Look at the physiques 14 years ago at the NPC USAs and Nationals Heavyweights...

[Wiggs]

Dorian brought a new level of size and conditioning, but he only did what was best for him.  No one else should have tried to follow him.  He was 1 in a million. 

No one thinks this way...If someone is doing something and obtains incredible results or they meet their end..aka the Sandow...Most will likely try and replicate or do even better...It's only natural...

Myspace....Facebook
Snuggie....Slanket
Dorian...Nassar

Plenty of other parallels...

[MB]

No one thinks this way...If someone is doing something and obtains incredible results or they meet their end..aka the Sandow...Most will likely try and replicate or do even better...It's only natural...

Myspace....Facebook
Snuggie....Slanket
Dorian...Nassar

Plenty of other parallels...

Imitation is the highest form of flattery.  Unfortunately, the clones look nothing like the original.

[TruthHurts]

gayer than crying about an era when men looked better naked.

[GetItOnNY]

Back in 95 -96 alot of guys were still training overtraining
This what a chest and back routine would look like back in the 80-and 90's
Bench 5 sets
Decline Bench 4 sets
 Incline bench 4 sets
Dumbell press 4 sets incline dumbell press 4 sets
Cable flies 4 sets
 
Back
Pull ups 4 sets
cable rows 4 sets
wide cable rows 4 sets
Pull down 4 sets
Front pull down 4 sets
dumbell rows 4 sets
 bent over rows 4 sets

I knew guys that did this workout 2 times per week.My chest routine now is
2-3 sets bench
2-3 sets incline bench
1 set decline bench
2 sets of flatt dumbell press
2 sets of incline dumbell press or fly
1-2 sets of cables

Once a week.Thats half as much, as they used to do, and I only train chest once per week.
Back then they over trained which was pretty much like cardio so that is why they were so ripped.
Training 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week and training a muscle twice per week, is a full time job.
Your always sore.I know I trained that was the first.7 years I trained.Then in 1995 I saw Blood and Guts and Dorian Yates balls to the wall routine and it changed my way of thinking.I gained like I said before 15-17 lbs in 3 months by cutting back my training.I was natural back then.I went from 225 to 242 lbs in 12 weeks.I went from placing 4th in my first show, to winnning an overall title a year later, by just cutting back the sets and increasing the intesity
Right around 1998 -2000 guys started to train 1 bodypart per day, only once per week.I still see knuckle heads training 2 bodyfats a day twice a week, and they look the same year after year.They look the same now as they did 10 years ago.Its like working a job and not making anymore money after being there 10 years.its insane!

[flexingtonsteele]

No one in the top ten of this years nationals would have even gotten a callout in that show.

And that was just 14 years ago.

Bodybuilding has totally fallen off the map.

I wouldnt be surprised if 10 years from now there isnt even a npc/ifbb bodybuilding division and it all turns into male physique/figure or whatever u want to call it.

[Disgusted]

Insulin happened.

[Cableguy]

Back in 95 -96 alot of guys were still training overtraining
This what a chest and back routine would look like back in the 80-and 90's
Bench 5 sets
Decline Bench 4 sets
 Incline bench 4 sets
Dumbell press 4 sets incline dumbell press 4 sets
Cable flies 4 sets
 
Back
Pull ups 4 sets
cable rows 4 sets
wide cable rows 4 sets
Pull down 4 sets
Front pull down 4 sets
dumbell rows 4 sets
 bent over rows 4 sets

I knew guys that did this workout 2 times per week.My chest routine now is
2-3 sets bench
2-3 sets incline bench
1 set decline bench
2 sets of flatt dumbell press
2 sets of incline dumbell press or fly
1-2 sets of cables

Once a week.Thats half as much, as they used to do, and I only train chest once per week.
Back then they over trained which was pretty much like cardio so that is why they were so ripped.
Training 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week and training a muscle twice per week, is a full time job.
Your always sore.I know I trained that was the first.7 years I trained.Then in 1995 I saw Blood and Guts and Dorian Yates balls to the wall routine and it changed my way of thinking.I gained like I said before 15-17 lbs in 3 months by cutting back my training.I was natural back then.I went from 225 to 242 lbs in 12 weeks.I went from placing 4th in my first show, to winnning an overall title a year later, by just cutting back the sets and increasing the intesity
Right around 1998 -2000 guys started to train 1 bodypart per day, only once per week.I still see knuckle heads training 2 bodyfats a day twice a week, and they look the same year after year.They look the same now as they did 10 years ago.Its like working a job and not making anymore money after being there 10 years.its insane!

Looks like their "overtraining" worked pretty well...

[Wiggs]

Back in 95 -96 alot of guys were still training overtraining
This what a chest and back routine would look like back in the 80-and 90's
Bench 5 sets
Decline Bench 4 sets
 Incline bench 4 sets
Dumbell press 4 sets incline dumbell press 4 sets
Cable flies 4 sets
 
Back
Pull ups 4 sets
cable rows 4 sets
wide cable rows 4 sets
Pull down 4 sets
Front pull down 4 sets
dumbell rows 4 sets
 bent over rows 4 sets

I knew guys that did this workout 2 times per week.My chest routine now is
2-3 sets bench
2-3 sets incline bench
1 set decline bench
2 sets of flatt dumbell press
2 sets of incline dumbell press or fly
1-2 sets of cables

Once a week.Thats half as much, as they used to do, and I only train chest once per week.
Back then they over trained which was pretty much like cardio so that is why they were so ripped.
Training 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week and training a muscle twice per week, is a full time job.
Your always sore.I know I trained that was the first.7 years I trained.Then in 1995 I saw Blood and Guts and Dorian Yates balls to the wall routine and it changed my way of thinking.I gained like I said before 15-17 lbs in 3 months by cutting back my training.I was natural back then.I went from 225 to 242 lbs in 12 weeks.I went from placing 4th in my first show, to winnning an overall title a year later, by just cutting back the sets and increasing the intesity
Right around 1998 -2000 guys started to train 1 bodypart per day, only once per week.I still see knuckle heads training 2 bodyfats a day twice a week, and they look the same year after year.They look the same now as they did 10 years ago.Its like working a job and not making anymore money after being there 10 years.its insane!

John, what about cycles back then compared to today?

[Disgusted]

Looks like their "overtraining" worked pretty well...

Really, they were not over training Today guys do a 15 min workout and then shoot 20 ius of slin 4 times day. Hell it takes them more time to shoot up than to do a workout.

[Ex Coelis]

great hair on Titus

a clever variant of the "Matt C"

[Stavios]

Really, they were not over training Today guys do a 15 min workout and then shoot 20 ius of slin 4 times day. Hell it takes them more time to shoot up than to do a workout.

bumps for the truth

[flexingtonsteele]

Really, they were not over training Today guys do a 15 min workout and then shoot 20 ius of slin 4 times day. Hell it takes them more time to shoot up than to do a workout.

haha, so true!

[Reeves]

John, what about cycles back then compared to today?

As with today, most cycles had two wheels, but sometimes you'd see a unicycle or a tricycle.  Does this help?  Thought not. 

[Wiggs]

As with today, most cycles had two wheels, but sometimes you'd see a unicycle or a tricycle.  Does this help?  Thought not. 

 
Come on man, do you know?

[The Wizard of Truth]

bodybuilding was very popular from th e 80s to the mid 90s ................so the field to select the best from was bigger




but i am also of the mind that the drugs were better back then...............every thing was pharma grade, all the growth was pharma grade..........and i think i shows in the physiques




now-a-days.....many guys are using bathtub brew and cheap chinese GH, even many of the top guys


some would argue, but i feel its noticable

As per usual you are spot on

[kyomu]

Insulin happened.

Insulin is not necessaly to win the contest.
It just make the blocky look.

[Stavios]

Insulin is not necessaly to win the contest.
It just make the blocky look.

I don't understand why Milos looked so fucking good on it and it fucked up others ?

Milos's abs were kinda thick tho, maybe he just had luck with his natural taper

[Van_Bilderass]

I really don't think training's changed since 95 or whatever, on average. The ones pushing real hard on their working sets, being conscious of their poundages and reps trained somewhat lower volume, such as Dorian. You can't do sets where it's like your life depended on it for high volume. The ones doing more pumping type training without caring about poundage or progression did somewhat higher volume, and again the "intensity" dictates where you feel you've done "enough". Many guys don't really have a extremely rigid routine either, they go until they feel satisfied aka instinctive training. A few are more anal and count sets and reps and don't deviate from the plan. I'm sure you could find lazy trainers back then too just like you can find hard trainers today.  I don't think training volume has dropped since mid 90s.
I mean Mentzer supposedly influenced Dorian and then other pros as well and this was like 1990 when Mentzer got back into the sport. Probably pretty much the same on average, though today no one is really advocating the 'one set' ideology.



I think the talent pool is poorer today, apart from bad drugs.

I don't understand why Milos looked so fucking good on it and it fucked up others ?

Milos's abs were kinda thick tho, maybe he just had luck with his natural taper

Probably because he still wasn't trying to be "300lbs" at whatever cost. Always staying lean and not trying to push the weight up. Maybe I'm wrong on Milos' thought process but I doubt he thought to himself, "this off-season I'm going to sit at 300lbs and then diet down".

[Stavios]

I think the talent pool is poorer today, apart from bad drugs.

Probably because he still wasn't trying to be "300lbs" at whatever cost. Always staying lean and not trying to push the weight up. Maybe I'm wrong on Milos' thought process but I doubt he thought to himself, "this off-season I'm going to sit at 300lbs and then diet down".

Hard to say !

if he didn't have that mentality at all, he wouldn't have tried to compete at 260 lbs (his claim) at the 1999 British Grand-Prix, with biceps full of oil.

seems like he tried to get big, his genetics just would not allow him to.

I can relate to that, I can say for sure I did a lot more sauce then some friends of mine who are much bigger and don't have any problem getting "bigger"

they are not necessarly heavier, they just seem a LOT bigger

[Van_Bilderass]

if he didn't have that mentality at all, he wouldn't have tried to compete at 260 lbs (his claim) at the 1999 British Grand-Prix, with biceps full of oil.

How much did he end up weighing at that show? Do you know what his heaviest off-season weight was?

[flexingtonsteele]

Hard to say !

if he didn't have that mentality at all, he wouldn't have tried to compete at 260 lbs (his claim) at the 1999 British Grand-Prix, with biceps full of oil.

seems like he tried to get big, his genetics just would not allow him to.

I can relate to that, I can say for sure I did a lot more sauce then some friends of mine who are much bigger and don't have any problem getting "bigger"

they are not necessarly heavier, they just seem a LOT bigger

Milos never really got fat in the offseason that helped him keep his gut down i think.

He stayed in contest shape all year long.

Contrary to guys now who look like fat pigs 6 months out of the year.

[NarcissisticDeity]

I can give my opinion....It was tougher to get a pro card back then, and the physiques were better....a few reasons....

1. There was no SHW class, so all the talent was in the HW, which means there were a lot of guys that were damn good...many, like Fletcher, Dente, Mendenhall, Leidelmeyer, and (almost) myself....would never make it to the pros because of the depth of the lineups...

2. Physiques were built more in the gym, and for longer timeframe...I was taught from day one by the guys at the gym, that a good base was something you needed to build...naturally. 

3. I think guys get on the sauce way to early and never really build that base, which shows in their physiques...as well as guys jumping into the National level shows WAY too early in their "careers"...back in the day, you didnt move up the ranks until you were ready to compete, not just because you were qualified...

I couldn't agree more . a lot of these guys seem to wanna run before they can walk.

[NarcissisticDeity]

Not good enough to be a pro 

[Stavios]

How much did he end up weighing at that show? Do you know what his heaviest off-season weight was?

he claimed he was 255-260 at that show (if I remember well)
but he didn't diet down for that, he dieted "up", with a lot of insulin from what he said