# Are you attracted to competitive bodybuilders? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067 "2011-09-21T14:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/81 "2011-09-23T06:05:37Z")
The fault lies with the IFBB judges - including and especially guys like Mike Katz who were bodybuilders during the 1970s and yet keep encouraging this “mass monster” bullshit by rewarding it. Katz seemed like he had integrity in _Pumping Iron_ - why is he not speaking out against this horrible abuse of the human body, the use of hormone and insulin, the “roid gut” and “gyno”? Why hasn’t Katz refused to have anything to do with the bodybuilding world until they clean up the sport and bring back the aesthetic physiques? Why is Arnold silent about this? He should be viciously condemning the current state of the sport. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/82 "2011-09-23T06:08:35Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Why is Arnold silent about this? He was too busy trying to run California? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/83 "2011-09-23T06:13:01Z")
No. The man was _the_ face of bodybuilding for _decades_. He is well aware of the scope of his influence in the bodybuilding world. He could have issued a statement or made a speech or done _something_ to indicate that he’s not happy with the situation, and he didn’t - indicating that either he _is_ happy with the situation, or just too apathetic to try to change it. Neither one of those choices speaks well of him. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/84 "2011-09-23T06:18:29Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > The fault lies with the IFBB judges - including and especially guys like Mike Katz who were bodybuilders during the 1970s and yet keep encouraging this “mass monster” bullshit by rewarding it. Katz seemed like he had integrity in _Pumping Iron_ - why is he not speaking out against this horrible abuse of the human body, the use of hormone and insulin, the “roid gut” and “gyno”? Why hasn’t Katz refused to have anything to do with the bodybuilding world until they clean up the sport and bring back the aesthetic physiques? Why is Arnold silent about this? He should be viciously condemning the current state of the sport. Their _are_ many who do speak out against it. The use of drugs, however, has _ **always** _ been a part of professional bodybuilding. Now the mass monsters of today have taken it to a new level, this is true, with such things as insulin, human growth hormone, and various synthetic steroids for various purposes. But Arnold was not a clean bodybuilder. He was a _heavy_ anabolic steroid user; he simply didn’t compete in the era of technological and pharmaceutical wizardry of today. The “roid gut” you refer to is an example of the effects of this heavy drug-cocttail that these mass monsters take. It is from the human growth hormone. Now the “gyno” (or gynecomastia) is a side effect from anabolic steroids. It’s when the body converts the testosterone into estrogen and you get “bitch tits”. But this is nothing new, it’s been around since the time of Arnold. And there are drugs that they take to avoid/combat this (it’s a neverending cycle). Popularity will and _is_ bringing back the aesthetic physiques to professional bodybuilding. Guys like Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath and others are all over the top because that’s what people want to see. And pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/85 "2011-09-23T06:25:18Z")
As I said before, I’m aware that Arnold and other 70s guys used anabolic. They took it orally, from what I understand. Nobody who knows anything about bodybuilding would deny that. Frankly I would be happy with the level of steroids of the 70s, if the HGH and insulin were completely banned. I said they should “clean up” the sport…relative to how it is now. That doesn’t mean that it has to go 100% natural, but there are certain things today that have just gotten out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/86 "2011-09-23T06:26:41Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > A quick scan of google images does, suggest, however, that professional bodybuilding is designed to make women look as un-attractive as it is possible to be while nearly naked and covered in oil. The poses look awkward and strange, and the super heavy makeup would make anyone look like a matron of the 50’s. Adding translucent plastic stripper pumps does not help. But then, it never does. I can appreciate the level of dedication it takes to compete at that level, but since the pinnacle of those years of effort is to strike a pose and then hold perfectly still for a couple seconds, that doesn’t particularly speak to what I look for in a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/87 "2011-09-23T06:30:09Z")
That’s such a crude oversimplification. It’s like saying that the pinnacle of a painter’s achievement is to “have a canvas hanging on the wall in some museum.” Posing itself is an art. Watch [Ed Corney.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3uPwmMPXqU) ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/88 "2011-09-23T06:31:34Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > As I said before, I’m aware that Arnold and other 70s guys used anabolic. They took it orally, from what I understand. Nobody who knows anything about bodybuilding would deny that. Frankly I would be happy with the level of steroids of the 70s, if the HGH and insulin were completely banned. I said they should “clean up” the sport…relative to how it is now. That doesn’t mean that it has to go 100% natural, but there are certain things today that have just gotten out of hand. I agree 100%. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/89 "2011-09-23T06:39:09Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > That’s such a crude oversimplification. It’s like saying that the pinnacle of a painter’s achievement is to “have a canvas hanging on the wall in some museum.” Posing itself is an art. Watch [Ed Corney.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3uPwmMPXqU) Practicing your posing is the most difficult part of your training during the last 3-4 weeks before a show. In the physically depleted state your body is in, to have to perfectly position, then powerfully flex and hold (sometimes for up to a minute) your muscles in a pose is truly exhausting. It’s _ **not** _ easy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/90 "2011-09-23T07:45:31Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > That’s such a crude oversimplification. I went to a cat show once. Not intentionally, but I was walking in downtown St. Paul and just happened across it. I like cats, so I went in. I watched some of the judging. The judge would pick up a cat, examine it, then put it on a little table. He had a stick with a tuft of yarn on the end, and then he’d wave that over the cat. I think the idea was to see if it was alert and interested in its surroundings, but I can’t say for sure. As soon as the cat looked like it wanted to play with the yarn, the judge put it away. And I left bewildered. These people put a huge amount of effort into their cats. It was clear that they cared about them, but in a totally different way than I did. I like a cat that will curl up in my lap, or lie down next to me and purr. I want them to be healthy and happy and playful, and who cares if they meet some esoteric breed standard that someone wrote down. Bodybuilding strikes me the same way. I never said the posing wasn’t difficult, just that it aims toward a standard I don’t care about. So, quite apart from the aesthetics, the whole ethos of it doesn’t interest me. I’m interested in what people have to say; what ideas do they have that no one has ever come up with before? Are they even allowed to invent their own poses? I don’t understand the desire to compete at something that requires suppressing the most interesting part of oneself. It’s also possible that I’ve slightly overthought this subject. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/91 "2011-09-23T08:01:22Z")
You could say all that about, hell, I don’t know, football or something. “I’m interested in the person, man. What does the individual have to say? But with football they suppress your individuality, man, and you just become a sheep. Stop suppressing the most interesting part of the self, man!” It sounds really deep but I’m not sure if it means anything. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/92 "2011-09-23T10:17:40Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > As I said before, I’m aware that Arnold and other 70s guys used anabolic. They took it orally, from what I understand. Nobody who knows anything about bodybuilding would deny that. Frankly I would be happy with the level of steroids of the 70s, if the HGH and insulin were completely banned. I said they should “clean up” the sport…relative to how it is now. That doesn’t mean that it has to go 100% natural, but there are certain things today that have just gotten out of hand. As I understand it “bulking” has changed dramatically. Arnold was something like 250 off season and 230 on stage. Modern bodybuilders forgo symmetry in favor of mass and put on easily 50+ lbs in the offseason. This contributes to the “gut” as the fat becomes very hard to remove. I want to say that it builds in the intestine, but that doesn’t sound right and is based off of a very foggy memory. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/93 "2011-09-23T15:00:17Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Why is Arnold silent about this? . I’m waiting for Hans and Franz to speak up! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/94 "2011-09-23T15:08:53Z")
I voted neutral (male talking about male bodybuilders). It’s not a look that disgusts me on sight, but I don’t think it’s “hot” at all. Pro bodybuilders have next to no bodyfat, which makes them look like an anatomical model with Photoshop skintone painted on. Ick. I like muscles sometimes, but I’d prefer them to be behind at least a thin layer of upholstery so they look like human beings instead of something you’d find in a DaVinci notebook. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/95 "2011-09-23T15:18:31Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > [Greg Kovacs](http://www.femalemuscle.com/contests/arnold_2004/greg_kovacs/images/D185.JPG)…yet another “mass monster” and a truly hideous one. God, look at his stomach in [this](http://www.femalemuscle.com/contests/arnold_2004/greg_kovacs/images/D189.JPG) shot. No bodybuilder should _ever_ look like that…yet with these “mass monsters,” the judges reward guys for sheer mass and no attention to the proportions. I didnt know that Rob Liefeld took his inspiration from real life. Gross. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/96 "2011-09-23T17:29:20Z")
> **[BICEPS - FitBodii-Home Fitness - Expert Advice!](https://fitbodii.com/biceps/)** > > BICEPS It may be possible to slightly overdo it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/97 "2011-09-23T17:39:57Z")
Oh yeah, the bicep blowout guy. I googled “bodybuidling body dysmorphic disorder” and learned the term [“bigorexia.”](http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/bigorexia.htm) Fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/98 "2011-09-23T18:12:06Z")
I have been talking up symmetry and proportion since the days of [Frank Zane](http://www.frankzane.com/), [Richard Baldwin](http://en.bestpicturesof.com/richard%20baldwin), and [Sammir Bannout](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=samir+bannout+today&hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1259&bih=763&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=_RCbNPjB8PtvHM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bodybuildingdungeon.com/forums/bodybuilding-discussion/23967-mr-o-1983-samir-bannout.html&docid=uiF6-4cthLvCTM&w=504&h=452&ei=3cV8Tt7rEpSPsAKmj-FP&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=360&vpy=436&dur=1395&hovh=213&hovw=237&tx=102&ty=143&page=1&tbnh=131&tbnw=146&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:26,s:0). Those guys have an idealized male physique, not just a collection of lumps. Even Arnold was disproportionate - top heavy in the pecs and arms. Nowadays you don’t even make the state finals unless you look “freaky” - meaning exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness. And Ms. Olympia is just plain scary. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/99 "2011-09-23T18:27:58Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.ebicep.com/greg-valentino.html](http://www.ebicep.com/greg-valentino.html) > It may be possible to slightly overdo it. I didn’t read the link, so maybe it covers this, but didn’t Greg use synthol? I think Kovacs did too - in his shoulder at one point, but Greg took it to absurdity. Reminds me of the youtube videos you see when you type in synthol… ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067/100 "2011-09-24T02:07:39Z")
Straight male. Very attracted to female body builders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-attracted-to-competitive-bodybuilders/597067.md?page=6)