Your Top 10 Favorite Bodybuilders

[DannyBoy]

I wanted to start this thread as I'm interested in seeing who're everyone's top 10 favorite bodybuilders are. It doesn't have to be some kind of definitive list and the purpose of this thread isn't to argue/discuss who the greatest bodybuilder is or who the top 10 greatest bodybuilders are. This thread is simply just for everyone to post their personal top 10 favorite bodybuilders, you know, to list the bodybuilders that have inspired you the most or had the greatest influence on you or whatever the reason may be that makes them your favorites.

Here's my top 10 list:

1. Frank Zane
2. Bill Pearl
3. Dave Draper
4. Lou Ferrigno
5. Steve Reeves
6. Reg Park
7. Boyer Coe
8. Serge Nubret
9. Armand Tanny
10. Robby Robinson

I certainly have other favorites and it's a bit tough to narrow it down to just 10, but that's my list at the moment. I say "at the moment" because honestly if you asked me again in a month (or whenever) then my list could very well look a bit different, I may have moved someone up or down the list or removed someone completely & added someone else to it (except for Zane & Pearl). In any case, that's my top 10 favorite bodybuilders list as it stands now. What's yours?

[David Gentle]

Hi Danny, i agree with most of your list and have seen in the flesh as it were almost all except Armand Tanny and Robinshon. the latter of course was always let down by his geneticly poor calves, but had an amazing taper and a nice guy.Tanny is an early hero from the early Weider YOUR PHYSIQUE and MUSCLE POWER days of the 50s, last time i saw a pic of him (dressed) he still looked handsome, white hair and sun tanned. What h appened to Grimek? i suppose a lot of todays guys would consider him almost fat, with not so much for abs, but when he was younger he had them all and of course his strength was out of this world. My favourite apart from the handssome Reeves for physique was Serge Nubret, he had it all, sadly politics destroyed his career because he fell out of favour being a bit of a "naughty boy".David Gentle

[Harry Hayfield]

The problem I have is that as I was born in 1974, I have never been able to see any old school bodybuilders or physical culture people in the flesh (which is a great shame as I would have loved to sit down with them and ask them loads and loads of questions) so therefore I cannot think of ten, but would place the ones that I do know in the following order:

Steve Reeves, Frank Zane, Dave Draper, Elliot Launceston, Tony Sansone and Paul Grant

[DannyBoy]

Hi Danny, i agree with most of your list and have seen in the flesh as it were almost all except Armand Tanny and Robinshon. the latter of course was always let down by his geneticly poor calves, but had an amazing taper and a nice guy.Tanny is an early hero from the early Weider YOUR PHYSIQUE and MUSCLE POWER days of the 50s, last time i saw a pic of him (dressed) he still looked handsome, white hair and sun tanned. What h appened to Grimek? i suppose a lot of todays guys would consider him almost fat, with not so much for abs, but when he was younger he had them all and of course his strength was out of this world. My favourite apart from the handssome Reeves for physique was Serge Nubret, he had it all, sadly politics destroyed his career because he fell out of favour being a bit of a "naughty boy".David Gentle

Hey David. I appreciate John Grimek, he just isn't one of my top 10 favorites.

As for Serge Nubret, I know there was some controversy regarding him appearing in a bit of softcore porn in the mid 1970's and that he had a falling out with the Weiders, but could you please go into more detail about politics destroying his career & all?

[DannyBoy]

The problem I have is that as I was born in 1974, I have never been able to see any old school bodybuilders or physical culture people in the flesh (which is a great shame as I would have loved to sit down with them and ask them loads and loads of questions) so therefore I cannot think of ten, but would place the ones that I do know in the following order:

Steve Reeves, Frank Zane, Dave Draper, Elliot Launceston, Tony Sansone and Paul Grant

Oh that's alright if you can't think of 10 Harry, no big deal. I honestly haven't seen any of the guys on my list live in the flesh either, I've only seem them in pictures, on film and some of them in movies.

[peter yates]

HI DANNY,
I DO NOT USUALLY DO TOP 10 LISTS AS I FIND SOMETHING UNIQUE IN EACH BOOK, RECORD OR IN THIS CASE PHYSIQUE. HOWEVER I APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS IS BEING DONE SO WILL ADD A LIST OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE BODYBUILDERS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. HERE GOES
JOHN GRIMEK, STEVE REEVES, REG PARK, MARVIN EDER, CLARENCE ROSS, ARMAND TANNY, LEN SELL, LEO ROBERT, HAROLD POOLE, CHUCK SIPES. MANY MORE COULD BE ON THE LIST ESPECIALLY FROM THE 40s THROUGH THE 60s INCLUDING PEARL, DRAPER AND NUBRET. AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE I JUST APPLAUD THOSE WHO DID IT THE HARD AND NATURAL WAY WHEN EVERYONE LOOKED DIFFERENT.
REGARDS, PETER.

[DannyBoy]

HI DANNY,
I DO NOT USUALLY DO TOP 10 LISTS AS I FIND SOMETHING UNIQUE IN EACH BOOK, RECORD OR IN THIS CASE PHYSIQUE. HOWEVER I APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS IS BEING DONE SO WILL ADD A LIST OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE BODYBUILDERS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER. HERE GOES
JOHN GRIMEK, STEVE REEVES, REG PARK, MARVIN EDER, CLARENCE ROSS, ARMAND TANNY, LEN SELL, LEO ROBERT, HAROLD POOLE, CHUCK SIPES. MANY MORE COULD BE ON THE LIST ESPECIALLY FROM THE 40s THROUGH THE 60s INCLUDING PEARL, DRAPER AND NUBRET. AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE I JUST APPLAUD THOSE WHO DID IT THE HARD AND NATURAL WAY WHEN EVERYONE LOOKED DIFFERENT.
REGARDS, PETER.

Thanks Peter. I know what you mean that many more could be on this list as it's hard to narrow it down to just 10, but I appreciate you giving it a go. And that's a great list you came up with.

[peter yates]

HI DANNY,
WHILE I CERTAINLY APPRECIATED MANY OF THE BODYBUILDERS WHO CAME LATER IN THE 1960s AND 70s MANY OF WHOM STARTED BUILDING THEIR BODIES IN THE 50s SUCH AS DAVE DRAPER, CHET YORTON, CASEY VIATOR THE INCREASING STEROID USE AND FOCUS ONLY ON LOOKS MADE ME LOSE INTEREST. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER MY OWN FOCUS FOR TRAINING WAS STRENGTH AND HEALTH AND I ALWAYS LIKED THE TYPES OF PHYSIQUES DEVELOPED BY THE EARLY PIONEERS WHO WERE REAL PHYSICAL CULTURE, STRENGTH ATHLETES. THEY HAD A TYPE OF DENSE,RUGGED, MUSCULARITY THAT WAS MAINTAINED AS THEY AGED. SOME WHO SPRING TO MIND ARE MAXICK, OTTO ARCO, BILL HUNT, HERMANN GOERNER, THE SAXON BROTHERS AND MY FAVORITE THE GREAT WRESTLER/STRONGMAN GEORGE HACKENSCHMIDT. OF COURSE JUST MY PREFERENCE.SO GOOD THAT WE HAVE THIS GREAT RESOURCE IN WHICH TO VIEW THEIR TRAINING AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
REGARDS, PETER.

[peter yates]

JUST RECEIVED THE LATEST DINOSAUR FILES AND ON THE FRONT COVER IS THE GREAT 1946 MR. AMERICA ALAN STEPHEN. I HAD FORGOTTEN WHAT A GREAT BUILD HE HAD. THERE WAS A GANG OF THOSE GUYS ON THE WEST COAST INCLUDING STEPHEN, CLARENCE ROSS, JACK DELINGER, MALCOME BRENNER, FLOYD PAGE, ARMAND TANNEY WHO HAD GREAT PHYSIQUES BUT WERE ALSO VERY STRONG AND FREQUENTLY ENGAGED IN IMPROMPTU LIFTING MATCHES USING BODY BUILDING EXERCISES SUCH AS SLOW CURL AND BENCH PRESS. ANOTHER WHO COMES TO MIND IS GEORGE EIFERMAN. THESE WERE THE "POWER BODY BUILDERS," WHO LOOKED STRONG AND COULD BACK IT UP.
REGARDS, PETER.

[sticksb]

I remember bodybuilding images from magazines that were iconic . For instance Paul Wynter and his lat spread ,
Grimek leaning on the pillar or Dave Draper pushing on a boulder up in the mountains . More obscure guys like
Bill Seno , George Paine and Dale Adrian . Smaller perfectly proportioned competitors ala Ken Covington , Anibal
Lopez and Richard Baldwin . How about Leon Brown's back shot . There you go , that's 10 . Probably could name
200-300 more with all the images I digested since I was a kid .