Herkules

About 40 muscular men half-nakedly face a dozen mirrors. One of them tenses up his gigantic biceps, another’s support team applies last minute corrections with spreadable fake tan. An old hand concentrates on some kind of meditation. A greenhorn meticulously checks his posing slip.

The air smells of aftershave, sweat, and loads of testosterone. The sun is burning. In a moment the big stage will be conquered. For this book, Firat Kara has asked what people can do with their bodies and with what diligence they proceed. Kara is not only interested in the bulky bodies but also in the people inside them. He has captured their inner impetus at international and national events, in studios and at open air training sites. He was able to find and record the personalities behind the muscles, especially right before the shows.