Should there be a limit made for the open weight division?

Bulking. It’s all apart of the bodybuilding process. If you want to put on size and muscle it’s an inevitability that has to be faced. Eating clean and lean to pack on lean muscle is something that every pro bodybuilder goes through on the off season. In the open weight division it’s a must and something that can’t be avoided. But is there a point where too much bulking can mean diminishing returns?

Now I know what you’re thinking, the whole reason you body build in the first place is to become a swole mass monster, a beast among men. While that may be true, you have to consider the fact that bulking all the way up to 300 lbs can put a lot of stress on your body. Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates were two massive bodybuilders with impressive size as well as definition. Their presence in the bodybuilding was a real game changer. But the average Joe doesn’t have the genetic potential that those two legends had.

So you have to ask yourself, just how big is too big? Shawn Rhoden is not only bulked up, but is shredded as well. Yet he’s considered to be one the “smaller” guys in the open weight division, something that is hard to truly comprehend. The man is 250 lbs during competition, yet he’s still considered on the smaller side of the spectrum.

The mass monsters like Big Ramy are changing the game, but have we reached a point where massive muscle is ruining the perception of the sport? That truly depends on your stance. A limit for the open class could change things, but could take away from the divisions intrigue. People want to see how big someone can get while being shredded at the same time, which is the whole point to the open weight class. But many would argue that the demand for mass has taken away from the aesthetics.

The current landscape requires bodybuilders to bring larger than life physiques to the table. The bigger the better has become the notion, but that stance takes aesthetics out of play. On the other hand, if people are interested wholly in aesthetics then they can just tune into the physique competitions. There’s a reason bodybuilding events are separated into different categories.

Is there such a thing as too big? The answer is open ended. Where you fall on the subject can be as simple as considering what body type you think was more impressive: the current day mass monsters or the bodybuilders of the Golden Era.

How big is too big? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.