From Steve Reeves to Phil Heath - How We Got Here

Written by Peter McGough

11 March 2018

From Steve Reeves to Phil Heath

How We Got Here

Today, the term “Classic Physique” belongs to a new division but back in the day, most leading physiques were dubbed “classic.” This feature charts the evolution of how the classic physique dominated for some time before the shape of things to come changed a couple of decades ago.

Bodybuilding really took off after World War II, with its first preeminent competitor being 1940 and 1941 Mr. America John Grimek, who went on to win the 1948 Universe in London and the 1949 Mr. USA, which was his last contest. Grimek had a rugged kind of physique for the time, no doubt a consequence of being an Olympic lifter— indeed, he lifted at the 1936 Olympic Games. At that 1948 Universe and 1949 Mr. USA, he beat Steve Reeves, who succeeded him as bodybuilding’s dominant competitor. Reeves was the sport’s first real superstar, who transcended the bodybuilding arena and made a mainstream name for himself in Italian sword-and-sandals movies and became known around the world. He is still lauded by many as having the definitive classic physique, displaying proportion and balance throughout his frame with a winning V-taper. He won the first-ever NABBA Mr. Universe in London in 1950, which was his competitive swan song. Finishing runner-up at the contest was England’s Reg Park, who carried more muscle than Reeves but did not have the same excellent lines. Park vies with 1953 Mr. America Bill Pearl as the best bodybuilder of the ‘50s. It was a time when bodybuilders did not compete every year and in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Park and Pearl never competed against each other. But they finally saw battle at the 1971 NABBA Universe with Pearl (40) winning while Park (43) was third, with Sergio Oliva sandwiched in between.

WHEN THE MYTH WAS A HIT

Despite that ‘70s loss to Park, Sergio Oliva was recognized as the best bodybuilder in the world in the late ‘60s by virtue if winning the Mr. Olympia (established in 1965) three times; 1967 through 1969. He was the most massive bodybuilder in the world at that time, but also the most symmetrical and classically built. Oliva, a former weightlifter who represented his country, Cuba, before defecting to the United States in 1961, was nicknamed The Myth by legendary bodybuilding writer and 1967 Mr. World, Rick Wayne. The moniker was entirely appropriate in the sense of it meaning, “A unique entity and the stuff of legend.” We hear a lot about genetics in bodybuilding, but surely no one had better genetics than Oliva. All the muscle groups, fully rounded and developed, were there— their impact heightened by his small joints and shaven head on a giant frame and a tiny waist. Mass, symmetry, any way you cut it (and he could get cut)— Oliva at 5’10” and 235-ish pounds was unbeatable in the late ‘60s.

In those far-off days, we never saw bloated stomachs or physiques that seemed to be assembled under the tutelage of surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. All the top guys seemed to offer something dramatic, something awesome in their physique without going into Frankenstein territory. Oliva’s successor as Mr. Olympia was Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his sloping shoulders and flat waist (it was flat from the side, if a little wide from the front) gave him an accentuated V-Taper, particularly when he hit three-quarter shots. And he built the best chest and biceps (biceps, not triceps) development we’ve ever seen. In the ‘70s he became like bodybuilding’s version of a rock star, the raucous receptions he received having, yes, a lot to do with his amazing physique but not hurt by him pumping out charisma like the Hoover Dam pumps out power.

In discussions of who had the definitive classic physique, many experts choose three-time Mr. Olympia (1977, ’78, ’79) Frank Zane, who at 5’9” and 180 pounds regularly beat contenders 40 or so pounds heavier. Indeed, his 1979 Mr. Olympia clash with the thickly muscled Mike Mentzer is regarded as one of the most famous classic versus mass confrontations in the history of the sport. Zane, outweighed by 30 pounds or so, emerged as the victor over Mr. Heavy Duty, who was heavily tipped to win.

Most of the leading physiques of that ‘70s, early ‘80s era had that classic look. Guys like: Serge Nubret, Danny Padilla, Ed Corney, Bill Grant, Robby Robinson, Samir Bannout and Mohamed Makkawy. And even the contenders whose main calling card seemed to be mass had a certain balance to them. We’re talking Casey Viator, Kal Szkalak, Bertil Fox and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno, in my opinion, would have been a multiple Mr. Olympia if he hadn’t quit the sport, aged 25, in 1976, in order to play the title role in “The Incredible Hulk” TV series.)

AND THEN CAME HANEY

Samir Bannout unleashed one of the best physiques of all time in winning the 1983 Mr. Olympia. At that contest in his pro rookie year, Lee Haney took third spot and a year later completely dominated the 1984 event in New York as he took the first of his eight successive Sandows. The Awesome One accumulated 245 pounds on his 5’11” frame and so, as in the days of Sergio, the biggest man— in bodyweight— on campus also had just about the most classically proportioned physique of his time. But during his reign (he retired after the 1991 Olympia), he had a plethora of classically built rivals chasing him, such as Mohamed Makkawy, Samir Bannout, Bob Paris (who maybe had the best lines of all time, but 100% condition eluded him: perhaps of his own choosing, because such ripped credentials did not fit his picture of the ideal physique), Berry de Mey, Lee Labrada, Shawn Ray, Vince Taylor and Francis Benfatto. At his 1991 finale, Haney, bodybuilding’s number one gentleman, faced Dorian Yates in their only meeting. At the afternoon prejudging, the champ won the symmetry round, the Brit won the muscularity round and then in the evening finals, Haney took the posing and posedown rounds to seal his eighth and final Olympia win.

THE YATES CONUNDRUM

It was pretty obvious that Yates had become the heir apparent and sure enough, in Helsinki, Finland in 1992 he duly became the ninth man to win the Mr. Olympia title. The Brit with grit, who at 5’10½” and a top weight of 265 pounds, also brought something new to the table: Granite-like hardness, dryness and fullness, combining to produce a new standard in conditioning that maybe even today hasn’t been equaled. In fact, such was his superiority in the area of conditioning that methinks that over the years, his physique was harshly judged by many. The call seemed to be that Yates only won on condition and size, and that his physique wasn’t symmetrical. This writer would argue that the Yates’ Olympia physique was symmetrical, but maybe that’s a discussion— or shouting match— for another time. Whatever, it will be accepted that the man destined to win six Olympia titles brought condition to the fore. Whereas previously, spot-on condition had been part of the required package, Yates’ preeminence in that area seemed to vault it forward to the point where that was just about the first thing that was looked for on the judging checklist. Certainly at the Olympia level, where the main question asked of would-be conquerors was, Let’s see if they can beat Yates on condition before we start comparing the body parts?



For instance, poor Flex Wheeler would walk out with that spectacular physique but all bets were off until he turned around for us to see whether his hams and glutes— problem areas for him— were ripped. If they were, he was in business, if they weren’t he was in trouble. Maybe I sound as repetitive as an in-his-prime Mike Tyson on the speedball, but once more the cry, “I didn’t get into bodybuilding to look at men’s arses.”

THE RISE OF THE GURUS

Indeed, condition became so important that in the quest for it, a new profession grew up: that of a contest-prep guru who was recruited by competitors to, for the most part, guide them through the last 12-16 weeks preceding a contest and other matters not requiring a weight being lifted. It got real technical, real quick. Whereas the likes of Yates, Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone et al. could hold condition for days, some found it difficult to maintain the required contest stage look any longer than an amoeba’s attention span. So, we had the reality of one guru, on the occasion of an Olympia prejudging starting about 45 minutes late, bellowing into my shell-like (Brit slang for ear), “Damn, my guy was ready at 12 noon— now [45 minutes later] he’s flat.” That last sentence is absolutely true. And we all know how, in modern contests we see during a prejudging, that guys fade as the session proceeds— that never used to happen as much back in the day. Interestingly, Yates— the guy who really generated the teamwork approach to conditioning— never had a guru, and neither did Levrone or Ray.

Despite Yates’ dominance, plenty of classic physiques were around in his era: Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, Milos Sarcev, Chris Cormier, Porter Cottrell, Charles Clairmonte, Thierry Pastel (one of the most underrated bodybuilders ever), Ian Harrison (another one who never seemed to get his just dues) and Sonny Schmidt, to name a few. Meanwhile, mass monsters like Paul Dillett (who also had classic lines), Nasser El Sonbaty, Jean Pierre Fux, Achim Albrecht and later Markus Ruhl pushed the size envelope. Driven by the fact that Yates competed at around 260 pounds and bulked up to 300 pounds in the off-season, a generation of bodybuilders decided to go the same route, and many ended up looking like they were auditioning for a Michelin Man advertisement. Contest-prepper Chris Aceto, who helped Jay Cutler to the Mr. O title, once told me in ironic tones: “Dorian fucked the sport up. After he went to 300 in the off-season, everyone wanted to be 300 in the off-season. But Dorian could handle 300 and come in at 260 sliced. He knew what was under that 300. For too many guys, what was under their 300 was more like 225.”

Upon Yates’ retirement after the 1997 Olympia, the scene seemed set for Flex Wheeler to take over in 1998. However, at Madison Square Garden, his shape and balance was bypassed by a rock-hard Ronnie Coleman who not as genetically blessed as the man he relegated to runner-up spot. So the lesson was clear: Condition does beat everything else. Coleman’s mass dominated for eight Olympia before injuries and Jay Cutler finally caught up with him at the 2006 Olympia. Cutler in fact went the size route after his surprising loss at the 2001 Olympia. The classic physique of Dexter Jackson toppled Cutler at the 2008 Olympia, and the defeated champ roared back in his best-ever look to regain the title in 2009.

WHAT GOES AROUND …..

It could be fanciful to argue that recent contests acted as some sort of a barometer signaling that a “mass-for-mass sake” look may have been replaced by a preference for a more aesthetic appearance harking back to the days of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Will the pendulum swing back in a forward sort of way to reward the classic look ahead of sheer mass? As my old Dad used to say when I asked for a super-duper racing bike and a brand new pair of Pelé soccer boots for Christmas, “We’ll see son, we’ll see.”

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