Freakiest side chest ever by a countrymile!

[The Scott]

The Oak still owns the side chest and several other poses as well.  Ronnie is just too fat/big for his own good.  His gut is gross and his legs are way over developed along with his huge ass.  He leaves the room and his ass is still there for another 10 minutes.  History will remember him, but  not in the same way that it will Arnold.  Arnold did something more with  his life.  Coleman, not so much.  He's good but he's just plain disgusting.  Together he and Dorian screwed up bodybuilding.

[orion]

psst.

arnie didn't have access to a fraction of the drugs ronnie did.

not to mention they didn't know nearly as much about nutrition.

also there's this thing called "genetics".

just, y'know, food for thought.

My point exactly.  Today's Arnold would beat Coleman even at a light 260- 275  As for genetics, both men have established they have the genes to be the best in bodybuilding.  "Revolting" thinks Arnie doesn't have the genes to be 260.lol

[flinstones1]

not the freakiest

eg. ronnie and kevin

kevin at his best.. was thicker than ronnie in that pose at his best. People don't realize how big he was at one time, not to forget before he hurt his back had some of the best wheels of all time.

[MisterMagoo]

My point exactly.  Today's Arnold would beat Coleman even at a light 260- 275  As for genetics, both men have established they have the genes to be the best in bodybuilding.  "Revolting" thinks Arnie doesn't have the genes to be 260.lol

you can't say that with any certainty. who knows how arnie would have responded to today's drug protocols. maybe he would have burned out early, maybe he would have gotten a giant gut like kovacs. maybe he would never have had good conditioning like today's pros (stage condition then is about 6 weeks out today).

the fact is that arnie at his biggest back then would look like an amateur who didn't diet down enough next to the guys today. people forget that the stage lights today are ridiculous compared to back then. everyone always wonders how people always look better just outside the show or how they can have ripped glutes and still look fat? it's because the lights are blasting at them full bore as opposed to overhead soft kitchen lights that are a lot more flattering.

arnie looks awesome in these black and white pictures with crazy lighting with silly angles that emphasize all of his strengths and ignore the fact that he pretty much had nothing but biceps and pecs. even on stage back then the lights were overhead that cast insane shadows on them. every pic people post is as flattering as possible.

this was the 1975 olympia, arnie at around 240.


notice how when he's not in the 2-3 extremely specific positions that mask all his flaws he suddenly looks thin?

here's phil heath in about the same position.


beside each other.


every single part of him looks small compared to heath (even his trademark biceps, chest, and calves) AND he's not in nearly as good condition.

arnie was dominant in his era, but that's it. he was dominant then. not now, and saying 'well if he had today's drugs' is as useful as saying "well if ronnie had been around then he still would have won". you don't know that and there's no reason to think that would be the case.

[SOMEPARTS]

Phil Heath loses to Arnold or Ronnie.

Best two ever of any era vs best of the worst era.

[Whiskey]

you can't say that with any certainty. who knows how arnie would have responded to today's drug protocols. maybe he would have burned out early, maybe he would have gotten a giant gut like kovacs. maybe he would never have had good conditioning like today's pros (stage condition then is about 6 weeks out today).

the fact is that arnie at his biggest back then would look like an amateur who didn't diet down enough next to the guys today. people forget that the stage lights today are ridiculous compared to back then. everyone always wonders how people always look better just outside the show or how they can have ripped glutes and still look fat? it's because the lights are blasting at them full bore as opposed to overhead soft kitchen lights that are a lot more flattering.

arnie looks awesome in these black and white pictures with crazy lighting with silly angles that emphasize all of his strengths and ignore the fact that he pretty much had nothing but biceps and pecs. even on stage back then the lights were overhead that cast insane shadows on them. every pic people post is as flattering as possible.

this was the 1975 olympia, arnie at around 240.


notice how when he's not in the 2-3 extremely specific positions that mask all his flaws he suddenly looks thin?

here's phil heath in about the same position.


beside each other.


every single part of him looks small compared to heath (even his trademark biceps, chest, and calves) AND he's not in nearly as good condition.

arnie was dominant in his era, but that's it. he was dominant then. not now, and saying 'well if he had today's drugs' is as useful as saying "well if ronnie had been around then he still would have won". you don't know that and there's no reason to think that would be the case.

Interesting post Mr. Magoo

I believe Arnold was about 225lbs at the '75 olympia

In the pic below he's about 240-245lbs, I think it was the '73 Olympia? Anyway a lot smaller
in '75, Hard to imagine that it's a 40 year old picture.

I'm not sure what Ronnie weighs in the picture, 265lbs? He looks good, gut is not too bad.

Team Harris.

[Whiskey]

Forgot to include pic...

[doriancutlerman]

Forgot to include pic...

*That* Ronnie was probably south of 250, actually.  I'd swear that's a pic from the 2001 ASC.

[doriancutlerman]

you can't say that with any certainty. who knows how arnie would have responded to today's drug protocols. maybe he would have burned out early, maybe he would have gotten a giant gut like kovacs. maybe he would never have had good conditioning like today's pros (stage condition then is about 6 weeks out today).

That's a good point.

However, the most potent thing in Arnold's arsenal was probably Primo.  No tren, no quality gH, no insulin, no IGF shit ... I could definitely see him carrying a good bit more muscle, and in better condition to boot thanks to the tren, clen, T3 and DNP, than he did in his prime. 

I do grant that he didn't improve all that much from 20 to 27.  He certainly didn't pull a Ronnie and add 50 lbs. of muscle in that time.

Then again, neither did Ronnie in his twenties.  It took him 'til his mid-30s before he really hit his stride, but then he added gobs of muscle (unsightly as they often were; he carried 290 better than most, but the giant ass and gut were out of fucking control at that point) over the next few years. 

The only thing I think that might hold Arnold back is his legs.  Even with a good bit more beef in his thighs, he could have a kick-ass upper-body and I think his legs might let him down in a more modern competitive setting.

That said, I have to object to the idea that he was just "chest and biceps."  His calves were insane, and his back ... well.  How many guys in the last Olympia showed more detail and balance in the rear double-biceps than Arnold did in "Pumping Iron," when Waller remarked that Arnie's back looked like a "roadmap with fingers all over it"?

Contests are won by compulsories, and even old school Arnold had some very powerful mandatory poses.  As driven as the fucker is/was and with modern drugs, I think he could still very much make an impact, at least from the waist up.  Today's bodybuilding wanks off way too much to stupidly big thighs anyway

[orion]

Good post Doriancutlerman.  One thing though, ronnie was always a 240ish bodybuilder when he was competing against dorian.  Then he disappeared for awhile and came back way bigger than he ever was.  We all know why.

[NarcissisticDeity]

Good post Doriancutlerman.  One thing though, ronnie was always a 240ish bodybuilder when he was competing against dorian.  Then he disappeared for awhile and came back way bigger than he ever was.  We all know why.

No he wasn't. Ronnie was 255 at the 1997 Mr Olympia and 250 in 1996

[MisterMagoo]

No he wasn't. Ronnie was 255 at the 1997 Mr Olympia and 250 in 1996

yeah he was actually lighter in 1998 than previously. not coincidentally, 1998/1999 were also his best showings.

look at those pictures ND posted. now find any pictures of arnold that weren't carefully framed and positioned and artistically lit.

i'm not arguing whether or not an arnold born in 1980 could be a force now, i'm saying that's impossible to know. i'm saying that arnold, if you picked him up with a time machine and put him on stage today, would look scrawny and soft. that's just a simple fact. with advancements in drugs, nutrition, and training styles, obviously the guys now are bigger and leaner. that's all i'm saying.

[Shockwave]

yeah he was actually lighter in 1998 than previously. not coincidentally, 1998/1999 were also his best showings.

look at those pictures ND posted. now find any pictures of arnold that weren't carefully framed and positioned and artistically lit.

i'm not arguing whether or not an arnold born in 1980 could be a force now, i'm saying that's impossible to know. i'm saying that arnold, if you picked him up with a time machine and put him on stage today, would look scrawny and soft. that's just a simple fact. with advancements in drugs, nutrition, and training styles, obviously the guys now are bigger and leaner. that's all i'm saying.

Stop being rational.

This is getbig, rationality doesn't make for 30 page hate filled bitch fests.

[jude2]

Can u really compare a pic that is 38yrs old to a recent pic? Looks like Arnold is further from the camera. The closer u are to the camera usually bigger.

[Hulkster]

You can't be serious. Ronnie had one of the worst side chest shots of all time. He never knew how to hit the shot. Levrone did though.

no, he, like Kevin, hit the pose the 'modern way'

with the abs tight and stomach not sucked in with the arm pushed up against it.

the classic way has pro's sucking in the gut like a vacuum. the modern way has the abs flexed tight and the arm much higher.

eg: ronnie's peak side chest is so impressive because he was striated from head to toe, where as others like dorian were not.

[Parker]

They need to bring back the old way of doing it, or have them do it both ways. I think the old way forces them to suck in their stomachs...I also think that this will cause less guts, or less competitors having poor control of their guts. And you may see more competitors doing vacuums.

[Mclovin]

That's not a good pose for him. Can't put my finger on why, though.

It's because he flexes his traps like when you are at the contraction portion during shrugs.

[Shockwave]

no, he, like Kevin, hit the pose the 'modern way'

with the abs tight and stomach not sucked in with the arm pushed up against it.

the classic way has pro's sucking in the gut like a vacuum. the modern way has the abs flexed tight and the arm much higher.

eg: ronnie's peak side chest is so impressive because he was striated from head to toe, where as others like dorian were not.

Still wrong.

[The Ugly]

It's because he flexes his traps like when you are at the contraction portion during shrugs.

That might be it. I think it ruins the pose.

[NarcissisticDeity]

no, he, like Kevin, hit the pose the 'modern way'

with the abs tight and stomach not sucked in with the arm pushed up against it.

the classic way has pro's sucking in the gut like a vacuum. the modern way has the abs flexed tight and the arm much higher.

eg: ronnie's peak side chest is so impressive because he was striated from head to toe, where as others like dorian were not.

Wrong it's side chest , NOT side bicep/delt. Ronnie's side chest was never a strong pose for him.

[Shockwave]

Wrong it's side chest , NOT side bicep/delt. Ronnie's side chest was never a strong pose for him.

Kevin looks 1000x better in that shot.

hulkster just sees Ronniea separation and striations and starts busting a nut in his pants, rathern than actually pay attention to whats going on.

but hes always been like that, easily distracted by flashy things.

[Iceman1981]

*That* Ronnie was probably south of 250, actually.  I'd swear that's a pic from the 2001 ASC.

No, that pic of Ronnie is from the 1999 Mr. Olympia.

[NotMrAverage]

i think todays era might be the best ever. as been stated before arnold era was the biceps anf chest era. it is something that have happend since growth (some slin too, diuretics have always been there) have taken over. that freaky, big, dense AND dry look.

[IronGangsta]

best side chest

[Shockwave]

i think todays era might be the best ever. as been stated before arnold era was the biceps anf chest era. it is something that have happend since growth (some slin too, diuretics have always been there) have taken over. that freaky, big, dense AND dry look.

The dense dry look was 93-98. Todays pros do not look dense, or dry, and definitely not both at the same time.