It’s been more than a week since Derek Lunsford became Mr. Olympia was crowned. And since things have settled since bodybuilding’s biggest event, there’s still plenty to talk about.
I have to say that this year’s event was reminiscent of a real, live, old-fashioned bodybuilding show as a spectacle. Gone were the distractions of smoke, the huge video wall and the lighting of rock concerts. As if our pleas were heard, the background during the bias was mostly dark – not quite black, but sometimes close. No annoying detail-blurring smoke. The lighting, while not perfect, at least didn’t move. And the production was just flawless because it was so simple. No collaborations with outside celebrities. It was just bodybuilding, raw, without excuses, flawlessly executed in front of a sold-out crowd. So kudos to the production staff: keep up the good work!
I always wait a few days to give you my opinion because I like to speak after the dust has settled and until the inevitable controversies come out and grow legs. As for the top three, there is no shortage of debate and deep critical commentary. And what else can anyone expect? The judging is completely subjective and the quality of the competitor is so similar that the hairs splitting the judges grow on an atom. And the physiques were different enough to suit a few different tastes, so really, the first through the third could have gone any other way and the exact same arguments would still exist. It was that close. That doesn’t mean they were all 100%; it just means that everyone was wrong by the same amount.
Why do I say that? Because it’s true. This was a historic Olympia in every respect. Not only was the top ten a veritable who’s who of modern superstars, but for the first time in history there was a total four Mr. Olympias was on the same show: Brandon Curry, Hadi, Derek and Samson. This was probably the deepest pitch in history. But only in name.
The Ronnie Coleman era will never return to the Olympia stage
Maybe I expect too much from a field of four Mr. O’s and rivals like Andrew Jacked, Nick Walker, Martin Fitzwater, Urs, Akim and the like? Or maybe I’m jaded by the Ronnie/Jay era? Whatever it is, other than the first 35 seconds of Nick Walker walking on stage for the first time, no one rang the doorbell. You didn’t look at any of them and say, “Holy s***!! WTF??!! That’s not right.” I really expected that, with such a deep field, we would see at least one case of onion peel. Hadi undeniably comes close, but if you put them next to a Ronnie Coleman from 2003, the difference is enormous. That level of sheer skin seems to be reserved for the 212 and the Classic guys these days… and Women’s Figure, Physique and the Ms. O. Rarely, if ever, do we see open bodybuilding for men embrace the state of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. They all look like they’ve been dipped in plastic. They are covered with a film that keeps them from lighting up when they take a shot.
I’ve expressed this observation and my rationale for it in countless other formats, so I’m not going to repeat myself here. But suffice it to say, I think this is something we’re all used to. As if there is an unwritten compromise that we all agree on: if you want gigantic mass samples, you have to let go of some of the quality. Such quality and condition can be found in other divisions. The open will be a freak show; we can’t have both. Unless you are Dorian, Ronnie, Jay, Levrone, Dennis Wolf, Markus Rühl, Nasser…. Like I said, it feels like we’ve given up.
The Coleman era is over. That’s it. If you want bodybuilders from the 90s, go watch Classic Physique or Women’s Bodybuilding. Not for nothing, but Mrs. O and some of her sisters look like statues. Actually just mind blowing. They may not be society’s favorite cup of tea, but you simply can’t look at them and not give them their properties. They are really good at what they do.
So, what do we read from the stage? Obviously we have Derek in the middle for the second time. His flaws – two glaring: oddly shaped, soft-looking biceps. They are not small; they just look like they have no identity – they don’t stand up. Secondly, his upper middle chest is missing details – bald – almost no stripes and he looks quite shallow. When you combine the lack of stripes with the aforementioned thick skin, it looks like plastic. It just doesn’t pop. Until he turns around. Then the lights are off. Derek’s back is from another planet. If any other competitor ever even dares to dream of beating Derek in a back shot, he better wake up and apologize. You’d have to look all the way back to Joel Stubbs to find a back that can rival Derek’s.
Countless experts, coaches, judges and gurus have opined that games are won or lost from behind. Considering that, with the exception of the missing biceps peaks, Derek was virtually flawless from behind – glutes, hamstrings, low back and calves were all there. No one came close to Derek in both the back double and the back bar spread. Was that enough to put him over the top and make up for his weaknesses from the front? If you were to use Occam’s razor at this point, the answer would be yes. How close did Hadi get? Extreme.
The problem with Hadi’s physique is that it is maxed out. All his available real estate is bought up. He can’t go anywhere. So if his condition is not at least comparable to his previous shows, then he will suffer. And that’s exactly what happened. He came in slightly less conditioned than last year. Now you could say that even though he was gone, he still waxed Derek… Um… yeah, but not from the back.
Andrew Jacked gave his best on the Olympia podium and can still improve
However, the same cannot be said for Andrew Jacked at third. In terms of conditioning he could have won – I let him win after a bias. But unlike Hadi, as monstrous as he is, Andrew still has some lots for sale. If he gains 15 to 20 pounds and is in the same or better shape next year, no one will beat him. His structure is much more pleasing than anyone else’s, except maybe Samson and Fitz, but Andrew is taller and has a very small waist. Samson also has a small waist – even smaller this year than last year – but where have all those muscles gone?
That was a big disappointment. I don’t know who he listened to, but the pursuit of better fitness came at the expense of muscle loss – noticeable, especially in his legs. Right now he’s another tall guy who needs 15 to 20 pounds of muscle mass. Unlike the show’s second disappointment: Nick Walker.
He no longer needs muscle power. In fact, he might lose a few. And his bowels are apparently becoming increasingly difficult to control. I was sitting in the wings backstage when he went on, my view was to the side. When he turned to hit a back double, he released his stomach and the mutant ninja got a turtle. It was crazy – his stomach looked like an armored dinosaur fossil. But not just his intestines. It was his whole body; he looked really inflamed. The first few seconds of him taking the stage were dazzling, but then you started to notice something was wrong. And just like that, the wow factor faded along with his physique. And from then on he got worse. His behavior changed; you could see it. He screwed up, and he knew it.
The good, the bad, the disappointing
As much as this upsets Nick’s admitted desire to finish no worse than third as a pro, this can be seen as a blessing. Nick is young and his rise has been rapid. His fan base exploded and he became famous. Now he finds himself in a situation where the talking is over. He missed the last two Olympics; he has had plenty of time to heal, build and hone his body to unprecedented levels. This was expected of him. It was time to set up. And what happened in the end? Bob Chic received the Edgar Cayce Prize. And you know what? Earned. If you beg for a humbling experience, chances are you’ll get it. The question is: what do you do with that? I love Nick Walker. I’ve been saying for years that I’m a fan. He has a lot of fans and a lot of support and many believe – including myself – that Nick should win an Olympia. I hope he does. It would be music to my ears to hear Bob have to announce this.
I could write a book about this show; Obviously I’m just scratching the surface. Ramon winning the Classic was the best decision the jury made all evening. If you’re one of those fans lamenting the disappearance of the ’90s physique, here you go. That guy looked great. That entire division – and the 212 for that matter – has 90s written all over it. So stop complaining about the open guys and making stupid comments like ‘bodybuilding is dead’. It clearly isn’t.
But before I go, I need to talk about a few guys. Firstly, Martin Fitzwater. He’s my pick for the most underrated bodybuilder in the lineup. I mean, what do you want? The guy looks like the Gold’s Gym board, but more ripped. His symmetry, his balance, his fitness… He was easily in the top three. At least we know he’s knocking on the door. Just like Brandon Curry. It must be hard for a former Mr. Oh not to make the top three, let alone repeat. But Brandon takes it like a soldier and with class. And he improves. So just like with Fitz, they just have to keep doing what they’re doing: doing better than last time. Eventually there will be a Sandow in it for them.
Apart from what I’ve already said, the only thing I’m going to say about the female participants is about well-being. I’m fine with it, but it has almost nothing to do with sports, at least the presentation. Their physiques are phenomenal, but if anything we do belongs in Vegas, it’s Wellness. I think it’s the strong Latin component that lets these women play the sultry card and set the standard for presentation. They move like smoke. They walk onto the stage like a leopard stalking something small and hairy. And when it comes time to “pose,” especially the famous glute-hamstring pose—more of a “position”—some girls can arch their backs and push their va-jay-jay so far forward that a guy in the third row gets a sequin up his nose.
It’s just… it’s not a sport. That’s not to discount their physique. Of course they train hard, diet and blah blah blah. I get it. No argument – their athleticism built their bodies. It’s what they do with it that’s dangerous. These girls don’t do a quarter turn. We are one liquor license away from installing a pole and limiting the crowd to more than 21 people. And don’t think that such an idea hasn’t been hatched yet. They don’t call Vegas ‘Sin City’ for nothing.
#learned #Olympia #Muscle #fitness