Saturday, November 19, 2005

The Great Olympia...

Last night, I watched the Mr. Olympia competition. I've never been attracted to big muscle head kind of guys; that look just doesn't do it for me. And while I can appreciate some of the amazing physiques that some people are genetically blessed with, I never was drawn towards that type of crowd. Similar to LA, Boston has always had a big body building community, and many girls - especially on the north shore - loved being associated with them. Not this girl. I think it's a very vain, narcissistic "sport", and on top of that - the damage that it does to their bodies, in my opinion - far outweighs the goal that very few of them ever achieve. Even the elite Mr Olympia only wins $25,000; he probably spends almost double that just on "product" to look that way. (My husband used to bodybuild. I'm always thankful that he stopped before I met him. He's a boxer, so he's in great shape anyway, and he trains hard; but he's not a "musclehead".) You can always tell the ones who use growth hormones...their chins look oddly long. Think Jay Leno. I often wonder if it hurts them to have their jaw bones grow at this older age in life. Most of these guys who compete in these competitions look far older than their age, are often balding...and just look so weak despite their mass because they deplete so much water to rip up for the competition. I can't imagine what they look like when they're in their down time mode.

But, there are some who are as I said - genetically blessed with a certain build that they don't need growth hormones; while they use other products to bulk up. they look relatively "normal" despite their size. There is one such person who I really, really like. Not only did he look relatively normal during the competition - I've seen pictures of him when he's not in this Olympia mode - and he looks great. Handsome. Beautiful even. His wedding photo of he & his wife is stunning ( I mean, they're both stunning!). He is by far, the most gorgeous body builder, narcissistic muscle head I've ever seen. (Have I eaten enough of my words here???) His body, I could do without...but that face.....

Meet Mr. Olympia's 4th place contestant, Gunter Schlierkamp. To me - just seeing him alone was worth watching the competition.


9 comments:

bigwhitehat said...

Great Guns and Little Pistols!
It is only a sport!
Some of these folks are normal.

Seriously, have you ever checked out UFC and Pride? There is a sport you could appreciate.

Rebecca said...

hahahaha.... that was so funny!
What's UFC and Pride??? First thing I thought of, was cheerleading. (Don't laugh!) I know that is a hard core sport down South which is no joke. Is that what you mean?

Lori said...

Ugh. This look only makes me hurt. If my husband looked like this I'd be expecting MAJOR jobs to be done around the house!

He does have a handsome face, though...

bigwhitehat said...

Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC is fought in and octagon cage while Pride is fought in a boxing ring. These are organizations for mixed martial arts fighting. Good stuff.

My wife is more into it than me. That is no surprise because most of the contestants are good looking fellas.

This sport is right up your alley. It is good old fashioned pugilism.

Rebecca said...

Oh - gotcha. I don't really like the UFC that much, we watch it sometimes, but it's pretty boring. Even though they're "Mixed Martial Arts", you don't get to see a whole heck of alot of their skill. I've never seen Pride. I really enjoy watching true mixed martial arts/kickoxing and boxing matches. The UFC stuff just seems like a free for all to me, rather than a true test of skill. Just my humble opinion.

Cheryl said...

There were 5 big bodybuilding shows a year at the big facility I managed. The place smelled like Pam (the stuff they sprayed themselves with) for days after. The promoters were some of the nicest people I ever met. The contestents, both male and female, were on the whole incredibly narcissistic. Just a sport or not. I do fnd it encouraging that so many of the women in that sport are older--gives me hope! Glad you had a good time--you sure treat yourself to variety in your entertainment!

clew said...

Bodybuilders are a little over the top, but it is fascinating to see the overexaggeration of the body's muscles in these competitions.

I must admit I like beefier guys though. :) #1 rule of attraction: a guy can't be skinnier than me or prettier than me! LOL

bigwhitehat said...

You would like pride better. Less wrestling more pounding.

Yola said...

Great blog. I've written a similar essay back in October titled "The Magnetic Schlierkamp."