Leveling the Playing Field: New Weight Classes Give More Athletes a Fair Shot
The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) recently announced a major change to the Men‘s Classic Physique division – increasing allowable weight limits for competitors in certain height classes.
This new ruling stands to shake up the professional men’s physique scene significantly. Let’s analyze the reasons for the changes, who benefits, and how it will affect the dynamics on stage.
The History of Height Advantages in Classic Physique Contests
When Classic Physique was introduced as a division by the IFBB in 2016, it aimed to provide a middle ground between the mass monsters of Open Bodybuilding and smaller Men’s Physique competitors.
The criteria focused more on paying homage to Golden Age physiques with aesthetics and proportions taking priority over sheer size and shredded conditioning. But height allowances still gave taller athletes a notable advantage.
For example, at the 2019 Mr. Olympia, champion Chris Bumstead competed at the absolute weight ceiling of 225 lbs in the 6’0” – 6’1” class while runner-up Brandon Hendrickson weighed in at 215 lbs at a comparable 6’1” height.
Yet 3rd place Finn Laine at 5’8” could only scale up to 175 lbs maximum as per IFBB guidelines. That’s a 50 lb difference from Bumstead, forcing Laine to come in dramatically leaner just to compare size-wise.
This disparity played out across weight classes too. Competitors nearer the maximum height limits consistently beat out shorter entrants, enjoying size privileges right from weigh-ins.
IFBB Changes Weight Limits After Athlete Feedback
Recognizing this long-running height bias, the IFBB met with high-profile Classic Physique athletes including Bumstead to solicit feedback on division changes post-2020 Olympia.
The clear consensus? The current rules gave no incentive for competitors below 6’1” to push their limits or turn pro, knowing they faced a size ceiling the tallest entrants in their shows could eclipse with ease. Why chase the open pro league if you faced such a wall right from amateur contests?
Heeding this call for action from stars of the sport itself, the IFBB made two key alterations to even the stage:
- +10 lb allowance for Classic Physique competitors between 6’1” – 6’2”
- +7 lb allowance for competitors under 6’1”
Now Chris Bumstead and other top guys like Brandon Hendrickson have to contend with opponents gaining 10 lbs of full muscle to match their weight classes. While sub-6-foot entrants finally have room to push for bigger capacity themselves.
Let’s examine who specifically stands to shake up the standings with this reconfiguration designed to level out height related advantages.
Who Benefits? Bumstead’s Top Competition Gains Ground
Reigning 2-time Classic Physique Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead has dominated through a combo of immense size, structure, proportions, conditioning, and posing routine presentation.
But his freak genetics gifted the Canadian star a 6’1” height landing him squarely in the heaviest weight division too. Now with a 10 lb weight allowance, his similarly sized co-title favorites finally can push to match his density.
Brandon Hendrickson stands roughly eye-to-eye with Bumstead at 6’1” too. The prominent rival placed 2nd to Bumstead in both 2019 and 2020 while weighing in at 215 lbs compared to the champ’s 225 lbs ceiling. With an extra 10 lbs to play with, Hendrickson can add more mass to test Chris’ complete package claim.
Likewise for Urs Kalecinski, the 6’2” German phenom who pushed Bumstead in 2020. Kalecinski previously capped at 225 lbs as well in the over 6’1” class. But now blessed with 235 lbs as his ceiling, he can tack on lower body mass and width to match muscle bellies with the world’s most prominent Classic Physique competitor.
This allows both Hendrickson and Kalecinski, former bodybuilders in the open division, to leverage their larger skeletons while enabling Bumstead less room to hide any conditioning missteps. Judges now must decide whose added mass fits the ultimate classical shape.
The Next Generation of Contenders Can Emerge
Giving high potential athletes incentivizes to turn pro or keep competing rather than get discouraged by height-related disadvantages shows the IFBB’s willingness to make this emerging division more equitable for different bodies.
Previously ignored or discounted competitors now hold renewed motivation to take the next step up. Let’s look at two dark horse names who could emerge as title threats sooner than later with these updated allowances catering perfectly to their genomic potential.
At 6’2”, Portugal national champion Diogo Montenegro currently weighs in at IFBB shows right at the former 225 lb ceiling. With another 10 lbs now permitted, Montenegro can tack on more quad, hamstring and calf density to completely fill out his rangy template, possibly testing the best in the world soon.
Likewise for talented Canadian amateur Taylor Atkinson measuring 6’0” tall. The current 95 kg class ceiling of roughly 210 lbs often saw Atkinson outmuscled by far heavier 6’2” pros in his provincial shows. But now blessed with 7 extra pounds to work with, Atkinson can push his ceiling closer to the division leaders, adapting his prep to make a bigger splash when he turns pro.
With these newly raised limits and tacit challenge to bring an even better package to contests, both Montenegro and Atkinson epitomize the next era who now see a more realistic path to splitting the top spots soon, rather than trailing far behind sized-favored champions.
More Mass Requires Extra Chemical Enhancement?
An unavoidable reality in expanding weight allowances, however, lies in the illegal or quasi-legal supplements often used to accelerate muscle protein synthesis rates.
In responding to this announcement, prominent coach Greg Doucette openly questions what efforts competitors will now take to add this additional mass, stating “How do you think they’re going to get bigger? By supplementing harder than last time.” [1]
Doucette’s insinuation points to extra usage of anabolic steroids, synthetic human growth hormone, and other banned performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) by Classic Physique athletes chasing these new weight class ceilings and prize purses.
While the practice remains officially banned, chemical assistance proves endemic to elite bodybuilding. But nowhere does regulation or testing equal that of Olympic sports like sprinting or cycling for example. This leaves ethics and health a personal choice.
Bumstead himself competes as part of the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation (INBF). But make no mistake – every couple months he also shares his “hormone panel” bloodwork, mainly comprising prescription testosterone at bodybuilding doses. [2]
So some element of supervised hormone optimization certainly assists most top physique competitors, even self-proclaimed “natural athletes”. It requires exceptional genetics responding perfectly to training plus nutrition to reach this level with 100% organic bodily T production alone. Everyone‘s limits vary.
Now with increased size targets, willPSet, cycle length and health monitoring become that much more critical? Insiders believe so, while skeptical of too many implications from any governing bodies. The lure of renown still seems to eclipse all in aesthetic sports as demanding as this.
That said, the battleground has been leveled somewhat by these updated weight classes finally accounting for the unfair height advantages of the last few years on the Olympia stage.
A Call for Classic Physique to Add Natural Divisions
In this context, Chris Bumstead himself has lobbied Classic Physique heads to consider adding divisions that specifically test for PEDs and anabolic compounds as incentive for those dedicated to legitimate drug-free training.
He suggests something akin to tested Raw Powerlifting Federation categories, allowing reasonable but capped testosterone levels. This specifically caters to the natural lifter unwilling to trade later quality of life chasing temporary muscular glory through heavy chemical means. [3]
Untested open divisions can continue pushing limits. But this ethical natural category provides incentive, ensuring the top all-time greats indeed prove the most talented and committed gaining their form. Surely an honorable goal as the sport itself continues opening up beyond the abnormal extremes.
Greater education around health and cyclical assistive tools can guide emerging athletes avoiding traditionally abusive practices too. Given its current growth trajectory, no reason exists why a natural element of Classic Physique competition cannot succeed in parallel.
The Criteria for Judging Success Demands Reassessment Too
If new weight limits aim to make professional physique competition more equitable, head IFBB judge Sandy Riddell also needs to redefine criteria that often see smaller competitors place based almost entirely on excessive conditioning rather than balanced aesthetics. [4]
Her metrics overly fixate on paper-thin skin and vacuum-like definition disproportionally benefiting those able to take things to dangerous extremes rather than evenly assessing physique, lines and shape. Preconditioning factors outside competitor control like height cannot determine final standings in ways seen constantly under her tenure.
Look at how legendary Lee Priest struggled placing no higher than 9th throughout his 2000s open Olympia runs due to a comically stacked lineup where only the most monster mass men earned deserved respect. Or smaller competitors like Hidetada Yamagishi beating others with visibly nicer flowing lines and wider structures just because his razor sharp feathering fits the mainstream judge’s eye.
Rewarding those who simply diet or stimulate longer than most rather than analyzing whether line, shape and proportions indeed live up their desired “aesthetic” or “classic” ideals. Competitors’ stated goals and looks cannot fall secondary to what seems easiest to assess – most ribs or quad veins visible for example – in these subjective divisions.
By finally adjusting Classic Physique’s clearly biased height-to-weight ratio allowances, the IFBB has taken the first step toward developing this beloved division in a more respectable direction aligned with its initial mission statement. But work remains updating outdated scoring metrics too.
Let’s hope this lights a fire under decision makers to modernize sensibly sooner than later. The world clamors to see these phenomenally developed competitors judged more fairly in line with the distinction they give this sport at their peak.
Expanding Open Bodybuilding Criteria May Discourage Extreme Mass Too
In a similar manner, revered coach and chemical enhancement advisor Greg Doucette believes updated weight limits in Open Bodybuilding can send positive signals steering the next generation away from unhealthy mass chasing extremes we see currently. [5]
Doucette explains that unlike Classic Physique, Open Bodybuilding yet caps athlete’s stage weight in the Super Heavyweight class at a maximum ceiling. Despite competitors clearly exceeding this set limit weight, they simply cut water dramatically through chemical and sauna means for official weigh-ins.
Yet on competition day, these 300 lb men easily regain 15+ lbs stepping on stage bloated, water ballooned, yet rewarded for their sheer mass outpacing aesthetics or proportions.
By upping Open Bodybuilding’s weight classes to keep pace with obvious size inflation over decades, while implementing periodic same day weigh ins, Doucette feels judges can incentivize a healthier look. Require competitors chasing titles to display functional mass year-round without losing fullness or definition at their preferred impressive size.
Rather than reinforcing the yo-yo game of extreme cuts and manipulated rehydration that sees stomachs distend, energy lag, and continuity lost come finals.
This same day weigh-in policy recently implemented by boxing federations to curtail dangerous weight cuts and resulting mismatches can translate beneficially for bodybuilding too, Doucette argues. [6]
Fewer competitors may opt to push their kidneys and discipline so dangerously for advantages lost come competition anyway. And displaying a fuller, sustained prime grants chances to more phenoms blessed genetically with natural Heavyweight density vs those forcing an unsustainable look temporarily.
Additional Solutions: More Height Classes, Tested Divisions
Stepping even further back though, federations like National Physique Committee (NPC) offer additional examples where implementing more incremental height-based weight divisions from the start shows value for avoiding unfair size mismatches. [7]
Rather than packing all competitors 6 feet or over into one or two supersized weight classes like we see in Classic Physique currently, NPC keeps competitors against those sharing smaller 2 inch height variances for their entire careers.
Ensuring few if any enjoy more than 5-7 lb leeway size wise on stage rather than the aforementioned 50 lb gulf we seen between a very tall vs very short Classic Physique entrant both competing professionally
Finally, as mentioned earlier, respected natural federations like the INBF have always mandated strict testing for enhnacement drugs, taxing water cut loops, and other shady practices. [8]
Competitors failing even once face lifetime bans, unlike some International Olympic Committee sports catching repeat dopers across multiple games in parallel. This policy leaves no doubt competitors earn their form through routine-tested legitimate work.
Wrapping Up: An Exciting Direction Developing Under Updated Guidelines
If Classic Physique continues prioritizing long term health, ethics and role model behavior moving forward, this IFBB decision extending weight allowances marks immense progress leveling their playing field.
No reason exists to discourage exceptional young athletes just hitting developmental maturity based almost solely on height metrics out of their control.
Let all promising prospects put in their hard work and earn divisions with those similarly blessed genetically. Then judge accordingly without disadvantages or enhancements complicating matters.
The new 10 lb allowance for 6’1”-6’2” Classic Physique competitors finally pushes champions blessed naturally with heavier height percentiles to bring complete matching quality from top to bottom. No coasting on frame size alone.
While shorter kingpins below 6 feet now hold incentive to properly fill out their classes with appreciable gains putting them in legitimate title conversations come the sport‘s peak stages.
As a longtime fan of bodybuilding‘s crown Olympia showcase, I cannot wait to see these newly optimized physiques matching muscle, mass, lines and conditioning in the ultimate display of human performance art.
May the best structured man indeed claim the glory he‘s earned through this ongoing progression toward more ethical, healthier competitive standards benefiting all.
References:
[1] Greg Doucette: This Changes Everything For Chris Bumstead” (YouTube)
[2] Bumstead Instagram Post Displaying Regular Hormone Bloodwork
[3] Bumstead suggesting Natural Divisions akin to Tested Powerlifting (Video Timestamp 7:05)
[4] Critique of Head Judge Sandy Riddell’s Scoring Metrics (YouTube Timestamp 9:10)
[5] Greg Doucette Expanding Open Bodybuilding Weight Classes Thoughts (YouTube)
[6] Example of Day-Before vs Day-Of Weigh-In Standards in Boxing
[7] NPC National Physique Committee Weight Divisions Tables
[8] Overview of Strict PED Testing in Natural INBF Physique Federation