Body Physique Question, Old vs New

[D86 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D86]

Hi everyone,

I have a question I've often wondered about and I was wondering what you all think about it.
Question is this:
During the era of Arnold when bodies like these were the ideal.


Was it the fact that more AAS was used and less things like GH and insulin?


Or is it something else entirely?

[manonmac1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manonmac1]

Everything evolves! Woman aren't built the same as they were in Marilyn Monroe's day! So not only have people evolved but knowledge has to. Leading to more and better gear. Just my opinion on it!

[D86 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D86]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts manomac1. My personal thought on the evolutionary cause is that we would not see a significant change in only decades, although with all the environmental and chemical changes during those years maybe our species have made significant changes we don't notice (I'm thinking xenoestrogens mainly).

I've always been of the mindset that growth hormones have caused a great deal of the pumpkin gut we see all to common nowadays due to increasing organ size. I've also heard that high levels of test cause your body to hold onto visceral fat more.

Knowledge has evolved and it seems that size is king (not judging, just stating my opinion) when it comes to bodybuilding. Of course condition is very important but when was the last time we saw a ripped 260 lb win Olympia. It's all about the massive, hulking beasts at the top levels from what I can tell. Which is not saying that is a bad thing at all. Everyone has their preferences.

Is gear that much different today than during the time the first picture was taken?

[manonmac1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manonmac1]

I was scrolling through playboy online the other day and the shape of the models has changed some what over the years is why I threw the evolution idea out there. The models in Marilyns day had the wide hips narrow waist and somewhat different shaped breast then today's models. You can see it change in the pictures clearly. Be it plastic surgery or society's idea of what is attractive changing there is a noticeable pronounced change in the women.
I do think gear has gotten better over the years. A lot more science in today's world then back when those guys were competing. I do agree that the roid gut is a product of HGH organ growth as you mentioned and not due to roids even though its commonly referred to as roid gut. Personally I think the guys in the older pictures look better and that is the physique I'm chasing. But no those guys wouldn't stand a chance in todays competition they aren't freakishly big. Lol

[Pauliuch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pauliuch]

Many sports have come so much farther since let's say the 70's or so. Take bmx bikes or skateboarding, break dancing for instanced. The moves they do today make the moves from back then look like a joke. I've been following bodybuilding for over 30 years and training and nutrition alone has changed so much. I guess cycles have been fine tuned over the years, and yes they do much more plus gh insulin, etc. It seems you can't go back as far as competition goes, someone will always want to be bigger. I do think those guys, Arnold, Franco, etc look great, maybe better.

[cmode44 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cmode44]

I think Franco and Arnold are the pinnacle for me. When you listen to them talk about sculpting, and shaping for perfect symmetry, I feel that's an art. I'll never hold it against Jay and Ronnie for becoming mutants, but in my opinion I like the look of the golden days.

[cmode44 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cmode44]

Also, I think Ronnie posted some research that showed how BMI increased over the years, and how in the late eighties, whenever GH really took off, and bodybuilders BMI's went up a crazy ammount just in a few years.

[D86 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D86]

I was scrolling through playboy online the other day and the shape of the models has changed some what over the years is why I threw the evolution idea out there. The models in Marilyns day had the wide hips narrow waist and somewhat different shaped breast then today's models. You can see it change in the pictures clearly. Be it plastic surgery or society's idea of what is attractive changing there is a noticeable pronounced change in the women.

I remember the old Playboy models and there is a definite change. I do believe our society has evolved in the case of what is really attractive when it comes to women. One thing that I really find interesting is when I talk with a lot of the older people I know (60+ years) and we talk about the girls nowadays versus the past almost all of them have this to say. The female of our species is maturing much faster today than in the past (generalization). I work in healthcare and it's actually talked about quite a bit, it's about how a lot of the chemicals in our society mimic estrogen without being a true estrogen as the body knows it making it that much harder for our bodies to deal with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen . I strongly suspect that is one of the reasons why we see so many "mature" younger women these days. Also, this affects the male of our species and could be part of the reason why so many men today are, well to put it bluntly, pussies.

[D86 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close D86]

Personally I think the guys in the older pictures look better and that is the physique I'm chasing.

I do think those guys, Arnold, Franco, etc look great, maybe better.

I think Franco and Arnold are the pinnacle for me. When you listen to them talk about sculpting, and shaping for perfect symmetry, I feel that's an art.

I agree 100%. Which leads me to my next question; I know a persons natural response to AAS would play a big part in answering this question but assuming the person taking them had great AAS genes, if someone were to pursue bodybuilding and stuck strictly with AAS and stayed away from GH and exo insulin is this the result they would be working towards.