I think the bodybuilding has lost popularity because there’s just no passion or humanity it it anymore, it’s been forgotten that at their core bodybuilders are showmen, the physique is the show but so is the character behind it, there’s a reason people like lenny or jason or rich piana are about as popular as mr olympias nowadays and definitely more popular than a lot of ifbb pros (at least back in 2017 or so), they have bad physiques but are extremely entertaining as a bodybuilder should. I think after dorian yates, great as he was, it became acceptable for bodybuilders to walk around as some sort of badass when everyone knows a bodybuilder (I’m talking top level over 270lbs) functionally is a joke, can’t fight, can’t run, will tear muscles if you look at them wrong, only yates could pull that off as he was miles ahead of everyone else, but when you’re “generic muscle man #265” it’s just boring, it’s a bore even to gym rats, it’s absolutely crushing to an average person.
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Chicken boy?!
Maybe the constant social media posts from the pros makes you so used to seeing them that it’s no longer impressive. Imo it always kind of sucked. I mean it’s literally just men in a bikini bottom, oiled up with baby oil, and posing with each other. That’s gay brah. Olympic lifting is probably the most impressive of the strength sports. The years of mastering technique is more impressive to me than some bodybuilding homo doing curls while staring at himself in the mirror.
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At least Strongman has some huge guys that are actually larger than life and not just jacked up manlets like modern BB and some actual rules unlike strongman.
Olympic weightlifting is king when it comes to the talent pool and skill involved. Powerlifting has become about cheating the most efficient way and minimizing your rom, weightlifting places importance on proper form and technique, it’s kinda the antithesis.
Not to mentin that most weightlifters below superheavy actually look good and not like fat slobs or sideshow freaks.
Olympic lifting is by far the most impressive, having the biggest talent pool and prestige, only a total freak of nature can compete at the top level in such a sport. If someone like lasha talakhadze competed in powerlifting he’d have an easy rise to the very top
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What do you think he would do if Big Lenny asked to “See him later”?
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And this niche group is a bunch of homos
Here’s my pet theory on the most general trend, not restricted to bodybuilding:
Bodybuilding/Strength Training/Lifting in general became 1000x worse when women entered it in ~2012. Of course there were female bodybuilders before 2012. I’m talking about your average run-of-the-mill woman suddenly taking up lifting as an activity ended up flooding gyms and clubs with morons. Women go to do the same three leg/ass exercises everyday combined with some retarded zoomba class and think they’re Tia Clair-Toomey. That only encouraged all the run-of-the-mill guys to go over the top with the “fitness lifestyle” and act like complete tools. I’ve said it before - it’s just lifting…it’s not a personality, it’s not your “space” or whatever. It’s just lifting. Someone else on this thread mentioned supplements taking the place of effort and he’s 100% right. Everyone is so hyperfocused on getting the slimmest advantage through some esoteric herbal supplement they completely miss the point.
Anyways, when the supply of these morons gets well above the demand you end up seeing degraded product and performance. I’m sure the same holds for actual bodybuilding competitions. K piss out bye.
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they didn’t collab with jason and they got deserved with the order 66 he issued. I guess this was the blow back.
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politics bro
Cookie cutters too worried about their health nowadays. No old school freaks ready to die at 40 from overreating and juicing up to the gills. Need more freaks who don’t give a care about anything.
Its unhealthy and looks gross
Has always sucked, in the pre-Arnold era the general public rightfully saw them as a bunch of homos.
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It’s who can take the most drugs without dying. Doesn’t even require intensity anymore. I mean a real pro athlete actually does harder workouts than pro bodybuilders then they go and compete in an actual athletic endeavor. Pro bodybuilders go to the gym, eat like My 600lb Life, then take a nap like a baby. There’s no real substance there. It’s not athletic and you just end up looking like an insecure freak. Take 20+ years off your life just so other men can awe at your physique. Meanwhile the 150lb cookie cutter soccer player is dicking down a new girl every night while your doodle doesn’t even work anymore. People have become aware of the “lifestyle” or lack there of, so there’s no mystique or appeal to it anymore. Back in Arnold’s day you didn’t see a freak everh time you logged on social media and you didn’t know he had to take massive amounts of shit just to look like that, you just thought “wow he works out really hard”. Then guys like Phil Heath come around and get crowned best bodybuilder in the world 7 times doing lightweight machine workouts with reps to infinity. Not to mention most are midgets, so girls are automatically tuned out by default unfortunately.
Gone from this to promotion of “lifestyle/brands” etc as others have said, which ultimately was what all of these guys yearned for. There was a brief sort of revival continuance of “bodybuilding” niche subculture with the “No Fear” mma style Hardcore rip off in the mid to late 00’s early teens, which was even cookie cutter in itself to a large extent, but ultimately it has just descended even futher into mainstream cookie cutter blandness.
Ultimately the fitness industry and lifestyle outgrew and discarded bodybuilding, which to a large extent brought, or tried to, bring it and itself into the mainstream. As said below, this has culminated in fart powder/gym shark/instathot/arse workout/lifestyle - empires.
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Everything is bland globohomo now unfortunately
It’s because everyone knows it’s all drugs now. Most people on gear look ridiculous anyways with all that drug muscle. -
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I just googled “pig fucker” and this showed up. It’s an absolutely perfect mugshot that I adore, and the contrast of the hideous individual with a name like “wombdestroyer” makes me laugh every time, I cannot look at my username and picture and not laugh.
I think with today’s drugs it became too easy to look as good as some 70s guys like Frank Zane…just look how many you can find that look that good today - dime a dozen
