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I’ve touched on Afghanistan’s growing interest in the sport of bodybuilding in the past. But I’ve never seen anything like this before... As seen in the new documentary film, Afghan Muscles, bodybuilding is taking the country of Afghanistan over, and residents there are becoming fanatics!
It was just a few short years ago when I wrote about how young men in Afghan, bodybuilders were choosing to pick up weights instead of guns (Bodybuilding in Afghanistan - Flexing Guns Instead of Firing Them). Increased freedoms in the country allowed Afghan men the chance to frequent gyms and build their muscles instead of being forced into the military. Suddenly, bodybuilding became Afghanistan’s most popular sport behind soccer, and gyms started springing up all over the country.
And, despite not having the fancy equipment that bodybuilders enjoy in more privileged countries, Afghanis did whatever it took to get bigger. This sometimes meant lifting cinder blocks instead of weights and scraping together money in order to buy supplements each week. But with few resources and little money to spare, many thought that the bodybuilding craze in Afghanistan would soon blow over.
However, those people have definitely been proven wrong since bodybuilding is bigger than ever in the Middle-Eastern country. Afghani men are training hard every day in an effort to become the next bodybuilding superstar. And even if there’s no hope for fame and stardom, these guys are happy to settle for just looking better to the opposite sex since democracy has provided freedom in the dating world.
Still, it’s hard for me to put into words what the sport of bodybuilding means in Afghanistan. So rather than me sitting here and trying to explain it, I’d like to point you in the direction of an interesting documentary that was recently released. The documentary is called “Afghan Muscles”, and it takes a deep look at how seriously people take bodybuilding in this country. Those of you who would like to watch the documentary Afghan Muscles (and I highly recommend you do) can watch it below and discuss Afghan Muscles here. Those of you who would like to hear me ramble on, please keep reading.
Afghan Muscles begins by following a talented bodybuilder named Hamid Shirzai who dreams of being a champion across the Middle East and Asia. Unfortunately for Hamid, he suffers from what many other Afghani bodybuilders struggle with – a lack of finances. The video also shows some interesting footage of how officers and soldiers have to hold fans back to keep them away from the competition.
The focus switches back to Hamid who talks about how Afghanistan’s gyms use money and offers of free food to attract the best athletes to their establishments. The owner of the gym where Hamid trains says that he supports Hamid with 15 eggs a day. This is obviously in stark contrast to the United States where good bodybuilders are rewarded with large supplement contracts.
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When filming cuts back to a small, nondescript contest a fight almost breaks out after one of the bodybuilders is too heavy to compete in his weight class. The bodybuilder then threatens to withdraw all of the gym members he brought to the event – thus rendering the competition worthless. The officials seem ready to agree before the fight nearly breaks out and the cameras are turned off.
Fast forward to a more refined contest in the Mr. Kabul, and you have something that’s similar to what’s seen in the US competitions. Mr. Kabul is the biggest event for Afghanis since 2 of the winners will be selected to compete in the Mr. Asia competition. Hamid is one of the athletes that gets to compete in the Mr. Kabul contest.
Shirzai explains that in Afghanistan competitions, size takes a back seat to muscle symmetry, which certainly helps his cause. Hamid eventually goes on to win the 65 kg title, and is invited to visit a warlord for financial backing as a result. More importantly though, the judges choose Hamid as one of the two champions that will represent Afghanistan in the Mr. Asia contest.
While the clip I’ve shown ends here, the full Afghan Muscles documentary goes deeper into the bodybuilding culture of Afghanistan, and follows Hamid as he prepares for the Mr. Asia in Dubai.
Besides the fact that this movie shows the incredible journey of one athlete on his way to the Asian Championships in Dubai, I also like Afghan Muscles because it really makes people appreciate what they have. Most good Afghani bodybuilders can’t even get supplements in their country while the average couch potato in the United States can just drive to the store and get supplements they may or may not even use. So for these people to be competing and training like they do is something that is really inspiring!
Here\'s some related links:
Bodybuilding in Afghanistan - Flexing Guns Instead of Firing Them
The Arnold Classic in Iraq - Bodybuilding Explodes in the Middle East
Buying Anabolic Steroids in Afghanistan
New Documentary “Afghan Muscles” Afghan bodybuilders are becoming fanatics! Video
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