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{{Short description|American dietary supplements company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Bodybuilding.com
| logo = Bodybuilding.com logo.png
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| key_people = CEO Karl Walsh
| industry = [[Ecommerce]], Fitness Industry
| products = [[Dietary supplements]]
| num_employees = 450
| homepage = {{URL|bodybuilding.com}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|1999|2|16}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/bodybuilding.com|title=Bodybuilding.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|access-date=2016-07-13}}</ref>
| founder = [[Ryan DeLuca]]
| parent = Retail Ecommerce Ventures<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bodybuildingcom-forms-partnership-with-retail-ecommerce-ventures-301579941.html|title=Bodybuilding.com forms partnership with Retail Ecommerce Ventures|date=July 1, 2022|access-date=March 2, 2023|website=PR Newswire|language=en}}</ref>
| location = [[Boise, Idaho]], U.S.
}}

'''Bodybuilding.com''' is an American [[online retailer]] based in [[Boise, Idaho]], specializing in [[dietary supplement]]s, sports supplements and [[bodybuilding supplement]]s. The site also once had a highly popular [[Internet forum|forum]] section which was shut down in September 2024.

In September 2015, the CEO and founder Ryan DeLuca stepped down from his role, announcing he would be succeeded on an interim basis by [[Liberty Media]] CFO Chris Shean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article40650900.html|title=Bodybuilding.com founder DeLuca steps down|date=5 October 2015|website=Idaho Statesman}}</ref> Chris Shean was subsequently replaced with the appointment of Karl Walsh in October 2021.

==History==
Bodybuilding.com grew out of wholesale-creatine.com, an online storefront created by teenage web marketer and amateur bodybuilder Ryan DeLuca in 1997, to capitalize on the rising popularity of [[creatine supplement]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=DeLuca|first1=Ryan|title=Ask a guy who started Bodybuilding.com anything, part I|url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=7224141&p=128278351#post128278351|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="titleCatching Up with the 2006 30 Under 30 Alumni, Leading Your Company Article - Inc. Article">{{cite web |url=http://www.inc.com/30under30/2007/catching-up-with-the-2006-alumni_pagen_2.html |title=Catching Up with the 2006 30 Under 30 Alumni, Leading Your Company Article - Inc. Article |access-date=2007-11-20 }}</ref>

A majority stake in Bodybuilding.com was acquired in July 2006 by Milestone Partners for an undisclosed amount.<ref>{{cite web|title=Milestone Completes Sale of Bodybuilding.com|url=http://www.milestonepartners.com/News/Milestone-News/2008/Milestone-Completes-Sale-of-Bodybuilding-com|website=Milestone Partners|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref> In January 2008, [[Liberty Media Corporation]] acquired a controlling stake in Bodybuilding.com for more than $100 million.<ref name="Liberty Media buying Bodybuilding.com stake: report">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0737720520080107 |title=Liberty Media buying Bodybuilding.com stake: report |access-date=2008-01-10 |work=Reuters | first=Ritsuko | last=Ando | date=2008-01-07}}</ref> DeLuca stayed on as the company's CEO.

[[File:Bbcom-new-boise-hq.jpg|thumb|Bodybuilding.com corporate headquarters, Boise, ID]]

As of 2014, it has 450 employees working at 3 locations, including distribution centers in [[North Las Vegas, NV]]; [[Shiremanstown, PA]]; and [[Bedfordshire]], U.K.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bodybuilding.com achievements|url=http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbcomcareer.htm|website=www.bodybuilding.com|access-date=17 November 2014}}</ref> The corporate headquarters is also located in [[Boise, Idaho|Boise]], along with the company's customer service [[call center]].

In 2013, the company donated the equipment for Boise's first outdoor gym, located in [[Ann Morrison Park]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Boise's first outdoor gym opens Thursday in Ann Morrison Park|url=http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/2014/07/01/11894085/|access-date=17 November 2014|agency=KTVB News Channel 7 Boise}}</ref>

In 2007, an [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]] agent purchased several dietary supplements from the company which were determined to contain [[anabolic steroid]]s. In May 2012, Bodybuilding.com was fined $7 million, and as part of the settlement, CEO DeLuca and his brother Jeremy were both fined $600,000 for selling misbranded drugs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roberts|first=Bill|title=Bodybuilding.com agrees to pay $7 million fine for violating Food and Drugs act|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/05/09/2109572/bodybuildingcom-agrees-to-pay.html|publisher=Idaho Statesman|access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="FDA">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/CriminalInvestigations/ucm305494.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613231946/http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/CriminalInvestigations/ucm305494.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 13, 2012|title=US FDA Criminal Investigations- May 22, 2012: Bodybuilding.com, LLC, Ryan Deluca, and Jeremy DeLuca Plead Guilty in Federal Court to Violating FDCA|website=[[Food and Drug Administration]] |access-date =2012-09-28}}</ref>

In September 2015, founder and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] Ryan Deluca suddenly announced he would be stepping down from his position as CEO.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/companies/article40650900.html|title=Bodybuilding.com founder DeLuca steps down|website=idahostatesman|access-date=2016-05-03}}</ref>

In April 2018, it was publicized that Bodybuilding.com experienced a security breach, though the site would not say if any of its users' data was stolen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hadley |first=James |title=Bodybuilding.com Breach: Proof That An Organization's Biggest Cyber Risk Is Its People |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jameshadley/2019/04/24/bodybuilding-com-breach-proof-that-an-organizations-biggest-cyber-risk-is-its-people/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Bodybuilding.com discloses security breach |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/bodybuilding-com-discloses-security-breach/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}</ref>

== Vitalize, LLC. ==
{{press release section|date=September 2020}}
In 2015, [[Liberty Interactive]] spun off Bodybuilding.com and its stake in [[Expedia, Inc.|Expedia]] into a new company, Liberty Expedia Holdings.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Liberty Interactive to spin off CommerceHub, Liberty Expedia| work = Reuters| access-date = 2017-09-24| date = 2015-11-12| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-liberty-interactive-divestiture/liberty-interactive-to-spin-off-commercehub-liberty-expedia-idUSKCN0T11GF20151112}}</ref> In December 2016 after a massive layoff,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/bodybuildingcom-lays-off-about-90-in-boise/361027780|title=Bodybuilding.com lays off about 90 in Boise|last=TEGNA|newspaper=KTVB|language=en-US|access-date=2016-12-29}}</ref> Bodybuilding.com reorganized to form 4 different companies/brands.

== Forums ==
At the time of their discontinuation, Bodybuilding.com's [[Internet forum|forums]] were the internet's largest online forums for fitness discussion.<ref name=":0" /> They were known for their strong sense of trolling and their expansive discussion of unrelated subjects in the Misc. (miscellaneous) subforum.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Kate Davis |date=2015-03-26 |title=Bodybuilding Forums Are One of the Last Relics of Web 1.0 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bodybuilding-forums-are-one-of-the-last-relics-of-web-10-456/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-10-20 |title=Gable Tostee's journey from an introvert to a self-styled playboy |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-20/the-story-of-gable-tostee-and-warriena-wrights-tragic-date/7941720 |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> As of 2022, 18 million people used the forums.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-17 |title=5 Best Bodybuilding Forums (Reviewed For 2024) |url=https://muscleandbrawn.com/bodybuilding/forums/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |language=en-US}}</ref> This popularity led to them becoming one of the last remaining [[Web 2.0|Web 1.0]] forums.<ref name=":1" /> They were politically diverse, notable in comparison to other boards like the right-wing [[4chan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-11 |title=The Unheard History of Bodybuilding Forums, as Told by the Trolls and Counter-Trolls Who Made Them Huge |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-unheard-history-of-bodybuilding-forums-as-told-by-the-trolls-and-counter-trolls-who-made-them-huge |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

Notable people who posted on them included bodybuilder [[Zyzz]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-21 |title=Zyzz Can Never Die |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/who-is-zyzz |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> [[WWE]] wrestler [[Lars Sullivan]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Konuwa |first=Alfred |title=Lars Sullivan And WWE's Recent History Of Turning A Blind Eye To Bigotry |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2019/05/10/lars-sullivan-and-wwes-recent-history-of-turning-a-blind-eye-to-bigotry/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> and the perpetrator of the [[2014 Isla Vista killings]], [[Elliot Rodger]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Woolf |first=Nicky |date=2014-05-30 |title='PUAhate' and 'ForeverAlone': inside Elliot Rodger's online life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/30/elliot-rodger-puahate-forever-alone-reddit-forums |access-date=2024-07-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The site popularized the {{visible anchor|GOMAD diet}} (drinking one '''G'''allon '''O'''f '''M'''ilk '''A''' '''D'''ay) and {{visible anchor|dry-scooping}} (consuming [[pre-workout]] powder [[Stimulant|stimulants]] without water); both methods are known to be dangerous.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-12 |title=Meet the Bodybuilding Bros on the 'GOMAD' Diet — a Gallon of Milk a Day |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/gomad-diet-before-after-side-effects |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodrigues |first=Ashwin |date=2021-06-07 |title=Dry Scooping Pre-Workout Is a Terrible Idea |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/dry-scooping-pre-workout-is-bad-for-you/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref> In 2008, 19-year-old Abraham Biggs committed suicide after being bullied on the forums. He [[Live streaming|livestreamed]] his suicide on [[justin.tv]], and posted the link to the stream beforehand on the site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-17 |title=The Dark, Disturbing Trend of Teens Live Streaming Suicide, and How It Can Be Stopped |url=https://www.insideedition.com/25564-the-dark-disturbing-trend-of-teens-live-streaming-suicide-and-how-it-can-be-stopped |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Inside Edition |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2011, user ThePoz discovered, and publicized on the forum, a way to access private photographs of [[Facebook]] CEO [[Mark Zuckerberg]] on the Facebook site itself.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |title=Mark Zuckerberg's Private Photos Exposed Thanks To Facebook Flaw |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/12/06/mark-zuckerbergs-private-photos-exposed-thanks-to-facebook-flaw/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-12-07 |title=Facebook glitch reveals private photos -- including Zuckerberg's |url=http://www.today.com/money/facebook-glitch-reveals-private-photos-including-zuckerbergs-118698 |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=TODAY.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, Australian man Gable Tostee was found not guilty of murdering his girlfriend Warriena Wright. He had defended himself by posting a full testimony of his actions at the time of her death on the forums, alongside photographs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bogle |first=Ariel |date=2016-10-24 |title='Tinder murder' accused posted testimony on a body building website |url=https://mashable.com/article/gable-tostee-bodybuilding-forum-post |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref> Also in 2014, the site popularized the word "nutting" as slang for [[ejaculation]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hathaway |first=Jay |date=2016-08-26 |title=The sexy, sloppy history of 'nut' and 'succ' |url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/nut-succ-meme/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=The Daily Dot |language=en-US}}</ref>

On September 19, 2024, the company discontinued its entire forum section without notice. All links to its forums redirect to the message below:
<blockquote style="font-style:italic;">
Hi Team,

No good growth came without change. We’re building new ways to connect our global community.

Be on the lookout here on Bodybuilding.com, or subscribe to our emails below to stay up to date on the newest brand developments.

Together, we’ll move forward to discover more ways to Build Your Body, Build Your Mind and Build Your Life.

Team BBCOM

Enter your email address to subscribe
</blockquote>

Ten days later, former users of the Bodybuilding.com forums organized to re-create the misc section on a self-hosted domain titled newmisc.com, which opened to public registration in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bodybuilding.com Forum Notice of Shutdown|url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/|website=Bodybuilding.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001012838/https://shop.bodybuilding.com/pages/forum|archive-date=2024-10-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=New Misc. Bodybuilding Forum|url=https://www.newmisc.com|website=New Misc}}</ref>

=== "Days in a week" debate ===
The forums are notable for a [[Thread (online communication)|thread]] titled "Full Body Workout Every Other Day?" created on May 17, 2008,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Bois |first=Jon |date=2016-02-18 |title=The Dumbest Boy Alive |url=https://www.sbnation.com/2016/2/18/11051974/pretty-good-bodybuilding-days-in-a-week |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=SBNation.com |language=en}}</ref> in which two users got into a long and intense argument over the number of days in a [[week]]. The thread started when user m1ndless posted: "If I go [to the gym] every other day I will be at the gym 4-5 times a week, is that over training? [...]" User steviekm3 responded: "That makes no sense. There are only 7 days in a week. If you go every other day that is 3.5 times a week."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2015-01-05 |title='You My Friend Are El Wrongo': Two Bodybuilding Meatheads Argue Over How Many Days Are In A Week |url=https://uproxx.com/viral/seven/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=UPROXX |language=en-US}}</ref> m1ndless, from this point on posting under the username TheJosh, responded: "Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. That is 4 days. How do you go 3.5 times? Do a half workout or something? lol".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> User Justin27 agreed with stevekm3 by saying "7x in 2 weeks = 3.5 times a week, genius."<ref name=":3" />

The argument continued for two days, mostly between TheJosh and Justin27. The argument narrowed down to a disagreement over whether or not a week is seven or eight days; Justin27 said a week is defined as Sunday to Saturday, while TheJosh defined it as Sunday to the next Sunday.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The debate then hinged on whether Sunday counted as a "real day".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waugh |first=Rob |date=2015-01-05 |title='How many days are in one week?' Bodybuilders argue it out |url=https://metro.co.uk/2015/01/05/how-many-days-are-in-one-week-bodybuilders-argue-it-out-5009448/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref> It intensified to where they were posting harsh insults, such as when Justin27 told TheJosh: "You are the dumbest boy alive. Jump off a bridge."<ref name=":3" />

The thread ended at 120 posts,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-05 |title=Bodybuilders row over the number of days in the week |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bodybuilders-row-over-the-number-of-days-in-the-week-9958198.html |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref> or five webpages.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordie |title=Throwback: A Bunch Of Meatheads Get Into Argument Over How Many Days Are In A Week In Body Building Thread |url=https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/594031/throwback-a-bunch-of-meatheads-get-into-argument-over-how-many-days-are-in-a-week-in-body-building-thread |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=www.barstoolsports.com |language=en}}</ref> It was rediscovered by [[Reddit]] in 2015, and as of 2016, was viewed 3 million times. It was the subject of a 2016 documentary by [[Jon Bois]] for ''[[SB Nation]]''; he referred to it as the "perhaps the dumbest argument in the history of the Internet".<ref name=":2" /> Albert Burneko, writing for ''[[Deadspin]]'', said the thread was "the least essential discussion ever had".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deadspin {{!}} How Many Days Are In A Week? Internet Steakheads Go To War |url=https://deadspin.com/how-many-days-are-in-a-week-internet-steakheads-go-to-1677492703/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=deadspin.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, ''[[Vice News]]'' contacted mathematician Joanna Nelson for a resolution, and she said that TheJosh would have to schedule his workouts in two-week chunks, since a week is seven days from Monday to Sunday.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conti |first=Allie |date=2015-01-05 |title=We Got a Mathematician to Settle the 'How Many Days Are There in a Week?' Controversy That Tore a Bodybuilding Forum Apart |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-got-a-mathematician-to-settle-the-how-many-days-are-there-in-a-week-controversy-that-tore-a-bodybuilding-forum-apart/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[List of Internet forums]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Liberty Interactive}}

[[Category:Online retailers of the United States]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1999]]
[[Category:Bodybuilding mass media]]
[[Category:Companies based in Boise, Idaho]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Idaho]]

Bodybuilding.com - Revision history

imported>ClueBot NG: Reverting possible vandalism by 2402:E000:41D:96D6:586F:4EF4:63A6:4A41 to version by GreenC bot. Report False Positive? Thanks, ClueBot NG. (4397403) (Bot)