Pull Some Muscle!

We all know who this is... Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian Oak. The Terminator. The Commando. The Real Action Hero. The most popular Mr. Olympia ever... he actually made bodybuilding popular among common folks with his first ever movie/documentary Pumping Iron (where he went toe to toe with Lou Ferigno--- the Hulk).

But what made Arnold stand out from other bodybuilders? Is it his accent? Is it his size? Or is it his really-hard-to-spell name? I would have to say 'all of the above.' If you have seen his earliest movie Conan the Barbarian, you'd be laughing your ass off because of his acting. It was stupid. He was an amateur. He was a bodybuilder in front of a camera... acting! We forgive him for his acting abilities back then. Because, it was his body that everyone wanted. Hollywood hasn't seen somebody that big in movies before who has the charisma of a potential blockbuster action hero.

A lot of guys and gals would look at body builders as monsters, weirdos, buldging chunk of meat full of veins and most of them are disgusted by the idea. Most don't even know what the sport really is about. Many think that it's just whoever's got the largest muscle will win. But it's not that. At least, not in the 60's and 70's. Back then, size doesn't matter as much as symetry. For those who are not familiar with the word when it comes to body building, Symetry is the size of a muscle in realtion to the person as a whole. So you may have the LARGEST biceps in the world... but judges look at you as a whole... so if your forearm lacks in size compared to your biceps, then you are not symetrical... in lay man's terms... you look like a mutant.

The sport has drastically changed through the decades. These days, competitors are just getting bigger and bigger! With new drugs and diets out on the market, they just get stronger and stronger. But bigger is not better. Here's an example.

The second picture shows Dorian Yates. Regarded as the LARGEST Mr. Olympia ever. This guy is HUGE! I'm not talking about height... but by the size of his muscles... all over! In an interview, Dorian says that when he trains, he trains alone. Even though his friends are all around the gym, he just keeps quiet and concentrates on his training. Doesn't speak to anyone, doesn't look at anyone. Now, that's dedication! He remains undefeated for years and years... 6 years in a row until his retirement, I think (I'm too lazy to make a reasearch).

Back to our topic, compare this guy with Arnold. He may have bigger muscles... but the symetry is not right. Arnold can be described as 'sexy'. This guy can be described as 'monster'. The sport has truly progressed... for the better, I don't know.

Whatever the case, these guys just show to the world that the human body can be something more than a frail and thin, bunch of skin and bones. It's not easy to build a body like these guys have... it takes time, a whole lot of energy... and most important of all is the determination. They prove to us that with enough effort, we can achieve almost anything.