Bodybuilding is going through rather a bad time at present but much of the sickness is self inflicted.   What I have to say applies to Men’s bodybuilding — Women’s bodybuilding has different problems.

Bodybuilders are individuals; they are not team players.  The only thing they have in common is a love of Bodybuilding.   Why else would they commit themselves to the hard work, sacrifices, lack of a social life, the dieting and the cost [buckets of money]   Certainly, they don’t do it for the money they will earn.  To reach the top takes years and years — even if you have great genetics — and only a hand-full will make a serious living from the sport. Bodybuilders should receive all the help and encouragement possible.   But do they?   Do they hell!

There are numerous federations world-wide that organize Bodybuilding shows. They should be pulling together to get as many men as possible competing in all contests; helping each other to maximize support for the sport.  They do not. All too often they behave with great arrogance, treat Bodybuilders like a bloody nuisance — who ought to be grateful for the opportunity to compete in their particular contests.   Frankly, it is bullshit.  Complete bollocks.   There is a shortage of Bodybuilders willing to do everything necessary to compete and we should allow them and encourage them to compete in any contest as and when they want to.

The IFBB is most powerful and it controls the No.1 Professional Division.    They offer the carrot of a Pro Card that could take a competitor through to compete in the Mr. Olympia.   And the IFBB uses that carrot to restrict what Bodybuilders can do.  Anyone who thinks they can attain the standard to get to the Mr. Olympia will be stopped from competing with any other organization — or even being seen at a show.   But I think the time has come to look seriously at just how much of a carrot that Pro Card really is.

In 2005 the IFBB managed to organize just one Pro Show outside the USA.   Any competitor who is not an American by birth or, if not American, has lived in California for years, has little chance of doing well in any Pro contest in the USA.  At this moment, the organization of the IFBB Pro Division seems to be in chaos with GP Shows being advertised, then cancelled or moved to different dates. It may be that these problems are not unconnected with the company, American Media Inc., that now owns the Weider magazines and the rights to the Mr. Olympia.   It has been known for some time that the company is experiencing severe financial problems with reductions in trading profits at the same time as increasing debts.  Sales of the ex-Weider magazines have been falling and the same has been happening to advertising income.  It is known that losses on the Mr. Olympia Show in 2004 reached $1,000,000.  Last week, I was asking, “How much longer will the men with the financial clout allow AMI to carry on like this?  They have no serious interest in Bodybuilding.    If they are to carry on with Bodybuilding it has to make a profit.”  In fact, they have now decided to pull the plug.  The Weider mags are up for sale and it seems likely that they will sell for less than AMI paid.  The company’s accumalated debts have now reached $850,000,000 and they need to find some cash — quick. They will probably spend the minimum on the Olympia this year and then get rid of it to anyone who wants it.

Set against this we have the new Pro Division set up by Wayne de Milia, who, if nothing else, knows about running Pro Bodybuilding events profitably.  His new organization has already been joined by Lee Priest and Vince Taylor and more Bodybuilders are showing interest. Wayne is promising to run 25 contests every year around the world, starting with a new N.O.C. in New York in September.   He is willing to work with all other Bodybuilding organizations and no one will be prevented from entering any other contests they wish.    This is attractive to any Bodybuilder who could do a NABBA Universe and still enter Pro Division events. NABBA have never shown any need to ban Bodybuilders from other organisations.

I would suggest that European Bodybuilders are best placed to give Wayne their support. There are many Pro standard Bodybuilders in Europe who often cannot afford to go to compete in the USA — certainly not on a regular basis — and so the carrot of the Olympia is a no brainer.   Just read American Muscle magazines and you will see that for them most of the rest of the world is a Bodybuilder free zone — unless, as we said, the Bodybuilder moves to California. Top level European Bodybuilders have the possibility of appearing in Wayne’s Pro Division to raise their profiles internationally and yet still be free to earn their livings in their own countries.

Without AMI, I think that the IFBB Pro Division will have increasing difficulties in the next year or so and they will not be in a position to resist the advance of Wayne de Milia’s Pro Division. They will, of course, try to ban and fine Bodybuilders who defect to Wayne — an action, incidentally, which is probably illegal in Europe.    The European Union does not allow any contract terms and conditions which would have the effect of preventing an individual from earning his or her living.  That is exactly what the IFBB tries to do and does not even pay the individual a single penny in salary as it does so — it is worse, it makes them pay for the privilege of not being able to earn their livings.

The next year or so should be interesting. Let us hope that Bodybuilding comes out of it all the stronger.

Phil Heath is the new style physique for 2006.   As the witch hunt against steroids gathers momentum in the USA the lighter, more shapely physiques are coming to the fore.  Whether they will topple the giants in the Olympia is another matter.   But Phil Heath has classic shape and excellent condition which will take him a long way.  This terrific picture appeared on flexonline with a full report of the Denver Pro Show.

Open Day 2006

September 16th is to be the Open Day in the Forest Recreation Centre in Crawley.    There are nearly thirty different organisations in Tilgate Forest and the Open Day gives an opportunity for us to advertise ourselves locally.   We hope to get some good crowds visiting us and seeing all the things that go on here.  In addition to our Bodybuilding and Power Lifting, there will be demonstrations of many martial arts — Judo, Kick Boxing, Karate and many others — theatre groups, table tennis, photography, amateur radio, gymnastics, sub-aqua diving, model railways, nautical training corps, slot car racing and so on.   We are actively supported by Crawley Borough Council and we are hoping that we will again be able to get the mayor to visit us for the whole of the afternoon. Ben Clay [above] was the mayor who visited us last year.  Some matters have still to be agreed following a change of political control of the Council in Crawley but we expect that the Tories will support us just as Labour did.

Harold will be only one week out from the IFBB Spanish GP so we are expecting to see him in top condition.

If you are anywhere in the area, do come and see us — entry is free.

Elias Petsas

In these days of bodybuilders making comebacks, I was looking around for information on Bodybuilders who have impressed me over the years.   All to often great physiques get forgotten and only a few of us remember how good these guys were.  One of the first to really impress me was Elias Petsas from South Africa.  He was only 5ft 6in and in contest shape weighed 195lbs — a lot by the standards of the time. Originally he came from Greece and did win a Mr. Greece contest as well as Mr. South Africa.  In 1971 he was beaten for the Overall NABBA Mr. Universe by the great Ken Waller but he came back to take the title in 1972.  This time he beat tall class winner Paul Grant.  Elias had 19in arms and fabulous abs and maintained the line of great NABBA Universe competitors from South Africa.  Where is he now?

Lee Priest & Tattoo

Lee Priest is an anti-establishment figure, very popular with the fans of Bodybuilding but a pain in the bum to most of the IFBB blazer and suit brigade.   He complains about terrible management and criticizes the judges — a particularly heinous crime.   His latest antics have involved yet another tattoo — this time on his face — and a decision to sign up with Wayne deMilia’s Pro Bodybuilding organisation.   Lee is far and away the highest profile Bodybuilder to sign up with Wayne and this has given the new organisation quite a boost. With AMI about to pull out, who can say that Lee has not taken the right decision?  But the face tattoo?    What’s it all about?  Lee claims that he has always wanted to have a design on his face and finally decided to go ahead.   The trouble with these things is that for competitive Bodybuilders they can be a distraction.  We should just be looking at the physique but have an odd hair style or weird tattoos and our attention is distracted.  Lee has been at the top in Bodybuilding for over 10 years and we all would like him to go on competing for as long as possible.  He has had an increasing interest in car racing in recent years — surely he is heavy for a car driver — but at bottom, he says, he is still first a Bodybuilder and he ain’t going to stop just yet.