Duke University Press

American Dialect Society

The Language of Bodybuilding

Author(s): Thomas E. Murray
Source: American Speech, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Autumn, 1984), pp. 195-206
Published by: Duke University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/454485
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 THE LANGUAGE OF
BODYBUILDING
THOMAS E. MURRAY
Ohio State University

TO Pumping Iron, Charles Gaines and George

TN THE INTRODUCTION
I Butler say that
Americais a countryof subcultures,andmostof them,includingonesasesoteric
as midgetwrestling,pimpingand the RollerDerby,have been thoroughly
exploredanddocumented.Likethoseactivities, bodybuilding is an obsession,a
living(fora few),anda wayof life forthe peopleinvolvedin it-a subculture,in
a word,withits ownvalues,aestheticsand vocabulary.
It is this last aspect of bodybuilding-the vocabulary-with which I will
be primarilyconcernedin this article,but first I would like to give a brief
history of the sport (drawingprimarilyupon Gaines and Butler 1974,
pp. 109-34). In the most literal sense, bodybuildingis one of the oldest
sports known to man: it probablybegan as a mere preoccupation of
those who simply wanted to make themselves stronger, but it evolved
into a somewhat more systematicsport when it was practiced by the
ancient Greeks and Chinese. The first truly widespread following of
bodybuilding,however, was almost certainlyin Prussiain 1811: Napo-
leon had conquered the Prussiansand forbidden them to take up arms
in battle, so one Friedrich Ludwig Jahn began training the troops in
physical culture as a means of national defense. The practice and
popularity of taking exercise and lifting heavy weights apparently
spread throughout the rest of nineteenth-centuryEurope, for profes-
sional strongmanacts soon became commonplacein the variousvaude-
ville houses, and in 1887 a bodybuildernamed Louis Attilawasinvited to
give an exhibition at Queen Victoria'sjubilee.
Bodybuildingfirst crossed the AtlanticOcean in 1893, when Eugene
Sandowbrought his strongmanact to the United Statesand appeared at
the Chicago World'sFair under contract with showman Florenz Zieg-
feld. Sandow'spopularityspreadvery quickly,and with it the popularity
of bodybuildingas well. Nor was this popularitylimited to the increased
sale and use of dumbbells; indeed, hitherto unexplored commercial
aspects of the sport soon gained in prominence. In 1898, for example,
Bernarr (Body Love) Macfaddenbegan publishingPhysicalCulture,the
first magazine devoted exclusivelyto bodybuilding. And in 1903, as a
promotional device for his magazine, Macfadden staged the first orga-
nized physique contest in history and crowned Al Treloar The Most
Perfectly Developed Man in America.
195

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196 AMERICANSPEECH59.3 (1984)

Macfadden'sphysiquecontestscontinued quietlyand uneventfullyfor

almost two decades. Then, in 1922, Angelo Siciliano won the title,
changed his name to Charles Atlas, and began the first multi-million-
dollar mail-order business in bodybuilding history with his Dynamic
Tension method of training and the now-legendary ninety-seven-
pound-weakling-turned-he-man.Interestingly, although Atlas showed
the world how financiallylucrativethe sport of bodybuildingcould be,
by far the vast majorityof bodybuildershave clung to their weights and
left the publishing,promoting,and other business-relatedaspectsof the
sport to publishers,promoters,and businessmen-a fact significantboth
to the sport and to the language it has created.
The 1930s saw a plethoraof bodybuildingcontests spring up all over
the United States, the culminationof which was the first Mr. America
contest in 1939. The contest was sponsored by the Amateur Athletic
Union-thus making bodybuilding a recognized amateur sport-and
ushered in the Modern Era of Bodybuilding.For the next thirty years,
the sport as well as the businessof bodybuildingcontinued to grow and
expand: outstanding athletes such as John Grimek, Steve Reeves, and
Reg Parkcame and went, some into movies, most into relativeobscurity;
organizationssuch as the International Federation of Body Builders,
World Body Building Guild, and National Amateur British Bodybuild-
ing Associationwere created, and with them amateur and professional
contests such as Mr. U.S.A., Mr. World, Mr. Galaxy,Mr. Universe, and
Mr. Olympia.Publishersbegan printing magazinessuch as Bodybuilder,
IronMan, Muscle,Muscleand Fitness,MuscleDigest,MuscleMag Interna-
tional,MuscleTrainingIllustrated,MuscleWorld,MuscularDevelopment, and
Strengthand Health.Businessmen started marketingbarbells and other
muscle-buildingequipment under a number of trade names, and pro-
duced a wide variety of health foods and supplements.
Despite the vast growth of bodybuilding, however, it remained
strangely removed from the general public's eye until the 1970s; the
sport and its followerswere little understood before then, and even less
respected. Indeed, popular knowledgeof bodybuildingwas often based
on seedy rumors about behemoth, miscreant young men who gave
deviant exhibitionsof their bodies and who were fueled by narcissistic
voyeurism. But during the last ten years-perhaps because of the
widespreadAmericandevotion to health and fitness,perhapsbecauseof
extensive publicity in popular films, books, and magazines, perhaps
because of the entrance of women into the sport-bodybuilding has
become an accepted if not an altogether understood way of life, a
subculture which, though still enigmatic in many of its ideals and values,
nevertheless has become integrated into the American mainstream.

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 THE LANGUAGEOF BODYBUILDING 197

This integration,of course, extends into the language of bodybuilding

as well. Ten years ago, for example, few people outside the sport knew
the meaning of pumpingiron; today, however, the term appears to be
knownand used even by those who have never lifted a weight or set foot
in a gymnasium.On the other hand, not many laypeople know what it is
to be buzzedona pump,cutup, or smooth;few men would admit to using an
O.B., and most women, informed that they had gotten lines, would
probablybe insulted. The following glossary,then, collects and defines
those terms that are peculiarto bodybuildingand its followers. Equally
important, I will show, in the discussionthat follows the glossary,how
this language reflectsthe ideals, values,and aestheticsof the followersof
the sport.
As the brief historygiven above implies, there are three distinctkinds
of bodybuilding;the first, dominatingthe sport before 1903, had as its
primaryaim the building of great strength,with only ancillaryattention
being given to the appearanceof the body; the second, begun in 1903
and continuingto the present, placesparamountemphasison a symmet-
rical, well-muscledphysique, with the acquisitionof strength a distant
and incidentalconcern;and the third, popular since the 1970s, has as its
goal mere physicalfitness,with neither Herculean strength nor bulging
muscles in the offing for the majorityof its followers. Because the first
kind of bodybuildinghas evolved into a sport in its own right-weight
lifting,or sometimespowerlifting-and the third kind can include almost
any form of exercise or physicalactivity,the terms in this glossarydeal
only with the second-mentioned,the building of muscular physiques.
(If, as occasionally happens, there is some overlap in terminology
whereby the language used by weightliftersand bodybuildersis identi-
cal, I have included the terms and marked them with an asterisk.)
I have also included here the few terms that seem to be making their
way into the general lexicon of English (e.g., hulk,pumpingiron),not so
much because they need defining as because no list of bodybuilding
terminology would be complete without them. However, because the
majorityof the exercises that bodybuilders do are either well-known
generally(e.g., sit-ups),peculiarto only selected athletes and hence not
representativeof the entire bodybuildingcommunity (e.g., triceps ex-
tension with a towel), or self-explanatoryvariations on a theme (e.g.
inclined dumbbell bench press), the glossary contains only those basic
groups of movementsthat are both universalin use but less than easily
recognized by the average layperson. I have followed a similarphiloso-
phy in reporting the various poses bodybuilders use in competition and
the machines they often use in training: only those terms in each
category that are not self-defining are listed here. Finally, although my

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198 AMERICAN SPEECH 59.3 (1984)

primary source for this glossary is my own fourteen-year involvement in

the sport of bodybuilding, I have supplemented that experience by
referring to back issues (since 1960) of the magazines cited earlier, as
well as the books listed in the REFERENCES.
Superscript numerals before cross-referenced words indicate sense
numbers of the cross-referenced item, e.g., 'routine indicates 'sense 2 for
routine'.

abs n Abdominalmuscles
arms n Parts of the body extending from the shoulders to the elbows,
especiallythe biceps and triceps muscles
Austrian oak, the n phr See OAK, THE
balance n Proper combination of muscularity, symmetry, and DEFINI-
TION (said of a bodybuilder's body)
bar n 1: *Steelshaft ranging in length from four to seven feet that forms the
handleof a BARBELL or DUMBBELL2: Sectionof a bodybuildinggymnasiumin
which health food and other supplementsare sold
*barbell n Apparatusconsisiting of a 1BAR, SLEEVE, two COLLARS, and any
numberof PLATES; basicpiece of equipmentfor bodybuilding (see also O.B.)
*belt n Piece of equipment worn around the bodybuilder'swaist during a
heavy lift to protect the internal organs and back from injury
best- n phr Award given during a bodybuilding competition to the
BUILDER exhibitingthe most BALANCE in a given area of the body, such as ARMS,
chest, LEGS,ABS,and back
best poser n phr Award given during a bodybuilding competition to the
BUILDER exhibiting the most grace and style in his 2ROUTINE
bomb v Train muscles intensely with a combination of heavy weights for
2BULKand light weights for DEFINITION
bomber n Bodybuilderwho BOMBS his muscles frequently
builder n Bodybuilder
bulk n 1: Massiveamount of muscle and fat on a bodybuilder'sbody 2:
Great muscle size
bulk up v 1: Add massiveamounts of muscle and fat to the body 2: Add
great size to a muscle
bulky adj Containing massive amounts of muscle and fat; lacking DEFINITION
burn v Hurt intensely after BOMBING (said of a muscle)
buzzed on a pump pred adj phr Inspired by a PUMP,either one's own or
someone else's, to train more intensely
calf raises n phr Exercisesused to train the gastrocnemiusmuscles in which
the bodybuildergoes from a flatfootedpositionto one in which he is standing
only on the balls of the feet
carve(d) up v and pred adj See CUTUP
chase v Follow a bodybuilder at a given exercise, as in "John's chasing
Arnold."
*cheat v Jerk or pause in moving a weight; use musclesother than the ones
being exercised
check-pose 1: v Look in the mirrorafter an exercise to determine the extent

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 THE LANGUAGEOF BODYBUILDING 199

of a PUMP 2: n Single pose (as opposed to a ROUTINE)to determine the

extent of a PUMP
chisel(ed) v andpredadj See CUT UP
close to the skin predadjphr See CUTUP
*collar n Cylindrical metalfastenerused to hold PLATESin positionon the
1BAR Of a DUMBBELL or BARBELL
comps n Sixposesrequiredof everybodybuilder in a givencontest:the front
double-biceps withflexedABS;frontLAT SPREAD withflexedLEGS; rightbiceps
andshoulderwithLEG flexed;backdouble-biceps;rearLAT SPREADWithcalves
flexed;left sideSHOT withtriceps,chest,and LEG flexed
contestbodybuilder n phr Bodybuilder whocompetesin physiquecompeti-
tions
contestbodybuilding nphr Physicaltrainingspecifically forphysiquecompe-
titions
crab 1: n Posein whichthe bodybuilder flexesthe entirefrontof the body,
bendingslightlyat the kneesandwaistanddrawingthe fiststogetherin front
of the body 2: v Perform 1CRAB
curl 1: n Exerciseusedto trainthebicepsmusclesbyalternately
flexingand
relaxingthem the
against of
resistance weights 2: v Perform 'CURLS
cuts n Spacesbetweenmusclesmadevisiblethroughlossof subcutaneous fat
(see also DEFINITION)
cut up 1: v Losesubcutaneous fat 2: predadjContainingno subcutaneous
fat
day n In combinationwith partsof the body to indicatewhichpartsget
trainedon a givenday,as in "It'sa chest,back,and shouldersday."(seealso
OFF DAY)
define v See CUTUP
definition n Absenceof subcutaneous fat overwell-developed muscle
delts n Deltoidmuscles
dip 1: n Exerciseused to trainboth the pectoraland tricepsmuscles 2:
v Perform'DIPS
disappear v Strikea pose in competitionthat showsa weaknessin muscle
formationor DEFINITION,thus losingthe enthusiasmof the audienceand
overshadowing the restof the 2ROUTINE
donkeys n CALFRAISES forwhichthebodybuilder bendsforwardat thewaist,
restingthe armsand torsoon a bench,whileone or twootherbodybuilders
straddlehis back
*dumbbell n Short-handled BARBELL intendedfor use in one hand,the BAR
of whichis twelveto fourteenincheslong
extension n Exercisesusedto trainboththe tricepsandquadricepsmuscles
flye n Exerciseused to train the pectoraland deltoid musclesin which
DUMBBELLS or cablesattachedto weightsare drawnacrossthe body
freestyle n Exercisedone withno weightsor otherequipment
garbage n 1: Nonproteinfood 2: Foodnot in a bodybuilder's regulardiet
garbageup v Ingestany food thatis lowin and in
protein high carbohydrates
get v phr Of a body part, develop that part more, as in GETARMS
get finish v phr Acquire BALANCE
get lines v phr Acquire DEFINITION

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200 AMERICAN SPEECH 59.3 (1984)

get veins v phr Acquire DEFINITION

gold pred adj Trained at Gold's Gym in Venice, California (Gold's Gym is
the Mecca of American bodybuilders)
hack machine n Apparatus used for CURLSand EXTENSIONS
hulk 1: *n Especially large bodybuilder 2: v a: Gain weight rapidly (see
also 'BULKUP) b: Make another bodybuilder look especially small in competi-
tion
*intensity n Amount of work done by a muscle or muscle group during an
exercise or WORKOUT
*iron n Weights used for training
junk n See GARBAGE
junk up v See GARBAGE UP
*kidney belt n See BELT
lady builder n phr Female bodybuilder
lats n Latissimus dorsi muscles
lat spread n Pose in which the bodybuilder places his hands on his hips and
flexes his LATS
legs n Parts of the body extending from the hips to the knees, especially the
quadriceps and the biceps femoris muscles
lose it v Fade; diminish in size (said of a bodybuilder in reference to a
muscle or muscles)
lose water v phr Perspire for the purpose of gaining greater DEFINITION
medium n Class of height in physique contests that ranges from five feet, five
inches to five feet, eight inches
most muscular n phr See 'CRAB
movement n Individual exercise, several of which comprise a WORKOUT
Oak, the n phr Arnold Schwarzenegger (The self-proclaimed King of Body-
building, Schwarzenegger is better known-and, most practitioners and aficio-
nados of the sport agree, also better built-than any bodybuilder in history.
THE OAKis a clipped form of THE AUSTRIANOAK, a nicknamecurrent in the
mid- 1970s and one undoubtedly derived jointly from his heritage as well as his
immense size. That AUSTRIANhas now largely been deleted from the nick-
name is testimony both to Schwarzenegger's status as a naturalized citizen of
the United States and to the desire of speakers to reduce often-used terms to
their barest morphemic necessities.)
O.B. n phr Olympic BARBELL; must be seven feet long and weigh forty-five
pounds with COLLARS
off day n phr Day (usually Sunday) on which the bodybuilder does not WORK
OUT (see also DAY)
oil up v Apply oil to the body prior to a physique contest
*pecs n Pectoralis major muscles
pit n Area in which a bodybuilder PUMPSUP,changes into posing trunks, and
OILSUP prior to a physique contest
*plates n Flat discs made of cast iron or vinyl-coated concrete that are fitted
on the ends of a 'BAR
pose-off n 1: Sixty seconds during which the winners of each of three height
classes (SHORT, MEDIUM, TALL) pose in competition against one another to
determine the overall winner of a physique contest 2: Two or more body-
builders posing competitively against one another

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 THE LANGUAGE OF BODYB UILDING 201

*press 1: n Genre of exercises used primarily to train the deltoid, pectoral,

and quadriceps muscles 2: v Push any weight perpendicular to the force of
gravity
*program n See IROUTINE
pump n Quality of being distended with blood (Said of a muscle or muscle
group, as in "His chest measures only forty-eight inches normal, but he can
take it to fifty with a good pump.")
pumped (up) adj Distended with blood (said of a muscle)
pump iron v phr Push, pull, or lift weights
pump up v Distend a muscle with blood through vigorous exercise
quads n Quadriceps muscles
razor(ed) v and pred adj See CUTUP
*rep n Repetition; each individual complete cycle of an exercise, several of
which comprise a SET
rip(ped) v and pred adj See CUT UP
routine n 1: *Complete program of exercises done on a given DAY 2: Series
of poses done during a physique contest
row 1: n Exercises used to train the latissimus dorsi muscles 2: v Train the
latissimus dorsi muscles by drawing the outstretched arms toward the chest
against the resistance of weights
*schedule n See 1ROUTINE
*set n Distinct grouping of REPS of a particular exercise, usually six to twelve
in number
short n Class of height in physique contests that includes all bodybuilders
under five feet, five inches
shot n Pose
*sleeve n Hollow metal tube fitted over the IBAR of an adjustable BARBELL or
DUMBBELL to enable the bar to rotate more easily in a bodybuilder's hands
during an exercise
slice(d) v and pred adj See CUT UP
smooth pred adj Containing subcutaneous fat; lacking DEFINITION
smooth off v Complete a WORKOUT by jogging, swimming, or other cardiovas-
cular exercise
split routine n phr 1ROUTINEdivided into two parts with several hours of rest
between them
*squat 1: n Exercises used to train the QUADS 2: v Train the quadriceps
muscles by bending the knees from a standing position and then straightening
them against the resistance of weights
stay hungry v phr Continue to crave something---often GARBAGE, but also a
physique title, added size or DEFINITION in the muscles, or greater posing
expertise
*superset n and v Move(ment) directly from one SETOf exercises to another
with no intervening rest
tall n Class of height in physique contests that includes all bodybuilders over
five feet, eight inches
transparent pred adj See CUTUP
traps n Trapezius muscles
walk, the n phr Method of walking designed to exhibit a bodybuilder's
body (The mostcharacteristicelement of THEWALKis the bodybuilder'sarms

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202 AMERICAN SPEECH 59.3 (1984)

being held at a slight angle away from the sides of the body, thus effecting a
slight LAT SPREAD.)
whitey n CONTEST
BODYBUILDER
wholacksa suntan
workoutn Complete OFF
IROUTINEona givendayplusanySMOOTHING
done
workout v Exercise

I havefoundno regionalor socialvariationin theseterms;all are in

commonuse amongbodybuilders acrossthe UnitedStatesand Canada,
and I can alsoattestto theiruse in England.It has been suggestedby
severalnonlinguistbodybuilders thatthiswidespreadlackof variationis
testimony to the camaraderie thatthe athletesshare.Perhaps,butit also
bearswitnessboth to the worldwidecirculationof the bodybuilding
publicationsprintedin Englishand to the extensivetravelof contest
bodybuildersas they participatein numerousinternationalcompeti-
tions.
Butdespitethe lackof variation,patternsemergethatrevealhowthe
languageof the sportreflectsthe participants' chiefpreoccupations.We
should not be surprisedthat almosthalf of the words and phrases
pertainto the regimenof physicaltrainingthat bodybuildersset for
themselves,nor that a large numberhave to do with the topics of
nutritionand the appearanceof the athlete'sbody;theseare, afterall,
the threemostfundamentalcomponentsof bodybuilding,and without
them the sport as we know it could not exist. The other essential
ingredients,sleepingand, to contestbodybuilders, suntanning,require
muchlessguessworkandareeasierto control;thustheyreceivepropor-
tionatelylessattentionin the sportas wellas the language.Andit seems
onlylogicalthatjustthe majormusclesor musclegroups-those trained
the hardestand discussedthe most-should be clippedto monosyllabic
status(ABS,DELTS,LATS, PECS, QUADS,and TRAPS) or be subjectedto a
simplifyingsemanticchange(ARMS and LEGS).
Of thosetermsreferringto the appearanceof the athlete'sbody,so
manyare synonymsof cUT UP(cf. alsothe relatedtermscuts,definition,
andsmooth) thatfurtherexplanationmaybe warranted.Participants in a
physique contest are alwaysjudged on threecriteria-size(or muscular-
ity),symmetry,anddefinition.Eventhe mostineptof bodybuilders can
attainlargemusclesize,and, althoughsymmetryis slightlymoretrou-
blesome,it is stillwellwithinthe reachof mostcontestbodybuilders. But
only a tiny minorityof athletesever achievestrulyremarkabledefinition,
and in so doing they typicallystrain their metabolic systems to such a
degree that it is a wonder they survivethe process.Gainesand Butler (p.
18), for example, claim that for the entire year preceding the 1973 Mr.

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 THE LANGUAGE OF BODYBUILDING 203

Olympia contest, one of the participants, Serge Nubret, in addition to

enduring an eight-hour training schedule seven days a week, ingested 9
pounds of meat, 400 grams of protein supplement, and 32 glasses of
water daily-and all in vain: of three contestants, he finished third. It is
not so surprising, then, that the defining of the body-a time-consum-
ing, multifaceted, often-debated goal that is common to all bodybuilders,
striven for maniacally by many, and realized by only a few-should be
referred to so often and in so many different ways.
Juxtaposing the language of bodybuilding with that of other profes-
sions or subcultures reveals patterns concerning what might be called
the character of the sport and language. For example, in "The Jargon of
Professional Wrestling" Kerrick (1980) concludes that professional wres-
tling is as much or perhaps more of a business than a sport. In contrast,
the language of bodybuilding is devoid of any terms with connotations
of big business. Similarly, though nursing is certainly a profession with
serious purposes, Kolin (1973, 1980) has identified one of the character-
istics of nursing vocabulary as humor. Not so with bodybuilding. Body-
builders, and particularly contest participants, do not joke about their
sport. They see no humor in a lifestyle that makes such drastic demands
on their physical and mental stamina, their monetary resources, and
their time. This lack of humor is reflected in the glossary: of the more
than one hundred terms listed, only one-WHITEY---could even loosely
be construed as humorous, and it is open to question whether it in fact is.
I have heard WHITEY used sympathetically, angrily, derogatorily, sarcas-
tically, and insultingly, but never humorously, for to enter a competition
without a healthy suntan is, in most cases, to give away points to one's
opponents.
Although the language of bodybuilding may suggest no images of
business and have no humorous overtones, it is deeply inlaid with
metaphorical references to the world of art, and particularly sculpture.
Terms such as BALANCE, CARVE UP, CHISEL, DEFINE, GET FINISH, RAZOR,
and RIP all call to mind some master sculptor working on an as yet
imperfect and hence incomplete figure. Gaines and Butler (p. 106) make
the same comparison:

Fromthe beginninga bodybuilderworkswith himselfas a medium, in much the

same way that Praxitelesor Phidias or Michelangeloworked with bronze and
Carraramarble-formalizing and idealizing his material, dispensing with its
imperfectionsand forcing an idea of it into design. In his work he is after the
same basicqualitiesof balanceand claritythat those artistswere after, so it is not
surprisingthat often the result of his work is strikinglylike the sculpture and
painting of classicaland Renaissanceartists.

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204 AMERICAN SPEECH 59.3 (1984)

The earliest uses of such terms remain to be established, but my guess

is that the sculpture metaphors made their way into the language of
bodybuilding shortly after 1903, when bodybuilders' physiques sud-
denly became more important than their strength. Methods of training
were still quite primitive then, as was accurate knowledge of human
anabolism, and the combined result, as Gaines and Butler describe it (p.
44), would have encouraged analogy with sculpting:
The traditionalway of practicingthe art is to bulk up with heavyweightsand all
the food you can eat, gainingtwentyor thirtypounds of fat and muscle beyond
where you want to be for competition,and then in the last month to go on a
protein diet and chisel away all the fat with high-speed clarifying exercises,
leaving only muscle.
Most bodybuilders of the 1980s would quickly point out that this method
of training is now obsolete; that most who compete in the sport prefer to
BULKUP and CHISELtheir bodies simultaneously(i.e., BOMB them) rather
than having to constantly gain and lose large amounts of weight. We are
therefore left with what appear to be the linguistic remnants of an
earlier age of bodybuilding-remnants which, according to the usual
paths of language development, could one day become fossilized, per-
haps with an eventual semantic shift; or which might, from lack of use,
become obsolete. But neither possibility seems likely in this instance, for
as Gaines and Butler make clear (p. 44), the concept of bodybuilder-as-
sculptor has apparently become ingrained in the sport and grown
stronger with the passing of time, even as the training has grown more
refined and the need for chiseling less drastic:
The magical notion at the heart of the sport is that the body itself is an art
medium: malleable,capable of being aestheticallydominated and formed the
way clay is by a potter. A bodybuilderin trainingis a kind of sculptorhimself-
the parent of a design of his body which he puts into competition with other
designs.
Unless the sport of bodybuilding (or at least the way in which body-
builders view themselves as artists) changes drastically, it seems certain
that sculpture metaphors will continue to play an important role in
defining the character of its language.
The two final patterns illustrating the relationship between the sport
and the language of bodybuilding that I would like to mention are minor
and less well represented than the others, but interesting nonetheless.
First, consider the terms BOMBand BURN:in their most literal, common
meanings, both call to mind images of destruction; and so also in
bodybuilding, in which there is no more self-destructive way to train

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 THE LANGUAGE OF BODYBUILDING 205

one's muscles than to BOMBthem, thus causing the most painful BURN.
Yet BOMB and BURN also connote other, more positive images in the
minds of bodybuilders, images perhaps best captured in the well-known
axioms Pain meansgain, No pain, no gain, and To hurt is to grow. We thus
have two terms which have passed, along with their standard denota-
tions, from standard English into the language of bodybuilding, but
which, once in use among bodybuilders, apparently were forced to
expand their previously negative connotations to include the new posi-
tive/regenerative images required by that sport and its athletes.
The second minor pattern concerns the terms GARBAGE (UP)and JUNK
(up). In standard English, GARBAGE is something that people do not
eat--perhaps something inedible or simply unpalatable, but, in either
case, something to avoid ingesting; and JUNK(as in JUNKfood), though
palatable and perhaps even tasty, is usually something perceived to be
lacking in nutrition or even harmful. These standard meanings have
been adopted by the language of bodybuilding and left unchanged, but
the number of their referents has been forced to increase greatly
because of bodybuilders' eating habits: even something generally re-
garded to be as wholesome and healthful as milk or as innocuous as
mashed potatoes or a slice of bread becomes GARBAGE or JUNK to a
serious bodybuilder. Referring to such tasty foods as JUNKand GARBAGE
serves as a constant reminder that they can only hinder the all-important
process of gaining greater definition through the loss of subcutaneous
fat. As with BOMB and BURN, then, GARBAGE and JUNK are two examples
of words from standard English that have been seized by bodybuilders
and molded to conform to the needs of their language.

REFERENCES

Bass, Clarence. 1980. Ripped.Albuquerque:Ripped Enterprises.

Coe, Boyer, and Bob Summer. 1979. GettingStrong.New York: Atheneum.
Columbu,Franco,and George Fels. 1977. WinningBodybuilding. Chicago:Con-
temporary Books.
. 1978. Comingon Strong.Chicago:ContemporaryBooks.
Gaines,Charles,and George Butler. 1974. PumpingIron.New York:Simon and
Schuster.
Kennedy, Robert. 1980. NaturalBodybuilding for Everyone.New York: Sterling.
Kerrick,George E. 1980. "The Jargon of Professional Wrestling."American
Speech55: 142-45.
Kolin,PhilipC. 1973. "The Languageof Nursing."American Speech48: 192-210.
. 1980. "MoreNursing Terms."AmericanSpeech55: 46-53.
Murray,Jim. 1978. InsideBodybuilding.Chicago:ContemporaryBooks.
Neve, Vickie. 1980. Pat Neve's DietBook.Phoenix: Phoenix Books.
Bodybuilding

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
206 AMERICAN SPEECH 59.3 (1984)

Pearl,Bill. 1979. Keysto theInnerUniverse.Pasadena:PhysicalFitnessArchitects.

Ravelle, Lou. 1977. Bodybuilding for Everyone.New York: Pocket Books.
Schwarzenegger,Arnold, and Douglas Kent Hall. 1977. Arnold:TheEducationof
a Bodybuilder.New York: Simon and Schuster.
Weider,Joe. 1979. TheIFBB Albumof Bodybuilding All-Stars.New York: Haw-
thorne Books.
. 1981. Bodybuilding:The WeiderApproach.Chicago: Contemporary Books.
Zane, Frankand Christine. 1979. TheZaneWayto a BeautifulBody.New York:
Simon and Schuster.

INQUIRY: HAVE TO

In an article in the New YorkTimesMagazine (21 Aug. 1983, pp. 11-12),

the editor of AmericanSpeech observed that the use of to after have in
existential and causative constructions is a Southern and South Midland
speech (but rarely written) form (e.g., Shall I have him to call you? and
Theyhad a tornadoto touchdown in Raleigh last night!). This brought forth
a response from Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Holt, residents of New York
City who "grew up in Alabama and keep up with our native region." The
Holts assert that "never, at any level of society, under conditions formal
or informal, have we heard the locution . . . [with to] that you make a
touchstone of Southernness. It sounds artifically quaint-kind of like
Oscar Hammerstein's notion of how Oklahoma farmers talk." Mr. Holt
suggests that the construction is purely a North Carolina form. And
indeed, virtually all of our collected samples are from North Carolina-
though we do have an example from the speech of an Alabama native
who has lived in North Carolina for twenty years, as well as from both
the mountains and coastal areas of North Carolina. Does anyone have
any examples of existential and/or causative have + noun + to from
Georgia, Alabama, or Mississippi? (R.R.B.)

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