Back in Episode 278<\/a>, the panel picked on bodybuilders who hit the stage with distended stomachs, noting that it put a lot of people off from watching the sport. During the latest episode, the gang shared their own experiences of eating too much in order gain size for the competitive stage. They reflected that sometimes; their best physiques were not always their biggest.<\/p>\nShould Judges Penalize Distended Stomachs?<\/h2>\n
During the show, Milos Sarcev shared that he ate so much before one competition that he couldn\u2019t suck in his stomach for a vacuum pose. \u201cI wanna protect beauty over bodybuilding, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m speaking out\u201d said the man they call \u201cThe Mind.\u201d Sarcev went on to say that he is concerned about the direction that bodybuilding seems to be headed in, where bigger is often labelled as better. \u201cAm I crazy by saying you should penalize bubble guts and big stomachs,\u201d he asked, noting that this was not always an issue. Sarcev said the modern ethos, where bodybuilder\u2019s sometimes get away with huge guts, so long as they control them during poses, is an act of denial. \u201cIt\u2019s your physique that you bring on the stage,\u201d explained the retired Yugoslavian competitor. \u201cBuild a physique you\u2019re proud of, and you don\u2019t have to think of controlling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Bodybuilders Are Questioning Size Over Aesthetics<\/h2>\n
\u201cAs a professional bodybuilder, you are absolutely right,\u201d agreed host Dennis James. \u201cThat\u2019s your only job, is to display your physique.\u201d The Menace said that not everyone should be eating to extremes anyway. \u201cIf you\u2019re 5\u2019 7\u201d, 5\u2019 8\u201d, 5,9\u201d, you\u2019re not supposed to be 260, 270 pounds on stage.\u201d James went on to say that his physique at 240 pounds was superior to the body he built at 260 pounds.<\/p>\n
Milos Sarcev reflected that this sentiment of quality over size has been echoed by other veteran bodybuilders like Kevin Levrone, Flex Wheeler, and even Ronnie Coleman. \u201cBut then the direction we are going, and pushing, okay, because it was Dorian (Yates) and size, and freakiness,\u201d bemoaned The Mind.<\/p>\n
Chris Cormier, who had an incredibly tight physique in the late 90s and early 2000s agreed with Sarcev\u2019s assessment. \u201cYou\u2019re not wrong,\u201d he said in support. What do you think? To watch the complete latest episode of The Menace Podcast on the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel, where the boys also discussed the results of the Arnold Classic U.K., and other breaking bodybuilding news, see below.<\/p>\n