Lesukov is very short and while his development is impressive, his chest actually does not flow at all. He looks disproportionate. I am sure this will bring out the fan boys…but I would hope most here can see past that. Shorter bodybuilders always seem to have a harder time standing out on stage against guys who are 4-5 inches taller…and anything shorter than 5’6" is really freaking short.
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs
I’ll post a few more of Antoine since I guess ppl check this section more than the performance photos lol
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lesukov is very short and while his development is impressive, his chest actually does not flow at all. He looks disproportionate. I am sure this will bring out the fan boys…but I would hope most here can see past that. Shorter bodybuilders always seem to have a harder time standing out on stage against guys who are 4-5 inches taller…and anything shorter than 5’6" is really freaking short.[/quote]
How tall is he ?
And I’m not sure if I agree with your chest statement, from all the pictures posted I think his chest is the rounder and more developed one, super thick too, but I am not a specialist on Bb judging parameters, could you further explain your opinion ?
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lesukov is very short and while his development is impressive, his chest actually does not flow at all. He looks disproportionate. I am sure this will bring out the fan boys…but I would hope most here can see past that. Shorter bodybuilders always seem to have a harder time standing out on stage against guys who are 4-5 inches taller…and anything shorter than 5’6" is really freaking short.[/quote]
Lesukov is the same height as guys like Dexter Jackson, Kai Greene, and plenty of other pros, and while it is true that all of the Mr. Olympias for the past couple decades have been about 5’9-5’11 (except Dexter), there are enough guys turning pro that are on the shorter side as well (Seth Feroce for instance).
Obviously all things being equal, taller is better, but how many tall guys have Aleksey’s thickness? I don’t see his height being a huge disadvantage.
Also, as far as looking disproportionate, what bodypart(s) do you think Lesukov should bring up in order to look fully developed?
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs[/quote]
Well, part of that is because it isn’t like the competition isn’t great at that level. These guys do have an advantage simply because during the early 00’s, there seemed to be a huge decrease in the numbers of people getting serious into bodybuilding. That is why there is a giant gap in ages of many of the guys in the NPC. Most of them are either over the age of 35 or under the age of 25 right now…and no one is slacking at that level.
I think Antoine is pretty well put together. It all depends on who else is on stage with him.
[quote]DeltaOne wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lesukov is very short and while his development is impressive, his chest actually does not flow at all. He looks disproportionate. I am sure this will bring out the fan boys…but I would hope most here can see past that. Shorter bodybuilders always seem to have a harder time standing out on stage against guys who are 4-5 inches taller…and anything shorter than 5’6" is really freaking short.[/quote]
How tall is he ?
And I’m not sure if I agree with your chest statement, from all the pictures posted I think his chest is the rounder and more developed one, super thick too, but I am not a specialist on Bb judging parameters, could you further explain your opinion ?[/quote]
It isn’t about who has the roundest chest on stage. It is more about who has the physique that shows muscles that flow into one another.
Like we went over with Paco Bautista, he looks impressive, but his muscles don’t flow like someone along the lines of Heath.
Lesukov looks very impressive, but his chest stands out because it does NOT fit in with his other muscle groups. Rhul has a massive chest too.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lesukov looks very impressive, but his chest stands out because it does NOT fit in with his other muscle groups.[/quote]
i agree. his chest does not fit in with the rest of his body
I have similar thoughts on Lesukov… His chest is great by itself but somehow looks strange as hell on him.
He reminds me of Dante in terms of overall shape (Dante has way worse genetics though) in that there are barn-door pecs, a lot of width across the upper body, but it all looks oddly blocky or something… Traps not massive enough to compete with the rest… Neck/head look out of place haha.
He really doesn’t flow imo.
He has a back that’s quite Dorianesque in that one shot though…
Not sure how to properly explain this. His chest is the wrong shape for him, even though it’s basically top of the line.
Such a baby face too in his bench vid (but strong… I don’t know how much he weighs, I’m guessing not too much as he’s short… 440 lbs for 7 reps on his own plus some assisted/forced and in a way that’s all pec… Nothing to sneeze at!).
He looks like a guy wearing a muscle-suit.
Just not right somehow. It’s not a matter of bringing other parts up (at least not much… If anything that might make him look even more… overloaded or something).
Vaillant is quite strong too I believe, several reps at 500 lbs (bench). Don’t know his other lifts, his routines are kind of weird to follow…
His chest looks narrow in the modified most muscular because that’s just how chests usually look in that pose… He could use more mass on it though, as seen in the front double-bi.
But what he really needs is more back width and more tricep (long head sweep and lateral head doesn’t stand out enough, makes his shoulders look like they overpower the rest in his modified MM pose).
His bis are literally bigger than his tris in the front DB.
Overall a competitor I’d like to get very far, maybe even take the O one day (I doubt it though) because he can do all the trick stuff and is strong… Kind of someone I’d like to represent BBing in the future.
Don’t know about the other competitors yet.
[quote]mr popular wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Lesukov is very short and while his development is impressive, his chest actually does not flow at all. He looks disproportionate. I am sure this will bring out the fan boys…but I would hope most here can see past that. Shorter bodybuilders always seem to have a harder time standing out on stage against guys who are 4-5 inches taller…and anything shorter than 5’6" is really freaking short.[/quote]
Lesukov is the same height as guys like Dexter Jackson, Kai Greene, and plenty of other pros, and while it is true that all of the Mr. Olympias for the past couple decades have been about 5’9-5’11 (except Dexter), there are enough guys turning pro that are on the shorter side as well (Seth Feroce for instance).
Obviously all things being equal, taller is better, but how many tall guys have Aleksey’s thickness? I don’t see his height being a huge disadvantage.
Also, as far as looking disproportionate, what bodypart(s) do you think Lesukov should bring up in order to look fully developed?[/quote]
Kai Greene is taller than Dex and we all see how hard it was for Dex to win an Olympia in spite of consistently being one of the best conditioned on stage for about ten years. Yes, shorter bodybuilders can win…if everyone else is off their mark. Lee Priest was thick as hell but he was always held back by his height.
[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
I have similar thoughts on Lesukov… His chest is great by itself but somehow looks strange as hell on him.
He reminds me of Dante in terms of overall shape (Dante has way worse genetics though) in that there are barn-door pecs, a lot of width across the upper body, but it all looks oddly blocky or something… Traps not massive enough to compete with the rest… Neck/head look out of place haha.
He really doesn’t flow imo.
He has a back that’s quite Dorianesque in that one shot though…
Not sure how to properly explain this. His chest is the wrong shape for him, even though it’s basically top of the line.
Such a baby face too in his bench vid (but strong… I don’t know how much he weighs, I’m guessing not too much as he’s short… 440 lbs for 7 reps on his own plus some assisted/forced and in a way that’s all pec… Nothing to sneeze at!).
He looks like a guy wearing a muscle-suit.
Just not right somehow. It’s not a matter of bringing other parts up (at least not much… If anything that might make him look even more… overloaded or something).
[/quote]
I’ll come right out and say it…he looks like someone who started steroids way too early and relied on them for most of his size. I tend to see the same problems with balance in similar individuals and I really think it is because they grow so fast they can’t keep track of issues like that…which is why his chest is so freaking huge it looks strange.
His entire body is like that…which is a far cry from guys like Kai who were well over 225lbs on stage before going that route in the first place. The muscle just looks different.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs[/quote]
Well, part of that is because it isn’t like the competition isn’t great at that level. These guys do have an advantage simply because during the early 00’s, there seemed to be a huge decrease in the numbers of people getting serious into bodybuilding. That is why there is a giant gap in ages of many of the guys in the NPC. Most of them are either over the age of 35 or under the age of 25 right now…and no one is slacking at that level.
I think Antoine is pretty well put together. It all depends on who else is on stage with him.[/quote]
Interesting point, I had never even thought about that but you’re right, most of the high level guys are older and seem to have been around for a while. It still is a hard pill for me to swallow that these two monsters are even pros. Imagine what the amateurs in 10 years look like, holy hell.
I was thinking the same thing as Professor X.
Lesukov at 13-14 years of age:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs[/quote]
Well, part of that is because it isn’t like the competition isn’t great at that level. These guys do have an advantage simply because during the early 00’s, there seemed to be a huge decrease in the numbers of people getting serious into bodybuilding. That is why there is a giant gap in ages of many of the guys in the NPC. Most of them are either over the age of 35 or under the age of 25 right now…and no one is slacking at that level.
I think Antoine is pretty well put together. It all depends on who else is on stage with him.[/quote]
Interesting point, I had never even thought about that but you’re right, most of the high level guys are older and seem to have been around for a while. It still is a hard pill for me to swallow that these two monsters are even pros. Imagine what the amateurs in 10 years look like, holy hell.[/quote]
Agreed…but I do think there is a limit. I already know Lesukov started using steroids pretty early on but it just looks strange to me and I doubt I am alone on that. Anyone around this shit long enough will notice the same thing.
That isn’t always a good thing. Because of the internet and constant media opportunities, it is harder for these guys to even come off at all. The truth is, there were many times in the 70’s where Arnold was WAY smaller than usual and almost looked very much like a normal person. That can’t happen the same today because cameras are everywhere. The internet has made every day an opportunity to be seen by the public. That is why some of them remain leaner lately and why many just don’t ever come off.
Now, think about the toll being on for 20 years straight or close to it can take. This isn’t a guy who started in his 30’s or even late 20’s. This is someone who started in his TEENS who is now trying to go pro.
I wish him luck…but there is no way in hell I see all of his progress as a good thing going by what I just mentioned just based on how he looks.
When I first saw him, I thought he would grow into those proportions.
I think he will be very well known soon enough…but if I had to guess, two decades of this has a greater chance of burning him out than leading him to greatness and a long career into his 40’s like some of the other top guys.
That is just my opinion.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs[/quote]
Well, part of that is because it isn’t like the competition isn’t great at that level. These guys do have an advantage simply because during the early 00’s, there seemed to be a huge decrease in the numbers of people getting serious into bodybuilding. That is why there is a giant gap in ages of many of the guys in the NPC. Most of them are either over the age of 35 or under the age of 25 right now…and no one is slacking at that level.
I think Antoine is pretty well put together. It all depends on who else is on stage with him.[/quote]
Interesting point, I had never even thought about that but you’re right, most of the high level guys are older and seem to have been around for a while. It still is a hard pill for me to swallow that these two monsters are even pros. Imagine what the amateurs in 10 years look like, holy hell.[/quote]
Agreed…but I do think there is a limit. I already know Lesukov started using steroids pretty early on but it just looks strange to me and I doubt I am alone on that. Anyone around this shit long enough will notice the same thing.
That isn’t always a good thing. Because of the internet and constant media opportunities, it is harder for these guys to even come off at all. The truth is, there were many times in the 70’s where Arnold was WAY smaller than usual and almost looked very much like a normal person. That can’t happen the same today because cameras are everywhere. The internet has made every day an opportunity to be seen by the public. That is why some of them remain leaner lately and why many just don’t ever come off.
Now, think about the toll being on for 20 years straight or close to it can take. This isn’t a guy who started in his 30’s or even late 20’s. This is someone who started in his TEENS who is now trying to go pro.
I wish him luck…but there is no way in hell I see all of his progress as a good thing going by what I just mentioned just based on how he looks.
When I first saw him, I thought he would grow into those proportions.
I think he will be very well known soon enough…but if I had to guess, two decades of this has a greater chance of burning him out than leading him to greatness and a long career into his 40’s like some of the other top guys.
That is just my opinion.[/quote]
You do have to take into account that we can only guess at what age most pros started using chemical assistance. Granted that we can be accurate when we are talking about today’s pros due to the amount of videos and pictures out there. But the more I read the more I am led to think that Lesukov isn’t the first guy starting steroids at their teens. I quote the video that shows Arnold’s evolution through the years, at 15 he was a normal kid, at 16 a big kid, at 17-18 BOOM he starts looking like a behemoth. There’s also countless articles out there that state Arnold, Columbu and a lot of the old-school crowd started using gear earlier, and also mentioning people didn’t cycled off, only bridged with weaker compounds between cycles.
Anyway what I’m trying to say is, steroid abuse might be a thing that goes back several decades. But I don’t know if I can thrust what I read, just though it was worth posting.
[quote]RobRaynerBB wrote:
Aleksey Lesukov[/quote]
He looks like a plastic action figure…how much more can he grow??
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
[quote]Professor X wrote:
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I just can’t believe these guys are still amateurs[/quote]
Well, part of that is because it isn’t like the competition isn’t great at that level. These guys do have an advantage simply because during the early 00’s, there seemed to be a huge decrease in the numbers of people getting serious into bodybuilding. That is why there is a giant gap in ages of many of the guys in the NPC. Most of them are either over the age of 35 or under the age of 25 right now…and no one is slacking at that level.
I think Antoine is pretty well put together. It all depends on who else is on stage with him.[/quote]
Interesting point, I had never even thought about that but you’re right, most of the high level guys are older and seem to have been around for a while. It still is a hard pill for me to swallow that these two monsters are even pros. Imagine what the amateurs in 10 years look like, holy hell.[/quote]
Agreed…but I do think there is a limit. I already know Lesukov started using steroids pretty early on but it just looks strange to me and I doubt I am alone on that. Anyone around this shit long enough will notice the same thing.
That isn’t always a good thing. Because of the internet and constant media opportunities, it is harder for these guys to even come off at all. The truth is, there were many times in the 70’s where Arnold was WAY smaller than usual and almost looked very much like a normal person. That can’t happen the same today because cameras are everywhere. The internet has made every day an opportunity to be seen by the public. That is why some of them remain leaner lately and why many just don’t ever come off.
Now, think about the toll being on for 20 years straight or close to it can take. This isn’t a guy who started in his 30’s or even late 20’s. This is someone who started in his TEENS who is now trying to go pro.
/quote]
So, with that in mind (the constant spotlight) what do you think some solutions could be in the long run? I remember a front double bi of this guy a few years back and a lot people pointed out his tiny ass wrists as a big indicator of (too) early AAS use. But then theres guy like Arnold that DeltaOne mentioned who seemed to be doing fine and I would go ahead and throw Lee Priest into that category.
I do agree with you that there is a limit, I mean there basically has to be at some point. I can’t imagine what 20 years of nonstop using gear can do to someone.
[quote]DeltaOne wrote:
You do have to take into account that we can only guess at what age most pros started using chemical assistance. Granted that we can be accurate when we are talking about today’s pros due to the amount of videos and pictures out there. But the more I read the more I am led to think that Lesukov isn’t the first guy starting steroids at their teens. I quote the video that shows Arnold’s evolution through the years, at 15 he was a normal kid, at 16 a big kid, at 17-18 BOOM he starts looking like a behemoth. There’s also countless articles out there that state Arnold, Columbu and a lot of the old-school crowd started using gear earlier, and also mentioning people didn’t cycled off, only bridged with weaker compounds between cycles.
[/quote]
People weren’t taking anywhere near what guys today are…and like I already wrote, there were no cameras everywhere. There was no internet. Hell, the only way people knew who won certain bodybuilding contests back then was by knowing someone at the gym who knew somebody. The ONLY time you saw these guys was during prepped photos in magazines.
Things aren’t like that anymore.
Arnold used to bulk up…but you will rarely find pics of him heavier simply because it was a different world back then. These guys could fall off, drop 40lbs and walk around like that with few people aware and no one taking pictures. They can’t do that now. Even Ced McMillan wrote about how he took time off and wore a huge jacket to a bodybuilding contest because of it. These guys don’t get down time…which is something guys in the 60’s and 70’s NEVER had to worry about.
That is why you can’t compare Arnold, who quit competing in his 30’s, to guys of today who compete into their late 40’s.
Arnold would have likely burned himself out if he went through it like guys do now.
Remember, 40 years ago, simply being over the age of 35 meant it was time to stop. Guys today are looking great on stage into their mid 40’s.
So no, started at the age of 14 and expecting to hit it hard for 2 or 3 decades is not something I would recommend.
You guys are all clueless about Russian bodybuilders. In Soviet Russia steroids take you.
Someone had to crack that one.