Are Mr. Olympia contestants as big as they are able to get?

[WheelerHeath]

Curiously, are Mr. Olympia contestants as big as gear will allow them to get or are they as big as they need/want to be? AKA would it be possible for an IFBB pro under six feet to get to say 350 lbs or 400 lbs if they wanted to? Obviously they wouldn't do it because they would be way too massive to look good, but just for the sake of argument ..

[transformerchad]

Wot

Theres no such thing as "too big" when it comes to pro bodybuilding

Pro bodybuilders aim is to be BIG as possible and as SHREDDED as possible with good proportions.

imagine " oh no im getting too big , better start getting smaller " ?

[WheelerHeath]

Well, obviously there could be a too big .. if a bodybuilder was 1,000 lbs it would obviously look horrible. Mr. Olympia is supposed to be huge AND aesthetic is he not?

[transformerchad]

Well, obviously there could be a too big .. if a bodybuilder was 1,000 lbs it would obviously look horrible. Mr. Olympia is supposed to be huge AND aesthetic is he not?

EDIT : Misread the above . My bad , apologies .

[WheelerHeath]

In what way is that trolling? lol .. "I don't speak troll" coming from the guy claiming 437 lbs ..

[FAN0FdaSport]

yes I believe they are as big as they can possibly be at that level, there are exceptions like coleman adding 10 pounds after his first Olympia lol, but the majority of these guys are lucky to add 2 pounds from their previous best condition close to their prime. Yates even said in his Olympia interviews starting in 94 he was aiming for 1-2 pounds at that point. Absolutely insane when someone makes a comment like "dexter would be perfection with 20 more pounds" fuking moronic

[WheelerHeath]

yes I believe they are as big as they can possibly be at that level, there are exceptions like coleman adding 10 pounds after his first Olympia lol, but the majority of these guys are lucky to add 2 pounds from their previous best condition close to their prime. Yates even said in his Olympia interviews starting in 94 he was aiming for 1-2 pounds at that point. Absolutely insane when someone makes a comment like "dexter would be perfection with 20 more pounds" fuking moronic

Thank you for a quality response. It's very rare around these parts.

[MaKaiser]

No not all Olympia contestants are as big as they could get.

Most are getting on in age and can improve on things such as conditioning but not mass.

Guys like Kai for example. I can't see him adding any more mass. He can however improve on his conditioning.

Then there's guys like Ramy, Beyeke, Curry, Roelly and even Heath that will most definitely continue to add mass to their frames.

[Big Slim DaDDy]

If they could all be as big as Ronnie, they all would have been as big as Ronnie. I'm sure a lot of them want to be as big as Ronnie was. But they are not.

[JigPig]

If they could all be as big as Ronnie, they all would have been as big as Ronnie. I'm sure a lot of them want to be as big as Ronnie was. But they are not.

Define "Big". A few bodybuilders were as large if not larger than Ronnie(Markus Ruhl, Jean-pierre-Fux, Gunter, Lou, Kovacs) but it isn't just sheer size that wins shows but everything else as well

[chevy2g3]

Define "Big". A few bodybuilders were as large if not larger than Ronnie(Markus Ruhl, Jean-pierre-Fux, Gunter, Lou, Kovacs) but it isn't just sheer size that wins shows but everything else as well

That's a good point, but what OP was asking is if they decided to just get as big as possible (ignoring symmetry, aesthetics, etc) could they actually be 300+ conditioned?

[Groggery]

That's a good point, but what OP was asking is if they decided to just get as big as possible (ignoring symmetry, aesthetics, etc) could they actually be 300+ conditioned?

Extremely unlikely, it's not like they ignore putting on mass wherever they can to preserve some specific lines. Do you think someone like Dexter might be intentionally ignoring his legs because they might get too big?

The limit is pegged at 300lbs tops for the average 5"8-5"11 frame.

[chevy2g3]

Extremely unlikely, it's not like they ignore putting on mass wherever they can to preserve some specific lines. Do you think someone like Dexter might be intentionally ignoring his legs because they might get too big?

The limit is pegged at 300lbs tops for the average 5"8-5"11 frame.

I agree 100% with this. If adding never ending mass was possible, no one in the IFBB would have lagging calves, forearms etc. Even with chemical assistance it all boils down to genetics.

[RoroCwalker]

Most of them are as big as they need/want to be.

They could just gain insane amounts of muscle disregarding any health factor, gut, etc. but they choose not to because that would just be a disadvantage.

[MaKaiser]

disregarding any health factor, gut, etc.

Oh they're way past that.

[RoroCwalker]

Oh they're way past that.

Hehe, they're past that to a certain extent but imagine if they let down their barrier and went full retard, that's what I'm talking about.

[Groggery]

Hehe, they're past that to a certain extent but imagine if they let down their barrier and went full retard, that's what I'm talking about.

And how would that work exactly? Do you assume they can go a few dozen pounds heavier on every exercise but just don't?

If they went full retard they'd probably all end up like Branch. Hell people tear stuff constantly even when they follow maximum training safety.

[Unbiasedfan]

And how would that work exactly? Do you assume they can go a few dozen pounds heavier on every exercise but just don't?

If they went full retard they'd probably all end up like Branch. Hell people tear stuff constantly even when they follow maximum training safety.

he is talking drugs.

[Groggery]

he is talking drugs.

Even those have diminishing returns. And i think the top 10 are the guys who are closer to that than the rest.

[x-trainer ben]

In past interviews (kai/victor/jay) say that a whole host of problems come with 300 pounds; walking, breathing, snoring, and generally feeling like chit.

[justinnnnn]

Wot

Theres no such thing as "too big" when it comes to pro bodybuilding

Pro bodybuilders aim is to be BIG as possible and as SHREDDED as possible with good proportions.

imagine " oh no im getting too big , better start getting smaller " ?

Kai Greene 2012 Mr.O

[T3mpest]

Kai Greene 2012 Mr.O

Kai was smaller and streamlined for 2012? Kai has never had an issue with being too big, he's been not conditioned enough and his proportions get messed up with his stomach area being too big, however on the whole nobody has ever said, if he loses muscle and gets smaller, he can win.

[T3mpest]

Even those have diminishing returns. And i think the top 10 are the guys who are closer to that than the rest.

True, not even so much dosage as much as they can afford the good stuff. Medical grade chems from a lab go much further than basement made chems.

[RoroCwalker]

And how would that work exactly? Do you assume they can go a few dozen pounds heavier on every exercise but just don't?

If they went full retard they'd probably all end up like Branch. Hell people tear stuff constantly even when they follow maximum training safety.

he is talking drugs.

That and anything else that promotes growth.

Even those have diminishing returns. And i think the top 10 are the guys who are closer to that than the rest.

Indeed but what I meant was not to be taken literally, it was more of an exaggerated way to say that most of them can grow even bigger but they would have repercussions, whether it would be looking 8 months pregnant or being close to death. I was answering the OP's question. They could even look like a 300 pounds Palumbo, but they would just end up in last place. Just to point out that they keep everything in control without putting their physique and health at stake just to solely get bigger.

[Canuck77]

Define "Big". A few bodybuilders were as large if not larger than Ronnie(Markus Ruhl, Jean-pierre-Fux, Gunter, Lou, Kovacs) but it isn't just sheer size that wins shows but everything else as well

^ This.

Palumbo was another, 320 lbs in off season still with some decent vascularity and 280's on stage....

[Ajthemeso]

Not all of them. Guys like Roelly, Lionel, Cedric, Rhoden, etcetera have some body parts that have yet to get as big as they're going to. But then again with genetics in the mix who knows? Just look at kai's traps for example.

[BigDaddyCoolPR]

I don't know, man. I mean, the human body is capable of so much. We all have so much potential, yet achieve so little of it. I think it was Dorian Yates who once said that even the guys we see on an Olympia stage have not achieved all that they're capable of achieving...perhaps not even 75% of their potential. So the possibilities are greater than any of us can imagine, yet ACTUALLY achieving what we're capable of is a whole 'nother ballgame.

[BartPimpson]

My (uninformed) understand is that the only limiting factor is your health. Obviously you can't keep gaining muscle if you're going into toxic shock.

Bostin Loyd said that John O'reagan put him on a pro-esque cycle for a while and his body just couldn't handle it.

[BOUNTYHUNTERMK2]

I'm sure they could all exceed 400lbs if they included 10 visits to McDonalds every day during comp prep.

[spicymelon]

Give another ten or fifteen years and wait until genetic engineering starts taking place. Holy **** it will be interested to observe the sport.