I will openly admit that the new trends in bodybuilding have left me more than once sitting in the audience wondering,"Where have we gone wrong?" And the 2003 Masters Olympia was no exception. I have been attending bodybuilding contests since 1978, and have seen some dramatic shifts in the acceptable "look" of professional bodybuilders.

Let's talk about Lee Apperson at this years Masters Olympia held August 15th, and 16th of 2003 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Lee Apperson showed up at this years Masters Olympia in his life time best shape. 245 ripped, and I mean ripped. His skin is perfect and his entire 6' 2" frame is covered in symmetrical separated muscle. In a word he looked amazing. He suffers from lack of freaky size. There is no doubt. But he is by no means small, but at his body height he would have to have 27 inch arms to even compete with mini monsters like Lee Priest. Appersons forte is not freaky size, but in every other category he has it locked. Tight flawless abs, symmetry, cross striated glutes, thick column like neck, clean muscle divisions all without bloat or a hint of water retention. And he can pose. He glides, pops and flexes like a tall Shawn Ray, across the stage. Classic posing from a classic physique artist. The classic look however is out. That all ended with Frank Zane back in 1983.

This then is the crux of the problem. All those things, like posing, and tight abs, and symmetry (the things that made athletes like Chris Dickerson a winner) have all been thrown out the window for size. Your abs can hang out like a pregnant woman expecting twins, your belly button can protrude like a third thumb exploding from your abdomen, and with these physical attributes you can wheeze your way into a decent placing in today's bodybuilding contests. And that my friends, is what's happening in today's elite bodybuilding contest arena.

It's like Bizarro World bodybuilding. A distortion of the main foundation of bodybuilding, to look great. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder so the judges may have tapped into some big belly fetish that I am unaware of at the time of this writing. No one is even faking it anymore! They just let their stomachs hang..and I mean hang baby! Eclipsing not only the impressiveness of their other developed muscle groups, but also any hope for symmetry.

Apperson's body looked so different from anyone else's that competed in the 2003 Masters that it's hard to place him. He could be first, or dead last. A stallion amongst the Budwieser Clydesdale's. Frankly I had him fourth. All things being equal (if they were in fact equal) he deserved 4th. With the exception of first place winner Claude Grouix , the top 5 I had chosen--were NOT the top 5 chosen by the judges. The guys I had winning ( my top 5) didn't win. So I can't be sure what the current (judges) criteria is, really.

My top 3 (not the actual top 3 ) even with the large abs, and weak posing, and muscle bloat etc..still had enough of the "goods" to beat Lee Apperson. But due to his "complete package" look I couldn't find anyone to push him out of fourth place. Lee looks like a poster of a bodybuilder; what you would expect to see if you drove down to Muscle Beach searching for Steve Reeves like athletes jogging by the sea. However the judges at this years Master's placed Apperson 15th. A placing that like the Yeti and UFO abduction's remains a mystery to this reporter. Out of 30 some competitor's he was in the middle of the pack. Based on what? I still can't figure it.

I talked to Lee Apperson 2 weeks after the show. He had no accounting for his placing but said he was very pleased by his final condition at the contest. He had managed, by not over doing his aerobics, to arrive at the 2003 Master's Olympia in his life time best shape at age 46!

Apperson said," The real contest is with yourself. Bodybuilding is about an athletes personal journey. This is my journey. I never thought I would be able to go as far (as I have) with this sport, or love it so much. Placing 15th or 5th..what's the difference? Bodybuilding and the quest to sculpt my body has led me to tremendous personal success and self growth. I love the way I feel and look. I have no complaints. Next year, will be my last year competing, and I plan to come in with a smaller waist and even greater symmetry, this will be my final statement on what I think bodybuilding is all about."There is no doubt that when Lee retires in 2004, he joins the roster of athletes like, Frank Zane, Steve Reeves, Paul Jean-Guillaume, Serge Nubret, Berry DeMey, Bob Paris, Vince Gironda, Francis Benfatto and Shawn Ray. The bodybuilders that pursued the "classic" style of bodybuilding development. I don't think we will see his (or their) likes again.

Dan Burke September 2003

 

 

"I thought Claude Grouix was clearly the winner."

Lee Apperson