Sucky, I agree that Dorian's conditioning is sick in this video. However, I think he looked far superior in 1993. His muscle bellys are far fuller that year. Yes, he is more ripped, but he lost something that was oh so apparent in 1993.
I think Dorian brought something to the table, in 1995 and 1996, which he lacked in 1993. If you look at Dorian from 1993 and on, you'll see that he made little to nil progress in muscular size: he found his competitive weight around 260 lbs, plus or minus 5 lbs, and stayed there. Yet, I think that he added
refinement to his physique. I think that, in 1995 and 1996, he displayed crisp details and a rock-hardness which he lacked in 1993. I am agruing that Dorian rose the standard for muscularity in 1993, but he rose the standard for
conditioning in 1995, and took it to an even more unbelievable level the next year. A level so high that, even today, it remains the ne plus ultra of bodybuilding conditioning, the holy grail that every pro tries to emulate but none has been successful at completely. Nevertheless, Dorian, himself, conceded that he came in flat in 1996. So yes, I do think that he took dryness too far that year. 1995 was probably the year when he combined fullness with sick hardness better.
Then again, he would have smoked this years Mr. O Jay Gutler over and over again. Even off, Dorian always was in condtion. This is not even debateable.
Yes.
Unfortunately, Ronnie may have hit an incredible high a couple of years, but his lows was were far more often and lower than Doz's. Thus, although I prefer the superhuman condition of Coleman, he brought it to the table only a few times.
Well, it is your opinion and I have a different one, and this was not supposed to be a re-enactment of the truce thread. But regardless, I don't understand what you mean by Coleman's super-human "condition". His conditioning(hardness + dryness) was never spectacular, not even in 1998 when I believe he was at his best. In 2003 he was huge, but he looked very poor quality-wise when compared to his 1998 version. I think that Ronnie at 250 lbs with a wasp waist and cross-striations all over his body represented a far more superior version of himself than the one that stepped onstage for the 2003 Olympia. Also, it is obvious that not all of that was muscle and that part of those 40 lbs that Ronnie gained were fat and water. How do I know that? Because he barely had a separation in his entire musculature when standing relaxed. Compare it to his 1998 version, when he had separations on his back even when not contracting his back muscles. Also, don't take lightly the increase in gut size, because at least 10 of those 40 lbs came from an increase in intestinal size. Dorian had visible abs at 305 lbs off-season; couldn't he compete at 287 lbs? Yes, he could. Would he look good? No: he would be a very poor version of himself. Like the 2003 Ronnie was of the 1998 Ronnie.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
