I was recently asked on the getbig.com message board if I might 'enhance' an image of Sergio Oliva in an attempt to depict what he might look like today, 30 years after his prime, with the assumption he were to take advantage of the prodigious number of advances the sport of bodybuilding has undergone since.
My first thought was that it really isn't necessary to do so– Sergio looked like he was from the 21st century when he was competing anyway. But then my mind began to drift and I thought about the possibilities.
At his peak Sergio was a ripped 235-240 lbs.(260 according to Jack Merjimekian, Sergio's longtime friend and manager). At a height of 5'10" he was a good 25 pounds heavier than the average pro of the day at the same height. Taking into consideration that in 2003 a 5'10" pro should weigh around 260 to be at the elite level it's not a great leap to speculate that Sergio could have achieved a bodyweight of 280-285 lbs.
So I picked up that gauntlet and got to work at retouching a photo of Sergio hitting a double bicep shot. I made sure to alter only his muscle size and not his frame. I did add about 2 inches to his waistline, which I figured would be an inevitable side effect of packing on 40 pounds of bodyweight.
The result is startling. I imagine that my retouch job probably isn't too far off from what a 280 pound Sergio Oliva might look like. But maybe it's just as well that he wasn't born 30 years later. After all, it might get a bit boring watching the same guy win every show for 15 years straight.
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