“Bodybuilders rely too much on drugs,” says WFF head judge Paul Knight

WFF judge Paul Knight warns athletes are not working hard enough, relying on drugs and overcomplicating peak week instead of focusing on conditioning

By Gary Chappell

WFF head judge Paul Knight says bodybuilders rely too much on drugs and are not working hard enough to achieve true contest condition, warning that modern prep has become overcomplicated.

Knight was announced as WFF President Kelley Szostak's choice for the top job on the judging panel early this month. He brings a wealth of judging experience and is also a coach and owner of Crayford Weights and Fitness in Kent.

Knight liked what he saw from the WFF and sees his new role as a good opportunity to help athletes. But he also knows exactly what he wants to see from competitors this season. And where some of them are going wrong.

Paul Knight: Bodybuilders rely too much on drugs

"Just to come in shredded," said Knight, when asked what he wanted to see from athletes this season. "People just don't seem to work hard enough these days. They're relying too much on the drugs and they mess about with their peak week. I just want to see them nail their condition. Most people tend to overcomplicate things these days. People think they can get drier than what they are. They use a diuretic and then wonder why they're flat. And a lot of coaches now don't understand, obviously if they're using diuretics, how they work, with potassium sparing or sodium sparing.

Knight says the WFF – and him in particular – will be offering feedback to athletes in order to help them improve. He said: "I like giving feedback. I like to be able to give feedback on everything; training, weak body parts. I'm not just going to say someone is weak on the chest, I want to go into detail. That's why I like judging, because I can make a difference to the athletes.

"I always make notes at shows. I see an athlete up there and I know what they've got wrong and I'll go and find them. I'll actually pull them to one side and say, 'look, you've got to do this'. It's annoying because you know they've got it [what it takes], but they're not opening their lats properly, or they're doing something when they're posing. You only can judge what you can see, that's the trouble, not what you know is there. You can't judge on what you can't see, which is annoying because when they doing something wrong it puts them out of the running."

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