Can anyone suggest how to answer this?

[CelticMuscle]

I was asked on All Experts.com today what I thought was a fairly easy question "Who is the strongest bodybuilder of all time?". I naturally answered: "Bodybuilding, whilst involving the lifting of weights, is not in itself a sport based on strength. The main aim of bodybuilding is to be at your weakest in order to show off the development of the human physique"

However, that got me a negative rating and the comment, "Dude, what are you on about? Greg Kovacs benched 675 for reps! Johnnie Jackson has a 1RM bench of 565!". All of which poses the question: a) how do you determine the strongest bodybuilder ever? and b) who would win such a title?

[anpuZA]

Who knows...

"The main aim of bodybuilding is to be at your weakest in order to show off the development of the human physique"

I don't understand that one at all. I mean, muscle is muscle, yeah I understand the whole concept of bulk vs strength, but I always thought it was more of a duration thing. Yes the sport isn't based on strength, but in order to sculpt said muscles one must inveriably do strength training. I think a bodybuilder like Alexei Lesukov would undoubtedly break me in half easily, but if you pair him up against that gruffy (yet strangely hot, maybe cause he looks like a real man) Russian arm wrestler (whose name evades me), that's been featured on this site, he will obviously have a tough time. Cause the guy isnt just bulky, he is strong as an ox.

You really should revise that statement, simply because it makes it sound like a 300 pound bodybuilder can have his ass kicked by someone like Shea Lebouf*.

*keeping any know how or inclusion martial arts and weapons out of it

[inm]

Right. they don't compete on strength, nor on their ability to play ping-pong. Also, , strength in what activity?
Anyway, which BBer also competed as powerlifter? Johnny Jackson comes to mind..

[iluvmassivemusl]

What he meant was that when bodybuilders are on stage, they are basically dehydrated and starved to the point that they are physically pretty weak, I mean yeah they could still put up a fight, but the exertion of doing any kind of labor would make them dizzy and pass out. They are some of the biggest and strongest people in any sport at any time in history other than Worlds strongest man competitions but on stage, they are at their absolute weakest point. If they aren't, they aren't dieting enough. It's like its mandatory to have the flu while on stage, that kind of weak.

[Username3]

They may not compete on strength, but you can still determine who's the strongest.

I would say that you can determine ones strength based on how much weight you can handle.

[Geek2Jock]

I would say much the same as above - yes bodybuilders are not at their strongest when on stage but that's not to discount them as being exceptionally strong at other times, especially when training. Pound for pound, I'd say the competitors in the World's Strongest Man competitions are the strongest people in the world, but as your original question qualified bodybuilders specifically and I don't even think those guys qualify themselves a bodybuilders. They also are very committed to compound muscle groups in their feats, whereas bodybuilders are all about muscle group isolation for proper development and proportions, so then you'd probably have to pick a common known qualifier to effectively compare bodybuilders... whether that's their 1RM bench press or squat or whatever.

[Mdlftr]

This is an interesting thread.

I agree with other commenters here that bodybuilders, when not in competition mode (i.e., restricted diets, reduced water consumption, temporarily abnormally low bodyfat levels) which is solely for the purpose of showcasing the muscle size, shape and development - are probably some of the biggest, strongest people around.

Franco Columbu, Arnold's buddy, is probably near the top of the list when it comes to strength-relative to bodyweight. He competed at strongman competitions.

For records of who is the strongest, again, that could be answered any number of ways, depending on what criteria you pick: max deadlift, max 1 rep bench press, max 1 rep squat, etc. But that is really powerlifting, not bodybuilding.

Celtic, you should respond to the posters in your string who gave you a low rating, that their question is like saying, "Ballet dancers are lean, strong, and flexible. Since jockeys in steeplechase races are lean, strong and flexible, which jockey is the best ballet dancer?"

Or, for an equally ridiculous comparison: "elite marathoners have great endurance, strength and slow twitch fiber capability. Since NFL Linemen have similar characteristics, which NFL lineman make great marathoners?"

The whole question being asked: How good are an athelete's capabilities at "X" when their sport requires being good at "Y"?

"How good of a bench presser was Albert Einstein?"
"He sucked"
"Oh, then he must not be any good for anything"

Setting up false comparisons to knock down one side doesn't prove a thesis.

mdlftr

[davidmorgan744]

I cant understand in what sence you are asking the question that. Body builder means strongest, fittest, fighter etc. You need to specify the category. So that you will get the perfect answer.

[Robin Hood]

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