain,competitions, training equipments, supplements, nutrition advices, studies and also

successful bodybuilders. The most known bodybuilding magazines are:

- Anabolic Xtreme Magazine- AXL Magazine


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- Built Magazine- Double XL Magazine- Fitness Rx for Men Magazine- Fitness Rx for Women Magazine- Flex Magazine- Hardcore Muscle Magazine- Ironman Magazine- Kaged Muscle Magazine- MAQ Mens Athletic Quarterly- Max Sports & Fitness Magazine- Mens Fitness Magazine- MPH Muscular Performance- Monster Muscle Magazine- Ms. Fitness Magazine- Muscle & Fitness Magazine- Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine- Muscle Media Magazine- MuscleMag Magazine- Muscular Development- Natural Bodybuilding Magazine- Natural Muscle Magazine- NPC News Magazine- Oxygen Fitness Magazine- Physical Magazine- Planet Muscle Magazine- PowerMag Magazine- Science & Muscle Magazine- Shape Magazine- Southern Muscle Plus Magazine- Status Fitness Magazine- Pump and Flex Magazine- Testosterone Magazine

Sites that are easily updated and thus the information is new and always available forthe users. Some of the most known bodybuilding sites are:

- Muscle&Fitness- Muscle Media- Body Of Work- Femalemuscle.com- Musclemag.com- Musclemania- Columbu.com-

Mesomorphosis Interactive- American Bodybuilding- Ironman- WeightsNet- Strongest Man Alive Contest- East Coast Muscle- MuscleNet- Official ABA, PNBA, INBA- Female Bodybuilding


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The results obtained in bodybuilding depend on many things:

- genetic inheritance is the most important factor in bodybuilding; there are greatsportsmen that have impressive achievements that cant be obtained by other persons

even if they follow the exact pattern of the model, including training, resting, diet,

habits and spending of free time; it is very important for the one that wants to do

bodybuilding to have a good genetic inheritance as this can lead to good results in

short periods of time;- proposed objectives are also important as these influence the training program and the

diet; the accumulation of muscular mass is an objective set by the sportsmen

offseason; this implies the accumulation of muscular mass and not the definition of it

or weight control; the preparation for contests implies defining the muscle categories

and reducing weight to fulfill the requirements of the contests;

- diet supplies the substances needed by the sportsmen to advance and maintain theirshape; if the diet is not adequate, regardless of the efforts the sportsman makes, the

evolution is very slow or no progress is recorded; with the adequate diet that supplies

the right quantities of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins and the right

training every sportsmen has a good evolution, assuming that he has a proper genetic

heritance;

- training program varies according to the objectives of the sportsmen and the diet; if theobjective is the increase of the muscular mass, the training program has mainly

exercises that stimulate the increase the mass; for the preparation for contests, the

training must be based on exercises that burn the fat and define the muscle groups;

- the time the sportsmen allocate every day for the training program is directlyproportional with the results; the longer the sportsmen train, the better and quicker the

results appear; it is very important to have some time dedicated to maintaining the

form the sportsman reached.

A training set is formed from exercises for each muscle group. For the big groups

there are 4-5 exercises and for the small groups there are 2-3 exercises. For each group the

exercises sets are executed. Usually the sportsmen do 12-15 sets for the large muscle groups

and 8-9 for the small groups. The sets are composed of reps. The usual number of reps in a set

varies between 6 and 12.In the beginning, the sportsmen are evaluated. There are many things that are

important for the bodybuilder:

- skeletal structure;- report between segments;- clavicle length;- report between shoulders, thorax, waist and hips.

Based on these elements there are three somatic types: ectomorph, mezomorph and

endomorph. The best type for bodybuilders is the mezomorph.

Each bodybuilder is different and each must seek the best training program, the best

diet, the supplements that aid and those that dont. There are no rules that apply the same to

all sportsmen.

2. Procedures for the measurement processThe measurements are necessary as these allow the surveillance of the sportsmens

evolution in time. They also allow comparisons between different steps to see the progress. If

the effort is also measured and recorded, correlations between effort and results can be made.

If the results of the measurements are not satisfying the training program is changed.


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The measurements must fulfill some requirements:

- must be done following clear procedures; if measurements are done without clearprocedures, each person measures in a different way and the results are not

comparable;

- must ensure repeatability meaning that if a different person makes the samemeasurement, the same results are obtained;

- correctness is ensured by following the steps described in the measurement procedure;- systematic errors must be eliminated; every domain has some systematic errors whenmeasurements are done; these must be eliminated before the data is analyzed because

can lead to totally wrong results.

Many measurements are done to analyze the evolution of the bodybuilders. One of the

most important is the weight control. There are two cases that can appear:

- the sportsman is in the offseason period of muscle mass increase; if the trainingprogram is correct and the sportsman consumes calories in excess according to his

metabolic needs, normally, the weight should rise and also the diameters of the

different parts of the body; the most important thing is that these diameters increase

proportionally; if some develop slower the training for that group must be changed; if

the waist and fat increase abnormally more cardio training is required;

- the sportsman is in the period of participating to competitions; the training program isdifferent from the muscle mass increase one; here there are more cardio training

exercises that stimulate the fat burn; also, in this period the diet is changed by

reducing the number of calories; in these conditions the weight decreases and also the

diameters of different body parts; there is the risk of reaching the contest form too

early; the objective is losing as much fat as possible and keeping as much muscular

mass as possible.

For weight control the procedure assumes the following:

- the time period for which the procedure is applied must be at least seven days; this isduring the evolution of the sportsmen to ensure the sportsman can sustain a certain

weight for a period of time; if the procedure is applied only once, the sportsman can

obtain better results by executing many cardio exercises for a few days before the

measurement; by applying it seven times, these approaches are efficiently fought;- the weight is measured with three measurement equipments; the differences between

the measurements must be lower than 0.25% of the average value; if the error is

greater than 0.25% of the average value, than the equipments must be verified and

reset; only when these prove a correct functioning the measurement procedure is

applied;

- the procedure must be applied at the same time during the seven days; this is toeliminate the risks of having inaccurate measurements due to the sportsmens eating

habits;

The collected data can be represented as a series. This enables the advanced users to

quickly see the numerical data and the sportsmens evolution. The data series has the

advantage of showing the real figures. This type of results is suitable for supporting the

decision making process. The form of the data series is given in Table 3.

Table 3. Data seriesSportsman 1 Sportsman 2 Sportsman 3 Sportsman n

Monday M1,1 M2,1 M3,1 Mn,1

Tuesday M1,2 M2,2 M3,2 Mn,2

Wednesday M1,3 M2,3 M3,3 Mn,3

Thursday M1,4 M2,4 M3,4 Mn,4


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Friday M1,5 M2,5 M3,5 Mn,5

Saturday M1,6 M2,6 M3,6 Mn,6

Sunday M1,7 M2,7 M3,7 Mn,7

The supplements and medication are essential in both periods. Some of them can be

used in both periods, while some of them can be used in only one. If some perimeters grow

slower than the others it is not the diet to blame but the training. In this case the training mustbe changed.

The preparation for a contest usually begins with 3-4 months before. This depends

much on the metabolism of the sportsman and the somatic type. For the contest period the diet

is more important than the training. The most notable difference in the training program is the

increase in cardio exercises. The diet is established usually on the basis of past experience.

Each sportsman knows what diet worked best on him. The proteins are essential for all of

them though.

For the contest the real diameters of the muscles are not important. The most

important is the impression the muscles give to the viewer. The training is also set on the

basis of the past experience. A training session lasts not more than 90 minutes, warming

included. Two shorter training sets are preferred by some of the sportsmen. These are either

identical or different training the same muscle group or different ones.The posing program is also very important in a competition. A good posing program

can make the difference between the first and second place when the competition is tight. The

program is chosen on the basis of the weight of the sportsman, flexibility and preferences.

The training program is defined by the trainer in the case of a junior bodybuilder. The

junior training programs are quite simple, working two muscle groups each day and splitting

the body in 3-4 days. A junior sportsman has a great capacity of recovery after effort because

the training effort is lower than the one of advanced ones and this allows him to train the same

muscular group twice a week. And advanced sportsman trains a muscle group once a week

and the whole body 4-6 days. In time, the advanced bodybuilders come to listen to their body

and conceive optimum training programs. These are intense enough to stimulate the muscular

grow but dont lead to overtraining. The pause-recovery days are very important for a training

program. The muscles dont grow during the training but in the recovery day. The training is

only a stimulus for the training. The role of the trainer is not as important for the advanced

bodybuilder as it is for the junior one. The trainer must evaluate the evolution of the advanced

sportsman and comment on it. This allows the bodybuilder to adjust the training program to

stimulate the groups that grow slower. The weights the sportsman works with must be

progressive so that there is always the adapting stimulus of the muscle and so to increase the

muscular mass. Training programs for junior and advanced bodybuilders are given in Table 4.

Table 4. Training programs for beginner and advanced bodybuildersBeginner Advanced

Monday Back-Biceps Back

Tuesday Chest-Triceps ChestWednesday Thighs-Calves Thighs-Calves

Thursday Shoulders-Trapeze Pause-Recovery

Friday Pause-Recovery Shoulders

Saturday Back-Biceps Arms

Sunday Chest-Triceps Pause-Recovery

Repeat in the above order Repeat training sequence


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In Table 4 the training sequence is colored red. The beginners training sequence is

shorter than the advanced one. This is due to the combination of two types of exercises. The

recovery time is greater for the advanced bodybuilder as the effort is greater.

In order to establish a good correlation between the results and the effort, the

measurements must be done according to a model. There are two situations that appear: the

on-season period and the off-season period. These two periods are different both as duration

and as training type. The measurements must ensure enough elements in the data series so thatthe correlation is well built. The model for determining the duration between the

measurements is give by the formula:

where:

dbm - duration between measurements (days);

dtp - duration of the training program (days);

nom - the desired number of measurements;

ons - dumb variable with value 1 if on-season and 0 if off-season;

In the on-season period the measurements should be done in pairs. One measurement

should be done before the training session and the other after the training session. Thisensures a precise estimation of the effectiveness of the cardio exercises from the training

program.

3. Procedures for image representationImage representation is very important for every person implied in the bodybuilding

activity. If numbers have the advantage of being precise, images have the advantage of being

easily perceived. Usually people understand quicker the situation after seeing a suggestive

image than a series of data [14]. Representing data series through images sometimes proves a

challenge because some of the data might be lost during the process and also, choosing the

right form of representation can sometimes be problematic.Procedures for image representation must ensure the correctness of the resulted

images. The ease of understanding the situation after seeing the image depends also on the

applied procedure. The procedure for image representation assumes:

- the existence of a data series is vital; without having something to represent there is noneed for the actual image;

- the data series must be complete; without complete data series there is no way ofcreating an image that represent a hundred percent the reality; in the case of

incomplete data series there is the possibility of deleting the incomplete records

leading to the representation of a series with less elements than the initial one; another

way of dealing the incompleteness of a data series is to use for the missing values the

average value of the domain; this ensures the representation of all elements, but the

missing values have no real values and the aggregated indicators built on the basis of

these values are not trustworthy; the missing values replaced with mean values and the

aggregated indicators built on the bases on these must be highlighted so the seer of the

image knows that these are not trustworthy;

- the data series must be correct; the correctness of the data series ensures the realrepresentation of the reality through the image generated on the basis of the data

series; the correctness of the data series must be ensured by applying measurement

procedures for all elements in it;


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- values of the data series belonging to an interval; all values from the data series mustbelong to an interval; this also serves to the check of correctness of data; if all values

respect this rule the representation algorithm can normalize the values and the

generated image will be of a higher quality;

A data series of known bodybuilders is given in Table 5. On the basis of this data

series different image representations are built. These allow the comparisons of elements on

all domains of the series.

Table 5. Known bodybuilders data series

NameCalves(cm)

Thighs(cm)

Waist(cm)

Chest(cm)

Arms(cm)

Weight(kg)

Height(cm)

Age(year)

Arnold SCHWARZENEGER 50.80 72.30 86.30 144.70 55.80 106.50 188.00 21.00

Dexter JACKSON 45.70 72.60 70.00 114.00 55.00 106.00 168.00 39.00

Claudiu ROMAN 44.00 72.00 82.00 148.00 52.00 100.00 174.00 29.00

Jay CUTLER 53.00 78.50 86.50 147.50 57.00 125.00 175.50 35.00

Victor RICHARD 61.00 94.00 92.00 170.00 66.00 143.00 178.00 28.00

Gheorghe HUMA 42.00 65.00 78.00 132.00 50.00 95.00 183.00 30.00

Cristian MIHAILESCU 40.00 60.00 70.00 120.00 42.00 74.00 165.00 21.00

Fuad ABIAD 48.00 81.00 76.00 140.00 56.00 109.00 179.00 30.00

Steve HOLT 41.00 63.00 81.00 114.00 43.00 74.00 173.00 53.00

In Fig. 2 the image represents the sportsman through his characteristics. The maximum

and minimum values for the data in the data series are automatically detected and the

normalization is made according to these. The sportsman scores the maximum value for one

of the characteristics while the other values belong to the domain interval. The image from the

right represents the data through pie slices. If the sportsman scores maximum for all the

characteristics, the colored area will be the same with the area of the circle. If the sportsman

scores the minimum values, the colored area will be zero.

Fig. 2. Image representation of bodybuilders [15]


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The image representation of data series enables viewers to make comparisons of the

represented elements. Comparisons of elements are very important as in every domain one of

the main problems is creating hierarchies of elements on the basis of some of their

characteristics. In the case of bodybuilders it is important for them to know how they evolve

compared to others. The data series are good for comparisons but they dont create the same

effect on the viewer as an image does.Fig. 3 is an image for comparison between elements. Two of the elements of the data

series are compared in the image. There is a base element with whom the current element is

compared. The base element is represented in different shades of gray. There are three cases

that can occur when comparing two elements:

- the two compared characteristics have the same values; in this case, the gray shadeused for the base element has the same area as the colored one used for the compared

element;

- the base characteristic has a lower value than the compared one; in this case the areaconsists of two shades of color; the darker shade shows the value of the base

characteristic; the lighter shade shows the increased value of the characteristic

compared to the base one;

- the base characteristic has a greater value than the compared one; in this case, the grayshade shows the level of the base characteristic and the colored shade the level of the

compared characteristic;

Fig. 3. Comparison image representation [15]

The viewer can easily see where the problematic areas of the compared element are.

The overlapping of the image representation allows easy identification of areas where the

compared element is better than the base one and of those areas that need improvement.

On the basis of the data series and evaluation criteria hierarchies are created that rank

the elements. This is important when there are many elements in the collectivity.

Different criteria are used for the bodybuilders characteristics. The maximum

criterion gives the best score to the element that has the highest value for the characteristic.


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The minimum criterion gives the best score to the element that has the lowest value for the

considered characteristic. Both the procedures and criteria are stabile as they are applied the

same way for all element of the collectivity.

The most often ricks are of inappropriate appliance of the measurement procedures

and the use of the wrong criteria. The inappropriate appliance of the measurement procedures

leads to incorrect and inexact data series. These are not suitable for comparisons. The use of a

wrong criterion is made when the evaluation is made from a point of view and the usedcriterion doesnt reflect that. On the basis of these comparisons hierarchies can be created

either general ones or just for some of the characteristics [16].

4. The correlation between the training program and the sportsmans evolutionFor the evolution of the sportsmen it is very important to establish a correlation

between the training programs and the results. The main activity in bodybuilding is the

training. Training programs vary in many forms:

- types of exercises are very important for the period the sportsman finds in; cardioexercises are aimed at diminishing the percent of fat in the body; other types of

exercises aim at increasing the muscular mass; some of them are designed for specificmuscle groups;

- component exercises that stimulate different groups of muscles; there is no universalexercise that can train all the body at once; training programs must include exercises

for all the muscle groups so that the sportsmen have a harmonious evolution;

- number of sets is variable in a training program; this depends on the age of thesportsman, the level he reached and the resistance to effort; the number of sets must

ensure a proper stimulation of the muscles but must avoid overtraining them;

- number of reps in a set depends on the resistance of the bodybuilder to effort, the aimhe follows and the type of exercise; as for the sets, the number of reps must ensure

proper stimulation and also avoid overtraining; the number of sets and reps can very as

to have more sets with less reps or less sets with more reps;

- aim of the training program influences its structure as different exercises servedifferent purposes; a wide variety of exercises is not recommended though because

they might overtrain a certain group of muscles;

- lifetime varies for training programs as there is no program that lives forever; this isdue to the fact that in the evolution of the bodybuilder things change from one period

to the next; the lifetime of a training program is the period of time the bodybuilder

trains using that program; some of the programs have a long lifetime, such as the ones

that aim the increase of muscular mass; some of them such as the training for

competitions programs, on the other hand, have a short lifetime as they are abandoned

as soon as the specific period passes;

- training time differs from a training program to another; the training time is dependenton the effort the program requires, the program type and the period the bodybuilder

finds in; it is very important for the bodybuilders to avoid overtraining and the risk of

injuries; even the best bodybuilder can be eliminated from the competition if he is

injured.

The correlation between the effort necessary for the training programs and the

evolution of the sportsmen is important for the future development. If the correlation is

determined, in the future, the best training programs can be chosen from a wide available set.

This correlation must be determined for each bodybuilder. As each of us is different, the

correlations differ from one to another. Some of the bodybuilders have a better reaction to


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some exercises than others, for some the risk of injuries is extremely high when doing some

type of exercise. The correlation, if determined on the basis of a large set of recorded data,

shows the best choices for every situation.

The recording of data must be made following some principles to ensure a correct

correlation between effort and results:

- the recordings must be done daily because all changes must be recorded; this ensures acorrect correlation and sensibility to the smallest changes;

- the recordings must be made using the measurement procedures; all the data series thatthe correlation bases on must be obtained using the same measurement procedures;

when the procedures change, the correlation determining process must be repeated;

- the effort must be correlated with the changes from the next day or the pause-recoveryday; as the effort during the training sessions is just the stimulant for the muscles and

they grow later it is only normal to correlate the effort of todays training with

tomorrows growth.

Fig. 4. Correlation between age, weight and maximum weight

Fig. 4 shows an application that, on the basis of a file containing data series of

weightlifters performance, calculates the maximum weight a weightlifter can lift. The

correlation is made between the results and the weight and age of the sportsman.


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5. Risks in the data collecting processesIn the process of data collecting there are many risks that must be avoided to ensure a

qualitative data series. The most encountered risks encountered in the data collecting

processes are:

- unavailable measurement equipments lead to the unavailability of data; this is a highrisk, as equipments for advanced measurements are expensive; there are also someequipments that can function only in some conditions that are hard to obtain; this risk

is hard to eliminate; for the correlation, if there are no equipments available for

advanced measurements, only data that can be obtained should be used;

- unclear measurement procedures lead to incorrect or inconsistent data; to eliminatethis risk the one collecting data must use clear procedures and instruct all the persons

doing the measurement how to work; after the first measurement is done, all persons

must be checked to see if they worked correctly; if there are persons that didnt work

the right way, additional details should be added to the used procedure or another

procedure should be used;

- incorrect measurement units that are used by different persons doing the measurementare another risk the process of data colleting deals with; this risk is eliminated if themeasurement procedures state clearly which measurement units should be used;

another way of dealing with this risk is verifying the collected data; usually the

measurement units that are erroneously used are either multiples or submultiples of the

standard correct measurement unit; in this case in the data series appear extremely

high or extremely low values; automated tools should be used to check and correct the

data series;

- incomplete data for elements is caused by the lack of measurement equipments or thelack of competence of the person doing the measurement process; the risk is

eliminated through the availability of measurement equipments and the proper

instruction of the measurement team; if elements with incomplete data still exists after

the measurement is done, there are two ways of dealing with them; the first and most

simple is the removal of the elements from the series; this has the disadvantage ofinterrupting the series, creating a gap in the time flow; the second approach assumes

replacing the inexistent value with the average value of the existent ones; this

approach saves the series but the insert data is not reliable;

Fig. 5. Main risk generators


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Fig. 5 shows the main risk generators for the data collecting processes. Obtaining high

quality data from the measurement process means having the right equipments, using the

appropriate procedures, training the staff and using the same unit conventions for all

measurements.

6. Building the bodybuilders dynamic databaseThe correlation between the effort and the results is very important for each sportsman

but this can be attained only if a database for recording the dynamic of the bodybuilders is

built. The database must contain many data regarding the bodybuilders:

- date and time of the recording for later data analysis; the date and time of therecording must be insert so that later on the data series can be built and analyzed; on

the basis of these time series, the evolution in time of the sportsmen can be analyzed;

- diet of the sportsmen is very important as correlations must be determined between thediet and the effort; on these basis the diet on future sessions can be chosen from the

ones that had the best results in the past;

- supplements that the bodybuilder consumes are also very important; if these arerecorded, a correlation between the supplements and the results can be determined and

thus the bodybuilder can chose the supplements that best fit his current aim; if the

sportsman is in the on-season period he uses supplements that he doesnt use in the

off-season period;

- training type is important for the achievement of the current goal; if the bodybuilder isin the on-season period, his aim is to remove as much fat from the body as possible

while keeping as much muscles as possible; if he is in the off-season period, the aim is

the increase of muscular mass; this is important for the later analysis in order to

correlate the training type with the aim of the training and the results;

- aim of the training program is important as each type of training has its own goal; byincluding this information, later on the most efficient programs can be easily identified

from the list of programs the bodybuilder used;- a unique identifier for each bodybuilder is required in the database; this is required so

that, in the analysis only the data of a certain bodybuilder is used; there is also

possible to realize analysis using all data from the database to see, on a global level,

the effectiveness of the supplements, training programs and diets; the identifier is also

used for the identification of the person that uses the application; this is a measure of

security so that only authorized persons use the applications [17];

- time spent for training is also important so that bodybuilders spend only the requiredtime training; after a certain point the training efficiency drops and there are no real

effects other than the energy consumption; on the basis of a large set of recordings, the

optimum time for training can be determined and the sportsmen can train up to the

maximum efficiency; on the basis of this data the beginners can easily see how much

time they need to allocate to the sport in order to obtain results of a certain level;

- the age of the bodybuilder doesnt need to be recorded as it can be determined fromthe personal numeric code and the date the training session was recorded; this is

necessary because statistics and evolutions on certain age intervals are needed; also,

the efficiency of all training programs, diets, supplements depends on the age of the

sportsman; for each age there are some of these that have better results than the others;

even for the same person, these change with age so the training programs used at the

beginning of the career are not effective later on;


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- the equipments used by the bodybuilder in the training sessions; the market of thetraining equipments is developing further and further and more and more equipments

are developed; from the high number of available equipments the bodybuilders must

be helped to chose; using the large dataset from this database, the best equipments can

be used by the bodybuilders;

- injuries are the main risks for the bodybuilders; if these are included, the exercises andequipments with the highest risks can be determined; this is important for the

bodybuilders as they can avoid those equipments and for the producers that can

improve them.

The database is a very important tool for trainers, bodybuilders, amateurs and fans of

the sport. The access to the database must be done through a distributed application. This

application must be citizen oriented so that each category of user accesses only some of the

features [18]. The fans are the most restricted and they can access only statistics and data that

is made public by the bodybuilders of the trainers. The trainers and bodybuilders are the main

users of the application as these are the ones that are the most interested in the results. They

also have the greatest level of access to the features of the application [19].

7. ConclusionsBodybuilding is a very complex sport. Even though from the distance there are not

many activities or objects to work with, the real process implies many complex activities and

materials. The bodybuilder is a person that, in order to reach real performance, must obey

some rules. Performance differs from period to period in this sport. In the on-season period,

the performance is defined as results to competitions while in the off-season period, the

performance measures the increase in muscular mass. Taking these things into account there

is no universal criteria for performance assessment. Measurement procedures are very

important for the quality of the resulted data as these guarantee their correctness,

completeness and reliability. After the measurements are made, the data are analyzed and the

results are displayed under the form of data series or under graphical form. The data series

have the advantage of being clear and precise. Compared with the graphical form that doesnthave the same precision, the data series are suitable for the decision making process and the

automated data collection. The graphical form has the advantage of giving the viewer a

general clear idea of what the situation is from the first glance. Graphical representations also

enable users to see very quickly the differences between two elements of the set. The

procedures and assessment criteria must be stable and the risk of error occurrence must be

very low. The time between measurements depends on the period the bodybuilder finds in and

is given by the model that takes into consideration the time of the training, the desired number

of measurements and the period the sportsman finds in. on the basis of these measurements

correlations are established between the efforts and the results in order to establish which are

the best training programs, diets, supplements and equipments. All the measurements are

recorded in a database that is used, through a citizen oriented application, by different

categories of users. Each category of users has access to the features of the application on a

restrictive base.

Acknowledgements

This article is a result of the project Doctoral Program and PhD Students in the

education research and innovation triangle. This project is co funded by European Social


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Fund through The Sectorial Operational Program for Human Resources Development 2007-

2013, coordinated by The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies.

References

[1] Wikipedia. (2010, May) Eugen Sandow. [Online], Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugen_Sandow

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Management,"Bodybuilding Science Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 48-69, 2010.

[18] D. Palaghita and B. Vintila, "Security Risk Analysis Using Citizen OrientedApplications," in Ninth International Conference on Informatics in Economics, Bucharest,

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Author

Bogdan VINTIL graduated the Bucharest University of Economics, theFaculty of Cybernetics, Statistics and Economic Informatics. He is currently

a PhD candidate in the field of Economic Informatics at University ofEconomics and at the University of Gothenburg in the Applied IT

department. He is interested in citizen oriented informatics applications,

developing applications with large number of users and large data volumes,

e-government, e-business, project management, applications' security and

applications' quality characteristics.

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