There are a lot of bodybuilding enthusiasts who are fans of the French bodybuilder, Serge Nubret. He is well known as “The Black Panther.” There was a time when he was considered to be the fittest and the best bodybuilder. During his peak, other people do not want to compete with him because they know that they would only lose. He was not only the biggest, he was also the most cut bodybuilder of his generation.
A Few Details About Serge Nubret
Serge grew up in Guadeloupe, which is a small island located in the Caribbean. When Serge was 12 years old, his whole family decided that they will move to France in order to improve their lives. It was during his adolescent years when Serge noticed that he is particularly good in anything that had to do with sports. He learned at an early age that he can become a good athlete if he would do his best.
Serge was 20 years old when he was able to finish his education. The first thing that he did after graduation is to go back to Guadeloupe in order to compete in a contest, “Mr. Guadeloupe.” He realized that he would like to become a professional bodybuilder and through winning the contest, he became noticed.
Taking Things to the Next Level
From his win as Mr. Guadeloupe, it is already evident that good things were meant to happen to Serge. In a fast manner, he was able to do proper training in order to improve his body. He started to have an incredible physique that is still considered by a lot of people as their standard for men’s physique. He had a lot of ambition at that time – he wanted to become recognized by people for something that he was good at.
He became part of the IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilders) and after a few months of being a member, he was announced as the World’s Most Muscular Man. He had a lot of opportunities going his way. He was invited to become part of various movies and he did it. It was something new to him but he continued doing it anyway.
He also became the head of the IFBB from 1970 – 1975. He resigned when he realized that he does not agree with how the federation should run.
The Controversy
It was in the year 1975 when Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to enter Mr. Olympia for the last time. Rumors say that the judges was in favor for Arnold to win and they were willing to do everything to make that happen. They knew that Serge was Arnold’s biggest threat so they have decided that they were not going to let Serge enter the competition. The reason that they gave at that time is because of Serge’s appearance in an erotic film.
Upon the announcement, Serge decided that he is going to stop the rigorous training that he was doing just to get his body into its best condition. A day before the competition, he was suddenly allowed to compete again. At that time, he has already lost a lot of muscles. This gave his competitors more advantage to win. As expected, Arnold won but Serge was able to win 2nd place.
Joining WABBA
If there is something that Serge Nubret did that was quite courageous, it was when he decided that he will cut ties with the IFBB because he did not agree with their terms anymore. He decided to join World Amateur Building Association which is also known as WABBA. The main goal of this organization is to provide support to bodybuilders who were not given the proper attention that they need.
Even if he was already a part of WABBA, this did not stop him from competing in other contests that may be considered the turf of IFBB. It should be noted that he held 6 different world titles during his prime. These six titles are under 4 different organizations.
You can tell that Serge Nubret was very passionate about bodybuilding when he was alive. Even when he was not competing anymore, he made it a point to be active in different forums so that he can see the progress of new bodybuilders. At the same time, he was very generous about giving tips on how the body can be totally improved.
If there is one secret that Serge Nubret had, it was the fact that he does not lift heavy weights. What he does is he lifts light weights for so many reps that it will be hard to count them. If you want a body like Serge’s, you have to do the proper training.
