Bodybuilding is frustrating in the way a date at an art museum might be; everything is up to interpretation. With no truly objective measurement for quality or achievement, physique competitors live and die by the subjective opinions of judges, fans, and each other.
The 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford is at the top of his game — but could he go toe-to-toe with the likes of Ronnie Coleman, Kevin Levrone, or Dorian Yates? Yates himself, in a Jul. 10, 2024, episode of the Shadow Talk with Dorian Yates podcast, said no.
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Prompted by guest Derek of More Plates, More Dates, Yates theorized on how he’d do in the modern bodybuilding arena, and whether any of today’s pros can truly “match up” against the best bodybuilders of the ’90s.
“It’s Not the Same”: Dorian Yates on Modern Bodybuilding
Yates and Derek (who withholds his surname online) discussed how the landscape of bodybuilding has changed compared to Yates’ heyday.
“It’s not the same standard anymore,” Yates said. “I’m happy I had my career when I had it, because I could actually be ‘the Shadow.’”
Yates, who won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles between 1992 and 1997, was notoriously reclusive. His penchant for remaining clothed in the back room of bodybuilding contests and his aversion to the press earned ‘the Shadow’ his nickname.
I’m happy I had my career when I had it.
Dorian Yates
He and Derek then got specific on how social media shines a spotlight on the career bodybuilder that never switches off.
“The pressure to maintain appearances is higher [than in the ’90s],” Derek offered. Yates agreed: “In my day, people only saw you at competitions or right after.”
Derek then pitched Yates on a hypothetical. “How do you think you’d do today with the physique you had in the ’90s?”
Dorian Yates on Why No Bodybuilder Today “Matches” the 90s
Yates balked a bit at the question but decided to throw his hat in the ring. “It’s not the same standard anymore,” he said, referring to his perception that conditioning standards have dropped. “It’s like, ‘Why are all the guys very short? Why do they not have calves or forearms?’”
Yates then cited a handful of bodybuilders who, in his mind, helped define the sport in the 90s:
“I mean, look; Flex Wheeler, Kevin Levrone, Ronnie Coleman … There’s nobody that can match those guys in proportion, size, conditioning, the whole mix.”
Living Legends: Wheeler and Levrone are commonly considered among the most gifted — and possibly underrated — bodybuilders of all time. Neither of them ever won the Sandow, though Levrone bagged Arnold Classic titles in ‘94 and ‘96, and Wheeler in ‘93, ‘97, ‘98, and 2000.
Coleman, on the other hand, famously captured the hearts and minds of bodybuilding fans all over the world during his eight-win Olympia run between 1998 and 2005. He’s tied for wins with Lee Haney, who ruled bodybuilding in the ’80s.
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To Yates’ point, the Men’s Open division in recent years has struggled to crown an athlete who can usher in their own bodybuilding dynasty.
In the seven years since Phil Heath ended his reign in 2017, the Sandow has changed hands on a yearly basis save for a back-to-back performance by Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, who won in 2020 and 2021.
Is Bodybuilding Less Popular Than in the 1990s?
Yates chewed on the supposed lack of “outstanding genetic specimens” in bodybuilding and what he perceives to be a shallower pool of talent than existed in the ‘90s.
“More people are going to the gym now, but there are fewer bodybuilders,” Yates said. “In the ‘80s and ‘90s, every dude wanted to be a bodybuilder … Nowadays, there are so many different avenues and divisions.”
Yates is on the money here. According to Statista, gym memberships in the U.S. have experienced a “near continual increase” since the turn of the millennium, from about 33 million to just over 64 million in 2019.
But what of Yates’ claim that Open bodybuilding has shrunk to make room for other physique-related opportunities? There are certainly more divisions now than at any other time in the sport’s history (in 1994, Men’s Open was the only male division).
New Horizons: Men’s and Women’s Physique both opened in 2013, and the now-famous Classic Physique, over which Chris Bumstead presides, began in 2016.
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Not to mention that “fitness influencers” weren’t a ‘thing’ back then, either. Sam Sulek is a social media darling at just 22 but has yet to earn his pro card. While there are more diverse pastures awaiting would-be physique athletes, determining whether Open bodybuilding is truly more niche than in the ‘90s is harder to answer:
Per Muscle Memory, the IFBB held 20 Men’s pro shows in 1994. The IFBB Pro League has 22 events on its 2024 schedule, not counting Masters or natural shows.
BarBend reached out to the IFBB for information on their membership in the Men’s Open category over the last 30 years. The organization declined to comment.
“[Fewer] people want to compete in bodybuilding competitions. If less people do it, you’re gonna get [fewer] outstanding specimens,” Yates closed. Is he right? Only time will tell. The next Ronnie Coleman could very well be waiting in the wings.
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Featured Image: @dereklunsford_ / Instagram
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