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1. Ronnie Coleman: What else can you say about Ronnie, except he is the biggest freak of nature to ever step foot on a bodybuilding stage, and he didn’t dissapoint in 2004, as he “brought it” to Vegas big time! At 297 lbs, Ronnie “outfreaked” the package he brought last year, after few people thought he could ever top it. As soon as Ronnie walked out on stage it was obvious that the battle would lie in grabbing 2nd, as he is just THAT dominant. With legs the size of the largest tree trunks and a back a mile wide, Ronnie looks like something from another planet, which I feel is the only way to describe Ronnie…inhuman! My only concern with Ronnie is that I feel he is losing some of the sharpness, especially in the back, that he displayed when he first won the Olympia in 98. I would love to see Ronnie now reverse fields, and drop down to about 280, with a smaller waist and even more crisp muscularity, and I think he may even become MORE dominant, if this is possible!

2. Jay Cutler: Earlier this year Jay brought a sleeker package to the stage at the ASC, and although he won, his look was mostly criticized. People felt that he sacrificed too much size in the quest for cuts, and lost the things that brought him to the forefront of the sport in the first place. I agree. At the Olympia Jay brought an entirely different package, containing about 280 lbs of beef! Jay was massive for sure, but he certainly did not have the cuts he displayed earlier in the year. I think that Jay was trying to match Ronnie on pure size, which is not going to happen, just as he was trying to match Dexter for cuts earlier in the year. At 250 Jay looked stringy and flat…at 280 he looked blocky and somewhat soft. I think Jay needs to find a happy medium, like he did in the 2001 Olympia, when he had IT ALL! Jay needs to be the best Jay he can be and not worry about anyone else. Yes Jay placed second at the Olympia, but I had him no higher than 4th. Jay is so dedicated to the sport and such a tenacious athlete, that you know that he will continue to work his butt off to separate himself from everyone in the sport, except for Ronnie, who is again, not human.

3. Gustavo Badell: What a year this man has had! Although he has been a pro for 6 years Gustavo had never really made an impact before the 2004 Ironman earlier in the year, when he brought an unbelievably shredded and full physique to the stage, that landed in 3rd behind Dexter “The Blade” Jackson and Lee “Superman” Priest. After this, Gustavo faded a bit in his next couple of shows, making people believe that he was nothing but a one-hit wonder. However, by the GNC Show of Strength, just a couple of weeks before the Mr. O, Gustavo was back in form and garnered a hard fought 3rd place. That was all well and good, but the Ironman and SOS are far cries from the Mr. Olympia, where all of the top men in the sport get together to play on one stage! From the second Gustavo walked out on stage it was obvious he was in top condition…big, full, and hard as nails! However, the way the initial comparisons were going it seemed like he was being relegated to a second tier placing. But, as the comparisons wore on, he was being put up against the top guys like Dex, Markus, Gunter, and eventually Ronnie and Jay! His physique was coming alive the more he posed and by the night show he was up to fourth place. After the newly instated challenge round, he actually stole Dexter’s place and ended the evening in 3rd! From obscure pro to top 3 in the world in one year! Gustavo deserves the most improved bodybuilder in the sport award, and I feel could have easily beaten Jay as well in this particular show.

4. Dexter Jackson: When I saw Dexter walk out on stage in the first round of prejudging I was amazed. He looked incredible! He looked bigger than last year and just as sharp, if not sharper! Every muscle on his body was ripped to shreds, and he was so full and round. I had no doubt in my mind that he was headed for second place. The crowd was very behind Dex, and almost freaked during the initial comparison between him, Ronnie, and Jay, when the judges told Dex to take the middle spot between those two monsters. Could a new Mr. O be emerging? Personally I think the judges did that for the sake of the crowd as in no way was Dex going to defeat the alien standing next to him. Apparently, the judges decided that size would rule over shape and hardness, for second place at least, as Dex was behind Jay going into the night show. I simply did not agree with this, and though he should have defeated Jay just like he did a year earlier at the 03 SOS. Dex was so round that he almost looked as big as Jay in some shots, even though he was giving away 50 lbs of bodyweight! As you know, Dexter was in 3rd going into the night show, but a controversial loss to Ronnie in an ab and thigh comparison was enough to make him lose valuable ground, and he actually dropped to 4th, behind Gustavo. I imagine that this angered Dex quite a bit, as there is certainly something about being in the top 3. Personally, I still think he should have been in 2nd, with Gustavo in 3rd, but hey, I’m not a judge!

5. Markus Ruhl: Aside from Ronnie, Markus was the freakiest man onstage. At 280 hard lbs. he was a dramatic sight to see! From the front, Markus is top 5 material all the way, but from the back, he is second tier. While his back is huge it is still a bit watery, kind of what Nasser El Sonbaty displayed when he was near the top. Markus also has no glutes and his hams are not split like some of the other guys. From the front, Markus is a monster! His pecs are thicker than the armor on a tank, his biceps are peaked and huge, and his quads are just sick! Even his abs looked pretty good, while his waist, when he controlled his breathing, was not all that large either. If Markus can match his back to his front as far as conditioning, he could begin to challenge Jay, but in this show I would rather have seen a physique like Victor’s get the nod over Markus.

6. Gunter Schlierkamp: Gunter seems to be riding a wave from way back in 2002 when he beat Ronnie Coleman at the SOS. Whether he actually DID beat him at that show is up for debate, but no doubt that Gunter was at his all-time best at that show. Since then I do not feel that Gunter has recaptured that combo of size and hardness, but somehow he is always in the top group at every show. This year I definitely thought he would be dropped from the top 6 when I watched him pose alone in the first round. However, as the comparisons continued, Gunter kept getting called out with the top guys. Gunter is a very nice guy, with a great smile, and is an imposing figure onstage because of his height and large frame, but the quality of physique is not there compared to Cormier, James, Martinez, or Charles. If Gunter placed 10th behind each of those guys I would have not blinked an eye, but Gunter seems to have a mesmerizing effect on the judges…or some other unforeseen power we don’t know about. Because he is so nice it is hard to criticize the big man, but you are onstage to be judged by body, not personality, and I just don’t feel that Gunter displayed the conditioning (especially from the back), the thickness, or the shape that should land him so high in this awesome crowd of bodybuilders.

7. Chris Cormier: Chris was a huge disappointment to me at this show. I saw a pic of him a week out and he looked full and hard. I had also heard reports of how much bigger and harder he was throughout his prep than he ever was before. However, at the big O he appeared both flat and somewhat soft. His awesome shape was there, but his muscles just looked tired. I wonder if he was ill the week of the show. Regardless, he should have beaten Gunter.

8. Dennis James: Bigger this year, but not as sharp. Plain and simple, Dennis set a new conditioning standard for himself in 2003, and now he must live up to that level of conditioning or improve on it at each show. No doubt that Dennis is a monster, but his physique actually comes off better on stage when he is a bit more streamlined and shredded. My opinion is that he should have beaten Cormier on this day, however.

9. Victor Martinez: Big Vic came into the Olympia hot on the heels of a victory two weeks earlier at the SOS. He pretty much has it all…size, shape, symmetry, and hardness…and he also has a huge base of fans that think he is a future Mr. O. As prejudge moved forward you could see how well Victor stacked up against almost everyone, and 9th place was too low for the high quality he brought to the stage. His thick back was amongst the best out there and he is relatively well balanced throughout his physique. With a tad more dryness he will soon be unstoppable. I don’t think anyone would have complained if Vic made the top 6…I know I wouldn’t have!

10. Dareem Charles: I love Dareem’s physique and his unique ability to display it. He even makes the mandatory poses exciting as he puts a little “twist” of his own into each one. Dareem’s main strengths lie in grainy conditioning, beautiful symmetry and proportion, some wicked thigh and triceps striations, and a tight, hard, and shredded mid-section. His only problem is really his overall size when being compared to the other guys; however, this is something that improves each year with Dareem. In this lineup I would have had him in 7th place, ahead of Chris, Dennis, and Gunter. If Dareem continues to add size in all the right places (while keeping the same conditioning)…mainly his back and thighs…I think he will eventually be capable of becoming a top 5 Olympia athlete. Dareem also managed to win the best poser award put forward by Shawn Ray, and won 10k for his efforts. Few people can break it down onstage like Dareem!

Monthly columnist for Muscular Development and Ironman magazines.

VPX Sponsored Athlete/Board Rep

www.prrstraining.com Time to GROW Without Plateau!

Personal Training
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JLB001

Eric....It was nice meeting you.

I never made it back to get those pics. By the time we left, I was starving and light headed from not eatting.

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

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I completely understand! Good to meet you too!

Monthly columnist for Muscular Development and Ironman magazines.

VPX Sponsored Athlete/Board Rep

www.prrstraining.com Time to GROW Without Plateau!

Personal Training
Gopro is available for online personal training, dietary guidance, and contest prep coaching.
Send me a PM or e-mail if interested. Thank you.