Early show winners stood out a mile, so that even the ice cream seller could pick out the first three places. Old timers always bring up that “once bodybuilding champions had charisma and each looked different”. I recall Bob Kennedy held a feature in MMI in which readers were challenged to name the silhouettes. Gironda, Reeves, Pearl etc all stood out a mile. You would have a job to do that now. Such silhouettes would resemble a string of cut out paper dolls. Yes, perhaps they did look individuals.
But with better training, nutrition and modern advances, the quality of any modern line up is so good, that like it or not, they do all look similar. Similar degrees of almost perfection and high standards with the call so close the X factor creeps in. Hence judging is so much harder finding the small flaws. You will never please everyone all of the time. Judges usually see competitors the day before or at least at a pre judging session. By the time the guys hit the evening line up, some have gained or lost 7lbs. So the audience see a different physique.
One contest that produced a lot of debate was the 1971 Mr Universe with the placings of Oliva, Pearl and Park. Oliva walked out after Pearl was chosen as Ist, Reg made 3rd place and took it like a gent. Oscar Heidenstam went to great depths to explain the NABBA Judging system, mentioning a distinguished list of judges, most former top bbuilders including Paul Wynter, Len Sell, Bill Stevens, Dave Prowse etc. and said “We like a large panel simply because we believe in that way, we get a large variety of opinions.”
One of the most controversial disputes was between Mike Mentzer and Arnold S at the 1980 Mr Olympia in Sydney Australia. Arnold who had supposedly retired, after 6 consecutive wins apparently decided on the eve of the contest (He was supposed to be in Oz just to do a commentary on the contest for CBS) to enter and try to make it a magnificent 7th. Out of the 16 contestants 15 had signed a petition requesting the Olympia should be judged as one open class. Arnold, now the 16 competitor decided otherwise.
Accusations flew around and Mentzers personal belief was Arnolds tactic had cheated him out of the overall title, which history records Arnold ‘won’, albeit the audience booed the placings which gave Mentzer 5th. Reg Park was one of the judges who was entitled to his opinion, supporting Arnold. Bill Pearl withdrew as a judge because he had spent time training another entrant, Chris Dickerson, who came second. The CBS never did televise the show. Mentzer never competed again and was hostile to the judges decision right up until his demise. Most others simply shrugged their muscular shoulders and treated the results for what they were ie. human opinion.
Some decisions were both popular and unanimous such as Lee Haneys winning the 1986 Mr Olympia with for what was described as “The first time in history of the Mr Olympia that a contestant received a perfect score.”
The IFBB Founded by Ben & Joe Weider back in 1947 rapidly became supported by the bodybuilding fraternity, later endorsed by the International Sports Fed in 1970 and now included over 130 nations. Early bodybuilding judging systems included 3 rounds for scoring.
1. Relaxed, symmetry and proportion.
2. Mandatory posing muscularity and development and..
3. Free posing.
Changes and improvements were continuous and faults ironed out. Armand Tanny top title winner, writer and judge, later listed basics of what judges should seek including checking Symmetry, proportion, development, definition, skeletal structure and posing and general appearance. Tanny elaborated on each point.
Those who are considering entering contests now must discover what the judges are looking and the rules of the game. Best source for in depth material can be found by obtaining and reading Bob Kennedy’s MMI publication MuscleMags Encyclopaedia of Bodybuilding by Gerard Thorne and Phil Embleton knowledge required can be found in chapters 17 & 18 pages 280 onwards detailing current modern ranking systems. Also included are descriptions of the seven compulsory poses from ‘front double biceps’ to ‘abs and legs’ We repeat, to win you must learn the rules of the game.
You cannot stop progress. Physique standards are bound to look different from those of yesteryear. But it really is up to the integrity of the judges to ensure en mass, by their choices of winners, that what we ie. the majority of public opinion, seek in our champions is muscular perfection and symmetry, but NOT obvious implants or oil injections open to ridicule and putting bodybuilding back to the days of freak shows.
Train hard and be strong,
Mick Hart.
Founder of Mick Hart Training Systems and
the No Bull Collection Magazine.
“For anyone considering steroid use” this is a must read…
Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II
WARNING: Do not read this unless you are ready to gain some serious lean muscle…
Layman’s Guides to Steroids III (new)
