Outside the meeting rooms – various pictures of the IFBB pro competitors and happenings around Columbus….

Outside the Competitor Meeting Pics Link

All right, here is goes – the predictions of the ones who assume they know more than the rest – the so called experts – the ones who understand the sport – the ones who have more years of experience in guessing then some of you have been alive…

http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/blogs/lonnie/?p=1953

From LT’s blog…

As always, there will be plenty of new highlights at the Arnold Sports Festival, which gets underway with a bang Thursday night. That’s when the prejudging for fitness, figure and bikini will take place—at Veterans Memorial Auditorium—for the Arnold Amateur. And, as always, I’ll be behind the podium, so make sure to come by and say hi if you make it there…100 bikini competitors in only its second year!

One impressive new look this year will be the bodies of “The Experts” after the Swami, Harbody Hinds and Yogi Avidan had to purchase new pants last season for our rapidly expanding waist lines. After tipping the scales are nearly 200 pounds a while back, I’ll be at 188 come show time (at 5’10”), with 16” guns. The 5’11” Hinds, up to 225 over the holidays, swears he’ll be a trim 205 by the time he arrives in Columbus on Wednesday, with 15” guns. Avidan, at 6’1”, ballooned up to a disgusting 259 after the ‘Olympia, but will be under the 240 mark in Ohio, with 14” guns.

Okay, so we still suck, physique wise, but we’re known for our vaunted cerebral gifts anyway, not mind-boggling muscle mass. And here we are to tackle—as I point out on my inside look in the ASC video on this site—what could be the most competitive event ever. With four—yes FOUR—legit title contenders.

Who else to start out the prognostications but the elder statesman and the group. And the sharpest of them all….me. Oh, just to let you know, the rule for this one was we had to all make different selections for our winner, just to mix things up a bit. And, as you see, I’m the only one who still has faith that “The Blade” is still sublime enough to cut up this tough field.

SWAMI: LT

1. Dexter Jackson (ties Flex Wheeler for all-time ASC record with his 4th win)
2. Kai Greene
3. Branch Warren
4. Phil Heath
5. Toney Freeman
6. Melvin Anthony

HARDBODY: Isaac

1. Phil Heath
2. Dexter Jackson
3. Branch Warren
4. Kai Greene
5. Melvin Anthony
6. Toney Freeman

YOGI: Ron

1. Kai Greene
2. Phil Heath
3. Dexter Jackson
4. Branch Warren
5. Toney Freeman
6. Melvin Anthony

*SWAMI LONGSHOT: Don’t be surprised if Ronny Rockel finds his way into the top 6. My counterparts feel the same way about Hide Yamagishi.

Are you ready? Let’s get ready to rumble…or is it crumble?

As we head to Columbus for the Arnold Classic weekend, here are the competitor lists, for those who did not see them, and who was added and who dropped out. This is going to be an exciting weekend, and surprises are rumored on who will emerge in the top three at these contests. Here are the lists…

2010 Entries – Arnold Classic

1. Melvin Anthony
2. Tarek Elsetouhi
3. Toney Freeman
4. Kai Greene
5. Phil Heath
6. Dexter Jackson
7. Johnnie Jackson
8. Robert Piotrkowicz
9. Ronny Rockel
10. Silvio Samuel – (not competing – pulled out)
11. Sergey Shelestov
12. Branch Warren
13. Roelly Winklaar
14. Hidetada Yamagishi

2010 Entries – Figure International

1. Monica Brant
2. Krissy Chin
3. Alicia Harris
4. Candice Houston
5. Heather Mae French
6. Monica Mark-Escalante
7. Angela Mraz
8. Jessica Putnam – (not competing – pulled out)
9. Larissa Reis
10. Kristal Richardson – (not competing – pulled out)
11. Felicia Romero
12. Rosa-Maria Romero
13. Sherlyn Roy
14. Mindi Smith
15. Erin Stern
16. Kristina Tauti
17. Kim Tilden
18. Andrea Watson
19. Latisha Wilder
20. Nicole Wilkins Lee
21. Christiana Casoni (added later)

2010 Entries – Fitness International

1. Myriam Capes
2. Regiane Da Silva
3. Nicole Duncan
4. Tina Durkin
5. Allison Ethier
6. Adela Garcia
7. Tracey Greenwood – (not competing – pulled out)
8. Oksana Grishina
9. Jennifer Hendershott – (not competing – pulled out)
10. Tanji Johnson
11. Julie Palmer
12. Kayde Puckett
13. Camala Rodriguez
14. Sylvia Tremblay
15. Kizzy Vaines
16. Trish Warren
17. Bethany Wagner – added later

2010 Entries – Ms. International

1. Heather Armbrust – (not competing – pulled out)
2. Lisa Aukland
3. Dayana Cadeau
4. Iris Kyle
5. Debi Laszewski
6. Zoa Linsey
7. Mah-Ann Mendoza
8. Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia
9. Jeannie Paparone
10. Betty Pariso
11. Alina Popa
12. Brenda Raganot
13. Elena Shportun-Willemer
14. Dena Westerfield
15. Antoinette Thompson – added later

With less than a week to go before the Arnold Classic, excitement is in the air as the competitors make their final preparations for the trip to Columbus, Ohio. No question about it that the Arnold Fitness Weekend is the largest of its kind it the United States, with over 100,000 fans coming to check out the action. However, for bodybuilding, fitness, figure and bikini (in amateur), there will be over 400 competitors on the stage.

The IFBB Pro Men’s competition starts with prejudging on Saturday at noon at the Veteran’s Auditorium, and ends with the finals at 7pm in the same place (which is about 3-4 blocks away from the convention center, where the expo is held). Defending the title is Kai Greene, who is going to have intense competition from Phil Heath, Branch Warren, Dexter Jackson and quite a few others.

For the female competitors, the IFBB Pro Figure, Fitness and Women’s Bodybuilding prejudging will be held on Friday at noon at the Convention Center Expo Stage, and the finals at 7pm at the Veteran’s Auditorium.

For the amateurs, the fitness, figure and bikini prejudging and bikini finals will be held on Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 7pm. On Friday, the amateur men’s and women’s bodybuilding prejudging will start at 9am at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. And on Saturday, the Amateur Finals will be held on the Convention Center Expo Stage for all starting at 10am.

The complete schedule of events can be found at the official Arnold Sports Festival site, or just click below