Thread: GP's ASC Assessment...

Here is my opinion of the show from where I sat in the 4th row...

1)Dexter Jackson: What can you say about Dex anymore? He is big, full, round, and hard as nails. I personally think that he was not improved over his Olympia shape, but he was certainly good enough here to hold off the pack. I still feel that Dexter can thicken his chest a bit more and bring out just a tad more middle thigh separation, but other than that he is truly awesome. Few can match the combination of hardness and fullness that he carries. I am actually not sure what Dex can do from here to improve much further, other than what I mentioned above. With the Arnold Classic title under his belt, the only title left for him to strive for is the Olympia, and you know he will be one of the main players fighting for that one for the next several years.



2)Chris Cormier: This was the best I have seen Chris in quite a while, but not the best he has ever been. Chris was both fuller and harder in his early days, and should he ever be able to recapture that form, the Arnold might be his. Still, Chris looked very good and deserved his second place. He was pretty hard, but still had a film of water that put him out of contention for first place. Chris also looked a bit flat at prejudge, although he seemed to fill out for the night show. With one of the flattest midsections in the sport and excellent shape and symmetry, Chris can still take the major titles if he brings his best to the stage once again.


3)Gustavo Badell: Gustavo stormed into the upper echelon of the sport pretty much out of nowhere. Previous to the 2004 Ironman, Gustavo was a relative unknown although he had competed in several IFBB shows. He never placed anywhere near the top, but changed that in 2004 by getting 3rd in the Ironman and then repeating that performance in the Mr. Olympia! Then in 2005 he returned to the Ironman and won top honors. At the Arnold Gustavo was big, thick, hard and aggressive. He went there to win, and I think he expected to. Here is the problem, at least in my eyes…Gustavo is starting to play the size game at the expense of some finer physique details, and also his symmetry and proportion. He competed at the 2004 Ironman at about 235 and at the Arnold was over 260! Personally, I think that a lot of that weight has gone to his waistline and has blurred some of his cuts just enough to allow both Chris and Dexter to slip by him (both of whom he had beaten at the Olympia). Gustavo is amazing and a sight to see, no doubt, but I feel he is making a mistake going for so much size. His strength lies in his freaky hardness and separation, not in being a mass monster like Jay, Ronnie, or Art. I think that Gustavo should drop back to about 240-245 and he will be tough to beat at any show he enters.


4)Lee Priest: Finally we got to see Lee with dialed in hamstrings and glutes! At every show Lee looks awesome from the front, with huge arms, a vascular chest, monster shoulders, and a tight, flat midsection. However, usually when he turns to the back he looks like a different person. His hams and glutes are normally watery and lack cuts and separation. Not at the 2005 Arnold though! Lee was extremely hard in the hamstrings and even his glutes were striated! Oddly enough though, I feel like I’ve seen his back harder. The only criticism I have of Lee, aside from his normally soft hams and glutes, is that his chest is kind of flat, especially in relation to his massive arms and delts. In a most muscular pose his chest seems to get lost behind his shoulders. Regardless, Lee is always a crowd favorite and many would have had him ahead of Gustavo and even Chris. Personally I think that this was a perfect placing for Lee, and I hope he goes to the Olympia just as hard in the hams and glutes, but just a bit fuller overall, and harder in the back.


5)Melvin Anthony: In my opinion, at this show, Melvin got a gift. Yes, he has a tiny waist and a great back…and he can pose like few can, however, I feel that there a few athletes that should have placed ahead of him here. No doubt that Darrem should have beaten him, and I could also have seen Victor, Troy and Mark ahead of him as well. Not that Melvin is not an awesome bodybuilder, because he is. It’s just that I felt that he looked pretty smooth and also kind of flat. He just was not crisp anywhere, and was very smooth in the glutes and hams. Melvin should ask Lee Priest how he transformed his hams and glutes for the Arnold and follow suit. Melvin has the potential to be so good, but I don’t think we have seen him live up to that potential yet. If he could ever get as hard as someone like Dexter or Dareem, Melvin could cause headaches for everyone.


6)Darrem Charles: Once again Darrem nailed it! He came in full, and hard as nails, with his famous striated quads, glutes, and tris. He also has some of the best developed intercostals in the game, and he makes sure that everyone can see them. The only area that for some reason is not as crisp as the rest of his physique is his back. When compared to the back double bicep pose of Dexter Jackson, Darrem falls short. Also, on a related note, I do not like the way Darrem hits his rear lat spread. He rolls his shoulders too far forward, which makes him look narrower rather than wider. It surprises me that Darrem hits the pose like this, considering he is a master of the rest of the mandatories. Other than that, I have no complaints about Darrem, and feel that he is one of the few pros that improves show to show. I truly believe that he deserved the 5th place trophy here, but I am glad that he at least made the posedown. Darrem has worked hard, and moved up steadily. He now ranks as a top tier athlete in my opinion.


7)Victor Martinez: I would have had both Troy Alves and Mark Dugdale ahead of Victor here. Yes, Victor is an awesome bodybuilder, and in the future I can see him as the Arnold Classic champion. However, he was just too heavy at this show, and looks like he is playing the size game. He needs to stick to the look that won him the Night of Champions, and to simply refine it. Victor has everything, so if he is shredded he is extremely difficult to beat…but, he was far from shredded at the ASC and looked about 20 lbs too heavy. I also felt that his biceps, triceps, and delts looked a little “funky,” but I’m not sure what that is all about. Regardless, Victor is potentially one of the best, and with 2 pro victories under his belt, he is proving that.


8)Troy Alves: I love Troy’s physique. He has nice, round muscle bellies and comes in pretty good condition. The best I ever saw him was at the 2003 Olympia, which is also where he seemed to dial it in the best. At this ASC I would have had him in seventh, but if he was harder, he could easily have cracked the top 5. Troy is one of the few pros left with a flat, tight waist, and he has wonderful proportions and symmetry. He is exceptional in the front double bicep and hand on wrist most muscular. Troy is simply pleasing to look at, and I believe has a lot more potential to fulfill.


9)Mark Dugdale: It could be argued that Mark was the most conditioned athlete at the show top to bottom, front to back. When he came out onstage to do his mandatories by himself I was truly blown away. Mark’s skin was paper thin everywhere, and he was striated in almost every body part. His quads were particularly impressive…thick, shaped, vascular, and shredded. Mark also has beautiful shape to his physique and reminds me of a modern day Frank Zane or Lee Labrada. His only downfalls are that he is a bit narrow through the shoulders and that when he stands next to the rest of the lineup, he looks a little small. Still, I would have had him either 8th or maybe even 7th at this show, but his potential is much greater than this. If he can add 20-25 lbs of muscle over the next several years I believe that Mark could display one of the best physiques in the history of the sport. That is, as long as he can keep his waist tight, and stays in the same crisp condition. Personally, I think he can do it. Mark earned many more fans at this show, and I think that there are only bigger and better things to come for him.


10)Toney Freeman: Toney continues to personify, “potential yet unfulfilled.” He only competed at about 264, but was about 14 lbs heavier and much harder several days before. Some last minute mistakes, along with an illness, had Toney dropping bodyweight quickly, which flattened him out and also blurred some of his cuts. At his height of 6’2” Toney needs to get up to about 285+ onstage. If he does so I feel he will be a dominating force in the IFBB. His overall shape, tiny waist, and incredible upper body width gives Toney a frame to work with that most bodybuilders dream about. His quads are already amongst the best in the sport, so all he needs to do is add more thickness through his chest and arms before top 5 placings become the norm for him. Still, Toney looked great at the ASC and is steadily rising in the sport. However, as I have said before, if Toney ever adds enough muscle to compete at around the same weight as Ronnie, he is a potential Mr. Olympia.

great review Eric, thanks.