Kai has all the tools necessary to win, but as Way said, he need to really bring everything together on game day, and be spot on.
Evan also IMO has all bases covered, although he’s still a bit unbalanced due to his larger frame, and size in a few of his stronger bodyparts creating a slight sense of weaknesses in others.
Phil looked the best he ever has last year, and undoubtedly deserved the win. He was the best guy onstage. Does he have a stranglehold on '12? Not as much as guys like Ronnie and Dorian did, but we’ll see, as he’s improved every year so far.
Branch,… well, I love Branch, but his frame will never be great, and although his limbs get grainy, his midsection, while wide like Dorian’s, never gets that carved out of stone look, and so detractors will always discuss it as a major negative. He’ll win the Arnold amongst today’s “top” guys, but I don’t think he’ll ever take the O. He can be a top 5 guy for a few more years if he wants it, but I think that’s his best outlook.
As far as one of them being a good image for he sport, consider that today we have the internet with immediate search functions. Dirt on the competitors comes up fast. We didn’t have that in Arnold’s day when news traveled on horseback through the desert for days before finally showing up on your doorstep on paper. lol
Seriously though… I hope Kai’s past isn’t an issue. He’s so likeable, so NOT an asshole, and so visually stunning that once he’s in condition, he’ll take the O.
EDIT: Oh, and Branch is hardcore and admirable, but so damn ugly and misshapen. Reminds me a Franco Columbu in that he’s amazing when you look at each bodypart alone, but as a whole, it’s a Frankenstein Fail.
I honestly am very impressed with Curry. I think he actually has great aesthetics and balance to his build, similar to how Zane did back in the day (but much much larger). I a lot of the newer/popular guys have focused on getting so big, hence the freakiness, that they lose that aesthetic balance. Don’t know if that makes sense, but I think Curry has that which separates him from the crowd, whether good or bad in the judges eyes.
Branch is an animal all around and I like that he holds his own against guys that are taller than him. I wouldn’t count out a shorter guy… look at Franco, he was shorter and eventually won. I wonder if Branch would have been better served if he had stayed with less mass and competed in the smaller Olympia bracket??? Would he have been more competitive for 1st place?
Kai is what I think people want nowadays, just a giant dude. I can’t honestly begin to guess why his conditionining has been off, perhaps timing, competing in other shows, etc. A lot of the high end guys only compete in Olympia so they are focused in on one event. Others compete in multiple shows and are left on a rollercoaster ride of bulks and cuts (relatively speaking). I imagine this would affect conditioning on game day.
hey stu and iron…cheers, i’ve been away from the interwebz…i’m still designing my master plan and would like/love some involvement. for now i’m just saying hi…pepperidge farm cookies and milk…now i’ve got your attentions!!! that should sweeten the dealzzzz.
[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
I honestly am very impressed with Curry. I think he actually has great aesthetics and balance to his build, similar to how Zane did back in the day (but much much larger). I a lot of the newer/popular guys have focused on getting so big, hence the freakiness, that they lose that aesthetic balance. Don’t know if that makes sense, but I think Curry has that which separates him from the crowd, whether good or bad in the judges eyes.
Branch is an animal all around and I like that he holds his own against guys that are taller than him. I wouldn’t count out a shorter guy… look at Franco, he was shorter and eventually won. I wonder if Branch would have been better served if he had stayed with less mass and competed in the smaller Olympia bracket??? Would he have been more competitive for 1st place?
Kai is what I think people want nowadays, just a giant dude. I can’t honestly begin to guess why his conditionining has been off, perhaps timing, competing in other shows, etc. A lot of the high end guys only compete in Olympia so they are focused in on one event. Others compete in multiple shows and are left on a rollercoaster ride of bulks and cuts (relatively speaking). I imagine this would affect conditioning on game day.
[/quote]
The judges obviously love Curry. They have him 8th at the olympia, but that is literally the ONLY show in his pro career he has shown up in good condition. Blows my mind how you can fuck up that many times when this is your job.
so whats with the hate on branch warren? 2 time arnold classic champ, best quads in BB, thick and dense as fuck. i’d take him over phil’s baloon air inflated look/jay cutler’s minivan/camper look.
All these guys better hurry up to grab this Olympia and maybe the next one cause Cedric is coming for it and imo has the greatest potential for multiple wins in the very near future lol
[quote]hanban wrote:
so whats with the hate on branch warren? 2 time arnold classic champ, best quads in BB, thick and dense as fuck. i’d take him over phil’s baloon air inflated look/jay cutler’s minivan/camper look.[/quote]
I also don’t hate Branch, I think he’s a great athlete and busts his ass to make it happen. However, just like in other sports, sometimes you need to take a step back and evaluate your potential versus the competition and decide where you would best compete. Branch has won or placed well many many times, but he’s never won an O. How much longer does he have where he will continue to be truly competitive. Had he stayed at a lower weight bracket, maybe he would have dominated above and beyond. Who knows.
I won’t make any claim to someone being a “multi-O” competitor. Too hard to tell about the up and coming guys, and hype surrounds everyone. It’s there for a reason. Look at the hype about Dennis Wolf’s back before the Arnold and how shredded it looked, yet on stage it wasn’t as impressive next to the others.
[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
I also don’t hate Branch, I think he’s a great athlete and busts his ass to make it happen. However, just like in other sports, sometimes you need to take a step back and evaluate your potential versus the competition and decide where you would best compete. Branch has won or placed well many many times, but he’s never won an O. How much longer does he have where he will continue to be truly competitive. Had he stayed at a lower weight bracket, maybe he would have dominated above and beyond. Who knows.
I won’t make any claim to someone being a “multi-O” competitor. Too hard to tell about the up and coming guys, and hype surrounds everyone. It’s there for a reason. Look at the hype about Dennis Wolf’s back before the Arnold and how shredded it looked, yet on stage it wasn’t as impressive next to the others.
[quote]Quasi-Tech wrote:
I also don’t hate Branch, I think he’s a great athlete and busts his ass to make it happen. However, just like in other sports, sometimes you need to take a step back and evaluate your potential versus the competition and decide where you would best compete. Branch has won or placed well many many times, but he’s never won an O. How much longer does he have where he will continue to be truly competitive. Had he stayed at a lower weight bracket, maybe he would have dominated above and beyond. Who knows.
I won’t make any claim to someone being a “multi-O” competitor. Too hard to tell about the up and coming guys, and hype surrounds everyone. It’s there for a reason. Look at the hype about Dennis Wolf’s back before the Arnold and how shredded it looked, yet on stage it wasn’t as impressive next to the others.
Just how people play the game. [/quote]
Wolf shouldve won the Arnold[/quote]
Whoa! I can’t believe I agree with Zraw on something!
