Mr. Olympia 1978: Zane Defends His Title

If you haven’t been following along, make sure you check out each year of the Mr. Olympia competition. We’ve been recapping it all the way back to inception, 1965.

You can find them all right here.

The 1978 Mr. Olympia was the third consecutive Mr. Olympia contest promoted by the team of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer. Each year that Arnold and Jim had promoted the show, it had grown in both the number of competitors and in prestige and quality. 

It was the best-produced bodybuilding event of the year and the highlight of the bodybuilding world.

Frank Zane was the defending champ, having won the Mr. Olympia one year earlier in 1977. Zane was a different breed of bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia. 

Previous winners of the title such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, and even Franco Columbu, were massive bodybuilders who dominated their competition by sheer size. 

Zane, on the other hand, had an iconic symmetrical physique who relied on his perfect shape and definition to beat his competitors. It was quality over quantity, shape vs. size.

After his win in 1977, Zane had received a lot of criticism from some sections of the bodybuilding press. They felt he was not big enough to deserve the title. 

Many people were surprised that the pre-contest favorite Robby Robinson did not win. After all, he fit the mold set by previous winners, like Schwarzenegger and Oliva. 

Frank Comes Up with a Plan to Win

Frank Zane took this criticism to heart and made up his mind to come back even better the next year to defend his title. Realizing his particular strengths, Zane did not plan on getting bigger for the 1978 Mr. Olympia. 

Instead, he focused on extreme definition. 

In reviewing the photos of his victory the previous year, Frank felt that he was actually in better muscular shape in 1976 than when he won the title. 

For the 1978 Mr. Olympia, Zane decided to come in even more conditioned. He actually competed three pounds LIGHTER than he had the year before. 

Zane faced much tougher competition in the defense of his title in 1978. There were some new professionals competing in their first Mr. Olympia, including: 

• Danny Padilla
• Roy Callender
• Kalman Szkalak
• Tony Emmott
• Mohamed Makkawy 

The Competitors Prepare for Competition

The Under 200 Pound Class featured eight competitors, and the Over 200 Pound Class had five entrants. 

In the Under 200 Pound Class, no one could come close to equaling the extreme definition exhibited by Zane. Although there were some strong competitors in this class, Zane’s great muscularity and shape put him at a level above everyone else. 

It was obvious to both the judges and the fans that Zane had improved significantly in the year since he won. 

Boyer Coe

Boyer Coe was probably in the best shape of his life at the 1978 Mr. Olympia. Boyer was much more ripped than the year before when he took fourth place overall. 

Coe has some trademark poses that only he can do successfully. His body really comes alive when he poses and Boyer got a tremendous ovation from the crowd. 

Danny Padilla

Danny Padilla was making his Mr. Olympia debut in 1978. Although he only stood 5’2”, Danny was a giant when he stood on a bodybuilding stage. Perfectly proportioned with great symmetry in his physique, Danny had one of the best physiques in bodybuilding. 

For the 1978 Mr. Olympia, Danny was in good shape but not great. His legs were very separated and defined, but his upper body could have been leaner and more ripped. 

However, he was still impressive in his Mr. Olympia debut, showing everyone that he deserved a spot in the biggest contest in bodybuilding.

Ed Corney

The late, great Ed Corney was back in 1978 after his very successful third-place finish one year earlier. Corney had received two standing ovations from the sold-out audience in 1977. His outstanding posing routine was one of the best moments in bodybuilding history. 

This year, Ed displayed a bigger physique with more thickness. He also tried out a different posing routine while still including his standard Ed Corney moves. 

This would prove once again that he is the most innovative and creative poser in bodybuilding. The crowd gave him another tremendous ovation!

Tony Emmott

Tony Emmott from England was making his IFBB debut by competing in the Mr. Olympia. Tony had previously competed only in the NABBA and WBBG organizations. He had his biggest win ever one year earlier when he defeated the legendary Serge Nubret at the 1977 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe competition. 

At the 1978 Mr. Olympia, Tony was in great condition, but he, unfortunately, came down with an awful case of gyno. He wasn’t able to create the excellent muscle shape and symmetry of bodybuilders such as Zane and Padilla.

Mohamed Makkawy

Mohamed Makkawy was also competing in his first Mr. Olympia in 1978. Makkawy won the 1976 IFBB Mr. Universe in the lightweight class and the overall at the 1977 IFBB Mr. International. 

However, he seemed to be slightly off on this night. Although very thick and muscular, Makkawy lacked that razor-sharp definition that allowed him to shock the bodybuilding world when he won the Mr. Universe in Montreal. 

The word was that Mohamed had to serve military duty in his home country of Egypt. This meant he was not able to train and diet as strictly as he normally would in contest prep. 

Bill Grant

Bill Grant was competing in his fourth consecutive Mr. Olympia contest. Bill showed off his incredible biceps and rock hard abs during the comparisons. 

What hurt Bill was his lack of calf development compared to the other competitors. But he was definitely in top shape. 

Albert Beckles

Albert Beckles was a veteran competitor who was competing in his third Mr. Olympia competition. Albert did very well in the NABBA organization several years earlier, winning the Mr. Britain in 1970 and taking first place in his class at the 1971 NABBA Mr. Universe. 

He went on to win the overall at the IFBB Mr. Universe in Paris, France, that same year. Albert displayed some of the most amazing arms in the sport. He was just not defined enough to place higher in today’s competition. 

The Over 200 Pound Class at the 1978 Mr. Olympia was stacked with talent! 

Robby Robinson

The previous year, Robby Robinson took the class easily over Ken Waller, Dennis Tinerino, and Roger Walker. This year, Robby was back, but he had some new competition in Roy Callender and Kalman Szkalak. Tinerino and Walker had also returned to the Mr. Olympia in 1978.

Robby Robinson was in outstanding condition for the 1978 Mr. Olympia! Unlike last year when he appeared somewhat bloated and indifferent to the audience, this Robby was a true professional. 

Robby was ripped and ready, and he displayed shredded intercostals and abdominals during the compulsory poses. Robby was cleaning up in 1978, already having won the inaugural Night of the Champions and the Professional World Cup over the summer. 

Roy Callender

Roy Callender was also a top contender. Callender was very thick and massive, and he had placed second to Robby at the Night of the Champions earlier that year. 

Roy’s chest, back, and arms were huge, and he was one of the biggest competitors in the show. On top of his thickness, Roy was also in outstanding shape for his first Mr. Olympia contest. 

Kalman Szkalak

The wild card competitor in the 1978 Mr. Olympia was definitely Kalman Szkalak. Kal was entering only his sixth competition at the Mr. Olympia and he was undefeated in his short career in bodybuilding. 

One year earlier, Kal had created an upset when he beat Mike Mentzer at the 1978 Mr. Universe contest in Nimes, France. Now, he was ready to win the Mr. Olympia on his first try. 

Kal had an upper-body reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger at his best! Enormous chest, biceps, back, and shoulders all blended together to create the most outstanding display of muscle and thickness ever seen on a bodybuilding stage. 

As Kal went through his patented series of poses designed to show off his physique to its best, the sold-out audience in Columbus, Ohio jumped to their feet to show their appreciation for this new Muscle God. 

Dennis Tinerino

Dennis Tinerino was vastly improved from his 1977 showing at the Mr. Olympia. Tinerino was a veteran competitor, having won the Mr. America in 1967 and the Mr. Universe in 1968. He was just reaching his physical peak at this point in his career. 

Tinerino displayed his massive shoulders and ripped abdominals for the judges and his appreciative fans. 

Roger Walker

Roger Walker from Australia also made vast improvements from his Mr. Olympia debut one year earlier. Roger was both bigger and more ripped than in 1977. 

Unfortunately for Roger, he was up against some tough competition in the Over 200 Pound Class this year. 

The Judges Make a Decision and the Crowd Boos

At the finals of the 1978 Mr. Olympia, the judges had made their decisions:

• Under 200 Pound Class: 
  • Frank Zane
  • Boyer Coe
  • Danny Padilla
• Over 200 Pound Class: 
  • Robby Robinson 
  • Roy Callender
  • Kal Szkalak

Some of the audience was shocked to see Ed Corney not make the pose down for the 1978 Mr. Olympia. 

When the results of the contest were announced, no one was surprised to see Danny Padilla called out in sixth place. Danny was in good shape, but he could have been more ripped. 

However, when Kal Szkalak was announced in fifth place, chaos erupted! 

The crowd booed loudly to show their support to the massive Szkalak who had gained a lot of fans that day in Columbus, Ohio. Kal, who had bucked the IFBB system in the last year since he turned professional, felt that he was being unfairly prosecuted by the powers that be. 

To show his displeasure, Szkalak walked to the center of the stage, held his massive arms out to his side, crossed his legs at the ankles and tilted his head to one side. Crucified! 

Kal was letting the world know of his fifth place finish by the unjust International Federation of Bodybuilders. 

Boyer Coe placed fourth again for the second year in a row, but with a much-improved physique. Roy Callender took third place in his Mr. Olympia debut. 

That left only two competitors left – Frank Zane and Robby Robinson. 

And Then There Were Two

Zane smiled and looked as confident as ever. Robby, sensing the momentum in the moment, wrapped his massive arms around the defending champion and picked him up off the ground. 

Zane laughed in surprise and raised his arm in triumph before the decision was announced!

Robby Robinson took his second runner-up position in the Mr. Olympia and Frank Zane won his second Mr. Olympia. 

Zane’s decision to be the best physique that was right for him paid off! 

By choosing to compete even more muscular and ripped, Zane had set a new standard for the Mr. Olympia and for bodybuilding in general. 

If you wanted to win a bodybuilding title after 1978, you better show up ripped! 

Frank Zane, 2x Mr. Olympia, was now the standard. 

Do you feel that Frank was justified in his win over Robby? Do you agree with Kal and the fans that he was placed unfairly in the 1978 Mr. Olympia? Are you ready for 1979? Stay tuned for next year’s event!