Mr Olympia, the greatest bodybuilding contest in this planet, where people compete to find out who is the best built man.
This sport had reached its zenith with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who brought it to the mainstream. His time was considered to be the Golden age of bodybuilding, where men like Sergio Oliva and Frank Zane brought their art pieces on stage. Back then a person’s physique was judged on a lot of parameters like symmetry, conditioning, aesthetic and proportion.
But eventually it became a quest, about who had the biggest structure on stage, after the reign of Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler, the aesthetics and proportion were somehow overlooked.
Fast forward to 2011, where a young competitor defeats Jay Cutler, to become, the new Mr Olympia. This individual is none other than Phil “The Gift” Heath, who went on to become the top bodybuilder for the next seven years, tallying with the “Austrian oak” Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.
During this time a lot of bodybuilding fans had shown an aversion towards this sport, as somehow it was setting a wrong example for physique standards. Many eminent bodybuilding personalities had shared their dissent on this issue, including Arnold himself. The glory of this sport was somehow fading away.
But in 2018, the sport took an unexpected turn. When the undefeatable Phil Heath got defeated, by an underdog, he was none other than Shawn “Flexatron” Rhoden. Shawn Rhoden’s win is probably a very crucial moment in the sport, as this year he brought on stage, a somewhat ‘Golden Era’ like proportions. His conditioning was off the charts, his proportions were aesthetic and most importantly, his midsection toned and defined, bringing back the good old V taper. However, the same couldn’t be said about Phil Heath, who was majorly criticized for his herniated gut, which overpowered his physique.
Shawn Rhoden really did the unthinkable; by bringing back the sport’s lost glory. This Mr Olympia is probably one of the most important Mr Olympias for the sport, as finally the “best built man” claimed the Sandow.
