2015 Olympia

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

No Olympia thread? Fix that!

We’re approaching the 10 week mark. I’ve had a quick look at where everyone is currently sitting and I think this:

  1. Phil
    Not exactly sticking my neck out. I thought Phil looked off his game about 5 weeks ago and was ready to call the O Kai’s but he has blown up and looks enormous ATM. He didn’t bring his best last year but I think the midsection will be under control this year and having to knock out the champ puts him out of reach.

Still, the little question mark which throws things in the air must be the Arnold comments. The Olympia is a political game and lots have turned on him. Will it be a distraction, will the judges turn on him? Probably not but it’s fun to think about.

  1. Kai
    I think Kai is looking pretty good this far out from the Olympia. He has size and is pretty lean. I’m not sure if he is planning on coming in lighter and tighter - probably his best chance but I think his best will still only match Phil and therefore won’t get the job done.

  2. Wolf
    Wolf is already looking shredded and might bring a new level of conditioning. You’d imagine third but keep an eye on him as if the one of the other guys is a off, he might just sneak in.

  3. Big Ramy
    He won’t be coming in at 280ish this year. Probably closer to 300. Won’t have the hard edge to push the big boys but those legs will always attract attention and he’ll get plenty of cheers - reckon the judges will push him. He’ll probably land a lower placing than fourth but I’m making up for the selection of Phil :stuck_out_tongue:

  4. Rhoden
    Flexatron. Can always come in for a third with his classic looking physique and the competition needs him for something remotely pleasing to the eye but I doubt he’ll trouble Kai and Phil.

  5. Branch or Dexter.
    No real reasoning - one just always seem to get a top 6. Probably the Blade as Branch has fallen off his.

2

In light of Kai posting this: Kai Greene on Instagram: "Perfect doesn't exist for people like us.. #KaiGreene #ThoughtsBecomeThings"

I may need to revisit my predictions… Crazy sweeps.

3

I put basically zero stock in off-season instagram pictures of guys standing by themselves. Kai is notorious for not bringing his best package to the stage. And everybody looks good when they don’t have to stand next to someone else.

That being said, he looks tremendous, and should be top 2-3 once again, no doubt.

4

Kai always looks beastly out from the Olympia. It’s been “his show to lose” for years now, and he’s succeeded every time IMO.

S

5

no no no

#1 kai or phil a shocker is ramy comes in amazin at 315 and steals the show

those are your top 3 already

wolf cedric and shawn flexaton

so heres my ranking

#1 Kai ( Detail )
#2 RAMY ( Upset I know )
#3 Phil ( mid section isn’t tight… this is a what if )
#4 Cedric Mcmillan
#5 wolf or shawn flexatron sorry but the blade dexter and branch will not be top 5 :frowning:

6

I don’t think Cedric qualified. Here’s the list of those who did:

Heath (USA)
Kai Greene (USA)
Shawn Rhoden (USA)
Dennis Wolf (Germany)
Dexter Jackson (USA)
Roelly Winklaar (Curacao)
Essa Obaid (UAE)
Mohamad Ali Bannout (Lebanon)
William Bonac (Netherlands)
Ronny Rockel (Germany)
Abdelaziz Jellali (Morocco) [Overall Winner, Amateur Olympia]
Fouad Abiad (Canada)
Juan Morel (USA)
Dallas McCarver (USA)
Mamdouh Elssbiay (Kuwait)
Brandon Curry (USA)
Fred Smalls (USA)
Jonathan Delarosa (USA)

7

no branch or big ramy ? jonnie Jackson

8

[quote]ARMY_AD_Bo wrote:
no branch or big ramy ? jonnie Jackson [/quote]

Mamdouh Elssbiay = Big Ramy

9

[quote]Steez wrote:

[quote]ARMY_AD_Bo wrote:
no branch or big ramy ? jonnie Jackson [/quote]

Mamdouh Elssbiay = Big Ramy

[/quote]

Wait… you’re saying Big Ramy isn’t his real name? MIND. BLOWN.

And zero chance Heath comes in 3rd. So much would have to go wrong for him for that to happen. The dude never, ever comes into Olympias out of shape. I would bet that he’ll continue to win until he either retires, or someone new comes on the scene (meaning someone not yet at the pro level) who has an absolutely phenomenal physique. I think the history of the Olympia tells us this is what we should expect.

10

The issue is not that he never comes out of shape, the issue is that they all come in out of shape. There is a video on the net of Levrone and Yates talking together that no one comes in condition anymore, they said that the condition they come on was how they looked 5 weeks out.
Perhaps if these guys came in in nineties conditioning things would be (imo should be) different.

11

[quote]tuttle wrote:
The issue is not that he never comes out of shape, the issue is that they all come in out of shape. There is a video on the net of Levrone and Yates talking together that no one comes in condition anymore, they said that the condition they come on was how they looked 5 weeks out.
Perhaps if these guys came in in nineties conditioning things would be (imo should be) different.[/quote]

90’s bodybuilding was a far more dangerous sport than it is today. The ‘conditioning’ difference was mostly based on the unhealthy use of diuretics to achieve a dryness we aren’t seeing today. I certainly hope bodybuilding doesn’t go back to that.

And I can’t stand old bodybuilders, or old athletes in any sport, who make disparaging remarks about the competition today, versus in their day. It’s a bad look.

12

this is out of shape?

601×900 71.3 KB

13

and this is in shape?

http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=39647&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202

this is what levrone and yates are complaining about? ridiculous.

14

The competition photos you picked to compare condition do not show the conditioning of the guys in the 90’s well. Also pick the period after '95 and before Cutler '01, when they started testing for diuretics. Look at Shawn Ray or Yates from that year, there are plenty of videos. Those guys today are using diuretics, still their conditioning sucks.

And Phil Heath is not even as conditioned as a lot of amateurs today. This is a dumb argument.

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[quote]flipcollar wrote:

90’s bodybuilding was a far more dangerous sport than it is today. The ‘conditioning’ difference was mostly based on the unhealthy use of diuretics to achieve a dryness we aren’t seeing today. [/quote]

no.

the conditioning difference is a result of the ‘size game’ that is being played by today’s bodybuilders, as opposed to the shape and condition game of the 90’s era.

bodybuilders these days are trying to come in bigger and fuller each year, eating more in the offseason, and implementing last-minute carb loading techniques that occasionally backfire and result in a bloated, watery appearance.

oftentimes, these techniques are what result in the massive guts that we see onstage… huge amounts of carbs consumed to fill glycogen stores + diuretics = poor and incomplete digestion resulting in massive bloat

guys in the 90’s cared more about condition and maintaining their lines and the flow of their physiques, than size. case in point, I don’t think Shawn Ray ever was more than 220lbs onstage…

[quote]flipcollar wrote:
and this is in shape?

http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=39647&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202

this is what levrone and yates are complaining about? ridiculous.[/quote]

if im not mistaken, that photo is from the 1993 Mr. Olympia. I can assure you, Dorian was very, very lean… the lighting in that photo is deceiving.

I doubt that Dorian and Levrone were disparaging Heath and other bodybuilders when they were at the peak of their game… id be willing to bet that, like Arnold, they were lamenting the overwhelming presence of the ‘pregnant’ look today’s bodybuilders seem incapable of escaping.

also, in lower level IFBB competitions, there has recently been an alarmingly high occurrence of bodybuilders onstage who look to be a good 4-8 weeks out. Lionel Beyeke and Brandon Curry come to mind. Dorian and Levrone could have been referring to them as well.

IMO, this is the result of handing out multiple procards at national-level shows… it used to be that only one guy out of the ENTIRE show - the overall winner, would receive a pro card.

now, you have the winners of each weight class getting a card, and sometimes 2nd place getting a card as well.

The idea was to have the guy who won the overall be ready to immediately jump into IFBB shows and place well… but now we have light-super heavyweights, then 35+, 40+, 45+ etc, all getting pro cards… the IFBB is being inundated with bodybuilders who really have no business being there.

but I digress

18

Your picture of Dorian was from '93, so is this, and the pictures are far better quality: - YouTube

19

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:

[quote]flipcollar wrote:

90’s bodybuilding was a far more dangerous sport than it is today. The ‘conditioning’ difference was mostly based on the unhealthy use of diuretics to achieve a dryness we aren’t seeing today. [/quote]

no.

the conditioning difference is a result of the ‘size game’ that is being played by today’s bodybuilders, as opposed to the shape and condition game of the 90’s era.

bodybuilders these days are trying to come in bigger and fuller each year, eating more in the offseason, and implementing last-minute carb loading techniques that occasionally backfire and result in a bloated, watery appearance.

oftentimes, these techniques are what result in the massive guts that we see onstage… huge amounts of carbs consumed to fill glycogen stores + diuretics = poor and incomplete digestion resulting in massive bloat

guys in the 90’s cared more about condition and maintaining their lines and the flow of their physiques, than size. case in point, I don’t think Shawn Ray ever was more than 220lbs onstage…

[quote]flipcollar wrote:
and this is in shape?

http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=39647&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202

this is what levrone and yates are complaining about? ridiculous.[/quote]

if im not mistaken, that photo is from the 1993 Mr. Olympia. I can assure you, Dorian was very, very lean… the lighting in that photo is deceiving.

I doubt that Dorian and Levrone were disparaging Heath and other bodybuilders when they were at the peak of their game… id be willing to bet that, like Arnold, they were lamenting the overwhelming presence of the ‘pregnant’ look today’s bodybuilders seem incapable of escaping.

also, in lower level IFBB competitions, there has recently been an alarmingly high occurrence of bodybuilders onstage who look to be a good 4-8 weeks out. Lionel Beyeke and Brandon Curry come to mind. Dorian and Levrone could have been referring to them as well.

IMO, this is the result of handing out multiple procards at national-level shows… it used to be that only one guy out of the ENTIRE show - the overall winner, would receive a pro card.

now, you have the winners of each weight class getting a card, and sometimes 2nd place getting a card as well.

The idea was to have the guy who won the overall be ready to immediately jump into IFBB shows and place well… but now we have light-super heavyweights, then 35+, 40+, 45+ etc, all getting pro cards… the IFBB is being inundated with bodybuilders who really have no business being there.

but I digress[/quote]

I just picked 2 pictures that I made sure were taken at Olympias. You know way more than I do about the sport, so I’ll take your word for it that Dorian was in much better condition than the picture seems to indicate.

If Levrone and Yates are talking about guys other than the top few, I can understand the complaint. Even I know IFBB cards are being handed out way too often. The lowering of that standard seems to be a real issue.

This is what happens when I step out of my comfort zone of knowledge. I get schooled. So I appreciate that.

20

I want Wolf in second purely because I am convinced he is the man.

Rami will dethrone Phil eventually. But it won’t be this year. Maybe 2017.