July 1, 2006

Who's Going to Save Pro Bodybuilding?

The photo on our cover this month is of Ronnie Coleman, the reigning Mr. Olympia. For those who don’t know, the Olympia is the most prestigious pro bodybuilding contest in the world – it’s hard enough to win it once, let alone eight times.

Coleman’s taken home the title that many times, and presumably he’ll be back this year, going for a ninth straight win. If he does it, that will put him ahead of Lee Haney, who also won it eight times in a row. Exciting? Not really.

That shot of Coleman was taken in 2002, the last time I went to the Olympia to photograph the competition. It was the last one for me because I simply lost interest in going there. That sad fact has nothing to do with Coleman winning so many times as some may suspect, but because the show, like most pro shows I’ve been to since, ceased to be interesting for me. And that’s odd, given the fact that this is the big show of the year and I’m a big fan of bodybuilding. But if it wasn’t for what happened to fifth-place finisher Gunter Schlierkamp that night – something I’ll be writing about later this month in our new feature called "Muscle Memories" – I can’t recall anything else remotely memorable about the 2002 event. In fact, I had to actually look up who was in second place that year – it was Kevin Levrone – and I don’t even remember now who placed third.

I don’t think I’m alone with my disinterest in this event. That year I talked to many around me who were feeling the same way. In fact, a number commented that this Olympia may be their last too – at least for a while. I have no idea if they actually stayed away, mind you, but I suspect some did. From what I understand, attendance has been waning over the past few years, and with the event now out of the beautiful Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and into the fifth-rate Orleans Hotel and Casino, the event’s taken a turn for the worse.

But so, too, has all of pro bodybuilding – just read Garry Bartlett’s "Bartlett Blasts" last month for his take on the state of pro bodybuilding today – and that’s why I’m writing this article. I don’t want it to die, but I fear that it’s heading in that direction.

I suspect there are a number of reasons for its current demise. One could be that the shows follow the same format that they’ve had for decades – prejudging in the morning with seemingly endless comparisons, and the finals at night with usually lackluster posing routines. There’s got to be a better way.

Another reason probably has to do with the kinds of physiques that are winning the big name contests these days. In my opinion, they’re way over the top (can any self-respecting pro weigh less than 250 pounds onstage these days?), and that’s long since turned the public off bodybuilding. You don’t see it on TV anywhere anymore.

But while the public is one thing, the hardcore fans are another – and they’re getting turned off too. Gone are guys like Zane, Haney, and Schwarzenegger – gods in the bodybuilding world who know that a great physique is more about how you look than how much you weigh – and enter a plethora of competitors for whom the scale seems to mean everything. Today it’s all about size for the sake of size.

Whatever the reasons, whether it’s what I pointed out or something else, something had better change, since pro bodybuilding hasn’t seen this level of disinterest in years. It’s obvious from the number of pro contests that have been cancelled recently.

On the other hand, not all of bodybuilding is in a downturn. I attend plenty of amateur contests here in Canada, and while the amateur side may not be growing, it’s certainly not shrinking. And when you look worldwide, exciting, innovative things are happening.

I’ve attended the IFBB World Bodybuilding Championships a number of times and have been astounded by the quantity and quality of competitors there. In fact, I think most North American fans would be amazed at the quality of physiques that never set foot in the United States. Furthermore, they’re trying new things. For example, the IFBB’s bold move to introduce what they call "Classic Bodybuilding," something I wrote about in February, came from initiatives in Europe. I think it’s a great idea.

I suspect that the Classic Bodybuilding division was born from the fact that many people are tired of seeing the pro-sized physiques, and are longing for the days when the ideal bodybuilder had a skillful combination of size, shape, and symmetry – Frank Zane, the closest ever to the Greek god-type ideal, would probably be the ultimate example of that. And while the hardcore size-is-all-that-matters crowd may scoff at the idea behind Classic Bodybuilding (competitors are categorized by a formula that includes height and weight), they’re actually in the minority, not the majority. Remember, pro bodybuilding’s current size-at-all-costs attitude is probably one of the things causing its demise, whereas the amateurs are doing quite fine.

Something needs to happen to help the pro side of things. Something has to change. But when will it happen? And who is going to save pro bodybuilding?

...Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com

Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com, BodyBuildingLive.com, and SeriousAboutFitness.com.