Robby Robinson gives his review of the 2022 Mr. Olympia… and he seems to be an extremely tough critic.
We are just over a week away from the 2022 Mr. Olympia – and after some holiday gatherings we are starting to get more hindsight on the event. With a much hyped Men’s Open lineup, some shocking finishes, and even more shocking upsets – many were calling this year one of the best Mr. Olympia competitions in quite a long time. But don’t count Robby Robinson as part of that group. In fact, he has some extremely tough criticism for nearly all of the competitors who stepped on stage this year. Not to disrespect them but because he holds the Olympia up to such a high standard. In our latest episode of the Generation Iron Podcast, Robby Robinson explains why he thinks 2022 was the worst Mr. Olympia yet.
Robby Robinson is a legendary Golden Era bodybuilder who has never been afraid to speak his mind. While in recent years he has been somewhat quiet, during his prime he often spoke his mind. This open attitude also often brought him under criticism.
Generation Iron Network is currently in the process of producing a documentary on the life story of Robby Robinson. With the 2022 Olympia bringing so much attention – director Vlad Yudin and Producer Edwin Mejia Jr. decided to reconnect with Robby on the Generation Iron podcast. With the conversation recorded just one week after the 2022 Olympia, Robby Robinson goes in depth about his gut reaction to the event and the top athletes. Let’s jump into it.
Robby Robinson was very disappointed in the physiques at the 2022 Mr. Olympia
Point blank after being asked his reaction to the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Robby Robinson simply said he was “disappointed.” After discussing it more detail – he eventually stated that he thinks this was the worst Mr. Olympia. His reasoning has nothing to do with the passion of the athletes on stage. He simply thinks that none of them were truly ready to step on stage.
Robby Robinson’s biggest criticisms have to do with their preparedness. Or at least what Robinson perceives to be their preparedness going into the show. Robinson takes great care to reiterate that he is not trying to insult or offend the athletes on stage. He isn’t questioning their character. Rather, he thinks modern bodybuilding culture has failed these athletes.
Robinson goes on to discuss about the over-reliance on diuretics to be as dry as possible on stage. He thinks that the off-season bulk into on-season shred is being pushed too far. Robby Robinson always made sure he was in shape year round. This was to get him on magazine covers more often – but also because he believes this allowed for a better final contest prep in the final week leading into Mr. Olympia.
Ultimately, he thinks that the beauty and the finer details of bodybuilding has been lost. He states multiple times that he thinks working on machines rather than free weights is a mistake. He thinks it leads to lazier workouts (despite many experts believing otherwise). Overall, the top athletes of today don’t treat bodybuilding as an art in addition to a sport. They are only focusing on the sport side of things. He thinks the lack of artistic thinking and preparation dampens the true glory of the sport.
Will Robby Robinson compete again at the 2023 Masters Olympia 77 years old?
During his review of the 2022 Mr. Olympia – Robby Robinson often discussed focusing on not only winning but also coming out of the sport healthy. He believes that staying in shape 24/7 all year is a better way to be maintain health than to do the bulking and cutting cycle. He also thinks that the massive focus on drugs lowers the odds that modern bodybuilders will walk away from competing with a clean bill of health.
Robby Robinson still trains today and holds an impressive physique considering he is currently 76 years old. So of course, talk of the 2023 Masters Olympia came up. Would Robinson return and compete? With a focus on always staying in shape, it seems his contest prep would be easily on point. But even with his current incredible shape, Robinson will be 77 by the time the 2023 Masters Olympia commences. That’s on the older side even for the Masters divisions.
Robby Robinson reveals that he has been contacted by the Olympia brand to potentially come back for the Masters Olympia return. However, Robinson seems to have no interest currently in taking that path. He sees his career as a successful one. He would rather have left on his own terms than come back one last time and not feel ready.
So as of now, Robby Robinson has confirmed he will not be competing at the 2023 Masters Olympia. He does, however, joke that he would likely be able to defeat most others who might return.
Wrap Up
Robby Robinson, as always, held nothing back in his reaction to the 2022 Olympia and the future of modern bodybuilding. Robinson goes into detail reacting to Big Ramy‘s placing, Derek Lunsford‘s impressive transition into Men’s Open, and even touches upon the hype and placing of Nick Walker. Ultimately, even for the most impressive of athletes – Robinson maintains his opinion – they were all disappointing.
Robby Robinson believes that Hadi Choopan deserved to win. That he was the closest to showcasing the hardness, dryness, and artistry of bodybuilding aesthetics. But Robinson believes everyone else after that is grading on a curve. He even describes Nick Walker’s Olympia physique as simply, “alright.”
You can watch Robby Robinson’s full comments about the 2022 Mr. Olympia in our latest episode of the Generation Iron Podcast above! Make sure to check back every Tuesday for new episodes only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.
