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Ercole
New member
In the recent Ronnie Coleman thread, the idea came up that bodybuilding's focus in recent years on "freaky" mass at the expense of other qualities (like symettry, proportion, and -- why be afraid to say it? -- beauty) has yanked bodybuilding out of the mainstream and is turning it back into a back-alley, lunatic fringe activity.
A poster pointed out that ESPN almost never airs a bodybuilding show these days, where they used to do it regularly ten or fifteen years ago. Sales figures for bodybuilding mags have declined from their highpoints in the '80s.
I think it's true that judging criteria (and hardcore fan response to "freaky" mass) have steered competitors towards an extreme look that's clearly more about huge intake of pharmaceuticals than about health or training.
In the '80s your average guy could look at top bodybuilders like Rich Gaspari or Bob Paris, and think: "That's how I want to look." But today, how many "average guys" aspire to looking like Coleman or Cutler? Not many, I suspect.
Women's bodybuilding was nearly killed off by escalating mass and AS use which made the top ladies look increasingly like weird mutants of undetermined sex.
Mag publishers acted aggressively in this case, turning their back on "hardcore" female bodybuilding in favor of "fitness" contests where the contestants are strong and toned but still look like women. Hardcore (i.e. seriously jacked) women competitors were outraged, but the mags are not budging an inch. They want the hermaphrodites outta there and are clearly trying to return to the more refined ideal of female muscularity represented in the 80s by Rachel McLish and Carla Dunlap.
New tiers of shows like Musclemania seem to doing the same thing for male bodybuilding. Smaller (though still hardly "natural") guys like Markus Reinhardt and Tito Raymond present physiques that are large and developed, but not crazily exagerrated, like the top IFBB pros. These are guys your average Joe can actually relate to.
What direction do you think male bodybuilding should go? Keep going for "bigger is better" or award prizes for other qualities besides sheer bulk? Does it bother you that the sport is losing its mainstream appeal? Or do you like the fact that bodybuilding is aiming to please its most fanatical supporters rather than the mainstream public?
A poster pointed out that ESPN almost never airs a bodybuilding show these days, where they used to do it regularly ten or fifteen years ago. Sales figures for bodybuilding mags have declined from their highpoints in the '80s.
I think it's true that judging criteria (and hardcore fan response to "freaky" mass) have steered competitors towards an extreme look that's clearly more about huge intake of pharmaceuticals than about health or training.
In the '80s your average guy could look at top bodybuilders like Rich Gaspari or Bob Paris, and think: "That's how I want to look." But today, how many "average guys" aspire to looking like Coleman or Cutler? Not many, I suspect.
Women's bodybuilding was nearly killed off by escalating mass and AS use which made the top ladies look increasingly like weird mutants of undetermined sex.
Mag publishers acted aggressively in this case, turning their back on "hardcore" female bodybuilding in favor of "fitness" contests where the contestants are strong and toned but still look like women. Hardcore (i.e. seriously jacked) women competitors were outraged, but the mags are not budging an inch. They want the hermaphrodites outta there and are clearly trying to return to the more refined ideal of female muscularity represented in the 80s by Rachel McLish and Carla Dunlap.
New tiers of shows like Musclemania seem to doing the same thing for male bodybuilding. Smaller (though still hardly "natural") guys like Markus Reinhardt and Tito Raymond present physiques that are large and developed, but not crazily exagerrated, like the top IFBB pros. These are guys your average Joe can actually relate to.
What direction do you think male bodybuilding should go? Keep going for "bigger is better" or award prizes for other qualities besides sheer bulk? Does it bother you that the sport is losing its mainstream appeal? Or do you like the fact that bodybuilding is aiming to please its most fanatical supporters rather than the mainstream public?
