From the VPX weekly ANABOLICMAG.COM
In this weeks tidbits I will give you my full report of the IFBB Show of Strength, sponsored by GNC, and held November 8th in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. This was a great event that included a men???s pro bodybuilding show, a women???s fitness and figure event, and a 3 day expo that brought out the biggest players in the supplement industry to show their stuff. As usual, VPX dominated the expo with the biggest, most elaborate booth, full of tons of VPX product, a professional sales staff and the best looking models around. Along with VPX regulars, the beautiful Danielle Hollenshade, Aimet Victoria,
and Kris Chin, there were a about a dozen local fitness and figure models/competitors at the booth, and believe me when I say that these gals know how to ???work a crowd!???
Equally exciting for VPX was the fact their sponsored pro, Tony Freeman was competing as well this weekend, vowing to be in his best ever condition. Along with Tony, many of the pros that competed at the Mr. Olympia just 2 weeks earlier also showed up for battle onstage, making this the premier post Olympia event!
Lucky for me, I had the best seat in the house in the very first row, dead center. Right next to me was VPX photographer, the incredibly talented Alex Gonzalez, taking outstanding pics of every competitor. Alex has ???the eye??? and NEVER misses a good shot. When you see the pics that will be posted at www.vpxsports.com in just a short while, you will see why Alex is the fastest rising physique photograper in the industry!
Ok, enough talk???Here???s my ???flow??? from the front row???
COMPETITORS:
-George Farah
-Stan McCrary
-Dareem Charles
-Claude Groulx
-Melvin Anthony
-Jonnie Jackson
-Tony Freeman
-Gunter Schlierkamp
-Aaron Maddron
-Kevin Levrone
-Jay Cutler
-Rodney St. Cloud
-Dennis James
-DexterJackson
-Chris Cormier
Round 1 Callouts (Symmetry)
Freeman-Levrone-Jackson
Schlierkamp-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
McCrary-Shlierkamp-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
Cormier-James-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
Cormier-Charles-Jackson-Cutler
J Jackson-St. Cloud-Charles-Jackson-Cutler
J Jackson-St. Cloud-Charles-Farah-Anthony
Charles-Kevin-Anthony-Jackson
Schlierkamp-James-Cutler-Jackson-Cormier
Schlierkamp-James-Cutler-Jackson-Levrone
Freeman-McCrary-Maddron
Jackson-Schlierkamp-Cutler
St. Cloud-Groulx-Anthony-Farah
St. Cloud-Groulx-Freeman-Maddron-J Jackson
Cormier-Anthony-Jackson-Cutler
Schlierkamp-Levrone-Cutler-Jackson
McCrary-Farah-J Jackson-Groulx
Charles-Freeman-Anthony-Cormier
Round 2 (Individual Compulsory Poses)
Round 3 Callouts (Compulsories)
McCrary-St. Cloud-Anthony-Jackson
Schlierkamp-Charles-Cutler-Jackson
Cormier-Levrone-James
Levrone-Charles-Cormier-Freeman
Farah-Charles-Schlierkamp-Anthony-McCrary
Levrone-Jackson-Cutler-James
St. Cloud-J Jackson-Farah-Groulx-Maddron
Levrone-Cutler-Schlierkamp-James
Levrone-Jackson-Cutler-Schlierkamp
I have to mention that this show contained some of the most bizarre callouts I have ever seen. It was very difficult to figure out what was on the minds??? of the judges, and perhaps they wanted it that way. Maybe by comparing athletes that we do not expect to see pitted against each other, the judges feel it will lend to a more dramatic finish.
Night Show
After watching some outstanding posing routines???Charles, Anthony, Jackson???and a few mediocre ones, it was time for the final six. The posedown was the most entertaining part of the show, with each of the athletes (with the exception of Levrone) jumping offstage and into the audience and giving everyone their money???s worth.
Here are the final placings and my feelings on each athlete:
#1 Dexter Jackson???What can I say but ???the man was ON!??? As amazing as he looked at the Olympia, he looked even better here. With round, full muscle bellies, shredded glutes, outstanding abs, and side thighs that were split and bulging, Dex could not be denied this time. He looks fantastic in every pose and his back double bicep and side chest shots are particularly outstanding! During pre-judging Dex???s biggest fan in the audience was none other than Flex Wheeler, who screamed encouragement throughout. Perhaps Flex feels that Dex can pick up where he left off. My only criticism about Dex: When my buddy and VPX employee Steve Shuch put out a hand to congratulate Dex on his win in the lobby after the show Dex simply ???blew him off.??? C???mon Dex, you gotta give love to the fans that give love to you!!
#2 Jay Cutler???Jay is as big as a house (at least when he???s not standing next to Ronnie) and made some improvements here over the Olympia. You gotta hand it to him! After competing in the spring, then in the Olympia, and then on the European tour, you would think that Jay???s physique would lose condition rather than improve upon it. The fact that he was better here is a testament to Jay???s work ethic and professionalism. I have to say that while Jay is one of the most incredible bodybuilders ever, I think he has gone backward since his best showing at the Mr. O in 2001. He is bigger, but his waist is wider and some of his sharpness is gone. However, Jay???s quads and calves are unreal and no doubt, Jay is still the biggest threat to any pro bodybuilding title.
#3 Kevin Levrone???This was the best I have seen Kevin in quite a while. He was hard as nails and had the best mid-section in the show aside from Dex. The improvements he made over his Olympia physique were amazing and I feel he should have beaten Jay for second. What is holding Kevin back now is his legs. What were once one of the best pairs of thighs in all of bodybuilding now seem undersized and out of proportion with Kevin???s amazing upper body. If he ever brings them back to their former greatness, than watch out! Kevin had an outstanding back double bicep, side chest, and side abs shot. His tris are enormous and his glutes were striated. Kevin is also a warrior onstage and makes sure to directly challenge anyone standing next to him.
#4 Dennis James???From what I understand, Dennis was fighting an illness in the days leading up to the show. However, this did not reflect in his hard as nails physique. Dennis improved over his Olympia showing as well, with an even more ???dry??? appearance. His glutes were among the most striated in the show and he was full and thick. Although has abdominal formation is a little odd, his stomach was rock hard. All that Dennis needs is a bit more ???depth??? in his front thighs. His upper body is so outstanding that it makes his legs look small by comparison. Dennis fully deserved his 4th place showing and is finally showing the body onstage we all knew he was capable of.
#5 Gunter Schlierkamp???Last year???s shocking winner of this show???and the man that defeated Ronnie???was not at his best this time around. He seemed a bit softer than he was at the Olympia, although his glutes and hams were out in full force. Gunter has an amazing front and back lat spread as well as a great side chest, but his wide waist, undersized thighs, and lack of back depth hurts him. Gunter is huge and looks damn good when standing alone, but when he is up against other top guys side by side his flaws become obvious. Gunter is a crowd favorite and was the first to jump offstage after the posedown. I felt he should???ve placed one spot lower.
#6 Dareem Charles???As soon as Dareem came onstage and hit his initial pose you knew this man was ready. Dareem???s strength lies in his symmetry and proportions, as well as in his dramatic muscle bellies and outstanding separation. All that holds Dareem back from the top 3 at any show is his lack of overall size. Standing alone he appears quite huge, but when standing next to the other guys, he looks a bit ???slight.??? No matter, he gets better every year and his placings reflect this. His waist is flat and tight, his thighs are shredded, his glutes striated, and his bis are freaky. Few people pose better than Dareem and he never fails to wake up the audience with his amazing posing routines.
#7 Chris Cormier???Looking at Chris you can see that everything is there! Symmetry, size, proportion, and shape???he has ???em in spades. The problem? Lack of definition due to water retention and the need for a few more weeks on the diet. Chris was not at his best here and he knew it. However, as the show went on he got better and better and made it obvious that he still owns one of the best body???s in the sport. When and if Chris comes onstage again in his best condition, he is fully capable of beating almost everyone.
#8 Melvin Anthony???This guy just makes me angry! Why? Because he is so damn good, but never shows up in 100% condition. He is always holding water in the glutes and hams and isn???t nearly as ???crisp??? as he could be anywhere on his physique. That is not to say that Melvin looked bad???quite the contrary! With his ridiculously small waist, wide, thick back, sweeping thighs, and outstanding posing ability, Melvin should be challenging for top 5 at every show. Once Melvin figures out how to drop the water from some key areas, he will be causing many of the pros some major headaches.
#9 Tony Freeman???Look up the word ???potential??? in the dictionary and next to it will be a picture of Tony! At 6??? 2??? and nearly 270 lbs, Tony makes quite the impact onstage. He is incredibly wide up top and tapers down to a freakishly small 31??? waist. His thighs are huge and his condition is excellent. Where Tony gets lost is in his lack of upper body thickness through his chest, arms, and delts. Standing alone he is a freak, but when posing next to monsters like Cutler, Levrone, and James, Tony looks a bit thin. The thing is, however, that Tony???s proportions are so dramatic that once he adds the needed bodyweight, he will look like the second coming of Ronnie! I see Tony onstage at about 295 lbs and with even more hardness than he has now. The best is yet to come for Tony and he is an outstanding representative for bodybuilding, VPX, and is just a hell of a nice guy!
#10 Jonnie Jackson???Jonnie is a great bodybuilder with a very thick chest and a wide, dense back. His powerlifting certainly shows in his physique. With a little more calf development and more hardness and definition he can move up in the rankings and begin threatening for the top 5 in most pro shows.
#11 George Farah???With symmetry reminiscent of the great Lee Labrada, George looks great onstage. He looks good in almost every pose and particularly so in his front double bicep, back double bicep, and back lat spread. I thought he deserved some better callouts and could have placed a few slots higher. Just a tad more thickness and slightly better conditioning and I think George is top 5 material in shows like this.
#12 Rodney St. Cloud???Rodney was down from his Olympia conditioning and even further down from his conditioning at earlier shows. Rodney is the type of guy that must be ???spot on??? to do any damage at this level. At this show he looked small and soft and as if he ???coasted??? into it. While he has outstanding delts, he really needs to improve all over.
#13 Aaron Maddron???I never really understood the phenomenon of being a better amateur than a pro. This has happened to a few guys and it is certainly the case with Aaron. When he first earned his pro card he looked as if he could do some decent damage on the pro level, however, his physique has taken a turn for the worse ever since. He simply looked flat and soft onstage, and lacked good competition color. He also looked uncomfortable in every pose. I think its time that Aaron go back to the drawing board and try to remember what it was he did right before turning pro. Maybe ephedra-free Hydroxycut just isn???t cutting it?
#14 Stan McCrary???You gotta love Stan. He seems to love being onstage and enjoys what he???s doing. Physique wise, this was the best I???ve seen him in a while, but unfortunately it???s just not good enough in this current crop of pros. Stan has a blocky and somewhat distended waistline, a flat chest, and lacks in separation. He also seems to have one quad much larger than the other. I don???t know what he can really do at this point to improve his physique or how far he sees himself as going in the sport these days. Regardless, Stan remains quite popular and its always fun to have him in any competition.
#15 Claude Groulx???Claude is the kind of bodybuilder that can look amazing when in top condition, but rather poor when he doesn???t come in ???on time.??? Claude had a breakout year in 2003 when he won the Masters Olympia title in rock hard condition. However, he didn???t come close to that shape for either the Mr. Olympia or the Show of Strength. Known for being vascular and shredded, Claude appeared smooth and flat this time around. Unfortunately for him, this also gives him a wide waist and blocky proportions. While the back double bicep pose remains a strength, his thighs and chest seemed particularly flat this time. His muscles simply didn???t jump out at you when he posed and this ended up landing him in the last spot. Claude is a very hard worker and will certainly bounce back next time around.
Overall this show was very entertaining and a lot of fun to attend. With many top athletes in the lineup there was tons of quality beef onstage as well as at the fitness expo. And since there is a great deal of prize money involved at the Show of Strength, I believe that this show will continue to draw top IFBB pros and become one of the premier events on the pro circuit.
In this weeks tidbits I will give you my full report of the IFBB Show of Strength, sponsored by GNC, and held November 8th in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. This was a great event that included a men???s pro bodybuilding show, a women???s fitness and figure event, and a 3 day expo that brought out the biggest players in the supplement industry to show their stuff. As usual, VPX dominated the expo with the biggest, most elaborate booth, full of tons of VPX product, a professional sales staff and the best looking models around. Along with VPX regulars, the beautiful Danielle Hollenshade, Aimet Victoria,
and Kris Chin, there were a about a dozen local fitness and figure models/competitors at the booth, and believe me when I say that these gals know how to ???work a crowd!???
Equally exciting for VPX was the fact their sponsored pro, Tony Freeman was competing as well this weekend, vowing to be in his best ever condition. Along with Tony, many of the pros that competed at the Mr. Olympia just 2 weeks earlier also showed up for battle onstage, making this the premier post Olympia event!
Lucky for me, I had the best seat in the house in the very first row, dead center. Right next to me was VPX photographer, the incredibly talented Alex Gonzalez, taking outstanding pics of every competitor. Alex has ???the eye??? and NEVER misses a good shot. When you see the pics that will be posted at www.vpxsports.com in just a short while, you will see why Alex is the fastest rising physique photograper in the industry!
Ok, enough talk???Here???s my ???flow??? from the front row???
COMPETITORS:
-George Farah
-Stan McCrary
-Dareem Charles
-Claude Groulx
-Melvin Anthony
-Jonnie Jackson
-Tony Freeman
-Gunter Schlierkamp
-Aaron Maddron
-Kevin Levrone
-Jay Cutler
-Rodney St. Cloud
-Dennis James
-DexterJackson
-Chris Cormier
Round 1 Callouts (Symmetry)
Freeman-Levrone-Jackson
Schlierkamp-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
McCrary-Shlierkamp-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
Cormier-James-Levrone-Jackson-Cutler
Cormier-Charles-Jackson-Cutler
J Jackson-St. Cloud-Charles-Jackson-Cutler
J Jackson-St. Cloud-Charles-Farah-Anthony
Charles-Kevin-Anthony-Jackson
Schlierkamp-James-Cutler-Jackson-Cormier
Schlierkamp-James-Cutler-Jackson-Levrone
Freeman-McCrary-Maddron
Jackson-Schlierkamp-Cutler
St. Cloud-Groulx-Anthony-Farah
St. Cloud-Groulx-Freeman-Maddron-J Jackson
Cormier-Anthony-Jackson-Cutler
Schlierkamp-Levrone-Cutler-Jackson
McCrary-Farah-J Jackson-Groulx
Charles-Freeman-Anthony-Cormier
Round 2 (Individual Compulsory Poses)
Round 3 Callouts (Compulsories)
McCrary-St. Cloud-Anthony-Jackson
Schlierkamp-Charles-Cutler-Jackson
Cormier-Levrone-James
Levrone-Charles-Cormier-Freeman
Farah-Charles-Schlierkamp-Anthony-McCrary
Levrone-Jackson-Cutler-James
St. Cloud-J Jackson-Farah-Groulx-Maddron
Levrone-Cutler-Schlierkamp-James
Levrone-Jackson-Cutler-Schlierkamp
I have to mention that this show contained some of the most bizarre callouts I have ever seen. It was very difficult to figure out what was on the minds??? of the judges, and perhaps they wanted it that way. Maybe by comparing athletes that we do not expect to see pitted against each other, the judges feel it will lend to a more dramatic finish.
Night Show
After watching some outstanding posing routines???Charles, Anthony, Jackson???and a few mediocre ones, it was time for the final six. The posedown was the most entertaining part of the show, with each of the athletes (with the exception of Levrone) jumping offstage and into the audience and giving everyone their money???s worth.
Here are the final placings and my feelings on each athlete:
#1 Dexter Jackson???What can I say but ???the man was ON!??? As amazing as he looked at the Olympia, he looked even better here. With round, full muscle bellies, shredded glutes, outstanding abs, and side thighs that were split and bulging, Dex could not be denied this time. He looks fantastic in every pose and his back double bicep and side chest shots are particularly outstanding! During pre-judging Dex???s biggest fan in the audience was none other than Flex Wheeler, who screamed encouragement throughout. Perhaps Flex feels that Dex can pick up where he left off. My only criticism about Dex: When my buddy and VPX employee Steve Shuch put out a hand to congratulate Dex on his win in the lobby after the show Dex simply ???blew him off.??? C???mon Dex, you gotta give love to the fans that give love to you!!
#2 Jay Cutler???Jay is as big as a house (at least when he???s not standing next to Ronnie) and made some improvements here over the Olympia. You gotta hand it to him! After competing in the spring, then in the Olympia, and then on the European tour, you would think that Jay???s physique would lose condition rather than improve upon it. The fact that he was better here is a testament to Jay???s work ethic and professionalism. I have to say that while Jay is one of the most incredible bodybuilders ever, I think he has gone backward since his best showing at the Mr. O in 2001. He is bigger, but his waist is wider and some of his sharpness is gone. However, Jay???s quads and calves are unreal and no doubt, Jay is still the biggest threat to any pro bodybuilding title.
#3 Kevin Levrone???This was the best I have seen Kevin in quite a while. He was hard as nails and had the best mid-section in the show aside from Dex. The improvements he made over his Olympia physique were amazing and I feel he should have beaten Jay for second. What is holding Kevin back now is his legs. What were once one of the best pairs of thighs in all of bodybuilding now seem undersized and out of proportion with Kevin???s amazing upper body. If he ever brings them back to their former greatness, than watch out! Kevin had an outstanding back double bicep, side chest, and side abs shot. His tris are enormous and his glutes were striated. Kevin is also a warrior onstage and makes sure to directly challenge anyone standing next to him.
#4 Dennis James???From what I understand, Dennis was fighting an illness in the days leading up to the show. However, this did not reflect in his hard as nails physique. Dennis improved over his Olympia showing as well, with an even more ???dry??? appearance. His glutes were among the most striated in the show and he was full and thick. Although has abdominal formation is a little odd, his stomach was rock hard. All that Dennis needs is a bit more ???depth??? in his front thighs. His upper body is so outstanding that it makes his legs look small by comparison. Dennis fully deserved his 4th place showing and is finally showing the body onstage we all knew he was capable of.
#5 Gunter Schlierkamp???Last year???s shocking winner of this show???and the man that defeated Ronnie???was not at his best this time around. He seemed a bit softer than he was at the Olympia, although his glutes and hams were out in full force. Gunter has an amazing front and back lat spread as well as a great side chest, but his wide waist, undersized thighs, and lack of back depth hurts him. Gunter is huge and looks damn good when standing alone, but when he is up against other top guys side by side his flaws become obvious. Gunter is a crowd favorite and was the first to jump offstage after the posedown. I felt he should???ve placed one spot lower.
#6 Dareem Charles???As soon as Dareem came onstage and hit his initial pose you knew this man was ready. Dareem???s strength lies in his symmetry and proportions, as well as in his dramatic muscle bellies and outstanding separation. All that holds Dareem back from the top 3 at any show is his lack of overall size. Standing alone he appears quite huge, but when standing next to the other guys, he looks a bit ???slight.??? No matter, he gets better every year and his placings reflect this. His waist is flat and tight, his thighs are shredded, his glutes striated, and his bis are freaky. Few people pose better than Dareem and he never fails to wake up the audience with his amazing posing routines.
#7 Chris Cormier???Looking at Chris you can see that everything is there! Symmetry, size, proportion, and shape???he has ???em in spades. The problem? Lack of definition due to water retention and the need for a few more weeks on the diet. Chris was not at his best here and he knew it. However, as the show went on he got better and better and made it obvious that he still owns one of the best body???s in the sport. When and if Chris comes onstage again in his best condition, he is fully capable of beating almost everyone.
#8 Melvin Anthony???This guy just makes me angry! Why? Because he is so damn good, but never shows up in 100% condition. He is always holding water in the glutes and hams and isn???t nearly as ???crisp??? as he could be anywhere on his physique. That is not to say that Melvin looked bad???quite the contrary! With his ridiculously small waist, wide, thick back, sweeping thighs, and outstanding posing ability, Melvin should be challenging for top 5 at every show. Once Melvin figures out how to drop the water from some key areas, he will be causing many of the pros some major headaches.
#9 Tony Freeman???Look up the word ???potential??? in the dictionary and next to it will be a picture of Tony! At 6??? 2??? and nearly 270 lbs, Tony makes quite the impact onstage. He is incredibly wide up top and tapers down to a freakishly small 31??? waist. His thighs are huge and his condition is excellent. Where Tony gets lost is in his lack of upper body thickness through his chest, arms, and delts. Standing alone he is a freak, but when posing next to monsters like Cutler, Levrone, and James, Tony looks a bit thin. The thing is, however, that Tony???s proportions are so dramatic that once he adds the needed bodyweight, he will look like the second coming of Ronnie! I see Tony onstage at about 295 lbs and with even more hardness than he has now. The best is yet to come for Tony and he is an outstanding representative for bodybuilding, VPX, and is just a hell of a nice guy!
#10 Jonnie Jackson???Jonnie is a great bodybuilder with a very thick chest and a wide, dense back. His powerlifting certainly shows in his physique. With a little more calf development and more hardness and definition he can move up in the rankings and begin threatening for the top 5 in most pro shows.
#11 George Farah???With symmetry reminiscent of the great Lee Labrada, George looks great onstage. He looks good in almost every pose and particularly so in his front double bicep, back double bicep, and back lat spread. I thought he deserved some better callouts and could have placed a few slots higher. Just a tad more thickness and slightly better conditioning and I think George is top 5 material in shows like this.
#12 Rodney St. Cloud???Rodney was down from his Olympia conditioning and even further down from his conditioning at earlier shows. Rodney is the type of guy that must be ???spot on??? to do any damage at this level. At this show he looked small and soft and as if he ???coasted??? into it. While he has outstanding delts, he really needs to improve all over.
#13 Aaron Maddron???I never really understood the phenomenon of being a better amateur than a pro. This has happened to a few guys and it is certainly the case with Aaron. When he first earned his pro card he looked as if he could do some decent damage on the pro level, however, his physique has taken a turn for the worse ever since. He simply looked flat and soft onstage, and lacked good competition color. He also looked uncomfortable in every pose. I think its time that Aaron go back to the drawing board and try to remember what it was he did right before turning pro. Maybe ephedra-free Hydroxycut just isn???t cutting it?
#14 Stan McCrary???You gotta love Stan. He seems to love being onstage and enjoys what he???s doing. Physique wise, this was the best I???ve seen him in a while, but unfortunately it???s just not good enough in this current crop of pros. Stan has a blocky and somewhat distended waistline, a flat chest, and lacks in separation. He also seems to have one quad much larger than the other. I don???t know what he can really do at this point to improve his physique or how far he sees himself as going in the sport these days. Regardless, Stan remains quite popular and its always fun to have him in any competition.
#15 Claude Groulx???Claude is the kind of bodybuilder that can look amazing when in top condition, but rather poor when he doesn???t come in ???on time.??? Claude had a breakout year in 2003 when he won the Masters Olympia title in rock hard condition. However, he didn???t come close to that shape for either the Mr. Olympia or the Show of Strength. Known for being vascular and shredded, Claude appeared smooth and flat this time around. Unfortunately for him, this also gives him a wide waist and blocky proportions. While the back double bicep pose remains a strength, his thighs and chest seemed particularly flat this time. His muscles simply didn???t jump out at you when he posed and this ended up landing him in the last spot. Claude is a very hard worker and will certainly bounce back next time around.
Overall this show was very entertaining and a lot of fun to attend. With many top athletes in the lineup there was tons of quality beef onstage as well as at the fitness expo. And since there is a great deal of prize money involved at the Show of Strength, I believe that this show will continue to draw top IFBB pros and become one of the premier events on the pro circuit.
