Art Atwood Dead 09-11-11

[Bouncer]

Art Dale Atwood died today in Dallas, Texas. He was 37 years old. The circumstances of his death are still unclear. Although, there have been several sources that have said that Art was at a pool party and fell or jumped in. When he was pulled out by fellow party goes he was already blue and wasn't able to be resuscitated. Untill the autopsy is preformed, we can't know if any substances or alcohol was envolved.

Art won his IFBB pro card at the 2001 NPC Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. His professional bodybuilding debut was the 2001 Toronto Pro where he took 1st place. His first IFBB Mr. Olympia came in 2002, where he placed 12th. Art competed in 19 shows as a pro bodybuilder, and retired from the stage in 2006. Atwood was arrested in 2008 in connection to Operation Raw Deal. His arrest was also tied in with the arrest of David Jacobs, who later killed IFBB Fitness Pro Amanda Savell and then turned the gun on himself.

[BEAST]

Wow! 37 years old.

[Mr I]

Sounds like a freak accident although he was an informant

[dna9488]

That's horrible. Damn, guy was too young

[bigscott]

All these guys in their late 30's....sad...

no age limit on death tho sad just fact of life

[lipripper]

no age limit on death tho sad just fact of life

EXACTLY.. SOLDIERS die everday who are a who ,ot younger then that, fighting for our freedoms.

[Scrumhalf]

I think the point that Rado is perhaps getting at is legitimate. You do hear a lot about several elite bodybuilders dying young. Now this may just be confirmation bias, where you count the hits and ignore the misses. However, it would be interesting to see if there is a preponderance of evidence showing that there is a higher rate of premature death in the elite bodybuilding community relative to the general population, and whether the AAS and (mis)use of other pharmaceuticals is the cause.

[Mr I]

I think the point that Rado is perhaps getting at is legitimate. You do hear a lot about several elite bodybuilders dying young. Now this may just be confirmation bias, where you count the hits and ignore the misses. However, it would be interesting to see if there is a preponderance of evidence showing that there is a higher rate of premature death in the elite bodybuilding community relative to the general population, and whether the AAS and (mis)use of other pharmaceuticals is the cause.

You dissapeared somewhere up your own ass with that one bro

[Scrumhalf]

Hmmm.. ok let's try again...

In the last few years, there have been numerous reports of bodybuilders dying young, especially in the elite ranks but also percolating down to the "advanced amateur" category. The question is whether this is due to their undoubtedly high AAS/other pharmaceutical usage.

One must be careful with this analysis. After all non-bodybuilders die young as well occasionally. There is a well known phenomenon called confirmation bias, where one tends to remember certain statistics but forget others, for example with psychics. People remember the times they happen to guess something right and forget the numerous times they get things wrong and come to the erroneous conclusions that they have some psychic ability.

The question is - do bodybuilders die young at the disproportionally higher rate than the general population, and can a causal relationship be drawn to their AAS/chemical ab(use)? Or is this merely confirmation bias - maybe we tend to hear about the bodybuilders who die young, but don't hear about the ones that live on to a ripe old age, and maybe the premature death rate of bodybuilders is no different from that of the general population.

It is an important question that should be of interest of many people on this board.

[Mr I]

Your a cool guy Scrum I like ya! I sense that while yhere are some addittional risks taken they are otherwise healyh concious so it evens itself out. You dont hear of many pro bbers dying. Have any Mr Olympias pasy or present died? Dont think so

[Scrumhalf]

No doubt there are many bodybuilders that are doing fine, not disputing that. However, the question is whether there is increased premature morbidity associated with heavy AAS and other chemical usage. I think that this can be dispassionately analyzed and figured out.

To nitpick, I don't quite agree with you blanket statement that the elite bodybuilders take "some additonal risks both are otherwise health conscious." Virtually nothing they do IMO is "healthy" by any definition of the word. Sure they may be healthier than an obese couch potato but that's not much of a bar to clear. But there is no way I would classify heavy AAS/insulin/GH usage, along with the diuretics and whatever else these guys take, the insane calorie intake, and the fact that their cardiovascular fitness will be pathetic, as anything other than profoundly unhealthy.

[Mr I]

You sound like you are saying what you think bouncer would like to hear or what he has convinced you of. Yes pro bbing is risky but it is in the atheletes interest to be as healthy as poss ouside of the pre comp run up

[Scrumhalf]

I speak my mind based on my own rational analysis of the evidence presented, not to please anyone, even Bouncer... :)

You obviously know far more about AAS than I do, but I think you are being naive in your assertion that pro BBs will have generally healthy habits. The emphasis of the sport being what it is, the tendency of every BB would be to push the envelope, cut corners and take risks, not to be prudent and conservative.

[decadecadeca]

Nothing about pro bodybuilding is healthy.

Not a damn thing.

Nothing taken to the extreme is ever healthy, certainly not in athletics.

Ultra marathon runners, pro bodybuilders, elite climbers, etc...all push their bodies to the very edge and pay the price with injuries and illness on a regular basis.

[Juiced1]

Pro bodybuilders have a shorter life span than the average man. Everybody knows that, including them.