Bob Cicherillo is the latest to give his opinion on the new height/weight restrictions announced by the IFBB Pro League for the Men’s Physique division. In a recent Voice of Bodybuilding Podcast, Cicherillo said the new statutes will not result in Men’s Physique competitors ignoring leg training because their physiques would appear imbalanced.
Whether it’s judging a contest or providing guidelines on examining a physique, Cicherillo understands the sport on a deep level. He has served as an announcer at several contests for well over a decade. He is also the commentator for the prestigious Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia competitions.
Earlier this week, new rules for the Men’s Physique category were revealed by IFBB Vice President Tyler Manion. The regulations are expected to go into effect at the first show following the 2023 Mr. Olympia competition scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Orlando, Florida. Due to concerns about muscularity and size, the organization has decided to implement a height and weight cap restriction, however, exact details have yet to be made available.
Given the significance of this recent change, the bodybuilding community is unsure how it will affect the growing division. According to Cicherilo, Dave Palumbo of RxMuscle believes these new measures would discourage Men’s Physique athletes from training legs in order to make the weight cap. Unlike Palumbo, Cicherillo favors the rule change and explains why below.
“I Think This Is a Great Move,” Says Bob Cicherillo on The New Size Restrictions Put on Men’s Physique Division
Cicherillo said bodies in the Men’s Physique category are ‘getting a little bit out of hand.’ He argued they are beginning to resemble the size of Classic Physique competitors.
“The rules change is that there will now be a weight restriction added to the heights. Most people are wondering what that meant. Well, up until this point it’s just been height. Classic has been weight and height. There’s a ratio we use since its inception so for a few years right now. So, the time has come to bring it back because the physiques are getting a little bit out of hand. They’re starting to look a little to close to the Classic Physique guys. We need to keep a separation of church and state when it comes to different physiques in different divisions.”
“I think this is a great move because you got to have some parameters for keeping physiques, where you want them per the division. If they start to look like bodybuilders in board shorts, this is not what we’re looking for. It has to have a certain level that really you can’t get by that’s when the height and the weight restriction comes in. Now, I did see a few other things going on this past week.”
Bob believes the new restrictions have merit. And while it’s true that legs aren’t directly judged in Men’s Physique contests, Cicherillo explained that they are part of an overall package.
“Dave Palumbo on his podcast, gave his two cents, he thought it was a terrible idea. Didn’t particularly care for it, thought it was going to be a mistake. He felt as though, I thought this was a little weird myself, that this would impact the physiques. That the guys just wouldn’t train legs anymore. Go figure the logic on that one. But he explained that they don’t actually judge the legs. It makes no sense whatsoever, but I’m actually going to get to the point on this one and tell you why it’s a very good idea.”
Cicherillo said size restrictions worked great in Classic Physique, which has come to rival the popularity of the Men’s Open. In addition, Cicherillo highlighted that fans online have discussed potential limits on other classes such as Women’s Physique and Women’s Bodybuilding.
“Number one: again, you need a cap on the type of physique that we’re looking for. That said, a height, weight restriction, okay, a ratio, just like in Classic will keep people under a certain look. Just by virtue that they can’t be too big or they’ll be over the weight limit. This worked very successfully in Classic Physique. Arguably our most successful division up until this point, even a rival for the Men’s Open in some shows.”
“That said, I also offer a little bit more than I think we need to take a look at in the pro league in particular, and the pro league will need to take a look at in the next few years or so. While this is a great start, I also think that we’ve had to now take it back a notch on many divisions, not just Men’s Physique, Men’s Physique has gotten a little bit too muscular, Women’s Physique a lot of chatter out there that that’s becoming Women’s Bodybuilding. Women’s Bodybuilding completely out of control and even Men’s Bodybuilding for that matter, a lot of people complaining and wishing it goes back to the 90s.”
Simply put, Bob Cicherillo doesn’t believe Men’s Physique athletes will stop training legs because their physiques will appear imbalanced on stage. He said he’s seen Men’s Physique athletes lose shows because their legs are disproportionate to their upper bodies.
“This is not going to result in people not training legs. Actually, he did say something else I wanted to address, that the legs aren’t being judged. While that may be inherently true, yes they do have board shorts on if you notice, the board shorts have changed significantly from 10 years ago when we had this division added in. They’re not wearing the big giant board shorts anymore as it would be. The shorts are much slimmer, smaller, and hug the legs a little more.”
“I’ve seen Men’s Physique guys lose shows because their legs are too small. How do you ask? Because you can blatantly see it on stage, if you got little pencils sticking out there for calves, your upper body looks huge, you’re not in proportion. You’re not going to get a score for that but you are being judged on the entire physique and the presentation of your physique.”
“I disagree that anybody is going to stop training legs to make the weight,” added Bob Cicherillo.
Cicherillo has also given his opinion on other bodybuilding divisions. In May, some in the sport called for an end to Men’s 212 Bodybuilding. Given the success Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan enjoyed at the last Mr. Olympia, some believe there’s some truth to that argument. However, Cicherillo said ‘only an idiot’ would get rid of the 212 division.
Bob Cicherillo believes the new height/weight restrictions for Men’s Physique will help keep the division true to its roots, while also ensuring that competitors do not neglect their leg training. Only time will tell how the new rules will be received by the bodybuilding community, but Cicherillo is confident they are a step in the right direction.
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