[quote]buffd_samurai wrote:
But man, I miss the “hardness” or grainyness from the competitors. No one has it yet. Branch came close, but still not as grainy as I expected.
[/quote]
Branch brought the best conditioning he has ever steped on stage with in my opinion [/quote]
In my opinion he was one of the more conditioned competitors up there last night, but this is definitely not the most conditioned he has ever looked. Watch the Olympia (not sure which one) where he placed 2nd to Jay. THAT was the contest Branch started getting some real attention and garnered the reputation for conditioning.
Oh, it is amazing to me how “photos” simply don’t capture what a “video” shows. Maybe it is something about the movement under lights where the shadows cast themselves that give a better visual of how they looked. I have not seen the photos yet, just the live stream. I find that sometimes the pictures make the competitor look was better than they did in the video…but that right there might point to the reasoning why some of these guys didn’t look that good…i.e. lighting.
Also in the video you see the transition from “relaxed” to “flexed” whereas in most pics all you see is the flexed pose. This also sometimes leads me to think the competitor looked really great…but only in the photo.
IMHO, Phil looked off to me. I don’t think kai was necessary 100% but he was getting better as the prejudging went on, and would have to give the prejudging to kai over phil.
I was real disappointed in roelly, he looked way off, his gut was just horrible.
[quote]janson8000 wrote:
IMHO, Phil looked off to me. I don’t think kai was necessary 100% but he was getting better as the prejudging went on, and would have to give the prejudging to kai over phil.
I was real disappointed in roelly, he looked way off, his gut was just horrible.[/quote]
Agree with this completely. Phil looked better last year, and though Kai looked very good, he could have been even better. He also definitely needed more oil on his midsection.
Roelly looked awful. Hard to even look at him up there, his midsection was out of control.
Depending on who comes in the sharpest tonight, there is potential for an upset from Wolf. And it wouldnt bother me a bit.
Phil looked better then Kai when they were next to each other and that’s what matters most I think… haha but anyways I wish we could of seen Ramy with Kai, Dennis, Shawn, & Phil. Ramy will be Mr. Olympia within 3 years
From pics (which I have indicated above unfortunately never capture reality as well as good video), in the 212 comp it looks like Correa is unbeatable. This is from pics. It will be highway robbery if they give it to Flex. Also, interestingly, it looks like the top 3 is Flex, Correa, and Raymond? What happened to Henry? Maybe the pics I’ve seen aren’t the whole comparisons.
Edit: on further look at other pics, Flex looks good on his own. He has a perfect structure. His detail just doesn’t seem to pop out as Correa’s, but the mass, symmetry, and cuts are there. I keep harping about conditioning, conditioning…and man, the 212’s have it in contrast to what I saw in the open. Then again, this is all based on pics only. I need to see the video.
24 hours makes a lot of difference. My complaint about conditioning of the competitors last night is not the same this evening. Cuts, fullness, and better hardness are seen on practically all the guys who have come out so far.
Rhoden looks GREAT today.
Victor looked good too.
Really interested in Wolf, Kai, and Phil 24 hours later.
not sure why guys like dex look well oiled - it gives are far better aesthetic.
Dex looked great. Bonac did catch a raw deal. Wolf is peeled but the conditioning cost him fullness - rhoden has a blend of both conditioning + fullness. Rhoden looks like a boring version of Flex Wheeler if that makes any sense- flex but muted. Dex is not 2008 Dex but Rhoden has the whole Dex/Flex thing but just not as good as a perfect version of them…
Phil seems slightly sharper tonite - shit looking at phil on his own he always looks good. Kai looks good but i want to oil the mother fucker…no homo hahaha…
The fucking announcers take phil cock balls deep all night- i’d absolutely smack the shit out of both of them if i was allowed to do so w/out reprisal or charges pressed.
we’ll see what happens. i’ll stay consistent in saying fuck phil. and GD reading some of the bullshit on these varied forums on the interwebs is really annoying. fuck, i’m probably annoying – but there sure are a bunch of dick licking cock wizards on these forums and not in a good old school SAMA type of way.
i think 1/2 is a pick em’ 3/4 is a pick em - then dex, and based on CONDITIONING - give 6 to that texas cock veined turd launcher the texas rattledong, branch "buttplug"warren. OR Victor - busta bust.
notable - only a ninja like me catches this shit…a few odd poses from kai – and here i s why
lat shot, he is spreading out less which = you can see his traps - lower traps in mid back this is a +
MM - chest appears unflexed as times - it looks weird. but…the reason…the deep bend gives him those dexter topping of traps “yolk” - this in my opinion looked bad.
the announcers are such dicks - they almost ruin this shit - who the fuck are they again, i’m going to take a shit in an envelop and mail to their wives. strike that - they cannot possibly have female partners.