The return of aesthetics?

[VagabondLifter]

When Dexter won in 2008 there was a collective glimmer of hope that perhaps aesthetics would gain more weight in judging parameters in the near future and perhaps reverse the mass-above-all-else trend that had dominated the sport recently.

Since then a few guys have popped up with incredibly aesthetic physiques and all of them have been rewarded with good placements in Olympia competitions where they were not expected to do anything special. Their performances also seemed to really affect people, there is a feeling of "could this be it? Is this the Savior? The one who will bring back that golden age proportionality back to the Sandow?"

2011 - Brandon Curry



I was watching the Olympia with my gf ( who'd never seen a bodybuilding contest before) and we both uttered the same thing when this guy walked out:
"Wow." she went on and said "This guy has a beautiful body. Not like the others."

The tiny waist and massive shoulders were incredible.

2012 - Shawn Rhoden



3rd place in the Olympia, out of nowhere, blew everybody's minds with the round muscle bellies, slim waist, great conditioning...

And this year the guy everybody is talking about:



Already saying the Arnold is practically his, and Future Mr.O, etc.


I for one and glad to see these guys take the spotlight. I honestly feel that the sport`s future champions are having the kind of physique that most men would want, not just a few.

So for next year... I really hope to see Rhoden and MicMillan duke it out against Phil's ever-growing arms.

[sexnews]

Could also just be that these guys are only now really getting in shape.

Even Dex was better this year.

[VagabondLifter]

Could also just be that these guys are only now really getting in shape.

Even Dex was better this year.

And yet he lost to Warren. We're not quite there yet.

[detrimental]

[TTimmerman]

the return of proportions

[TheMullah]

When the head judge of the Olympia brings up aesthetics you have to consider that it is a legitimate term applicable to bodybuilders now, like it or not. Surely?

[TTimmerman]

When the head judge of the Olympia brings up aesthetics you have to consider that it is a legitimate term applicable to bodybuilders now, like it or not. Surely?

head judge or layne natty norton?

[trankwil]

When the head judge of the Olympia brings up aesthetics you have to consider that it is a legitimate term applicable to bodybuilders now, like it or not. Surely?

it's always been a consideration in judging

[TheMullah]

head judge or layne natty norton?

Lol! But I was meant the female head judge in that write up she did after.

[TTimmerman]

Lol! But I was meant the female head judge in that write up she did after.

well tbh, there is nothing wrong with the term... it has just gotten overly used and most can't even stand it anymore. i'd like to do a shoutout to the boys in the misc

[orderoutofchaos]

i think it's time to just erase talk about aesthetics and just start posting more big ced pix

[MaKaiser]

well tbh, there is nothing wrong with the term... it has just gotten overly used and most can't even stand it anymore. i'd like to do a shoutout to the boys in the misc

Im in the "hate" bracket.
I overhead a guy telling his friends he didnt squat because he was training for aesthetics!
Its not that its a bad term, its that its become an excuse for training hard for people that seem to think that can actually train a certain way to obtain aesthetics.

[JOHN GARGANI]

Okay, guys, let me throw this one out at ya:

the biggest difference between most sports, and Bodybuilding, a very SUBJECTIVE sport, is STATISTICS!

I could say that I deserve to win the division in Baseball/Football/BBBall, etc, but, the fact remains, that if your record is better than mine, end of argument...

I could say I am a better hitter than you, but if you finish the year with the highest batting average, you win the batting title..period...

etc. and so on.....

Recently, in Boxing, there has been talk of using punch stats to help determine points in non knockout rounds: this is a step in the RIGHT direction.

what direction? Narrowing down the SUBJECTIVE factor , as much as is possible.

SO: why couldn't Bodybuilding incorporate some sorts of statistics??

"Aesthetics" is not just a visual thing, it is supported by various measurements, and more importantly, various RATIOS, hence, the catch word "proportions".....

might be possible to actually include some sort of stats, or bunch of stats into an index of sorts, not unlike a "Sabremetric" for BB.....

no..it would be challenging, but it could be done.

Keeping in mind that measurements would have to be taken in multiple spots for the same muscles: IE: just measuring the PEAK of the biceps would fail to include, say, lower Bicep development...

and of course, Bodyfat percentages as we know are very measurable....

just a thought, and something to throw out there, and as I said, it wouldn't be easy, but it would add another element towards the overall judging.

[JOHN GARGANI]

here's an example: let's take the nebulous and dubious "MOST MUSCULAR" award, which amazingly, is still used in certain contests.

If we are both 5 foot 8, and you have a measurable lean body mass of 180 pounds, and mine is 170 pounds, then: who is "more muscular"?

this is a singular element, but the answer, if ever done, would have to incorporate many different factors, again, into some sort of index.

[stealth_swimmer]

the return of proportions

Not just any proportions, aesthetic proportions.

[stealth_swimmer]

Okay, guys, let me throw this one out at ya:

the biggest difference between most sports, and Bodybuilding, a very SUBJECTIVE sport, is STATISTICS!

I could say that I deserve to win the division in Baseball/Football/BBBall, etc, but, the fact remains, that if your record is better than mine, end of argument...

I could say I am a better hitter than you, but if you finish the year with the highest batting average, you win the batting title..period...

etc. and so on.....

Recently, in Boxing, there has been talk of using punch stats to help determine points in non knockout rounds: this is a step in the RIGHT direction.

what direction? Narrowing down the SUBJECTIVE factor , as much as is possible.

SO: why couldn't Bodybuilding incorporate some sorts of statistics??

"Aesthetics" is not just a visual thing, it is supported by various measurements, and more importantly, various RATIOS, hence, the catch word "proportions".....

might be possible to actually include some sort of stats, or bunch of stats into an index of sorts, not unlike a "Sabremetric" for BB.....

no..it would be challenging, but it could be done.

Keeping in mind that measurements would have to be taken in multiple spots for the same muscles: IE: just measuring the PEAK of the biceps would fail to include, say, lower Bicep development...

and of course, Bodyfat percentages as we know are very measurable....

just a thought, and something to throw out there, and as I said, it wouldn't be easy, but it would add another element towards the overall judging.

By not using measurements, it integrates posing into the judging. The judges judge how a competitor looks, so a competitor's ability to display their physique is automatically taken into account, as poor posing hides one's physique and muscles won't look as separated if they're not flexed.

[Loastres]

People like Dexter/Rhoden/Cedric won because they were simply better then everybody else, condition and size wise.
Doesnt have to do anything with aesthetics.

Once the "Aesthetic" people start winning over the mass monsters like Ruhl / coleman (wich there are not many this era), then we can start discussing your idea.

[Groggery]

I'm tempted to do a lower biceps joke, considering how much that amuses me...but i'll let it slide. I'll just tell you this - SEO makes measurements useless and false.

[FAN0FdaSport]

the return of the trolls

[FAN0FdaSport]

.

does anyone think his fdb would look better if he pretended to have a spinal cord?

[RoroCwalker]

Lol! But I was meant the female head judge in that write up she did after.

Female judging? wtf...

[Tb0282]

does anyone think his fdb would look better if he pretended to have a spinal cord?

Lol!

[PlzN0Alesana]

aesthetics? more like genetics/proportions.

[Groggery]

aesthetics? more like genetics/proportions.

No no no, my bicep curls will make my arms more aesthetic than yours. It's all in the technique you see.

[TTimmerman]

No no no, my bicep curls will make my arms more aesthetic than yours. It's all in the technique you see.

only if you do those curls in the squat rack

[Riflemancho]

only if you do those curls in the squat rack

But with straight bar curl.

[TTimmerman]

But with straight bar curl.

holy **** i thought EZ bar was for aesthetics? what have i done

[Groggery]

holy **** i thought EZ bar was for aesthetics? what have i done

Lose all that mass and start over.

[stealth_swimmer]

People like Dexter/Rhoden/Cedric won because they were simply better then everybody else, condition and size wise.
Doesnt have to do anything with aesthetics.

Once the "Aesthetic" people start winning over the mass monsters like Ruhl / coleman (wich there are not many this era), then we can start discussing your idea.

Without a concept of aesthetics, explicit or implicit, you have no way of telling what's "better"...so lol @ saying aesthetics isn't involved.

If it weren't involved, then judges wouldn't judge the way they do - based on how an athlete looks on stage. Instead, they would take measurements such as tape measurements of biceps, legs, etc and bodyfat %

[PillClinton]

the return of the trolls

Its even worse. Trolls, who don't even know they are troll, who hate trolls.

Reminds me of a dave chapelle skit