Sure he was more of a salesman than a bodybuilder,  but he sold bodybuilding to the masses. You may think he was a slimy business man and all around schmoe - which he was - who ruined bodybuilding with politics but he pulled whatever strings necessary to generate more money for his magazine and the sport.

The truth is bodybuilding was never bigger and better than when he was pulling the strings. There were specific contests he supossedly muddled in but generally bodybuilding was at its absolute best in the 70's,  80's and 90's when he ran the sport via his magazines.

You can argue the sport is more popular now because Olympia weekend is 4 days long and has 17 different divisions and categories but 15 of those categories aren't bodybuilding (im using exaggerated numbers). I would say the sport has more participants maybe even more fans but since Joe died off , bodybuilding has returned to a niche sport full of drug addicts and freaks. Even if it was full of drug addicts and freaks back then, Joe promoted it like it was the most wholesome,  athletic, healthy, artistic and safe sport one could engage in. Bodybuilders were getting acting roles, featured on talk shows, commercials, Arnold and Lou were household names. Even Lee Haney was well known.

ive never seen brian do a free bar squat to the floor

His heart stopped backstage after a contest is what I remember? Can't find the year with Google, coudl indeed be the late eighties

In Germany I believe
I remember he took lasix he got off another competitor think they were his usual 5mg tabs, they turned out to be 40mgs

He said if he had been anywhere else than Germany (on the European Grand Prix) where the health service is so good he might well have died

Just for your info Brian,I have been told that I wouldn`t reach 21 years old,then it was 30,then 40 and here I am still around at 70 when all those fuckers are long dead,as you will more than likely be before I kick the bucket..........I`m a resilient motherfukker.

By the way I squatted multiple sets of 10 with 315,followed by multiple sets of 8 and then 5-6.....all deep and legal,also,I did 405 below parallel,and hit a triple with 370 just for shits and giggles cuz I was having a great day.............just tried it and did it, and all were below parallel weighing about 70 pounds less than your waterlogged ass.

I`ve done so much in the 'sport' both in the gym and in bb,powerlifting and odd lifts,and as a trainer for 20 years that you`d need to live twice to even attempt to catch up,and still wouldn`t approach my level of involvement.....never mind accomplishments........y ou train like a novice 13 year old kid !!

pssst, he only weighs 185 top

Just for your info Brian,I have been told that I wouldn`t reach 21 years old,then it was 30,then 40 and here I am still around at 70 when all those fuckers are long dead,as you will more than likely be before I kick the bucket..........I`m a resilient motherfukker.

By the way I squatted multiple sets of 10 with 315,followed by multiple sets of 8 and then 5-6.....all deep and legal,also,I did 405 below parallel,and hit a triple with 370 just for shits and giggles cuz I was having a great day.............just tried it and did it, and all were below parallel weighing about 70 pounds less than your waterlogged ass.

I`ve done so much in the 'sport' both in the gym and in bb,powerlifting and odd lifts,and as a trainer for 20 years that you`d need to live twice to even attempt to catch up,and still wouldn`t approach my level of involvement.....never mind accomplishments........y ou train like a novice 13 year old kid !!