The Significance of Kai Greene's Victory at the New York Pro

Kai Greene's Victory at the New York Pro a couple days ago indicates that he is most definitely back in the game, but it has an even greater impact down the road as we look at the Mr. Olympia contest in September.  It now means that things are shaping up for one of the toughest Olympia's ever.

Jay Cutler, the current Mr. Olympia, has stated repeatedly that he wants to win the next one and have there be no doubt as to why he won.  After last years squeaker I can understand why as many still claim the Phil Heath won the thing if prejudging actually counted for something.  The problem for Jay is that as this year has gone by, the field has not gotten easier to beat but harder.  It is like the pack of wolves nipping at his heals senses weakness and is ready to bring him down.  Sorry Jay but I don't think a clear victory is in the cards this year.  There are simply to many good competitors.

Phil Heath has been training all year with only one thing in mind -- winning the Olympia.  He has done nothing but aim at this event.  He is going to be even tougher to beat than last year.

Branch Warren is now the winner of the Arnold Classic and that means he also is a number one contender.  The guy has from now till Mr. Olympia to train and get ready.

Two other guys are surging right now and look really really good - Dennis Wolf and Victor Martinez.  Both of them came very close to winning the Arnold Classic.  If they keep surging, they will be right up there with the rest of them.

Evan Centopani can't be counted out as a dark horse either.  He may be new but he is definitely reached the status of player.

Now, there is Kai Greene and Kai looked very good a few days ago and if he looks even better at the Mr. Olympia that contest between Kai and Phil will indeed take place along with all the rest thrown in as well. 

In short, there are a whole pack of competitors that could take Jay's crown this year and I am banking that one of them will succeed.  Sorry Jay, I think it will be too much to hold off more than one.  Last year you really only had Branch and Phil to worry about.  This year, it is going to be Branch, Phil, Dennis, Victor, Evan and yes indeed -- Kai Greene.  This is shaping up to be very interesting indeed.

Muscular Development: May 2011 - Review

The May 2011 Issue of Muscular Development (MD) Features 8 time Mr. Olympia - Ronnie "Big Ron" Coleman. The big news for MD being that Ron has has joined team MD. Ronnie Coleman is probably the most dominate champion ever. This is a big political win for MD. In any case, the main focus is Big Ron and getting massive like Ron. Good luck.

Best Quote: "It was that continuous achievement of goals I set for myself in the weight room that gave me the confidence to set more lofty goals in my life, and eventually change my life" - Layne Norton - p.246

Highlight Article: "Legendary!" This was a great interview by Flex Wheeler of Ronnie Coleman. It focused on Ron's thoughts on his career, the industry and steroid use. Yes Ron openly admits he used. He also expresses his thought on how he feels about being with MD. Good candid close up. (p. 148-157)

Best Regular feature: 'No Juice Bodybuilding - Why be Drug Free?' - in the midst of drug use central that is MD, there is one regular feature by a Natural Bodybuilder (Layne Norton) and he addresses why he is drug free. (p. 244-246)

Notable Articles:
1. 'Mass with Class - The Texas Titan' - This is another regular feature, but I always like the respectful and yet painfully truthful way Branch Warren deals with his questions. Here is a guy I want to meet. (p314-318)
2. 'Boulder Shoulders of the Boston Mass' - Great article about Family featuring two brothers -- Jose and Tito Raymond. (p. 176-185)
3. 'Wheels of a Winner' - Great article and true advice about Leg training featuring Jay Cutler and his trainer Hany Rambod (p.160-171)

Duds:
1. Ramblin' Freak -- Although I got to give the guy credit he did do a spot on Jack Lalanne.
2. Any article on steriods or drugs becasue as a natural bodybuilder myself they are wasted ink to me.

Graphics Content Review:
Grey. It is the one word that discribes this issue. The cover is grey, most of the pages are black, white or grey. All the photos are black and white. When there is color it is red. Makes you think of Ohio State and being a Wolverine guy that sucks. Eye Candy (The Major Disctraction) is IFBB Figure Pro Justine Munro. She looks great even on a white background. In addition there is a pullout poster of Ronnie Colemman in this issue.

Rating: 3 and half stars. It is a good thing the training content of MD is great and there are so many top pros giving advice in it, becasue a lot of the other stuff is either illegal or surrounded by poor graphics. I swear this mag lives on black and white photos. They a good ones but that always makes the mag have a dark sinister feel. I think they would do better with a dark hardcore feel instead, but that means a little more color. A lot of top pros call MD home and they should get top work for joining Team MD.

Flex: April 2011 - Review

Flex's April 2011 edition features Bikini Pro Amanda Latona on the cover as this is also the annual swimsuit edition. The special feature this month is said swimsuit photo spread with this year being about the top 15 Hot Bodies from the past fifteen years. As always, Flex also is about bodybuilding in all its forms as well as training and nutrition. It is Muscle and Fitness' big brother as as such goes a little deeper into all of the above. In addition to the ladies there is also an emphasis on chest training.

Best Quote: "Concentration and Mental Toughness ARE the Margins of Victory." - Bill Russell (11 time NBA champ) p.84

Highlight Article: "The All Time Hot List". Flex did a poll online to get the top ten all time most hot swimsuit models from the past 15 years of swimsuit issues. It actually lists the top ten in order and five other honorable mentions based on this poll. I don't want to spoil everything but the winner was Amanda Latona (that is why she is on the cover). As for the rest, buy a copy; you want the pictures anyway, right? Each of the top ten gets her own spread of one or two pages. (p. 164-188)

Best Regular Feature: "Flex Street Scene" (p.38) I like this feature as it gets some face time to young up and comers as well as a look at some people at entry level. It is always a great way to see new faces.

Notable Articles:
1. "Build a Treasured Chest" Great article not only on chest training but back training as well. The idea being to get a larger chest measurement by hitting both sides. (p. 120-138)
2. "Triple Threat" Phil Heath, Jay Cutler and Toney Freeman sound off on their chest training issues (p. 144-156)
3. "The Education of Eduardo" Brazilian Eduardo Correa da Silva lays out a full arm training regimen. (p 206-216)

Duds: No single article to point to, but the sound bite type articles that seem cluttered are back.

Graphics Content Review: Good pics and lots of them as always from Flex. They are not as crisp and clean as MMI or even their own sister mag M&F, but there are a lot of photos. The main focus of course in this months graphics was the swimsuit issue and it definitely was a collection of each lady's best shots. That of course means this issue is about the eye candy and it does a fabulous job.

Rating: 3 and three quarter stars: There was great number of training articles but the nutrition articles seemed a little thin this month. The sound bite clutter does not help this month's edition either. BUT, the girls save the day and this one should fly off shelves for that alone.

Musclemag International: May 2011 - Review

Musclemag International's (MMI) May 2011 edition has as its focus getting leaned out by Summer. There is also an additional cover story about Jay Cutler's (on cover) Arm Workout that changed history and allowed him to be the four time Mr. Olympia. MMI's philosophy of eat clean, train hard and emphasizing health over size resonates with me so I will freely confess I like them the best of all the bodybuilding mags out there.

Best Quote: "I can't die; it would ruin my image" - the late Jack LaLanne (p.297)

Highlight Article: Actually there are two involved with getting lean by summer that stand out "The Ketogenic Diet" and "The Everything Cardio Guide" that fit the bill on this one. Really when getting ripped it is less about training and more about nutrition and cardio. (p. 126-146) Both articles deal with this idea.

Best Regular Feature: Joel Stubbs' column is a hit with me this week as it talks about the Big Man and nutrition. Joel being a big man himself makes this a column from someone who is there and that means authentic. He still remains my favorite of the regular pro columns. (p.262-263)

Notable Articles:
1. "Sugar Shock" - Great nutrition article on the actual effect of fruit juice in nutrition. It isn't always good. (p158-166)
2. "Workouts That Rewrote History" - great chronicling about how Jay Cutler took the throne from Ronnie Coleman and got it back from Dexter Jackson (p.238-251)
3. "Rock Your Back" - great article about Ronny Rockel's back workout. (p.104-111)

Dud: "Take the Easy Whey": I only label this one a dud because of timing as Muscle and Fitness released their supplement guide this month and to follow it two weeks later with the same stuff is a little off.

Graphics Content Review: Solid as always, although nothing really caught my eye this week as super great. The magazine is just clean and crisp with good photos and illustrations; so the challenge for them is to do something off the charts. Eye candy this month is Jacqueline Suzanne and I am fairly certain that there would be little construction going on at any site she showed up at as the men would be busy doing other things.

Rating: Four and a Quarter stars, solid work as always. I guess what I am waiting for is a wow factor that will give them something even more. I love the two sections and content being solid and timely. Graphics great as always. Every article was good as far as content although the Whey article showed poor timing.

My Arnold Classic 2011 Picks - Part 2 - Me vs. The Results

So how did I do? Do I have a future job as a bodybuilding prophet?

The Winner: Branch Warren. I picked Branch Warren. Now let the talk begin of a true three way competition at Olympia between Jay Cutler, Phil Heath and Branch Warren. Branch Warren (pictured above) is the Man.

2nd: Dennis Wolf. I picked Dexter Jackson. Dexter was a disappointment this time. I had hoped Dexter's star was not dropping, but he did not look good this time. Dennis Wolf is definitely back though and in the hunt and will keep the big three looking over their shoulder.

3rd: Victor Martinez. I picked Dennis Wolf. Victor is definitely on the rebound, with some solid work he could definitely do well at Olympia. Note: Had the right order at this point except for Dexter Jackson finishing so poorly.

4th: Evan Centopani. I picked Victor Martinez. Evan was the best Dark Horse of them all this time. I felt he would finish seventh but looking at the pics, he definitely deserves fourth. There is a new player in town.

5th: Dexter Jackson. I picked Ronny Rockel. Dexter's fifth place has got to be a disappointment. Honestly looking at the pics I feel Ronny still deserves this spot. Dexter just looked wrong. This was a case of 'Gee Dex, you kind of suck today but because you are a former Mr. O we can't place you lower".

6th: Ronny Rockel: I picked Toney Freeman. Ronny deserved the fifth place spot I gave him but with Evan doing so well and Dexter being so bad, Ronny hit sixth - again.

7th: Jonnie Jackson: I picked Evan Centopani. Jonnie deserved this spot. He looked good. Definitely moving on from being a strong man to a bodybuilder.

8th: Roelly Winklaar: I picked Roelly Winklaar. Dead on here. Roelly has a great future ahead of him.

9th: Toney Freeman: I picked Sergey Shelestov. Toney didn't do as well as I had hoped. Sergey did almost this, it is just Jonnie Jackson did well; others were surprises.

10th: Ben Pakuski. I picked Ben Pakuski. The Pak Man will have a great future in this sport if he remembers one thing -- he is going to have to work very hard.

11th: Sergey Shelestov. Me: Fouad Abaid

12th: Fouad Abaid. Me: Jonnie Jackson

13th: Essa Obaid. Me: Robert Poitrkowicz (Mohammad Touri did not compete)

14th: Robert Poitrkowicz. Me: Essa Obaid

Looking at it I did pretty good for a guy who has only been looking at men's bodybuilding for a couple years. I had the order pretty close. Dexter Jackson not doing well and a stronger than expected performance from Even Centopani and Jonnie Jackson were the only things I really got wrong. Toney Freeman was a slight disappointment. The rest I was very close (1 or 2 placings off either way) and I nailed three of them including the winner.

To Team MD (Muscular Development Magazine) - Congratulations: 1st, 2nd and 3rd. You have to be proud.

My Arnold Classic 2011 Picks!

I am only going to pick for the big competition. Sorry Bikini, Figure, Fitness, Bodybuilding Women and 202 Men, I just don't know your competition criteria enough to make a call. The only reason I am even picking this is to see how well I am learning the sport and compare my thoughts to what happens.


The big news is of course that two time champ Kai Greene is sitting this one out and so is Phil Heath (being 2nd both at Olympia and Arnold last year). Jay Cutler being Mr. Olympia needs not apply. Last year's Heath vs. Greene will not repeat. That leaves things a little wide open. This is going to be a wild one with some very good and evenly matched competitors. Based on what I see, here is what I think should happen.


1. Branch Warren - Branch has been playing second fiddle long enough. Two 3rd places at Olympia the last two years and a second and 2 third place finishes at the Arnold over the last three years are his resume and without Heath, Greene or Cutler in front of him, he should win this one. He needs this one to make a statement going into Olympia 2011 so that is even more motivation.


2. Dexter Jackson: The 2008 Mr. Olympia and three time Arnold winner will add a second place trophy to his mantle. I really like Dexter but he is starting to have the air of veteran player who is starting to have his star slowly fall. Hopefully I am wrong and a Arnold win would definitely mark him as back in the game, but I have to say second.


3. Dennis Wolf: Dennis Wolf has regained his momentum and is heading forward with his 'no more gurus' approach. I think it earns him a 3rd slot barely. He is a guy who can challenge the top two and if he has a great day could definitely pass them.


4. Victor Martinez: Victor needs this one and a top finish at Arnold would put him back in the big game as well. He seems to be rebounding from his leg injury very well and if he can get it together he could win this one with a little help.


5. Ronny Rockel: Ronny finished sixth last year. I would normally say then it would be fourth place for the German with Greene and Heath out. The problem I see is a resurgent Wolf and Martinez. He is going to have to be perfect to finish better than fifth.


6. Toney Freeman: I love the X-Man and in a perfect world where symmetry and frame mattered as much as size, Toney should be in the top three. However this is not a perfect world.


7. Evan Centopani: After two years off Evan is going to be the guy that rises to the top over the next decade. Finishing this high would be a good start.


8. Roelly Winklaar: 'The Dutch Beast' is getting better, I just don't see him having that little something extra that takes him past the guys I have listed above him.


9. Sergey Shelestov: The Russian Born Canadian will lead the rest of the field. He is my dark horse in a sense because I feel he will finish this high. I like his physique it reminds me a little of Nasser El-Sonbaty.


10. Ben Pakulski: Like Ben as well, but he is going to have to be spot on to beat some of these veterans.


11. Fouad Abaid: This guy's classic looks should serve him well.


12. Jonnie Jackson: The worlds strongest bodybuilder of 2009 will be hard pressed in this field.


13. Mohammed Touri: This guy looks great, but a veteran field will sweep him away. Give him a few years and he will challenge someone.


14. Robert Poitrkowicz: I think this guy slips this year.


15. Essa Obaid: A lot of people are going nuts for this guy, I don't see why myself. Maybe its the hair.


Well that is it. I guess we will see how it comes out on March 5th. I hope I do OK, but I have only been bodybuilding myself for a year and a half and following the sport for a couple years. We will see how it comes out.