Bodies in Question
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| By Peter McGough, Group Editorial Director, FLEX [Photographs courtesy of Isaac Hinds] |
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DENNIS WOLF Age: 28 A Mr. Olympia work in progress. Will be Jay Cutler’s biggest threat in 2008, and perhaps would have been this year if compared to the current champ. Indeed, when he got next to Cutler in the posedown (and he went after his foe from start to finish in true wolf-hunting fashion), he was not found wanting in several shots. The cleanest lines in the show, with a frame (superwide shoulder girth, narrow hips and waist,) that gave him the platform to hit spectacular shots. His back double biceps was stupendous, mainly due to massive delts that must rank as among the best ever. Superb conditioning and fullness completed the picture for the man who was the fan favorite of the contest. With a bit more lower lat development and improved biceps and calves, a Sandow is definitely in his future. His powerful posing to classical music was everything an Olympia routine should be - others, take note. The scary thing for his rivals is that the German was the youngest guy in the contest, by some four years. |
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DAVID HENRY Age: 32 A breakthrough event for the miniature powerhouse. After an in-and-out early season, he was back to his cut-and-full, early 2006 best, and at last, at last, got his due reward. With his balanced and conditioned physique from head to toe - the highlight being that crazy-paving back detail - Henry will now be an early factor in each contest he enters, rather than waiting in the background to be spotted late. |
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MELVIN ANTHONY Age: 37 Came into this contest under considerable pressure after finishing fourth at the Atlantic City pro two weeks earlier; not the best prep for a man who came in fifth at the 2006 Olympia. In Vegas, he was much better conditioned - if a tad short of last year: his legs were not as full and he seemed to be holding some water. Still, his shape and classic back double biceps were enough to carry him to sixth. |
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MARK DUGDALE Age: 32 At 210 pounds, Dugdale got lost among the giants. His conditioning was not as spot-on as we’ve come to expect, and his legs were not their usual anatomical-chart like and full selves. The Seattle resident has always taken a sane approach to getting in shape. And with a prosperous business, a beautiful wife and three daughters, we wouldn’t encourage him to follow any other course. |
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DEXTER JACKSON Age: 37 If Mr. Olympia had been decided on consistency over the past several years, then a Sandow would be sitting in the Jackson home. He always brings fullness and deep conditioning; but perhaps the score against him lies within that "always" statement, in that he hasn’t brought anything new in several years - which may be a bit like saying Michelangelo could have done a better job with his David statue; however, to move forward from his string of thirds and fourths, Jackson has to show advancement. Still, by his own highest standards, he was a degree off this year, which stopped him from being in contention for the number two spot. |
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SERGEY SHELESTOV Age: 36 Tagged by many to be the favorite for dead last, the Russian confounded that prediction by showing up in great shape. He was superbly conditioned and, in spite of some structural imbalances, I personally thought he would have nudged himself into the top 15. |
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QUINCY TAYLOR Age: 38 Maybe the giant native of Vegas expended most of his Olympia energy at the press conference berating Gustavo Badell and Silvio Samuel. Whatever the case, his conditioning was not sufficient to fully showcase and exploit his massive development. When that happens, look out, everybody. |
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HIDETADA YAMAGISHI Age: 34 Thirteenth spot is a tremendous result for the first Japanese ever to contest the Mr. Olympia. In terms of sheer physical growth, he must be the most-improved athlete of the past two years. Has great delts and thighs and is conditioned everywhere. That being said, I believe he could have been drier - a factor that blunted his sharpness, particularly, the Xmas tree area. |
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VICTOR MARTINEZ Almost a repeat of 2006, in that early on, Martinez looked the winner and then faded as Cutler got stronger. When he first came on, Martinez’s clean, cut lines and condition promised that Olympia glory was beckoning. His thighs were not as full as last year, but his hams from the side were deeper and sharper, although his calves looked funky. Didn’t hit the front lat spread to his full advantage. In early exchanges, his back shape and detail were beating Cutler, but by the end of prejudging Cutler had reversed the trend, and, at Saturday’s finals, the champ completely slammed the door shut. If the likeable Martinez can combine his 2003 Night of Champions winning condition of 235 pounds with his now-25-pound mass, next year’s contest will be a barnburner. |
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DARREM CHARLES Age: 39 A true veteran (he and Coleman are the only holdovers from the 1997 Olympia), he always comes in shape, but once again seemed to lose out in the size department in a contest where mass has always been a prime card to play. He has been sharper and his legs could have been fuller, but if the Olympia was decided on evening posing routines, he, Anthony and Wolf would have filled the top three spots. |
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BILL WILMORE Age: 36 Good shape in the upper body, but his thighs need more sweep. Although finishing out of the top 15 in both of his Olympia appearances, the encouraging aspect for Wilmore is that he truly has improved from contest to contest as a pro. |
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RONNY ROCKEL Age: 35 Probably the most balanced competitor onstage. Everything’s there: shapely arms, full lats and pecs, deep abs, thighs with sweep and separation and nice calves. The knock is he’s sharper from the front than from the back, but he is improving when he turns around. In 11th - his best-ever Olympia placing - he truly now is knocking on the door of the top 10. |
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EDDIE ABBEW Age: 39 Having qualified for his first Olympia after a 10-year pro career, the effervescent Abbew was disappointed not to do better. That being said, he did not appear as hard as he had - especially from the back - in qualifying at the Ironman last February. But rest assured Eddie "Peak" Abbew will be back. |
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GUSTAVO BADELL Age: 34 Seems The Freakin’ Rican decided to go for super conditioning and, in the process, lost size - particularly in the legs. Renowned for starting slow in the prejudging and then moving up, this time around the Badell charge never happened. In an impromptu unveiling at the press conference 24 hours earlier, he seemed dry and hard, but was a little softer and more hydrated at contest time. After a third, third and sixth, at the last three Olympias, only time and his battling spirit will tell if Badell’s Olympia posedown career is over. |
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JOHNNIE JACKSON Age: 36 In his best-ever shape, Jackson pushed himself into the top 10 for the first time. Over the past year, he has remarkably improved his upper body: he always had the mass and density up there, but now he’s mixed in a proportionate balance to his torso, front and back. If he can wreak the same improvement with his legs, (particularly thigh sweep) he will continue to move up. |
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TONEY FREEMAN Age: 41 Considering pre-contest hype, The X-man was the major disappointment at the Mr. Olympia. He was smooth, which prevented his proportions and size from being competitive. Previously, he had talked about doing a contest a few weeks before the Olympia, perhaps it would have been best if he had; then he would have realized he was short of his peak and could have regrouped for the O. Still, the big man knew he was off and knows how to correct it next time out. |
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VINCE TAYLOR Age: 51 As Taylor reminded everyone at the press conference, he has been on the Olympia stage competing against four Sandow champs: Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler. Now that he’s 51, I’m not going to criticize a physique that was still good enough to finish third at the Australia Pro Grand Prix last March. |
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MARKUS RÜHL Age: 35 In 2004, Rühl finished fifth in this contest, then slipped to 15th the following year, before bouncing back to eighth (I thought he should have been higher) in 2006. On this occasion, it seemed that all the gym wars have left their marks and he was not competitive or as sinew-splittingly freaky as the Rühl we have known. After the contest, he announced his retirement, and so the career of one of the greatest crowd-pleasers of the past 10 years is over. Thanks for a great run, Markus. |
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SILVIO SAMUEL Seventh place in the Olympia capped off a great 2007 for Spain’s greatest import since Penélope Cruz. And, indeed, he has improved dramatically as the year has progressed. This is especially true in the way he has brought his abdomen under control and how he presents his physique. The possessor of outrageously round muscle bellies, he compounds that attribute with head-to-toe development and crazy conditioning - you could shave on his serratus. His priorities are to bring out his lower lats, develop a bit more shoulder width and improve the conditioning of his hams. (Don’t even talk to me about glutes!) Given his advancement this year, don’t bet against his star rising ever higher next year. |
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FRANCISCO "PACO" BAUTISTA Age: 35 Given that his structure (wide hips, short legs, long body) represents a bodybuilder’s nightmare, we should give high marks to the Spaniard for going for mass and condition, and playing the cards he has been dealt. Still, we have seen him sharper and thus he was never in contention for the top 15. |
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MARCUS HALEY Age: 34 Continues to improve from contest to contest and has made his distended ab problem a thing of the past. Thighs are much better than before, and although he was a little off, he has the shape to move up dramatically if he nails condition 100 percent. |
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RONNIE COLEMAN Age: 43 This was not the Ronnie Coleman who was so dominant at 287 WTF pounds in 2003 and at 250 sliced-to-ribbons pounds in 1999. But we should all sing his praises from the rooftops that he gave us a dramatic and emotional farewell which, in the end, played out as pure, unadulterated theater. The passage of time and the ravages of injury had taken their toll, and he knew weeks out that he could not be competitive for the top spot at this contestant; but, warrior that he is, he was determined to go out on his shield and not simply sit in the audience as a spectator. Many of us feared the prospect of him finishing fourth or fifth (comparing it to a spent Muhammad Ali being taken apart by Larry Holmes), but with his demeanor throughout the weekend and on stage, Ronnie turned fourth into a magnificent victory of sorts, a celebration of the career of the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived, of the Mr. Olympia who started with the least and made the most of what he had. This was not a defeat - it was the ultimate tear-jerking exclamation point of a career that has no equal. A standing ovation when he finished posing, followed by another tumultuous one when he took the mike after his fourth place was announced, had everyone - come on, tough guys, admit it - teary-eyed. If it was a defeat, it was as glorious as it was unforgettable. With the exception of 1989, I’ve seen every Olympia since 1982, and Ronnie’s grand finale will go into my personal top three Olympia moments. Thanks for the memories, Ronnie! We’ll never see anyone like you again. |
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WILL HARRIS Age: unknown My vote for most overlooked athlete of the contest. Great shape with wide shoulders, sweeping lats, narrow waist, full and cut thighs, a great rear lat spread that had width, taper and detail. Could have been a tad sharper and darker, and perhaps his posing routine was not orthodox - let’s be honest, it got the audience’s attention - but 15th was a paltry award for what he brought to the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest. |
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JAY CUTLER Age: 34 As if he didn’t have enough competition with 23 others in the lineup, the defending champ decided to pit himself against another foe: the 2006 version of Jay Cutler. When he first stepped onstage, it was clear he wasn’t as good or as full as in 2006. Afterward, he confessed to depleting too much, which made him "as flat as hell" at 259 pounds. In the first comparison with runner-up Martinez, Cutler was found wanting - his flat delts, pecs and thighs penalizing him. Then - such are the physiological intricacies of modern bodybuilding - Cutler started to fill up, while Martinez began to flatten out; in the final comparison of the prejudging, Cutler overpowered his more shapely adversary with his newly returned mass and detail. The evening ended with the champ holding a two-point advantage. At the Saturday finals, even though Martinez won the posing round when the two stood together for the posedown comparisons, the now 267-pound Cutler was a clear winner over his valiant rival. Thus was Jay Cutler duly crowned 2007 Mr. Olympia, in a close-run contest that was of his own making. |
