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Olympia Men Prejudging Friday Night

We're live from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, just a few minutes before the men take the stage. I was just shown photos of Jay Cutler taken a few minutes ago, shirt off and flexed (the photos were taken out of sight of the rest of the competitors and media). He's about 274, 10 pounds heavier than last year, and if the photos are any indication, he is totally on. This could be a huge battle.

Of course, it all depends on how everyone else looks. We don't know a thing until the guys stand side by side, and the war begins.

1 - Victor Martinez - looks hard ... maybe the hardest he's ever been, maybe bigger than he's ever been ... abs front thighs showing through ... he's a lot bigger ... but his waist is a bit thick ... massive front biceps ... hamstring separation is sliced on sde chest looking a bit like Ronnie ... Victor got ripped glutes ... fabulous back double bi ... lat spread big and thick ... his legs have never been better ... thighs have never been better ... this is the best we've ever seen Victor

2 - Paco Bautista - spectacular conditioing but a bit unbalanced ... hamstrings are ripped ... unganliness of his body is not helped by his metallic type tan ... in great condition but just doesn't have the structure at this level

3- Troy Alves - looks bigger than weve ever seen him but he's still in shape, crisp and full ... arms look massive ... for the first time ever Alves has striations in his glutes and more seperation in his hams ... back double bi spectacular ... christmas tree on Alves ... tremendous conditioning ... Troy looks great everywhere, with his conditioning, his fullness and his shape .. question is are his hams and glutes ripped enough for the judges ...

4- Dennis Wolf - Spectacular frame ... narrow waist, long body ... needs to fill in in a few places ... great front lat spread ... reeks of potential ... maybe not as sharp as he can be and has been ... probably a result of going back across the Atlantic the last couple of weeks ... wow, back double biceps is great ... needs to be a bit darker ... very thick across the shoulders, arms, traps ... great most muscular

5 - Melvin Anthony - looks bigger than he's ever looked , but is he in condition? ... fabulous front biceps shot ... bringing in the showmanship now with fancy transition from pose to pose ... he's bigger than ever, looks harder than he has for two or three years ... nice and full ... everybody's in shape so far ... back double biceps almost Flex Wheeler-ish ... Melvin told me backstage he wasn't messing around anymore and he's keeping his word ... This is the best we've ever seen Melvin ... finishes off with the splits

6 - Gustavo Badell - looks really hard ... gained size in the last year but his obliques still look a bit too thick ... Doesn't do the side chest shot very well, see more of his arm than his chest ... Looking just a bit blocky ... Big, wide back ... thighs lacking the deepness and seperation that he probably needs ... massive most muscular ... Not as crisp as he has been but Gustavo is always more competitive when he stands next to people

7 - Rodney St. Cloud - needs more thickness and density overall, especially in the upper body ... could be a tad sharper ...

8 - Johnnie Jackson - looks big and full ... upper body overpowering his lower structure ... maybe the thickest chest among the pros ... his upper back is thick and detailed but fades a bit through the lower back ... nice serratus ... Johnnie is full and conditioned but he's probably going to fall a bit behind in the area of balance

9 - Gunter Schlierkamp - absolutely massive ... heavier than last year ... more detailed, he's improved his teres major ... Christmas tree from Gunter ... his back has improved a lot since last year ... abs and thighs not his most aesthetic shot ... could be a bit sharper

10 - Tony Freeman - looking big and full ... nice front double biceps including tensed abs ... impressive back shots ... nice abs and thighs ... good seperation in the thighs and a really narrow waist for a big guy ... impressive Olympia debut ... made great strides this past year

11 - Dexter Jackson - First impression ... just doesn't look as sharp as the Dexter who won the last two Arnold Classics ... with Dexter every bodypart except for calves is there, it just comes down to conditioning .. and he's actually getting harder as he poses ... best serratus so far ...

12 - Branch Warren - tan a bit too light ... he's big but not as sharp as he was at the Arnold, when he was second ... his hamstrings are just hanging ... hamstrings shredded from the back ... looks to be holding a bit of water ... Branch a crowd favorite but he has been in better condition

13 - Ronnie Rockel - looks hard and full ... he's got rid of that crazy tan that he used to have .. not as impressive from the back as he is from the front ... good midsection ... ripped to shreds from the front from head to toe... fades from the back

14 - Mustafa Mohammad - not in condition ... although it does look like he's got a couple of bantamweights hanging on his thighs ... very soft in the glutes and hams ... Mustafa not doing himself justice here ... could have probably been 10 pounds lighter

15 - Darrem Charles - probably same condition as Atlantic City, which was his best of the season ... maybe a bit more shredded than he was in AC ... classic poser, peaked biceps, razor triceps ... maybe just looking a bit shallow in the legs at this point ... thighs striated but not as full as they have been ... very crisp and conditioned but probably lacks the fullness to make an impact at the top of this lineup

16 - Dennis James - big and thick across the shoulders .. obviously changed his gamplan from earlier in the year coming in heavy ... in good condition,seems to be saying the hell with streamlining the midsection ... Dennis just lacking that deep separation that really catches the eye ... massive most muscular ... Dennis has gone for size and we'll see if the gamble pays off

17 - David Henry - in shape, but what else is new ... looking crazy from the back ... back is striated and full .. hams and glutes good ... apart from Troy Alves maybe the most detailed back we've seen so far ... like Darrem Charles he looks a bit shallow in the thigs that's the only real drawback .. David Henry really in shape but is he going to be big enough?

18 - Jay Cutler - Crowd goes crazy for Jay ... Jay first impressions conditioning shades of 2001 but a lot bigger ... thighs shredded ... glutes shredded ... back wider than ever and hard ... Victor may be better on this night ... somehow that Wow factor wasn't there tonight ... have to wait and see how he compares next to Victor and Ronnie to get full impression

19 - Bill Wilmore - great trunk ... maybe better than when he qualified .. it'll be tough to make the top 15 here

20 - Markus Ruhl - Wow ... Markus Ruhl, back to the old Markus Ruhl, not the one we saw last year ... looks like he's torn his right pec ... seems to be general imbalane, that his left side is a bit biger than right side ... good back double bi, maybe the best he's ever had .. glutes are a bit smooth ... really noticeable the difference between left and right though, upper body ... seems to have his waist really under control ... has been in better condition at a lighter bodyweight but very impressive

21 - VInce Taylor - 50 years of age, still has those arms ... upper body competitive but losing a bit in the legs ... very good conditioning in the upper back ... Vince Taylor -- great bodybuilder, let's hope he gets to make the top 15 so we can see him pose

22 - Ronnie Coleman - Crowd goes wild ... It's over ... Give him the ninth .... no more to be said .. bring on the Sandow now... front biceps the best they've been in years ... massive side chest ... Ronnie's full and in condition ... going to the back shots ... very loud crowd ... back double biceps still not his best ever but better than last year ... triceps still a little lacking but we're talking about somebody aiming for perfection .. Ronnie is just blowing anybody away here ... most muscular - this maybe a case her to just leave Ronnie backstage now and leave the rest ofthe judging for the other 21 ....

End of First Round

Second Round - new judging criteria enforced, where instead of having the relaxed round and muscular round separately they will be combined ... when they first call a comparison, group will be put into quarter turns and then the eight mandatory poses ... that way they're seeing the physiques in one snapshot which combines symmetry and muscularity

Third Round

Comparison Round

Will be listed L to R

First Callout
Martinez, Jackson, Cutler, Coleman

Jay getting crowd involved

Jay Cutler looked a bit flat earlier on is filling out a little bit now ... Jay still may find himself in fourth ...Ronnie the clear winner with Victor and Dexter very competitive towards each other ... Ronnie and Victor change places

Coleman, Jackson, Cutler, Victor

Jay and Victor shake hands, now standing together ... Jay is wider ... Jay from the side looking flat in the pecs compared to other guys ...

let's break down the battle for 2nd between Victor and Jay
Jay vs Victor
Front Double Bis - Victor
Front lat Spread - Jay
Side chest - draw
Back double biceps - Victor
Rear lat spread - Jay
Side triceps - draw
Abs and thighs - Victor
Most muscular - Jay

Second Callout
L to R
Anthony, Badell, Freeman, Warren

surprised not to see Troy Alves called out in this lineup as a second callout ... maybe Ruhl as well ... and the big shocker, which is Gunter

Tony Freeman and Melvin looking most impressive of this foursome ... Branch looks to be holding a bit of water and Badell not as hard as he was last year ... In this lineup, Melvin now looking the most impressive, especially from the font ... Melvin never been bigger but he's a lot sharper than he has been ... Melvin, followed by possibly Freeman

Third Callout

Taylor, Ruhl, Schlierkamp, Dennis James

Still no Troy Alves being called ... In this lineup Markus and Gunter who are both German ... Dennis who was born in Germany and Vince Taylor who used to live in Germany and work on a military base in the early 80s ... Troy to me had great condition, fullness, one of the best backs in terms of detail in the show .. had improved his glutes and hams but still seems to be overpenalized because they're not shredded ...

Gunter here looking a little flat ... has to be full and big, otherwise his structure sort of overwhelms the muscle accumulation ... Great that Taylor is there but wouldn't have seen him in that position ... to me Ruhl and maybe Dennis James are the best of this foursome ...

Gunter doesn't have the sweeping lines he had last year ...

Fourth Callout
Freeman, Jackson, Anthony, Badell

Dexter is impressive but still feel that we've seen him sharper than this ... Melvin very competitive with Dexter on front double biceps ... in the background Gunter seems to have gone a bit pale ... very pale

Of this foursome Dexter clear winner and Anthony second ...

Fifth Callout
Ruhl, James, Warren, Jackson

STILL no Troy Alves .. and David Henry should have been called out by now

Johnnie actually in better condition than former training partner Branch Warren ... Ruhl is the most impressive in this lineup ... Despite the imbalance between his left and right (torn pec?) he's still the most impressive in this bunch ... sharpest back double biceps is Johnnie Jackson ...

Sixth Callout

Bautista, Charles, Henry, Alves

Troy Alves at last called ... and David Henry ... Darrem, David Henry and then Troy are maybe three of the best conditioned athletes in the entire field and here they are battling for the lower places ...

Really what catches the eye on this foursome is how well conditioned all four are ... better condition than say Branch Warren, Gustavo ...

Seventh callout

Jackson, Warren, James, Alves

To me, Troy is beating this lineup and Dennis and Branch have had the better callouts so far

As an aside, I see Ronnie's the clear winner, but I"m hearing other people saying they're not that impressed with Ronnie and it's very close between Ronnie and Jay

EIghth Callout

Wolf, Rockel, St. Cloud, Wilmore, Mohammad

seems clearly to be the call for the bottom five ... as befits a guy who won the Australian Grand Prix, Ronnie Rockel looks to be the best of these five ... I stated earlier he's a lot better from the front than from the back ... Dennis got a bit to do on his lower back, lacks that detail ... should be the first of many Olympias for Wolf though

Ninth Callout
Martinez, Jackson, Anthony

Victor fading here a bit ... Melvin getting stronger .... Victor and Melvin beating Dexter in the back double biceps ... Melvinis really coming on strong here ...

Judges calling out Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman with this group ...Martinez, Jackson, Coleman, Cutler, Anthony

Seems to be a call for Jay and Ronnie being one and two, so we'll go thru the poses with Jay and Ronnie

Front double biceps - Ronnie
Front lat spread - Jay
Side Chest - Jay
Back double biceps - draw
Rear lat spread - Jay
Side triceps - Jay
Abs and thighs - Jay
Most muscular - Ronnie

This is one of the craziest contests I've ever seen ... had Ronnie the clear winner at the get go with Jay even struggling for third ... jay seemed to progress as show went on, Ronnie seemed to soften up and now it's neck and neck for tomorrow night

In 24 hours conditions and fortunes can ebb and flow, so it could be whoever is in best shape come tomorrow night will be the 2006 Mr. Olymipa. Check the live webcast tofollow in real time and check out Flexonline.com for pictures of the show tonight.

Posted by Team FLEX on September 29, 2006 06:36 PM | Permalink