M.E FEATURE
EXPERT OPINION
FRANCIS BENFATTO, ONE OF THE MOST AESTHETICALLY GIFTED BODYBUILDERS TO COMPETE
UNDER THE IFBB BANNER, GIVES US HIS TAKE ON THE MASS VERSUS AESTHETICS DEBATE:
“T
oday's bodybuilding is big business
with professionals training 24/7 and
365 days a year to make a living.
Bodybuilders dedicate their whole life to prepare
for competitions, honouring the contracts with
their sponsors, traveling all over the globe to do
seminars and posing exhibitions to develop their
brands and promote their names. I think young and
upcoming bodybuilders do not fully understand
the extreme pressure that comes with being a
professional bodybuilder.
Today bodybuilding consists of training, nutrition,
supplements, and the right kind of chemicals to reach
the pinnacle of the sport. If we look at the bodies of
bodybuilding icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Sergio Oliva and Serge Nubret they were genetically
gifted and pleasing to the eyes despite having mass
and density. They were all recognised by experts, peers
and fans as having the ultimate physiques. Arnold
had fantastic size but he also had definition, Sergio
had narrow hips with full muscle bellies and Serge
was also beautifully shaped. Lee Haney, who has the
joint record along with Ronnie Coleman for winning
the most Mr. Olympia titles, set a new standard when
he won the first of eight Mr. Olympia titles in 1984.
Haney competed at 112kg, had tons of muscle but was
also refined. One of his famous quotes was “to train
to stimulate, not annihilate”. I competed in the one
and only drug tested Mr. Olympia in 1990 and proved
that I was one of the most conditioned athletes on
stage. From 1988 to 1991 I placed in top positions with
a 6th place in 1990 and 7th at the 1991 Mr. Olympia.
To my view, the real change happened around 1992
when Dorian Yates took first place at the Mr. Olympia.
He came in big that year with dense muscle and that
changed everything.
From then onwards bodybuilders wanted to
emulate Dorian and match his fantastic frame. He
dominated the Mr. Olympia from 1992 to 1997 before
injuries forced him out of his competitive career.
At 1.77m Dorian weighed 119kg. In 1998 Ronnie
Coleman, known for his super heavy workouts,
started to dominate the scene with his
superior genetics. He became the heaviest
(his contest weight was 136 kg) pro in the
history of the sport. He established a new
standard and everybody started to chase
him. The judging criteria also evolved
to match the standard set by genetically
gifted bodybuilders with the right drive
and ambition to make it to the top of
the sport.”
For more information about Francis Benfatto go to his website at
www.benfattonutrition.co.za or alternatively email him at [email protected]
GEORGE HELMER, A CLOSE FRIEND OF THE LATE STEVE
REEVES AND CEO OF STEVE REEVES INTERNATIONAL, COMMENTS
ON THE ONGOING AESTHETIC VERSUS MASS MONSTER DEBATE
FOLLOWING A STATEMENT MADE BY ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AT
THE RECENT ARNOLD CLASSIC IN THE US:
“I
n my opinion,
bodybuilding
went down that
slippery slope with drugs starting back in
the 1960s to where it is today. Bodybuilder
Clarence Ross once told me a story about
the day he saw Steve Reeves on the beach
in Alameda, California back in the late 1940s.
It was late afternoon and the sun was in the
west, Ross was laying on the beach getting
some sun. He heard something and looked
up towards the west and saw this person with
the sun behind him only seeing a silhouette
of this person. Immediately, Clarence knew it
was Steve Reeves from the silhouette without
even seeing details of his body or face. He said
RYAN HENRICO, GYM OWNER, SPECIALIST PERSONAL TRAINER AND TOP
BODYBUILDING COACH FROM BODYGURU MONTANA OFFERS HIS OPINION:
“I
think today's bodybuilders are
more concerned with their overall
size and mass and they tend to
sacrifice their symmetry. In the Golden Era
of bodybuilding, bodybuilders had slightly
smaller physiques but they were well-balanced
with good symmetry and slender midsections.
I think the sport has evolved and is moving in
the right direction, as long as competitors keep
an eye on their symmetry. I am of the opinion
that the big midsections we see is mostly the
result of the abuse of chemicals and certain
peptides (such as Human Growth Hormone and
Insulin). To be a good bodybuilder you need to
76
Muscle Evolution
find a balance in training the different muscle
groups. It is of utmost importance if you want
to succeed in the sport of bodybuilding. The
general public might not always understand
bodybuilding. The perception of someone
who does not understand the sport should
never dictate what the competitors should
look like! The current Mr. Olympia Phil Heath
has an aesthetically pleasing physique and yet
he is massive. People will always be fascinated
by these giants of the Olympia stage. I do,
however, feel that size combined with a
pleasing physique is becoming more important
to judges.” M.E
“Coleman
became the
heaviest
(his contest
weight was
136 kg) and
biggest pro
bodybuilder in
the history of
the sport. He
established a
new standard
and everybody
started to
chase him.”
in those days everyone had an individual look
and you could tell one person from the other
by their unique shape. Not so today, with the
cookie cutter physiques that are grossly overly
muscular and totally out of proportion. As
one of Steve's closest friends and his business
partner, I know how he would have responded
to this debate. He promoted drug-free
bodybuilding and believed in the sport being
a healthy endeavour, and always approached it
that way.” Helmer muses that Steve would often
say humorously, “If a man doesn't have enough
natural steroids in his body then he should take
up something like ping pong”.