Tag: Robby Robinson
Greatest Arms Ever? Chris Cormier Picks Robby Robinson & Olympia Judge Says Phil Heath
Figuring out who has the best arms ever in a sport like bodybuilding is a difficult task. In a recent episode of Prime Time Muscle, Chris Cormier and Terrick El Guindy tackled the challenge and named which bodybuilders they believe possessed the best arms of any competitor regardless of era.
Chris Cormier is uniquely qualified to speak on the matter given his decorated résumé filled with accomplishments. His eye-catching balance of chest fullness, biceps, and deeply separated quads made him a perennial Mr. Olympia threat despite never taking home the prestigious honor. As with most of his contemporaries from the 1990s, Comier competed often and shared the stage with heavy hitters like Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, and Flex Wheeler.
On the other hand, El Guindy is a bodybuilding promoter and judge. He routinely officiates contests and through the years has developed a keen eye for physiques irrespective of category. With regular appearances on the Prime Time Muscle Olympia TV program, El Guindy’s gift of gab makes him a fantastic ambassador for the sport.
In their latest endeavor, El Guindy and Cormier teamed up for a gun show judging contest. They both proposed their picks in the arms race. In addition, they disclosed honorable mentions and named who currently holds the biggest arms in the sport.
Chris Cormier: ‘Robby Robinson Has The Greatest Arms Ever, No One Will Outshine Those Peaks’
Without taking size into account, Cormier credited Robinson’s arms as the best ever given his pronounced biceps peak, which he still displays today well into his 70s.
Robby Robinson / Instagram
“Robby Robinson! The Black Prince is my go-to when it comes to arms. I’ve watched as a kid and training with him personally and I would saw, when he would do a preacher curl, his biceps would come up, over, then, back, and down. Up, over, back, and down, double scoop ice cream scoop on top of an arm [impressive peaks]. That’s what I would see every time on Robby Robinson. He had the brachialis, the triceps, I don’t think anyone outshined those peaks, ever,” said Chris Cormier.
Terrick El Guindy: “Phil Heath, Freakiest Arms I’ve Ever Seen”
Guindy said he was most blown away by the full muscle bellies in Heath’s arms.
“In my opinion to have the best arms in the history of bodybuilding – a lot of us focus on biceps but it’s got to be biceps and triceps… I’m going to tell you that Phil Heath had amazing freaking arms, okay. It was the triceps, the biceps, and it was the muscle bellies on the arms.”
“I could choose one arm to just borrow and go down Santa Monica with a sleeveless shirt, it would be Phil Heath,” argued El Guindy. “Freakiest arms I’ve ever seen. Lee Priest had freaky arms too but they were a little bit too compact. They were impressive but they didn’t stretch so much.”
Phil Heath / Instagram
As for honorable mentions for greatest arms, Cormier and Guindy agree on Roelly Winklaar and Ramon Queiroz. However, in terms of pure size, Nick Walker has the biggest and most impressive arms of any competitor in the IFBB Pro League right now.
“Let me tell you, I saw Roelly Winklaar’s arms, man!” added Guindy.
“Those arms bro… you can’t even – I mean his forearms are about as big as most people’s biceps peaks, alone just the forearms. You can’t go wrong with those guys mentioned already,” The Real Deal shared.
“It was a few months back and shits crazy my man. He [Ramon Dino] had those crazy forearms laying down on the table. They looked like somebody’s legs. I was looking at this guy and going, why do you have such big forearms. And the reality is he did a lot of bars in Ekiti where he’s from. Incredible arm development. Nowadays, the competitor in the Open that has the biggest most impressive arms in my opinion is Nick Walker,” replied El Guindy.
This isn’t the first time competitors from past eras took a closer look at arm development. Months ago, former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler shared a throwback video of when he and Ronnie Coleman had their biceps measured. While the race was close, Coleman’s were bigger, topping out at a massive 23.5 inches. Meanwhile, Cutler’s were 22.5 inches at the time.
Comparisons of Walker’s arm size and Coleman’s surfaced recently as well. The eight-time Mr. Olympia titleholder found the online discussion funny. After being critical of the Bro Chat Podcast for the comparison, Coleman specified that muscle separation must also be taken into account when measuring arms.
Interestingly, Cormier and Terrick El Guindy left ‘The King’ out of the discussion, despite being known for some of the biggest arms of any competitor. Given the sport’s subjective nature, fans will never agree as a whole on which athlete had the best arms of all time.
Watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
Related:
Published: 10 June, 2023 | 12:11 AM EDT
Bodybuilding Icon Robby Robinson Defies Age: Astonishingly Shredded at 76!
Turns out that veteran bodybuilder Robby Robinson never lost the eye of the tiger and continues to train hard at 76 years of age. The Black Prince partnered with natty Greek god Mike O’Hearn for an arms workout and his incredibly shredded physique stole the show.
Mike O’Hearn posted Glimpses of the veteran bodybuilder’s training session on his YouTube channel. Robby Robinson is seen performing barbell preacher curls in the video. The 76-year-old looked incredibly shredded and rock solid during the workout. You can see the video below, courtesy of Mike O’Hearn’s YouTube channel:
Robby Robinson performed a drop set of barbell preacher curls in the session after a warm-up set. For the drop set, he started with a 70 lbs barbell and pumped out seven solid reps with a great form. Mike O’Hearn handed him a 50 lbs barbell and the former Masters Olympia champion cranked out five more reps to close the show.
“Look at this… The fibers, the striations, insertions…That is what we do this for,” Mike O’Hearn marveled as Robinson flexed to show his pecs and arms.
Robby Robinson responded:
“I’m working, working, working all the time.”
“You’ve gotta put in the work. If you’re not willing to put in the work like you see myself and Mike, seriously, just go home,” He added.
Mike O’Hearn obviously knows a thing or two about maintaining the body at an age where it is supposed to fall apart. Him being astonished by Robbinson’s physique says a lot about the latter’s commitment to maintaining a shredded physique at 76.
Robby Robinson’s bodybuilding career at a glance
Robinson proudly belongs to the golden era of bodybuilding. He took his first steps in competitive bodybuilding in the early to mid 1970s. As an African-American born in the deep south, Robinson had a tough path leading up to the stature of a legendary bodybuilder. However, he competed successfully for nearly 27 years and left a lasting legacy in the sport.
Mr. Lifestyle started out as an amateur in 1974, winning the AAU Mr. Southeastern USA and Mr. Southern States competitions. Robby won four titles in 1975, the Mr. World title being the most prominent of those.
IFBB Pro League’s Mr. Olympia contest turned out to be the real proving ground for the Georgia native bodybuilder. He took home the Heavyweight title at the 1977 and 1978 Olympia and finished third in the Lightweight division at the 1979 Olympia. Unsurprisingly, Robinson was the runner up to Mr. Olympia overall winner Frank Zane in 1977 and 1978.
The 1981 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro turned out to be his only victory in the winless stretch of nearly seven years. However, The Black Prince never stopped working and emerged victorious at the 1988 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational. In the later stages of his career, Robbie became a Masters Olympia mainstay. He has his name etched on the 1994 Masters Olympia as well as the 1997 and 2000 Masters Olympia 50+ trophies.
Robby Robinson’s contribution to the sport is undeniably important. Fitness Volt wishes him good health and a fulfilling life.
Published: 2 May, 2023 | 1:00 PM EDT
Mike O’Hearn And Robby Robinson Share “Old School” Tips On Bicep Training: ‘It’s About The Art Of It’
Robby Robinson and Mike O’Hearn recently got together to share some tips on building biceps.
When a pair of Mr. Universe champions get together for a training session, you listen to the tips that are being shared. That is exactly what happened when Robby Robinson joined Mike O’Hearn for an “old school” day of training biceps.
Robinson found great success right way in his bodybuilding career. He earned the Mr. Universe title and Mr. America title in 1975 to set a tone. In 1979, Robinson was the inaugural winner of the Night of the Champions contest. O’Hearn has found similar success in many areas. He is also a former Mr. Universe winner who has dabbled in modeling and acting.
In 1994, Robinson won the first Masters Olympia contest and continues to train at a high level. This duo was able to get together to share some wisdom when it comes to building biceps.
Robby Robinson Shares Tips That “People Wouldn’t Normally Do”
[embedded content]
There are always different ways to train and keep your body guessing. That is exactly what Mike O’Hearn and Robby Robinson are trying to accomplish in this training session.
“Understand why we’re doing it different today. Not even different. Is this the form that we use all the time or is there a change in the form?
And if there’s a change in the form, what did we do different weight wise, rep wise, time wise? All of those kinds of things come into play,” o’hearn said.
The legendary bodybuilders focused on different areas of these workouts in order to hit different parts. For example, O’Hearn focused on squeezing to gain strength during each rep.
“This is something that people wouldn’t normally do.” Robinson added. “It’s just like if you’re coming out of a curl, if I kept my hands clamped like this, and I come out of it, it forces the outside head of the bicep and the brachii to come into play,” Robinson explained.
“So when I turn my wrist at the top, these three fingers is actually what rotates the wrist and builds the biceps. If you just curl it up, you’ll have just a bicep, but you’ll have a more awesome bicep if you turn your wrist.”
O’Hearn And Robinson Prioritize Form When Lifting
There are some that would argue that as long as the weight is being lifted with a contraction, that is all that matters. Mike O’Hearn and Robby Robinson shut that notion down and explained that form is extremely important. Robinson explained that form might be the most important part.
“You’re missing the whole point. That’s the whole thing of it, it’s about the art part of it. That’s where the hard part comes in. That’s why Mike looks the way he looks, that’s why I still look the way I look. Even at 76 years old I look like this but I put in the work. I do all those little things.
People don’t want to do all that, people are lazy. I don’t care who it is. You don’t interrupt those little things, you’re missing the whole biceps, triceps.”
Toward the end of the workout, O’Hearn continued to explain that there are actions that will benefit a weightlifter over the course of his life.
“I was telling Billy, look at his feet. Then Robbie walks by and he tells him to fix his feet. I know we’re doing curls. I get that, I get that maybe going once a week. I’m talking this stuff is going to pay dividends in 20 years. It’s just a stronger position,” O’Hearn said.
[embedded content]
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Generation Iron Network To Produce Biopic On Legendary Pro Bodybuilder Robby Robinson
The documentary film will chronicle the iconic life story of Robby Robinson, his illustrious pro bodybuilding career, and his game changing 6-Step Blueprint to the best physique of your life.
Generation Iron Network in association with The Vladar Company have announced that they are set to produce a feature film documentary exploring the life story of pro bodybuilding legend Robby Robinson. An iconic athlete from the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding, Robinson is the first ever black man featured on the cover of a bodybuilding magazine. He is also well known for using his platform to advocate for equal rights in the sport.
Born and raised in Florida, Robby Robinson was one of 14 children – son to an illiterate mother and bootlegger father. He grew up facing extreme poverty and racism throughout his entire childhood. Overcoming the odds, Robinson discovered bodybuilding and competed in over 300 amateur competitions before entering the IFBB Pro league. He would go on to become a star competitor and eventually make history as the first ever Mr. Olympia Masters champion.
During the prime of his career, he was openly outspoken in bodybuilding over racism and unfairness in the sport – and even put his career on the line to promote change. His comments proved controversial at the time eventually landing him a double-lifetime ban from the IFBB Pro league forcing him into retirement. Despite no longer being able to compete, he remained in shockingly impressive shape well into his 60s and 70s – often being touted as finding the fountain of youth.
“It’s a rare opportunity to work on a film about one of the most interesting, unique and underrated figures in bodybuilding,” says director Vlad Yudin. “Robby Robinson’s film will not focus solely on his bodybuilding career. It will dive way beyond the sport and explore Robby’s struggle, purpose and legacy.”
The Robby Robinson biopic will chronicle his entire life story from struggling in childhood and through his illustrious yet controversial career. It will explore the nuance behind his claims of racism in the sport – including statements made against beloved bodybuilding figure and mogul Joe Weider and the subsequent backlash. A complicated yet inspiring figure in the sport, the film will unearth the man behind the myth and muscle.
The documentary will also follow Robby Robinson’s current life including the friendship he formed with Tim Taylor. A man who hired Robinson for a four day training session that led to Taylor befriending the notoriously private Robinson very late in his life. Robinson had never let anyone inside his private life until meeting Taylor.
Through their bond and trust – Robby Robinson transformed Tim Taylor’s life and physique at 56 years old using a 6-Step Blueprint. This transformative fitness program was not documented until Robinson and Taylor trained together for those 16 weeks. Taylor documented their training conversations into a journal every day and created the 6-Step Blueprint in order to replicate them long term. 50 years of Robinson’s wisdom and knowledge organized into a training system like never before.
Taylor now believes bringing this 6-Step Blueprint to the public eye will solidify the legacy of Robinson – the final crowning achievement that he can leave behind long after he is gone. Acting as a sort of window into the true Robby Robinson – audiences will witness a never before seen side of the legend.
The Robby Robinson biopic will be directed by Vlad Yudin (Generation Iron, Ronnie Coleman: The King, Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster) and produced by Edwin Mejia Jr. (Canyon Del Muerto, Generation Iron, The Hurt Business, Ronnie Coleman: The King) and Tim Taylor.
The Robby Robinson biopic is set to be released in 2022 on limited screens.
Photo courtesy of Jason Ellis Photography.
Generation Iron Network
Generation Iron is the first digital media company delivering health, fitness, bodybuilding and strength sports content worldwide. Since launch, Generation has been the leading publisher of original programming, films, and premium entertainment content with the biggest names in Strength Sports worldwide. Generation Iron today is dedicated to making the highest quality digital series aimed at educating and entertaining fans and athletes. Today, Generation Iron has a catalogue of over 30 titles and in depth docu-series which have built the backbone of its original programming.
The Vladar Company
The Vladar Company is a media and entertainment company, which focuses on developing, financing, and packaging a library of intellectual properties. Recent films include Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer, The Hurt Business, Medeas, and Generation Iron. The company has become a leading producer of many niche genres and multiple mediums in US and international markets, while also expanding into acquiring and distributing high quality content.
Vladar continues to develop, finance, and release projects in different formats as well as create and build media brands. Vladar also focuses on creating and developing new distribution models, and contributes to the success of independent film and TV production.
*Header image courtesy of Jason Ellis Photography
Robby Robinson and Nick Walker Continue to Trade Words on Social Media
Robby Robinson and Nick Walker Continue to Trade Words on Social Media
It seems as if Robby Robinson and recent Arnold Classic winner Nick Walker are continuing to share words online. After the legendary Robinson shared his opinion on the state of modern bodybuilding, a confrontation with Walker was all but inevitable. Accept it didn’t quite turn out in the way that many expected.
Rather than retaliating with harsh words and name calling, it appears that Nick Walker has chosen to take a more diplomatic approach. Walker commented on a recent post made by Robby Robinson in perhaps the least offensive comeback ever.
The Beef Continues
The post in question is a classic photo of Robby Robinson at the height of his powers. He looks truly impressive in the image and the epitome of the classic bodybuilder.
In the post Nick Walker took to the comments to say the following.
While someone could interpret this as Walker being tongue in cheek, there’s really no way to tell if the statement was meant to be hostile or goading. On face value alone it appears to be a very polite statement and nothing more.
Robinson Remains Undeterred
After the post and the comment, Robby Robinson put up another post, detailing that he has been harassed online for his opinions on Nick Walker.
I have gotten a bunch of [email protected] , nasty comments, cussed out..
To all INHALE…..
Nothing can you say to me, write, text me, the n word ,call me a grand pa, ( honored ) Dork, washed up..I am unconsumed by any ones fear. TOTALLY ARMED UNAFRAID. . .
If you think this is healthy. Something you would use as a MOTIVATIONAL EMPOWERMENT. Something you would ADMIRE .. THEN YOU need to have a long SERIOUS CONVERSATION WITH YOURSELF….RR .. STILL HAVE THEM ..
With all this back and forth the reality is that bodybuilding isn’t going to change. Many say that Classic Physique exists for those individuals with similar tastes to Robby Robinson. Men’s Open Bodybuilding is unlikely to return to the days of yore when competitors that looked like Robinson were the norm.
At this point the argument is likely to fall on deaf ears. Many like the massive physiques of bodybuilding these days. At this point it seems like mass monsters are here to stay.
What do you think of Robby Robinson and Nick Walker trading words online?
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.