# Francis Benfatto Comeback!



## Arnold (Feb 8, 2006)

damn, he looks amazing!


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## musclepump (Feb 8, 2006)

Wow. He looks better now than he did in his supposed prime!


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## GFR (Feb 8, 2006)

Still one of the best ever


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## GreenMan (Feb 9, 2006)

He was such a beautifully proportioned athlete that he made totally hetro guys like me take a cold shower.

He's a *LOT* bigger than he used to be.  Shame that he needs to resort to the obvious to have a chance in the competitive arena these days.


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## GFR (Feb 9, 2006)

GreenMan said:
			
		

> He was such a beautifully proportioned athlete that he made totally hetro guys like me take a cold shower.
> 
> He's a *LOT* bigger than he used to be. Shame that he needs to resort to the obvious to have a chance in the competitive arena these days.


He has 0 GH gut so I don't know if he resorted to the "obvious"


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## GreenMan (Feb 10, 2006)

ForemanRules said:
			
		

> He has 0 GH gut so I don't know if he resorted to the "obvious"



I'm sure he got that big with nothing more than vitamin pills - just like Big Ronnie


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## Nick+ (Feb 10, 2006)

Maybe his own brand of creatine did it........

He looks good though.


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## GFR (Feb 10, 2006)

GreenMan said:
			
		

> I'm sure he got that big with nothing more than vitamin pills - just like Big Ronnie


Not my point.....he used steroids in the past and does now.....I just think he is not abusing GH "yet"


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## GFR (Feb 10, 2006)

*Francis Benfatto returns to pro competition*

*[SIZE=-1]Francis Benfatto will return to pro competition after 12 years at the 2006 Ironman Pro[/SIZE]* 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]The first IFBB show of 2006 will be the Ironman Pro in Pasadena, California on February 18th. It is always a very exciting show, as you never know who will be competing in it - which rookies, which season pros, etc. Well, this year, we have a special surprise who is going to compete. Here is the press release.[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT] 






[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]After an absence of some 12 years, legendary bodybuilder Francis Benfatto will return to international competition at next February's Iron Man Pro contest in California. [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Having retired in 1993, this bodybuilding icon who inspired bodybuilding fans worldwide during the 1980's with his powerful artistic routines is still regarded by many as one of the best posers to have ever taken the stage. His departure from competition was greeted with dismay by fans around the globe, many of whom felt that despite his numerous titles and wins, at 35 years old he hadn't yet achieved his potential and was retiring too early.[/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Benfatto says his retirement was due to a number of reasons, primarily fatigue. "I was exhausted with competitions and also becoming quite disillusioned with the way bodybuilding was going. There appeared to be less emphasis on symmetry and proportion and more attention paid to size and weight. That was not the type of competition I lived and trained for and that led to such disappointment that I knew the time had come to take a break." [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]The break saw him leaving his native France and moving to Canada before finally settling in Cape Town, South Africa. Although not competing, Benfatto was still actively training and the decision to return to the competitive stage was sparked by his collaboration with a South African sports supplement manufacturer, Muscle Science, during the development of the Francis Benfatto Signature Series of nutritional supplements. [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]"Although I had retired from competition, I was still training every day in the gym and was constantly being questioned by the other guys on diet and training techniques," said Benfatto. "Having garnered so much knowledge about the dietary requirements of bodybuilding, it seemed logical that I develop a range of supplements that incorporated everything I believed a top bodybuilder needs in his diet. Working on the range with some of South Africa's top bodybuilders got me thinking about competition and at the back of my mind I started wondering how I would fare competitively again. I started training intensely and when I saw how well my body responded after just two months, I started thinking seriously about making a comeback." [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]With an invitation to compete in the 2006 IFBB Iron Man Pro, Benfatto, whose last competition was the '92 Mr Olympia, decided the time was right to return to the stage. "Although I'm nearly 48 now, I think people are going to see me in better shape than I was in the early '90's! If my training continues the way its been going, I believe I am going to appear at the Iron Man exhibiting the best symmetry, proportion and well conditioned musculature of my career. I think my timing is good because judges are again starting to take note of the purer, more classic and aesthetically pleasing physiques. I will prove that age is not a factor if you train and live correctly. I have probably about 15 - 20lbs more muscle than I did ten years ago so what people will see in February is not an older Francis Benfatto, but a completely new version of myself. I hope that through this, I can inspire other 40 and 50 year olds to get back into the gym." [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]With none of his previous competitors still active, Benfatto is looking forward to the challenge of competing against a new line-up. His training programme is well on track and has been designed to allow him to spend the last month before the Iron Man training in California. "Finishing my preparation in America is going to be a great motivation for me as it will give me the added variation of equipment that I will need then," he said. [/SIZE][/FONT] 
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]Those familiar with Benfatto's training programmes will be interested to learn that he hasn't altered his well known formula that is renowned for excluding cardio training. "I have never believed that cardio training will enhance definition in a particular muscle group. A simple adaptation of weight training will maximise the muscle growth and increase definition and size. There's no need to make training for competition any more complicated than necessary. I don't time my workouts or aim to spend a certain number of hours a day training. I simply plan my workout according to what needs to be done that day and I always pay attention to how I'm feeling. If I'm tired on a particular day, I rest and I don't worry about it. So I train in cycles and rest when I need. Naturally that will alter as I progress over the next two months but for now it's pretty straightforward." [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-1]The IFBB Iron Man Pro is the biggest and longest running IFBB Pro Bodybuilding event on the West Coast of the USA. It is the only Pro show in Los Angeles, the mecca of bodybuilding, with the top three finalists qualifying to compete in the 2006 Mr Olympia. Previous winners of the prestigious Iron Man contest include the likes of Chris Cormier, Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson. Gustavo Badell is the current title holder.[/SIZE][/FONT]


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## GFR (Feb 10, 2006)

I think these are all new pics oif him


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## Arnold (Feb 10, 2006)

can you attach those pics? they are not showing.


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## GFR (Feb 10, 2006)

Robert DiMaggio said:
			
		

> can you attach those pics? they are not showing.


 
   I'll post a link to the site....and try to re-post them through my computer


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## GFR (Feb 10, 2006)

http://members.fortunecity.com/mman79/benfatto.html


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## musclepump (Feb 10, 2006)

A lot more leg size now. I think that's great he can come back and do that at his age. Hey, to me, that represents a BENEFIT of steroids. Show me another guy in his late 40's who can look that youthful.


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## THEUNIT(XXL) (Feb 10, 2006)

musclepump said:
			
		

> A lot more leg size now. I think that's great he can come back and do that at his age. Hey, to me, that represents a BENEFIT of steroids. Show me another guy in his late 40's who can look that youthful.


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## THEUNIT(XXL) (Feb 10, 2006)

ForemanRules said:
			
		

> Not my point.....he used steroids in the past and does now.....I just think he is not abusing GH "yet"


HGH is "old", Myostatin blockers are the new thing


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## Arnold (Feb 11, 2006)

THEUNIT(XXL) said:
			
		

> HGH is "old", Myostatin blockers are the new thing



are you speaking of genetic engineering?


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## mrmark (Feb 11, 2006)

Robert DiMaggio said:
			
		

> are you speaking of genetic engineering?



I thought the only myostatin blockers available to the public now are herbal pills with no real proof of effectiveness. 

We're still years away from genetic modding us! There's also the different levels of testing to through 1st before they're released.


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## mrmark (Feb 11, 2006)

THEUNIT(XXL) said:
			
		

>



He's so big he looks fat in his suite.


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## GFR (Feb 11, 2006)

mrmark said:
			
		

> He's so big he looks fat in his suite.


 Ronnie is a fat disgusting slob
thank god
*[SIZE=-1]Francis Benfatto is ba[/SIZE]ck*


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## david (Feb 13, 2006)

Wow!  I haven't heard his name actively for a long time


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## THEUNIT(XXL) (Feb 13, 2006)

Robert DiMaggio said:
			
		

> are you speaking of genetic engineering?


Yeah, well, it's more blocking then altering or creating, so it's a lot less complicated. But this is the next big thing, they are the reason for the big increase in size over the years(Well this and insulin), the hgh stoped being popular with the pro's in the late 90s, this was the new thing, it does not work for ever but it's meant to be taken with your normall routine, so it's just something that will make you recover faster and gain an extra 20-30 pounds a year. I think it works for about 6-7 years. then you need hgh to grow.  the ja16 version is coming to "the normall people" now and it's starting to grow very popular because it has almost no side effects! just that you need to monitor your protiene intake very closely because you can now take up as much as you want, and it can't be stored as fat, But because of that, you take a high risk getting something I don't know the English name for it but you have to take insulin for it. You know what I'm talking about.


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## musclepump (Feb 13, 2006)

THEUNIT(XXL) said:
			
		

> Yeah, well, it's more blocking then altering or creating, so it's a lot less complicated. But this is the next big thing, they are the reason for the big increase in size over the years(Well this and insulin), the hgh stoped being popular with the pro's in the late 90s, this was the new thing, it does not work for ever but it's meant to be taken with your normall routine, so it's just something that will make you recover faster and gain an extra 20-30 pounds a year. I think it works for about 6-7 years. then you need hgh to grow.  the ja16 version is coming to "the normall people" now and it's starting to grow very popular because it has almost no side effects! just that you need to monitor your protiene intake very closely because you can now take up as much as you want, and it can't be stored as fat, But because of that, you take a high risk getting something I don't know the English name for it but you have to take insulin for it. You know what I'm talking about.



Are you referring to Diabetes? And if so, how does protein have anything to do with that?


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## Gordo (Feb 15, 2006)

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/24/1088046222411.html?from=storylhs

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6065


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## GFR (Apr 4, 2006)

*  Rounding out the top six was 48-year-old Francis Benfatto, in his return to the stage after a 12-year hiatus.*


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## Mudge (Apr 4, 2006)

Is that a right side pec tear I spot?


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## Wira (Apr 23, 2006)

*New Pics of Benfatto?*



			
				ForemanRules said:
			
		

> I think these are all new pics oif him


No, not at all!! These Photo's appeared in, amongst other magazines maybe, in Muscle&Fitness


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## Wira (Apr 23, 2006)

*New Pics of Benfatto?*



			
				Wira said:
			
		

> No, not at all!! These Photo's appeared in, amongst other magazines maybe, in Muscle&Fitness


Sorry, forgot to add the year: it was 1995. I can still weep to see how his body suffered from his pec tear!


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