Big Ramy is Literally Killing Bodybuilders

The bigger they are, the harder they die. And boy are bodybuilders getting bigger.

We had a good run. After Phil fell off, we had Shawn Rhoden with his classic lines and streamlined physique.

Then Brandon Curry stepped in with a smaller and more proportionate physique. A man who is known for not bulking up in the offseason and prioritizing health and family.

Then in 2020 Big Ramy ushered in an era of size….and size….and holy shit, more size.

Things didn’t change immediately. But in 2021 when Ramy beat Brandon Curry again, the writing was on the wall.

Judges are rewarding size over shape and conditioning.

This makes sense since if you want shape and a classic look, just go to classic physique. But from a health standpoint and for the future of the sport, this is a horrible trajectory.

Now you have Nick Walker pushing it hard and Hadi carrying more muscle on his short frame than one of those Myostatin cows.

I don’t see this changing. People tend to forget we had a generation of bodybuilders die young – the 1990’s mass monsters including Nasser El Sonbaty, Greg Kovacs, and Mike Matarrazo.

They pushed the limits of size and paid the ultimate price for it. Their deaths were most-certainly accelerated by their extreme bodyweight and use of copious amounts of anabolic steroids. They were playing the game. If the judges weren’t rewarding such extreme size, they wouldn’t have had to take so much and in turn be so big.

My personal thoughts on this?

"F*ck it, bring on the mass monsters."

We are all adults here. These bodybuilders have a choice to compete in this manner, stick to the symmetry and conditioning game or, I don’t know, find a real job? Just saying, many pro bodybuilders have done this and found much success in the real world, like Evan Centopani who is crushing it in the finance world.

The same reason I want to see homeruns being hit in baseball regardless of steroid use is the reason I want to see the biggest, freakiest, and nastiest freaks onstage. Football players run headfirst into one another running a sub-4.0 40-yard dash and we love the big hits.

Sports are entertainment but don’t get it twisted, it’s a risk! If these athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to win, that’s their prerogative. And to reward their commitment, we will love it.

Not one bodybuilder at the top thinks they are healthy. They all know the risks and try to mitigate them as much as possible. Like wearing a football helmet, these strategies help, but just like you can still get a concussion with a helmet, you will still wear down your body down and decrease your lifespan by years.

For many these are acceptable terms, and they’re willing to take this risk.

What are your thoughts? Do you think bodybuilding should downsize? And don’t even say “WE SHOULD ALL BE NATURAL!” NOPE not gonna happen in bodybuilding or any professional sport for that matter.

Enjoy the Olympia and appreciate the fact that these guys are literally dying to entertain you.