I read with great interest the now famous "belly ban " edict written by NPC and IFBB pro div president, Jim Manion ( a couple years ago). I sincerely believe that if pro judges took this edict to heart , the crazy drug use we still see , would be a thing of the past. His statement says in clear precise language that the winning physique needs to obey 3 crtieria ( long established judging criteria).
1. Bloated, distended bellys are major flaw in a physique.
2. The best physique is one that has flow, shape and asthetic lines.
3. Bodybuilding is about building muscles, but sheer mass alone at low body fat % is not meant to be the end all, be all of a winning physique.We don't want glorified male fitness models as Mr Olympia, but we need to judge the overall aspects of the physiques.
Manion is 100% correct in his views on this. If every judge took this standard to its' logical conclusion the sport would grow . It would end the advantage of "extreme/dangerous" drug use. Bodybuilding is a judged sport based on how you look, not on ones performance. Face it, most of us really don't care if a pro takes some "supplements" to get ready for big show. As fans we simply want to see some outstanding physiques on the pro stage. The Manion "belly ban" edict followed to the letter would have a much greater positive impact on pro bodybuilding than drug testing ever could.
Howard
