Seems like the old-school guys have better chests. Maybe it’s because today’s guys have those huge guts and as a result their chests don’t seem as big.
I agree with you, and your reasoning there.
Chances are, the guys today do have physically bigger chests in terms of an absolute measure of volume. But with larger stomachs, it's harder to see that.
Regarding Phil - no doubt he is amazing, but I can't imagine any bodybuilder in the world ever beating Ronnie Coleman at the Mr. Olympia in 2003. To me, that is a physique that has yet to be beaten. Phil may have been leaner, but Ronnie is around 2" taller and had to have weighed at least 30-lb more.
I'm not taking away anything from Phil, but to be 287-lb with shredded glutes and split biceps, etc...Ronnie in 2003 was, IMO, the greatest bodybuilder of all time, and would beat any bodybuilder in any contest in history. But hey - that's just my opinion.