Former pro bodybuilder Chris Cormier and IFBB Pro League judge Terrick El Guindy once sat down to settle a classic gym debate 🏋️
Who has the best back ever? And whose legs can never be beaten?
Their answers have held up beautifully — and three years on, the 2026 season has only made their picks more interesting.
Here are their all-time lists, with the records checked and corrected, plus what has changed since 2023.
Who Are Chris Cormier and Terrick El Guindy? 🤔
Cormier is one of the great nearly-men of 1990s bodybuilding — and that is a compliment, not an insult.
He turned pro after winning the 1993 NPC USA Championships overall, then announced himself in 1994 with 2nd at the Ironman Pro, 4th at the Arnold Classic and 6th on his Mr. Olympia debut.
He never won the Olympia — his best was 3rd in 1999 — and he never won the Arnold Classic either, finishing runner-up there six straight times from 2000 to 2005.
What he did win tells its own story: the 1997 Night of Champions and four straight Ironman Pro titles from 1999 to 2002.
That is why his opinion carries weight. He shared stages with Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Flex Wheeler and Shawn Ray — he judged these backs and legs from right beside them.
El Guindy brings the other side of the sport: the judge’s chair.
He is one of the IFBB Pro League’s leading judges and a familiar analyst on Olympia coverage, where he breaks down physiques pose by pose.
In September 2026 he was still doing exactly that, recapping the 2026 Mr. Olympia and explaining the poses that carried Nick Walker to his first Sandow.
Put a 1990s top pro and a current top judge together, and you get a list worth arguing about.
🏆 Best Back of All Time: Samir Bannout
For the greatest back ever, Cormier and El Guindy pointed decisively to one man: Samir Bannout.
Bannout, the “Lion of Lebanon,” won the Mr. Olympia in 1983 — and his back won it for him.
At under 200 pounds, he beat far bigger men on shape, detail and proportion, ending the aesthetics era just before Lee Haney’s mass era began.
Cormier recalled that Bannout’s back looked too perfect to be real when he first saw it as a young bodybuilder.
The famous “Christmas tree” — the striated pattern of the lower back — combined with full, sweeping lats and round rear delts defied belief.
El Guindy agreed, singling out Bannout’s back double biceps and lat spreads from 1983 as almost impossible to match for sheer quality and beauty.
Later mass monsters built more muscle — Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney chief among them — but not Bannout’s balance and elegance.
Cormier also praised back-pose masters Haney, Robby Robinson and Flex Wheeler. But for pure artistry, he said, Bannout’s back stands alone.
The verdict still holds in 2026. Four decades on, no one has made a back look quite like that.
🦵 Best Legs of All Time: Tom Platz
For legs, the consensus pick was just as clear: Tom “Quadfather” Platz.
Platz redefined leg training in the 1980s, building thighs reported at over 30 inches through famously brutal high-rep squat sessions.
El Guindy argued Platz sits in a class of his own when you combine endless mass with diamond-like cuts and separation.
Even as today’s pros push leg size further, Platz did it decades ago — with superior shape, not just size.
Cormier himself earned an honorable mention for his own thick legs, but he agreed: Platz is bodybuilding’s undisputed leg king 👑
The only other names in the conversation, they said, were Paul DeMayo — the 1990s “Quadzilla” famed for his freakish quads — and Branch Warren, the Texas powerhouse built on Metroflex Gym leg days.
Neither, in their view, dethrones Platz. And Tom Platz’s own story explains why his legs became the standard every leg day is still judged against.
What Has Changed Since 2023? 🆕
The lists themselves are timeless — Bannout and Platz are not adding titles. But the world around them has moved.
The biggest twist concerns Nick Walker. In 2023, Cormier and El Guindy said Walker needed more flaring quads to reach greater heights.
On September 26, 2026, Walker answered that critique in the best possible way: he won his first Mr. Olympia, beating Samson Dauda into 2nd and Derek Lunsford into 3rd.
That does not rewrite the all-time legs list — Platz still owns it — but it does retire the 2023 criticism. Walker is now a Sandow winner, quads and all.
Meanwhile, the “next generation” named in 2023 has grown up fast. Andrew Jacked, tipped then as a future aesthetics-and-mass hybrid, finished 4th at the 2026 Olympia.
And Cormier has stayed close to the top of the sport as a coach, working with Lunsford ahead of the 2025 Arnold Classic.
So the old debate feels fresh again: the legends set the standard, and the 2026 champions are still chasing it.
The Ideal Physique Keeps Evolving ⚖️
Bannout’s back was the peak of shape and proportion — but he would be dwarfed in sheer size by today’s heavyweights.
Platz set a leg standard built on roundness and striations rather than overloaded mass, and few have reached it since.
As the sport moved toward sheer bulk and giants like Big Ramy, the idea of balance keeps shifting.
Yet Cormier and El Guindy’s point endures: true quality outlasts any era.
Bannout and Platz did not just dominate the 1980s — their physiques remain the blueprint every great back and every great set of legs is measured against.
Honoring the perfect backs and legs that came before might just hold the key to tomorrow’s champions.
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Who picked the best back and legs of all time?
Former pro Chris Cormier and IFBB Pro League judge Terrick El Guindy. They named Samir Bannout’s back and Tom Platz’s legs as the greatest ever.
Why is Samir Bannout’s back considered the best ever?
Bannout won the 1983 Mr. Olympia largely on his back: sweeping lats, 3D rear delts and the famous striated “Christmas tree” lower back, all on a sub-200-pound frame.
How big were Tom Platz’s legs?
Platz’s thighs were reported at over 30 inches at his peak, built through brutal high-volume squat training — including his legendary 525-pound squat for 23 reps.
Did Chris Cormier ever win the Arnold Classic or Mr. Olympia?
No. His best Olympia finish was 3rd in 1999, and he was Arnold Classic runner-up six straight times (2000–2005). His biggest wins were the 1997 Night of Champions and four Ironman Pro titles.
Do Cormier and El Guindy’s picks still hold up in 2026?
Yes — Bannout and Platz remain the consensus all-time picks. What changed is the context: Nick Walker, once told he needed better quads, won the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
The Takeaways ✅
Cormier and El Guindy’s assessments give priceless perspective on bodybuilding’s pinnacle achievements.
Greatness like Bannout’s back and Platz’s legs can never be replicated exactly — but identifying these masters gives context for sculpting future Mr. Olympia winners.
The ideal physique will keep evolving, but it will always build on irreplaceable icons like Samir Bannout and Tom Platz.
And as today’s standouts chase their glory, the lessons of history will guide the path.