What has changed?

[Deleted member 226465]

I agree
So with that point I have a question for you...... do you think bodybuilders need coaches?

Not to me but my take somewhat humorously

Do bodybuilders needs coaches? No

But coaches sure do need bodybuilders

Meaning if you can confuse and baffle someone into submission they may hire you

Of course the majority of coaches are genuine but a lot of these young kid coaches who have a tonne of “clients” are just sales people with low morals

Also gotta say in my opinion

That’s a new thing

 

[totalrecomp]

AGE of competitors. Yes there was Masters(not sure when that started) but the average age of the top 20 Open guys has crept up with 40+ year old Mr. O's. Compared to Lee Haney who was out with 8 before he was 30 I believe. I think the size needed to compete in the top open shows has simply taken guys longer to achieve, on average, with the rare exception like Nick Walker.

TLDR: Top open guys more old. lol

 

[Samson250]

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[BBSQ5]

AGE of competitors. Yes there was Masters(not sure when that started) but the average age of the top 20 Open guys has crept up with 40+ year old Mr. O's. Compared to Lee Haney who was out with 8 before he was 30 I believe. I think the size needed to compete in the top open shows has simply taken guys longer to achieve, on average, with the rare exception like Nick Walker.

TLDR: Top open guys more old. lol

This one baffles me at how big you have to be to compete. Both Nick and Derek are huge for their height and I have seen them on a daily basis in same gym I go to. Nick moved to Vegas, but they’re both 5’ 8” tops and too out at 300lbs off season. I’m 6’ 2” and I think 300 is too big for my height. Then again, I’m a bit older than the 25 community that competes these days and think that classic physique like Arnold is still the gold standard, but just my opinion.

 

[Randomni99]

This one baffles me at how big you have to be to compete. Both Nick and Derek are huge for their height and I have seen them on a daily basis in same gym I go to. Nick moved to Vegas, but they’re both 5’ 8” tops and too out at 300lbs off season. I’m 6’ 2” and I think 300 is too big for my height. Then again, I’m a bit older than the 25 community that competes these days and think that classic physique like Arnold is still the gold standard, but just my opinion.

Nick is 5 6.

 

[marssel]

I was just going to say

Insulin and GH are the only two things that have changed


Maybe synthol too

Synthol is definitely more accepted on and off stage and still most guys don’t know how to use the shit either. DNP seems a little more prevalent as well.

 

[VakarianSK]

Social media and the internet in general has been the biggest change imo. It's good for the wealth of knowledge you have access to at your fingertips but the issue is you have to know where to look, who is credible, how to research and how to do your own due diligence. It's bad for the same reason, all these kids (not that I am that old) are following all these people on tiktok doing stupid shit like "the 30 day tren challenge" so now everyone and their grandpa just jump on tren without doing any research about the side effects or alternatives or preventative measurements or even proper dosages. "Hey billy bob on tiktok is running 1.5 grams of tren so thats what Ill do". Then after googling for 10 minutes they place an order and in a week their running 1-2 grams of tren.

 

[goback2013]

Synthol is definitely more accepted on and off stage and still most guys don’t know how to use the shit either. DNP seems a little more prevalent as well.

Could it be the immediate availability?
Back in the day you had to be in Duchaines inner circle to access some of this shit.
Today it takes two clicks and two days and you can start your cycle or whatever

 

[275bills]

Good topic. Hope it gets a lot of traffic.

Having weight trained 50 years now and following it and spending some time around the greats of that era (not bragging) for the same amount of time I believe that . . .

5) frequency of meals (5 - 6, maybe 8?) and the amount of protein consumed.

Obviously I don't have nearly the same experience as you.. feels like frequency of meals hit a all time high during the late 90's early 2000's with the 8 plus. Maybe due to cutler lol. Seems like things have streamlined (for the better) now with between 5 or 6

Me I eat 2 or 3

 

[bbxtreme]

From the 80's, 90's, early 2000's, to now what has really changed in bodybuilding?

My short thoughts
Gh and insulin has become more available over the years and doses have climbed since these substances hit the bodybuilding scene

Doses in my opinion across the board have increased and a lot of this could be due to easier availability. Each Era had their own specific abusers like Titus in his time and various other in each Era but for across the board and the entire field I feel doses have raised.

That is about it, I don't think much has changed in the way of nutrition or even training (for those that claim intra workout nutrition was it truly that or the overall massive inclusion of GH and slin across the field of individuals?) ...due to availability ^^

Discuss, give us your opinions

1. More UGL and less pharma gear usage.

2. More insulin and HGH usage. Significantly more.

3. Lantus

4. Too many “experts”- everyone is a coach now.

5. Guys aren’t training as hard and train for the wrong reasons.

So basically guys have gotten lazier, use more gear that is lower quality, and over compensate with insulin and HGH.

As I say all the time- this is what happens when you hand out participation trophies. Great thread.

Disclaimer: the above is my opinion. There are some amazing bodybuilders today still.

 

[Oldwhitedude]

From the 80's, 90's, early 2000's, to now what has really changed in bodybuilding?

My short thoughts
Gh and insulin has become more available over the years and doses have climbed since these substances hit the bodybuilding scene

Doses in my opinion across the board have increased and a lot of this could be due to easier availability. Each Era had their own specific abusers like Titus in his time and various other in each Era but for across the board and the entire field I feel doses have raised.

That is about it, I don't think much has changed in the way of nutrition or even training (for those that claim intra workout nutrition was it truly that or the overall massive inclusion of GH and slin across the field of individuals?) ...due to availability ^^

Discuss, give us your opinions

Just speaking from the UK perspective availability of not only quantity, quality but variety of gear has dramatically increased over the decades. 90s was mostly pharmaceutical grade Test, dbol, drol from one particular Dr in this area who most of the guys went to.

Far more variety in the 00s due to ugls popping up and then in the modern day quality was the word as there are so many good sources. Labs who are independently tested and can get orders out to you faster than Amazon. How far we've come.

In terms of knowledge I think we're heading in broadly the right direction.

I personally feel the gh15 days were some of the worst. A lot of very stupid, addictive and destructive behaviors were just passed off as normal. I recall one member posting a picture of a needle sticking out of his traps just for shock value, with everyone cheering him on. That was enough to make me rethink my life choices (briefly lol). But that was of course a natural consequence of the overly cautious mainstream attitudes of the early 00s and late 90s. The pendulum inevitably swings.

I think there's a temptation to remember 'the good old days' but overall I think if you look back far enough we are heading in the right direction.

 

[RandomMachine]

Has to be the dosages of AAS, GH, and use of insulin like you mentioned.

Maybe I saw it on this forum recently. Someone pointing out the lack of 300lb bodybuilders in the 70s and 80s. They used Sergio Jr and Hunter Labrada vs their fathers as an example for drugs being the difference.

Seemed like a good observation.

 

[Tomgrass]

Gh and slin for sure- just even compare prices of generic hgh todau and way back then. How many could afford taking those doses of hgh when no generic was available.

 

[aHarness]

For those saying dosed have increased; what are you basing this on?

80s 90s etc there were no boards for gym bros and competitors to anonymously share what they were using.

 

[Biggerp73]

GH and insulin for sure!

Maybe Synthol, but I know 100% I’m not screwing around with that stuff and am way too inexperienced to even attempt injecting myself with that properly. But, I don’t step on stage and compete for a living either, so I don’t have to try that stuff to get instant size.

A couple years ago I experimented with sterile MCT oil, and it didn't work. I would have temporary swelling for a day but then it would return to normal. Sucks because I never step on stage and I'm never super duper shredded so the "smooth" round look wouldn't make any difference.

 

[slesh]

Nick is 5 6.

Thanks for contributing

 

[bbxtreme]

For those saying dosed have increased; what are you basing this on?

80s 90s etc there were no boards for gym bros and competitors to anonymously share what they were using.

Speaking with pro’s now and then. As well, John Meadow’s has a video in his members content section showing cycles from then and comparing to ones used now. I’ve posted it on here before if anyone wants to dig it up.

 

[b-boy]

Drug doses have increased (I think), but given that everyone now has a platform (social media/podcasts/blogs/websites) have they stayed the same but more people are talking about them?

The availability and price of HGH.

The availability and ease of blood work. Yes, this is a positive factor as we can spot issues before anything gets serious serious. But I feel it's also used an excuse to really push drugs. "My bloods are fine, so I'm going to run 3.5g/wk" mentality. I often think about the side effects that bloods don't show such as neurotoxicity, cognitive function, liver adenoma, etc...

Health supplementation use has increased. Again, whilst this is great for mitigating the negative effects of PEDs, it's not going to ward off all sides.

Social media has put a lot of pressure in males to look a certain way. You need to be successful, have money, own 5x business and look good all the time for your followers not just on the beach or for a comp. Has this caused BB to push PEDs more?

People are lazier than they used to be. Now someone wants to take 300mg of COQ10 and not do 30mins cardio.

Everyone patience has gone. You want your Amazon delivery TODAY, or it's not good enough. BB want results TODAY and not in 5-10 years doing it the hard way grinding, eating, not missing meals or workouts. Let's increase the PEDs instead.

WOW

 

[goback2013]

For those saying dosed have increased; what are you basing this on?

80s 90s etc there were no boards for gym bros and competitors to anonymously share what they were using.

Check out the EAS steroid 'bibles' from that time.
Suggested doses where like 200-400mg of test and a couple dbol tabs.
One 'super' cycle was to use 1 suston/omnadren amp per day. For some(maybe most) these days thats a starter cycle.

 

[aHarness]

Speaking with pro’s now and then. As well, John Meadow’s has a video in his members content section showing cycles from then and comparing to ones used now. I’ve posted it on here before if anyone wants to dig it up.

Right, but we will never know the crazy stuff going on behind closed doors by gym bros, lower level guys pushing the envelope without superior genetics, etc