Top Bodybuilders of all time......
 

I`m getting back into training big time and started looking at some of the online bodybuilding forums & sites today.

There has been some great bodybuilders over the last couple of decades...some real monsters.

My choices in no particular order:

Dorian Yates (fantastic mass and a Brit :thumbsup)
Arnold (nothing more needs be said).
Lee Haney (great champion).
Rich Gaspari (incredible guy for someone who didn`t appear to be blessed with the best symmetry in the world).
Ronnie Coleman (current Olympian).
Tom Platz (people`s champ).

There is plenty of other big names over the years...Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Franco Columbo etc.

Bodybuilders / fans here...who else should be on an "all time greats list?"

Lou Ferrigno

Bump and agreed...Ferrigno imo deserves to be on a Hall of Fame type list.

you forgot the best of all :(

Steve Reeves

Steve Reeves was the greatest of all

when steroids, HGH, insuline, protein suplements, creatine etc didn't exist

http://www.classicbodybuilders.co.uk/50s/reeves1.jpg
he was the MAN

Fair point but couldn`t you put alot of classic bodybuilders in his mould...Labrada, Bob Paris, Bannout etc.?

Saying that though Steve Reeves was one of the original greats so probably not fair placing the above guys in the same category as Reeves. :)

Particulary with the gear being used nowadays as you mentioned.

Dont forget the best of the best - Stephen Takacs!

http://www.stephentakacs.com/images/steven-takacs02.jpg

hehe yeah, you get my point :-)

i've been in to gyms since 13-14 (im 26 now) and i have met several pros, but none close to current olympia status. Even these guys that compete in national and european titles get a shit load of drugs. Today's bodybuilding is who can afford and who's organism can use the most drugs. Even the so-called natural BBs are freak, the do drugs as well. This sport is just chemistry now......

I agree with all your choices, Arnie was the original, Lee Haney broke his record and Coleman is just a freak of nature. Poor Lou was awesome but had the misfortune of hitting his peak when Arnold did.

ok we forgot the best of the best!

You cant put those guys in his mould because he was drug free and those guys used lots of drugs. Not all guys who use drugs are mass monsters, Zanes nick name was called the chemist.

ya Lou Ferrigno

I know where you are coming from. I started training in my teens also and used to speak to guys who had only been lifting weights for a few months and were beginning to talk about dianabol and cycles. :(

I dread to think what some of the pros nowadays are on.

Hasn`t Arnold got some serious problems because of his early drug use?

Jack Lalane :pimp

lol
wtf does this guy look like. :1orglaugh

yeap, Arnold got the same heart problem that many BBs face through time.

Even a single cyrcle of steroids can mess your health for good; most thing it's just ok, but it's really not. You get some temp. gains and in 5 months you are back to the same and left only with a possible health issue you can face in the future. I dont think it worths the risk.

past: frank zane & arnold
current: dexter jackson

Dorian Yates? HAHAHAHAHA

My favorite is my dad... Here's a pic from 1963:

http://www.universalbodybuilding.com...e_mitchell.jpg

Sold over a million courses from 1965-1990 through his company Universal Bodybuilding. Go dad! Even now, he looks pretty good for 65 :)

Cheers,

Brad

Natural competitors do not take steroids, everyone in the ANBC (which I am a member) are polygraphed before every event - the people taking drugs do so to get their pro card and are usualy in the NPC - the reason is to get into the IFBB you have to compete in the NPC, the NPC is amateur but they do not makes claims to be all natural.
BTW I do not know what natural events you are watching where the competitors are anywhere near freakish loooking.

A true legend, his forehead growth is a standard among the industry.

Oh ya, my experience, as a power lifter, at 16, I set 3 state records and was ranked in the top 5 in the nation and was invited to attend the nationals, I also have numerous best lifter awards and 2nd and 3rd place in powerlifting.
For bodybuilding I won the silver state all natural, 1st place in both open and novice when I was 25 yrs old. None of that was ever with the help of drugs - my trainer has been to the Ms Olympia 7 times taking 3rd during her last.

natural olympia?

http://www.naturalbodybuilding.com/p...2/VideoCVR.jpg

give me a break ;-) Greg Titus won ABA (you know the mecca of natural BB)

and as far passing tests, over 95% of the olympic medals are done by "natural athletes" as well :)

Tom Platz for his legs
Berry DeMay (Dutch) for the way he wiggled his quads before hiting it.
Frank Zane - who showed us all that symetrical and cut works too
Roo Ellis - an amateur from the UK - 'cos I live with him (BEEF)

Laters

testing bodybuilders for drug usage with polygraph tests.

what's next? testing criminals with blood tests? ;-)

I have nothing against pro BBs, but dont expect me to follow up with their bs. You said you compete to natural category, personally checking your pics I assume you've been to cycles in the past. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't claim to be an expert. My opinion or anyones opinion won't make any real difference to you; so dont take it personally :)

That guy is not freakish - the natural olympia is part of the INBA, they have a one time polygraph test when you first get your membership card, the ANBC test before every event.

most of the people, with the exception of the guy that won, all look natural, go have a look at the pictures of their last event - but the photos can be deceiving, you need to see people in person, he may be allot smaller then you think and the low BF makes him look bigger, I can show you a picture of me and you would think I was on steroids because of such low bodyfat - but I only weighed 127 lbs... looking at pictures and passing judgement only means you have no idea what your talking about.
People in the olympics are getting busted all the time for drugs, they have a reason to want to win, the endorsements are worth millions.

you are wrong, I had never taken drugs when those pics were taken, its a combination of lifting and low bodyfat. But I will see if I can find something for you so you know what someone taking drugs looks like...one sec

took the words right out of my mouth

St4l.......

I dont know how well you can see the size difference in this pic.
http://www.landofvenus.com/hotlink/pic00003s.jpg

i see, props to you and those (few for me) natural athletes of these competitions.

I completely changed my attitude regarding drugs in sports when I met the brother of my exgf. He is same age with me. When he was 16y.old he was one of the best junior weightlifters in the world. Everyone could tell he would be a future champ. What stopped him? He didn't want to make use of drugs and soon couldn't keep up with the rest although till that moment he was the best. I was like wtf,this is so fucking unfair. You should do something about it......hah I was so innocent back then.

Anyway, that specific team gave several olympic medals. Pretty fucked up...

and to be more specific,that was his father decision who happened to be member of the weghtlifting association, cause at the age of 16-17 you are ready to take everything to be the best of all.

Some good stuff here being raised about "clean" lifting and bodybuilders who are not.

If you had queried a couple of the names I listed for example Gaspari and Platz who never won the Olympia I can accept but we are talking about a guy in Yates who was an incredible champion....a six time winner.

Just look at some of these images: http://www.schwarzenegger.it/mro/yates.html

I met Dorian way back when and he's huge!

i think present day competitors who are excellent are lee priest and jay cutler.

He use a sharpie pen to outline his abs? :1orglaugh Wish I had abs like that :Oh crap

Stephen Takacs is the only one worth mentioning :winkwink:

Wow.

I think this will be the first site I have ever joined in 7 years in this biz.

http://www.extrem-sport.com/bodybuilding/arnold6.jpg


This is the guy

My Bloke just got home and said you've all missed the point.

Gladys Portuguese

Trust me having abs like that isn't very healthy. Too low fat percentage.

You`re probably right. I always thought Cory Everson looked hot when I started training. :winkwink:

Yep cool pic.
Pumping Iron was a great film / documentary. You got a taste of his intelligence and just knew that he was going onto bigger things after he left competition.

GREGG VALENTINO!!!!!!!

http://xo.typepad.com/blog/greg.jpg


hahaha.. what a joke :winkwink:

labrada
http://www.tuvayanon.net/labrada1.jpg

:1orglaugh

Flex Wheeler http://www.fitnesspont.hu/mass-shop/...heeler_021.jpg