When it comes to bodybuilding perfection honesty is the only policy.

Bodybuilding is a sport devoted to the men and women who endeavor to chisel themselves into the very image of physical perfection. To the average person it may be seem like a narcissistic kind of sport, something that is more self obsession than athletic endeavor. The truth of the matter is that being a bodybuilder also means being the most honest person in the room. If you look like crap you’re going to have to get real with yourself and own up to your limitations. The sport is as much about self reflection as it is about pumping iron.

To make it in the world of bodybuilding you have to have that kind of self deprecation, the ability to not only spot your flaws, but fix them as well. It’s that sort of thought process that brought men like Ronnie Coleman, Shawn Ray, and Kevin Levrone a ton of championship level wins. They were all very talented bodybuilders in their heyday and were all equally impressive. Despite Ronnie Coleman being victorious nearly every time he hit the Olympia stage, he still had to face some stiff competition. When you consider that Ray, Levrone, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, and Nasser El Sonbaty were the very competition that Coleman was able to overcome – then you realize just how great a talent the 8 time Mr. Olympia truly was. There’s no doubt that there have been great final posedowns at countless Olympia shows, but 1999 may have been the year that saw the most closely contested field in the event’s history. Take a look.

That same attention to detail, that self deprecation, it was no doubt the key factors that allowed Coleman to make the improvements to defeat the competition. Coleman may have been victorious, but it was the impressive showing by the other men on stage that pushed him to strive for greatness. That’s something to be respected.

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What year do you believe was the hardest Olympia to judge? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.