So you say that both Ronnie and Dorian have the gut, but Dorian lacks the mass to compensate for it? Wrong.
1) Ronnie did NOT have visible abdominal distension during the 2003 Mr. Olympia pre-judging. This has already been well-established.
2) Ronnie was slightly distended at the evening round, but not NEARLY AS DISTENDED AS ND's BACKSTAGE PICTURES WOULD FALSELY LEAD ONE TO BELIEVE.
This is perhaps the most incriminating piece of visual evidence from the evening round that was not taken backstage or in transition. That said, his midsection is still somewhat controlled, yet he doesn't have to deal with the overdeveloped obliques and wide waist that Dorian had to work with. As a result, Ronnie's distension would only be an issue from a lateral angle, whereas Dorian's is an issue from the anterior, posterior, AND side.
You and ND continue to rely on backstage pictures to attest to Ronnie's evening distension. Though it was present, it is not nearly as exaggerated as the irrelevant backstage photos, which mind you would have absolutely no bearing on the outcome of the show.
Ronnie in 2003 WAS significantly more muscular. This is an incontrovertible fact.
That said, his waist was actually THINNER, with less lateral bulge on the abdomen since Ronnie's obliques were significantly leaner. Ronnie would only have to deal with distension from 1 angle whereas Dorian's waist would present a problem from 3 angles.
Couple that with the fact that Olympia standards outline that more muscle mass IS preferential to less, Ronnie has a significant advantage. Nothing else left to discuss...
Ronnie's gut deteriorated in several ways over the years. When you look at him at the 1998/9 Olympias, you realize that his lats and delts had clearly far less width than in 2003/4. Yet, Ronnie's waist was so small that he looked more impressive as far as taper goes. But that's not the only thing that deteriorated.
Are you implying that Ronald's waist increased in circumference??
Ronnie was already taking gH, insulin, IGF long, etc. in 1998/1999.
You can't attribute any misperceived increase in the girth of his waist to a drug regimen. He comes in at < 5% bodyfat each contest. Appositional bonegrowth or adipose deposition are the ONLY two factors that can lead to an increase in the circumference of the waist.
Mind you, APPOSITIONAL BONEGROWTH TAKES SEVERAL YEARS, and the growth that takes place is cosmetic. We aren't even talking about several inches of difference, its physiologically impossible for the osteoblasts to deposit that much material and yield that much calcification.
To put it quite simply. Ronnie's waist hasn't grown to the extent that you imagine.
Perhaps you falsely attribute his larger midsection to a larger waist, but you are mistaken. IT IS PHYSIOLOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIS WAIST TO HAVE GROWN AS MUCH AS YOU CLAIM IN SUCH A SHORT TIME SPAN.
Once the epiphyseal plates of the bones fuse, the waist will not grow without an outside input.
- Bodyfat is an input that can swell the waistline, but that doesn't apply to a bodybuilder who comes in with single digit, let alone < 5 % bodyfat.
- Bone growth is the second input. Once the epiphyseal plates of the bones fuse, at age 25, no more direct bone growth can take place. However, ossification can still occur by depositing material on the surface of the bone. This WILL take place with an input of gH, BUT, its a very slow process that can span decades, and the deposition is minimal. It most affects the appearance of facial bones and the metacarpals, because these bones are very small and clearly visible. The pelvis is very large, yet the osteoblasts don't secrete anymore than they do on the fingers or facial bones.
So to imply that his waist would have grown several inches is to imply that his facial bones and fingers are several inches greater in diameter too, which obviously isn't the case because he would no longer look human, he would look like Doomsday from the Superman comics. His fingers would be as thick as wooden 2 by 4s.
Only one explanation is reasonable, his waist MAY look slightly larger due to the origins/insertions of the adjacent muscles which have notably hypertrophied, but since the outer rim of the pelvis doesn't have any direct surfaces of articulation, the circumference of the waist itself would not change at all. However, surrounded by pockets of deep, mature muscle, it may give the illusion of a waist that is wider than it actually is.
Its really a moot point, because its clearly leaner than Dorian's, coupled with wider lats/delts, less developed obliques, and superior latissimus dorsi origins, AND much more all-round muscle mass, Ronnie absolutely blows Dorian out of the water.
