Speaker A
While the Golden Era resurgence is arguably at its peak popularity, I think it's safe to say that those nostalgic ideals aren't returning anytime soon. And when the creative equivalent of Sam Sul popping his zits and lighting his farts passes for viral content, it's little wonder that the sport continues to slowly spiral down the proverbial drain. Even worse, the bland and sterile personalities of today's gymfluencers are every bit as forgettable as their overfueled steroid physiques, making the entire enterprise as unrelatable as it is unobtainable. Although many started their bodybuilding journey with hopes and dreams of one day resembling a mini Arnold or Zane, it's doubtful anyone picks up their first dumbbell with aspirations of looking like Chris Bumstead, Wesley Vissers, or S the Magic Bear Kolinsky. These guys, despite competing in a division labeled classic, are merely place card holders for a misappropriated nostalgia fetish with its mandated pipe dream promoting the resurrection of the Golden Era aesthetic. The classic division has since devolved into a diluted facsimile of the open freak show, albeit with scaled-down proportions. The same issues detracting from the classic aesthetic prevail: the extreme conditioning, the ridiculous chocolate-coated tans, the distorted taper, the skew of proportions, the off-putting mutant chicken drumstick legs. You can throw in all the Golden Era poses you want, but don't piss on my leg and tell me that this is classic. It's little wonder that the resurging interest in the Golden Era has guys reaching back in time for realistic physiques and old school methods worth emulating. It's a trend also giving rise to an increasing number of lifters making careers long as Arnold lookalikes, bodybuilding's own ironic equivalent to pro Elvis impersonators. In the shadow of the Yolk's legacy, Australasia produced a few acorns of its own. And while Arnold was infamous for another kind of [ __ ] back in 1980 Sydney, the appearance of guys like Callum Von Moga and Joel KET had me cross-referencing Schwarzenegger's travel timeline with growing suspicion that the old [ __ ] scattered his seed with more than one maid and before he flushed his bodybuilding career down the toilet. Callum showcased why he was the closest thing physically to Arnold 2.0, but natural Aussie bodybuilder Joel KET likewise channels some serious Schwarzenegger vibes minus the PEDs and Von Moga meth addiction. I find it kind of strange that KET gets tagged as an unoriginal Arnold cosplayer within an industry brimming with Gymshark-wearing, tattoo-covered, supplement-shilling, evidence-based bleeding sheep who are all as unique to the extent of how bland, generic, and uninspired they are in their conformity. With his analog camera, good old-fashioned film, and a style replicating that retro vintage vibe, KET's intelligent and witty social media presence portrays a bodybuilder with that rarest combination of both brains and brawn. Together with mate Brock W, the two have teamed up to produce an entertaining documentary titled Battle of the Amateurs, documenting the peers' journey to the Australian amateur bodybuilding stage. Both guys are lifetime naturals, and this documentary presents a window into each man's respective contest prep strategies, laying out their process from their meals, training, and mindset. Many of us who competed in the past love those Battle for the Olympia videos for their motivating and comforting window into the torturous hellscape of a final week's contest prep. But despite their soothing ASMR utility, the Battle for the Olympia productions were about as honestly as interesting as drying paint. KET's Battle for the Amateurs is instead a refreshing pivot from the overly serious meathead stereotypical bodybuilding documentaries, injecting some much-needed humor and humility back into bodybuilding. If you're familiar with the duo's quirky comedic chemistry and dry Aussie humor, then this doco could best be described as equal parts Pumping Iron and The Office. I also love the simplicity of their no [ __ ] style and message. Joel especially brings some clarity back to the conversation regarding training, nutrition, and recovery with an approach emphasizing high volume isolation exercises and prioritizing the pump over heavy lifting. Training twice a day, seven days a week, it's a style very reminiscent of my previous video on Serge Nubret's pump-style training, free of flashy gimmicks and shortcuts. His philosophy serves as an example of the good old-fashioned tenets of hard work, discipline, consistency, and love of training. And as usual, the social media comment sections are full of the usual keyboard warriors and armchair Olympia contenders, typically virulent in their snark and quick to bash KET by nitpicking his physique and hurling around baseless PED accusations. Of course, there's literally no reasoning with this absolute loser mindset possessed by guys that secretly wish they could get even half as close to the results that KET's achieved here. And if you are one of those Natty or not [ __ ] fanboys, you seriously need to [ __ ] off and find another activity to add to your growing list of life's failures. On the topic of PEDs, Joel stated in the past that obsessing over others' drug use ultimately detracts from your own personal progress. His approach was to instead assume that everyone was natural, even the huge guys. That way, he was free of the limiting self-beliefs and mental barriers others invariably harbor that ultimately sabotage their potential before they've even tried. He advocates instead channeling that mental energy into self-improvement. And from the looks of this vid, Joel's made a lot of improvements over the years to his 6' 210 lb frame. And while the trolls continue to quibble over his lack of decent legs, calves, and shoulders, his overdeveloped arms and chest, they also forget that they're basically describing any of the timeless physiques from the 60s and 70s to a T. Let's take, for example, Chad Yorton, the natural bodybuilding champion who defeated Arnold at the 1966 Mr. Universe contest. He was 5'1" and 210 lb, practically the same height and weight as KET. I especially love the refreshingly holistic and simplistic approach presented here with an overall emphasis on health. Too many guys think they can make the fan deal by removing health from the equation at the expense of some short-term gains. But KET explains the futility of the biological free lunch as a short-sighted strategy that never ends well. KET doesn't calculate calories or macros when dieting, and he adds or subtracts food using the mirror as his guide. He also rotates high and low carb days to fill out. If he's too depleted, cardio is a leisurely jog along the beach or some similarly enjoyable activity. He uses no supplements or protein shakes, obtaining his food from a range of whole foods. He credits the sun for the foundation of his good health and relies on it for his contest tan, forgoing the use of those ridiculous artificial spray tans. Seeing Brock and Joel's natural onstage glow looks a hell of a lot better than the spray tan alternatives. The guys also go out for those more traditional posing trunks instead of those awful dick tos that most guys compete in. A few things I would have liked to have seen covered in this include more of Brock and Joel's backstories, their motivations, struggles, and lives outside of bodybuilding just to flesh out the human island a little bit more. If you didn't know anything about these guys, it might be initially difficult to resonate with their story and connect with their journey. I also would have liked to have seen some crossover with how the guys train and eat offseason so that the viewer could compare and contrast the rigors of pre-contest training given a little bit more context. A collaboration with fellow Aussie natural bodybuilder Pete Hartwig to discuss the finer points opposing would also have been great. KET's posing is an effortless masterclass in channeling the spirit of Arnold, and I think it w
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