2014 Arnold Classic Results

Bigger Stronger Leaner
21

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:
Surprised nobody has mentioned the fact that Flex has announced after this years Olympia he will be moving up to the open class. Thought that would be the talk of the thread, especially from Stu.

Thoughts?

I think this time next year Aaron Clark is the best 212 bodybuilder in the world, and if Flex’s claims of being near 260 and contest ready are true, we could see one of the freakiest physiques of all time when he competes in the open class Olympia. His physique is already so insanely filled out its hard to imagine where he would put 20+ more lbs and still be in contest shape. Really excited for this. [/quote]

It is interesting, especially when you see competitors like David Henry, Former 212 winner Kevin English, and Marc Dugdale, all who formerly competed in the open classes, making the switch in hopes of better placings.

At this point though, what else is there for Flex to prove? There was a great comparison photo on another site of Lewis a few weeks out, side by side with the famous '93 pre-olympia gym posing pics of Yates. Lemme tell ya, if height weren’t an issue, the guy would certainly put up a fight with the Shadow himself in terms of sheer muscle mass and density.

While I still haven’t gotten a chance to watch the entire video of the contest, I can’t imagine anyone really giving Flex anything in the way of a serious fight. While I used to be a huge David Henry fan (back when he was an open competitor), I just don’t think he’s comparable despite having a truly amazing build.

Now, would Lewis fare well in the open? This is going to come down to two very important factors IMO. First, height. The guy is not tall, no other way to phrase it. I’ve heard tales of him being anywhere from 5’6, all the way down to 5’2. Of course when you’re as thick and wide as this guy is, I’m sure it can throw a bit of distortion into some people’s thinking. So, have there been any really short competitors in recent years who haven’t been overlooked? Shawn Ray was about 5’6 if I recall correctly, and Priest is 5’4, but they also came up during an era where the average open Olympia contestant wasn’t over 250 lb onstage.

Not sure of Haney’s height (but he was a large man overall), Yates was about 5’10, and Coleman was 5’11. Cutler was 5’9, Dexter 5’6 (I think)… actually, if you consider Dexter’s winning form, the judges not having any issues with Lewis isn’t really far fetched at all.

The second factor, is that of name recognition. Just the story of such a dominant 212er being in the open, is most certainly going to ensure a quality looking over by the judging panel. The guy not only brings way too many fans to the table, but his physique isn’t one of smoke and mirrors. What I mean by that, is that he’s not one of those guys who relies on their posing to carry them in the comparisons. His physique is just too damn good to ignore onstage.

S[/quote]

Agreed on all counts.

And ive seen the pics you are talking about, if he can bring that kind of density, roundness and fullness onto the Olympia stage, he is certainly a threat to Heath. [/quote]

I know these guys are competitors and want to win above all else but what do you think a good outcome for Flex moving up would be? Mr. O Top 10, 5, 3, or win?
[/quote]

The best outcome is obviously a win. Normall for a dominant 212 moving up i would say top 6 but in Flex’s case, i honestly thing that if he isnt a contender for the throne that itll be disappointing.
[/quote]

Having met Heath and Flex several times, I say he would get absolutely dominated by Heath (and I don’t like Heath all that much). Flex is a really nice guy and has a badass physique, but he would look like a midget standing next to Heath and the other competitors. Put him on stage with Evan, Heath, Cedric, Wolf, etc and he wouldn’t look as impressive. At 212, I don’t see where he could possibly gain another pound of muscle.

He would be standing next to people who are 260+ which is a 50+ lbs discrepency in weight. I really love Flex’s physique and he looks amazing, but I think he should stay in the 212’s.

22

[quote]Bauber wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:
Surprised nobody has mentioned the fact that Flex has announced after this years Olympia he will be moving up to the open class. Thought that would be the talk of the thread, especially from Stu.

Thoughts?

I think this time next year Aaron Clark is the best 212 bodybuilder in the world, and if Flex’s claims of being near 260 and contest ready are true, we could see one of the freakiest physiques of all time when he competes in the open class Olympia. His physique is already so insanely filled out its hard to imagine where he would put 20+ more lbs and still be in contest shape. Really excited for this. [/quote]

It is interesting, especially when you see competitors like David Henry, Former 212 winner Kevin English, and Marc Dugdale, all who formerly competed in the open classes, making the switch in hopes of better placings.

At this point though, what else is there for Flex to prove? There was a great comparison photo on another site of Lewis a few weeks out, side by side with the famous '93 pre-olympia gym posing pics of Yates. Lemme tell ya, if height weren’t an issue, the guy would certainly put up a fight with the Shadow himself in terms of sheer muscle mass and density.

While I still haven’t gotten a chance to watch the entire video of the contest, I can’t imagine anyone really giving Flex anything in the way of a serious fight. While I used to be a huge David Henry fan (back when he was an open competitor), I just don’t think he’s comparable despite having a truly amazing build.

Now, would Lewis fare well in the open? This is going to come down to two very important factors IMO. First, height. The guy is not tall, no other way to phrase it. I’ve heard tales of him being anywhere from 5’6, all the way down to 5’2. Of course when you’re as thick and wide as this guy is, I’m sure it can throw a bit of distortion into some people’s thinking. So, have there been any really short competitors in recent years who haven’t been overlooked? Shawn Ray was about 5’6 if I recall correctly, and Priest is 5’4, but they also came up during an era where the average open Olympia contestant wasn’t over 250 lb onstage.

Not sure of Haney’s height (but he was a large man overall), Yates was about 5’10, and Coleman was 5’11. Cutler was 5’9, Dexter 5’6 (I think)… actually, if you consider Dexter’s winning form, the judges not having any issues with Lewis isn’t really far fetched at all.

The second factor, is that of name recognition. Just the story of such a dominant 212er being in the open, is most certainly going to ensure a quality looking over by the judging panel. The guy not only brings way too many fans to the table, but his physique isn’t one of smoke and mirrors. What I mean by that, is that he’s not one of those guys who relies on their posing to carry them in the comparisons. His physique is just too damn good to ignore onstage.

S[/quote]

Agreed on all counts.

And ive seen the pics you are talking about, if he can bring that kind of density, roundness and fullness onto the Olympia stage, he is certainly a threat to Heath. [/quote]

I know these guys are competitors and want to win above all else but what do you think a good outcome for Flex moving up would be? Mr. O Top 10, 5, 3, or win?
[/quote]

The best outcome is obviously a win. Normall for a dominant 212 moving up i would say top 6 but in Flex’s case, i honestly thing that if he isnt a contender for the throne that itll be disappointing.
[/quote]

Having met Heath and Flex several times, I say he would get absolutely dominated by Heath (and I don’t like Heath all that much). Flex is a really nice guy and has a badass physique, but he would look like a midget standing next to Heath and the other competitors. Put him on stage with Evan, Heath, Cedric, Wolf, etc and he wouldn’t look as impressive. At 212, I don’t see where he could possibly gain another pound of muscle.

He would be standing next to people who are 260+ which is a 50+ lbs discrepency in weight. I really love Flex’s physique and he looks amazing, but I think he should stay in the 212’s.
[/quote]

Obviously theres no real concrete evidence of this but the man said he has been contest ready at 250+ in the past. That may be an exaggeration but there must be some truth to it if he’s deciding to make the jump up.

If Dexter Jackson can topple Cutler, albeit not the best Cutler of all time but still pretty much in his prime, then Flex has as good a shot as anyone if you ask me.

If he can come on stage looking like he did in the Yates mini-me pics that Stu referenced, i think hes got a shot.

23

LOL

flex would get CRUSHED in the open class…

and him giving Dorian a run for his money? come on stu…

24

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:
LOL

flex would get CRUSHED in the open class…

and him giving Dorian a run for his money? come on stu… [/quote]

So how do you think Flex would stack next to Dexter? THey definitely have vastly different structures, and Dex has always been amazing in terms of symmetry, as well as his conditioning on contest day. Still, Flex comes in damn shredded and dry, and (simply going on photos of course) looks like he might edge the blade when it comes to overall mass.

Also, my comment about Yates was that Flex would do well in comparison “in terms of muscle mass and density”, and if you had seen the images I referenced on Palumbo or a few other sites, I have no doubt you’d agree. Especially from rear shots and overall balance though, Yates had a much more complete physique.

S

25

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:
LOL

flex would get CRUSHED in the open class…

and him giving Dorian a run for his money? come on stu… [/quote]

So how do you think Flex would stack next to Dexter? THey definitely have vastly different structures, and Dex has always been amazing in terms of symmetry, as well as his conditioning on contest day. Still, Flex comes in damn shredded and dry, and (simply going on photos of course) looks like he might edge the blade when it comes to overall mass.

Also, my comment about Yates was that Flex would do well in comparison “in terms of muscle mass and density”, and if you had seen the images I referenced on Palumbo or a few other sites, I have no doubt you’d agree. Especially from rear shots and overall balance though, Yates had a much more complete physique.

S

26

[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:
LOL

flex would get CRUSHED in the open class…

and him giving Dorian a run for his money? come on stu… [/quote]

So how do you think Flex would stack next to Dexter? THey definitely have vastly different structures, and Dex has always been amazing in terms of symmetry, as well as his conditioning on contest day. Still, Flex comes in damn shredded and dry, and (simply going on photos of course) looks like he might edge the blade when it comes to overall mass.

Also, my comment about Yates was that Flex would do well in comparison “in terms of muscle mass and density”, and if you had seen the images I referenced on Palumbo or a few other sites, I have no doubt you’d agree. Especially from rear shots and overall balance though, Yates had a much more complete physique.

S[/quote]

I have seen the images that you are referring to… dorian was simply out of this world when he was in his prime… he was from another planet. The photos of flex that have been coming out have been very deceptive…using all kinds of filtering, lighting, and wide lens techniques to create an illusion that just… isn’t there.

as for dexter vs flex? flex wouldn’t stand a chance against dexter if dexter was in his prime…

i don’t think he’d fair well against the most recent master’s Olympia dexter either…

if flex himself thought he could do well in the open class, he’d probably be competing in it already…

27

Judging off contest day pics, apart from height Flex barely dominates David Henry size wise.
Unless these drugs work wonders beyond my knowledge I don’t see how Flex can put on 40+ pounds to compete at 260 and keep his typical dry look.

Flexs lack of lower lat thickness and ‘narrow’ spread will be even more apparent in the open class.

28

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:

if flex himself thought he could do well in the open class, he’d probably be competing in it already… [/quote]

I mean, this entire discussion is based upon him saying he is planning on competing there, so that’s a bit of a silly statement. You can’t really cop out and say ‘but he hasn’t yet’ either because he’s been improving, so obviously past Flex may not have thought what current Flex does. Current Flex sees Open class success in the not so distant(a year and change) future.

You can disagree with him if you wish, I won’t say anything about that.

29

[quote]cyruseven75 wrote:

[quote]audiogarden1 wrote:
I had Cedric in first, Wolf second and Rhoden third, though i wouldnt have complained if Rhoden and Wolf switched places.

I actually thought that Centopani shouldve been 4th. Vic’s aesthetics and proportions have gotten weird since he bulked back up after his prison stay, hes gained all that size back but looks very top heavy and definitely not as pleasing to the eye as he was before all that shit happened.

Also, in the 212 this was an easy paycheck for Flex. The only person who looked even close was Aaron in my opinion, but his arms, legs, and calves especially have sooo far to go before he can threaten flex. [/quote]

agreed.
[/quote]

Agreed 2!