Growing his hair back was clearly an inarticulate defense mechanism against having irretrievably lost his status as alpha gorilla. 
But for all his sad "age is nothing but a number" talk, someone needs to tell him that part of being a true champion is gracefully accepting that one's time has past.
Maybe coming in 3rd behind Martinez at the O will slap some sense into him.
But maybe it won't.
Exactly. People keep bringing up the fact that everyone said that Ronnie was done in 2002, and yet he came into the 2003 Olympia bigger than ever and won convincingly. What they seem to forget is that Ronnie will be four years older at this year's Olympia than he was in 2003, and at this age, that does make a difference. Bodybuildiing is unique among sports in the sense that competitors peak very late, usually in their late thirties.
For instance, gymnasts peak in their teen years, swimmers peak in their early twenties, sprinters in their mid twenties and marathon runners in their early thirties. The problem is that, at age 43 going on 44, Ronnie has become old even by bodybuilding standards. He reached his absolute peak of muscle maturity and density four years ago, at the 2003 Olympia, when he was age 39 going on 40.
He will lose this year. No doubt. Ronnie's age gives an incredible advantage in muscle density and maturity, but his muscles have began to flatten out, which is what happens when you enter your forties. Ronnie's greatest strengh as a bodybuilder, his incredible muscle fullness, is gone. This, coupled with his injuries and loss of back mass sealed his fate. There are no drugs that'll give him so much muscle back at his age.
SUCKMYMUSCLE
