A rare portrait of a true great.

For certain fans of bodybuilding, the mass monsters of today simply don’t cut it as the best the sport has to offer. Many believe that the classic physiques of the Golden Era were the true representation of how a bodybuilder should look. Back then everything was about proportions and balance, being sure that every body part was given equal importance, which in all honesty is much like the training of today. The difference is that massive muscle was given less emphasis and balance was king above all else. One of the greatest representations of this is one of the greatest Olympia champions of all time, Sergio Oliva.

One of the greatest to ever take to the posing stage, Sergio Oliva was a bodybuilder ahead of his time. He was massive for the era yet he still had a proportioned physique that was neither too bulky nor was puffy or bloated. Sergio Oliva was a great example of a bodybuilder that had tremendous muscle mass but was able to maintain a narrow waist and a great V taper.

Recently some rare photos have been featured on the this_is_bodybuilding Instagram page. Take a look at one of the all time greats in his heyday.

The sensational Sergio Oliva, seen here in a photo by the legendary Jimmy Caruso, was the 2nd man to ever win the title of Mr. Olympia! He tried first in 1966, but placed 4th (last place in that show). In 1967 he showed up bigger and better, and without the 2X reigning Champion Larry Scott competing, it was an easy win. He went on to defend the title unopposed in 1968. No one thought they could possibly beat the mighty Myth! Then in 1969, one young man from Austria tried: Arnold @schwarzenegger. He came close, but the Myth was just too dense and had too much muscle maturity…not to mention a Mythical reputation…and the young Austrian was defeated. The following year, however, things went the way of the Oak who had returned much more complete and with much better conditioning. To this day, whenever the discussion of “most genetically gifted Bodybuilders of all time” is had, Sergio’s name is right at the top of the list along with men like @officialflexwheeler, @ronniecoleman8 and now @philheath. #SergioOliva #theMyth #3X #MrOlympia #Champion #Bodybuilder #Bodybuilding #BeTheBiggerMan #THISisBodybuilding

A photo posted by MichaelD.Bryson (@this_is_bodybuilding) on Aug 25, 2016 at 12:19pm PDT

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