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Bodybuilding has entered “The New Frankenstein Era” – Lee Haney

May 18, 2024

Bodybuilding has entered “The New Frankenstein Era” – Lee Haney.

Eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney is bodybuilding royalty, and he has been an ambassador for the sport of bodybuilding since he stepped on the bodybuilding stage over 40 years ago.

Lee Haney is not a controversial figure, and he continues to promote the sport of bodybuilding, sharing his wealth of knowledge with amateur and professional athletes worldwide.

When Lee Haney shares his opinion, everybody will take note, and his last opinion regarding the state of bodybuilding has turned some heads.

The New Frankenstein Era

In a recent post on his official social media pages, Lee Haney criticized the current shape of bodybuilders.

Lee Haney said, “Is it just me or does 90% of the current group of bodybuilders have the same sqatti shape: wide waist, big arms, overly developed quads, small calves, and weird shoulders? It looks as though somebody closed their eyes and threw muscle at a dart board without giving it any thought. The new Frankenstein era.”

Lee Haney received some criticism from some of the top figures in the sport of bodybuilding, such as IFBB Pro League Head Judge, Steve Weinberger.

Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, to name a few, all present balanced and aesthetically pleasing physiques when they are in competitive shape.

Two-time Mr. Olympia, Big Ramy, presents a massive physique, and he does have huge quads, and this could be what Lee Haney is referring to. Ramy’s leg development has always been a strong point throughout his career.

There is another bodybuilder that fits the description that Haney might be referring to, and that is Rubiel Mosquera.

Mosquera, a former IFBB Elite Pro competitor, switched to the NPC and won his IFBB Pro card at the 2023 EVLS Prague event. He is known for his massive leg development, which is overpowering his upper body development.

The majority of professional bodybuilders seem to have balanced physiques, even bodybuilders such as Nick Walker, who has a more blocky physique, are always in top condition on the day of the event, and that is why he is one of the best in the world.

Nick Walker might not have the aesthetics of Samson Dauda, and that’s one of the reasons he is known as the “Mutant”. Nick has established himself as a fan favorite and one of the most popular and humble bodybuilders in the industry.

Steve Weinberger disagrees with Lee Haney

On the popular YouTube channel, Muscle Discord, IFBB Pro League Head Judge, Steve Weinberger, was interviewed by host Matthew Tsinkorang.

During the interview, Steve was asked about Lee Haney’s comments, and Steve was quick to answer that he disagreed with the legendary bodybuilder.

Steve also suggested that Haney might be referring to bodybuilders such as Nick Walker, but he also said that when Nick steps on stage, he presents a balanced physique.

During the interview, Steve mentioned reigning Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, and Andrew Jacked, explaining that they all have balanced physiques, and no way can be labeled as having “Frankenstein” looking physiques.

Different Eras… Different Opinions

Lee Haney dominated the sport of bodybuilding in the 1980s and early 90’s, winning the Mr. Olympia eight consecutive times.

During the 80’s and 90’s, stars such as Lee Haney, Lee Labrada, Berry Demey, Rich Gaspari, Mich Christian, Bob Paris, Shawn Ray, Samir Bannout, and many others dominated the sport.

Most bodybuilders during that era focused on aesthetics and condition. Mass monsters during that era were not favored as the judges preferred the more aesthetic physique.

In 1991, Lee Haney retired after winning his eighth Mr. Olympia title. The sport was then dominated by mass monster, Dorian Yates for six consecutive years.

Dorian Yates turned the sport upside down. There was a shift from aesthetically pleasing physiques to mass monsters. How could the rest of the lineup of bodybuilders defeat Dorian Yates? The mentality at that time was to get bigger, that was the start of the mass monster era.

When Dorian Yates retired due to his injuries after winning his last Mr. Olympia title in 1997, Ronnie Coleman dominated the sport for the next eight years. The mentality was the same, to defeat Ronnie Coleman, the bodybuilder must be bigger.

Is Lee Haney correct?

Lee Haney competed in a different era as mentioned, he will say his era was the best, and the same with the other Mr. Olympia winners, they will all believe their era was the most difficult and the best to compete in.

With the new Men’s Classic Physique division, the bodybuilding fan can enjoy the classic shape, that focuses on aesthetics, condition, and the perfect balance of muscle mass.

Mass monsters sell tickets, and the bodybuilding fan will always prefer to see the mass monster in Open Bodybuilding.

But there must be a balance, and the modern bodybuilder must not just focus on freaky body parts, they must focus on the overall physique, this is what Lee Haney is suggesting.

The majority of bodybuilders do not fall under the “Frankenstein” category, but a few freaks do, and those are the ones Lee Haney is referring to.

Lee Haney is not the first bodybuilding legend that pointed this out, and he won’t be the last.