Ok, let's break down all that which is evaluated during a bodybuilding contest and see how Shawn and Nasser compare. What are the criteria used to evaluate professional bodybuilding physiques by I.F.B.B standards? These are the criteria that are evaluated:
Muscularity:
- Muscle development - the size of the muscles
- Muscular quality - how defined, dense and striated the muscle is.
- Muscular aesthetics - just one thing: the roundness of the muscle. The rounder the muscle, the prettier it is.
Symmetry: divided in muscular symmetry, called balance, and skeletal symmetry called "frame":
Muscular symmetry - how proportional the muscles of one side of the body are to the corresponding muscle on the other side of the body, and how proportioal in size all the muscles are compared to each other. For instance, if both your delts are exactly the same size but overpower the pectorals, then they have good symmetry but lack balance.
Skeletal symmetry - how proportional the legs are in length to the torso, the clavicles in relation to the previous two things, and the arms in relation to the previous four things.
All these things are judged at once in both the symmetry round and the muscularity round(the mandatories). So it would be foolish to compare them in all mandatories and quarter turns instead of evaluating how they add up in the critera I mentioned.
If we compare Nasser and Ray, we must compare them at their best which for Nasser would be his 1999 ASC form and for Ray his 1987 NPC Nationals form. So how do they compare? Let's break it down by assigning 1 point for each category and then adding up.
Muscularity:
Muscular development - Nasser wins hands down, and even though this is due mostly to his much larger frame, it doesen't matter +1N
Muscular quality - Ray wins although not by a huge margin. At his best, Ray is more defined, dense and striated than Nasser overral. +1R
Muscular aesthetics - Ray wins hands down. Not even debateable. Nasser is blocky. +1R
Symmetry:
Muscular symmetry - Ray wins although not by a huge margin. Ray had great symmetry and balance in his muscles except for his small calves. Nasser was missing the entire back complex compared to his monstrous deltoid, pec and especially quadriceps. The back has almost 40 muscles. A severe balance problem. +1R
Skeletal symmetry - Nasser wins. Both Nasser and Ray have torsos that are too long for their legs, but Ray's were worst. Ray also had narrow clavicles, whilst Nasser had superbly wide ones. +1N
So Ray scores +3 and Nasser scores +2.
In conclusion: Ray at his best is better than Nasser, but this is made hard because I am ascribing equal points to all categories, but lots of people would say that muscular development should receive more than +1 point since it is called bodybuilding. But if we are unbiased and take into consideration all things that make up a bodybuilder, Shawn at his best beats Nasser. So there you have it.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
