Arnold was 6’0" and Mentzer was 5’8".
Let me add that people see Arnold now in public and said that he looks 5’10" max.
This is where it becomes interesting. Any more unfabricated pictures out there?
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Let me third the motion that Arnold was 6’0" TOPS! Despite his (or Joe W’s) claims.
(watch ‘The Long Goodbye’ for proof)
The Mike height range sounds about right…
Totally agree with the former. On the latter, the guy is 74 years old FCS!! (said the 59-yr-old guy who’s already lost 1/2"…)
Yes I agree. I was just making the point that it was more likely that he shrunk 2 inches due to being 74 rather than 4 inches!
Another way you can tell that Mike’s body was shrunk in those pics is the head size. Mike was known for having a big noggin but it looks rather small compared to Arnold’s and Roger Walker’s heads.
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If you guys really want to lose OSB quit responding to his bait. If you’re enjoying it, keep doing what you’re doing.
It’s only one picture but that last B & W pic of Arnold, Mentzer and Zane … it’s Zane all the way for me.
I have seen him (from the crowd) while he was walking the floor at the Arnold. Certainly did not look 6’2" now. But everybody shrinks as they age, some more than others.
5’10" or 5’11" seems about right. Of course, on stage you are barefoot, in everyday life, you have shoes that add a bit. You can find recent pictures of him standing next to Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman, and he is a bit taller. Jay Cutler is supposedly about 5’9". But who knows about any of these reported numbers.
Gotcha! We have 3 strong pieces of evidence — someone would have to be a total OCD Arnold fanboy to believe he was ever really 6’2"!!
I actually stood backstage just before Jay Cutler (barefoot) guest posed in Jacksonville, FL. To say he was 5’7" would be pretty gracious. I did see where he is quoted as saying, “I’m right at 5-9 on a good day.”
I recall back in my college days. Nearly everyone said they were 6 feet tall. As a engineering student, a group of us got together and actually did a meticulous measurement of each other. At 19 years old I measured 6’ 1/8". At 73 years of age I would guess that I am near 5’10’'.
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I think the crazy part of the whole height game here is that 250lb at 6’2 (stage ready) is very impressive, but 250lb at 5’7 (stage ready) is WAY more impresive.
Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me why they would lie about height 
Being tall is a masculine trait and desirable in every day life.
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Yes, but not necessarily in the bodybuilding world.
Take 2 people weighing 150lb, one is 5’8 and the other is 6’2. They both train up to stage ready at 225lb. The 5’8 dude is going to win assuming conditioning is the same.
Finally, a game where tall people can suck it!
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True dat!! I recall Gunter Schlierkamp saying he gained 15lb of lean mass one year and hardly anyone noticed, the same year Lee Priest (whom Gunter was training with at the time) gained 10lb of lean mass and everyone was complimenting him on his improvements.
If indeed Arnold was only 6ft, then theres never been an over 6ft olympia winner. And to my knowledge, theres never been anyone under 6ft to win the worlds strongest man.
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Have to agreed Dan, as in the video i put in with the OP, the guys that competed that day and seen each other all day had Mike as the real winner. The fact that both Zane and Coe also boycotted the 81 olympia says a lot.
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About 10 or 12 years ago, I was standing directly next to Lou Ferrigno at a comic con. I’m 6’2 2/3" with no shoes on. He was the same height as me. Perhaps he shrunk a little from his younger days, or his posture was off although he seemed to be standing straight. But it wouldn’t shock me if he had always been closer to 6’3" and Arnold at 6’0. Bodybuilders have exaggerated muscle measurements, so it stands to reason they may have with height as well.
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I’m only replying to those who send me comments. Besides, this is about the 1980 olympia. I made a comment which none of you can refute. Im not the one with the ptoblem. It’s you.
No. I go by evidence, not wishful thinking like you do. Arnold won because he was the best that day. Nothing you say is ever going to change that. Nothing.
Plenty of good footage showing the smooth transition of poses from the competitors. Apart from Mentzer who couldnt hold a pose for long and had to relax before trying the pose again and he shook too much.
You are actually learning. “Evidence” is a much more appropriate word than “facts”
But you dropped the ball here. Your reading comprehension is greatly lacking. I stated no “wishful thinking” anywhere. I made opinions from the available information I had, and based on my experience. I didn’t wish anything, except possibly that you were a little bit smarter.
I never said that I didn’t think he was the best that day. Another case of your lacking reading comprehension.
I never tried to change the results of the 1980 Olympia, or even stated that I would like them changed. What I stated numerous times is that the points system of ranking competitors is a convoluted system, and should have been dropped long before 1980.
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