Despite Praising Ronnie Coleman’s Life-Threatening Work Ethic, Bodybuilding Veteran Explains Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Unparalleled

The three bodybuilding enthusiasts—Nick Trigili, John Hansen and Samir Bannout—sat together in The Muscle Maturity Podcast as they opinionated and reasoned their choice of bodybuilders as the GOAT. In the 35th episode of the podcast, as they looked back to the Arnold Classic 2023, their podcast ended with a hot debate on who qualifies to be the bodybuilding GOAT. 

In the end, Samir Bannout took charge and disclosed his favorite with an explanation. The common names that made the rounds were legendary bodybuilders Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates and Lee Haney. But Bannout explained why there stands no competition to The Austrian Oak. 

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger the GOAT bodybuilder?

When it comes to bodybuilding, there are several contenders who could be called GOAT. When Bannout led the discussion. Bannout and Hansen voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger. For Nick, it was Ronnie Coleman. But how does Arnold stand all of them out? 1983 Mr. Olympia winner Samir Bannout explains the reason in the podcast. He said, “The reason why Arnold is good, all-around champion, he had that 24-carat quality. He had that pretty skin. Every pose Arnold did was meticulous. Every move he did was done meticulously.” 

Bannout continued, “I can’t say the same about Ron Coleman. Although Ron Coleman is probably the most muscular man in the history, and I would say Ron Coleman is a close second but you have to go with Arnold when it comes to the beauty and art of bodybuilding.” Bannout didn’t stop there. Other than the art of posing and looks, he also compared the gears and other things Arnold used during his time and the bodybuilders later used during their career peak. After all, Bannout believed that it wouldn’t be fair if all these factors weren’t considered before evaluating the best.

Further, the bodybuilding veteran disclosed the most notable part of the debate. Samir mentioned the drugs that are prevalent in the bodybuilding sphere, which was a rarity for bodybuilders of Arnold’s time. Bannout said, “And the muscles he grew pre GH, pre IGF-1, pre Insulin — he did it with hard work. Our guys today, they are taking different kinds of gear. So, yeah, they got bigger than Arnold. If Arnold took that same gear, oh my Lord, Arnold competing at 300 pounds? I don’t think he’d be as pretty as the Arnold we know.” 

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Interestingly, Bannout’s favorite bodybuilder isn’t Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Lee Haney. But putting aside his personal biases, he figured out the befitting response. Debates surrounding who qualifies to be the bodybuilding GOAT is a discussion that will never see the dawn of the day. However, interestingly enough, The King of the bodybuilding world, Ronnie Coleman himself stated that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the GOAT. 

Watch This Story: “From King Ronnie Coleman to 4x Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead”: Here Are the Historic Encounter of Bodybuilders With Arnold Schwarzenegger