And they would lose the shows, since none of them look like they ever trained legs.
2 Likes
None of those guys have massive anything. If you search online most of them donāt even look like they do in the photos people constantly post (including the mighty Sandow).It is all lighting and the type of camera. Like that Fred Rollon back shot , shadows everywhere.
I am pretty sure I read they would use stuff to accentuate their muscles, especially in photos.
Terrible physiques? No, but, I do not consider them at all impressive.
I will say, I think they very much are impressive physiques, given their time. Would I pause my workout in the gym today if I saw one of these guys walk by? Absolutely not.
But is this was 1880? 100%. People didnāt know about weight training, they didnāt have all these gyms full of hammer strength machines and cable stacks, doctors were still prescribing cigars for asthma, the access to food was different than today. These guys were amazing for their time. Maybe not by todays standards, but Iām still impressed by babe Ruth, even if he wouldnāt make make the minor leagues today.
2 Likes
I always kinda liked when people would ask or insinuate that I was using steroids. Its kinda flattering.
Naive on their part? Maybe a little, but screw it, Iāll take it where I can get it.
3 Likes
Do you have stats for this guy? My guess is that he is actually closer to 170 unless he is quite tall. He is in great physical shape, but his arms and legs arenāt āhugeā by todayās standards. And while he is lean, he is by no means contest lean. He is pretty much at the level of leanness where getting any leaner would probably negatively impact physical performance.
As far as genetics, I think you are overestimating the degree to which the talent pool is deeper today than it was then. Genetic freaks are genetic freaks. They are naturally good at the things they are naturally good at. When you realize you are good at something, you practice it. Being naturally strong and muscular is something that would have easily been noticed in every era of history.
2 Likes
People have been weight training for a really long time. We have these images because the camera was invented and the muscle/strongman became a spectacle.
It is not complicated.
Eat more and get stronger to grow.
Eat less and maintain strength to get lean
You act like they were idiots. They were prescribed cigars? Who cares, there are lifters smoke now.
I just used the cigars as an example for how little people understood about general health and human biology then vs now.
Youāre completely right in that people have been lifting weights for a long time, but not the way people do today. Hell, the Greeks would train in weighted armor to build up the strength to more easily handle the weight of their normal kits. These guys werenāt the first to ever get big and strong. BUT, they were some of the first bodybuilders. Not many people up to that point in time had developed THAT degree of muscularity. The science behind rep ranges, exercise selection, recovery, etc, it wasnāt studied and known like it is now. Thatās not saying they are stupid, but itās saying that these guys didnāt have books or news articles to read that told them how to get big and strong. They just got some heavy bars and figured it out, which is a lot more than many do these days.
More so, they were the best of the best for their time, which is really what I find impressive. Yes, people have gotten better over time. Athletics have just flat out improved over the last 100 years. Roger Bannister was the first to run a 4 minute mile. Have a lot of people done it since? Have they run even faster?Yup, and I donāt know any of their names. But he did it before anyone else, he was the best of the best for his time, and I think thatās impressive. And I guess thatās my take with these guys. They were the pros of their time. What you see is the best of the best for that era. Yeah, we have definitely gotten better, but I donāt think that means they didnāt accomplish something in their own respect.
2 Likes
Did you knowā¦
That the phrase āblowing smoke up my assā originated from the actual practice of doing exactly that?
It was recommended as a treatment for everything from drowning to hysteria to any of many other conditions.
Sometimes Iām surprised we made it this far.
2 Likes
I did not, but I certainly have a new fun fact lol.
I will say, I read about Teddy Roosevelt being prescribed cigars and whiskey to treat his asthma as a 12 year old. Idk how it helps asthma, but it definitely seems to make you a gd man lol
3 Likes
Wellā¦
I have to admit that perhaps those guys arenāt that big after all. And I agree that the whole thing of calling out random people who you think might be on roids is stupid. I am well aware of the fact that a huge amount of people are on steroids and they still look like they barely lift.
But I do stand by the idea that extreme genetic mutants could exist (the thought experiment I had above of that guy being born with ungodly test levels and extremely low levels of myostatin who naturally grows into a hulk) and even if thereās only one in 8 billion chance, itās still theoretically possible that some dude could potentially grow to be 50% bigger than the next biggest natural bodybuilder in the world and nobody would believe heās clean. 
Or maybe 40% bigger. Or perhaps just 30%. 20% is also an option. Or maybe he would only have 10% more muscle. Orā¦
Iāll stop thinking for now.
Iāve always wondered about people in other countries who may not bodybuild, powerlift, or anything for that matter. For example, people in Russia that have to cut down trees and haul them to the road to be picked up. Can you imagine how strong some of them must be? And unless they pick up the sport, weāll never know. Itās interesting to think about.
I was naturally quite large and muscular. I got accused of steroids multiple times playing highschool ball and college ball. I never dabbled in anabolics while I was playing.
I was a lean 245 lbs at 6ā at 18-20 years old.
2 Likes
For sure - some people have told me I am a genetic outlier being 6ā3, ~290 lbs natural (not shredded, but well built), but many more have accused me of being on steroids. Eventually it just rolls off your back. They make the accusation because they donāt have the determination, willpower, or discipline it takes to build muscle over a large number years. Itās jealousy, plain and simple. The ones who shout āSTEROIDSā the fastest are usually the most out of shape in my experience.
1 Like
Or in better termsā¦
Letās keep a constant of āno steroidsā.
Most people would land squarely in the [0] here, which would be about 30lbs lean mass. On the far right end of the genetic spectrum (see [3]), you might find some with 60lbs lean mass. And on the far left end (see [-3]), you might find someone with 0lbs lean mass increase from untrained state.
To think that one would be 4 or 5 Standard Deviations from this is rather crazy, but yes - itās possibleā¦ Also much more possible that they are just taking steroids.
2 Likes
I am definitely in the 5th standard deviation (/sarcasm). I am better than everyone else and therefore all should treat me as such - oh wait - wrong thread.
2 Likes
I agree.
1 Like
Well, you would actually be an outlier just because youāre tall AF, so this chart would need a 3rd dimension or layers to more accurately reflect those in your shoes.
But yeah yeah, youāre better than everyone at everything *insert Trump pinchy fingers here*
1 Like
I believe you. I believe everything people tell me on the internet.
3 Likes
I meanā¦ if the shoe fits, I will wear it.
1 Like
Of course the shoe fits. It fits better than any other shoe out there. Yooge.
1 Like