My take on the Olympia

[Disgusted]

Not that anyone really cares all that much. 

Dexter Jackson

I said during the prejudging that Dexter should win the show. He was bigger than usual, very round and full. If I were to nit pick and I will since this is the Olympia, Dexter could have a little more thigh sweep. As far as size goes I don't think Dex could actually put on anymore considering he is a very small stature guy to begin with. Other than his calves he is complete. Gone was the usual extreme conditioning. Don't get me wrong he was in very good shape, just not like in the past. He slipped a little on Sat, but not enough. On this night even though he was not at his best, he was good enough to win and deservedly so.

Jay Cutler

Jay was just a little better at the prejudging on Fri than he was the year before. What ever the Hell he is doing wrong he knew how to correct it by Sat. Jay had a very full, but washed out look to him on Fri. When I saw him on Sat I was actually thinking that no one would complain if Jay won again. He was that much better. Supposedly dropping close to 12 pounds in one day and it made a huge difference. I would love to know why Jay didn't realize this on Fri. If he had he IMO would still be Mr. Olympia. (not that I would agree with that).

Phil Heath

Phil has got some great parts to him. His arms, especially from the front in a MM pose are insane!!! Best in the world IMO. In a front DB they are still great, but I can think of others with better arms in that pose. Phil had some great conditioning, in fact better than Dexter, but calves aside as far as I'm concerned a Mr Olympia needs to have a complete physique. What hurts Phil is his back. Granted he is not very wide which also hurts his chest. I don't think that his chest is as bad as some are saying. I do think that he needs to figure out how to put on more mass when it comes to his back. There are a lot of guys out there who may not be very wide in the delts, but have a ton of muscle in their back, Rich Gaspari come to mind.

Dennis Wolf

Huge disappointment. I was expecting to see a morphed version of Dennis ala Ronnie Coleman. What I saw on Fri was far from that. Dennis looked great, but he didn't look much different than he did a solid year earlier. In fact, I thought Milos done a better job with him. He was bigger last year, much fuller and just looked plain huge. The bottom line is that Dennis can win the Olympia, he needs another 20 pounds of well distributed muscle and when and if that happens he will crush everyone.

Toney Freeman

Toney continues to defy age and came into the Olympia with great size and conditioning. If Toney lacks anything it's thickness. He has a lot of frame to fill and up to this point has done a great job at doing that. Just a little more chest thickness and a little more size on his triceps would balance out his physique quite well. Supposedly Toney has the formula down pat for conditioning so all he needs to do now is add about 5 to 10 pounds of mass and he will def. be a force to reckon with. I wouldn't have argued if Toney was in the 4th spot on Sat. night.

Special mention has to go to Silvio!! It must have really hurt for him to have all his skin stripped off his body like that.  Talk about shredded. I would have placed this guy higher. Hell I may even have put him in first place. My guess is that he is currently in the hospital getting much needed skin grafts. Seriously though this guy was overlooked. Silvio out conditioned EVERYONE in the show BAR NONE! The judges certainly don't mind seeing him win the 2nd tier shows so if I were him I'd plan on makin some extra cash this coming year. 

Overall and this is just my opinion, the Olympia feels like just another show now. Gone are the greats like Coleman, Levrone, Wheeler, Cormier, Gunter and God forgive me Sean Ray. It's no one's fault and certainly not a put down to any of the competitors up there now, we just don't seem to be getting anyone to replace these guys. Ther's no WOW factor to the Olympia as of now and I don't see it changing anytime soon unfortunately.

[Relentless]

Overall and this is just my opnion, the Olympia feels like just another show now. Gone are the greats like Coleman, Levrone, Wheeler, Cormier, Gunter and God forgive me Sean Ray. It's no one's fault and certainly not a put down to any of the competitors up there now, we just don't seem to be getting anyone to place these guys. Ther's no WOW factor to the Olympia as of now and I don't see it changing anytime soon unfortunately.

Right on the money Disgusted.  The Olympia has become down to earth and will now start recognizing the best bodybuilder on stage instead of being a political show.

[Stavios]

spot on as usual

[MAXX]

what do you have to say about this Disgusted. From Kamali:

In regards to how I would have been placed.. I would have been in the second callout... No doubt in my mind. I carry 30 more pounds of muscle than Melvin, Dexter, Silvio, Heath and I would have crushed Freeman from the side and back. The Olympia is a big man's show and I would have been 10% sharper and fucking super polished at this show.

I would have brought the house down. It's a shame that politics have fucked everything up. I can't tell you guys how encouraged I am after seeing these pics. The Olympia and Arnold Classic are wide open next year... WIDE OPEN!!

 

[divcom]

Phil Heath

Phil has got some great parts to him. His arms, especially from the front in a MM pose are insane!!! Best in the world IMO. In a front DB they are still great, but I can think of others with better arms in that pose. Phil had some great conditioning, in fact better than Dexter, but calves aside as far as I'm concerned a Mr Olympia needs to have a complete physique. What hurts Phil is his back. Granted he is not very wide which also hurts his chest. I don't think that his chest is as bad as some are saying. I do think that he needs to figure out how to put on more mass when it comes to his back. There are a lot of guys out there who may not be very wide in the delts, but have a ton of muscle in their back, Rich Gaspari come to mind.

And this stopped Rich (back) and Flex (chest and back) from the O.  Why not this guy?  This is where politics will come into play in the future.  He hurts in two of the three major groups and it's genetics.  Chest can go out...not wider...as with the back.

[anvil]

what do you have to say about this Disgusted. From Kamali:

 

Holy shit, talk about delusional.  Shari would have tied for 17th.

[njflex]

Phil Heath

Phil has got some great parts to him. His arms, especially from the front in a MM pose are insane!!! Best in the world IMO. In a front DB they are still great, but I can think of others with better arms in that pose. Phil had some great conditioning, in fact better than Dexter, but calves aside as far as I'm concerned a Mr Olympia needs to have a complete physique. What hurts Phil is his back. Granted he is not very wide which also hurts his chest. I don't think that his chest is as bad as some are saying. I do think that he needs to figure out how to put on more mass when it comes to his back. There are a lot of guys out there who may not be very wide in the delts, but have a ton of muscle in their back, Rich Gaspari come to mind.

And this stopped Rich (back) and Flex (chest and back) from the O.  Why not this guy?  This is where politics will come into play in the future.  He hurts in two of the three major groups and it's genetics.  Chest can go out...not wider...as with the back.

wheres your point u agree with the  statement or  are u saying that heath will set a precedent for it .those 2 guys were runners up many times with lack of width so can heath someday.

[divcom]

wheres your point u agree with the  statement or  are u saying that heath will set a precedent for it .those 2 guys were runners up many times with lack of width so can heath someday.

Your response is all other the place which equals more than mine.  Please re-write.

[Disgusted]

Phil Heath

Phil has got some great parts to him. His arms, especially from the front in a MM pose are insane!!! Best in the world IMO. In a front DB they are still great, but I can think of others with better arms in that pose. Phil had some great conditioning, in fact better than Dexter, but calves aside as far as I'm concerned a Mr Olympia needs to have a complete physique. What hurts Phil is his back. Granted he is not very wide which also hurts his chest. I don't think that his chest is as bad as some are saying. I do think that he needs to figure out how to put on more mass when it comes to his back. There are a lot of guys out there who may not be very wide in the delts, but have a ton of muscle in their back, Rich Gaspari come to mind.

And this stopped Rich (back) and Flex (chest and back) from the O.  Why not this guy?  This is where politics will come into play in the future.  He hurts in two of the three major groups and it's genetics.  Chest can go out...not wider...as with the back.

The reason it "might" not stop Phil is because he doesn't have a Lee Haney or a Ronnie Coleman stading in his way. 

[240 is Back]

Jim,

Where would King Kamali have placed in the 2008 Olympia line-up?

[NaturalWonder83]

Jim,

Where would King Kamali have placed in the 2008 Olympia line-up?

good question
if he cant beat joel stubbs a man with no legs then i dont know

[Disgusted]

Jim,

Where would King Kamali have placed in the 2008 Olympia line-up?

So do I answer you honestly or are you just being a dick? 

[warchild]

Jim,

Where would King Kamali have placed in the 2008 Olympia line-up?

This is a legit question, I'd like to know what you honestly think. King had pretty damn good conditioning at the AC show but he has some huge, glaring structural flaws and even you can't disregard them

[McFarland]

So do I answer you honestly or are you just being a dick? 

It won't matter.   

[jtsunami]

finally the old natural wonder is back!

[Hypo]

Phil Heath

Phil has got some great parts to him. His arms, especially from the front in a MM pose are insane!!! Best in the world IMO. In a front DB they are still great, but I can think of others with better arms in that pose. Phil had some great conditioning, in fact better than Dexter, but calves aside as far as I'm concerned a Mr Olympia needs to have a complete physique. What hurts Phil is his back. Granted he is not very wide which also hurts his chest. I don't think that his chest is as bad as some are saying. I do think that he needs to figure out how to put on more mass when it comes to his back. There are a lot of guys out there who may not be very wide in the delts, but have a ton of muscle in their back, Rich Gaspari come to mind.

Epic make up the rules as you go!

I guess triceps, chest, quads and hams aside, Kamali should've been Mr O?

[Disgusted]

OK here goes.    The question is what could I have done to make any improvements to King in the  two weeks between shows. Taking off another 6 pounds would have equated to an even smaller waist and enhanced his thigh sweep some. Obviously this would not have been "direct" improvement to that area since we would not have had time for that.

King placed 6th out of 52 guys at the Atlantic City show. Now I know that some of you don't like that so boo hoo. The judges had no reason to place King any higher than he deserved. He has no contract that would have persuaded them to place higher than he deserved. I think he placed as high as he did based on a couple of things. One was his conditioning and the other was the fact his waist was a lot smaller than previous shows.

I obviously know what King's flaws are. His front DB pose needs improving. More off the width of his waist, more thigh sweep and even more improvements on his biceps. King's inner thigh is  bigger than it will ever need to be. Switching to different leg exercises and staying lean in the offseason will go a long way as far as making more improvements. To answer your question I honestly didn't pay much attention to who placed where after the top 5 so against my better judgement and knowing what I could have done I will say that he would def got a second call out.

[Disgusted]

Epic make up the rules as you go!

I guess triceps, chest, quads and hams aside, Kamali should've been Mr O?

I was speaking of Ronnie and Dexter. Maybe you would be a little more intelligent in reading between the lines if you would stop thinking about King for a second or two and stop being an Epic Dickhead.   

[NaturalWonder83]

disgusted when will king actually win a show

[Disgusted]

disgusted when will king actually win a show

When you have sex with a girl for the first time. 

[NaturalWonder83]

When you have sex with a girl for the first time. 

lol

[Disgusted]

lol

and yor word is not good enough, we will need pics. 

[Dreadlord]

lol

It's funny because its true... right natfag83?
Maybe some humor registers in your pea sized brain.
I guess all that therapy must be paying off
 

[Vince B]

If we are going to have fair and valid criteria for judging then we should be consistent when we talk about physiques. For example, we mention completeness. This is actually under the concept of proportions. If a guy has 21 inch arms and 16 inch calves he is out of proportion. Way out of proportion. I think the idea today is to have calves about 2 inches smaller than arms and still look large. 19 inch calves are seldom seen on bodybuilders in contest shape unless they are tall.

The width is another factor and not really proportions. More to do with aesthetics and overall appearance. Larry Scott wasn't wide and in a way Heath resembles that physique. Lee Priest is another in this mold. All are great bodybuilders.

Width is associated with the impression one gets of back size. Dennis Wolf stands above most there re width and impresses in the standing 'relaxed' pose and lat spread from the back. Dennis James is another who is wide like that as is Mr X and Mr Stubbs. Amazing width on those guys. Heath still has large muscles on his back but impresses less because of his lack of width.

Both Lee and Phil have such large arms and shoulders that their chests seem small by comparison. One wonders, too, if those huge arms prevent them from training their chests properly. Again, this comes down to aesthetics and preference for overall impact and appearance.

Dexter is incomplete whereas Lee and Phil are complete but not as wide and this makes their chests and backs look smaller when standing next to some guys like both guys named Dennis.

From what I saw of the show via the net Phil Heath was in a class of his own for all-round physique and cut to ribbons. Very impressive display. We all know the judges don't let anyone win nowadays on their first appearance and that is a pity. Not many are arguing that Jay should have won and that is pretty much universal. The truth is it was close between the top 5 guys and there were others not placed according to what they showed on stage. I am sure Dexter has paid his dues and will enjoy the title. I don't want to take anything away from him or the others who placed high. In the end, we all have to accept the decision and hope those were the best judges available to make that decision.

I met Dexter and Jay in 2001 and they both seemed like nice guys. I told Dexter that black guys have to be way better than white guys to win the Olympia. He told Jay that I knew what I was talking about. Good for Dexter to get his turn at being Mr Olympia.

[Relentless]

OK here goes.    The question is what could I have done to make any improvements to King in the  two weeks between shows. Taking off another 6 pounds would have equated to an even smaller waist and enhanced his thigh sweep some. Obviously this would not have been "direct" improvement to that area since we would not have had time for that.

King placed 6th out of 52 guys at the Atlantic City show. Now I know that some of you don't like that so boo hoo. The judges had no reason to place King any higher than he deserved. He has no contract that would have persuaded them to place higher than he deserved. I think he placed as high as he did based on a couple of things. One was his conditioning and the other was the fact his waist was a lot smaller than previous shows.

I obviously know what King's flaws are. His front DB pose needs improving. More off the width of his waist, more thigh sweep and even more improvements on his biceps. King's inner thigh is  bigger than it will ever need to be. Switching to different leg exercises and staying lean in the offseason will go a long way as far as making more improvements. To answer your question I honestly didn't pay much attention to who placed where after the top 5 so against my better judgement and knowing what I could have done I will say that he would def got a second call out.

Disgusted, you are an intelligent guy, so you know full well that King's flaws are things in which he is not capable of fixing.  He was as good as he could possibly be during his 2001 rookie season, in which his brash personality got him a lot of publicity.  He's faded since and looks worse with every contest appearance.  The guy is just not cut out to be a top-flight professional bodybuilder.  I'll give him credit for turning pro and looking good from 1999-2001, but he just hasn't looked impressive at all since then.  He has good genetics for building muscle, but lacks muscle shape and aesthetically pleasing lines. 

There's nothing he can really improve upon that would make a big difference in his contest placings.