“Neck Is 23 Inches, Calves Are 18”: 75-Year Old Arnold Schwarzenegger Trashed “Not Beautiful” Modern Bodybuilding

The legend Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the pioneers of bodybuilding. The icon grew popular after winning the title of Mr. Olympia seven times in a row. He went on to make a career in acting and became the face of ‘The Terminator’. He eventually ended up in politics and served the role of the governor of California for a few years.

However, over the years, the beauty standards of the contest, which Arnold won back in the 70s, have changed. Arnold once sat down to talk about his thoughts on the difference between the two eras. He explained the difference in modern bodybuilders which has changed how people view the sport.

Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks modern bodybuilding is unacceptable

There has been an obvious change in standards between the older forms of bodybuilding versus the newer forms of bodybuilding. In an interview, Arnold lamented how the modern standards of bodybuilding have become unacceptable. The concept of bodybuilding has evolved from looking athletic and beautiful to looking the biggest out of the lot.

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The icon feels that this shift in standards has resulted in driving away people from participating in the activity. He elaborated, “they hit the shot, and the neck is 23 inches, and the calves are 18! The proportion is gone”. Arnold condemned the way the bodybuilders of the new era looked and said, “their stomach hangs out, and then they hit the shot and the neck is 23 inches and the calves are 18. The proportions are gone. In order to be a champion, in the old days, you always had to bring something else to the table.”

He feels that there isn’t much left to compete about, apart from the size. He questions the audience whether they would like to see a beautiful, athletic person on stage or just the biggest person among the contestants.

The legend compared the situation with the good old days. He stressed that bodybuilders back then had to bring something to the table apart from their size. That, in turn, helped them seal the deal. However, these days the focus is entirely on size and muscle definition. This can be achieved by genetics and occasional bouts of steroids.

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The Austrian Oak deemed this unacceptable. And his point may hold some truth after all. The standards of judgment have definitely shifted through the years. However, whether modern bodybuilding standards should be trashed or not is up to the people. What do you think?