Sky is the Limit!

[THE BOUNCER]

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY SHAWN RAY.

“For some die hard bodybuilders trying to reach the top of the food chain in this sport, the limit is the sky! For others, the Sky is the limit!


Strange play on words when everyone knows that in body building there are “No limits” on what some will do to be the best in this business. Athletes come and go in this game, when reality sets in they find dark corners of this business that they dare not venture into, while others forge ahead fearless in the face of self destruction.

Bodybuilding in the year 2002 has become Chemical Warfare, with no relief in site with regard to drug testing and concern for the athletes. By the time the ever elusive “Pro Card” lands in the athletes lap, these days at the advancing ages of 35, 36 and 37 years old in some cases, the insanity has already peaked and about to be pondered as to how much further the line in the sand will be drawn concerning drug application without drug testing? What happened to bodybuilding when all you had to do was train hard, eat right and stay hungry? Where did Labrada, Paris, Brisbrios, De Mey and the beauty of the sport go? Shape, Symmetry, Lines, Aesthetics and Harmony are punch lines in jokes of the way things were when the sport was at its peak!

No longer are the young athletes dreaming of being Physique Gods of the past but have to consider becoming Freaks, Giants and Mass Monsters pf today to be taken seriously in this sport.

I have to say in the olds days of the sport, not too long ago, late 80’s early 90’s, I never could have imagined we wouldn’t have a smorgish board of champions to chose from to model ourselves after like I did coming up. I mean, there were different sizes and shapes to chose from and now our choices of champions are more narrowed down due to poor judging and lack of new judges than ever before!

This year alone saw only 2 athletes under 220lb win shows, the rest averaged 260.
The limit is the sky for all the athletes considering winning championships in this sport under 250. Here is look at the winners of 2002:

Mr. O: Ronnie Coleman 264lbs

Arnold Classic: Jay Cutler 255lbs

NOC: Markus Ruel 270lbs

Toronto Pro: Art Atwood 265lbs

It doesn’t look good for Levrone, Wheeler, Ray, Sarchev and the boys does it?
That being said, Lee Priest came through in San Francisco against Cormier considerably off his best as well as, Dareem Charles winning the SW Pro against minor league competition.

For those who are hoping for the days of old where “The Sky is the Limit” be careful not to get caught up in the ever-increasing dangers of self-indulgence. There is a plethora of bad vices out there ruining the lines and beauty of the human body ie; Synthol, GH, and Insulin to name a few.

Please, draw a line in the sand and be thankful for how far you can push the envelope without becoming a footnote in this business. Your best may not take you to the promise land but when you draw the line in the sand it will keep you ABOVE land!

The sky is the limit when you dare to dream and take your body places never imaginable! Soar in the idea of hard-core workouts and dedication to bettering your body through hard work! In the end, let the photos and mirror be your guide, this way no matter what happens onstage you can verify your own self improvement and you don’t need a panel of judges to validate your accomplishments!

 

[Turbo98]

Good Read............

 

[gilly6993]

Nice.....

 

[THE BOUNCER]

bump

 

[Stillgoing]

Good post Bouncer.....wonder what that says about Ray's supplement use?? Has he "drawn a line in the sand"?? Is he a moderate user??

 

[THE BOUNCER]

Has he "drawn a line in the sand"?? Is he a moderate user??

good question bro

 

[manny78]

I miss guys like Serge Nubret and Arnold.......

 

[XCYTER]

I think Bob Paris was one of the most symetrical BB's of all time.

The hugeness we see today is far less impressive than the symetry of the days long gone. IMO

 

[THE BOUNCER]

I think Bob Paris was one of the most symetrical BB's of all time.

The hugeness we see today is far less impressive than the symetry of the days long gone. IMO

i am actually a freak man myself. i just posted this because it is a good article.

 

[needsize]

I do agee that the direction the sport has gone for the last decade, from huge but symmetrical, to super massive freaks, is going to continue to alienate possible fans. Back in the day Arnold brought a lot of posititive attention to the sport and legitimatized it from an under ground sport for "weirdos", to something that was kind of in the mainstream. As a result the fan base went up, as well as the prize money, and people began to look at bodybuilders with something other than disgust. That trend conitinued up until fairly recently. But now a lot of people are turning away from the sport as the top pros no longer have physiques that are attainable, or even desirable by the public. If this trend continues bodybuilding will likely end up back where it was when Arnold found it, a sub culture of "freaks"....
Personally, I still like the look of a some of todays top bodybuilders and a lot of yeserday's pro's. Flex, Shawn Ray, Lee Haney, Arnold, and my personal favorite, Franco, and would like to achieve something along those lines myself. But even if I could build the sort of mass that Coleman has, I really dont think I'd want it (I know, easy to say when it;s basically impossible anyway)

 

[THE BOUNCER]

But now a lot of people are turning away from the sport as the top pros no longer have physiques that are attainable, or even desirable by the public. If this trend continues bodybuilding will likely end up back where it was when Arnold found it, a sub culture of "freaks"....

is this a bad thing though? it seems like every fruit loop and there mother come to the gym to conversate. i wish these fuckers would just go play in traffic. just once do I want to walk into the gym without seeing some skinny bitch wearing a wife beater and baggy pants while on there cell!

 

[bigAragorn]

is this a bad thing though? it seems like every fruit loop and there mother come to the gym to conversate. i wish these fuckers would just go play in traffic. just once do I want to walk into the gym without seeing some skinny bitch wearing a wife beater and baggy pants while on there cell!

so true

 

[Mr_Pusher]

Ronnie weighed around 245 when he showed up at the '98 NOC with that crazy conditioning, and he weighed just a few pounds heaveri at that years Mr O.

Calling it "chemical warfare" is an easy cop-out for the guys who just don't have what it takes. Whether it be genetics or drive.

Bodies don't grow to 320-340lbs without you forcing it to grow, you can take all the drugs you can afford, but if you don't eat and train like your motherfucking life depends on it, you'll die as the biggest man in your apartment complex.....and nothing more.

Bodybuilding is about pushing the envelope of what the human body can look like. It's called ***progress***.

How many people saw Arnold for the first time and thought "shit, that's it.....I'll never beat that, I quit"?

How many people said that the first time they saw Lee Haney?

How many people said that when they first say Shawn Ray?

Many guys who first start training set goals sky high.....how many 15 yr olds say they want to be Mr Olympia after reading their first issue of Flex? A goddamn lot.

But so many people forget that you gotta crawl before you walk. You can't get onstage at the National's, USA's, or North American's without first winning your local "NPC Mr. Plano Texas" or "NPC Southern States".

Guys see the "freaks" in the magazines and want to look like they do, but have no idea how to do it. They don't realize that Ronnie Coleman & Markus Ruhl once weighed 160lbs....just like them.

I'm sick of Shawn Ray's constant whining about how he refuses to compete with the "big boy's". Look back 10years ago, Shawn used to be one of the largest men onstage pushing harder than everybody else to get that carrot on the string. Now, he's just content to be an "also ran" and complain about where the sport is headed.

It's not about who takes the most drugs, it's about who wants it more.

Look at every champion, Ronnie, Dorian, Arnold, ect... In them you'll see a drive to be the best. They didn't sit around, cry, and make excuses when they came in 2nd, 6th, or 9th. I'd be fucking ashamed of placing in 9th place, even out of 60 guys.

To them, the champions, it's not about being better than 60 other men. It's about the 2-3 men who are better than you.

 

[THE BOUNCER]

Ronnie weighed around 245 when he showed up at the '98 NOC with that crazy conditioning, and he weighed just a few pounds heaveri at that years Mr O.

Calling it "chemical warfare" is an easy cop-out for the guys who just don't have what it takes. Whether it be genetics or drive.

Bodies don't grow to 320-340lbs without you forcing it to grow, you can take all the drugs you can afford, but if you don't eat and train like your motherfucking life depends on it, you'll die as the biggest man in your apartment complex.....and nothing more.

Bodybuilding is about pushing the envelope of what the human body can look like. It's called ***progress***.

How many people saw Arnold for the first time and thought "shit, that's it.....I'll never beat that, I quit"?

How many people said that the first time they saw Lee Haney?

How many people said that when they first say Shawn Ray?

Many guys who first start training set goals sky high.....how many 15 yr olds say they want to be Mr Olympia after reading their first issue of Flex? A goddamn lot.

But so many people forget that you gotta crawl before you walk. You can't get onstage at the National's, USA's, or North American's without first winning your local "NPC Mr. Plano Texas" or "NPC Southern States".

Guys see the "freaks" in the magazines and want to look like they do, but have no idea how to do it. They don't realize that Ronnie Coleman & Markus Ruhl once weighed 160lbs....just like them.

I'm sick of Shawn Ray's constant whining about how he refuses to compete with the "big boy's". Look back 10years ago, Shawn used to be one of the largest men onstage pushing harder than everybody else to get that carrot on the string. Now, he's just content to be an "also ran" and complain about where the sport is headed.

It's not about who takes the most drugs, it's about who wants it more.

Look at every champion, Ronnie, Dorian, Arnold, ect... In them you'll see a drive to be the best. They didn't sit around, cry, and make excuses when they came in 2nd, 6th, or 9th. I'd be fucking ashamed of placing in 9th place, even out of 60 guys.

To them, the champions, it's not about being better than 60 other men. It's about the 2-3 men who are better than you.

have you ever competed bro? i will be doing the USA's next year, and your right, you have to put your whole life into this game. right now i am 5'11 285 10%. i am trying to get to 300 at the same bodyfat levels within the next 6 months. then I will start my diet for the show.

 

[Mr_Pusher]

Yes. I hope to compete in the North American's next year, that is, if they even have the contest next year. Hopefully Nim King will pull through some sponsors. If not, probably the USA's.

 

[needsize]

is this a bad thing though? it seems like every fruit loop and there mother come to the gym to conversate. i wish these fuckers would just go play in traffic. just once do I want to walk into the gym without seeing some skinny bitch wearing a wife beater and baggy pants while on there cell!

I hear that, I train in a yuppie gym and most of the people there piss me off to no end. They look at me like I'm a freak and frankly I kinda like that. I'm just lucky they spend all their time around the hammer strength machinesa and dont come any where near the free weight area...
But at the same time those asswipes arent there cuz of bodybuilding anyway, they dont go to the gym to look like Arnold or Coleman, tey wanna look like the 160lb underwear models

 

[Mr_Pusher]

If somebody's goal is to look good weighing 160-180lbs, so be it. Don't get caught up with what other peoples goals are, that's none of your business, and it's none of your concern.

What you should be concerned about, is the guy who you don't know, who is training harder than you are, who is eating better than you. When you meet him, he will beat you & take home your motherfucking trophy.

That's what I'm concerned about, not the 165lber's wearing wife-beaters, and shiney, baggy Addias pants, chillin by the machine bench press and checking their hair in the mirror.

Your focus should be 100% on the guys who are better than you, not the guys who you are better-than.

 

[Dr.RobertBanner]

If somebody's goal is to look good weighing 160-180lbs, so be it. Don't get caught up with what other peoples goals are, that's none of your business, and it's none of your concern.

What you should be concerned about, is the guy who you don't know, who is training harder than you are, who is eating better than you. When you meet him, he will beat you & take home your motherfucking trophy.

That's what I'm concerned about, not the 165lber's wearing wife-beaters, and shiney, baggy Addias pants, chillin by the machine bench press and checking their hair in the mirror.

Your focus should be 100% on the guys who are better than you, not the guys who you are better-than.

That was good man, and you're right, that's the way it should be...unfortunately kids go to the gym to try and impress the people that train harder than them and they hurt themselves trying to do so. It's sad, but I think we're all guilty of that at one point of our lives.

 

[Mr_Pusher]

It's sad, but I think we're all guilty of that at one point of our lives.

What seperates the winner's from the also-ran's, is the ability to realize what our goals should be, and where we should focus our concentration.

 

[THE BOUNCER]

If somebody's goal is to look good weighing 160-180lbs, so be it. Don't get caught up with what other peoples goals are, that's none of your business, and it's none of your concern.

What you should be concerned about, is the guy who you don't know, who is training harder than you are, who is eating better than you. When you meet him, he will beat you & take home your motherfucking trophy.

That's what I'm concerned about, not the 165lber's wearing wife-beaters, and shiney, baggy Addias pants, chillin by the machine bench press and checking their hair in the mirror.

Your focus should be 100% on the guys who are better than you, not the guys who you are better-than.

if you plan on doing the USA's like you said, you better get your ass of this board and in the gym, because I am going to beat the tits of ya! j/k

 

[CN1]

one reason I dont believe in doing competitive bodybuilding is because you are leaving your physique to be judged by a panel of judges who themselves were never hardcore bodybuilders nor do they have a bodybuilding background they might to a certain extent, but they are mostly fat and out of shape, I am my own judge of my physique, and I feel that my own eyes are the judge, Im not gonna let some deadbeat who sucks joe weiders dick tell me about my physique, Im gonna do it my way on my own terms!