By Hany Rambod
T
he biggest contest of the year is now over. The dust has settled and now everyone is analyzing the show and beginning to speculate about next year’s Mr. Olympia. Before I get into how I saw this year’s Mr. O, I have to give credit to promoter Robin Chang. For the past few years, there have been numerous complaints about how the weekend was run. Concerns ranged from the host hotel, to the shuttle buses, to how the actual event was structured. This year, Robin and his crew had their system down pat and everything ran like a well-oiled machine. There were plenty of luxury buses and they all ran on time. Banners and ads for the event were all over town as well as inside the Orleans hotel and casino, the auditorium and the expo center. In short, it was a first- class production all around.This year’s Mr. Olympia was highly anticipated for many reasons. First of all, it was the first time in 15 years that Ronnie Coleman was not competing. There was a weird sense among most that something was missing, since we are all so used to seeing Ronnie there. It was a lot like watching the “Tonight Show” right after Johnny Carson retired. But Ronnie had dominated the Mr. Olympia for nearly a decade. His absence offered more possibilities in terms of who could win. Second on most people’s minds was the question of whether Jay Cutler would be able to hold on to the title for another year. After the big controversy last year in which many felt Victor Martinez should
have been declared the rightful win- ner, the stage was set for another pos- sible upset. With Victor out due to his knee injury earlier in the year, that challenge would have to come from someone else.
Another popular topic all year long was the long-awaited Mr. Olympia debut of Phil Heath, who had qualified for the big show in both 2006 and 2007, but had decided to wait until he felt he was truly ready to stand next to the very best in the world on equal footing. Another man surrounded by hype and publicity was Dennis Wolf, who had made a huge impression last year. Debates raged as to who was the better new guy, Dennis or Phil, and many couldn’t wait to see which one would edge out the other. And of course, we had Dexter Jackson, hot off his third Arnold Classic win earlier this year, being talked about as Jay’s biggest threat. With both men having entirely different types of physiques, it was going to be very interesting to see what would happen when they finally squared off. When it was all said and done, this was the top 10.
10. Gustavo Badell
This was the lowest Gustavo has placed since his Olympia debut in 2002, and a long way down from the top three he was in at the 2004 and 2005 Mr. Olympias. He needs to bring his legs back up to their former size and fullness, while regaining the crisp condition that made him a breakout star just a few years ago. If he can bal-
ance that condition with the much- needed lower body mass, Gustavo can be right back up in the top six again. As far as why Gustavo’s legs have been smaller over the past couple seasons, I can’t say. I have spoken with him a few times and he has never mentioned any type of injury. There could be any num- ber of reasons. But at the end of the day, none of them matter. Badell needs to bring his legs back up to where they were, and show the elite level of condi- tioning he once had if he wants to make his way back up the ranks.
9. Mohammad El
Moussawi
Congratulations to Mohammad for making the top 10 at his first Mr. Olympia, which is a phenomenal achievement. I don’t think he looked quite as good here as he did earlier this season at the Iron Man where he qualified, but he was close. With Mohammad’s type of physique, his condition needs to be spot-on if he wants to compare favorably with the bigger guys. He is neither the biggest nor the widest guy in the lineup, so he needs to play to his strengths: symme- try and condition. Mohammad doesn’t have any real weak points to speak of. He simply needs more of everything and he needs to stay full. When his type of physique comes in flat, it appears to be one-dimensional and easily gets lost among the bigger com- petitors. Look for El Moussawi to add some substantial size and continue his steady rise to the top echelon.
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8. Dennis James
First of all, props to Dennis for totally revamping and streamlining his physique to better suit the newer judg- ing standards. When raw bulk was being rewarded a few years ago, the Menace was competing at nearly 260 pounds at only 5’8”. This year, he was around the 240-pound mark and his midsection was much smaller. Though his proportions are much improved, I still feel Dennis could come in crisper. The biggest issue with Dennis seems to be that he comes out initially look- ing full and hard, and gradually fades right in front of your eyes. I’m not sure if this is just a matter of not filling out enough, but it was a real problem at the Europa. When he came out, Dennis looked like the clear-cut win- ner. But as the prejudging wore on, he flattened out and Toney Freeman over- took him for the win. Again, kudos to Dennis for making the changes he has so far to his physique. He’s one of the nicest guys in the sport and he still has a couple good years left in him to make his true mark.
7. Silvio Samuel
The Matador was one of the best- conditioned men in the show. The issue with him seems to be more of a lack of deep muscle separation. Still, he deserves credit for being able to achieve the type of condition he did without losing size. It’s obvious when looking at Silvio to see that he trains hard and heavy. Others in the sport often rely on other factors, but Silvio is old school and believes in training harder than the guy you want to beat. He slipped down a couple places from last year, but this was a tougher lineup. And truthfully, Silvio could have been a couple places higher than seventh.
6. Melvin Anthony
Melvin looked very good, but the game is changing and he needs to change with it. In previous years, he was one of the few men up there with fantastic shape and symmetry among mass monsters like Ronnie, Jay and Ruhl. Now you have others in the top five like Dexter and Phil who also have that incredible shape and symmetry. What they also have, particularly when they turn around, are cross-striated
glutes and hamstrings. That area has always been Melvin’s Achilles’ heel and unfortunately for him that type of extreme conditioning is becoming more common. Melvin does possess some of the very best shape and sym- metry of anyone out there today, but it makes it hard for him to be competi- tive when he turns around and lacks detail that the other guys have. Of course, my boy ‘Ice Cube’ brought down the house as always with a stel- lar posing routine. A lot of people don’t know that I worked with Melvin a few years ago when he was coming up the pro ranks.
I called him “Ice Cube” because he had the same rebellious attitude and puffy cheeks as the rapper turned actor. So, congratulations to the Marvelous One for rocking the house with the best routine of the night by far. But I want to take this chance to challenge Melvin to step it up a notch and bring something new and differ- ent to the Arnold Classic with his next posing routine. I know he can do it. I’ll be in the first couple rows to cheer him on when he does.
5. Toney Freeman
Toney’s conditioning has been off and on over the past year, but the X- Man definitely finished this season off on a high note with his best showing ever. I still thought he was a little flat, but it’s just one of those things. I talked to his nutritionist, Dave Palumbo, and apparently Toney is extremely carb-sensitive. But he still looked fantastic and you have to give it up to the guy for being 42 years old and at the top of his game. It was unfortunate that he had a bad hiccup at last year’s Olympia when he barely made the top 15, but he more than redeemed himself this time around. This was the best I have ever seen the X-Man. All in all, I was very impressed with Toney and I’m glad he got his condition issues straightened out.
4. Dennis Wolf
We all saw pictures of the Big Bad Wolf a few weeks out from the show and were expecting a little more out of him than what we got. Before last year’s Mr. Olympia I said several times that he was a dark horse who could
very well be a formidable contender. I still feel Dennis has enormous poten- tial. This year it struck me that he actu- ally reminds me of another German, Gunter Schlierkamp. Wolf has better shape, but they share a similar struc- ture and stature. Both men are taller and wider than the majority of top pros. And lest you think I am putting Wolf down by comparing him to Gunter, keep in mind that Gunter was one of only two men to ever beat Ronnie Coleman during his reign as Mr. Olympia. Dennis is most like Gunter in that if he isn’t 100 percent on, he’s just not as impressive. He needs that perfect combination of full- ness and dryness to truly be a threat.
Dennis was lacking in fullness this time, and it took away that “wow fac- tor” his physique has when he’s fuller and the muscles really pop with each pose. This was the first time Dennis ever worked with Chad Nicholls and it usually does take time to figure out how an individual will respond to dif- ferent variables in training and nutri- tion. I have no doubt that Dennis and Chad will resolve the issues that caused him to be flat and will move forward. I still feel Dennis has all the potential in the world and can be one of the best in the world over the next few years. If Dennis nails that combi- nation of fullness and condition the way he needs to, he will be much bet- ter than Gunter ever was. An Olympia win or two could certainly be in his future.
It needs to be said that striking this balance is more difficult with younger physiques. When a competitor has that “old man muscle” like Dexter does, all he needs to do is worry about condition. The muscle sticks because it’s been seasoned so long, and flatten- ing out is far less likely to happen. This could easily be the subject of a whole other article. But without fullness, Dennis Wolf lacks muscle separation, so he needs to get that back next time. Regardless, congratulations to Dennis for being fourth in the world. With a couple tweaks and modifications, the Mr. Olympia title could be his.
3. Phil Heath
Saying this while being as unbiased as possible considering I am his coach,
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I don’t think anybody would have com- plained if The Gift had placed higher. Many people felt he should have been second to Dexter, and there was even a contingent that thought he should have won the Mr. Olympia. Still, Heath placed third at his Mr. Olympia debut behind only Dexter Jackson and the reigning champion, Jay Cutler. This show was a high point in Phil’s career, and he was very emotional backstage following both the judging and the finals. The Gift had a lot of fans out there cheering for him, and he was thrilled to be there for them. If you were at the show, you saw how enthu- siastic he was to be on the Olympia stage at last. He had come full-circle from being “discovered” by his friend Jay Cutler just three years ago as an amateur competing locally in Colorado to nearly beating his good friend for the Olympia title. It was literally a dream come true for Phil, and as a true fan of the sport, he savored every moment he was up there. Most people have no inkling of the trials and tribulations Phil faced getting ready for this show. His travel schedule had him back and forth to Europe several times, and he eventu- ally got very sick after a trip to New York to meet with a sponsor. It was a very stressful prep, to say the least. All things considered, the end result was beyond our expectations. He nailed it for his first Mr. Olympia, and did a great job of living up to the tremendous hype and expectations surrounding him, which was no easy task.
2. Jay Cutler
Obviously, Jay was not at his best on Friday night. He told me he was around 260 pounds, and his condition was a bit off. The more he posed, the more clear it became that nothing was “popping” the way it should have. If I had to guess, something might be going wrong with his prep in the last couple weeks. I saw him several times over the past year in his off-season when he actually looked better than he did here onstage. His body is some- how deteriorating over the last couple weeks, for whatever reason. I know it’s tough for a physique athlete when he doesn’t have a second set of eyes to keep him on track and dial him in. On the second night, Jay came in much
tighter and was down to 248. His con- dition was much better, but that only made the discrepancy in size between his left and right legs more obvious. Jay needs to come back much bigger. He needs to focus on looking like Jay Cutler, and not like Dexter or Phil. Both men compete in the range of 230-235 pounds, with smaller joints and better shape and symmetry. By trying to play their game and suck down to such a light bodyweight, Cutler loses his advantage of overwhelming size that made him Mr. Olympia in the first place. Some thought Jay should have been closer to fourth or fifth place, but I won’t comment on that. The show is over, and Jay was the runner-up. He knows he needs to make dramatic changes if he wants his title back next year. If his body is worn or tired out as many speculate, he may be better off taking 2009 completely off. Personally, I think Jay will be fine in a year as long as he goes back to the drawing board. Hopefully he will figure out what he needs to do to regain his best form. But whether he does or not, Jay Cutler is still a two-time Mr. Olympia.
1. Dexter Jackson
Congratulations to The Blade for winning the Mr. Olympia title. A lot of people were very surprised to see someone other than a “big guy” win. But the way I saw it, it was more like Jay lost than Dexter won. It was very reminiscent of how Ronnie lost to Jay in 2006. Ronnie wasn’t at his best, so by default, Jay became the champion. It’s actually disappointing to see how many times Mr. Olympia hasn’t been at his best in recent years at this event. As for Jay, he hasn’t been at his absolute best since he nearly beat Ronnie back in 2001. I don’t feel Dexter was as good here as he had been when he won the Arnold Classic earlier this year. His condition was about 10- 20 percent off of that, especially in the glutes and hams. Jackson did come in with more size, but wasn’t as impres- sive overall. I’m not taking anything away from Dexter, and this is just my personal opinion. I’m happy for Dexter that he won, but the victory was some- what anticlimactic. He wasn’t at his best, and Jay definitely was nowhere near his best. Dexter will be back next
year to defend his title. I have all the respect in the world for Dexter and I know there were many times he didn’t get the placing many felt he deserved. So again, congratulations to him for achieving his career goal of becoming Mr. Olympia.