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> BB is more an art than a sport Well, the Mr. Olympias were some of the strongest men in history. Ronnie Coleman was doing leg press reps in the 2,300 pound

> BB is more an art than a sport Well, the Mr. Olympias were some of the strongest men in history. Ronnie Coleman was doing leg press reps in the 2,300 pound range, and he admitted after retirement wishing that he had gone heavier. His dumbbell presses over 200 pounds at 10+ reps per set is incredible. He had safety spotters in case the equipment broke bolts, not because he failed lifts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSMaI63H9hc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSMaI63H9hc The only person on the Terminator movies sets who could lift the gatling gun was Arnold.

leshow 6y ago
What does being strong have to do with it? Bodybuilders are judged closer to figure skaters are than powerlifters. Whether you think that makes it an 'art' or not is subjective, but the sport itself is very subjective. It's judged, there is no weight lifting on stage. It doesn't matter at all how much you can lift at the show.
simonbarker87 6y ago
The strength of a body builder as a result of their training doesn’t disprove my point, that is just another side effect of their training - they become very strong. However world recording holding strength levels are not required to win body building competitions - the look of your figure as subjectively judged by other people is what wins BB comps. If Coleman or Arny competed in powerlifting then they would do very well, but then they would be participating in a different domain, one that is undoubtedly a sport.
tyingq 6y ago
"The only person on the Terminator movies sets who could lift the gatling gun was Arnold." The mini gun was an M134. Those weigh between 41 and 85 lbs, depending on the model variant. So, yeah, it was heavy, but not crazy heavy.
- ashtonkem 6y ago
  The M134 weighs 85lbs without ammunition, and the actor has to hold it out in front of them in an awkward position. 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. Add in the need to carry/consume a prodigious amount of ammunition plus the recoil generated by the blanks, and it's a lot to deal with.
  - lmm 6y ago
    > 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. The way the anecdote is usually told is that Schwarzenegger was the only guy on set who could carry it at all, not that he was the only guy who could hold it out in front of him. Is that an exaggeration?
  - wmeredith 6y ago
    The weight of the gun would also help immensely with the recoil.
  - tyingq 6y ago
    It's fairly obvious the movie scene has the M134 in a sling, so that he's not holding the whole thing up with his hands. When he starts walking, he only has one hand on it, near the rear of the gun. Not disputing it's heavy and awkward. It's just not, to me, something you would cite as "only a really strong person could do it". You can find videos of pretty normal looking people firing it while it's held by a sling and their hands.
    - daniel-cussen 6y ago
      The additional criteria is that he has to act a certain way and look a certain way while carrying it, on film camera. He needs the strength for it not to get in the way of the performance at all.
n4r9 6y ago
Coleman is a massive outlier in this regard. He also worked himself to such an extreme that he now has severe physical issues.

leshow 6y ago

What does being strong have to do with it? Bodybuilders are judged closer to figure skaters are than powerlifters. Whether you think that makes it an 'art' or not is subjective, but the sport itself is very subjective. It's judged, there is no weight lifting on stage. It doesn't matter at all how much you can lift at the show.

simonbarker87 6y ago

The strength of a body builder as a result of their training doesn’t disprove my point, that is just another side effect of their training - they become very strong. However world recording holding strength levels are not required to win body building competitions - the look of your figure as subjectively judged by other people is what wins BB comps. If Coleman or Arny competed in powerlifting then they would do very well, but then they would be participating in a different domain, one that is undoubtedly a sport.

tyingq 6y ago

"The only person on the Terminator movies sets who could lift the gatling gun was Arnold." The mini gun was an M134. Those weigh between 41 and 85 lbs, depending on the model variant. So, yeah, it was heavy, but not crazy heavy.

ashtonkem 6y ago
The M134 weighs 85lbs without ammunition, and the actor has to hold it out in front of them in an awkward position. 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. Add in the need to carry/consume a prodigious amount of ammunition plus the recoil generated by the blanks, and it's a lot to deal with.
- lmm 6y ago
  > 85lbs isn't a lot to lift or carry close to your chest, but it's a lot to hold out in front of you. The way the anecdote is usually told is that Schwarzenegger was the only guy on set who could carry it at all, not that he was the only guy who could hold it out in front of him. Is that an exaggeration?
- wmeredith 6y ago
  The weight of the gun would also help immensely with the recoil.
- tyingq 6y ago
  It's fairly obvious the movie scene has the M134 in a sling, so that he's not holding the whole thing up with his hands. When he starts walking, he only has one hand on it, near the rear of the gun. Not disputing it's heavy and awkward. It's just not, to me, something you would cite as "only a really strong person could do it". You can find videos of pretty normal looking people firing it while it's held by a sling and their hands.
  - daniel-cussen 6y ago
    The additional criteria is that he has to act a certain way and look a certain way while carrying it, on film camera. He needs the strength for it not to get in the way of the performance at all.

n4r9 6y ago

Coleman is a massive outlier in this regard. He also worked himself to such an extreme that he now has severe physical issues.