1. 1. s t e v e p i c k l e s 1 8 8 @ g m a i l . c o m 0 7 7 9 1 0 4 2 3 7 2 S T E V E P I C K L E S U K F L E X S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 5 0 T H O LY M P I A S O U V E N I R E D I T I O N
2. 2. THEOLYMPIASTORYTHEBATTLES! THEHEROES! THECLASHES! NEVER-BEFORE-SEENPICSOF ARNOLD WHOLL WINTHE SANDOW IN2014? B R I T I S H E D I T I O N PHIL HEATH COMPLETE TRAINING PROGRAMME ARNOLD DORIANLEE RONNIE 9 770955 121136 0 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 4.20 www.flexonline.co.uk
3. 3. THE GREATEST WELCOMETOOUR SHOWONEARTH 50THOLYMPIA SOUVENIREDITION Football has its World Cup, athletics has its Olympics and bodybuilding has its Olympia the sports undisputed main event. Every bodybuilder dreams of being in the Olympia and every fan wants to go to Las Vegas to see it. My first one was in 2003 and the sight of Ronnie Coleman striding onto the stage like a creature from another planet remains one of my most memorable moments.It didnt seem possible that somebody could be so far ahead of their rivals at the highest level. That year I saw Ronnie in his pomp, great athletes such as Jay Cuter,Dexter Jackson and Kevin Levrone,and a guest appearance by Arnold.It was the stuff of dreams but the Olympia is so big these days,there is always something to treasure. Last years line-up was one the greatest and featured numerous sub-plots.There was Big Ramys debut,Cutlers comeback and a hard-charging Dennis Wolf.Iris Kyle won a record ninth Ms Olympia and mens physique and womens physique debuted. Two years ago the Phil-Kai rivalry threatened to boil over.As they jostled for position on stage you could feel the enmity and wondered if one of them might take things too far.In 2012 it was also great to see fellow Brit Flex Lewis,who gave an exclusive interview for this souvenir edition,take the 212 Showdown. TherewasRonniestear-jerkingfourth- placedswansongin2007thememoriesgoon. It wasnt always like this.When Joe Weider founded the Olympia in 1965 there were just three competitorsLarry Scott,Harold Poole and Earl Maynard.But on the giant-sized shoulders of titans like Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger,the Olympia soon became bodybuildings premier event. Then came the Haney and Yates eras, distinguished not only by those two greats but also by the quality of their opponents: Lee Labrada,Rich Gaspari,Kevin Levrone,Shawn Ray,Flex Wheeler and Chris Cormier,to name just six. Last year 131 men and women lined up in eight different categories.Prize money exceeded $1m,the Saturday night finals sold out and the four-day expo was the biggest ever. There are now five female categories and three male,catering for all kinds of different looks.But whichever physique you aspire to, the Olympia is the place to see the best. Weve assembled a team of unparalleled expertise to relive the battles and dramas of the last 50 years and look ahead to this years showdown,where Phil Heath will attempt to win Sandow number four.Albert Busek,our German editor,has possibly seen more Olympias than anyone alive,having attended his first one in 1971 and missed only a few since.He promoted the event in 1983 and has provided nevers before seen pictures of his friend Arnold.Chris Lund,our UK editor-in- chief,photographed the Olympia for 30 years and Gary Phillips,our Australasian editor,has shot every one since 1997.These guys have seen about 80 Olympias between them from the best seats so they know a thing or two. I hope you enjoy this souvenir edition and if you havent been to the Olympia yet I hope you get the chance to do so soon. FLEX 20 FLEX 21FLEX
4. 4. 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1965 1966 1977 1983 1984 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2007 2008 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009 2010 2011 2012 20142013 1985 1986 1987 1988 1978 1979 1972 1973 1979 1974 1980 1975 1976 1981 1982 ? 1991 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1965 1966 1977 1983 1984 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2007 2008 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2009 2010 2011 2012 20142013 1985 1986 1987 1988 1978 1979 1972 1973 1979 1974 1980 1975 1976 1981 1982 ? 1991 THEMEN WHOMADE Chris Lund,our UK editor-in-chief since 1985,attended his first Mr Olympia in 1979 and photographed every subsequent battle,except 1980,for the next 30 years.He has taken some of the most famous photos in bodybuilding history and has shot virtually all the top pros from the 1980s onwards.Drawing on his own Olympia recollections and his conversations with the pros,he tells the story of the greatest bodybuilding show on earth. 23FLEX SCOTT:ZELLERFiTnESSPubLiCaTiOnS;inC.,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;OLiVa:COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;SCHWaRZEnEGGER:CaRuSO,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS; COLuMbu:ZELLERFiTnESSPubLiCaTiOnS,inC.,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;ZanE:CaRuSO,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;DiCKERSOn:COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS, bannOuT:nEVEuX,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;HanEY,YaTES:CHRiSLunD,COLEMan:KEVinHORTOn,CuTLER,JaCKSOn,HEaTH:biLLCOMSTOCK
5. 5. 1960sLARRY LEADS THE WAY When Joe Weider launched the Mr Olympia in 1965,I doubt even he realised what a monster he had created.I want all the great champion bodybuilders in the world to compete against each other to see who is the greatest of them all,said Joe.And so,on September 18th 1965,the first Mr Olympia was staged at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in the heart of New York City. The line-up included just three bodybuilders.There was Harold Poole,who was only 21 years old and remains the youngest ever Olympia competitor,and Earl Maynard,but even before Larry Scott reached the posing platform there was an enormous roar from the audience who screamed and shouted,We want Scott,we want Scott! Scott was unanimously declared the winner and the first ever Mr Olympia.He returned the following year,won again,then retired. In 1967 the world was introduced to a new kind of bodybuilder.The audience was astounded by the appearance of the greatest genetic freak ever to walk the earthSergio Oliva. Sergio stood 510and weighed between 235 and 250 pounds.His upper arms measured 22 inches and his chest was 55 inches,tapering down to a minuscule waist measuring only 28 inches.He also had 31-inch upper thighs. Sergio,who soon earned the moniker The Myth,displayed huge muscular mass and definition,including the most unbelievable V taper from chest to waist ever seen. He took the 1967,1968 and 1969 titles (even defeating Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1969),and appeared unbeatable.Sergio ended the decade being touted as the greatest bodybuilder who ever lived. WINNERS 1965 Larry Scott USA 1966 Larry Scott USA 1967 Sergio Oliva Cuba 1968 Sergio Oliva Cuba 1969 Sergio Oliva Cuba Nobodyhadseen armslikeLarryScott's JoeWeidercongratulatesSergio asArnoldlooksonin1969 24 FLEX SCOTT:ZELLERFITNESSPUBLICATIONS;INC.,COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS;JIMMYCARUSO
6. 6. In 1970 Sergio made the mistake of coming in far too smooth and paid the price by being beaten by Arnold. Arnold had been training like a man possessed after losing the previous year and he continued to do so in 1971 ahead of his next encounter withThe Myth.However,Sergio broke IFBB rules by entering the NABBA Mr Universe in London,where he was beaten by Bill Pearl.Consequently the IFBB did not allow him to compete in the 1971 Mr O in Paris. Unknown to everyone,including Arnold, Sergio prepared for the 1972 event in Essen, Germany,like never before.He already had more muscle mass than any bodybuilder in history but now trained even harder and paid much more attention to diet.The Myth landed in Essen in the best shape of his life whereas Arnold had guest posed at the IFBB 1970s Mr America one week prior to the72 Olympia, and was definitely not in top shape. People were wondering how Arnold was going to beat the great Sergio in a contest that attracted a greater number of champions than ever,including Serge Nubret, Frank Zane and Franco Columbu. Sergio looked supremely confident as he posed and played to the audience and he was completely devastated when he was announced as runner-up.Even Arnold must have realised he was lucky to have beaten The Myth at his all time best in one of the greatest and more controversial Olympias. Sergio was considered by many to be the perfect bodybuilding specimen.He was a genetic wonder,but this was Arnold's time,. He combined tremendous shape with superb separation,muscular development and definition. The 1972 contest was,for me,a battle between two of the greatest bodybuilders in history.Alas,they never competed against each other again. WINNERS 1970 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1971 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1972 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1973 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1974 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1975 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1976 Franco Columbu ITALY 1977 Frank Zane USA 1978 Frank Zane USA 1979 Frank Zane USA THE ARNOLD PHENOMENOM PUMPING IRONWith Sergio out of the picture,Arnold easily won the Olympia in 1973,1974 and 1975. Cameras for the movie documentary Pumping Iron captured the build-up to the 1975 event in Pretoria,South Africa,and Arnold surprised the world by retiring afterwards. Arnold and Pumping Iron took bodybuilding to another level of popularity but when Arnold retired, bodybuildings greatest prize was up for grabs. Much attention in 1976 focused on the under-200 lb class,which had started two years earlier.It included Columbu,Zane,Ed Corney,Bill Grant and Boyer Coe,while the open class pitched Ken Waller against Mike Katz. Columbu,who had narrowly lost in recent years,got into the best muscular condition of his life to beat Frank Zane by the slenderest of margins in the under-200 lb class and then overcame Waller for the overall title. Zane was determined to take the honours the following year when, competing against the favourite Robby Robinson,he exhibited a flawless, breathtaking physique.Looking perfect from head to toe,he won his first of three Olympia titles.Even today Zanes physique is widely considered to be the most symmetrical and aesthetic of all time. In 1978 Zane again beat the fancied Robinson but 1979 was a different story. This time he faced the most massive bodybuilder since Sergio and ArnoldMr Heavy DutyMike Mentzer. Mentzer led after the morning pre-judging but Zane was undeterred.I knew I was behind going into the evening posing round,but I also knew that I was going to win,he said. He was right.After all,he was the master poser and Mentzer definitely was not.He was also in fantastic muscular shape,possibly the best of his career.A decade dominated by Arnold ended with Zane and aesthetics in the ascendancy. Arnoldwasnumerouno, sixtimesinthedecade JoeWeider congratulates FrankZane ArnoldandFranco 26 FLEX 27FLEX COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS,PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK,JIMMYCARUSO
7. 7. The 1980 contest in Sydney turned out to be the most controversial Olympia ever.Even today,people debate the result. The contest had 16 contestants,which was the biggest number ever at the time.Zane and Mentzer were the favourites but the bodybuilding world was in for a huge shock. Arnold had retired from bodybuilding in 1975 and moved into acting,where his physique had become notably smaller.It was 1980s obvious Arnold had been training hard prior to the 1980 Olympia but he convinced everyone he was simply getting in shape for Conan the Barbarian.When anyone asked why he was in Sydney,he said:I am doing the TV commentary for CBS. Then to the horror of every competitor on stage that day,Arnold entered and won his seventh Olympia title.Chris Dickerson was second.Many who were there claimed the title should have gone to either Zane,who was third,Coe,who finished fourth,or Mentzer who placed fifth. If 1980 was the most controversial Olympia,1981 wasnt far behind it. Columbu,who had seriously injured a leg in the Worlds Strongest Man,won the title for a second time although many of the worlds greatest bodybuilders,including Zane,Coe and Mentzer (who never competed again) had boycotted the show because of what happened in Sydney. Columbuwasextremelyluckytowinin1981. HewaschasedallthewaybyDickerson,who placedsecondonceagain.TomPlatz,whowas intheshapeofhislife,placedthirdandmany feltheshouldhavewon. Thepackedauditorium inColumbus,Ohio,startedbooingwhenDanny Padillawasannouncedinfourthplaceandthey neverstoppeduntiltheshowended. LONDON & MUNICH PLAY HOSTLondon hosted its first and only Olympia in 1982.Zane was attempting to collect a fourth Sandow but he did not account for the determination and tenacity of Dickerson.The contest turned out to be a three-man battle between the immaculate,symmetrical physiques of Dickerson and Zane and a new mass monster called Casey Viator, who exploded onto the stage to the Conan movie soundtrack. The verdict went to Dickerson,who told everyone how much he loved London,whilst Zane and Viator gave everyone thatI was robbedlook. The worlds greatest bodybuilders flew to Munich in 1983 where Samir Bannout,who had always struggled with water retention,finally got into rock-hard muscular condition and won the show.Bannout was pushed all the way by Mohamed Makkaway (2nd),Lee Haney (3rd),Zane (4th) and crowd favourite Bertil Fox (5th). In some ways it was the end of an era because Bannout was the last of the more aesthetic and symmetrical Olympia champions.Haney was on his way! When Haney,weighing a massive 247 lbs of solid but still shapely muscle won his first Olympia title in New York in 1984 (Sergio made a comeback in that contest and placed 8th),Im sure even he did not believe he would carry on winning the title for another seven years. Haney continued to conquer all, despite the amazingly muscular Rich Gaspari,who was runner-up in 1986, 1987 and 1988. IN 1989 Haney faced even tougher opposition from Lee Labrada,who was in fantastic contest condition while Haney was not.In the end though, Haney was awarded his sixth Sandow trophy to end the decade as the dominant champion. HANEY MAKES HISTORY WINNERS 1980 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 1981 Franco Columbu ITALY 1982 Chris Dickerson USA 1983 Samir Bannout LEBANON 1984 Lee Haney USA 1985 Lee Haney USA 1986 Lee Haney USA 1987 Lee Haney USA 1988 Lee Haney USA 1989 Lee Haney USA NewYorkhostedthe1984Olympia MikeChristiancelebratesHaney's 1986winasrunner-uprichGasparilookson SamirBannout(secondright),flankedbyGermanJusupWilkoszandBritainsBertilFox 29FLEX28 FLEX COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS,PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK,GREGAIKEN
8. 8. In 1990 Haney faced tough opposition from Lee Labrada and Shawn Ray and was actually two points behind going into the night show, but once again his huge size and shape prevailed. In 1991,however,Haney faced his most formidable foe of all in the form of Britains greatest ever bodybuilder,Dorian Yates.Yates displayed the most amazing degree of muscular size and conditioning ever seen at the Olympia.He weighed more than 250 pounds,which was incredible back then. That is probably why Haney turned up in Orlando,Florida,in the best condition of his career and after winning the show remarked, I finally learned how to peak! Haney now had a record eight Olympia titles and was the greatest bodybuilder in history.He bowed out at the top. In 1992 the IFBB moved the Olympia battlefield to Helsinki,Finland,and the total amount of prize money awarded was $275,000,which showed how far the event had come from the first contest,when the prize was $1,000. Yates,infantasticshape,wonhisfirstofsix titles,beatingKevinLevrone(2nd)andLee Labrada(3rd). LouFerrigno,makinga comeback,placedonly12th. Thefollowingyear,YatesarrivedinAtlanta, Georgia,weighingamassive257pounds.Noone couldstandnexttohim.FlexWheelertook 1990s secondandShawnRaythird. In1994,Dorianseriouslyinjuredhisleft rotatorcuffandthesamemonthtorehisleft quadriceps.Thenlessthannineweeksbefore theshowhetorehisleftbicepsdoing reverse-gripbentoverrowswith405pounds! Despiteallthis,heenteredtheshowandwon histhirdSandow. Thewordwasnowoutthatyouneededto behugeandrippedtowintheOlympia.The daysofgettingbyonsymmetryaloneand aestheticswereover. In1995YatesreturnedtoAtlantainhisbest conditionsofarandeasilypickeduphisfourth Sandow.Thehighlightofthiscontestwas whenallnineMrOlympiaswerebroughton stagetopaytributetoJoeWeider. In1996theOlympiamovedtoChicagobut theoutcomewasthesameanothereasy victoryforYates.NasserElSonbatywas disqualifiedduringthecontestwhenhefailed adiureticdrugtest. Buttherewasarealbattlein1997inLong Beach,California,whenYateswentbicepsto bicepsagainsttheequallymassiveElSonbaty. ElSonbatyheldhisowninallthefrontal comparisonsbutwhentheyturnedaroundthere wasonlyonewinner.YatespickeduphissixthMr Olympia,plusachequefor$100,000.Nobody knewhehadsufferedaserioustricepstearafew monthsbeforetheshow.Hesaidnothing,and stillcompeted.Butheknewhisdayswere numbered,soheretired.TheShadowhadleft thebuilding! YATES BOWS OUTWiththegiantBritgone,the1998 Olympialookedwideopen.ElSonbaty, Ray,LevroneandWheelerwerethe favouritesinNewYork.Noonegave muchthoughttoRonnieColeman. Afterall,hedidnotappeartobea contender,andhecertainlywasnta geneticfreaklikeSergio.Coleman finishedlastathisfirstOlympiain 1992.In1993hedidnotentertheshow andin1994heplacedonly15th.In1995 heplaced11thandinthe1996showhe moveduptosixth.However,in1997,which wasYateslast,heslumpedtoninthsono oneimaginedhecouldbethenextMr Olympia. Everyone quickly changed their mind when he walked onto that New York stage weighing an unprecedented 270 pounds.He was huge and ripped to shreds,and no one else stood a chance. When Big Ron was awarded the title,I noticed Joe Weider and Scott Connelly,the founder of METRx,climb onto the stage to try to grab hold of him.As soon as I had the chance,I asked Ronnie what they had said to him. They both wanted to sign me up,he replied,grinning.Never!I exclaimed. You mean they actually jumped on stage and offered you a contract on the spot?Ronnie nodded his head,and simply replied,Yup! In 1999 the Olympia found a permanent home in Las Vegas but although the venue changed,the outcome didnt as Coleman proved he was the man for a new century. DORIAN REDEFINES BODYBUILDING WINNERS 1990 Lee Haney USA 1991 Lee Haney USA I992 Dorian Yates UK 1993 Dorian Yates UK 1994 Dorian yates UK 1995 Dorian Yates UK 1996 Dorian Yates UK 1997 Dorian Yates UK 1998 Ronnie Coleman USA 1999 Ronnie Coleman USA HaneyandYatescomparelatsin1991 Cormier Levrone Yates Ray 31FLEX30 FLEX CHRISLUND,KEVINHORTON,COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS
9. 9. Coleman would win the title eight times to equal Haneys record.He continued to train even harder and at one point tipped the 2000s scales at over 280 pounds,in contest condition. He had some outstanding opponents, most notably Jay Cutler.But during most of Ronnies reign I got the impression that many of his rivals were training for second place, although few would admit it. In 2006 Ronnie turned up for his training shoots as usual at Koloseum Gym in California three weeks before the Olympia and I could tell almost at once that something wasnt quite right.We talked about training injuries, and I was astonished when he causally said, Ive always trained with some type of injury throughout my career but I just get on with it. What else can I do? Coleman,in my view the greatest bodybuilder in history,lost his title to Jay Cutler at that 2006 Olympia.I know that Ronnie desperately wanted to beat Haneys record of eight Mr Olympias and although he came back in 2007 and placed fourth,he never looked the same.The kings reign was over. WINNERS 2000 Ronnie Coleman USA 2001 Ronnie Coleman USA 2002 Ronnie Coleman USA 2003 Ronnie Coleman USA 2004 Ronnie Coleman USA 2005 Ronnie Coleman USA 2006 Jay Cutler USA 2007 Jay Cutler USA 2008 Dexter Jackson USA 2009 Jay Cutler USA KING COLEMAN REIGNS SUPREME THE CUTLER RIVALRYCutler had placed second to Ronnie on four occasions.I knew how much he wanted to win and when he left our photoshoot 10 days before the 2006 Mr Olympia weighing in excess of 260 pounds,I had a strange feeling something was about to happen. As he climbed into his car to drive home to Las Vegas,Jay quietly said, This time I will take this guy out. And that is exactly what he did. He took the 2006 and 2007 titles but lost the 2008 contest to Dexter Jackson before coming back to win again in 2009 and 2010. DexterJackson,RonnieColemanandJayCutler Four-timeMrOJayCutler 2008champDexterJackson 33FLEX32 FLEX KEVINHORTON,COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS,KRAUSEJOHANSEN
10. 10. In 2011 Jay Cutler was gunning for his fifth title when he came up against Phil Heath,a new star in magnificent condition.Although there were many other great bodybuilders in the contest,it was really a two-man racefour- time champ Cutler against Heath,who had placed second in 2009 and 2010. 2010- PRESENT Phil finally pulled off his dream to become the new Mr Olympia.The following year,he returned to Vegas and took on Kai Greene, who was probably the only bodybuilder in the world who could beat him.But he didnt,and Heath picked up his second Sandow trophy in a contest that formed the backdrop to the movie Generation Iron. Therewasmoreofthesamethefollowing yearwhenHeathtookthe49thOlympiatitle atasell-outOrleansArenaduringanOlympia weekendthattopped$1mprizemoneyforthe firsttimeandwhichnowincludeda212 Showdownpluscategoriesformensphysique, womensphysique,womensbodybuilding,the FitnessOlympia,theFigureOlympiaandthe BikiniOlympia. Heath has one of the most beautifully proportioned physiques in Olympia history and is capable of winning this great event for many years to come. This year sees the 50th Mr Olympia,and the contest will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas over the weekend of September 1821.I hope to see you there.FLEX THE HEATH ERA BEGINS WINNERS 2010 Jay Cutler USA 2011 Phil Heath USA 2012 Phil Heath USA 2013 Phil Heath USA IFBBProLeaguechairmanJimManion congratulatesHeath Bestofrivals,bestoffriends Wolf Martinez Heath Cutler Greene Jackson 2011top6 34 FLEX KRAUSEJOHANSEN,BILLCOMSTOCK
11. 11. OFTHE THE TheOlympiawas createdtogive theworldstopbody- buildersthechanceto provewhoisnumber one.Fiftyyearson, thatremainsthecase buttheshowhas evolvedtoincorporate womenanddifferent levelsofdevelopment. Since 1965,six other classes have been introduced to the ever-expanding Olympia weekend.From the addition of female bodybuilding in 1980 to the first physique showdowns last year,the Olympia now seeks to reward the best of a broad range of physiques. Here we take a look at the history of the half-dozen categories that didnt feature in 1965 but will be a part of the 50th Olympia weekend. 1980 MS OLYMPIA Thelongestrunningofallthenew categories,theMsOlympiaisnowin its35thyear.LiketheMrOlympia,it hasundergonenumerouschangesin formatandjudgingcriteriathat haveoftenseenitdoggedin controversy. Atthefirstcontestin1980, muscularitywasminimalcompared totoday.RachelMcLish,the champion,wouldprobablybebetter suitedtobikiniorfiguretodaybut hercurvescausedasensationthat sawthesportgrowrapidlyforafew years. Womensbodybuildinggrew rapidlyduringthereignsofearly greatchampions,including1983 winnerCarlaDunlap,andCory Everson,whowonthefirstofsix consecutivetitlesin1984.Everson, whoretiredin1989,remainstheonly multipleOlympiacompetitorother thanLarryScottandDavanaMedina tohavewoneverytimeshestepped onstage. In1990,duetoalackofqualifying events,MsOlympiawasopenedup toallwomenwithprocards. Twenty-ninetooktothestagewith LendaMurraybaggingtheprize. The 1993 show set a new high for competitor numbers with 32 women contesting the title,a record across all Olympia categories matched only by the 2012 bikini contest. Despite alterations to the judging criteria calling for less muscularity,Murray won six in a row between 1990-95,tying her with Everson.Her reign was a pivotal one: since then womens bodybuilding has struggled for acceptance and prize money has declined. Murray retired in 1997 after finishing second to Kim Chizevsky for the second year running. Chizevsky captured two more titles and retired after the 1999 contest, where a certain Iris Kyle made her debut.Then came the biggest shake-up in Ms Olympia history. In 2000,the Ms Olympia was officially brought into the Olympia Weekend for the first time. Competitors were issued with new judging criteria calling for them to be muscularbut not to the extreme,which caused widespread confusion. Then came the introduction of light and heavyweight classes. Uniquely,no overall winner was crowned,with Ukraines Valentina Chepiga winning the heavyweight 37FLEX36 FLEX BILLCOMSTOCK
12. 12. themostsuccessfulbodybuilderinhistory,maleor female. Now,withgrowingspeculationsurroundingthe futureofwomensbodybuilding,Kylehasthe chancetosetherselfevenfurtherapartbywinning her10thtitle.Hergreatestchallengewilllikelybe lastyearsrunner-upAlinaPopa,whopushedher closerthananyoneinthelasteightyears. Whateverthefutureholdsforwomensbodybuild- ing,Kylewillgodownasatruelegendofthesport. title and Andrulla Blanchette of the UK scooping the lightweight prize. The overall title was reintroduced the following year,just in time for Juliette Bergmann to make a stunning comeback after 12 years away from the sport. She won the lightweight class and beat heavyweight winner Kyle to the overall trophy,the only time a light- weight would ever do so. Another comeback queen took the title in 2002,with Murray returning from retirement to win a record seventh title.She made it eight in 2003 before retiring for the second and final time after losing her title to Kyle in 2004. 2005 saw yet more changes with the scrapping of weight categories and the introduction of the20% rule.Female competitors were requested to decrease their muscularityby a factor of 20%. This applied tothose whose physiques require the decrease. Whatever that actually meant, Kyle lost her title to Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia. Kyle recaptured her title in 2006 and hasnt looked back since.By 2013 she had equalled Murrays record of eight wins and set a new record for consecutive triumphs with seven.Her ninth win that year made her WINNERS 1980,1982 Rachel McLish (2 titles) USA 1981 Kike Elomaa (1 title) FINLAND 1983 Carla Dunlap (1 title) USA 1984-89 Cory Everson (6 titles) USA 1990-95,2002-03 Lenda Murray (8 titles) USA 1996-99 Kim Chizevsky (4 titles) USA 2000Heavyweight Valentina Chepiga (1 title) UKRAINE 2000Lightweight Andrulla Blanchette (1 title) UK 2001 Juliette Bergmann (1 title) NETHERLANDS 2004,2006-13 Iris Kyle (9 titles) USA 2005 Yaxeni Oriquen (1 title) VENEZUELA 38 FLEX KEVINHORTON,UNKNOWN
13. 13. Sinceitsintroductionin1995,thefitnessclass hasbeenthemostentertainingeventatthe Olympia.Theuniqueblendofgymnasticdisplay andphysiquecontesthasattractedsomeofthe mostimpressivefemaleathleteseverseen. Theroutinesoftheearlyeventsmay havelackedthetheatricalelementof todaysstars,mostnotablycrowd favouriteOksanaGrishina,butthey werenolessimpressive. AfterMiaFinneganclaimedthe inauguralFitnessOlympiatitlein1995, thecrownpassedtofourothersbeforethe eventfounditsfirst repeatchampionin SusieCurry.The Americandominated theOlympiastage from2000-03 beforeAdelaGarica, whodebuted in2000, sealed herfirsttitle.SincethenGarciahasmadeiteight titles,losingonlyonceandmissingthe2008 showthroughinjury. Afterthe2012ArnoldClassicEurope,where GarciafinishedbehindGrishina,somefelt2013 mightbetheyearthe42-year-oldwouldfinally relinquishhertitle.TheRussianpulledoff anotherspectacularroutineattheOlympia, probablyamongthebestthecontesthasever seen,butGarciaheldontohertitleonceagain.If shewinsagainthisyear,theDominicanwill becomeonlythesecondeverOlympia competitortowinninetitles. Davana Medina made the figure class her own from the moment of its inception at the 2003 Olympia Weekend.The Puerto Rican went on to capture three titles between 2003-05 and remains,jointly,the most successful competitor in Figure Olympia history.Had she not missed the 2006 event,she may well have gone on to further success but illness prevented her taking part and Jenny Lynn won the first of her two titles that year. Since Lynns second triumph in 2007,no one has held on to the Figure title for more than a year at a time,with the last five Figure Os shared between the vastly different but equally impressive physiques of Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern. The big talking point heading into this years show is whether Wilkins can finally retain her title or will Stern again leapfrog her rival.Or will Candice Keene,who beat both Wilkins and Stern in 2013,jump from third to steal the prize? 1995 FITNESS OLYMPIA 2003 FIGURE OLYMPIA WINNERS 2003-05 Davana Medina (3 titles) USA 2006-07 Jenny Lynn (2 titles) USA 2008 Jennifer Gates USA 2009,20011,2013 Nicole Wilkins (3 titles) USA 2010,2012 Erin Stern (2 titles) USA WINNERS 1995 Mia Finnegan USA 1996 Saryn Muldrow USA 1997 Carol Semple-Marzetta USA 1998 Monica Brant USA 1999 Mary Yockey USA 2000-03 Susie Curry (4 titles) USA 2004,2006-07,2009-13 Adela Garcia (8 titles) DOM.REPUBLIC 2005,2008 Jen Hendershott (2 titles) USA 40 FLEX DAVELEE,BILLCOMSTOCK
14. 14. 2008 202/212 From 1974-1979 the old lightweight class had given bodybuilders weighing under 200 lbs the opportunity to compete for the big prize, with the likes of Franco Columbu,Frank Zane, Albert Beckles and Boyer Coe all starting out there.When it was scrapped in 1980,smaller,more aesthetic physiques were common sights but over time,the emphasis on sheer freaky size took over.Smaller competitors were simply being outmuscled so the 202 category,introduced in 2008,once againgave the little big guys a chance to shine. David Henry had slayed some big guys in the open ranks but hed never been a serious threat on the Olympia stage.Now his fine lines and razor-sharp conditioning got their reward when he won the first ever 202 title. The 202 ran for four years before being replaced by the 212 in 2012.By that time, Kevin English was the dominant force in lightweight bodybuilding having won three straight 202 titles,but he sat out the inaugural 212 through injury. Flex Lewis,second to English in 2011,seized the opportunity and deservedly became the first ever Olympia 212 Showdown champion. Asthe2013Showdownapproached,the ever-outspokenEnglishclaimedtheWelsh- manhadonlywonbecausehehadnt competed.Youhavethetitle,butImthe champ,hesaidatafeistyexchangeatthe traditionalpre-showpressconference. Lewiswasunfazedandunleashedhis best-everphysiquetowintitlenumber two. Hes stated 2014 will likely be his final 212 appearance as he prepares to make the jump to the open division,so the way will soon be open for a new star to make his name as the worlds best lightweight bodybuilder WINNERS 2008202 Dave Henry USA 2009-11202 Kevin English (3 titles) USA 2012-13212 Flex Lewis UK 42 FLEX BILLCOMSTOCK,PAVELYTHJALL,KEVINHORTON,BILLCOMSTOCK
15. 15. 2013 PHYSIQUE WINNERS 2013Mens Mark Anthony Wingson USA 2013Womens Dana Linn Bailey USA Nonewcategoryhashadsuchatransforma- tionalimpactonbodybuildingasbikini.Allover theworldithasbroughtthesporttoawhole newaudience.Womeneverywheredreamof competingattheBikiniOlympia. Initsfour-yearhistory,nowinnerhasretained thetitle,neverthelesscertainwomenhave dominatedthetopspots.Before2013,thetop threehadonlyeverincludedsixdifferent womenacrossthreecontests. SoniaGonzaleswonthefirstMissBikini Olympiain2010butfelltofifthin2011when NicoleNagraniandNathaliaMelobothjumped aplacetofirstandsecondrespectively. Brazilian-bornMelothencompletedherjourney throughthetopthreein2012bytakingthetitle asNagranislippedtosecond. 2013sawachangingoftheguard,as newcomerAshleyKaltwasserleftLasVegas 2010 BIKINI WINNERS 2010 Sonia Gonzales USA 2011 Nicole Nagrani USA 2012 Nathalia Melo BRAZIL 2013 Ashley Kaltwasser USA withthewinnerscheque.NagraniandGonzales werenoticeableabsentees,whileMelodropped outofthetopthreeforthefirsttime. Whatwillhappenthisyearisanybodysguess butifKaltwassercanretainhertitleshellwrite herownpieceofOlympiahistoryasthefirst repeatBikinichampion. ThetwomostrecentadditionstotheOlympia pantheonmens physique and womens physiquedebuted at last years Olympia weekend.Both divisions require some serious muscle without crossing the line to the extreme size and conditioning of bodybuilding. Internet sensation Dana Linn Bailey,a pro since 2011,became the first ever womens physique showdown champion,narrowly beating Tycie Coppett with an impressive combination of muscularity,shape and poise. Over in the mens division,Mark Anthony Wingsons perfect scores earned him the number one spot.Love it or hate it,like the bikini class,mens physique has opened the door for a whole new kind of board-short- wearing bodybuilder.In the long run,that is only likely to see both the sport,and the Olympia,get even bigger. 44 FLEX BILLCOMSTOCK,
16. 16. The records and standards up for grabs at the 50th IFBB Olympia Weekend by TEAM FLEX photographs courtesy of WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS *AfourthMrO,Haney,wascrownedatthisshow. HOWEXCLUSIVEISTHESANDOWSOCIETY? THEREHAVEBEEN26ARNOLDCLASSICS(INCLUDING 2014)AND49OLYMPIAS(UPTO2013).DESPITENEARLY TWICEASMANYCONTESTS,THEREHAVEBEENFEWER OWINNERS(13)THANARNOLDCLASSICCHAMPS(15). Thisiswhere legendsare bornandhistory iswritten.Every autumn since the inaugural event in 1965,the Mr Olympia has been bodybuild- ings pinnacle.This year there are eight Olympia categories up for grabs on the 50th Olympia week- end.We look at the potential changes to the record book in each category with a particular emphasis on the Mr Olympia, where the line-up is stackedfulloftalent. Will Phil Heath (or Dexter Jackson) win again,or will we see the crowning of a 14th Mr O? On September 18-21,some legends will be born,others will grow,history will be made in pose after pose,and the record book will be rewritten. 3MOSTMR OLYMPIA WINNERSINTHE SAMECONTEST: 2013:3Heath,Cutler,Jackson 1984:3*Oliva,Dickerson,Bannout THE SANDOWSOCIETYMROLYMPIAWINNERS LARRYSCOTT 1965-66 LEE HANEY 1984-1991 CHRISDICKERSON 1982 SAMIR BANNOUT 1983 DORIAN YATES 1992-97 DEXTERJACKSON 2008 SERGIOOLIVA 1967-69 PHILHEATH 2011-13 ARNOLDSCHWARZENEGGER 1970-75,1980 FRANCO COLUMBU 1976,1981 FRANKZANE 1977-79 JAYCUTLER 2006-07,2009-10 RONNIE COLEMAN 1998-05 BOTTOMINSET:CUTLER,HEATH&JACKSON:BILLCOMSTOCK;OLIVA&DICKERSON:NEVEUX; BANNOUT:BALIK/COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS HANEY,BANNOUT,OLIVA,SCHWARZENEGGER&DICKERSON:COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS; SCOTT&YATES:BOBGARDNER;HEATH:BILLCOMSTOCK;COLEMAN&JACKSON:KEVINHORTON;ZANE:COURTESYOFCHRISTINE ZANE;CUTLER:PAVELYTHJALL;COLUMBU:ZELLER/COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS OLYMPIAFACT 46 FLEX 47FLEX
17. 17. Onceararity,aMrOchamplosinghas becomemorelikelythannotrecently, happeninginfourofthelasteight years.Theseventimesadefending champwasdefeatedare:1970(Oliva), 1980(Zane),1984(Bannout), 2006(Coleman),2008(Cutler), 2009(Jackson),2011(Cutler). Ofthefivechampstowintheoldlightweightdivision,the202Showdownor the212Showdown,Lewisistheonlyonetodosowhileunder30.Hewas28 in2012and29in2013.Aswewenttopress,noneoftheothercompetitors whowerequalifiedforthisyears212showdownareunder30. HellbetheoldestOchampever.At44yearsand10 months,theBladewillbeayearandninemonthsolder thanDickersonwaswhenhewonthe1982Olympiaat 43andonemonth. Hissix-yearspan(2008-14)willbeanewrecordfor longestperiodbetweenwins,beatingSchwarzenegger andColumbusfiveyears(1975-1980and1976-81 respectively). Whereverheplaces,his 15entrieswillputhimjoint firstwithRonnie ColemanforOlympia appearances. At29,hellbetheyoungestOwinnersinceHaney andthesixthyoungestever. Hellbethesixthnon-Americanchampandjust thesecondfromoutsideNorthAmericaorEurope, theotherbeingtheLebaneseSamirBannout. Hellhavemadethebiggestyear-on-year improvementofanyOwinnersinceRonnie Colemanwentfrom9thto1stinwinninghisfirst Sandowin1998. WINS? PHILHEATH WHATIF HisO-winning percentage willriseto57% (fourout of 7). 57% FOURWINS WILLTIE HIMWITH CUTLERFOR THEFIFTH MOSTOLYMPIA TITLES. 4 ThiswouldmakehimthesixthpersontowinfourormoreOlympiatitles. Fouroftheotherfive(allbutCutler)wontheirfirstfourconsecutively. STRAIGHTOWIN4thITLL BEHIS 82.5% 337 LOSSES WINS Chancecurrentchampwill defendhistitle MrOdefendingtitle SHAWNRHODEN WHATIF 6THchampion tobeborn outside theUSA. RaisedinJamaica, hewillbethefirst champbornoutside theUSAsinceYates andthesixth overall. They would both also be the third oldest first-time winners. Like Greene,the 39-year-old WILLBETHE14THMROLYMPIAANDFOURTHOLDEST. WHATIFDEXTERJACKSONWINS?If we include the recent 202 division (200811) and the old lightweight division (1974-79),the record for Olympialightweighttitles is three,held by FrancoColumbu (197476),FrankZane(197779), andKevinEnglish (200911). Lewis goes for number three this year to equal that record. HELLBETHEFIRSTSINCEYATESAND THEFIFTHOVERALLTOWINASANDOW AFTERJUSTTWOATTEMPTS. RHODEN&ELSSBIAY:ISAACHINDS HEATH:PAVELYTHJALL;LEWIS:BILLCOMSTOCK;ENGLISH:ISAACHINDS; JACKSON:ROBERTREIFF MAMDOUHBIGRAMYELSSBIAYWINS? WHATIF WINS? OLYMPIA212SHOWDOWN youngest personto winfour Otitles. TH 1stFlexLewisremains thefirstandonly Olympia212Showdown championafterdefending histitlelastyear.
18. 18. GREENE&WARREN:BILLCOMSTOCK; MARTINEZ:ISAACHINDS WOLF,KYLE,GARCIA&ORIQUEN:BILL COMSTOCK;CUTLER:KEVINHORTON Itwillbe Oriquens record17th MsO(allconsecutive since1998),themost foramanorwomaninany Olympiacategory. ItwillbeKyles16th(all consecutivesince1999). Thisisthe20thFitnessOlympia, and AdelaGarciawill be going for her record ninth title. SusieCurry has the second most, far behind with four. Garcia will also be going for her sixth in a row. In her 14th Fit O, shell also be increasing her mark for most entries. And at 42, she can break her own record for oldest champ. WINS? 39Greenesageifhewinsthe2014 Olympia.Thatwouldmakehim thefourtholdestwinnerbehind Dickerson,Columbuand Colemanandthirdoldestfirst- timewinner,behindDickerson andColumbu. KAIGREENE WHATIF AwinforGreene wouldmake himthe14th Mr Olympia.14th Ifhefinishessecondagain,hellmoveuptothirdonthelistofrunners-up withthree,behindCutler(6)andKevinLevrone(4)andlevelwith RichGaspariandFlexWheeler.Hellalsobeonlythethirdtofinishsecond atthreesuccessiveOs,alongwithCutlerandGaspari. HELLBECOMETHEONLYCOMPETITOROTHER THANPHILHEATHTOHAVEFINISHEDTHIRD ANDSECONDBEFOREWINNING. 17th This is the fifth Bikini Olympia, and there has so far been a different champ each time. Last years No. 1 Ashley Kaltwasser and 2012 winner Nathalia Melo return. If either wins, shell become the first multiple Ms Bikini Olympia. FLEX ItllbehisfirstOwin,placinghimlevelwith Dickerson,BannoutandJacksonontheall-time winnerslist. Itwillbethefirsttimehesbrokenthetop twoineightattempts.Lastyearsthird placewashisfirsttimeinbodybuildings triumviratedespitepreviouslymakingthe top6fivetimes. HewillbethefirstEuropeanwinner sinceDorianYatesin1997andthefirst GermaninOlympiahistory. Hellbethefourtholdestfirst-timeOwinner at36,behindDickerson,ColumbuandJackson. 12 Thisisthe12thFigure Olympia.Davana MedinaandNicole Wilkinsjointly holdtherecord formosttitles withthree.This yearscontest couldonce againcome downtothe Wilkinsand ErinStern,whobetweenthem havewonthelastfiveFigureOsin alternatingyears,Sternin2010 and2012andWilkinsin2009, 2011and2013. Withnine wins,IrisKyle isthemost successful MsOlympia competitor inhistory. Herninthtitlelastyearputheraheadofboth HaneyandColemanandgavehertheall-time recordformostOlympiavictories,maleor female. 9IfeitherDebbieLaszewski(3rdlastyear) orYaxeniOriquen(4thlastyear)wins,she willbetheall-timeoldestMsO.Laszewski willbe45justafterthisyearscontest, whileOriquen,whowonin2005,willbe48. MarcAnthonyWingsonand DanaLinnBaileywonlastyears inauguralPhysiqueshowdowns andcanbothincreasetheirrecords formostwinsiftheyrepeatthisyear. Ifsomeoneelsewinseither,they willequalthenewrecords. WHATIFDENNISWOLF WINS? FIGUREOLYMPIA MENS&WOMENSPHYSIQUE SHOWDOWN BIKINIOLYMPIAFITNESSOLYMPIA MSOLYMPIA 50 FLEX
19. 19. LEADING TRAINER NEIL HILL PREDICTS THE TOP SEVEN AT THE 50TH OLYMPIA 54 FLEX 55FLEX ISAACHINDS,STOCKPHOTO,BILLCOMSTOCK
20. 20. 7th NEILS PREDICTION: Dennis James is doing an amazing job with Ramy but he still needs a lot of refine- ment.When you walk on stage with top seasoned veterans at the Olympia,you have to be in condition because mass alone will not be enough to get in that top six. People were overwhelmed by his size last year but it didnt impress me because I look at the overall physique and there were major flaws in his calves and thigh development,as well as conditioning.I didnt see any progress at New York this year,in fact his condition was worse.Im impressed by his waist to shoulder ratio, his quad sweep and the huge amount of muscle he carries.Ramy brings something new to the sport but hes a work in progress that will take two or three years to complete. MAMDOUH BIG RAMY ELSSBIAY DATEOFBIRTH:16/09/1984 HEIGHT:5ft9ins WEIGHT:286lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2013,8th CAREERHIGHLIGHT: 2013-14NewYorkProchampion WanttoseemoreofBigRamy?CheckoutourFLEXSpecialReport:TrainLikeBigRamy. Only1.49.Gotowww.flexonline.co.ukandclickonDigitalPublications. STOCKPHOTO 56 FLEX
21. 21. 6th NEILS PREDICTION: Hisfullnessimpressedmelastyear buthisconditiondidnt.Ididntsee toomuchseparation.Hischange incoachinghasbeenpositive andhesheadingintheright directionbuthesstilltoo hitandmiss.When Roellyison,hesgoing tobedangerous.He cancauseproblems forthelikesof Jackson,Rhoden andWolfinthe battleforthird. Istillthinkthe besthelooked waswinningthe NewYorkpro showin2010.His armsarestilltoobig forhisphysique,hischest isnotfullenoughandhistorsois toolong.Atthetoplevelitsaboutthe wholephysique.Top6isdefinitelypossible butheisgoingtohavetoworkhardtobring therightcombinationandconditioning. DATEOFBIRTH:22/06/1977 HEIGHT:5ft6ins WEIGHT:230lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2010,14th;2012,12th;2013,7th CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2010NewYorkProchampion ROELLY WINKLAAR BILLCOMSTOCK 58 FLEX
22. 22. 5th NEILS PREDICTION: Dexter is the wild card of the bunch.Hes at that crossroads where he knows his physique will go backwards because hes getting older and at some point it becomes impossible to retain that fullness,but hes somehow managed to keep his consistency going and from what Ive heard hes looking better than ever this year.With his quality,if hes on the money and Shawn and Dennis are slightly off he could take third. Last year he finished a strong third and you wouldnt have argued if he were second. Thats the best I have seen Dennis,and it was better than he looked when he won the Arnold this year even though he warranted that win.His weaknesses are still his calves and lower back and he needs more depth in his rear hamstrings.When you have persistent weaknesses you have to do the opposite of what youre doing or just accept they are genetic weaknesses that wont respond.He may have tried other training protocols but he might not have given them long enough.It can take 12 or 16 weeks to bring up a weak body part.Its very close between him and Shawn but if they both come in bang on the money I would go for Shawn. 4th NEILS PREDICTION: DATEOFBIRTH:25/11/1969 HEIGHT:5ft6ins WEIGHT:235lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:1999,9th;2000,9th;2001, 8th;2002,4th;2003,3rd;2004,4th;2006,4th; 2007,3rd;2008,1st;2009,3rd;2010,4th;2011,6th; 2012,4th;2013,5th CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2008Olympiachampion DEXTER JACKSON DATEOFBIRTH:30/10/1978 HEIGHT:5ft11ins WEIGHT:275lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2007,5th;2008,4th;2009, DNP;2010,5th;2011,5th;2012,6th;2013,3rd CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014ArnoldClassicchampion DENNIS WOLF STOCKPHOTO STOCKPHOTO 60 FLEX 61FLEX
23. 23. 3rd NEILSPREDICTION: Im a big fan of Shawn: hes got the kind of physique Mr Olympia is all about.His lines are amongst the most beautiful and graceful in the sport and his legs are some of the best in the IFBB pro league. Theyre phenom- enal from all angles. And I like that tiny waist.But his arms dont have that same 3D effect as his legs,and his chest and back need more fullness.I have seen him looking better than he did at last years Olympia and this year,so far.This time hes got to bring his A game.If he does hes the number three athlete. DATEOFBIRTH:02/04/1975 HEIGHT:5ft9ins WEIGHT:235lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2011,11th; 2012,3rd;2013,4th CAREERHIGHLIGHT: 2012ArnoldClassicEuropechampion SHAWN RHODEN BEST OF THE REST STEVEKUCLO DATEOFBIRTH:15/08/1985 HEIGHT:5ft11 WEIGHT:260lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2013,14th CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014Arnold ClassicBrazilchampion JUANMOREL DATEOFBIRTH:02/04/1982 HEIGHT:5ft11ins WEIGHT:260lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:Rookie CAREERHIGHLIGHT: 2014TorontoProchampion BRANCHWARREN DATEOFBIRTH:26/02/1975 HEIGHT:5ft7ins WEIGHT:245lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2005,8th; 2006,12th;2009,2nd;2010,3rd;2012, 5th;2013,9th CAREERHIGHLIGHT:20112012 ArnoldClassicchampion CEDRICMcMILLAN DATEOFBIRTH:17/08/1977 HEIGHT:6ft1in WEIGHT:265lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2013,12th CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2013FIBO PowerProchampion JUSTINCOMPTON DATEOFBIRTH:15/05/1988 HEIGHT:5ft8ins WEIGHT:224lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:Rookie CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014Europa ShowofChampionsOrlandochampion BILLCOMSTOCK 62 FLEX
24. 24. 2nd DATEOFBIRTH:12/07/1975 HEIGHT:5ft8ins WEIGHT:260lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2009,4th;2010,7th;2011,3rd; 2012,2nd;2013,2nd CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2010ArnoldClassicchampion NEILS PREDICTION: I like Kai,hes a sincere person,but I think he has lost the opportunity to be Mr Olympia.His strengths are his legs, back and shoulder width,and he has a crazy amount of depth from the side and rear but from the front hes flat across the chest and shoulders.Hes brought a better package in the last couple of years but he has to keep that midsection as small as possible.When he does a side chest I get drawn to his midsection rather than his overall shape and structure because he doesnt hold himself well enough.He also needs to walk on stage like hes Mr Olympia,like Phil does.Judges and fans want to see confidence. Presentation,condition and fullness in front chest and shoulders are the things he needs to work on. KAI GREENE STOCKPHOTO 64 FLEX
25. 25. 1ST NEILS PREDICTION: DATEOFBIRTH:18/12/1979 HEIGHT:5ft9ins WEIGHT:250lbs OLYMPIAHISTORY:2008,3rd;2009,5th;2010, 2nd;2011,1st;2012,1st;2013,1st CAREERHIGHLIGHT:201113Olympiachampion PHIL HEATH I dont see any weaknesses in Phils physique. In his early days as a pro, people spoke about his narrow shoul- ders and clavicles, and his back was a weakness but now hes the ultimate three-dimensional athlete. It doesnt matter if you look at him from the front, back or side, everythings balanced. Maybe his arms still stand out a little but he has evened things out, and he always comes in in shape. If Kai and Phil both come in bang on the money Kai might win on back but I think Phil would take him out on every other shot. He has better refinementlook at his leg separation. I dont see anybody touching him. The one thing I hope he doesnt do is try to get bigger. Hes everything a Mr Olympia should be. He just needs to keep being more and more refined. FLEX STOCKPHOTO WanttoseemoreofPhilHeath?CheckoutourFLEXSpecialReport: TrainLikePhilHeath.Only2.49.Gotowww.flexonline.co.ukand clickonDigitalPublications. 66 FLEX
26. 26. INHISOWNWORDS ON HIS CHILDHOOD I grew up in Llanelli,a place where you work hard to get what you want.My grandfather was a coal miner.I grew up with that attitude but the reality is you are working for someone else.I went to college and started looking outside the box so I started my own removal company at 18.I went from one van and one man to winning young businessman of the year three times. ON THINKING BIG Ive always had goals even from my childhood when I did athletics and rugby. When I was a kid I had a severely broken elbow and the doctor said I was one centimetre away from having my arm amputated.I learned from that.I developed a strong,driven mindset that has translated into bodybuilding. ON HIS FIRST COMPETITION Ididmyfirstcompetitionforafreegym membership.ItwasaWelshFederationof Bodybuilders(nowpartoftheUnited KingdomBodybuildingandFitness Federation)showin2003andIdidmy owndiet.ThatswhereImetNeilHill. ON HIS JUNIOR CAREER I have some of my best memories from those times and I left that part of my competitive career very happy.I did what I set out to do: win the British and the Universe titles. I treated it as a profession from the start. Even as a junior amateur I had a pro attitude. ON TURNING PRO I had missed the overall in 2006 and some big names in British bodybuilding were saying Oh,hes all hype.It shocked me because these were guys I had looked up to.I had no s**t talk before then.I didnt expect it from grown men to a kid.So winning it is one of my favourite memories,particularly as all my family were there. ON MOVING TO AMERICA I had a successful removal company but I sold everything and went to California.I slept on my friends sofa for six months and I did store FlexLewisis the only non-American male to have tasted victory at the Olympia this century. TheWelshman won the first 212 Showdown in 2012,repeated his success in 2013 and is now bidding for a hat-trickinSeptember before moving to the open weight class.Here,in his own words,Lewis talks about his journeyfromthevalleys of south Wales to a life of bodybuilding superstardom in America. 66 FLEX 67FLEX PAVELYTHJALL
27. 27. have to be in the United States.Im not saying everybody should jump on the next plane because you have to be realistic.But Id rather live and try than live and not try.These days my risks are more calculated but as a young guy I took a lot of crazy risks. ON HIS FAVOURITE WINS I always have a delayed reaction to winning because my mindset is alwayson to the next.Even after the Olympia I had to carb up for the Prague show and go on the road again. What Id achieved didnt set in until I was home for Christmas.All my shows have their own stories.The most memorable are winning my pro card,winning my first and second Olympias and winning the Arnold. ON GETTING INJURED JUST BEFORE THE OLYMPIA The Olympia last year was my best prep ever. I was ready four weeks out but then three JOE WEIDERS BRITISHEDITION GETSAVAGEINTHEGYM FREDERICSAUVAGEMASTERSTHEARTOFFREAKYMUSCLE CARNITINECOMEBACK WITHMOREBENEFITSTHANEVER! 9 7 7 0 9 5 5 1 2 1 0 9 9 0 3 www.exonline.co.ukMARCH 2009 3.60 FLEX MARCH2009 12-WEEKGETRIPPEDPROGRAMME THEVOICEOFCHAMPIONS GET RIPPEDNOW!12-WEEKTRAINING &NUTRITIONBLUEPRINT FLEXLEWISSCREAMS INTOTHE PRO RANKS BICEPS&TRICEPSLAGGING? TONEY FREEMANS TRIPLE-ARM THRASH CAN WORK FOR YOU! 5 PROSREVEALTHEIRNUTRITIONSECRETS 6 WAYS TOSUPERSIZEYOUR LEGSWITH PHIL HEATH GRAB Utilisin g the Ruleof Thumb Grab thebarbell with ngertip son the embed dedtouch sensor . GO Lift the barbell 1 torelease lock, then GOon with your exercis e. OPENAfter comple tingexercis e, Open one orboth hands. Barbel llocks in positio ninstant ly w w w . bbb oo d yyy p o w e r . c o . u w w ww . bb oo d yyyy p o w e r . c o . u k yyyy pp uucc oo oo ooooo ppdddbbbbbb p o w eee kku . c o . u rrwwww dddbbbb.. bbwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww kk bbb oo d p o w e r . c o . u k ppyyyyyyyddddbbbbbb oocceeoo oooooo uu kk....rrww ..wwwwwwww oo oo oooooo Grab and Go GRABG tilising the Rule Ut f Thumb Grab the of arbell with ngertip s ba n the embed ded on ouch sensor . to GOG ft the barbell 1 to Li elease lock, then GO re n with your exercis e. on OPENO fter comple ting Af xercise , Open one or ex oth hands. Barbel l bo ocks in positio n lo stantlyin Standard Features Olympic touch-sensorbarbell with spring clips 6 chrome weightplate holders Sapphire blue accentneon lighting 500-lb capacity 100-lb selectorised weight stack with plate horns foradditional weight plates Fold-down, multi-position bench withat-to-military capabilityand contoured pads For Olympic Weights Only sold separately Included Accessories Leg developer for leg extension and curl exercises. High and low cable pulleys. Lat bar.Straight bar. Rope handle. Four stirrup handles.Lengthening chain. Leghold down. 65 cm anti-burst stability ball. Padded exercise oor mat. Northampton13 Gatelodge Close,Round SpinneyNorthampton. NN3 8RJ London30/32 High Street,Frimley, Surrey. GU16 7JD Manchester287 Talbot Rd, StretfordManchester. M32 0YA Chester157-167 Foregate StChester CH1 1HF Gloucester2 Fullers Ct Westgate StGloucester GL1 2UN SPACE SAVING GYMBY 23 (58.5cm) 46 (117cm) 78(198cm) Please note: if the folding system is being used, this produc t MUST be xed to a wall (bracke ts supplie d) BY Innovative, Revolutionary, Easy to Use Spot less Weight Training The SSG (Space Saving Gym) comes standard with all the workout features youd expect in a home gym barbell, weight stack, upper and lower pulley system, bench, leg developer, leg hold down, stability ball, exercise mat and a generous assortment of handle accessories. Intuitive design places all elements and accessories within reach and provides easy set up for each exercise. The at-to-military bench has contoured bench pads for comfort, slides easily along the frame for positioning and is a snap to raise and lower thanks to its lift-assist feature. Sapphire blue neon accent lighting completes the package. The smallest, fullyfunctional weight gymon the market todayFootprint In Use: 78D x 46W (198 x 117cm) Footprint In Folded: 23D x 46W (58 x 117cm) appearances that left me out of pocket just to get my face seen.A lot of young guys think they will turn pro and get a pot of gold but the pro card is just the beginning.Your whole mindset has got to change.You have to start thinking like a professional and create opportunities because in bodybuilding there is a tier system.The upper tier guys get paid and the ones in the lower tier have to hustle like mad. ON GETTING INTO FLEX I moved from Venice Beach because there werent many pros there, to live near Milos Sarcevs Koloseum gym where all the photo shoots were happening.I stayed in good off-season shape so if ever a pro was being a diva and didnt turn up I would shoot.I said to FLEX photographer Chris Lund I would be there in 30 minutes and I made sure I was and I would train afterwards.I trained with Dennis James,Johnnie Jackson, Troy Alves,Hidetada Yamagishi and Dennis Wolf when they came to shoot.To use an American phrase,we became a frat house and I earned their respect. ON BODYBUILDING IN THE US AND EUROPE If you want to make it big you 68 FLEX IANSPANIER,J.M.MANION
28. 28. weeks out I tweaked my back.It was the most horrific pain Id ever had.I woke up one morning with a stiff back and the next day I couldnt get out of bed.I had to roll on to my belly and slide myself to my feet and let my girlfriend put my belt and socks on.I have a chiropractor that works with some of the best sports stars in the world.He said,This will take 10 days,dont stress.I hadnt missed a beat of cardio or training so it was very hard psychologically to adapt.It cleared up two weeks before the show.I kept it away from Neil and my sponsors.I didnt want anybody knowing. ON LIFTING HEAVY Im not as gung ho as I used to be.I have a lot of friends who post on Facebook and Instagram how hard they train.F**k that; just be honest.Believe me,the guys who make the money dont train crazy.On a video what you see is what you get but nobody trains hardcore like that all the time.If you want to squat six plates and get injured, fine; Ill stick to my two or three plates and have good reps and not kill myself.Remember too,I have to make a weight so I cant be going balls to the wall 10 months a year and expect to make 212 lbs. ON HIS APPROACH TO TRAINING My training philosophy is to hit the fast and slow twitch fibres in the same session.Its like the week 2 version of Neils Y3T programme. Im a big believer in the lower,heavier rep ranges but with good form.In the off-season THE RISE OF FLEX LEWIS2003 1stBritishJuniorChampionships,1stWelshJuniorChampionships 2004 1stBritishJuniorChampionships,1stWelshJuniorChampionships,1stJuniorMrUniverse 2006 1stBritishLight-heavyweightChampionships(lostoveralltitletoheavyweightTroyBrown) 2007 1stBritishLight-heavyweightChampionshipsandoverallBritishchampion 20082ndTampaPro202,1stEuropaSuperShow202,3rdOlympia202Showdown 20091stAtlanticCityPro202,5thOlympia202Showdown 2011 1stBritishGrandPrix202,3rdMrEuropeopenclass,2ndNewYorkPro202,2ndOlympia202Showdown, 5thArnoldClassicEuropeopenclass 2012 1stOlympia212Showdown,1stBritishGrandPrix212,1stPragueProShow212 2013 1stOlympia212Showdow,1stPragueProShow 2014 1stArnoldClassic212UK I believe in high calories from good food.You grow when youre happy and consistent.For guys reading this theres no excuse because they dont have to travel.They should have a good structure to their day.I wish I had that. ON FLYING ONE MILLION MILES Im a 1K flyer on United Airlines alone.That means I do over 100,000 miles with them and I have air miles with US Airways and American Airlines as well.I probably do almost 200,000 miles a year.My goal in the next six years is to be a one million mile flyer with United.Ronnie Colemans done that. ON HIS HECTIC LIFESTYLE I shut up shop about eight weeks out from a show and do nothing at all other than consistently train and eat. Outside that time everything is done on the road.I start cleaning up my diet 20 weeks out and I dont f**k around,no matter where I am in the world.I just have to be flexible.I can come in from a 20-hour flight and train.Its a lifestyle I love and I wouldnt 70 FLEX KEVINHORTON,BILLCOMSTOCK
29. 29. change it for the world.I eat,sleep and s**t it. In a few years I will probably look back and wish I enjoyed the moment more.But Im always thinking about things happening months from now. ON PREPARING FOR THIS YEARS OLYMPIA Its going to be exactly the same.I just want to bring a little more pop.At the Arnold Classic I had to over-diet to make weight again. I was ready at 216-217 lbs.I was grainy and my glutes were in but then I had to over-diet to make weight.I can look hard and grainy at 214 lbs.People say its only 2 lbs to lose but it makes a difference.So Im going to keep my body weight as light as possible this year so I can bring that pop. ON HIS MAIN RIVALS Dave Henry,someone I have looked up to for years,has got that work ethic.Hes a military boy so hes got a lot of mental strength.I wish Kevin English the best.Im not sure where he is at this point in his career but you cant discount a previous champ.Im sure hes had time off to work on areas that were lacking last year.Weve got some rookies creeping up, like Aaron Clark.Jose Raymond is the freak of the class.Guy Cisternino has made some fantastic improvements. ON WORKING WITH NEIL HILL I have a coach that speaks his mind.The first year I won the Olympia I thought I brought a fantastic package,and people backstage were sayingYouve won it!The first thing out of Neils mouth wasWhat the f**k were you doing up there; your gut was out.I said I had a stitch and he said,I dont care,you hold 72 FLEX GARYPHILLIPS,
30. 30. it in.Whatever hits his head goes out of his mouth. ON HIS PROSPECTS IN THE OPEN CLASS The plan is to do one last 212 Olympia,and probably Prague afterwards,then take 2015 off and compete in 2016.I will probably make my open debut at the Arnold Classic.I want to be top three.I would never say I could win the open class Olympia.To me thats idiotic. Thats not even on my radar.I think I could do well at the Arnold because that gets judged differently to the Olympia.Ive seen guys of all shapes and sizes do well at the Arnold.I cant be scared thinking of the size of the guys Ill be up against.If you have that fear it will tell in your physique. ON HIS LIKELY OPEN CLASS WEIGHT Ill be in the 220sprobably between 220 and 225 on the day of the show.I can get up to 250,no problem,so if I can get up there and diet down I can get down to 220 or 225. ON WHEN HE PLANS TO QUIT I want to leave on top.I want to set a legacy of winning three 212 Olympias and doing well in the open class.Im 30 now.I dont know what age I will quit but I wont be one of those guys that competes forever.Look at Jay Cutler: he was the king,now hes a very smart businessman.He is one of the few guys ve looked at from afar and learned from. ON LIFE AFTER BODYBUILDING I look at everything as a business now. I own my own corporation and have LLCs underneath that,in and out of the sport. I have my own show,a quarter share in a club, a clothing rangea lot of pros are flat-ass broke because they thought this thing would never end.Im one injury away from it ending so I have started now.Bodybuilding will be the path to the next chapter in my life. Im not going to be like that film The Wrestler, thinking Im going to win the Olympia when Im beat up and torn up.I want to leave when Im on top and segue into a new path. Mentally Im already prepared for it.Thats the hardest part for a lot of athletes because they cant get over the fact theyre done.FLEX 74 FLEX GARYPHILLIPS,MIKEMADAR
31. 31. Henominatedtwo:1975, whenhisfriendArnold Schwarzeneggerwonin SouthAfrica,and1983,an eventhepromoted.Here aretheinsidestoriesof thosetwospecialevents. WhichMrOlympia contestwasthe best?Itsahotly debatedsubject. WeaskedAlbertBusek, editoroftheGerman editionofFLEXandan IFBBvice-president,who sawhisfirstMrOlympia in1971,toselecthis favourite. OF THE Arnold Schwarzenegger Franco Columbo 76 FLEX 77FLEX PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK
32. 32. ThecontestinSouthAfricastruckablowagainstapartheidand sawArnoldSchwarzeneggerathisall-timebest WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ALBERT BUSEK A MILESTONE FOR SPORT AND HUMANITY The year was 1975 and South Africa was still in the grip of apartheid.The idea of this divided country hosting a world sports championship seemed to be little more than a distant dream.But Ben Weider,then president of the IFBB,set himself the goal of achieving the impossible and he was determined not to let anyone or anything stand in the way. In sport,there are no limitations,no barriers of race,religion,politics or culture, Ben famously said.In sport,we are in touch with each other. That year,under the patronage of the countrys sports minister,Piet Koornhof, Bens dream came true and South Africa reached a key milestone.Athletes,trainers, administrative staff and other officials of all colours stayed in the same hotel and travelled in the same bus. I accompanied Arnold Schwarzenegger around South Africa and saw first hand what things were really like then: the overcrowdedcolouredsections for black people on the buses while thewhites- onlysections remained practically empty. It was only then that I began to realise the extent of what Ben had accomplished in the name of bodybuilding.Of all the many great achievements of the worlds athletes over the years this,for me,was the biggest victory of all. BACKSTAGE BATTLE In the warm-up roomthe subterranean main hall of the University of Pretoria space was limited,to say the least. In this cramped,thick-carpeted room, the atmosphere could not have been more tense.The big guns were all keen to demonstrate,through words and gestures, they were there to win.Everyone was determined,in his own way,to look confident and convince the others he was the best. It was fascinating to observe the different temperaments.While Lou Ferrigno obediently followed the instructions being barked by his father,Mattsometimes very loudlyArnold and Franco Columbu got up to their usual joking around (Lou was the most frequent target of their jokes). Meanwhile,Ed Corney busied himself with lifting barbells without making a soundyou couldnt even hear him breathe.Frank Zane, the university academic and the intellectual in this group of superstars,appeared to consider himself above the whole business. We would later learn that this show of self-confidence was just thatin reality, he failed to deliver. The tension was heightened further by rumours surrounding Arnold,the title-holder. The rumours took less than 24 hours to reach the relatively small bodybuilding community in Germany,even though fax machines were not yet invented.The reason for the speculation was the film Stay Hungry, for which the reigning Mr Olympia had been forced to significantly reduce his body weight. Filming in Birmingham,Alabama,had taken Arnoldat prejudging 78 FLEX 79FLEX PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK
33. 33. two months longer than planned,leaving Arnold with only two months to prepare to defend his title in South Africa.Would it be enough? Would he be too light for Lou? Would he have enough definition to beat Serge and Franco? In the weeks leading up to the championships,Id already felt Olympia fever slowly tightening its grip on me.Now I was right at the centre of the action as IFBB official Oscar State announced:Three minutes to go! A LIGHTWEIGHT TREAT TheauditoriumattheUniversityofPretoria wasfilledtoburstingbutyoucouldhavecut thetensionwithaknifeasRegParkprepared toinvitethecontestantsonstagetofightfor thebiggestprizeinbodybuilding. Eventuallythebestathletesintheworld emergedfromthedepthsoftheuniversity andsteppedintothelimelight. Inalltheexcitement,Idforgottenthe conteststartedwiththelightweightcategory formenunder200lbs.Asabodybuildingfan, itgotmypulseracingtoseetheselighter Olympiansliningup:FrankZane,EdCorney, GiuseppeDeiana,FrancoColumbuand,to mostpeoplessurprise,AlbertBeckles,who hadjustfinishedsecondbehindRobby Robinsoninthemiddleweightcategoryofthe IFBBWorldChampionship,whichwasbeing heldatthesametime. ItwassoonclearthatZane,theidolofso manyathletesaroundtheworld,wasnoton hisbestform.Hehadnottrainedhardenough andatthislevel,thatssomethingyoujust cantgetawaywith.Ifyoudonthavethe necessarystrength,noamountofstage presenceisenoughtowinthetitlenoteven ifyoureFrankZane. EdCorney,FrancoColumbu andAlbertBecklesatprejudging ItbecameclearthatLouandSerge werefightingforsecondplace EdCorney PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK MR OLYMPIA 1975 RESULTS CLASS PLACE NAME COUNTRY Overall Arnold Schwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA +200 lbs 1 Arnold Schwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA 2 Serge Nubret FRANCE 3 Lou Ferrigno USA -200 lbs 1 Franco Columbu ITALY 2 Ed Corney USA 3 Albert Beckles UK 4 Frank Zane USA 5 Giuseppe Deiana ITALY From head to toe, Franco Columbo had all the attributes of a champion 80 FLEX PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK
34. 34. TheoppositewastrueofEdCorney.Ed, whohadjustturned42,hadbeentrainingwith Arnoldandtheresultssurprisedeverybody. Hewastheepitomeofmasculinityrightdown tohismoustache.Itwasaprivilegetoseehim inhisfirstOlympia. On the far left stood the athlete who,for many years,had been the biggest of the smallathletesFranco Columbu.Its hard to describe the visual impact of his muscles. From head to toe,he had all the attributes of a champion.With his legendary lats and his captivating definition,Franco was the muscle mountainthat everyone else had to conquer in that category. By then,Franco had already been trying for many years to topple the mighty Arnold. Although it no longer seemed likely he would succeed,in South Africa he appeared better prepared than the year before.Franco was the embodiment of a muscular athlete par excellence. With respect to the others,the contest was all about Columbu and Corney,though Beckles also put in a surprisingly strong performance.Beckles was the rookie of the year,from a European point of view. In those days,the posing round counted for a much higher proportion of the overall contest and could really make or break an athletes chances of winning.Zane impressed with his distinctive style in the freestyle round and Beckles astonished the audience with his muscularity.Columbus inimitable talent for either speeding up or slowing down his posing,and for suddenly switching from a classic pose to a power pose,was met with jubilant cries from the crowd. But it was Ed Corney who really pushed the boundaries in the posing round.His interpretation of muscle control was unique. When he started posing,you could believe you were watching a Michelangelo statue coming to life.Every movement was solid, had been practised a hundred times and was unbelievably expressive.In 1975 in South Africa,Ed Corney showed everyone what posing can beart. The highlights of thismuscle symphony were the transitions between the back,side and front poses and back again.You felt the presence of utter perfection when he moved slowly out of the double biceps pose, stretched his left arm out behind him and equally slowly leaned his whole body forwards,without compromising the integrity of the pose by a single millimetre.This was bodybuilding at its most beautiful. Corney was in no hurry to leave the stage but when he did,he left like a champion to the kind of thunderous applause you dont hear very often.Everyone in the room knew they had seen something special that day.Even now,39 years later,I get goosebumps when I think about By the final stages,there were only three men in itBeckles,Columbu and Corney. The audience held its breath as head judge Reg Park announced Franco had won,by a hairs breadth. It was the first time in a world championship Id seen Franco look visibly shattered.Hed given every single bit of strength in his powerhouse body.The intensity of the duel had left even these elite athletes close to exhaustion. Ed Corney finished second and bore the result with tremendous dignity,and Albert Beckles was delighted with third place especially since Frank Zane had finished behind him in fourth. THE HEAVYWEIGHTS: ARNOLD OWNS THE STAGE The heavyweight category was all about Arnold Schwarzenegger,Lou Ferrigno and Serge Nubretthemagnificent threewho, that year in South Africa,defined bodybuilding for decades to come and whose SergeNubret Serge,BenWeider,ArnoldandLou PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK 82 FLEX
35. 35. Arnold cemented a status in the history of bodybuilding that can only be compared to that of Muhammad Ali in boxing names even now still carry a magnetic power. These three big yet very different personalities were to surpass everything that had previously been seen in the Mr Olympia. During the warm-up,they all tried various psychological tactics to undermine each others confidence.Doing biceps curls,Lou began to cry out as though he were performing karate chops and even in this moment of extreme tension,Arnold kept his sense of humour and asked his rival if he was at the wrong championship.Lou didnt let it get to him though,and carried on pumping his 275 lbs body like a machine.Meanwhile, in the corner,still wearing his robe,Serge Nubret was simultaneously working his arms and calves. Lou undressed first,intending to shock his opponents,but Serge and Arnold were unfazed.They were both feeling too strong. When Arnold eventually disrobed,first Lous father Matt and then Lou himself looked visibly rattled.But after a second of shock, Lou recovered himself again and addressed Arnold:Today its my show! Only Serge was still wearing his robe when Oscar State announced the start of the competition,and when the Guadeloupe-born Frenchman eventually undressed,it appeared to make a big impression on Lou.It was several seconds before he turned his eyes away again.Did Lou already know then that his high body weight would turn out to be a miscalculation? Serge,who had until then remained silent, now went on the attack.Leaning close to Arnold,he said in a quavering voice: Today Ill get you! Sergesexceptionalmuscledefinitionin SouthAfricasetastandardthatlookedhard tobeat.Moststrikingly,histinywaisttook thingstoanewlevelandlaiddowna benchmarkforprobodybuildingthatstill remains.Sergehadevenmanagedtoimprove histhighsandcalves,formerlyhisbiggest weaknesses,butthediscrepancybetweenhis lowerandupperbodywasstillevident.Would itbeenoughtotoppleArnoldfromhis throne? Surroundedbyanarmyofphotographers, thethreeathletesmountedthestepstothe stage:firstArnold,thenLouandfinallySerge, onwhomallexpectationswerenowfocused. Sergeswitchedpositionsandplacedhimself betweentheothertwocontestants. Spectatorscouldbarelybelievetheireyesat Sergestaperedupperbody.Nexttothehuge massofhistwoopponents,helookedalmost delicate. The contrast between him and Lou was especially stark: 6 ft 5 ins and 275 lbs next to 5 ft 11 ins and 200 lbs.What they both lacked, Arnold seemed to combine in a single ideal body,setting himself apart from his opponents right from the start. Byenteringathislowestchampionship weightofthepastfewyears234lbshehad seeminglyachievedperfection.Theprevious year,hedbeenathisheaviestchampionship weightsofar247lbsandnow,inSouth Africa,hewasdemonstratingthatevenas leanArnold,hehadlostnothingofhis Afriendlyhugbywinner Arnoldafterwards Arnoldleaves thestageto thunderous applause ThemightyLou Ferignowas alwaysacrowd pleaser PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK 84 FLEX
36. 36. strikingformandphenomenalsymmetry. He was clearly superior to his opponents, not just in the overall impression he gave but in every single muscle group.There was only one exception: Serges impossibly small waistline.But in an athlete as powerful as Arnold,such a small waist would have compromised the overall athletic effect. When it came to the combination of muscle mass,muscularity and symmetry, Arnoldthe unbeaten Mr Olympia title- holder since 1970was setting a new standard.I said then that in future, we should measure perfection in degrees Schwarzenegger. Inthecompulsoryround,Arnolds superioritybecameclearerstill.Withevery singlepose,heincreasedhisadvantage. Evenhissmallestmusclegroupswerestrikingly definedashecarriedouteverycompulsory posewithtextbookperfection.Totopitall, hedeliveredeverythingwiththekindof naturalcharismararelyseeninanysport. Duringtheindividualposing,itbecameclear Louhadmadeabigtacticalerror.Assuming hedbeabletocrushhislighteropponentswith sheersize,hedcometoSouthAfricamuchtoo heavy.Thecrevicesbetweenhismuscleswere notdeepenough;thecontrastbetweenthe differentmusclegroupswasnotsharpenough. Nexttosomeoneasslimandwelldefinedas Serge,thisdeficiencywasevenmoreapparent. Lousgiganticmasswentdownwellwiththe fans,buthewastheretowinandhisstrategy hadcompletelybackfired. Sergewasdefinitiveproofthatfinely sculptedmuscleswillalwaystriumphover massalone.Hisposingwasbeautyinmotion. JustasIwaswonderingifanybodycould betterhisphysique,thereweredeafening cheersasArnoldappeared.Yetagain,hehad achievedtheimpossibleandwentonebetter thanhisopponent.InSouthAfrica,Arnold Schwarzeneggercementedastatusinthe historyofbodybuildingthatcanonlybe comparedtothatofMuhammadAliinboxing. Ineveryaspect,Arnoldwasinhisownleague: unbeatable. Thejudgesagreed.Whiletheyrepeatedly calledSergeandLoubacktothestage, Arnoldpacedquietlybackandforthinthe background.Heappearedcompletelyfocused, preparedforeverypossiblecomparison,for everyfurtheropportunitytodisplayhis superiority.Healreadyknewvictorybelonged tohim. Inthebattlefortheoveralltitle,friends ArnoldSchwarzeneggerandFrancoColumbu stoodsidebysideastheyhadinprevious years.Andjustlikeinpreviousyears,the AustrianOakwastoostrong.Francohad knownitfromthestart,butthehugecheers forhislatspreadlefthimoverjoyed.The verdictwasunanimousandArnoldsidol,Reg Park,finallydeclaredhimMrOlympiafora sixthconsecutiveyear. Afterwards,Arnoldthankedhisteamand announcedhisretirementfrominternational competition.Overthosefewhours,themain hallofPretoriaUniversityhadbeen transformed into the Arnold auditorium. Legendaryphotographer AnnieLeibovitzwith Arnold,LouandSerge inthewarm-uproom Maybethe greatest threequarter backposeever ArnoldandFranco sightseeingin Capetown AhappytrioinSouthAfrica: Arnold,AlbertandReg 86 FLEX PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK
37. 37. SamirBannoutbecamethelastmanweighinglessthan200lbs towintheOlympiaonadramaticnightinMunichthatsaw LeeHaneysOlympiacareerstart,FrankZanesend,aguest appearancebyTomPlatzandanearriotoverBertilFoxsplacing Thirty years ago,before the internet,mobile phones and social media,the only way to read about bodybuilding was in magazines.Fortunately for us in the media,we got to witness the historic contests and stars first-hand so I was honoured when Albert Busek,who promoted the 1983 Mr Olympia,asked me to recall it for this 50th Olympia special edition.Although it was more than 30 years ago,I remember it like yesterday.In fact,the 1983 Olympia is the one I remember the most and it stands out above all others. Stepping off the plane in Munich I was anxious and excited.It was my first time in Germany and I had the feeling this Mr. Olympia was going to be special. In those days the competition moved from country to country.The previous event had taken place in London. Albert Busek is one of the most passionate individuals about bodybuilding I have known. He was the publisher of Sport Revue magazine at the time and a world-renowned physique photographer who was largely responsible for bodybuildings huge popularity and success in Germany.He helped to build the German federation into one of the IFBBs strongest,so when we heard he would be promoting the 1983 event at the site of the 1972 Olympic Games,a huge buzz erupted throughout the bodybuilding community. We all knew Busek,a perfectionist,would raise the bar. As the weekends events unfolded it soon became clear we were right.It would be one of the most memorable contests of all time. Everything from the hotel and venue to the post-contest banquet was organised to the highest standards. Of particular interest to me was the outstanding stage lighting that was perfect in highlighting the spectacular physiques. Until this event,we always struggled with substandard lighting. In 1983,bodybuilding,boosted by the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Conan the Barbarian,was at an all-time high in Germany so it was no surprise to see nearly 5,000 enthusiastic fans packed into the Olympia Halle for what would be one of the most controversial battles in Olympia history. THE CONTENDERS With 1982 champion Chris Dickerson absent, everyone debated his likely successor. Rumours circulated that the superbly balanced Samir Bannout,the Lion of Lebanon,had finally got his act together by squeezing out the water that had so often prevented him from being at his best. Three-time Mr.Olympia Frank Zane was back after his runner-up finish to Dickerson the previous year.Some felt newcomer Lee Haney would pose a serious threat.Few predicted Englands Bertil Fox and Egypts Mohamed Makkawy were destined to play a major role in the unfolding drama. Never one to hold back,Bannout got off to a bad start at the IFBB pro meeting the night before the competition by asking IFBB judge LudekNosekwhyhehadplacedhimsolowin BY GARRY BARTLETT PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARRY BARTLETT AND JRGEN FREISLER A CLASH OF AGES TheLionof Lebanon had neverbeenin bettershape thanon24th September, 1983.Hewas adeserving MrOlympia 88 FLEX 89FLEX
38. 38. 1982,whenhefinished4th.Makkawaysaid ifanyonehadarighttocomplain,hedid becausehehadfinished7thin1982despite manypeopletellinghimheshouldhavewon. EventheusuallyintrovertedBertilFoxpiped up,sayingthemostmuscularposeshouldbe incorporatedintothecompulsoryposes.His pleafellondeafearsbuthaditbeenadded, theoutcomemighthavebeendifferent. Whentheshowstartedtheaudiencewas introducedtoawhoswhoofbodybuilding. ThisincludedJoeandBettyWeider,Benand HuguetteWeider,ArnoldSchwarzeneggers mother,GoldsGymfounderJoeGoldandIFBB officialsWayneDeMilia,JacquesBlommaert andOscarState. And,ofcourse,ArnoldSchwarzenegger. HowcouldaMr.Olympiatakeplacein GermanywithoutanappearancebyArnold! AlongwithsidekickFrancoColumbu,Arnold setthemoodwithafewhumorouscomments thatpreparedeveryoneforwhatwastocome. THE GOLDEN EAGLE LANDS Following an entertaining posing routine by robot man Russ Testo,we were surprised to hear Tom Platz also being introduced as a guest poser.We expected to see Platz, nicknamed the Golden Eagle,in the competition but a torn biceps forced him to withdraw.Platz was one of the most popular bodybuilders in the world,as evidenced by the standing ovation he received. FifteenoftheworldsbestIFBBpros thencompetedforthetitle. Lance Dreher,the massively armed world heavyweight champion,finished last. Considering his reputation for intimidating size and thick,stocky development,a lot was expected of Dreher.But he failed to impress with less than contest condition,which might explain his lacklustre performance. I feel blessed to have witnessed Ed Corney, who finished 14th.Corney came into bodybuilding late in life but his astounding physique and stage charisma made up for it. One month from his 50th birthday,he wanted to prove age was not a factor in competitive bodybuilding.In reality,he was well off his best condition but it didnt affect his legendary posing and ability to entertain with classic transitions and spell-binding magic. Frances Gerard Buinoud was in superb condition with bone-dry muscularity but was no match for the favourites and had to settle for 13th. In 12th place was the previous years IFBB World Championships middleweight winner, American Dale Ruplinger.He gave a gutsy attempt to get a rise out of the packed arena by posing to Eye Of the Tiger but he fell short in terms of size and mass. Bannoutscombinationof aesthetic,athleticand symmetrymadehim the 7thmantowinMrOlympiaSamirBannout: Imthehappiest manontheplanet 90 FLEX
39. 39. Americas lightweight world champion James Gaubert held his own against lighter bodybuilders with rock-hard conditioning and excellent posing but this was the big time.He couldnt match the required size and mass of the top finishers.Still he did manage to pull off a respectable 11th place finish. HERES HOW THE TOP 10 FINISHED: 10th Jacques Neuville (France) Neuvilles claim to fame was defeating the highly rated Tim Belknap to become the first man from his country to win an IFBB world championship.Good looks,great shape and pleasing symmetry made him a crowd favourite but again he lacked size compared to the best. 9th Hubert Metz (Germany) When it came to spot-on conditioning and bone-dry muscularity you needed to look no further than Metz,who came to Munich equipped with the necessary arsenal of weapons to challenge the favourites. Unfortunately,Metzs biggest competitor seemed to be himself as he failed to project a winners attitude and the aggressive desire to win.This probably cost him a couple of placings in the final results. 8th Johnny Fuller (UK) In spite of an awkward and less than professional posing routine,Fullers granite-hard conditioning helped him to leap ahead of shapelier and better balanced challengers.When it came to pure raw muscle and chiselled muscularity he was hard to ignore. 7th Albert Beckles (UK) Beckles more than any other champion proved over and over again that older people could succeed at the top in pro bodybuilding. He was by now in his late 40s but sported his customary bone-dry conditioning and forged-muscle density. 6th Jusup Wilkosz (Germany) When the stern-faced Wilkosz made his entrance on stage and started to perform his stoic routine it was obvious he was a strong favourite.His tank-like physique was made even more impressive by rock-hard conditioning.He was one of the most heavily muscled competitors on stage and considering his shape and conditioning he should have finished higher.Unfortunately, his stony expression and lack of stage charisma didnt go down favourably with the judges. 5th Bertil Fox (UK) Coming into the 1983 Mr.Olympia I dont think anyone could have predicted the kind of sensation the usually reserved Fox would create.The Englishman was at this time perhaps pound-for-pound the most muscular man on the planet.Unfortunately,he seemed to take his spectacular development for granted and didnt show the kind offlair required to gain the judgesattention. During morning prejudging this muscular colossus dominated others with his mass and mounds of full-bellied muscles,but something was missing.He just wasnt In spite of Foxs superior mass and crowd popularity he failed to matchthe total package Bannout presented BertilFoxand SamirBannout atprejudging BertilFoxin oneofhis bestposes 92 FLEX
40. 40. getting the most out of what he had to offer and appeared awkward and unprofessional alongside the likes of Zane,Makkawy and Bannout. But during the evening finals his first pose seemed to send a bolt of electricity through the crowd.Posing to Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye,the crowd suddenly came alive and began cheering for him.Fox responded with a series of poses that featured his spectacular arms,which created an even greater frenzy. For the first time in his career Fox was acknowledged as a muscular phenomena and he milked it for all he was worth.Fuelled by the unexpected reaction Fox began hitting a series of signature most muscular poses, much to the delight of the hysterical crowd that included an enthusiastic Arnold Schwarzenegger,who was jumping out of his seat shouting and screaming,Now thats your Mr.Olympia! Had he displayed this kind of desire to win and crowd-pleasing charisma at the morning prejudging,things might have ended differently. 4th Frank Zane (USA) This would be the last time we would witness the greatness of three-time Mr Olympia Frank Zane.Despite being in his best condition at the age of 41,time was catching up.Never known for size and mass,he could no longer continue winning on his pristine muscularity and superb symmetry.Like a living statue he glided through one classic pose after another. But a new age of mass and size was coming and the magnificent Zane didnt fit into the new world order.In contrast to the larger and fuller front-runners he simply didnt have the required mass and was lucky to slip by the hulking Fox. 3rd Lee Haney (USA) This was the previous years heavyweight world champions first Mr.Olympia and it was clear we were looking at greatness in the making.The small joints coupled with yard-wide shoulders,narrow waist and hips were the foundation of a future champion. Once more quality pounds of solid muscle got added and distributed evenly on his frame there would be no stopping the totally awesome Haney.But on this occasion his lack of big contest experience resulted in a mediocre and lacklustre posing routine. Still,his easygoing attitude made him an instant crowd favourite. MR OLYMPIA 1983 RESULTS PLACE NAME COUNTRY POINTS 1. Samir Bannout LEBANON 29 2. Mohamed Makkawy EGYPT 40 3. Lee Haney USA 73 4. Frank Zane USA 80 5. Bertil Fox UK 87 6. Jusup Wilkosz GERMANY 125 7. Albert Beckles UK 99* 8. Johnny Fuller UK 119* 9. Hubert Metz GERMANY 152* 10. Jacques Neuville FRANCE 155* 11. James Gaubert USA 158* 12. Dale Ruplinger USA 173* 13. Gerard Buinoud FRANCE 201* 14. Ed Corney USA 202* 15. Lance Dreher USA 217* *not in final AlbertBeckles,FrankZaneand MohamedMakkawyatprejuding LeeHaney,SamirBannout andMohamedMakkawy attheVictoryCeremony JusupWilkosz,SamirBannout andBertilFoxduringthefinal comparison
41. 41. 2nd Mohamed Makkawy (Egypt) InLondonthepreviousyearMakkawynearly stoletheshowwithhismagnificentshape, conditioningandcharisma.Somechampions justhavetheXfactor,andMakkawywasone ofthem.In1983hewasconsideredoneofthe favouritesandwhenhegracefully commencedposingtoChariotsofFireitwas evidentwewerelookingatthepossible winner.Allhismagnificentqualitieswere there:colour,separation,balanceand proportion.Hadhebeenjustatriflesharper thetitlemighthavebeenhis.Butintheend hewasnomatchfortheunequalled developmentofSamirBannout. 1st Samir Bannout (Lebanon) Inthedaysbeforethecompetition,Bannout braggedthathewas25%betterthanthe previousyearandthetitlewouldbehis.Most ofuswereusedtothiskindofself-promotion anddiscountedit,asheneverseemedtoback uphisclaims. HowwrongwewereastheLionofLebanon finallygotittogetherandstoodonstagein thebestconditionofhislife. Ironically,hisquesttobecomeMrOlympia almostdidnthappenashecamedownwith seriousstomachpainsjustbeforetheevening show.Fortunately,withhelpfromFranco ColumbuandDrLudekNosek,thejudgethat Bannouthadearliercalledout,hegotsorted outandlandedonstageevensharperthanhe wasatthemorningprejudging. Bannoutwasadeservingwinner.He combinedthesizeofFoxandHaneywiththe shapeandsymmetryofZaneandMakkawy. Whenyouaddjusttherightamountof conditioningtothemix,youhaveadeserving MrOlympia.Evenifeverythingwasequalfrom thefront,Bannoutblewthefieldawayfrom theback. A NEAR RIOT Sadlythe1983Mr.Olympiaisnotremembered forBannoutsoutstandingvictorybutthe controversialdecisiontoplaceFoxfifth.In30 yearsofcoveringtheMrOlympiaIhavenever witnessedsuchgenuineandhostileangeras thatwhichfollowedFoxsfifthplace announcement. Itgotsoloudandunrulythatitbecame intimidating.Thecrowdrefusedtoacceptit anddemandeditbechanged.Itwasclearthe judgeswerescaredtothepointofconsidering achangeastheloudbooing,whistlingand aggressiveshoutingbecamesointenseaariot becamepossible.Itwasafullsixminutes beforethecrowdeventuallysettleddownand allowedtherestoftheplacing announcementstobemade. ShouldFoxbeendeclaredMr.Olympia? Theanswerisno.Itwasnotacontesttopick themostmuscularmanandinspiteofhis superiormassandcrowdpopularityhefailedto matchthetotalpackagethatBannout presented.In1983posingplayedamuchmore importantpartinthescoringthanitdoestoday. Foxwasawkwardanduneasy.Thosethat finishedabovehimweremastersofphysique display.Buthisawesomephysicaldevelopment couldhaveseenhimfinishashighas2ndor3rd. The 1983 Mr.Olympia set a new standard and marked the end of the era of smaller, shapelier athletes as nobody weighing less than 200 lbs has ever won the title again.It was Bannouts only Olympia triumph and set in motion the dominant reign of the larger, more heavily muscled titans,beginning with eight-time winner Lee Haney and then Dorian Yates,Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler.FLEX The booing, whistling and aggressive shouting became so intense a riot became possible ArnoldcheersforBertilFox, muchtotheamusementof Franco(rightofArnold), RickWayne(leftofArnold) andRobertKennedy (sittingbehindArnold) Samirsavours themoment SamirBannoutposesforthe cameras,includingthatof FlexsChrisLund,left. 96 FLEX