I was gonna say sum ppl really do forget or don't realize how dominant prime Ronnie was. Imo u could put anyone up against him and it wouldn't be close.
It's so crazy as the video goes on, Flex looking astonishing, Shaun Ray looking immaculate, then Ronnie and my mouth drops to the floor, at the sheer size, muscle belly and conditioning.
1999 Shawn is so damn complete. It's incredible how much bigger he is in 98/99 than when he faced Dorian in the early 90s without any spilling over or losing any conditioning. He and Samir may be the two most complete bodybuilders ever: consistent conditioning, lines, symmetry, fullness, separation, and neither had any weak body parts to look at. Both underrated when discussing back shots, just a perfect marriage of width/striations and full on size. Just unreal how good Shawn was to place top 5 for 12 years consecutively
“These are my favorite physiques, not nessecsrily my favorite bodybuilders” - “these are not only my favorite physiques, but also my favorite bodybuilders” noice
Mine 1993 AC flex Wheeler 1994 Olympia Shawn Ray 1999 Ronnie Coleman 2008 Olympia Phil Heath 1997 Kevin Levrone Honourable mentions: 1974 Arnold, 1975 Serge Nubret, 2009 Dexter Jackson, 1985 Bob Paris
@@Tomn8er here's mine (honorable mention Melvin Anthony 2001 IFBB Iron man pro) 5) Kevin Levrone 1997 Finland GP 4) Shawn Ray 1999 olympia 3) Cedric McMillan NY Pro 2012 2) Dexter Jackson 2008 Olympia 1) Lionel Beyeke Arnold Classic Africa 2016
Bryan Harris it was his freakiness that made us think that I thought exactly the same especially when he hit the lat spread both front and rear he was awesome
1999 Shawn Ray is also my favorite physique. Due to his placing, I believe that physique is often overlooked, and it shoudn't. I feel like it brings the best of all passed era's into one package. PS: Shawn's low lat insertions are insane
Without really thinking about it, Ronnie Coleman 99 Phill Heath 2011, flex 1993 Arnold and Dorian Yates 93. For me they have to be the best of all time
Shawn is my all time favorite too bro! And believe it or not when I read the title this is the exact vid of Shawn I had in mind as my favorite physique.
Dexter did it in 2008..Phil already did that in 2011...shawn in 2018 again won with aesthetics and conditioning... brandon is pretty much a shape bodybuilder not a mass monster. Patrick's physique is best where it is now. He just doesn't have the torso thickness or legs to hang, especially now he is in his mid 30s.
Shawn ray is my fave too! And I love how many people hop on the ‘I hate that dude but…’ wagon. He had, undeniably, the best in olympia history imo. And on top of that is a bodybuilding historian of sorts who speaks his mind and keeps giving back to the bb community.
You hit the proverbial nail on the head: 'If only Shawn Ray could have been a few inches taller.' Shawn had one of the most complete physique ever. Phil Heath had not one weak muscle in his body. Kevin Levrone was simply AWESOME. And Big Ronnie looked inhuman. Certainly the freakiest bodybuilder ever. At the end of the day, though, '93 Flex Wheeler is my all time favorite bodybuilding physique. Great video!
markus rühl night of champions 2002! his conditioning was razor sharp, we dont need to talk about markus rühls size but even his tricep looks quite balanced there and he had a quite pleasing mid section
1-Jay cutler 2009 olympia 2- Kevin levrone 1993 olympia 3- Phil heath 2011 olympia 4- Cedric Mcmillan 2012 Ny pro 5- Ronnie Coleman 98,99,2003 can’t really decide either of those three years
nice that you mentioned the 2012 ny pro version of cedric. 2012 and 2013 were my favorite versions of cedric. his physique in these past couple of years hasn't even been close to the '12 or '13 package.
I have always liked the physiques of mid to late 80s the most. I agree that 90s was the best era in bodybuilding, perfect combination of mass, conditioning, proportions even aesthetics and posing + stage presense, I just like the more 'athletic" look of the mid to late 80s little more. 2 of my favorites ever were Berry De Mey in 88 Olympia and also Bob Paris in 88 Olympia or in 1989 Swedish GP. These two had the most aesthetic physiques ever in my eyes. Both were tall guys with perfect frame, proportions, symmetry, definition, conditioning plus both were masterfull posers and sure they would not stand a chance againsed the 90s or 2000s bb's, but imo they still had great level of mass for their era. Edit. Also Tom if u are reading this could u give ur opinion of the 88 Olympia placings, imo De Mey should have been second and not Gaspari, the quality of the pics and videos is not the best but, I would like to hear ur opinion. Thx!
Right definitely get what you mean by a more athletic look, especially in regards to De Mey and Paris. As for the 88 Olympia, not sure. I'd have to go back and review in depth as I've only really looked at individual routines from that year.
Very well done, my friend.Right on point. Maybe Shaun could switch places with Flex since he was more complete, but the 1993 Flex version was brobably the best physique i have ever seen .Greetings from Greece.
It's Shawn Ray Whenever you to think a perfect body you immediately remember the Greek gods. That's the perfect symmetry which only Shawn maintained consistently. Ronnie was a great bodybuilder but when you had a bloated middle section the essence lost. See his middle section in this video while he was moving for the back pose and then see the Shawn routine Mate , bodybuilding is symmetry in every body parts. Arguably in later 90's and early 2000-01, only Shawn could pose a front double biceps with a vaccumed abdomen. Though I respect these all
my personal 5: Shawn Ray - 1992 (I know he was superior in both the years he took 2nd to Dorian as well as 1999, but goddamn, this year, he was super underrated. I honestly believe he should've taken 2nd instead of Kevin. His aesthetics and conditioning were better than Levrone's) Flex Wheeler - 1993 (Tomn8er said enough lol) Samir Bannout - 1983 (In my personal opinion, he has my favorite back double biceps. It may not be as well developed as Ronnie's, Phil's, or Dorian's, but goddamn, it's so aesthetic. On top of that, unlike those three, from the front, he looked amazing as well. Absolutely deserved that Olympia!) Serge Nubret - 1975 (Goddamn, his proportions were perfect. What's crazy was he dieted down for only 12 days! He's one of the few bodybuilders that can just stand there and still look perfect) Phil Heath - 2011 (I personally believe it's the most perfect physique for the era of the mass monsters because although he's big to the average person, this version of phil isn't too big to the point where he has a gorilla gut and looks mutated. There is still aesthetic appeal) Honorable mentions: Arnold (1974), Mike Mentzer (1980), Danny Padilla and Tom Platz (1981), Lee Haney (1987), Dorian Yates (1992 &1993), Ronnie Coleman (1999), Jay Cutler (2009), Dexter Jackson (2009)
@@Tomn8er thanks man, of course, we shouldn't forget about the greatest of all... Branch Warren at the 2015 Arnold Classic. This is the most perfect specimen to have ever walked the planet. He totally doesn't look like a baby bottle that's been mangled by a Rottweiler
This was a great list of some fantastic physiques. I gotta say that Kevin and Shawn have to be my favorite physiques on the list. Shawn was just so shredded and had such fantastic lines, and Kevin really has that amazing pop like heath but like you said a much better midsection with better flow overall. Seriously dream physiques.
Kevin's most muscular rules. Phil's got something nice but kevin showed some serious round delts,protruding triceps and some pec activity. That was mental, hands down....
My favorites: 5. 1996 German grand Prix Dorian Yates 4. 2013 Olympia Phil Heath 3. 1999 Olympia Shawn ray 2. 1997 German grand prix Ronnie Coleman 1. 1997 Finland grand prix Kevin Levrone Dorian is my favorite bodybuilder ever. He wasn't the most gifted guy on stage, but no one could surpass his effort and dedication to the sport. 👍 I disagree with his opinions though
Jay cutler in 2009 mr olympia was also a great good looking physique May be not the most aesthetic but it was really impressive with that out class QUAD STOMP
Idk I love a good aesthetic physique but the longer I watch the sport the more I appreciate a mass monster. Because the most aesthetic have already come and gone. Nobody will top the classic era and the 90s. But massive size never stops impressing me. Granted no one will ever top 03 Ronny and 02 German guy but still
Yeah, pretty good list! My favourite Olympian physiques - on the one day they really nailed it would be Danny Padilla 1981, Francis Benfatto 1990, and Dorian Yates 1993. Note that only Dorian won, but the other 2 looked absolutely incredible in finishing 5th and 6th respectively! Jay Cutler also nailed it in 2009!
Why allow your bias to distort you from the fact that during his prime, Phil Heath is one of the best bodybuilders to get up on stage. Think with facts, not feelings.
I have nothing against Phil, I just think his chest looks weird. He was a bit small and narrow when he was more aesthetic, then his delts and arms were way big compared to his chest then came tortoise shell. I’ve never been a fan of his proportions. On their own yeah he has some amazing arms, delts, and his back became pretty great too and his legs are awesome but put it all on his little weird torso and it ruins it.
@@chrismccreight8207 People overestimate how narrow and "small" phil is.....he is literally bigger than guys like kevin and flex was...and as narrow maybe just maybe a bit narrower.Im not saying you should like his physique but saying something like that is just untrue...and his body flowed almost perfectly from 2008 to 2013.
@@chrismccreight8207 Speaking of narrow, Kevin was also narrow as hell, he even had unbalance chest and arms, the reason you can think Phil looks weird is that he was much more developed than Kevin, his muscle is too thick, full and round that he is the only one who has the 3D effect out of all bbs ever, his muscles look like balloons stacked together, which is opposite to Kevin or most bb who looks flat, maybe you prefer a flatter physique, but the physique that most people and bbs aiming for is the full, round, and condition looks that Phil has.
I love Ronnie he is arguably the freakiest bodybuilder of all time but personally I was never a fan of his physique and the reason is his mid section. He can nail all the poses but between them he kinda loses control. In my oppinion a tight mid section is maybe the most important factor that defines a good physique.
Imagine him turning out in this shape on this year's Olympia. It wouldn't even be close and we would be talking of a new dominant figure of BB. Meanwhile, he was actually sort of dominated by others during his career (Yates and Ronnie).
Ronnie really looks like he was made out of granite compared to the other guys. I still dont know if it's the vigorous training or extreme use of halo and/or diuretics what gave him the standout hardness?
Kevin levrone is just so amazing I just dont know how he didnt take an Olympia title. The 90's were just so freaking stacked with amazing competitors and only one person can win.
My issue with the Mr. Olympia is that you have to be MILES ahead of a defending champion to dethrone them if they are competing that year. There have been many years when the defending champion retained their title and wasn’t even close to the best physique on the stage. The Olympia should have a reset every year. If the defending champion doesn’t bring his best and someone else is clearly better, then so be it and give them the title. That’s the spirit of competition and it’s good for the sport.
Good choices except I would have included Jay Cutler 2001 before his waist got wider. No weaknesses. Ronnie's calves were sub par, as was Kevin's back, Phil and Shawn's shoulder width.
It's amazing to see that all that entire line up from 0:00 to 1:25 could have been Mr O at certain points in their careers. The 90s were truely the Golden era.
My top 5 pics of Mr. Olympia 1. Ronnie Colman’s 2003 Mr Olympia 2. Marcus ruhl 2002 guest posing 3. Jay cutler 2009 Mr Olympia 4. Gunter schlierkamp 2002 Mr Olympia 5. Arnold Schwarzenegger 1974 Mr Olympia
1. Ronnie Coleman 03' Olympia 2. Markus Rhul 01' Night of champions 3. Roelly Winklaar 18' Arnold Australia 4. Phil Heath 13' Olympia 5. Jay Cutler 09' Olympia
Ronnie '98 Finnish Grand Prix, '98 Mr.Olympia, '99 Mr.Olympia, '99 British Grand Prix, '01 Arnold Classic, '03 Mr.Olympia & '04 Russian Grand Prix and then comes rest of the world. NOBODY beats RONNIE COLEMAN in his prime!
Awesome video. My favourite period of time was from Lee Haney, tooo before the mass-game started (Yates went down hill big time pretty quickly in my view, but the others were still looking very good for some amount of time). Not sure what the actual dates would be here (particularly the end date). Not all of them tried to put on crazy mass either.
