Bertil Fox - Death and the Bodybuilder.

[Matt C]

Some people were asking me about this so I decided to upload it [sorry about the volume it's the best I could get]:

I think Bertil was kind of like the Johnnie O. Jackson of his era when you compare the powerful physiques they had.  Some people called Bertil "narrow" but I disagree.  Although from the back I think it became obvious why Samir beat him in 1983.

Notice in part 2/4 starting at 1:50 what the IFBB judge Ivan Dunbar said?  He's basically saying that bodybuilders should suck up to the judges to get better placings.  When I talked to Samir, he said he felt Bertil deserved to be in the top three in 1983.

The first picture attached is from the 1983 Mr. Olympia contest.  Looks like quite the turnout!

[240 is Back]

mouthy..........

[tendonitis]

dude had a killer physique back in the day

[NarcissisticDeity]

Some people were asking me about this so I decided to upload it [sorry about the volume it's the best I could get]:

I think Bertil was kind of like the Johnnie O. Jackson of his era when you compare the powerful physiques they had.  Some people called Bertil "narrow" but I disagree.  Although from the back I think it became obvious why Samir beat him in 1983.

Notice in part 2/4 starting at 1:50 what the IFBB judge Ivan Dunbar said?  He's basically saying that bodybuilders should suck up to the judges to get better placings.  When I talked to Samir, he said he felt Bertil deserved to be in the top three in 1983.

The first picture attached is from the 1983 Mr. Olympia contest.  Looks like quite the turnout!

Bertil was narrow , he had awesome pecs , delts , arms and traps but not much more when dieted down he wasn't as much as a force

[Matt C]

Bertil was narrow , he had awesome pecs , delts , arms and traps but not much more when dieted down he wasn't as much as a force

ND, it was in fact your posts that helped me to see the light regarding Samir's win at the 1983 Mr. Olympia.  It really wasn't close when Samir and Bertil turned around.  Samir's back made Bertil's look like it belonged to an amateur.  Kind of surprising given that his upper body was the most developed on the stage that day.  Still, I would subscribe to Samir's notion that Bertil deserved to be in the top three.  I would have probably placed him 2nd myself.  I just don't understand 5th place and I can understand why such a placing would have been devastating to him.

[Army of One]

Bertil was narrow , he had awesome pecs , delts , arms and traps but not much more when dieted down he wasn't as much as a force

I dont know, some guys would kill to have that physique.

[noworries]

Man I remember the first day Bertil came to the gym.  Kal was loving it.  Him benching at 12:10 brought back memories

[Chick]

ND, it was in fact your posts that helped me to see the light regarding Samir's win at the 1983 Mr. Olympia.  It really wasn't close when Samir and Bertil turned around.  Samir's back made Bertil's look like it belonged to an amateur.  Kind of surprising given that his upper body was the most developed on the stage that day.  Still, I would subscribe to Samir's notion that Bertil deserved to be in the top three.  I would have probably placed him 2nd myself.  I just don't understand 5th place and I can understand why such a placing would have been devastating to him.

Easily understood...Makkaway, Haney and Zane were all better than Bertil....more seperated, better posers, better conditioned. I'm not sure Bertil EVER placed ahead of any of them at any point in his career.

[NarcissisticDeity]

I dont know, some guys would kill to have that physique.

absolutely however that doesn't have much to do with competition , he was strong as an ox to boot as well , he was like a smaller earlier version of Ronnie

[MAXX]

nvm

[Jizzacked]

thanks for uploading the vid.. I just finished watching it.  pretty interesting stuff getting to hear the in depth story of it all.  I was hoping they would have some interview footage with him behind bars but still good.

I admit though I had to smile when at the end his buddy said that bertil having to see himself as 160lbs was probably way worse than execution could have ever been 

[Matt C]

Easily understood...Makkaway, Haney and Zane were all better than Bertil....more seperated, better posers, better conditioned. I'm not sure Bertil EVER placed ahead of any of them at any point in his career.

I guess if posing and conditioning trumped the mass Bertil brought to the table.  I didn't think he was particularly far off that year.  Frankly, I think he had a deadly physique.

[g101]

very sad

[Croatch]

"Bertil hated white people."
hahah

Apparently, he wasn't hip the ol' man schmoeing Weider corporation?  You had a lot to learn about bbing Bertil, a lot.

[Matt C]

I admit though I had to smile when at the end his buddy said that bertil having to see himself as 160lbs was probably way worse than execution could have ever been 

LOL!!!!!!!  Man that's probably true too.  Bertil was the kind of bodybuilder who considered himself small even when he was huge.  I can't imagine how he feels now at almost 60 and maybe 160 pounds as Rick Wayne suggested.

[keanu]

Today he is in a cell with 13 other guys like a caged rat, and deservedly so. When he first became popular Bob Kennedy from musclemag proclaimed he was the best in the world. Many writers saw him as the second coming of Sergio Oliva.

[Matt C]

Today he is in a cell with 13 other guys like a caged rat, and deservedly so.

That's true, what he did was pretty brutal.

On a positive note, amazing scene from the Olympia:

[keanu]

On a positive note, amazing scene from the Olympia:

1983 was the last year before the size at all costs took over, and the fans loved it. Back then hardcore bodybuilding was MUCH more popular then today. Haney took it to a new size level. Yates brought in the huge GH guts, and Ronnie brought in the 7 months pregnant look in the early 2000's. Now we have a guy that looks like a refrigerator with veins as the top guy.

[Matt C]

1983 was the last year before the size at all costs took over, and the fans loved it. Back then bodybuilding was MUCH more popular then today. Haney to it to a new size level. Yates brought in the huge GH guts, and Ronnie brought in the 7 months pregnant look in the early 2000's. Now we have a guy that looks like a refrigerator with veins as the top guy.

Good assessment.  I know people talk about what it would take for bodybuilding to go mainstream on here but honestly I don't think that will ever happen.  Bodybuilding is not like hockey or UFC or something that is exciting to watch.  It's more like a male beauty pageant which I think will always sort of be niche/fringe.  But I was quite shocked with how many empty seats there were at the Olympia this year.  I would expect that at the very least, the Olympia would be a sold out show but apparently not.  Looking at the images from the 1983 Mr. Olympia it seemed to be a lot more popular.

[Figo]

1983 was the last year before the size at all costs took over, and the fans loved it. Back then bodybuilding was MUCH more popular then today. Haney to it to a new size level. Yates brought in the huge GH guts, and Ronnie brought in the 7 months pregnant look in the early 2000's. Now we have a guy that looks like a refrigerator with veins as the top guy.

till then the physiques seemed attainnable and were appealing with each guy possessing unique attributes,

they didnt look inhuman, and just a blob of striated, veiny mass with a head & limbs.

Mike Christian was a mass monster of his day... now, he'd be told to up the dosage...

[Immortal_Technique]

In a funny sort of way if only he'd trained his back as hard as everything else he might have got better than 5th in 83 and not become as frustrated and violent.

[Parker]

Good assessment.  I know people talk about what it would take for bodybuilding to go mainstream on here but honestly I don't think that will ever happen.  Bodybuilding is not like hockey or UFC or something that is exciting to watch.  It's more like a male beauty pageant which I think will always sort of be niche/fringe.  But I was quite shocked with how many empty seats there were at the Olympia this year.  I would expect that at the very least, the Olympia would be a sold out show but apparently not.  Looking at the images from the 1983 Mr. Olympia it seemed to be a lot more popular.

Imagine Phil Heath doing a Jordan Brand commercial, during the Superbowl... arms crossed, then fading to him dunking a basketball, then highlighting training arms, legs, then hitting a BDB, and him talking about hardwork...then you here a piano riff, fading out you see him playing...
Or a alternate commerical where he is talking about how he is a "hater". He "hates" quiters. then you see him military pressing...He "hates" people who don't put their all into something, then you see him training arms. He "hates" those people who are not willing to go the distance for what they want, you see him doing a BDB...He "hates" who are not multifaceted, you see him dunking and playing the piano...then fade to him crosing his arms with his signature stare...and his name goes up on the screen, underneath the Nike and Jordan Brand...

Now that would get bbing into the mainstream, at least get people talking about it...  

[Swedish Viking]

Is he still alive or did he actually get executed now?

[Parker]

Is he still alive or did he actually get executed now?

He is still alive, otherwie the title of this thread would have been, "Bertil Fox and Bodybuilding--Till Death Do Us Part"

[willl]

all knows