INTRODUCTION

Introduction

“The beauty of bodybuilding is that anything can happen if you make it happen. By your own efforts you can add or subtract pounds of bodyweight. You can build your arms, shoulders, legs, chest and back. In doing so you can find pleasure in training that you might never have dreamed possible.”

– Editorial in Musclemag International.

It’s difficult to determine when exactly bodybuilding became a sport. It’s like trying to determine which bodybuilding expert invented which training technique – ask three different people and you’ll get three different answers. Before we dive into the heart of what makes bodybuilding such a fascinating sport, let’s trace the sport’s fascinating evolution.

GREEK AND ROMAN IDEALS

Many bodybuilding historians point us back to the ancient Greeks and Romans for a full understanding of the evolution of the sport. One of the top Hollywood movies of 2000 was Gladiator, staring Russell Crowe and bodybuilder Ralf Moeller. Beyond the epic’s plots and subplots, one of the movie’s underlying themes focused on the physical prowess of the gladiator. Sporting a physique that rivaled modern-day wrestlers and boxers, the Roman gladiator battled for the most valuable prize of all – his life! The Colosseum was no place for the meek, mild and underdeveloped. A gladiator’s life literally depended on great physical condition and expert handling of an assortment of weapons.

For those who find the Roman form of entertainment too harsh, the ancient Greeks may be easier to understand. Instead of hacking one another to death for the amusement of the rich, the Greeks emphasized friendly competition among neighboring states. Rather than throw a spear to kill a lion or opponent, the Greeks would measure the distance it could be hurled. Instead of swinging a sword to disembowel, the Greeks had their competitors wrestle. Despite being abandoned for thousands of years, the Greek ideals of sport were revived in 1896 as the modern Olympics. The Greeks also referred to their athletes as “Olympians.” Joe Weider honored these ancient Olympians by naming the top bodybuilding title the Mr. Olympia competition.

Photo of Mike O’Hearn by Alex Ardenti

THE PHYSICAL CULTURISTS

“Strongest man” competitions go back centuries. While these individuals would never have won trophies in a future bodybuilding contest, they thrilled audiences with their great feats of physical strength, including hoisting large stones, tossing logs and the always-popular bending of iron bars. Don’t be shocked if these feats of physical prowess seem familiar, as most are now regular parts of the Strongest Man in the World competitions.

One of the most important stages in physique development took place in the mid 1800s as the Industrial Revolution began. Despite its numerous social benefits, the Industrial Revolution led to several health problems, including overcrowding and extreme pollution. One group of individuals, the Physical Culturists, recognized the dangers from these new technologies. These forerunners of modern-day lifestyle coaches were determined to improve the eating and exercise habits of 19th century Europe. They decided to promote one particular individual as the epitome of physical perfection and health. His name was Eugen Sandow. Unlike most of the other strongmen of the day, Sandow was also a showman and was devoted to physical appearance and health as much as he was to strength.

THE FIRST STAR OF BODYBUILDING

Given Sandow’s reputation as both a great strongman and showman, it’s not surprising that an American promoter Florenz Ziegfeld (of the famous Ziegfeld Follies) also sought his talents. Ziegfeld was a promoter who knew how to please an audience and make money at the same time. When Ziegfeld heard of Sandow’s success in Europe, he convinced him to come to America. After nearly a century of Victorian repressiveness, American audiences were ready for something a little more risqué. With single-digit body fat levels and near-flawless proportions, Sandow awed audiences with his glass-booth posing exhibitions. Throughout the next couple of decades, Sandow became enormously wealthy simply by displaying his physique (covered by nothing but a fig leaf!). It wasn’t long before young men everywhere wanted to look like Sandow. Contests were held regularly and sales of dumbells and barbells quickly increased. To honor Sandow’s impact on physical development, in 1977 Joe Weider decided to present the winner of the annual Mr. Olympia title with a statue modeled after, and called, the Sandow.

A SPORT EMERGES

While Sandow was undoubtedly the top star of the early 20th century, other stars helped contribute to the birth of modern bodybuilding. In 1898, George Hackenschmidt (“the Russian Lion”) won the Russian weightlifting championship. Beginning in 1903, Bernarr Macfadden held a series of contests to determine America’s Most Perfectly Developed Man. The first was held in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Besides contests, Macfadden also founded the magazine Physical Culture, the forerunner to today’s popular muscle magazines, which include MuscleMag International, Flex, and Iron Man.

Over the next couple of decades, Macfadden’s contests grew in popularity and, unlike pure strength competitions, judged both strength and the quality of the competitor’s physique. It was the 1921 contest that would introduce the world to an American icon. The winner that year was Angelo Siciliano (who later changed his name to Charles Atlas). He received $1,000 – an enormous sum in those days.

While other strongmen and “best physique” title winners gave exhibitions and lectures, it was Atlas who really turned bodybuilding into the money-making sport it became. He put together a series of training courses called Dynamic Tension – all targeted at the untapped market of teenage males. To get the attention he needed, Atlas cleverly placed a small ad in the back of popular comic books. The ad featured a young, skinny kid getting humiliated in front of a girl by a bully on a beach. The ad then showed the kid a couple of months later, much stronger and more muscular – and he easily dropped the bully with one punch! Atlas’ training course became so successful that by the mid 1970s over six million copies had been sold. Atlas knew how to connect with the teenager and for over 50 years the phrase “don’t get sand kicked in your face,” became the rally cry of American teenage males.

Atlas’ success wasn’t just due to his ability to market bodybuilding as a sport. His physique influenced an entire generation of followers. The irony is that Atlas built his physique lifting barbells and dumbells for “reps” and “sets.” He may have built a financial empire selling Dynamic Tension, but he built his own body doing presses and curls.

One of the men influenced by Atlas was Siegmund Klein. Klein had that great combination of size, shape and definition. Klein also had a keen business sense, and was a successful gym owner and writer. Like those before him, Klein believed that physical appearance and health were just as crucial as pure physical strength.

Throughout the 1930s, physical culture contests continued to grow in popularity, and the term “bodybuilding” soon emerged. As a holdover from previous generations, competitors still had to perform some sort of physical act (usually involving strength or balance). As the quality of physiques improved, the need for physical demonstration began to fade into the background. In 1930, the first Mr. America contest was held. The competitors came from an assortment of athletic backgrounds, and it quickly became apparent that the weightlifters had the best physiques.

To many, the first true Mr. America was John Grimek, who won the title in 1940 and 1941. Unlike previous champions, John built his physique almost entirely with barbells and dumbells. Soon physical culture centers (now being called gyms) were packed with young bodybuilders trying to become the next John Grimek.

Photo of John Grimek

THE FIRST GENERATION OF SUPERSTARS

As John Grimek was turning heads with his near perfectly proportioned physique, another bodybuilder was also getting plenty of attention. Many consider Clancy Ross the first massive bodybuilder. Unlike most of the other great champions of the day, including Grimek, whose focus was strength and Olympic weightlifting (the physique just happened to be a side effect), Ross relied almost solely on barbell and dumbell exercises for one purpose – to build his muscles to the maximum. In fact, Ross’ workouts would fit right in at any bodybuilding gym today. With his broad shoulders tapering to a tiny waist, and low body fat revealing thick musculature, Ross could probably still hold his own in a modern city or state-level championship.

I was there when this shot was taken, and those were not models. They were real girls who knew a good thing when they saw it!

IN THE STEPS OF HERCULES

Ross and Grimek were undoubtedly two of the best-known stars among bodybuilders. But one person made the sport popular with the masses. His name was Steve Reeves, and until Arnold Schwarzenegger emerged decades later, he was the best-known bodybuilder to the general public. Many experts still consider Reeves’ physique to be the epitome of the Greek ideals of proportion and development. After winning both the Mr. America and Mr. Universe titles, Reeves took his classic physique and manly good looks to Hollywood. Within a few years, he was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and made classic movies such as Hercules and The Thief of Baghdad.

THE ’50s AND ’60s

Many historians consider the 1950s a transition period in bodybuilding. Most of the first generation of stars had retired, went into the gym-owning business, or as in Reeves’ case, to acting. While the bodybuilders of the 1930s and 1940s stayed true to the Greek ideals of symmetry and proportion, the new bodybuilders believed “more is better.” From America, such behemoths as Bill Pearl and Chuck Sipes thrilled audiences with their incredible size and strength. From England (via South Africa) came 6'2", 220-pound Reg Park. Park’s awesome size would inspire a whole generation of bodybuilders, including a young boy in Graz, Austria – Arnold Schwarzenegger!

“There was no television to speak of until the 1950s and most people who lived in the Santa Monica area spent their weekends at the beach with their families. The place provided lots of free entertainment. So Muscle Beach took off again and became an even bigger attraction than in pre-war days.”

– George Coates, bodybuilding writer and historian

If the 1950s were a time of transition, the 1960s witnessed an explosion in the sport. Park and Pearl were still competitive, but a whole new generation of exciting bodybuilding personalities emerged. Some of the top bodybuilders of the 1960s included Dave Draper, Rick Wayne, Freddie Ortiz, Leroy Colbert, Frank Zane, Boyer Coe, Dennis Tinerino, Chet Yorton and Harold Poole.

Photo of Steve Reeves

BIRTH OF MR. OLYMPIA

By the 1960s, bodybuilding had reached a point where in any given year there could be two or three Mr. Americas and Mr. Universes. When you included the winners from previous years (not to mention the top stars from other countries) it’s not surprising that a new debate emerged – which one was really the best bodybuilder alive? To answer that question, promoter and publisher Joe Weider created the Mr. Olympia contest, which would be open only to previous top title winners. The first two contests, the 1965 and 1966 Mr. Olympias, were won by California’s Larry Scott. With his dark good looks and near perfect 20-inch arms, Larry became the idol of millions. He also came to symbolize the innocence of the sport in the 1960s.

When Larry retired from the sport (after acquiring small roles in numerous Hollywood movies), he was succeeded by The Myth – Sergio Oliva. Oliva defected to the U.S. while representing Cuba in weightlifting at the 1961 Pan American Games. Even by today’s standards, Oliva was a muscle freak. His muscle density was about 20 years ahead of its time. In fact, those who never met him in person assumed he was just a “myth!”

Oliva dominated the Mr. Olympia from 1967 to 1969. He was so dominant that one year he was awarded the title because no one even dared to challenge him! By 1969, however, Oliva had a new challenger, and his name was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

THE AUSTRIAN OAK

Arnold’s second place to Oliva at the 1969 Mr. Olympia contest launched the career of bodybuilding’s most famous star. Starting with the 1965 Junior Mr. Europe title and continuing up until his first retirement in 1975, Arnold won six straight Mr. Olympia titles and five Mr. Universe titles. When he first landed in America from Austria in 1968, Arnold spoke little English and had no formal education. His 1968 defeat at the hands of a much smaller Frank Zane at the Mr. Universe contest would have shattered most, but not Arnold. Over the next few years he dropped his weight from a smooth 250 pounds to an ultra-hard 235 pounds and began his run for the coveted Mr. Olympia title. Arnold was so dominant during the early 1970s that fans debated only about who would win second place – Arnold was all but assured first place!

THE “PUMPING IRON” YEARS

Even though he was the dominant bodybuilding personality of the 1970s, a whole host of new and former stars were nipping at Arnold’s heels. One of the best was Arnold’s good friend from Europe, Franco Columbu. Standing a mere 5'5" tall, Franco proved that a short bodybuilder could defeat taller opponents. Like Arnold, Franco established himself in Europe before emigrating to America. Once Arnold was settled in America, Franco decided to join him and quickly collected an impressive amount of victories, culminating with his 1976 Mr. Olympia win. What set Franco apart from other competitors was that he had one of the strongest physiques around. He won numerous powerlifting competitions and competed in a number of strongman championships.

Other bodybuilding stars of the early to mid ’70s included Danny Padilla, Boyer Coe, Robby Robinson, Roy Callender, Mike Mentzer, Albert Beckles, Mike Katz and Ken Waller, but the biggest bodybuilder on the scene during the mid ’70s was Lou Ferrigno. Lou stood 6'5" and weighed 260–270 pounds in contest shape. With his massive size and Mr. America and Mr. Universe wins he was expected to truly challenge for the Mr. Olympia, but opted instead to become a TV star, donning green body make-up and appearing each week as The Incredible Hulk.

One of the most significant events in bodybuilding’s history took place in 1975 when two relatively unknown filmmakers, George Butler and Jerome Gary, produced the groundbreaking documentary Pumping Iron. For nearly a year the two followed the training of the sport’s top stars as they prepared for that year’s Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests. Although Arnold had decided to retire from the sport, appearing on the big screen was too enticing an opportunity to miss and he came back out of retirement. The documentary was based on the 1974 book of the same name that Butler had written with Charles Gaines. This famous documentary helped bring bodybuilding out of school gymnasiums and into large theater and concert venues. Besides Arnold, Ed Corney, Robby Robinson, Mike Katz, Franco Columbu, Danny Padilla, Serge Nubret, Ken Waller, and Lou Ferrigno all appeared in the film.

“With virtually no backing for promotion, the film Pumping Ironwent on to be a smashing success. It quickly became the highest-grossing documentary in history, mostly because of the performance of its charismatic star, Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

– Nelson Montana, regular MuscleMag International contributor

Arnold Schwarzenegger with friend and training partner Franco Columbu

Lou Ferrigno

George Butler, director of Pumping Iron

Arnold and Franco flank Joe Gold

Serge Nubret

Thanks to Arnold’s on-screen charisma and the professionalism with which Gary and Butler portrayed bodybuilders, bodybuilding became solidified as a serious and legitimate sport.

THE ARRIVAL OF ONE ROBERT KENNEDY

It wasn’t just European bodybuilding stars emigrating to North America in the 1960s and ’70s. Despite securing a teaching position at a British arts college, I felt that life had more to offer and decided to pursue my dream of publishing a bodybuilding magazine. After leaving England for Canada, I realized that dream by publishing MuscleMag International – now one of the world’s largest and most successful fitness magazines. I eventually expanded the MuscleMag empire to include five additional magazines: Reps!, Maximum Fitness, American Curves, Oxygen and Clean Eating; a book publishing division; and numerous MuscleMag International stores. I have also written over 50 bodybuilding and fitness-related books and hundreds of magazine articles. I always believed that bodybuilding is the best sport in the world, and I’ve devoted my career to proving it.

A NEW DIRECTION

After nearly ten years of dominance by Arnold and Sergio Oliva, the sport of bodybuilding took a new direction in 1977 when Frank Zane won the Mr. Olympia contest. Frank started his bodybuilding career in the 1960s (at the 1968 Mr. Universe he was one of the few to ever beat Arnold). Throughout the 1970s he established a reputation as one of the most symmetrical and proportionately balanced bodybuilders around. Early on Frank realized that his genetics would never allow him to build the same degree of mass as some of the other competitors, so he took what he had and made the best of it. When the Greeks and Romans chiseled out statues of the perfect male physique it was Frank’s they had in mind. With a posing routine to match his perfect proportions, Frank won the Mr. Olympia from 1977 to 1979.

The future governor of California and I talk bodybuilding.
Photo of Robert Kennedy and Arnold Schwarzenegger

“I’LL BE BACK!”

Although it would be four years before he uttered those immortal lines as The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger caused quite the stir in the bodybuilding world when he came out of retirement to win the 1980 Mr. Olympiain Sydney, Australia. Arnold was training for his first major Hollywood movie at the time, Conan the Barbarian, and decided to step into the Olympia ring one more time. Most in the audience felt that Arnold shouldn’t have won, as he was 10 to 15 pounds off his best weight. Conversely, some of his rivals, including Boyer Coe, Mike Mentzer and Chris Dickerson, were in the best shape of their lives. Regardless, Arnold was crowned Mr. Olympia for a record seventh time.

Arnold’s 1980 win might have created controversy at the time, but it was Franco Columbu’s win in 1981 that is still talked about. Franco was way off his 1976 form and didn’t even appear well proportioned, having never really recovered from breaking his leg running with a refrigerator during a strongman competition. It didn’t help Franco that four of the top bodybuilders in the world – Chris Dickerson, Danny Padilla, Roy Callender and Tom Platz – were in phenomenal shape. But Franco walked off with the Sandow trophy and was Mr. Olympia for the second time in his career.

After placing second to Arnold and Franco in 1980 and 1981, Chris Dickerson was all set to retire, but decided to give it one more try. His 1982 Mr. Olympia win was the crowning achievement in a successful career – a career that included being crowned the first African American Mr. America. Chris regularly trumped larger competitors by following Frank Zane’s strategy of solid conditioning, superior proportions, and great posing routines.

The 1983 Mr. Olympia was won by Lebanon’s Samir Bannout. Like Sergio, Arnold and Franco, Samir realized his future was in America, and with a near flawlessly proportioned physique, he captured the sport’s top prize. The third-place finisher that year, Lee Haney, also deserves mention because the following year he began his record run of eight Mr. Olympia wins.

Like Oliva and Arnold before him, Atlanta’s Lee Haney literally dwarfed the competition with his size. Weighing 250 pounds in contest shape, Lee first came to prominence when he won the 1982 Mr. America title. In 1984 he began his assault on Arnold’s record seven Mr. Olympia wins. By 1991, with eight wins to his credit, Lee had established himself as the sport’s new king.

Even though Haney won every Mr. Olympia between 1984 and 1991, he was pushed to the edge on three occasions by 185-pound Lee Labrada. Labrada was another refugee from Castro’s Cuba. He was nicknamed “mass with class,” with his perfect blend of shape, proportion and definition. Other bodybuilders who made bodybuilding exciting to watch in the 1980s included Gary Strydom, Vince Comerford, Mike Ashley, Berry DeMey and Mike Christian.

Photo of Frank Zane

BRANCHING OUT IN THE 1980s

Besides the arrival of new stars in the 1980s, the decade also saw the bodybuilding tree branch out in many new directions. The first major change was the renaming of the bodybuilding titles by the sport’s largest governing body, the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). The organizers decided to keep bodybuilding similar to other sports by calling the titles “championships.” The former “titles” that became championships were the Los Angeles Championships, California Championships, National Championships and the World Championships. The only title that retained the “Mr.” designation was the Mr. Olympia. Even the professional Mr. Universe changed names in 1989 when Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to team up with long-time friend Jim Lorimer. Recognizing the power of Arnold’s name, the two decided to rename the Mr. Universe the Arnold Classic. While the Mr. Olympia is still the most prestigious title, the Arnold Classic draws larger crowds by making the event a weekend extravaganza of contests, fitness demonstrations and conferences. The show is held every spring in Columbus, Ohio.

Many of the smaller bodybuilding federations still use the old title names (the NABBA Mr. Universe being one) and most bodybuilders themselves still prefer the old names. There is just something mythical about being Mr. America or Mr. Universe that National or World Champion doesn’t carry.

MS. OLYMPIA: THE WOMEN ARRIVE

Women had always been associated with men’s bodybuilding but usually in an “eye-candy” role. Then in the late 1970s, Lisa Lyon arrived on the scene. Lyon demonstrated to women that they could use weight training to improve their health and appearance, without becoming too masculine. It wasn’t long before the sport of women’s bodybuilding became popular and female bodybuilders began making headlines alongside the men.

Six-time Ms. Olympia Cory Everson inspired millions of young women to hoist some iron.
Photo of Cory Everson

The biggest female star of the 1980s was Cory Everson, who won the Ms. Olympia title every year from 1984 to 1989. Cory combined femininity with good muscle size and definition. In many respects, Cory was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of women’s bodybuilding – she helped bring female bodybuilding to the masses with her personality, books, videos and TV appearances. If Cory Everson was the Arnold of women’s bodybuilding then Lenda Murray was the Lee Haney. With eight Ms. Olympia titles to her credit, Lenda took female bodybuilding to the next level.

As expected, it wasn’t long before women’s bodybuilding began turning into a “more is better” contest. Where men’s bodybuilding had had nearly three decades of drug-free competition (keeping in mind that anabolic steroids – the primary drugs used to build muscle mass – weren’t even synthesized until the late 1950s), it took the women just a few years to dive into the murky world of performance enhancement. Soon the lineup in a top female bodybuilding contests began resembling a men’s city championship! In fact, these days the great John Grimek or Steve Reeves wouldn’t stand a chance of winning the Ms. Olympia contest!

Unlike men’s contests, where attendance was solid, women’s events started suffering. At the heart of the matter was that the vast majority of women didn’t want to look like the current generation of female bodybuilders. Men also did not find the massive physiques appealing to look at in a woman. In response to this, a new form of female competition emerged – fitness contests. Fitness contests require women to display strength and athletic agility with femininity.

If women’s fitness has a drawback it’s that the women who dominate tend to have gymnastic backgrounds. This is a big disadvantage to women with no such background because it’s very difficult to learn advanced tumbling routines as an adult (most of the best gymnasts have been practicing since childhood). To give women with no gymnastics background an option to compete, the female figure contest was created. Such events require no posing routines or tumbling runs – instead the contest is judged almost entirely on the contestants’ physical appearances just standing there and walking.

THE BRITISH INVASION

No sooner had Lee Haney contemplated retirement when the next bodybuilding superstar emerged on the scene. Britain’s Dorian Yates pushed the size bar to yet another level when he began his consecutive run of six Mr. Olympia titles in 1992. Packing 265 pounds of striated muscle on his frame, Yates was the largest Mr. Olympia ever. Like Arnold and Haney before him, he completely dominated the sport. He was also the first Mr. Olympia not based in the United States. Training out of Temple Gym in Birmingham, England, Yates preferred to keep a low profile and let his physique do the talking!

Other dominant bodybuilders of the 1990s included Paul Dillett, Lee Priest, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Nasser El Sonbaty, Aaron Baker, Vince Taylor, Chris Cormier, Kevin Lervone and Milos Sarcev.

Shawn Ray, one of the most popular bodybuilders ever.
Photo of Shawn Ray

BODYBUILDING MASTERS

There was a time that once an athlete retired, he or she pretty much faded into oblivion. But not anymore. Sports such as golf and tennis now have very lucrative masters divisions that rival the regular contest divisions. Tiger Woods may be the most famous golfer in the world, but the galleries are still packed when Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer tee up. Likewise such tennis greats as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors can still draw a crowd. To keep bodybuilding consistent with other sports, the IFBB inserted a masters division in 1994. Featuring such stars as Robby Robinson, Ed Corney, Danny Padilla, Boyer Coe, Chris Dickerson, Lou Ferrigno and Bill Grant, the event was a huge hit with audiences for the first few years it ran. Unfortunately, declining sponsorships and a low amount of competitor numbers led to the contest being canceled after the 2003 event.

KING RONNIE

There was nothing special about the ninth place finisher of the 1997 Mr. Olympia. To most in the audience, Ronnie Coleman seemed to be another journeyman bodybuilder whose claim to fame would be to merely crack the top ten. Few would have guessed that Ronnie had other plans! Starting in 1998, Ronnie ran up an impressive record-tying eight Mr. Olympia titles. Weighing between 270 and 290 pounds in contest shape, Ronnie is definitely the largest Mr. Olympia in history and is considered by many to be the greatest. Right up until his defeat by Jay Cutler at the 2006 Mr. Olympia, many people still believed that Ronnie would win 10 or 12 straight Mr. Olympias.

After placing second to Ronnie on four different occasions, Jay Cutler finally did what many considered impossible by preventing Ronnie Coleman from winning his record ninth Mr. Olympia title in 2006.

INTO THE FUTURE

With prize money for professional bodybuilding contests now in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s not surprising that every year more and more hungry young bodybuilders vie for the sport’s top titles. Every year also brings larger and larger competitors, with the average weight of the Mr. Olympia winner increasing by about 10 pounds every decade. Just look at this timeline of comparisons:

1960s – Sergio Oliva: 230 pounds

1970s – Arnold Schwarzenegger: 240 pounds

1980s – Lee Haney: 250 pounds

1990s – Dorian Yates: 260 pounds

Present – Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler: 280+ pounds

City and state competitors are now stepping onstage weighing as much as Arnold and Sergio did at their best. Unless some new standards are adopted (highly unlikely given the bodybuilding public’s fascination with mass) then it’s only a matter of time before the first 300-pounder is awarded the famous Sandow statue. Ronnie Coleman won the Mr. Olympia one year at just under 290 pounds – nearly 100 pounds more than Frank Zane’s competitive weight in the late 1970s.

Photo of Ronnie COleman by Irvin Gelb

1960s SERGIO OLIVA

1970s ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

1980s LEE HANEY

1990s DORIAN YATES

2000s RONNIE COLEMAN

2008 JAY CUTLER

At over 300 pounds in the off-season and 274 in contest shape, Jay Cutler knows the meaning of the word “massive.”

WHY?

So just why are competitors weighing in heavier than ever before? Does it mean that today’s bodybuilders are simply training harder than their counterparts? Probably not. No one trained harder than Arnold and the rest of the gang at the old Gold’s Gym in Santa Monica, California during the early 1970s. However, today’s bodybuilders are probably more knowledgeable than their forerunners. Like most sports, bodybuilding has evolved over the decades and the older practitioners keep passing their tips and secrets on to the next group of hungry competitors. The shelves of local bookstores are piled high with informative bodybuilding books. Glance at the magazine stand and you’ll see dozens of top-quality magazines, jam packed with the latest information on training, nutrition and competition. Unlike in Arnold’s time, today’s young bodybuilder has an abundance of information at hand.

Besides knowledge, another factor to explain the increase in size is simply numbers. Far more people are hoisting iron today than 20 or 30 years ago. This makes it more likely that a person with good muscle-building genes will actually discover his aptitude in the gym.

A third explanation for why today’s competitors are heavier is nutritional supplementation. Thirty years ago supplementation meant liver tablets, raw eggs and multivitamins. Today, bodybuilding supplement companies are worth billions of dollars. Moreover, supplements today offer bodybuilders hundreds of performance-enhancing products to choose from. From creatine and nitric oxide to glutamine and state-of-the-art whey protein, today’s bodybuilders have it far better than their counterparts did 30 or 40 years ago.

We’d be remiss if we left out the pharmacological aspect to modern bodybuilding. Since the late 1950s when Dianabol, the first anabolic steroid, was created, bodybuilders have been steadily increasing the dosages and numbers of performance-enhancing drugs. There are drugs to build muscle and strength, drugs to strip away body fat, drugs to increase energy, drugs to reduce recovery time, drugs to increase blood volume, and to top it all off, drugs to combat the side effects of all these drugs! While the top stars would probably still win without the pharmacology, they wouldn’t be as massive as they are without the chemical assistance.

Thanks to such bodybuilding icons as Steve Reeves, Arnold and Lou Ferrigno, bodybuilding is now one of the most popular sports in the world. In terms of numbers, it rivals football (soccer), volleyball and tennis. In addition, competitors now have access to thousands of books and articles on training and technique.

While I can’t make any promises that you’ll win the next Mr. Olympia, I am confident that if you train hard, eat clean and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you’ll build a body that will be the envy of everyone. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, you are a future Mr. Olympia just waiting to become part of history. As you rise to fame, I’ll be with you every step of the way.

Photo of Fouad Abiad and Paul Lauzon by Paul Buceta