arnold's physique-most pleasing of all time

[jem123]

Bob Paris also needs a mention if pleasing lines and aesthetic quality are the guide.

[madmullah]

here  he is

[Slick Vic]

Gotta love these two. 

[madmullah]

this one for those who say arnold had weak legs.

[Hulkster]

this one for those who say arnold had weak legs.

I sure hope that you are showing us that pic to show that Arnold truly DOES have weak legs, since his quads have almost no sweep at all at that time.

And, if he turned to the side, his legs would have disappeared.

Arnold legs, even at their best, were detailed, and thats about it. 

little sweep, little size- well out of balance with his upper body.

however, this cannot be held against him because this was very common back in the day.

What is more correct is to say that Arnold had weak legs in comparison to modern standards.

He did not necessarily have weak legs in comparison to his fellow competitiors at the time.

And this is why people like ND are totally retarded if they ever even once say that Arnolds legs were better than ronnie coleman's!

[dzulboy]

this one for those who say arnold had weak legs.

hmmmm arnold's legs look alot like kovacs    so fuckin overrated  so many better then him in that day  how about nubret    totally lost based on race  and before you people bitch i am white

[Gord]

...And, if he turned to the side, his legs would have disappeared.....

.....little sweep, little size- well out of balance with his upper body....

[Hulkster]

thanks for the pic, Gord. As we can see here, Arnold's arms are almost bigger than his quads..

see, all these arnold shots of him in isolation look good - you say, that looks fairly balanced....until you compare it to someone who has balanced quads for their upper body: then you say whoaa! Arnold was not very balanced..

[Gord]

Well you won't get me dissing Sergio's physique, because the guy was great, and I agree that he had a slightly better upper/lower body balance. But frankly there wasn't much in it and Arnold (to my eyes) countered by having the better muscle shape and flow. I also think if Sergio could ever match Arnold's best conditioning, he would've also had to sacrifice some mass in the process.

Anyway, a couple of comparison pics from the 1972 Olympia. Sergio was my pick (just) for that show, but you can still see that upper/lower balance difference between them was not significant, even though Sergio was/is generally acknowledged to be at his best that year and Arnold not at his.

[pumpster]

Arnold's legs don't look out of balance there, and have good shape.

In some other shots or footage from other angles, especially from the sides, they can look a little light for the upper body.

[Gord]

You could always agrue in those day legs were generally under developed, but on the other hand, you could also argue that these days legs are overdeveloped. It's all subjective.

Another Arnold side shot (this time from 1974). Side leg not that shabby for that era. 

[Hulkster]

I have always thought that Arnolds calves were too big for his quads. Seriously. Look at that last shot.

Arnold's calves were almost too good.  They were amazing.

[pumpster]

Without the calves the thighs would've been a bigger problem. Calves drew attention away from the slight lack of thigh and ham size.

All depends on the angle, in some shots the thighs are more obviously lacking just a little, but still good shape and great calves.

[Palpatine Q]

thanks for the pic, Gord. As we can see here, Arnold's arms are almost bigger than his quads..

see, all these arnold shots of him in isolation look good - you say, that looks fairly balanced....until you compare it to someone who has balanced quads for their upper body: then you say whoaa! Arnold was not very balanced..

THese two pics Illustrate clearly why Arnold is superior to Sergio. Arnold looks like perfection... BIG and put together perfectly, while Sergio looks like less than the sum of his parts. Kinda like pre -Olympia Ronnie.

[Gord]

Yep, the guy had some calves.

One thing about Arnold's physique progress that gets forgotten is that he really gave up serious training and competitive bodybuilding after the 1974 Olympia when he was only 27 (forget the 1975 and 1980 shows, which he did mainly for film publicity reasons and never trained properly for).

These days, hardly anyone turns pro before they are 30. Nowadays most pros hit their best in their 30s, never mind being a multi-Olympia winner by the age 27. Even Sergio was 31, at his 1972 best.

Just imagine if Arnold had carried on training and competing for another 7 or 8 years, non-stop. His physique was in effect still developing, he was a work in progress, when he retired from serious competition. I don't think we ever actually saw Arnold hit his full potential.

Anyway, another pic of those calves, from 1971 (I think) when he was only 24 years old.

[pumpster]

Just a matter of taste. Equally great.

[Gord]

Just a matter of taste. Equally great.

I agree.

[madmullah]

hmmmm arnold's legs look alot like kovacs    so fuckin overrated  so many better then him in that day  how about nubret    totally lost based on race  and before you people bitch i am white

serge nubret had terrible legs,thats why he posed them   turned slightly side ways in most poses.

[ManBearPig...]

serge, do you agree?

[Danimal77]

I'd take vintage Sergio physique over anyone.

EVER.





DIV

I'm assuming you're a negro?

[ManBearPig...]

I'm assuming you're a negro?

worse...a fat mexican.