He goes on a rant about bodybuilders not competing in the Arnold shows but lets take a closer look at his competition record in general.
1988 Mr. Olympia--13th Los Angeles
1989 Inactive
1990 Pro Ironman Champion--1st Redondo Beach
1990 Arnold Classic--1st (disqualified) Ohio
1990 Mr. Olympia--3rd Chicago, IL
1991 Arnold Classic--1st Ohio
1991 Mr. Olympia--5th Orlando, FL
1992 Mr. Olympia--4th Helsinki, Finland
1993 Mr. Olympia--3rd Atlanta, GA
1994 Mr. Olympia--2nd Atlanta, GA
1995 Mr. Olympia--4th Atlanta, GA
1996 Pro Ironman--3rd Redondo Beach, CA
1996 Arnold Classic--5th Columbus, OH
1996 Mr. Olympia--2nd Chicago, IL
1997 Mr. Olympia--3rd Los Angeles, CA
1998 Mr. Olympia--5th New York, NY
1999 Mr. Olympia--6th Las Vegas, NV
2000 Mr. Olympia--4th Las Vegas, NV
2001 Mr. Olympia--4th Las Vegas, NV
5 shows Not the Mr. Os in 13 years
13 Mr. Os
He competed 18 times in 13 years and there was very little change in his physique in those 13 years, not that there needed to be alot of change anyway, which means he should have competed alot more. Alot easier for a smaller bodybuilder to get in and stay in shape and hold it vs. a Dorian, or Kevin.
Whatever his reasons were (wanted to only compete at the O), he's a hypocrite. He was one of the ones that started the trend of competing less and now he's talking against it. Whatever "bro". Lets not forget this isn't even a trend, this just recently happened this year and he's going off like it's an epidemic. I see his point about the shows but men's open bodybuilding isn't popular like it used to be outside of the Mr. O and the Arnold in Ohio and the NY Pro is a distant 3rd. Otherwise it's the 212, Men's physique and now classic physique that will dominate. Most don't want to do what it takes to look like the open pros today because they don't like the look or the lifestyle it takes to get there.
What I find curious is that as much as Arnold has been complaining about guts and bottle shapes, he has no pro classic physique divisions at any of his shows, a division exploding in popularity and has the type of physiques he likes. So instead of whining about participation in the men's open division, how about adding classic physique divisions to all Arnold shows, make the prize money worth competing and let nature take it's course.
It seems to me there will be an inevitable clash between the open and classic physique divisions and they don't want that. They're trying to force the open down our throats (no homo) but the fans don't view the open the way they did in the 90s because they're not the same physiques. This generation of fans are more interested in the streamlined physiques found in Classic and Men's Physique. IMO even the 212 could be streamlined by rewarding the guys that are taller but still within the weight limits. Guys that will look more Like Shawn Ray at 5'6 205 - 210 vs. Jose Raymond at 5'4 212 ...No offense to Jose. Streamline is the flavor of the month and it should be the standard. The freaks will always be there but they should be the exception, not the rule...
