I could write at length in a "self righteous", almost religious terms about lifting too, like deadlifting. There are aspects to it that have little to do with bodybuilding per se. We had a group that got together every friday for like 15 years straight to just deadlift, sometimes new years eve or around christmas and it was the highlight of the week (if we did well). At times I have felt like I'm losing touch with reality but if the weights move you must still be connected to reality You can argue you are attaching great importance to totally irrelevant things in life but you can easily argue otherwise too. Now our group is kinda dead due to life circumstances but I haven't given up on getting back to the routine once more, my 60 year old friend just texted me we'll take it up again at the end of the year

I feel Platz was melodramatic and perhaps building a myth but he talked about training in religious or spiritual terms a lot. He had these little 'irrational' little rituals connected to the lifting as well. Like the old gym towel tied to the thigh. Using certain color pants for squatting, associating sounds with lifting like leaving a little space between metal plates so you could hear it when he squatted, drinking expensive liquor and smoking cigars as therapeutics to recover from lifting. Associating the roar of his Corvette with good lifting sessions. Saying he would train another 25 years for one more moment like a certain posing routine at the O. I don't know if this was all an act, he might have trained like a retard even when cameras weren't around (I mean cheating and jerking in exercises until it didn't move another millimeter). I'm sure he still squats even if there might not be any "logical" reason to do it.

Tom Platz is Jason Genova with better genetics

Since I got out of bodybuilding I cant even get through the online prep and training videos without thinking "What a fucking idiot"

One girl not having a xmas dinner because she was in prep for a show three months away because her husband told her to.

One guy talking about his pre-and post workout drinks and adding in multiple different products including upwards of 15gms of creatine


Not to mention the "almond butter brigade"

Competitors these days seem to live on supplements and pre-packed meals
They bang on about how important the nutrition is then add chocolate to their morning oats

All the emphasis on eating and training but without the copius amounts of drugs they would look like the average gym rat

A lot of it seems like a mix of attention seeking, "virtue" signaling, coping, and good old plain stupidity

and what pray tell does an older man need big muscles for?

to stop some young punk beating your ass  but why don´t you try a martial art? not something acrobatic but say Ving Tsun or Kali/Escrima
you can still train at a late age & stay pretty active