How would Arnolds physique fare in todays Olympia...

Steedie

Steedie

Steedie

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Hi all,

Just finished watching Pumping Iron, for the millionth time (hey, it's good motivation, and keeps me from slacking for training for next years BNBF qualifiers) and it got me thinking...

Arnolds physique back in the 70's was immense, his nickname of the Austrian Oak was well deserved and he carried immense amounts of mass for the time. Not only was he a mass monster of the time, he was also very aesthetically pleasing to look at, he had great symmetry, proportion was spot on and he just looked good. And it was no wonder he was untouchable during the 70's when he competed.

Fast forward to today, and obviously the competitors you see are far bigger than back then, people like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Branch Warren and most recently, Kai Green, who is weighing in at close to 300lbs competition weight are just ridiculously big. But while they are as big as they are, I don't think they look as "good" as Arnold did. They look good, sure, just not in the same way he did

So I guess the question is, if he was around today and entered the Olympia in the same condition he did in the '74 Olympia, to me his finest physique, and went up against the mass monsters of today, how would he do? Top 3? Top 5? Top 10 even?

Reason I ask, is a lot of people argue that bodybuilding is all about how big you can get now rather than trying to be pleasing to the eye, which would mean Arnold would stand no chance. However, I don't believe that argument to be true. One of the main favourites to take this years Sandow is Phil Heath. Phil simply can't compete on size against the likes of Jay and Kai, however the reason he is a favourite is because despite being the biggest, he has almost perfect symmetry and proportion, which suggests those two qualities play a far bigger part than people care to mention

Random discussion but thought it might be interesting to hear your views

Here's a picture of '75 Arnold against Ronnie towards the end of his career just as a quick comparison

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I think the biggest and most noticeable change between the two periods in bodybuilding is legs, Arnolds legs are tiny compared to today, you really don't notice until you put pictures side by side, it's actually scary the difference!
 
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Haha that and I think there is just a far better knowledge of training and dietary requirements these days, but yeah, the naughty stuff will have improved too ;)
 
The days of mass monsters has gone i think. You need to have something very special while being huge.
Ronnie and Jay were the peak of mass, it's coming back to more aesthetically pleasing bodies now (now I've said that watch Jay win again this year!).

Arnie wouldn't get a look in these days.
Also, since Tom Platz hit the stage people realised legs need to grow.
 
How Arnie would do, I think, would depend upon the judging criteria. If they're after a mass monster then not so good, but if they were after a more balanced, aesthetically pleasing physique then he'd have a chance. Of course, who's to say that if he was competing today that couldn't pile a bit more mass on his legs. I think I remember a line in pumping iron where he stated that he had the proportions he wanted and didn't need to grow any more!
 
^

Exactly, it would depend on the judging criteria. It's the judges today who are awarding points for the "dryness" that necessitates often dangerous use of diuretics. So it would really be up to them. But at any rate, I think arnold's legs are out of proportion with his torso and so he probably wouldn't win.
 
Compleltely, his legs are defined but out of proportion.
Yes in pumping iron he said he didn't need to grow any more, then platz hit the headlines. Everyone stood back and rethought their training, legs became important. It was no longer lean bodies with proportion of front to back. Top to bottom became important. Strong cores became a bi product of it, again for the better
 
Just googled Tom Platz

Guy had some crazy legs for the time he was competing! No wonder it changed peoples attitude towards legs! I just couldn't imagine living with legs like those day to day.
 
Given the choice I would have Arnold's body every time looking at those pictures and I don't mean that in a gay way. :p

The other guy is just all mass and probably doesn't have the best mobility (his upper legs especially look unproportionally big), I'd rather have my own scrawny body than his.

To answer the question Arnold would probably lose because bodybuilding has moved on to being rather freakish instead of the "wow I want to look like him" of old.
 
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Arnie's legs were still big, 27" with show levels of bodyfat. So not exactly small.

I personally feel Arnie's much more aesthetically pleasing compared to the mass monsters. Then again GH, insulin and other naughty elements weren't used to the extent they are used now. Arnie popped pills, now days they inject themselves several times a day sometimes.
 
For me it has always been about symmetry, proportioning and conditioning as opposed to 'sheer' size. As we all know how silly it can look when something is majorly out of proportion!

Deffinatley agree that Arnie there looks to be the better of the two however to me he looks a bit too top heavy. Where as Ronnie's legs and lats makes his waist look larger and has less of a taper.

They're also both in slightly different stances/angle and you can't effectively judge a whole physique from one photo ;)
 
I went to a trade fair at the SECC today (big huge events place, where concerts and shows take place in Glasgow), on the way in i noticed a guy coming out with lots of fake tan on, my fiancee laughed and said he looked like one of those kids from america, you know the ones im on about the ones with red faces and spiked hair. she couldnt stop laughing. then i noticed a few other guys with fake tan on, 1 of them had put a lot on, and i think he either had scars on his face or he had been sweating and it caused extremely noticeable lines down his face which looked like scars due to the fake tan.

i then knew there must be some sort of bodybuilding show on.

http://www.ticketsoup.com/tickets/b...atural-pro-grand-prix-2010-11874/default.aspx

this is what was on, and the guys looked mingin. i mean absolutely mingin with all that fake tan. the first guy who i saw (the one my fiancee was laughing at), before i knew there was a show on or had seen anybody else, i honestly turned to her and said, "what? were you laughing at the gay guy?" then she was like omg he reminded me of those photos we saw of those idiots on the internet.

i understand that it brings out definition and shadows better, but seriously, it is a joke. if i was white and i was competing there is no way in hell i would use fake tan, i would rather lose the competition than lose my dignity. all the guys i saw looked horrible, if i was in charge i would ban fake tan.

plus they use so much of the stuff, i doubt its cheap either, i wouldnt know though tbh. their bathrooms must be mingin too, and when they have a shower afterwards, i doubt all of it comes off in 1 go and covers the bathtub in the stuff. their towels must look as if somebody used it to wipe their butt after squeezing one out too. then they have to walk around with the fake tan that wouldnt come off on their faces/bodies. i honestly couldnt help staring at them, they looked like freaks, they must have thought i was looking at their physiques and how wrong they must be.

seriously though, these guys need a wake up call, i dont know who started the craze, but somebody needs to stop it.
 
hold on. so you are moaning that they use it (yet you know why) and then you are moaning that its will probably most come off after 1 shower?
if you were competing you wouldnt tan up? then you would lose. but then hey, you clearly arent the sort of person that this would appeal to.

you are coming across as rather ignorant tbh :p
 
Morba said:
hold on. so you are moaning that they use it (yet you know why) and then you are moaning that its will probably most come off after 1 shower?
if you were competing you wouldnt tan up? then you would lose. but then hey, you clearly arent the sort of person that this would appeal to.

you are coming across as rather ignorant tbh :p
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im just saying it looks not only disgusting but homosexual as well, and its not something i would ever do. if its the choice of winning whilst looking like a dirty scruffy gayboy and losing, i'd rather lose.

i even hate women who wear fake tan, it looks disgusting. when guys do it they look gay. its just something i find extremely weird and funny. i know why they do it, but even then if i was in their shoes i wouldnt.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
im just saying it looks not only disgusting but homosexual as well, and its not something i would ever do. if its the choice of winning whilst looking like a dirty scruffy gayboy and losing, i'd rather lose.

i even hate women who wear fake tan, it looks disgusting. when guys do it they look gay. its just something i find extremely weird and funny. i know why they do it, but even then if i was in their shoes i wouldnt.
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You seem to have an obsession with gay. You might wanna get that looked into :p
 
Arnold's body flows. Too many guys these days may be bigger, in some body parts that is, but lack either the symmetry or finesse that he exuded.
 
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