The Texas native returned home and was scheduled for surgery at Baylor Hospital. He should recover and back on stage in 2012.

This comes as a shock as Warren was one of the few expected to give defending champion Jay Cutler a run for his money. Warren stood in the winner’s circle in March at the prestigious Arnold Classic and has placed third and second, respectively, at the last two Olympias.

Source: http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php/115257-Branch-Warren-OUT-OF-OLYMPIA-with-torn-quad-tendon.-Will-recover-to-defend-Arnold-title-in-2012

If the judges feel that Cutler has come into the show as good or better than he looked last September, then he will in all likelihood win his fourth Sandow trophy in five years. But Greene brings something extra to the table in showmanship and has become a fan favorite almost overnight. Prior to the 2009 Arnold, his name didn’t immediately conjure up thoughts of big wins, but the Brooklyn, New York native blew everyone away with a physique and posing routine that will go down in history as one of the most unique of all time.

At the 2009 Olympia, Greene did not look as sharp and took fourth in his first attempt at the Sandow. He obviously peaked earlier in the year and will try to use that to his advantage this time around. He knows what didn’t work then and will do his best to change that 12 months later.

Bodybuilding fans know that Greene will be be a force on stage. It depends on if the judges feel the same way.

It was last June that Coleman first announced live on MuscleSport Radio that he was making his comeback and training for the Olympia and the story was the talk of the bodybuilding industry. When the man who is tied for the most Sandows in the history of the sport speaks of donning the posing trunks again, that is to be expected.

Now after having some time to think it over, “The King” has decided that the time was not right for him to join the ranks in Las Vegas this September.

The obvious question now is – will Coleman retire from bodybuilding? That remains to be seen, but speculation would seem to lead us in that direction. He did seem to be coming along as far as preparation goes with a recent guest posing appearance in Israel on July 2, but what happened between then and now apparently was the deciding factor for Coleman.

It would take a psychology degree online to figure out what is going on in Coleman’s head. Maybe, after so many dedicated years, he has other interests. Training for the Olympia forces one to exclude all other pursuits.

At 46, this would seem to have been the one last gasp for the Arlington, Texas resident. The last time Coleman was on stage was back at the 2007 Olympia, where he finished fourth. To have been away that long from the pain and rigor of dieting and prepping for a contest is tough enough, but to add any more time to that may just spell the end of what was one of the greatest careers in bodybuilding history.

Coleman is known for playing it in his favor and has used all the comeback speculation to his advantage. He still will not officially announce his retirement. In a follow-up with MuscleSport Mag, Coleman wrote, “That’s not safe to say. I’m not retired yet,” in response to us asking him.

So it starts all over again. Because Coleman has been looking in better condition during guest posing appearances of late, he has kept that air of doubt hanging over the bodybuilding world. His latest came on August 29 in Poland where ‘The King’ appeared to be in his best shape in quite some time, thus giving the impression that he would be back on stage sooner than later.

Maybe next time.

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English followed up on his victory at the New York Pro 202 by defeating a deeper line-up in Las Vegas. Henry – who finished in third place in New York – was the runner-up while Eduardo Correia took third in only his second pro show. Mark Dugdale and Flex Lewis rounded out the rest of the top five.

Since the 202 began at last year’s Olympia, English and Henry have been the top dogs. That has intensified in the year since then and the Long Islander views that as a positive. “For me, David motivates me to be a better bodybuilder,” said English.

Heading into the O, the confidence level that English showed was apparent. He did so with good reason and looked tremendous at a guest posing appearance two months before the show. Although he knew that the competition would be difficult, nothing would stop him.  “At this point it doesn’t matter,” he quickly quipped. “I’m so immensely focused and pumped up for the show…anybody can go in. It’s my show.”

Now that he has beaten his rival in consecutive competitions, English will have more people gunning for him the next time out. He surely will not overlook Henry, either. Both have found a home in the 202s and should continue to go at it for a long time to come.

KEVIN ENGLISH CONTEST HISTORY

*1996 Atlantic States Championships – 2nd Place

*1998 NPC Nationals – 1st Place

*2000 IFBB Night of the Champions – 14th Place

*2006 IFBB New York Pro – 17th Place

*2008 IFBB New York Pro – 2nd Place

*2008 New York Pro 202 – 1st Place

*2008 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 16th Place

*2008 Olympia Showdown 202 – 2nd Place

*2009 New York Pro 202 – 1st Place

*2009 Olympia Showdown 202 – 1st Place

All of a sudden Heath’s right knee gave out and he went to the ground, rolled on his back and grabbed his knee. It took only a few seconds before backstage personnel came to his aid and they cut the music. For nearly a minute, Heath just stayed in that position until he turned his head towards the crowd and said, “I was just cramping up. I’m sorry.”

A loud applause followed and he was helped to his feet. He then said, “I don’t know what the hell happened. I’ve been cramping up all day,” and blamed the warm weather as a possible reason. Heath then told everyone that he would walk off the stage and begin his routine all over again. Needless to say, he stayed away from that low pose during the second routine.

Heath appeared no worse for wear but it did seem that he was being more cautious, even at one point taking a peek behind him when he was getting set to perform a rear lat spread while standing close to the front of the stage.

What remains to be seen is if there are any complications to his knee the following day. Heath may have felt as if it was nothing serious and was able to get through the routine, but it could have been worse than it appeared.

All in all, Heath appeared to be in superb condition and looked much better than he did in May when he guest posed at the NPC Long Island. He still seems to be carrying a little too much weight for his 5’9″ frame – perhaps a cause of the accidental slip – but seems to be on his way to a great showing at the Mr. Olympia contest in September.

If even the slightest injury was suffered to his knee, Heath may have to miss some preparation time. The worst case scenario would be that it is serious enough to cause him to miss the Olympia, which would be a crime. “The Gift” finished in third place in 2008, quite an accomplishment for his rookie ‘O.’ He was also being spoken of as one of the favorites in a deep line-up.

PHIL HEATH’S CONTEST HISTORY

’03 NPC Northern Colorado – 1st Men’s Novice & Open Overall Champ
’03 NPC Colorado State – 1st Men’s Light-Heavyweight
’04 NPC Colorado State – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ
’05 NPC Junior Nationals – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ
’05 NPC USA’s – 1st Men’s Heavyweight & Overall Champ * (Awarded Pro Card)
’06 IFBB Colorado Pro Show – 1st
’06 IFBB New York Pro – 1st
’07 IFBB Arnold Classic – 5th
’08 IFBB Ironman Pro – 1st
’08 IFBB Arnold Classic – Runner-up
’08 IFBB Mr. Olympia – 3rd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQR2eLRIuJM&feature=player_embedded

Coleman originally intended on competing in this year’s Olympia but his travel commitments with BSN proved to be too much and would have affected his preparation.

The back injury that caused him to finish in fourth place at the 2007 Mr. Olympia and subsequent surgery  that made him sit out 2008 is 100 percent and was not a factor in Coleman putting off his comeback by a year. Coleman feels that the time off will be an advantage for him, as far as the back recuperation and not putting his body through contest prep for the past few years.

Coleman made a recent guest posing appearance at the Atlantic States in New York City and stated that he weighed under 300 pounds that night. During his active career, he said that he would go as high as 320 in the offseason and cut down to approximately 295 on stage.

Tied with Lee Haney for the most Olympia wins, Coleman still has that fire and desire to go out there and will make history with his ninth Olympia victory.

When ‘The King’ walks on the stage next year in Las Vegas, it will be the biggest comeback in bodybuilding history since Arnold Schwarzenegger returned in 1980 after five years away from competing.

The episode including the interview can be heard using the media player below.

BE SURE TO READ OUR UPCOMING ONLINE MAGAZINE FOR UPDATES ON THE RON COLEMAN COMEBACK. THIS WILL BE PRODUCED THE SAME AS A PRINT PUBLICATION AND HAVE A ‘PAGE FLIPPER’ VIEWER.

So Dena…how did you feel about taking 9^th place?

“I was shooting for a top ten placing, so I was thrilled with 9^th. It was just amazing to be standing on the stage I’ve watched from the crowd so many times. In my mind I am already a winner, I don’t need a panel of judges to confirm that. Being a winner is way deeper than being number one, if that makes sense.”

Yes, I totally get that! After all, just getting yourself into the condition you displayed on stage and making all the improvements to your physique that were so immediately visible makes you a winner. Out of your fellow athletes, who impressed you the most?

“I was thrilled with Debi Laszewski (who placed second). Her condition was off the hook. Her placing proves to the ‘shorter’ competitors that it’s not about your size. Debi and I usually run close together…so I have hopes of a top 5 placing here in the next couple of years.”

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

“I can’t think of anything I could have done differently….everything went my way. I did lose track of my music during my routine (lol!). I guess it happens to everyone once, but I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen to me again.”

So what about your preparation for the NY Pro show, what do you plan to do?

“I can’t really make many large changes in the seven weeks I have between shows. My goal is to tighten up my glute/ham area. I’m training my legs 4 days a week. I’m not killing them though, but they feel it the next day. I do the incline treadmill for 30 mins and the rest of my cardio I try to do on the hand bike, so I don’t burn up the size of my legs.

“A typical day of leg training would be 2 sets of walking lunges, 2 sets of box jumps, 3 sets of stiff leg deadlifts. My abs are insanely thick, so I am going to let them rest a bit. They get a workout when I am posing.”

How about your diet and supplements? (Dena is sponsored by SPECIES NUTRITION)

“Same old (Dave) Palumbo diet. Of course I need to tighten up a bit more so I am sure Dave is about to kill me with an extreme diet! I am also using Lipolyze, Somalyze, Isolyze, Fiberlyze and Omegalyze from Species Nutrition in terms of supplements.”

Turning our attention to the ‘big picture’ as far as female bodybuilding is concerned, how do you feel about the current lack of shows for the pro women?

“Well at least the Tampa show is back on, so that’s one good thing. I just tell all the women to compete as much as you can right now and enjoy it. In my opinion mainstream is going to bring us down shortly and all we’ll have are our old pictures and magazine articles…so save all of those too…lol!”

Well, I hope you are wrong about that one Dena…and I know here at Musclesportmag we are going to be working hard to give the women more coverage.

Getting back to the NY Pro though, how do you see yourself placing and where do you take it from there?

“I hope to get a top 3 placing and go to Vegas in September. It will be a tough line up, but I think I will have made enough improvements in the short time I have to carry me through. Regardless of what happens, I plan on enjoying my summer months!”

With the NY Pro just days away from us, I would like to predict that Dena gets that top three placing. So I guess the only thing left for me to say is “See you in Vegas Dena!”

Leigh Penman began her writing career in 1980 when she started her own weekly music column in a Scottish newspaper. From there she went on to writing for all the major music publications in the UK at that time, including ‘Record Mirror’, ‘Sounds’, ‘New Musical Express’ and ‘Number One’. Her work included interview such celebrities as Madonna, Cher, Tina Turner and David Bowie.

The late 80’s saw her moving into writing for nutrition companies and eventually bodybuilding magazines. She rapidly gained a reputation as being one of the top female writers on the bodybuilding scene and was a contributing editor on ‘Muscle & Co’, ‘Bodybuilding Monthly’, ‘Strength Athlete’, ‘Health & Fitness’ and ‘Fit Body’. She was also a major contributor to the Arnold endorsed magazine ‘Bodypower’ –where she went on to establish the position of ‘Show business Editor’. In addition to this she held the position of Ladies Editor for ‘Physiques International’

In between all this she has written for Personal Development magazines and organizations –including Tony Robbins UK division. Has collaborated on book projects with Leslie Kenton –the original Raw Food and female empowerment guru – and written for computer magazines…..and now she is with Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine, Bodybuilding.com, RX muscle.com, Species Nutrition and of course musclesportmag.com!

She is a certified personal trainer, hypnotherapist and has been working out since the age of 15.

On Tuesday May 12 at 1:00 PM Eastern time, MuscleSport Radio will feature NPC figure competitor and fitness model Alli Moyer. Not one to mince words, Moyer can certainly back it up and is absolutely stunning in appearance.

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time on www.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes. 

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask Alli a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS

May 19 – Former NFL player Bill Romanowski

May 26 – Former WWF superstar Lanny Poffo

We are going to reschedule his appearance and will announce the new date as soon as possible. 

The King needs no introduction and the eight-time Mr. Olympia champion has made overtures towards returning to the stage this September in Las Vegas. We will be sure to get into the details concerning this incredible news. 

His official website is www.bigroncoleman.com.

MuscleSport Radio can be heard live every Tuesday from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Eastern time onwww.blogtalkradio.com and all episodes are archived on Blog Talk Radio, MuscleSport Mag and iTunes. 

Please feel free to join us and give us your opinion, ask a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

UPCOMING GUESTS

Tuesday April 28, 1-2 PM – Legendary bodybuilder Dan Lurie

Tuesday May 5, 1-2 PM – Former NFL offensive lineman Tony Mandarich

The official flyer for the 2008 NPC Bev Francis Atlantic States Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships shows a grimacing Jay Cutler busting out a chest pose at what appears to be last year’s Mr. Olympia contest. He is huge and shredded, but still was not an overwhelming winner.

Cutler headlined the Atlantic States qualifier contest as a guest poser, and took the stage in lower Manhattan on June 7, not looking quite as sharp as the advertisement. Don’t get me wrong. I know that the Mr. O is three and a half months away, and there is plenty of time to get in game shape. But Cutler didn’t look much different than he appeared during the Arnold Classic at the beginning of March. Shouldn’t he have tightened it up in the past four months?

You don’t win two Sandow trophies by accident, so Cutler must have his training regiment spelled out and carefully calculated. If he did an appearance, let’s say in August, I’m sure I would be eating my words.

At the Bev Frabcis event, Cutler appeared very thick in the middle, and soft in that section, as well. While he did appear to have the size, he just didn’t look like a champion. (You be the judge and let me know what you think about this picture of Cutler.) His controversial wins at the Olympia have cast doubt on him to begin with, so one would figure that he would do everything he can to be a slam dunk winner in Vegas. And maybe he will, but judging by his latest appearance, he still has a long way to go.
Photo by Mark Rupp