The moment I realized a lot of bodybuilding was an illusion is when I was in high school (early 90s) and saw a picture of Robert Kennedy standing next to Porter Cotrell I believe it was and he absolutely dwarfed him.
Robert Kennedy was a great magazine publisher but he was not a big guy by any stretch.
People basically looked at the movie bodybuilders who were:
(a) Generally over 6 feet - the successful ones at least, Arnold in his prime was 6’2" and Gunther and Ralf Moeller were both over 6 feet tall. Franco attempted to do an “Arnie” in italian cinema and — things didn’t go the way he wanted them to!
(b) Shot using all kinds of tricks to make them look hideously imposing by picking smaller folk to stand next to them - even gargantuan talk show hosts like Conan O Brien would avoid standing next to Arnold when he came on 
(c) the pro wrestling scene included some bodybuilder-ish physiques on some tall-ass frames that further contributed to the public perception of bodybuilders.
So with these in mind people began to assume that Bbers dwarfing people in real life and/or being strong enough to break regular people in half!
I remember bwhitwell (one of the TRUE class acts on this forum) talking about how some girls approached him when he was holding the trophy after his last contest and asked him where the winner was lol.
Add the “illusion of size” that leanness adds in a selfie and boom! Forget competitive natural Bbers - even string beans suddenly look like Arnold as long as they’re standing by themselves.
[quote]Discobolus wrote:
The moment I realized a lot of bodybuilding was an illusion is when I was in high school (early 90s) and saw a picture of Robert Kennedy standing next to Porter Cotrell I believe it was and he absolutely dwarfed him.
Robert Kennedy was a great magazine publisher but he was not a big guy by any stretch. [/quote]
[quote]Depression Boy wrote:
People basically looked at the movie bodybuilders who were:
(a) Generally over 6 feet - the successful ones at least, Arnold in his prime was 6’2" and Gunther and Ralf Moeller were both over 6 feet tall. Franco attempted to do an “Arnie” in italian cinema and — things didn’t go the way he wanted them to!
(b) Shot using all kinds of tricks to make them look hideously imposing by picking smaller folk to stand next to them - even gargantuan talk show hosts like Conan O Brien would avoid standing next to Arnold when he came on
(c) the pro wrestling scene included some bodybuilder-ish physiques on some tall-ass frames that further contributed to the public perception of bodybuilders.
So with these in mind people began to assume that Bbers dwarfing people in real life and/or being strong enough to break regular people in half!
I remember bwhitwell (one of the TRUE class acts on this forum) talking about how some girls approached him when he was holding the trophy after his last contest and asked him where the winner was lol.
Add the “illusion of size” that leanness adds in a selfie and boom! Forget competitive natural Bbers - even string beans suddenly look like Arnold as long as they’re standing by themselves.
[quote]Discobolus wrote:
The moment I realized a lot of bodybuilding was an illusion is when I was in high school (early 90s) and saw a picture of Robert Kennedy standing next to Porter Cotrell I believe it was and he absolutely dwarfed him.
Robert Kennedy was a great magazine publisher but he was not a big guy by any stretch. [/quote][/quote]
I know that gym & owner…one town over. You in the area or just found a random pic?
I live in that town and train there. The first pic is me and the gym owner at a powerlifting meet and the second one was just a pic he has displayed at the desk in the gym.
[quote]Discobolus wrote:
I live in that town and train there. The first pic is me and the gym owner at a powerlifting meet and the second one was just a pic he has displayed at the desk in the gym. [/quote]
Sorry; not those pics…the one in Depression Boy’s above. ^
Random pic on internet. I believe the two guys call themselves the terrible twins or something.
[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
[quote]Discobolus wrote:
I live in that town and train there. The first pic is me and the gym owner at a powerlifting meet and the second one was just a pic he has displayed at the desk in the gym. [/quote]
Sorry; not those pics…the one in Depression Boy’s above. [1]
/quote ↩︎