What it takes to be #1

What it takes to be be #1

Hi guys, I’ve had too much spare time on my hands lately with prep/studies etc and I’ve been thinking about what would be the “optimal combination” to be considered the true #1 genetic freak in the sport of bodybuilding. I’ll sum up what I’ve got so far and we’ll most likely come to the conclusion that Coleman got scary close to this epitome of genetic potential.

section is a bit slow and some trolls here and there but i thought it would be fun to discuss how impossible it actually is to be #1

Body Potential

Muscle Insertions: you can't just have good insertions for biceps, everything has to be optimal. Calves, lats, glute/ham tie ins. options are limitless

Muscle Bellies: having muscle bellies like Phil Heath looks good, but he doesn't have that grainy look Branch has. it's give or take but what if you could have both?

Muscle Separation: Some pro's just look immensly 3-D thanks to their muscle separation, the opposite of jay's upper body.

Muscle Development: you can have the best insertions but if the musle isn't developed enough it's still no good.

Muscle Symmetry: i.e. NOT BRANCH. early dexter jackson in his blade days still is an amazing sight everytime i see pics

Frame: wide shoulders, narrow waist, flaring lats and quads

Injury sensitivity: you can't last for a run if you tear your biceps during your first set of EZ curls ever

Conditioning: some pro's have issues to get rid of that last layer of fat in some places, lower back/glutes/hams. combine that with lesser muscle separation and holding water easier than others (beyeke/jay/..) and you'll look off. Coleman had shredded glutes in offseason flex once said during an off season, his genetics cause him to not easily hold fat there

Supplementation

Response: alot of people tech, but the ones that are actually succesful on it and make it to pro level without using every possible flavour out there at high doses is very rare. also has to do with the "attitude" why there are so many users of whom you'd think they're natural. (c'mon guys, it's almost summer, we're all seeing this in our gyms)

Health issues: kidney failure, heart issues etc etc, some are just more prone to it than others.

Side effects: GUTS, not saying this is from hgh etc alone but the eating/supplementation does cause this. i don't get why jay gets bashed for his waist tbh, sure it looks bad atm but he's one of the biggest guys to ever step on stage and it used to be in check like mad. if you ever go to a high level amateur show you'd be surprised at how big the guts are compared to the mass they're carrying

Attitude

Train hard: Centopani/kai/ronnie they all train like mad men in their own way. if you see vids from curry/huh it's just a mind****.

Diet hard: some pro's are imo not honest with themselves and don't put the foot down hard enough when dieting for a show. i honestly don't get how you can be a pro and not be embarrased to show up at 80% like we see frequently

Side factors

Background story: kai is always getting punished for his even though he's had hell of a rough childhood. Phil on the other hand is boy wonder and that's what the fans and even more the "normal society" wants to see. projects a better image of the sport

Facial aesthetics: you just don't want the posterboy of the sport to have a face like frankenstein

Personality: attitude towards the fans, spontanity in interviews and general likeability help you go further in the sport and get more connected. Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered the GOAT more for his charisma and what he accomplished for the progress of the sport than his physique imo

Connections: well... muscletech is a good example, and gaspari at the teen nationals couple of years ago..

interested to see howmuch more there is to add and the discussions about some of the factors. hope it was a good read!

 

What it takes to be #1

Good read. What about genetics?

 

What it takes to be #1

that's the entire point, optimal genetics for every aspect i found. pretty demotivating tbh to realise how crazy the odds have to be

 

What it takes to be #1

Consistency: Another reason Phil is well liked.

Throw in some striations for what we like to see like in Kai's quads.

 

What it takes to be #1

knew i forgot something, consistency is one of the key factors tbh

 

What it takes to be #1

Awesome post. Agreed on basically everything.

 

What it takes to be #1

Top thread Tim, busy now so can't go into detail with a good response, just browsing. But it's thought provoking stuff!

One thing I will say tho is that even Coleman didn't have all of the above mentioned factors and he's an 8x Mr O. So don't get too demotivated if you don't have everything on the list

 

What it takes to be #1

did you mention "lines" ?

good read tho

 

What it takes to be #1

Trying to think about all the complaining we get from pro threads. You know the usual weekly thread about a pro and the "if only his X was better" response.

You've covered pretty much all of it.

I guess Balance of muscle groups. People always rag on Ronnie for calves too small for quads, Dorian calves too big for quads, Wolf no calves, etc.

 

What it takes to be #1

suppose that's loosely connected with frame/separation? litteraly 1000's of aspects and possiblities that create a physique