What is wrong with bodybuilding?
I was talking with a friend about an article I posted about body detransformation (link at the bottom of this blog post). We looked at the picture of Mustafa Mohammed and then he asked me; “What happened to this guy?” To be honest I didn’t know either. But being a curious guy I tried to find out the quick way via the search engine Google.
I’ve been a moderator and administrator of bodybuilding discussion boards for many years and on boards like BodyPage, Body of Science and now Juicedemuscle, I always tried to run a “friendly” board. No bashing, dishing or flaming. A rather new phenomenon on the internet and on social media is the “keyboard warrior” , mostly young angry guys that live in a virtual world. What I saw is an increasing disrespect to known bodybuilders, retired bodybuilders and even for Mister Olympia’s. On some boards they are disqualified as “a sack of bones” or “all roids.” You name it, you’ll find it. Seldom someone is corrected by other members or a “mod.” A single time a co-member asks about the critics own muscular development. A group of these angry, frustrated young guys can ruin a board. And a sport. I think this is true for many sports but especially for subjective sports and events. I doubt if someone, on a baseball discussionboard, would disqualify a former champion and then get away with it so easy as on bodybuilding boards.
When I first saw the documentary “Bigger-Stronger- Faster” I noticed how Chris Bell was disappointed when he found out that the childhood heroes from him and his brothers where cheaters. All those muscular role models , the actors from the action movies, the bodybuilders and the wrestlers. Still he was able to see it all in perspective.
If you read on the boards about bodybuilders that suffer from a condition called “palumboism” (I posted about and you can find the link at the bottom also), you’ll see what I mean. Bodybuilding evolved, at least that is what some people believe. Other people are convinced that somewhere we lost control. They want bodybuilding to be judged on the old principles. Balanced – athletic – aesthetics. These guys are called “Old School” but what is Old School? The fifties, the seventies? for some that will be the nineties. Its arbitral, I think for most of us it is before the extended bellies appeared on the stages. And before “dry” meant completely dehydrated and ready to be send to the emergency room, and even when they make it they will certainly develop organ damage. And for what a plastic trophy? Lots of money. Eternal fame? Guess not!!
I mentioned the word “subjective” before. On a beauty contest, a singing contest and a bodybuilding contest the judging is always arbitral. On track the ones that run are clearly placed from one to ten, the same with cycling and many other sports. A beauty contest looks a lot like modern bodybuilding especially of course female bodybuilding. Fake teeth, fake hair, fake tan, fake tits, fake lips fakes everywhere. The girls know that from each other and gossip. Also about who sleeps with who for a better placing. We can compare that with bodybuilding, but bodybuilders have a lower “marketability” than models. Comparable even that models become thinner and thinner, even though most men dislike that and that for many girls this leads to anorexia and health damage. Who the fuck, decides this and manage to make this the norm?
Mustafa Mohammad
Let’s go back to Mustafa Mohammad. Searching the web to find out about his present condition. You’ll find a thread that mentions his death due to a car accident, a kidneytransplant that went wrong and death due to organ failure. Even his Wikipedia mentions nothing about his present condition or occupation.
In 2005 the IFBB warned Mustafa Mohammed and Milos Sarcev before the New York Pro. Mustafa Mohammad had two scares with diuretics, one at the 2004 Mr. Olympia Contest, and the next at the 2004 Grand Prix Holland.
On the “ Gossip and Opinions” board from Ron Avidan on GetBig, a discussion developped between some members, IFBB officials and Milos Sarcev. Someone posted:
"I was at the new york pro last night and a judge told me that they told mustafa if he got sick and had to go to the hospital he would be suspended and since milos is working with him and has put mustafa in the hospital 2 times already, he would get suspended too!!! 3 strikes and you are out!!!" Not true, but hé!!
A few years before that, in 2003, on the same board Cad Nicholls and Milos Sarcev had an argument about plasma expanders. A few eye opening discussions that, if you read between the lines, reveals that the “top- guru’s” think that they have the right to put “their” guys on IV drips and such before a contest. Me.. I don’t think oxygen-masks and IV drips should be part of bodybuilding.
Again to the subjective. Part of that is the fact that many bodybuilders didn’t get the placing they deserved. Already in the beginning Weider made sure those guys won that he controlled. Needless to mention Sergio in this context. Many bodybuilders complained about their placings due to race or nationality. Like Nasser El-Sonbatty, who also wrote about their body being so big their wives had to wipe their asses. A bit over the top maybe? Those huge legs also make sure they are unable to walk decently or as I witnessed climb a stage.
What happens is that everyone AGES, not only bodybuilders but all kinds of people, the actors the boxers, the bodybuilders and the ordinary guys like you and me. And fast baby, much faster than you think..
I guess the guy on the left climbing up from bodybuilder to actor to governor did a pretty decent job. And he became rich along the way too. And as you can read in my last blogpost, fucked around some very beautiful ladies also. Still many guys think they need to criticize.
And aging is something that also happens to the ladies, even the most sexy ones like Melissa Coates.
What often happens is that people shift their priorities and decide not to live by chickenbreasts and rice and go through a daily cruel trainings schedule. And on top of that ruin their bodies with all kinds of chemicals and then get a bad, undeserved low placement. Some like Mustafa realized that (some of) the fans would forget him when he stopped. And he decided that it was not worth it. And what happens when you make such a decision is that you are so fed up you stop working out altogether and are so fed up with all the forced food, that you eat too little. Then you end up in a comparison picture and some of your “fans” speculate, you are on dialyses, have a disease or died. And if you don’t post anymore most will forget about you, but the real fans. And some might even end up writing a post about it. On how you can live a perfect life as a trainer and gym owner, after a successful bodybuilding career. And even regain some muscle.
Have nice life MM, you made the right decision.
//juicedmuscle.com/jmblog/content/detransformation-it-something-new?page=1