Is it safe to say that professional bodybuilding is dead?

[tng83]

This section is but a shell of it's former self. There used to be a dozen threads a day with updates from pros, old school comparisons, and 'best of' threads. I don't think the 1st page has changed in a month. Magazine sales are next to nothing, supps can't possibly be selling well, big time pros retiring with no big names to take their place. Is it over? Pack it up and go home?

[littlearm]

Spare us the drama.

For starters, webforums in general aren't as popular as they used to be because there are so many other social media platforms out there. And just because bodybuilding.com may seem slow doesn't mean other forums are: look at muscular development.com- they have dozens of active topics every day.

What data do you have on supplement sales to say they're not selling well?

The Mr. Olympia will have a European show this year. There are now six Arnold Classic shows worldwide.

If you think pro bodybuilding is dead, you don't know a thing about the sport.

[BartPimpson]

Forums everywhere have lost ground to social media. Go on ******** and IG, that's where bodybuilding lives now.

The sport itself isn't dead, but it's clearly not doing well. Part of the problem is that many traditional sources of revenue and promotion (such as DVDs and magazines) have disappeared. But mostly it just seems the fire has gone out of professional bodybuilding. When I watch a Ronnie era Olympia, there's a real buzz and excitement. Remember those deafening boos when Gunter got 5th in 2002? People really seemed passionate about the sport. These days the Olympia's such a nonevent. It's like everyone just wants it to be over with.

supps can't possibly be selling well

Supplements are a growth industry at the moment.

http://www.statista.com/statistics/2...nts-in-the-us/

...Of course, this is "vitamins and nutritional supplements". Meaning Flintstones multivitamins, Herbalife, and homeopathic remedies. Doesn't necessarily mean MuscleMaxx RectalProlapse XL or whatever is selling like hotcakes.

[MillerTime07]

The supplement industry has grown exponentially just about every year. It reaches an all time high every year. Especially with social media (instagram, ********, youtube), fitness is now "trending." Everyone is buying supplements.

As far as pro BBing? Yes, it is dying compared to how it was. The reasons are simple. They aren't marketing themselves, and the rise of physique and fitness divisions.

[JigPig]

Arnold, Haney, Dorian and Ronnies eras were the best. So much passion from fans and professionals, so much buzz so much hype.

Pro bodybuilding is dying for sure if you compare it to the past.

[Junarcomaniac]

the classic physique category will bring hope

[tng83]

Arnold, Haney, Dorian and Ronnies eras were the best. So much passion from fans and professionals, so much buzz so much hype.

Pro bodybuilding is dying for sure if you compare it to the past.

Id be okay with the mid 2000s era. Ronnie Jay Gustavo Dareem Harris Branch Dexter, JoJ, etc. Just some content. I follow a dozen pros on social media and content sucks. Cant remeber the last time I saw a pro squat 495 to failure. Or post a trip to the grocery store like Jay used to. Only Evan puts any effort these days into videos

[___]

yeah
it´s over.

[Kiwi_]

Oh well, time for us to find other interests I guess.

[GearHound]

oh man what will i do with my life now

time for crossfit jk no homo

jk

got you

lol

[littlearm]

I follow a dozen pros on social media and content sucks. Cant remeber the last time I saw a pro squat 495 to failure. Or post a trip to the grocery store like Jay used to.

I have to go on an old man rant here... You're upset because you can't see a video of Phil Heath buying groceries. How entitled can you be? I remember a time when you waited 2 months to see Olympia coverage because that's how long it took them to get the magazines published. You might not even know who won the Olympia for weeks, and even then only if maybe your gym posted a small announcement on the bulletin board because someone knew a guy who knew a guy who heard the results.

There are so many people who complain about pro bodybuilding, yet they've never actual been to a contest. They won't buy the magazines because they can get the content for free online. They demand high quality streams of contests, but they're certainly not going to pay for them. They complain that forums are slow but don't start up any new discussions.

The IFBB is doing plenty to shoot themselves in the foot, but what kind of cheap, lazy fandom do they have to work with?

And the music you kids listen to today is just too damn loud. I'm going to go yell at some clouds now.

[___]

All of those things are peripheral to bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding / bodybuilding today lack
Quality,
Charisma,
Work ethics..
Lack excitement.
They dont inspire anyone anymore.
Rather watch ronnie eating chicken and barbecue sauce for hours than a short clip of the current mr o training.

Sad

[BartPimpson]

All of those things are peripheral to bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding / bodybuilding today lack
Quality,
Charisma,
Work ethics..
Lack excitement.
They dont inspire anyone anymore.
Rather watch ronnie eating chicken and barbecue sauce for hours than a short clip of the current mr o training.

Sad

I don't buy that bodybuilders are responsible for the sport's decline.

Quality? The field today is STACKED. Contests like the 2010 Arnold and the 2012 Olympia rank as some of the best shows of all time.

Social media marketing? No pro was doing that 10-20 years ago.

Charisma? Dorian Yates would show up the Olympia, win a few shows, then bunker down at the Dungeon for the rest of the year. Ronnie had freaky training videos, but when he opens his mouth he sounds like he has an IQ of 70. Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson were both quiet and introverted. Phil Heath and Kai Greene are pretty charismatic when all's said and done.

Work ethic? I'm sure today's pros train pretty hard. And who cares, anyway? Bodybuilding = genetics + drugs. The bodybuilder with the world's strongest work ethic is probably some 170lb natty that nobody's ever heard of.

[BartPimpson]

I mean, look at Phil Heath. He's doing EVERYTHING RIGHT.

1. He brings a great physique, year after year.
2. He does social media stuff out the ass.
3. He works hard to promote the sport and reach people who aren't into it (public appearances, interviews on talk shows, that TNA thing)

...And he still gets Google-raped by Rich "wars are fought over drilling rights to my right bicep" Piana.

https://www.google.com.au/trends/exp...z=Etc%2FGMT-10

So what should Phil be doing that he isn't doing?

[guyver79]

I've wondered this as well, pro bodybuilding will always have a hardcore cult following, it always has.

But with the rise of IG/social media there are now different avenues to making/promoting your physique without ever having to step onstage.

Years ago there was no way for a lower tier/non god mode genetics physique to make it outside of getting onstage/pro card and getting in flex mag and getting sponsored by a big supp company.

Ignore the dyel youtube drama *******s Ward/Blaha ect....

Someone like pre retard slapping Rich Piana, competed for years never had a particularly good physique not great genetics and his bodybuilding career was essentially over then has become one of the most recognisable and most popular bodybuilders in the world, despite the rise of the aesthetic physiques, on paper Piana shouldn't be as popular as he is, freaky huge, site enhanced arms, total "bro" ect...

But his vids are strangely watchable and he's practicably a living meme.

But as for the "sport" I don't know, I can see it going the way of woman's bodybuilding in 15 years, there will always be guys that want to compete and people that want to see it, but if the money goes elsewhere then the weider empire is phucked.

[ProWrestleFan]

Pro Bodybuilding isn't dying. However, certain classes within it are.

[Steron99]

It's been going downhill for quite some time.When you see what it once was [60s,70s,80s] compared to now...well it's sad,alot of reasons have kinda killed it off and you're right,there's no upcoming group to jump in. The muscle mags are worse,only guys they feature mostly are guys who won a contest in the 80s,they never show the Youtube guys or do anything modern.At one time there was a big selection of mags.No more.

[asteroidbooty]

The muscle mags are worse,only guys they feature mostly are guys who won a contest in the 80s,they never show the Youtube guys or do anything modern.At one time there was a big selection of mags.No more.

This. And a lot of movie stars being featured on health magazines, over professional athletes.
TBH, even though supplements are a growth industry, I get burnt out with the constant advertisement. Does every body have to have a supp line?

[BartPimpson]

The muscle mags are worse,only guys they feature mostly are guys who won a contest in the 80s,they never show the Youtube guys or do anything modern.

Let's be real, muscle mags are a thing of the past. Even if they did show Youtubers, I doubt anyone here would buy them.

A few years ago Flex ran a promotion: you got a year's subscription for 99c or something (correct me on the details). It sucked.

[whiskeyjackie]

Last year I went to the Arnold Classic Europe expo and it was one of the craziest events I've ever seen in my whole life. Literally thousands and thousands of people waiting hours in line just to enter the expo, and Mr. O wasn't even there.

Don't think you could call that a "dying industry".

[VaughnTrue]

Let's be real, muscle mags are a thing of the past. Even if they did show Youtubers, I doubt anyone here would buy them.

A few years ago Flex ran a promotion: you got a year's subscription for 99c or something (correct me on the details). It sucked.

the major drawback on magazines is how behind they become by the time it hits the shelf.

a magazine is 3-4 months behind on contest results + everything else as it takes time to print/ship/stock.


e-magazines are the only way the idea of a "magazine" continues into the future as it can be updated and sent to subscribers in real time basically

[weltweitefurcht]

I can only speak for myself personally on why I frequent this forum less (I think that bodybuilding isn't dead, but this forum is)....

I've been on these boards for roughly 13 years. Recently (as in just a couple years) I noticed a LOT more arguing on this forum than ever before. Forums naturally have arguments and debates, but it was way more than normal recently. There are a few posters in particular that seemed very elitist in nature and seemed to make this forum "their own" in a way that I hadn't seen in the last decade.

I personally hardly had any arguments with people on here, so I'm not speaking about myself.... but it became so tiring to see illogical posts, fallacies being thrown around left and right, and reading threads where every comment was scrutinized and debated.

Not all forums are this way, there is a normal level of disagreement, then there was "this".

[tng83]

I have to go on an old man rant here... You're upset because you can't see a video of Phil Heath buying groceries. How entitled can you be? I remember a time when you waited 2 months to see Olympia coverage because that's how long it took them to get the magazines published.

And then the internet happened. No excuse for such poor coverage these days. Especially with the many millions of dollars there are in this industry. I run a side business in car audio and for every video of a pro bodybuilder I can find 25 of someone videoing a demo in a vehicle, building a box, or testing a sub. And there is not money in car audio unless youre in sales. For the people who compete and post on youtube it's just a hobby. I suppose Piana and the Hodge twins are the equivalent.

[JigPig]

Just Lol at anyone who says todays lineups are amongst the best of all time. I'd still pick the mid 90's as some of the best line ups in terms of how everyone peaked out and was so competitive along with the amount of buzz that surrounded these events.
Pro bodybuilding today is nothing like what it was in the 90's and 2000's in terms of hype, buzz and popularity. You'd even have Markus Ruhl, despite his freak size recording video's of himself constantly farting on purpose while people are applying color and oil before he poses. There is no content to be seen anywhere these days about any of the current pros.

Now you have got clowns like Rich Piano that is arguably more popular than any bodybuilder today and the lad doesn't even compete and is a walking time bomb before his heart explodes and arms bursting out with oil.
Yes, times have changed with the advent of social media but even then 98% of pros hardly put anything up on ******** or IG. Back then most of the buzz was on magazines, forum threads, pro's actually being somewhat active on boards answering questions and the only thing that has generated so much buzz as off late is a youtube bodybuilder aka Mr Piano slapping some mentally challenged Jenova Kid for trolling his social media.

Heck, even Stealth_Swimmer has gone under the radar and he is the most outspoken fan of the IFBB.

[zrage]

1 : bodybuilding isnt a "sport" its a pageant where people exibit their physiques and are judged/placed based on their LOOK not any ability or skill performaned.

2 : social media took over forums because it helps them send out their advertising faster and better than a specific forum.


bb.com is still great.. to order supplements

[littlearm]

I run a side business in car audio and for every video of a pro bodybuilder I can find 25 of someone videoing a demo in a vehicle, building a box, or testing a sub.

That's a bad analogy. For every video pf a pro bodybuilder there are also 25 videos of some non-pro talking about their workout routines or diet or just being a total bro. No one is questioning bodybuilding as a hobby - obviously it is still incredibly popular. The initial premise is that "pro bodybuilding is dead." If that were true, we would be seeing fewer competitions, not more.

[LovetoLift79]

This section is but a shell of it's former self. There used to be a dozen threads a day with updates from pros, old school comparisons, and 'best of' threads. I don't think the 1st page has changed in a month. Magazine sales are next to nothing, supps can't possibly be selling well, big time pros retiring with no big names to take their place. Is it over? Pack it up and go home?

It died when health clubs became the mainstream instead of real gyms with people who were passionate about the sport of bodybuilding.

Now you got people joining health clubs where they look down on the bodybuilding lifestyle itself. Gyms don't even want to be referred to as a gym. They all call themselves fitness this, fitness that. Bodybuilding is not cool like it was when Pumping Iron hit the theaters. Gyms were different back then and that is why there was a bigger interest in the sport. When someone went to the gym it was to lift weights and there were no tv's on the walls. The atmosphere was different and very serious! You didn't have top 40 music playing through the speakers either! All you heard when you walked in was the re-racking of weights and people busting their ass without air conditioning! They catered to bodybuilding and currently not many places do anymore.

You have a very small percentage of serious lifters out there who are into bodybuilding. Most people are cardio bunnies and go to their fitness center to take the group classes.

[NVious]

Bbing in general has had to deal with the decentralization effect that the internet causes, i.e:

If you wanted motivational pictures, you used to have to go out and buy them, now within a google search I can find literally millions of images/albums
If you wanted to see contest pictures or aesthetic physiques, you used to have to go to contests or buy mags, now I can go on IG and find the craziest physiques with a simple hashtag search or knowing a page name
If you wanted legit advice you would have to speak to someone involved in the industry or a trained professional, now within a simple YT/google search I can find 10s of years of information condensed within a 10-15 minute video
If you wanted to know about the "dark side" of bodybuilding you had to be in inner circles or talk to people who were in them, now within a simple YT/google search, I can find everything I need to know (never mind Bostin or Rich or other bbers who have made one off videos)

That said, supps/expos are bigger than ever so I think the industry as a whole is growing, but in general this aspect of it is going to grind to a halt

[Devils]

oh man what will i do with my life now


lol

we rebuild, we go on

also you only need to go to a local show to see what bodybuilding has become.

100's of bikini girls and mens fitness divisions, bikini novice, tall, medium, short. Bikini momma, bikini over 35, bikini masters, fitness angles (wearing ****ing wings lmao) mens physique tall, medium, short, mens beach body novice, ect. Also you're getting 10+ in each of these divisions, the stage is full.

Then you get to the bodybuilding and you've got 2-5 people per division, some don't even get filled out and not run.

[MillerTime07]

It died when health clubs became the mainstream instead of real gyms with people who were passionate about the sport of bodybuilding.

Now you got people joining health clubs where they look down on the bodybuilding lifestyle itself. Gyms don't even want to be referred to as a gym. They all call themselves fitness this, fitness that. Bodybuilding is not cool like it was when Pumping Iron hit the theaters. Gyms were different back then and that is why there was a bigger interest in the sport. When someone went to the gym it was to lift weights and there were no tv's on the walls. The atmosphere was different and very serious! You didn't have top 40 music playing through the speakers either! All you heard when you walked in was the re-racking of weights and people busting their ass without air conditioning! They catered to bodybuilding and currently not many places do anymore.

You have a very small percentage of serious lifters out there who are into bodybuilding. Most people are cardio bunnies and go to their fitness center to take the group classes.

Oh please. You're the guy that said he buys supps to keep himself motivated to go to the gym. Don't start spouting bs about wishing it was hardcore when you can't even lift without 200 worth of supplements a month.