The aim of this paper is to demonstrate to what extent the current bodybuilding necessitates to rely on a specific collective imaginary, whose mains elements (work, performance, hegemonic masculinity) refer to the past or are presented as well. This anchor reinforces bodybuilders' involvement as well as the sense they give to their actions. Hence we shall first figure out this "living past" from qualitative data collected during a year in three Gyms in France. Secondly, our work is based on an analysis of several specialized reviews of bodybuilding that indicate that such temporalities take place inside them.
