Samir Bannout believes there are “a lot of things that need to be adjusted” in pro bodybuilding moving forward.
Samir Bannout is a pro bodybuilder and a Mr. Olympia champion from a far different era. A perfect example of this is the fact that Banout won the Olympia weight in at only 196 pounds. In today’s bodybuilding – you’d likely find the lightest Men’s Open pro bodybuilder weighing no less than 225 pounds – and that’s even on the lighter side. Many pro bodybuilders today weight closer to 250 pounds or more. This very example is a core reason that Bannout thinks something has shifted in modern bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive, Samir Bannout explains what things should be “adjusted” in pro bodybuilding to help it improve in the future.
Samir Bannout is one of the smaller bodybuilders to ever win the Mr. Olympia title. That’s no critique against him – but something of note compared to the trends in Men’s Open in modern bodybuilding. That’s why during our interview we asked if he were to compete today, would he do Classic Physique? Instead of answering directly, Bannout decided to look deeper into the trends in bodybuilding today.
Samir Banout believes that all bodybuilding should be classic. While he is happy that these new divisions show a dedication towards focusing less on size – such as the Classic Physique and the Men’s 212 – he believes there are other changes that can be made additionally to further improve the sport.
Samir Bannout focuses back on his Mr. Olympia win and also the reign of eight time Mr. Olympia champion Lee Haney. Both were less mass monster size in comparison to what the term means today. As we mentioned at the top, Bannout was under 200 pounds when he won the Mr. Olympia. Lee Haney, while bigger, was still much smaller than some of his contemporaries such as Bertil Fox.
This begs Samir Bannout to ask the question – why can’t a 200 pound bodybuilder beat a 250 pound bodybuilder today? In Men’s Open bodybuilding today, most athletes are closer to 250 pound plus. The current Mr. Olympia, Big Ramy, has always flirted closer to 300 pounds each year he competes. Bannout finds it hard to believe that a much smaller bodybuilder can win the Mr. Olympia over a 250+ pound mass monster. In fact, it might be hard to even qualify for the Olympia if you compete under 225 pounds in the Men’s Open.
For Samir Bannout, this comes down to there being more of a focus on size rather than the “classic” part of bodybuilding. The beauty, the posing, the patience. He sees the NPC and IFBB making improvements with the inclusion of new divisions. But he believes that we can continue to push harder for more adjustments and change. That’s in part why Bannout started Lion Fitness. It’s a workshop bodybuilding service that teaches competitors how to properly train, diet, and pose. Bannout has also started working with the NPC in some capacity to partner up and provide guidance from tried and true experienced bodybuilders such as himself.
Samir Bannout ultimately hopes that business such as Lion Fitness prevail over the quick cash grabs of online gurus and social media influencer e-book guides. Much like how other professional sports invest into youth leagues to cultivate the next generation of athletes – perhaps bodybuilder can move in this kind of direction to better educate and inspire the new generations of bodybuilders.
You can watch Samir Bannout’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!