[quote]Professor X wrote:
BantamRunner wrote:
Mike Mentzer started this fat midsection nonsense, it got worse and added otherworldly size with Yates and hit the shitter with Ronnie. HgH belly has turned Olympia into a sideshow.
Give me Arnold, Haney, Zane, Makkawy and Nubret…oh and Ferrigno before he got over 300lbs.
I’m a noob, but I know what “looks good”…not being gay or anything, but I’d rather have the V-Taper with big chest and legs than the bloated look of most of today’s bodybuilders.
I think if you showed the public videos of most of the Olympia’s in the 70s and 80s they would enjoy those more than the shows in the 90s and today.
But, a preoccupation with absolute size has always been an issue in BBing. Hell, look at Gironda or Reeves compared to Arny. Gironda was too “ripped” for his day.
At the end of the day if the judges score high marks or otherworldliness that is what will be up there. I do think they are making a step toward leaner stomachs with Jackson. We will see.
Mentzer had a “fat midsection” in his prime? Yes, you are a noob. You are also someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about. Toney Freeman may just have one of the smaller waists on stage today next to Melvin Anthony. Newer Pros like Brandon Curry and even Phile Heath have changed the dynamic of what gets awarded on stage as of late and anyone paying attention can see this.
However, the problem is most of you are not paying attention yet consider yourselves judges based on pulling up names mostly of people who don’t even compete at the moment.
If you don’t even follow it enough to give credit where credit is due, how valuable is your opinion?
The bodybuilder above is “bloated” to you and looks WORSE than Haney, Arnold or Zane? They are completely different ideals and even comparing Zane to the rest is ignoring this.[/quote]
X man,
There’s a difference between what’s out there and what wins. Never said there weren’t guys with tapers today nor guys without fat midsections back then. I’ve probably looked at more men in posing trunks over the last 6 months than most straight men should.
Gironda by our standards had an excellent physique back in the day but he never won shit because the judging didn’t award that level of leanness. Arnie wouldn’t win shit today because he doesn’t have the wheels and isn’t cut up enough. They use more “gear” today and that’s the reason you see the top of line guys looking like creatures from another planet. At least Arnie and company looked human. Arnie won '80 because of politics. He wasn’t even supposed to compete, he was coming as a sort of guest poser and wasn’t even “registered”. Well world got out that Arnie was going to compete and the other competetors were of course pissed. Arnie took BBing to a whole new level and Mentzer with his looks was supposed to carry the flag. Well Mentzer had a recreational drug problem and of course the IFBB didn’t want their next golden boy tarnished as a druggie (but apparently roids are fine…just like all pro sports, but anyway…). You see, I read my history…or at least difference versions of it.
To each his own man. If someone thinks Ronnie’s development is “ideal” then more power to them. Just don’t get upset when people disagree.