ahh the good ol days!

[1705total]

Allow me to relive what got me started in the iron game.

The year was 1984, about the November/December time frame. I was either 14 going on 15 or just turned 15. I had been lifting at home for about 3 years mainly for football. I happended to be shopping at the mall when I noticed "muscle and fitness" for the very first time.
Now for you newbies, back then M&F was as hardcore as Flex is now.
They had the contest coverage for the 1984 Mr. Olympia (haney's first win). There was also an article on his back training, which showed a picture of Haney doing shrugs from the rear with dumbells.
I've never seen a back so wide and thick before.
Well I fell in love with the sport right there.
For Christmas my mother gave me Joe Weiders "Mr. Olympia" book, and I quickly realized there was more then one champion throughout the 60's and 70's.
Sergio quickly became my favorite.
That is until next months issue came out and Rich Gaspari had won the nationals (light heavyweight class).

American Muscle on ESPN soon started running and I was more then hooked. Obsessed realy.

It took about 2 years before I realized that pros used steriods. I remember telling kids at school that the pros looked that way because of amino acids! LOL!!

Once I realized what was really involved I stayed natural.

I competed and did well winning a few teen shows, then as life grew more complicated, I drifted away from the stage so to speak.

The 80's to me was a true golden age of bodybuilding.
I know it will be different for eveyone, but to me the physiques back then looked awesome and human.
Don't get me wrong progress is good, and the guys today do look awesome, but still, in my opinion guys like Eddi Robinson, Rich Gaspari, Lee Labrada, Bob Paris, Berry Demay, and Lee Haney look better.
I know these guys would get crushed if competed against guys like Atwood, or Coleman, or Cutler,

But still for my money,
there was no better.

[Tim Wescott]

Great post Steve!!

The above guy`s would not get crushed today if I was a judge.....trust me on that!!

For great pics of most of the guy`s you`ve mentioned,check out the Bodybuilding Superstars section if you haven`t already done so!!

The 80`s were the dawn of a new breed of bodybuilders,and one of the best decades for great physiques !!

[GerryT]

The 80s were a Golden Age, and those physiques still stand up well. John DeFendis and Tim Belknap were among my 80s top athletes, but basically liked and respected them all.

Likewise, freaked when I first saw Lee Haney's back.
He was a standard to which others were compared.

[cavemuscle]

Agreed there! had worked out since I was 19, but everything seemed to hit thier stride in the 80s. I modelled myself on Eddie Robinson

Seemed to work, got me a trophy or two.


Brock

[Fenris]

My initial interest was kindled in 1987. I remember buying my first issue of M&F (on the cover was Gaspari wearing nothing but gloves, posing trunks--and cross-country skis! WTF?) and being scared that the counter girl was gonna laugh at me because I wasn't muscular enough to be buying it!

I labored away for years before realizing that my genetics were better suited to powerlifting (VERY endomorphic and a Benny Podda waistline), but will always fondly remember the big names from the late 80's and early 90's.

[ChrisC]

I agrre withat many of the 80s physiques were actually better than today's massmonsters.

I'm more of a fan of some of the earlier physiques. To me, Serge Nubret has one of the best physiques ever. Earlier still , guys like Steve Reeves looked fantastic.