Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • 2023 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • 2023 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Bodybuilding

Samir Bannout on 1980 Olympia Controversy: ‘Something Was Going On; I didn’t Think Arnold Schwarzenegger Deserved to Win’

Bodybuilding veterans Samir Bannout and John Hansen discuss Arnold Schwarzenegger's controversial 1980 Mr. Olympia victory.
Doug Murray

Written by Doug Murray

Last Updated onSeptember 9, 2022

Samir Bannout On 1980 Olympia Controversy

Samir Bannout On 1980 Olympia Controversy - (Credit: oldschoollabs/YouTube)

Golden Era’s Samir Bannout and John Hansen cut their teeth in the sport around the same time Arnold Schwarzenegger competed in the IFBB Pro League. In a recent video, Bannout and Hansen discussed Schwarzenegger’s controversial 1980 Mr. Olympia victory. 

Samir Bannout reached the pinnacle of bodybuilding after securing the prestigious Mr. Olympia title in 1983. He’s acquired a wealth of knowledge during his tenure, which saw him compete against some of the sport’s most famous athletes, like bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, eight-time Olympia winner Lee Haney and “The Shadow,” six-time Olympia champ Dorian Yates. 

While he’s long hung up his posing trunks, that hasn’t stopped Bannout from sharing opinions about the sport. In the company of retired bodybuilders John Hansen and Nick Trigili, Bannout routinely discusses pressing issues that affect bodybuilding.

In late June, Samir gave his thoughts on three-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead using a ‘decreased’ bodybuilding cycle. Bannout believes some bodybuilders are pushing too much gear nowadays. He argued that Arnold Schwarzenegger looked his best while using only two compounds. 

Bannout and Hansen recently teamed up again for another podcast, where they discussed 1980 Mr. Olympia — one of the most controversial contests in the show’s history. Ultimately, the contest was won by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who mounted a comeback after retiring in 1975. 

John Hansen and Samir Bannout Explain Series of Events that Led to Schwarzenegger’s 1980 Olympia Victory 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arnold Strong (@thearchivesofbodybuilding)

During the latest episode of The Muscle Maturity Podcast, Hansen told Bannout that Schwarzenegger was friends with one of the promoters of 1980 Olympia, Paul Graham. 

“In 1980, they decided to move it from Columbus to Sydney, Australia and it was Arnold’s friend Paul Graham, who was promoting it,” Hansen explained.

Hansen added that Arnold decided to take part in the 1980 Olympia contest because his friends, including Franco Columbo, suggested he do so. 

“Arnold started training hard and the story was Franco [Columbo] and some of his friends were like, ‘man, you should just do the Olympia, you’re not promoting it this year, go win it, you know.’ So, Arnold didn’t tell anybody, and people were asking him, ‘are you doing the Olympia?’ and he was like, ‘no I’m just doing commentary for CBS television.” 

“He flies over there, and the day of the contest, they have a competitors meeting… and he shows up. And everybody is like, ‘what the f–k,'”Hansen shared.

Bannout says the “Austrian Oak” had some helpful ‘allies’ at 1980 Olympia. 

“Arnold had some allies. The thing is: I knew about Arnold competing. I was on the same airplane when we went to Sydney, Australia,” Samir said. “The bottom line, I knew Arnold was competing one month before. I saw him. He looked really good. Arnold looked really good. I mean two weeks before the show, I’m looking at Arnold and I’m like, ‘wow.’ I was really impressed, I was.” 

Why Was Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘Off’ at 1980 Mr. Olympia? 

One reason why Samir believes Arnold wasn’t at his best that year was because of a torn rotator cuff, which required the superstar to take Cortisone injections. 

1980 Mr Olympia
1980 Mr. Olympia

“People don’t understand exactly why Arnold came in a little bit off [for 1980 Olympia]. Arnold had an issue with his rotator cuff — the doctor ended up giving him Cortisone. He got injections in his shoulders, eventually, this backfired. Arnold is not used to taking much – Arnold never really abused,” says Bannout. 

Samir Bannout said the Cortisone shots in Arnold’s shoulders caused him to retain more water than usual. According to Bannout, Schwarzenegger did not ‘deserve’ to win 1980 Mr. Olympia. 

“On that day… I believe, now according to Arnold, which people don’t know about this issue… so Arnold wasn’t really Arnold. He didn’t peak properly. Part of that is the Cortisone shots he ended up taking in his shoulders. It affected his chemistry somewhat. It made him retain water more than usual. 

I don’t know exactly what went on, if Arnold used a diuretic or not, that I do not know. All I know — Arnold was flat at that show [1980 Olympia]. He did not bounce like the real Arnold,” Bannout shared. “Personally, I felt Arnold really didn’t deserve to win.” 

Related: History of Mr. Olympia

Bannout says Arnold Schwarzenegger Looked ‘Flat’ on 1980 Olympia Stage

While many bodybuilders were upset that Schwarzenegger showed up at 1980 Olympia unannounced, Samir believes he didn’t have to tell anyone since he was a former champion. 

“He didn’t really have to [tell anyone he was doing 1980 Olympia] because Arnold is Mr. Olympia and he’s qualified to do the competition,” says Samir. “His face looked too sunk in Australia, he probably lost more water than needed. That made him look slightly flat, honestly.”

Bottom line: Bannout doesn’t believe Arnold deserved to win his seventh and final Sandow trophy. 

“I’m not going to tell you bullshit, that Arnold deserved to win,” Samir said. “On that day I did not vote for Arnold personally. Arnold — I love you but that’s the truth.

It tells you… that something was going on,” says Samir. “What you’re telling me now is that it’s more obvious. I’m sorry Arnold… you were good. You’ve always looked good but, on that day, [you weren’t].” 

Bannout and Hansen agree that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s victory wasn’t deserved. However, they both acknowledge what a potent force he was in the IFBB Pro League after returning from a period of inactivity. 

To this day, no bodybuilders have been able to replicate what Schwarzenegger did in 1980 when he returned to the sport years later to win another Olympia title. In Bannout and Hansen’s opinion, this feat was only made possible because Arnold had allies within the Olympia organization at the time. 

Watch the full video below:

RELATED: Arnold Schwarzenegger Lost $4 Million Hosting Shows During Covid, Gives Comment After 2023 Arnold Classic Excludes Divisions

Published: 9 September, 2022 | 12:07 AM EDT

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: Follow us on Google News You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Bodybuilding News Videos
Previous Post

Tia-Clair Toomey Talks Recovery From Back Injury Going Into the 2022 CrossFit Games

Next Post

Natural Alternative To Pre-Workout (4 Delicious Recipes Included)

Doug Murray

Doug Murray

Doug Murray is a news writer and editor for FitnessVolt. He has built experience in various sporting fields, including MMA, and has written for a number of leading publications like MMA News, Sportskeeda, and CagesidePress.

Related

Milos Jay Cutler Talks Big Ramy

Milos Sarcev and Jay Cutler Talk Big Ramy’s Future: ‘He’s 100% Not Doing 2023 Mr. Olympia’

Attention is quickly shifting to Men's Open contenders expected to push each other at the next Mr. Olympia contest. In...

Increase Vascularity

How To Increase Vascularity: 15 Effective Strategies to Get Diced

Let’s be honest; prominent veins on a muscular physique look badass. Vascularity is considered a symbol of leanness, muscle mass,...

Nick Walker Chasing The Pump

Nick Walker on Leg Training for Gains and Chasing the Pump: “Embrace the Suffering”

Men's Open bodybuilder Nick Walker is eying his next competition taking place in November at 2023 Mr. Olympia. In a...

Iain Valliere Hassan update

Iain Valliere & Hassan Mostafa Show Off Peeled Updates Before 2023 Toronto Pro Supershow

The bodybuilding season is in full swing as competitors have until October 9 to earn a Mr. Olympia invitation. In...

How To Gain Muscle Fast

How To Gain Muscle Fast: The 12 Most Effective & Proven Tips

Every individual on this planet would gladly embrace the opportunity to effortlessly achieve instant muscle gains. However, life isn’t so...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Liver King Claims 149 Days of Being Natty, Shows off Extremely Shredded Physique

Powerlifter Daiki Kodama (83KG) Breaks 33-Yo IPF Raw Bench World Record With 230.5-kg (508.2-lb) Press

Race Time Predictor Calculator

Milos Sarcev and Jay Cutler Talk Big Ramy’s Future: ‘He’s 100% Not Doing 2023 Mr. Olympia’

Mark Zuckerberg Smokes Murph Workout of 100 Pull-Ups, 200 Push-Ups, 300 Sqauts and 2 Miles in Less than 40 Min

Jeremy Buendia Looks Jacked in Recent Physique Update, Crushes a Push-Day Workout

Reviews

Provitalize Review

Provitalize Review — The Best Probiotic Supplement?

Best Preacher Curl Benches

10 Best Preacher Curl Benches in 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Ancheer Treadmills Review

6 Best Ancheer Treadmills in 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workout
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2023 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • 2023 WSM
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • News
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • Diet
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2023 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.