What would cause some of these bodybuilders to not only give up PEDs (obviously the amounts some of them took has health implications) but to, from the looks of it, completely abandon lifting iron? [/quote]
Life.
People move on from previous endeavors. They let them go. And when you are competing at a level involving the highest standards in the world, whether it be Olympic sports, the NBA, NHL, NFL, pro boxing, MLB, there is room for practically nothing else, and you are likely to burn the hell out after some point. I mean burn out to the point at which you don’t even want to participate anymore.
Has anyone seen what Bo Jackson and Mike Tyson look like now?
Many of these people probably want to experience things they could not while they were living and breathing and thinking about their endeavor around the clock. Relationships were put aside or not tended to, if not wrecked. Some did not have children. Friendships were strained. They didn’t travel on a leisurely basis. And the list goes on and on. Maybe they now want to… well… you know… go home, watch a TV show, read some books, work on cars or do some other crafts… and to hell with the gym?![/quote]
Tyson was never a bodybuilder but he still looks good …
[/quote]
I was referring to all people involved in serious physical endeavors. Tyson got quite chubby at one point.
I really don’t think it’s that hard to understand. Maintaining that level of size is a full time job, so once guys retire from the job they devote their time to other shit.
Also has anyone seen the recent pics of Kevin Levrone? He looks amazing
1- After years of being so insanely focused, with a single mindededness of purpose steering most of your life, for some, the allure or even fun of weight training is just gone. This isn’t everyone, but I’ve heard many retired pros who want nothing to ever do with the inside of a gym ever again.
2- If you have a healthy outlook on the sport, you realize that you can only make use of PEDs for so long before even the most careful and informed user starts to wonder about the risks. This is why guys like Levrone used to come off for up to 6 months post Olympia. He knew he wasn’t exactly engaging in a healthy pursuit. In fact, I recall reading a very old interview with 90’s Top Pro Paul Dillet, in which he stated that his long term bodybuilding goal was to retire from bodybuilding with his health still intact. Read that last sentence again -lol.
This by no means covers everyone, but let’s face it, even PED free, as you get older, aches and pains come out of nowhere, your priorities shift, and you just move onto other phases of your lives. Still, it is always a little strange to see how some of these former greats look so different now. I’m a long time fan of the sport, so I totally get where you’re coming from.
What would cause some of these bodybuilders to not only give up PEDs (obviously the amounts some of them took has health implications) but to, from the looks of it, completely abandon lifting iron? [/quote]
Life.
People move on from previous endeavors. They let them go. And when you are competing at a level involving the highest standards in the world, whether it be Olympic sports, the NBA, NHL, NFL, pro boxing, MLB, there is room for practically nothing else, and you are likely to burn the hell out after some point. I mean burn out to the point at which you don’t even want to participate anymore.
Has anyone seen what Bo Jackson and Mike Tyson look like now?
Many of these people probably want to experience things they could not while they were living and breathing and thinking about their endeavor around the clock. Relationships were put aside or not tended to, if not wrecked. Some did not have children. Friendships were strained. They didn’t travel on a leisurely basis. And the list goes on and on. Maybe they now want to… well… you know… go home, watch a TV show, read some books, work on cars or do some other crafts… and to hell with the gym?![/quote]
erm tyson is in good shape. also nearly 50.
a few of the guys posted have/had serious health problems.
Even while still competing/training heavily in some regard, maintaining that level of size if it’s NOT your goal isn’t going to happen. Mariusz is actually doing pretty ok in the world of MMA, but he can’t do the same things he did when he was doing strongman.
[quote]mbdix wrote:
What would cause some of these bodybuilders to not only give up PEDs (obviously the amounts some of them took has health implications) but to, from the looks of it, completely abandon lifting iron? [/quote]
Flex and Tom Prince both had kidney transplants a few years ago. That basically forced them into retirement (except for Flex, kinda sorta but eventually) and would certainly mean that their lifestyles had to change dramatically in terms of training, nutrition, and basic goals. Mustafa Mohammad (the very first pic), I had read about various other kidney issues but didn’t find anything concrete.
Ahem, Big Dead Bodybuilders - T Nation Content - COMMUNITY - T NATION
Not to nitpick, but that “after” pic is almost certainly from one of those mocked up “before and after” supplement ads that were notoriously inaccurate. The kind where the ‘before’ would be in the offseason after a giant meal and a week of not training, the after would be taken before the before, etc. Also Dillet had plenty of health issues during his competition days, including the classic “freezing” episode on-stage once or twice.
Yep, he does still coach bodybuilders. Cormier’s another guy who had serious health issues a few years ago, not really related to PED use. A spinal infection, I believe.
Those pics are easily 25 years apart, comparing a 53-year old dude to his late-20s self. Again, not really a fair comparison.
What would cause some of these bodybuilders to not only give up PEDs (obviously the amounts some of them took has health implications) but to, from the looks of it, completely abandon lifting iron? [/quote]
Life.
People move on from previous endeavors. They let them go. And when you are competing at a level involving the highest standards in the world, whether it be Olympic sports, the NBA, NHL, NFL, pro boxing, MLB, there is room for practically nothing else, and you are likely to burn the hell out after some point. I mean burn out to the point at which you don’t even want to participate anymore.
Has anyone seen what Bo Jackson and Mike Tyson look like now?
Many of these people probably want to experience things they could not while they were living and breathing and thinking about their endeavor around the clock. Relationships were put aside or not tended to, if not wrecked. Some did not have children. Friendships were strained. They didn’t travel on a leisurely basis. And the list goes on and on. Maybe they now want to… well… you know… go home, watch a TV show, read some books, work on cars or do some other crafts… and to hell with the gym?![/quote]
erm tyson is in good shape. also nearly 50.
a few of the guys posted have/had serious health problems.
[/quote]
Yes, and countless others who didn’t have problems simply moved on.
[quote]mbdix wrote:
What would cause some of these bodybuilders to not only give up PEDs (obviously the amounts some of them took has health implications) but to, from the looks of it, completely abandon lifting iron? [/quote]
Flex and Tom Prince both had kidney transplants a few years ago. That basically forced them into retirement (except for Flex, kinda sorta but eventually) and would certainly mean that their lifestyles had to change dramatically in terms of training, nutrition, and basic goals. Mustafa Mohammad (the very first pic), I had read about various other kidney issues but didn’t find anything concrete.
Ahem, Big Dead Bodybuilders
[/quote]
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
You have to understand two things:
1- After years of being so insanely focused, with a single mindededness of purpose steering most of your life, for some, the allure or even fun of weight training is just gone. This isn’t everyone, but I’ve heard many retired pros who want nothing to ever do with the inside of a gym ever again.
2- If you have a healthy outlook on the sport, you realize that you can only make use of PEDs for so long before even the most careful and informed user starts to wonder about the risks. This is why guys like Levrone used to come off for up to 6 months post Olympia. He knew he wasn’t exactly engaging in a healthy pursuit. In fact, I recall reading a very old interview with 90’s Top Pro Paul Dillet, in which he stated that his long term bodybuilding goal was to retire from bodybuilding with his health still intact. Read that last sentence again -lol.
This by no means covers everyone, but let’s face it, even PED free, as you get older, aches and pains come out of nowhere, your priorities shift, and you just move onto other phases of your lives. Still, it is always a little strange to see how some of these former greats look so different now. I’m a long time fan of the sport, so I totally get where you’re coming from.
S[/quote]
A side note. I would really, really, really enjoy seeing someone like Heath, retire in his prime from the sport. At his current size and take the safest approach to becoming 100% natural and training to see what he can keep or where he would be after a few years natty. I think this could really give us some very valuable information.
[quote]Yogi wrote:
I really don’t think it’s that hard to understand. Maintaining that level of size is a full time job, so once guys retire from the job they devote their time to other shit.
Also has anyone seen the recent pics of Kevin Levrone? He looks amazing
EDIT: I’m a dumbass and missed Clunk’s pics[/quote]
I also remember seeing Vic trying to make a comeback and gaining an awful amount of mass in a few months. I think I saw it in that documentary.
Here is Dorian post retirement. There are plenty of other pics of him out there to compare to as well, but this was a good one I found quickly.
A good example of what coming off and still training hard can do.
Many have touched on it plenty, but I’ll add my 2 cents. The short answer is for every BBer that retires and never lifts again, that’s how many reasons there are:
Burnout… living, breathing, and dying by the iron for DECADES, sometimes you just need to move on in your life.
Not wanting to be mediocre after being the best
Health
Priorities: Becoming a husband, father, taking care of sick family.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Here is Dorian post retirement. There are plenty of other pics of him out there to compare to as well, but this was a good one I found quickly.
A good example of what coming off and still training hard can do.
Many have touched on it plenty, but I’ll add my 2 cents. The short answer is for every BBer that retires and never lifts again, that’s how many reasons there are:
Burnout… living, breathing, and dying by the iron for DECADES, sometimes you just need to move on in your life.
Not wanting to be mediocre after being the best
Health
Priorities: Becoming a husband, father, taking care of sick family.
[/quote]
Awesome, thanks for sharing that picture.
Lots of good replies and analysis on the subject. All well and good, though it does make you wonder how far some of these guys would have went and what they would have looked like without the PED (and other drugs) use.
You hear, “Take away all of the drugs at a pro bodybuilding show, and the same guys place in the same position and the same guy wins the contest”, but this simply isn’t so. People react differently to drugs (the benefits as well as the side effects), and the best gifted natty on stage that wins a lifetime natural contest may not even place in a pro show, where a guy who placed 2nd-10th in that same natural show may win the top prize if every contestant was juiced for years. And some people simply react better to steroids than others, and blow up on a significantly lesser dose than someone else would need to gain similar size.
Of course there are a few gifted guys who would dominate natural or not. Ronnie Coleman comes to mind.
Then there are guys who probably wouldn’t place very high at all, but juiced would give anyone a run for their money. I remember the late Nasser El Sonbaty in his prime, and he was virtually as big and awesome as anyone on stage. But pictures of him, prior to hitting the drugs, revealed that he looked more like a cast member for the Big Bang Theory than anyone you would remotely associate with bodybuilding (Google “Nasse El Sonbaty before after” and see for yourself).
It’s an interesting subject to ponder. This is also why when a would be first time user asks on a steroids forum, “How much will I gain on an X amount of X drugs for and X amount of weeks?” it’s almost impossible to answer. You only know once you use and see what happens.
