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favorite bodybuilder of all time

best bodybuilder ever?

  • Arnold

    Votes: 97 49.7%

  • Serge Nubret

    Votes: 4 2.1%

  • Ronnie Coleman

    Votes: 9 4.6%

  • Lee Haney

    Votes: 2 1.0%

  • Dorian Yates

    Votes: 23 11.8%

  • Shawn Ray

    Votes: 5 2.6%

  • Flex Wheeler

    Votes: 7 3.6%

  • Frank Zane

    Votes: 18 9.2%

  • Sergio Oliva

    Votes: 9 4.6%

  • other, please specify

    Votes: 21 10.8%
  • Total voters
    195

glenihan

Registered User
simple question FAVORITE body builder of all time (not best like the poll says), mine is serge nubret .. fantastic physique, amazing proportions, tiny waist, fantastic symmetry, great lines
 
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I'm a little confused. The thread is entitled "favorite bodybuilder....", but the poll is called "best bodybuilder.....". I voted for Arnold. He is my favorite bodybuilder of all time, I think because he is more than just a bodybuilder. Most of these guys, I've seen pictures and maybe read some interviews, but they still seem distant. I really don't know what they are like, their personalities, etc. Arnold has so much exposure, you kind of get a feel for who he really is. And whether you love or hate him or his views. I respect the hell out of him. He came on the scene a young immigrant that could barely speak English and he actually became a pretty big name in movies. Damn! Now the Gov deal. He is truly an inspiration to me. Talk about overcoming hurdles to accomplish your dreams. And all the while, he's always seemed human.... he makes/made mistakes and admits them. I don't know if I would vote for him as best bodybuilder though. That one I'll have to think on a bit.


dd
 
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.......myself!......

(.......trying to gain some self-confidence.)

okay. For real; Sergio for sickest looking/proportions. Arnold for pure overall impact and historical BB perspective/most incredible story, and Lee Haney for old school award. (Is picking 3 cheating???)
 
arnold...cuz of the success that his figure has taken him to-->The Governator!
plus his accent is the best! I love when conan o'brian makes fun of him.
 
Rich Gaspari is my favorite. Not a particular fan of his supp. company, but as a bodybuilder he was awesome.
 
olimpas shmimpias!

only one of them can (arnold voice) "take over ze country with an army of cybernetic clones!"
 
Serge Nubret looked awesome in Pumping Iron. But I like Frank Zane for his quality over quantity style and conditioning.
 
I went for yates. Although his messed up bicep sucked, he changed BBing forever and was the best of the mass monsters--he kept a decent waist and was HUGE before any of them were BIG :D
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
I went for yates. Although his messed up bicep sucked, he changed BBing forever and was the best of the mass monsters--he kept a decent waist and was HUGE before any of them were BIG :D
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Yep Yates is a legend. He's why I started bodybuilding seriously. Alot of people don't like his type of physique, but to pack that much dry muscle on a frame is awe inspiring. He changed bbing just like ronnie has the last couple of years.
 
just to throw this out there .. as far as i'm aware sergio oliva is the only bodybuilder to ever have a better than 2:1 chest to waist ratio 60 inch chest - 29 inch waist

i could be wrong about him being the only one but that's still unbelievably impressive
 
glenihan said:
just to throw this out there .. as far as i'm aware sergio oliva is the only bodybuilder to ever have a better than 2:1 chest to waist ratio 60 inch chest - 29 inch waist

i could be wrong about him being the only one but that's still unbelievably impressive
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I don't think you are. Plus A. Jones said that Sergio had the largest arms he had ever measured...including Arnold.
 
I voted for Arnold b/c he was awesome and without him bodybuilding may not be what it is today.

Three other names I'll throw out that I haven't seen yet: Ferrigno, Lee Priest (great arms- altho it helps being 5'2), Mike Katz (awesome chest)
 
Shawn Ray....best freaking shape, symmetry, size, lines, conditioning,etc.....he had it all in the perfect proportions....today's Frank Zane with rounder muscle bellies....he is highly underrated in my opinion....I just bought a Muscle & Fitness and he is doing an ad for Vyotech and I freaked out after not having seen him in anything for like 3 years....LOVE HIS PHYSIQUE, nuff said!
 
Check my sig... gotta go with labrada. I like his philosophy and the fact that he won Olympia at like 185 or something around there. Arnold is also the man but I think that's a given.
 
glenihan said:
just to throw this out there .. as far as i'm aware sergio oliva is the only bodybuilder to ever have a better than 2:1 chest to waist ratio 60 inch chest - 29 inch waist

i could be wrong about him being the only one but that's still unbelievably impressive
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I don't know the actual dimensions, but Brian Buchanon had one of the sickest tapers of all time. Not as massive as the myth, but absolutely incredible shape.
 
glenihan said:
..lee labrada never won the Olympia ... came in second and third a bunch of times though
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Oh, still good in my opinion. I mean, 180-190 is actually attainable drug-free.
 
glenihan said:
just to throw this out there .. as far as i'm aware sergio oliva is the only bodybuilder to ever have a better than 2:1 chest to waist ratio 60 inch chest - 29 inch waist

i could be wrong about him being the only one but that's still unbelievably impressive
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I dont' believe oliva had a 60" chest...(although his physique was very impressive, despite that). I mean, Arnold had a 58" chest and he put about every chest to shame that stood next to him. I'm sure he was close, but I do'nt think his chest measurements can measure up w/ the oaks.
 
Ed Corney- BadAss when it comes to posing.

Franco Columbo- Freakish strength with the physique to go with it.

Serge Nebret- Sick abs.
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
I dont' believe oliva had a 60" chest...(although his physique was very impressive, despite that). I mean, Arnold had a 58" chest and he put about every chest to shame that stood next to him. I'm sure he was close, but I do'nt think his chest measurements can measure up w/ the oaks.
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well i'm positive those are sergio's documented measurements .. i guess whether they are true are not is a different story, BUT sergio did peak a tad before Arnold .. and man the guy was a fucking freak
 
He was definately a freak, that's for damn sure.

Sometimes I wonder if 1/2 these guys measurements are true. I see some of these guys claiming to have 30" waists and such, but they're so damn thick and full of muscle, it seems impossible. (Maybe I'm just jealous :p)
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
I dont' believe oliva had a 60" chest...(although his physique was very impressive, despite that). I mean, Arnold had a 58" chest and he put about every chest to shame that stood next to him. I'm sure he was close, but I do'nt think his chest measurements can measure up w/ the oaks.
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Put Olivia to shame? Can't agree with that, but those are his correct measurements. Taken from Invalid Link Removed (click for direct link, really good read)

When Arnold caught sight of Sergio backstage at the Olympia, held that year in Essen, Germany, he felt chills similar to those he experienced the first time he encountered Oliva. Now, not only was Sergio as big as, if not bigger than, Arnold, but he was nearly as cut. His shoulders were broader than Arnold's, yet his waist was nearly six inches smaller.

The story goes that Arnold realized on that day, as he had in 1969, that he may have been the second-best bodybuilder on that stage. Yet Arnold was crowned the 1972 Mr. Olympia.
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Here are some pics from 72'. Pictures from this event are very rare, and it took me along time to find them, but IronAge posted them on bb.com along time ago so all thanks go to him.
 

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Arnold is my favorite role model as well as bodybuilder... But I'm with you Glen, as far as Serge Nubret goes, if I could have any BBs physique, it would be Serge's, without a doubt... I posted this statement on BB.com long ago and got laughed at... Go figure
 
gear free*: Steve Reeves...in his early years when he won the first Mr. Universe beating Reg Park (Arnold's mentor and idol).

gear assisted: Arnold "the austrian oak"...no one has promoted and has done more for the sport of bodybuilding.
 
flex. his posing was unique, and the dude was cocky. And I love that. Always came in super dry and close to 0% bodyfat as you could get.
Sage
 
Steve Reeves had the best natural body, but there is, was, and always will be only ONE ARNOLD. Simply amazing.
 
Looking at those pictures of the Olympia back in 72' and comparing them to today's Olympia, it's just simply amazing how far the sport has come since then. Night and day. Most of these guys would have a tough time qualifying for a pro card by today's standards. Sad, but true.
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
A few of the older guys said Reeves was gearin' too....
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Reeally!!?? Damn...i totally believed his bullshit of eating wheat germ and tuna out of the can and working out 3 hours a day naturally. Oh well. Arnold is still teh win
 
If you take a look at Reeves physique there isn't much that indicates steroid use...he's not a grossly huge..he's extremely well proportioned with superb symmetry throughout most of his career...his veins aren't popping out all over the place..no stretch marks on pecs or biceps...super full set of hair..etc. Even before his death he had a full set of hair and an amazing physique for his age. Put his picture and a picture of any of the current pro bodybuilders side to side and you'll see what steroid use and abuse looks like...Reeves would have been small in current pro bodybuilding standards. It's possible that Reeves might have used some steroids initially to gain the 30lbs of muscle in 1 year he talks about in his book. That smells of heavy bullshit without gear. He also stayed lean while gaining 30lbs of muscle in that 1 year.

A genetically gifted person with smart & hard and consistent training and a finely tuned diet can achieve Reeves physique but very few have the genetics to begin with to ever achieve this level of physique.
 
KoolKat, frank zane's size doesn't "indicate" steroid use :D But, he was on.

Bodybuilding was new, nutrition was in its infancy, and so was training. 3hrs a day with probably minimal-moderate gearing and I would'nt expect too much anyway. Not saying he didn't have good genetics, and he most certainly wasn't on all the time (you can tell in a few of his pics and videos). But, I don't doubt when guys like Oliva bring Reeves up when talking about gear that they know what they're talking about ;)

LOL...you wanna know when the first time ppl experiemented with Test injections? Well over a hundred years ago....lol. Not kiddin'. A scientist was extracting and "unknown substance" from some animals testicles (yes, it was test) and was injecting it and was in amazement about its rejuvenating effects.

In the news area there is an article somewhere with all of this info. Great stuff.

Talks about how in the 19(teens....maybe 1918?) a scientist was able to finally isolate 10mg of test from bull testicle...tons of it! It was all gravy from there :) So, steroids aren't new, and definitely in the 50s and 60s there were people using them.
 
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