A surprising defeat for the Austrian Oak.

For the most part there are two different factions that make up the bodybuilding community. There are bodybuilders who use gear, or steroids, in order to see more advanced results. Then there are natural bodybuilders who have a belief that they can attain the ultimate physique without resorting to using any outside substances. Many people who aren’t well educated on the subject may believe that bodybuilders that use gear have a much easier time building muscle. Though an anabolic user may utilize steroids the truth of the matter is that if they wish to see major results then they’re going to have to put the work in. Because of the success so many professional bodybuilders have had using steroids, many believe that the natural bodybuilder will always look less impressive than the athletes on gear.

[wptouch target=”mobile”]

Back in the 60s and 70s, or the Golden Era as many refer to it, bodybuilders didn’t use nearly as much gear as they do today. Sure, they did use steroids as well, but the extent to which the athletes of yesterday utilized anabolic was far less than what we see today. Nevertheless there were still bodybuilders who believed that they could achieve greatness without the aid of any outside elements. There’s nothing that can replace good, hard training after all. It’s the ideology that Chet Yorton subscribed to back in his competition days.

Yorton was a man who didn’t subscribe to the bodybuilding lifestyle until he was in a horrible car accident that would heavily damage his body. During his rehabilitation however, Yorton discovered the very thing that would change his life forever. A pair of dumbbells. That’s right, a pair of dumbbells sitting in the corner of the rehabilitation room would be the first step to shaping a physique that was capable of outclassing some of the best bodybuilders in the world. After only lifting for several months, Chet Yorton found that he had packed on 55 lbs, most of that being lean muscle mass.

So what exactly made Yorton the man he is today? The man people refer to as the father of natural bodybuilding? Well, during the 1966 Mr. Universe competition, Yorton would face off with a young man by the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger. While many thought Arnold would eventually take the title at the show, it was Yorton who impressed the judges and proved that his hard work and determination would pay off and be the ultimate deciding factor in the outcome.

Years into his bodybuilding career Yorton would discover steroids, but after being informed of their side effects, chose not to use the anabolic substance. He believed that hard work would bring him equal amounts of success and so it did. In 1975 he established the NBA, Natural Bodybuilders Association, the only organization to do testing for steroids. It was the beginning of the rift that we see today in the bodybuilding community. While there may be nothing wrong with a bodybuilder taking steroids, the questions becomes that if Chet Yorton was able to look so impressive, what’s stopping anyone else from achieving an awesome physique with hard work, dedication, and a single minded drive to improve?

Do you prefer natural bodybuilding or do you condone anabolic use? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.