Robby Robinson Article in Ironman

Robby was my favorite 70s bodybuilder, yeas, more than Arnold. And it was his screwing, along with a few other hose jobs than turned me off from bodybuilding to this day. Robby was lights out, built and ripped and was beaten by Frank Zane, WTF!, twice, maybe three times, I forget now. Mentzer was screwed in 1980 and then good ole sausage thighs won in 1981, when Platz, Callender, and Danny I love my Donuts Padilla all would have been better choices.

Robby mentioned racism as a reason without coming off as bitter or whiny, and I’m sure he was right by what I witnessed in the next few years. He mentioned when he got the cover of M&F, it was a big deal to put a black man on the cover. I was 14 then and I would agree.

I think what I’ve experienced back then has turned me off to some of the racism talk now. Comparing Hank Aaron’s experience then to Michael Vick’s now was a whole different ball game. Please, I’m not saying there isn’t any now, just pointing out that guys like Robby were royally screwed and had much less in opportunity then than there is now for the MR. O.

Back then if you were named Arnold, or maybe Franco, there wasn’t much available. A guy like Robby would win all the body part trophies, yes there was such a thing, and finish fourth in some contests.

Best chest, back, arms, legs, and most muscular and fourth ? guess his symmetry was off a little . Yeah right.

It’s a great article, check it out. He is still in great bodybuilding shape now at 64 and seems like he’s loving life, good for him.

Robbie’s a badass - and great to see he’s kept in shape. Even took out the Master’s Olympia a few years ago (they still have that contest going?). Not sure I’d rate him in front of Zane overall though.

Robbie WAS better than Zane. Robbie’s physique was more dramatic than Arnold’s. Robbie should have been Mr Olympia at least once.

I saw Robbie at the Mr World in 1978 or '79 and he was fucking awesome.

[quote]tom63 wrote:
Mentzer was screwed in 1980 and then good ole sausage thighs won in 1981,
[/quote]

You’re calling the great Franco Columbo sausage thighs? No, come on really.

Wow I’m a geek. I thought this was a Spiderman/Ironman crossover thread.

Carry on.

Does sausage thighs = big or small?

[quote]justrob wrote:
Robbie’s a badass - and great to see he’s kept in shape. Even took out the Master’s Olympia a few years ago (they still have that contest going?). Not sure I’d rate him in front of Zane overall though. [/quote]

Oh come on now…Zane was very well-conditioned, but when you compare the two, he really has nothing else going for him if you can even give him that. Zane had some of the worst traps each time he stepped on stage, and I don’t know how he ever got past that.

[quote]ZEB wrote:

[quote]tom63 wrote:
Mentzer was screwed in 1980 and then good ole sausage thighs won in 1981,
[/quote]

You’re calling the great Franco Columbo sausage thighs? No, come on really.[/quote]

Yep, if you remember the 81 Olympia he had no cuts in his thighs. then go look at Padilla, Callender, and Platz. Franco was great, but undeserving that year.

It’s funny that I appreciate Zane nowadays, because his body is very much attainable without drugs, and I’m sure a few of the top natural pros today would beat Zane in his prime,… BUT I still believe that the guy had no business ever winning an Olympia. Robinson, Mentzer, these guys stomped all over him and I don’t think anyone ever doubted it.

Wasn’t it Robby’s torso that they airbrushed Weider’s head onto for the Magazine’s masthead image?

S

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

Wasn’t it Robby’s torso that they airbrushed Weider’s head onto for the Magazine’s masthead image?

S[/quote]

It was indeed!

another good article from T-Nation

Yeah, ‘The Chemist’,… even though he was a Math teacher… brilliant -lol

S

[quote]justrob wrote:
Robbie’s a badass - and great to see he’s kept in shape. Even took out the Master’s Olympia a few years ago (they still have that contest going?). Not sure I’d rate him in front of Zane overall though. [/quote]

This is crazy talk…

Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.[/quote]

Frank looked better in his younger days, and off season. I once met him off-season back in '79 and was shocked at how big he actually was.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.[/quote]

Frank looked better in his younger days, and off season. I once met him off-season back in '79 and was shocked at how big he actually was. [/quote]

I’m sure he was a big dude. It just seemed like he had that drawn look during contests. Don’t think I’ve ever seen an off-season pic of him.

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.[/quote]

Frank looked better in his younger days, and off season. I once met him off-season back in '79 and was shocked at how big he actually was. [/quote]

I’m sure he was a big dude. It just seemed like he had that drawn look during contests. Don’t think I’ve ever seen an off-season pic of him.[/quote]

Yes, I should clarify that Frank looked extremely drawn on stage. One or 2 great poses does not make a champ. lol! Also, Frank looked big to me at the time partly because his joints were so small by contrast.

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.[/quote]

Frank looked better in his younger days, and off season. I once met him off-season back in '79 and was shocked at how big he actually was. [/quote]

I’m sure he was a big dude. It just seemed like he had that drawn look during contests. Don’t think I’ve ever seen an off-season pic of him.[/quote]

Yes, I should clarify that Frank looked extremely drawn on stage. One or 2 great poses does not make a champ. lol! Also, Frank looked big to me at the time partly because his joints were so small by contrast.[/quote]

Makes sense to me. He might have been 165 lbs on stage at the Olympia.

[quote]tom63 wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Don’t follow bodybuilding as closely as most of y’all, but Robinson looked awesome. I believe he was also a sprinter in college. Zane looked good, but he was kind of wirey and drawn. There’s guys in most commercial gyms today that look as good if not better. That’s not a knock 'cause the guy was in tremendous shape, it’s just today I don’t think he’d even be considered a “bodybuilder”.[/quote]

Frank looked better in his younger days, and off season. I once met him off-season back in '79 and was shocked at how big he actually was. [/quote]

I’m sure he was a big dude. It just seemed like he had that drawn look during contests. Don’t think I’ve ever seen an off-season pic of him.[/quote]

Yes, I should clarify that Frank looked extremely drawn on stage. One or 2 great poses does not make a champ. lol! Also, Frank looked big to me at the time partly because his joints were so small by contrast.[/quote]

Makes sense to me. He might have been 165 lbs on stage at the Olympia.[/quote]
LOL!
If I recall correctly, I believe he was 195.
Compare that to Franco at the same weight at the time he won his first O.