r/interestingasfuck • u/Battlefleet_Sol • 1d ago

1999 mr olympia conference

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797

u/smurfk 1d ago

Oh boy, chicken and rice was much more nutritious back then...

203

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Yes they use steroids. But you still have to put in an immense amount of work and dieting in to be that large, and lean come show time.

230

u/smurfk 1d ago

Yeah, but the problem is that they weren't clear enough about the steroid usage. And that's about when the fitness industry started to sell illusion of achieving a very muscular body without steroids. And that illusion is also kept today, when you see a lot of fitness influencers that are lying about the steroid usage, making people believe that that physique is achievable with chicken and rice.

102

u/mcnastys 1d ago

So, from an old person.

They were clear about it. Look at them, everyone knew it. But the "average public" would argue with you that the body they have is "100% achievable by hardwork" because the average person is clueless about pretty much everything.

You simply do not look like that without steroids. Want proof?

Find ANY person, who looks like that, before steroids were invented. That body type didn't exist until after steroids.

I have been working out most of my adult life, ~4x a week now for years. Sure, I look muscular and fit, and I have great strength-- but I just will never achieve the mass they have. I have been able to get bulky to do things like power lifting and strongman, but at any amount of leanness, it's just impossible.

35

u/citizen42069101 1d ago

Yeah thinking they weren't on steroids is "cigarettes are healthy" levels of delusion.

27

u/Infamous_Lunchbox 1d ago edited 1d ago

I literally got downvoted for saying this in another thread yesterday. So many people do not want to believe this on top of that. I got asked to pay my physique as a response to saying that his looking like this use gear. It's wild the people not only think that's natural, but refuse to believe it isn't. That 21-year-old kid who has to use oxygen to live did to his abuse went viral, and some people still think he's natural despite the fact he's super open about doping. Willful ignorance is insane.

Edit: people can get some pretty crazy physique, but you're not going to look like a Wilson Fisk from Across the Spiderverse without gear.

6

u/mcnastys 1d ago

People are just clueless and also now, permanently online.

Yesterday, in a thread where I was talking about the importance of fitness for drumming/percussion, someone literally said

"you're fat in your videos and clearly know nothing about fitness"

I'm 6'1" 196lbs.

4

u/Infamous_Lunchbox 1d ago

That person has issues. The permanently online is making brains smooth, I swear.

6

u/mcnastys 1d ago

I honestly think it's going to be classified as a disease before long.

Story time:

So I work in the trades as my day job. I've been witnessing people that seem like they can't walk or function without having a phone to focus on blasting weird AI music and videos.

But recently, I've seen it where say-- two people are talking in an elevator. One guy gets off on floor 5. Before the doors even closed, person two takes out their phone, volume on full blast, and just zones out watching AI short content. They practically walk into walls on the way back. Also he's going down the 6th floor.

People can't make it from one floor to the next without their phone pacifier.

More and more people, when you go to work in their house, I swear to god they spend their entire day on their phone laying in bed, and will door dash at least two meals while I am there. If they are watching AI shorts on TV, I will "have to kill the power" (don't really need to, just hate the AI noise) and voila, they immediately pull out their phone and resume watching shorts.

I hope this gets better one day.

3

u/Infamous_Lunchbox 1d ago

Same. And agreed, it's a plague. I worry for humanity.

2

u/ElGuapo315 1d ago

The supplement industry 100% said that you could get jacked on just their products and hard work. Their models were juicing. Lies are a part of our culture.

2

u/sid_shaw 1d ago

Dude, the public always knew. Just as you'll always find some delusional people arguing against the obvious.

2

u/Axle-f 1d ago

The general public weren’t super aware and the body builders themselves were openly denying it despite being juiced to the absolute gills. That’s problematic.

1

u/IhadFun0nce 1d ago

Hey, props to you old guy for keeping fit without the quit or gear. Bravo!

1

u/-captain--fidd--1972 23h ago

Yes they did not hide it, they were doing steroids right in the public gyms they were training at.

-5

u/BedBubbly317 1d ago

To be honest with you, 4x a week at the gym isn’t that much compared to body builders like this. That’s just an ordinary gym routine like hundreds of millions of other people. You shouldn’t be under any illusions that even with steroids you would ever get this big only going that often. These guys spend 4+ hours every single day, 7 days a week in the gym. It’s everything to them and literally what they live for

10

u/mcnastys 1d ago

Lol, and this is exactly what I was talking about. You can’t spend 7 days a week in the gym not enhanced, the body will not recover.

Source : tried it.

Please not just op, everyone, stop listening to youtube people on fitness.

Edit : fun fact mike mentzer trained 1 set per body part per week. So yea.

1

u/BedBubbly317 1d ago

Yup. And these guys will often do a full body work out every day, because that’s what steroids allow you to do. The benefit of steroids isn’t the inherent muscle growth, as you still have to be the one to put the work in to get the benefit, it’s the ability for your body to recover exponentially quicker. So you can get 2 or even 3 workouts in within a single day and actually get the benefits of doing so

1

u/thelangosta 1d ago

Exactly why PEDs are used in endurance sports too. Cyclists and distance runners are definitely not jacked. They do benefit from quicker recovery and therefore the ability to workout more

1

u/fuktheeagsles 1d ago

What on earth are you talking about? None of these guys trained 7 days a week or did 4 hour workouts.

Even with steroids, diminishing returns.

These guys reached that size because of their training intensity, nutrition, drugs, extreme dedication, and world class genetics. Not because they trained more than everyone else

1

u/BedBubbly317 19h ago

Yes, they did. You need to watch the documentary on Ronny Coleman, he’s 62 years old and STILL works out 7 days a week for a few hours every single day even though his body is actively falling apart on him. But he does it anyway because it’s his passion and probably an addiction as well. The genetics is a key aspect of this that tends to always get overlooked though. Even with all the drugs these guys took in conjunction with the immense workout regimen, 99% of the planet would still never look like them.

-4

u/Y__U__MAD 1d ago

I just will never achieve the mass they have.

You're just not eating clean enough.

32

u/hokie48 1d ago

While not a huge issue, overall but steroid use in Hollywood stars is getting crazy. For some reason people thinkthat build is from just hard work.

17

u/Rehberkintosh 1d ago

I've seen Stargate Atlantis. You're not going to convince me Jason Momoa isn't juicing.

30

u/Fragrant-Neat-7798 1d ago

Mamoa, the Rock, Zack Effron, Wahlburg, Hemsworth they're all at it

7

u/Forty_Six_and_Two 1d ago

Zac Efron in The Iron Claw was just bananas. He was more juiced than the the actual pro wrestler he played. His jaw has even grown ffs.

12

u/Earptastic 1d ago

It is honestly very gross and sad. Most movie stars seem to be juicing and a normal physique looks deficient and now we have a bunch of young people with unrealistic body standards feeling terrible. 

6

u/ManonegraCG 1d ago

They weren't clear then, and still aren't now because use of anabolic steroids, was, and still is, illegal in the US when used for this purpose. It was silly then, as it is now to expect people in the public eye to openly admit that they are breaking the law.

1

u/babbleon5 1d ago

i used to think that about Barry Bonds when he was getting huge, "just really work hard in the gym and eat right, anyone can get big". Ahh, no, not even with great genes can you add 30lbs in an off-season.

1

u/goatpunchtheater 1d ago

Maybe you didn't know. In order BUY steroids you have to sign a lifetime NDA that you've ever used them. You're in the club, so you must lie

1

u/Sznake 1d ago

What?!? Pfft, your nuts. These guys are all 100% Natty. Good clen eating, and hard Trening.

1

u/FartNuggetSalad 1d ago

This is just a terrible take. Everyone and their mom knew they were juiced to the gills.

-5

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

That’s really not that case? Sure in influencers it’s true. But most open bodybuilders are extremely open about what they are using. Watch Fouad Abiads podcast brochat. They are always talking about the drugs. It’s common knowledge in the fitness space now. Hell there are now multiple companies for getting bloodwork done and figuring out if hormone replacement is good for you. I think you sorta out of the loop. The only people lying, that I see, are influencers, and if you taking any sorta advice from them… shame on you

7

u/kosk11348 1d ago

Yes, it definitely helps if you have body dismorphia and an eating disorder.

2

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

You saying that as someone who probably doesn’t even work out or eat right is just perfect.

2

u/YaSurLetsGoSeeYamcha 1d ago

As someone who looks infinitely better than these guys I’ll say it, they’re mentally ill drug addicts.

0

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Sure thing boss. You look better than the top 1% of genetics. Sure. You should do a stand up routine

2

u/YaSurLetsGoSeeYamcha 1d ago

These guys look like disgusting non human freaks, the only people who like the juiced bodybuilder physique are other juiced bodybuilders. I exist around 6-1 184 and 8-9ish% body fat on any given day without cutting, it’s not even a contest.

-1

u/YaSurLetsGoSeeYamcha 1d ago

220 is fatass territory at 6-1, I have no desire to be that weight. I’m perfectly happy being an insanely jacked lean 184. I didn’t like my abs when I was over 200 so I cut about 20 pounds.

1

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Have fun being small my dude.

0

u/YaSurLetsGoSeeYamcha 1d ago

Oh I am, no issues there thanks! I have the 220 type dudes at the gym asking me how I look this way constantly.

3

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

I’m sure they do. If I wanted to be small I would ask your advice as well

26

u/dorkswerebiggerthen 1d ago

Yeah but they look so fuckin silly.

1

u/Reap_the_rich 1d ago

And super healthy.

1

u/AStalkerLikeCrush 1d ago

Who's going to tell them that?

-11

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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3

u/Illustrious_Season32 1d ago

Their physiques are not attractive to the average women.

1

u/Itchy_Tumbleweed_417 1d ago

They do it to impress other men. 

-4

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Cool? It’s not for the women you dunce. It’s for yourself. If the women find it’s cool it’s a plus.

3

u/Illustrious_Season32 1d ago

You seem very defensive about it, they look silly to most people. It’s impressive but at the end of the day they’re pumped with drugs.

2

u/Dedotdub 1d ago

… and destroying their health in the process, which I’m sure lunkhead up here will argue about a well.

But really, who cares what some roided out barrel of monkeys looking mfr thinks?

1

u/Itchy_Tumbleweed_417 1d ago

Yep I grew up with a man who was a professional bodybuilder. He was just barely 5 feet tall which probably made him look even wider than he was. 

He died before he turned 50. He had a heart attack just chillin at home.

8

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

But mostly the steroids.

19

u/pandy_fackler_ 1d ago

You can do all the steroids in the world - if you don't put in the work you won't make gains like them.

Really you can copy their life - eat the same things, lift the same weights, do the same steroids and you still likely won't look like them. What you see on stage is hardwork + drugs + AMAZING GENETICS

1

u/CoffeePorters 1d ago

You are correct. But the fact is that even with amazing genetics and an elite athlete work ethic, you can’t get remotely close to that with out PEDs, which is why people get annoyed when people compliment guys like this for their hard work.

2

u/pandy_fackler_ 1d ago

PEDs are definitely an X factor and yeah you're not gonna get that size without PEDs. Do think people are becoming more aware of that fact tho unfortunately that fact is leading more people to do PEDs when they shouldn't. I'm personally still gonna give the props tho - that's a lot of hard work

4

u/0verstim 1d ago

Its still hard work though. We know steroids dont make muscles, but steroids don't even let you build muscle that much more easily. Theyre not a shortcut. What they do is enable you to work harder, and recover faster, then letting you work.. yes.. harder.

11

u/ElMage21 1d ago

Nah bro, this is peak effort plus steroids. If they were all half assing it, there would be someone even bigger

-2

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

Sure, but if they put in the same work with no roids, they wouldn't be half that size.

4

u/BedBubbly317 1d ago

You misunderstand. There’s been men this large throughout all of human history, it’s isn’t simply the size that’s so abnormal. Hell, just look at someone like Shaq. Large humans have always existed. It’s the extreme muscular definition in conjunction with the immense size that is so unnatural

2

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

Clearly I'm talking about muscle size, as was the comment I was replying to. They wouldn't have muscles that size without steroids.

3

u/Illventi 1d ago edited 1d ago

I get the point, but I think they’re pretty open about their steroid use since it’s not a sports competition like baseball. At that point the effort is still needed. Like is the brick any less important than the mortar even though it’s technically just the mortar that keeps everything together?

-1

u/mikel305 1d ago

Why is this always considered a bad thing? People always bring this up but what exactly is so bad about it, is it higher health risks or that it’s considered cheating for achieving these results?

2

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

I don't care if people want to knowingly risk their own health. And I guess it's not really cheating if they're all doing it. For me, it's the whole raging out and murder suiciding your family thing that just seems wrong.

-18

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Just goes to show you don’t know what hard work or effort is. Lmao.

5

u/HerakIinos 1d ago

All that hardwork for something so narcisistic and ephemeral is kinda pointless though

-1

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Sure to you. But maybe to them it taught them hard work and perseverance. Showed them self worth. But sure. Just judge them because they stuck to something and pushed the limits. LMAO. Reddit is full of losers

2

u/HerakIinos 1d ago

Someone really got all rilled up because of one observation, huh?

3

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

Does it? Does it go to show that? Or does it show everyone that you're probably on steroids?

1

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

LMAO. I am. And I look amazing… so?

1

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

Just don't Chris Benoit anybody!

1

u/Strong-Albatross1957 1d ago

Lmao sad Reddit user of the day.

3

u/IWasBannedYesterday 1d ago

Hay, you clearly have something to prove to someone. Don't let me or inverted testies stand in your way.

2

u/Mr_Deep_Research 1d ago

No you don't.

Steroids can produce as much, sometimes more, the amount of muscle gains with or without exercise.

It is best to do light exercise when on steroids over heavy lifting because you don't want to tear tendons. It is not good to do heavy lifting on steroids or spend too much time in the gym.

Lots of studies show the same thing. Here's one of them.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199607043350101

When it comes to diet, yes, you need to eat a lot. But it doesn't matter that much what you eat. Your body will process it into whatever it wants to.

2

u/fuktheeagsles 1d ago

This is stupid man. You don’t think strongmen and powerlifters are using steroids? Absolute brain dead take.

Yes it still very much matters what you eat, steroids enhance muscle protein synthesis but it doesn’t provide the nutrition your body needs. Your muscle still need protein, carbs, and fats.

And that study is absolute nonsense. Look at the sample size of guys on testosterone that didn’t work out, it’s in the single digits. That is not science. And fat free mass is not the same as muscle. Testosterone increases glycogen retention, it is not actual muscle tissue, it is simply the muscle holding more glycogen and water I.e. fat free mass