For a couple of decades now the IFBB has placed primary importance on the amount of conditioned muscle per square inch of frame that a competitor presents for judging. This has allowed short guys with terrible aesthetics but who have extreme muscle thickness and great conditioning to place above tall guys with great physiques who might not be as filled out or as conditioned.
Now, all things being equal, of course more muscle and better conditioning should always beat less muscle and worse conditioning. But factors like aesthetics cannot be dismissed. Fortunately, the judges at this past year’s Olympia seemed to have realized this by giving Rhoden the win over Heath. However, we still need some more course correction in this matter. Exhibit A would be the Australian Arnold Classic, in which William Bonac got the win over Cedric McMillan.
Now, if you watch the videos of the contest, it will be apparent that Bonac has more muscle per square inch of frame, and is in better condition. However, McMillan is almost an entire foot taller than Bonac, and has a much more aesthetically pleasing look to his physique. No man in his right mind is going to look at the two guys on stage and think to himself he would rather have Bonac’s body. And remember, this “sport” is called Bodybuilding. The contest is about who has built the best body.
This brings me to my point. The judges have done well by giving Rhoden the Olympia, placing a greater emphasis on aesthetics, a tight midsection, and the desired X-shape. However, the judges need to take a step further, by not only placing a greater emphasis on those factors, but also by considering height as well. A short Mr. Olympia just simply isn’t good for the sport, and I write this as a fully grown adult male who stands at 5’10”.
Going back to this years Australian Arnold, Bonac looked great, but for all his back thickness he didn’t have width in the front double bicep to really create a dramatic X-frame. For all his conditioning, he is still narrow across the clavicles in the side chest pose. For all his muscle, he still has a relatively short torso that makes his body look a bit dwarfish. Yet, McMillan, though not quite as conditioned and tight as Bonac, looked like a supreme alpha male on stage. His body is tall, thick, aesthetic, etc. That is the kind of body we want to build. That is bodybuilding.
