I took my son, Tyler, who is 5-1/2 years old, to the prejudging of the Florida Bodybuilding Championships (NPC) on August 25, 2007. Unfortunately, I was more impressed with the campus of the University of Central Florida, than the physiques on display.
Just how far has bodybuilding progressed in the last 40 years? I did not see a single guy, and there were 30 entered, who had the potential to place in the top 10 of a Mr. America contest of the 1960s. There was not a single one who had outstanding symmetry from head to toe, or who had a great pair of arms combined with great calves.
But I will tell you what I did see: one guy with a Mohawk haircut, three men with obvious bitch tits, five guys with over extended midsections, 12 men with at least one dropped shoulder, and 20 guys with poor posture, and nobody in the entire contest who know how to stand RELAXED.
It was a down day for me.
Tyler, who has a growing interest in bodybuilding, halfway through the comparisons, stretched out on the three seat empty seats to our right and said: "Daddy, I'm going to take a nap." I felt like doing the same.
A week later, I'm attending a party with a number of past bodybuilding champions: Chris Dickerson, Anibal Lopez, and Warren Frederick.
They all agreed that the state of amateur bodybuilding is in a mess. Of course, professional bodybuilding has been a total disaster for more than a decade. Who in their right mind would want to look like most of the competitors . . . with their bloated, distorted physiques?
After much analysis, here's what I feel like saying:
STOP bodybuilding now! That's right, if everyone instantly stopped bodybuilding, then the health and well-being of the nation would rise significantly.
Why? Why because there would be fewer exercise injuries, fewer drug-related problems, fewer liver and kidney complications, fewer psychological disturbances, and fewer martial disagreements.
So, if I had the power, I'd put an end to bodybuilding.
But I can't do that. Bodybuilding has been an important aspect of my life for 50 years. I like the training and the discipline behind it. I respect greatly the champions of the 1950s and 1960s. And I appreciate the lessons that the training has taught me in self-confidence and sports competitions.
I don't, however, approve what bodybuilding contests, and their competitors, have become.
It's like Arthur Jones said years ago: "It's a shame that bodybuilding is wasted on bodybuilders." All people need to build their bodies for health, safety, and cosmetic reasons.
Today, the goal of any type of bodybuilding should be a return to the look of the classic physique champions.
Ellington
www.drdarden.com