I have not paid much attention to the Olympia since I quit competing 18 years ago.
So, I checked out this year and.....WTF, I have never seen such smooth legs and lack of cuts/striations at this level. Branch Warren was the only competitor w/ half-way decent legs. The last time I competed, w/ all due modesty, my legs were way more cut than these pros (I had pro level legs..... unfortunately my upper body is definitely far from pro level).
I did a little inquiry, and found out that diuretics have been banned, so that explains a lot. However, leg training is very hard, so it is also possible that these pros do not train hard enough for Olympic level legs. My favorite pro of all time is Dorian Yates, well known for very high intensity training.
BTW, there is a formula for diuretics use that is fool proof. Chris Duffy gave it to me and it starts w/ an aldosterone blocker, titrates up for 4 days, then a Thiazide, again titrated up, and finally lasics (a very powerful loop diuretic). You don't touch Lasics until the night before the show, and lasics can only be used if you have done the rest of the formula. If you can get it, injectable lasics is good the morning of the show. I did not have it, and dimply did a half tab of lasics, did a full one the night before. This program is safe, it becomes dangerous when dosages are increased. Most of the pros in So Cal used this formula.
Due to the diuretic ban at the pro level, more than 11 years ago, the formula may have been lost. I was working w/ a guy for an upcoming show, but he is way to fat at 12 weeks out, refuses to do extra cardio, he should be doing 2 hours a day, especially as he is startling out w/ too much fat. He also is not interested in the diuretic program.
I have stopped working w/ him, because I don't want to be associated w/ a loser, which he will be on his current path.
Back when I was competing, at one of the biggst shows in the country was the Contra Costa. Usually the winner of that show went on to get a pro card (Flex Wheeler won it one year). The class winners, and many of the runner ups had better legs than today's Olympia competitors.
