“I’m actually happy right now,” Cutler said with a smile as he congratulated Heath on the win.

Overcome with emotion, Heath reveled in being congratulated by the other nine finalists and then brought up a story when he first met Cutler backstage at a local bodybuilding show. “I was playing college basketball back then…all scrawny and I saw (Cutler) walk by and I thought to myself, ‘That’s one big dude,’” recalled Heath.

Heath becomes the 13th man to win the Sandow and prevented Cutler from joining an elite group with five or more titles (Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ron Coleman).

Rounding out the top 10 were Kai Greene, Victor Martinez, Dennis Wolf, Dexter Jackson, Toney Freeman, Brandon Curry, Ronny Rockel and Hidetada Yamagishi.

Nicole Wilkins reclaimed the Figure Olympia title she lost to Erin Stern in 2010, with Stern taking the runner-up spot and Ava Cowan placing third.

OFFICIAL RESULTS – MEN’S OPEN

“I just didn’t feel like doing it,” he said when asked why he sat this one out. “I’m going to concentrate on the Olympia. A lot of people are under the misnomer that you have to win an Arnold before getting an Olympia and that’s just not so. There’s been Olympia winners that never won the Arnold and Arnold winners that never won the Olympia.”

Heath is sort of correct in that assessment. Since the first Arnold Classic in 1989, there have been 14 different winners. Only three of those men (Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson) have also tasted victory at the Mr. Olympia. It remains to be seen if Branch Warren can become the fourth.

Since 1989, there have been only five different men taking home the Sandow. Besides the aforementioned three, Lee Haney and Dorian Yates finish out that short list and they have never competed at the Arnold. Taking it further, there have been two who have won both contests in the same year (Coleman in 2001 and Jackson in 2008).

So it behooves someone to cement their place in bodybuilding history by winning an Arnold Classic en route to making an attempt at the pinnacle of the sport in Las Vegas each September. Heath is right in his statement, but the pattern has shown that one has a better chance on being named Mr. Olympia if they have an Arnold in their back pocket.

MR. OLYMPIA

Year	Winner	Venue
1965	Larry Scott	New York City, New York, United States
1966	Larry Scott	New York City, New York, United States
1967	Sergio Oliva	New York City, New York, United States
1968	Sergio Oliva	New York City, New York, United States
1969	Sergio Oliva	New York City, New York, United States
1970	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York City, New York, United States
1971	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Paris, France
1972	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
1973	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York City, New York, United States
1974	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York City, New York, United States
1975	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
1976	Franco Columbu	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1977	Frank Zane	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1978	Frank Zane	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1979	Frank Zane	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1980	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1981	Franco Columbu	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1982	Chris Dickerson	London, England, United Kingdom
1983	Samir Bannout	Munich, Bavaria, Germany
1984	Lee Haney	New York City, New York, United States
1985	Lee Haney	Brussels, Belgium
1986	Lee Haney	Columbus, Ohio, United States
1987	Lee Haney	Gothenburg, Sweden
1988	Lee Haney	Los Angeles, California, United States
1989	Lee Haney	Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
1990	Lee Haney	Chicago, Illinois, United States
1991	Lee Haney	Orlando, Florida, United States
1992	Dorian Yates	Helsinki, Finland
1993	Dorian Yates	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
1994	Dorian Yates	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
1995	Dorian Yates	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
1996	Dorian Yates	Chicago, Illinois, United States
1997	Dorian Yates	Long Beach, California, United States
1998	Ronnie Coleman	New York City, New York, United States
1999	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2000	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2001	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2002	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2003	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2004	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2005	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2006	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2007	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2008	Dexter Jackson	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2009	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
2010	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Fifteen years later, the women had a contest of their own which was originally titled Miss Olympia. Rachel McLish earned the title in that inaugural show, which had graduated from the earlier bikini contests from yesteryear. The Texas brunette remained at the top of the sport, finishing as the runner-up to Kike Elomaa in 1981 and regaining her crown the following year.

In these early days, George Snyder promoted the Ms. Olympia and hand-picked the contestants. It was held separately from the Mr. O in an attempt to garner interest for the sport. After one win by Carla Dunlap in 1983, Cory Everson took over and began a streak six consecutive wins and eventually became the only woman to ever retire undefeated as a pro. It was during this period that “Pumping Iron II: The Women” was released. NBC also broadcasted the Ms. O as part of their “Sportsworld” programming.

At the same time, Lee Haney was collecting Sandows in the men’s shows. Bodybuilding had two marketable faces with him and Everson and were a big part of the fitness revolution. Everyone just had to have a gym membership in those days as a status symbol and looked at the physiques of Mr. and Ms. Olympia as long term goals.

In the 1990s, what may have seemed attainable by the average Joe or Jane exploded overnight. Dorian Yates grew larger with every Olympia he won and Lenda Murray became the top female on the scene. The Michigan native matched Everson’s mark and set a precedent for years to come as far as the size of women’s physiques on the stage.

The IFBB apparently did not fully agree and felt the need to make some controversial changes following the 1991 Ms. Olympia, which was the first to be televised live. Murray barely edged out Bev Francis, a former Australian powerlifter, by a single point. In 1992, Ben Weider and the rest of the personnel running the federation put a set of guidelines in attempting to “feminize” the sport more and that the contestants should not come in “too big.”

The fans apparently disagreed with this and booed decisions in other shows that awarded smaller contestants. With a crossroads in front of them, the IFBB loosened the Murray’s domination continued until she was unseated by Kim Chievsky, who had a physique similar to Murray’s. She then won three more Ms. Olympias before switching to fitness competitions.

While the women were remaining large-framed, Ronnie Coleman took it to the next level. “The King” ruled the men’s division with a frame that nearly hit 300 pounds on stage. By the year 2000, changes were on hand for the Ms. O. The contest was incorporated as part of Olympia Weekend and held the day before the men’s show, weight classes were established and another attempt was made to downsize the competitors. If that ever occurred remains a question, as Lenda Murray made a successful comeback after five years away to retain her title. She won the heavyweight and overall classes in both the 2002 and 2003 shows.

Following that, the baton was passed to Iris Kyle, who has won five of the six last Ms. Olympias. Although she is a gifted athlete, Kyle has been the focus of much discussion as to why the sport has been spinning its wheels. The contests have become less common as the fitness, figure and bikini classes has taken a number of steps up. What appears to be the case is the push for a more feminine look all around the industry, so why is women’s bodybuilding not taking the hint?

In 2009, Heather Armbrust finished as the runner-up to Kyle and has a perfect physique to become the next face of women’s bodybuilding. “Although I am muscular, I have still kept my curves,” she said with a smile.

With the sport at a crossroads, hopefully the judges take the right curve in the road come September.

But no one expected him to not even place.

Now Wolf has his sights set on getting back to respectability at the New York Pro. He has a new trainer in former IFBB pro Patrick Tour and their plan is to use a heavy duty training style, which Wolf likened to the same that Dorian Yates used in his prime. But training and size has never been the issue with the massive German. His nutrition and contest preparation timing became the focus of his failure last year.

In a new video posted on Flex Online, Wolf stated that his nutritionalist decided to not cut his carbs and then he carb-loaded three days out. Wolf immediately felt that something was wrong and it showed on stage. He had no striations and appeared soft and puffy.

With his next show six weeks away, Wolf appeared to be massive on the video clip but is he going to have enough time to cut down? This is as important a contest for him as any other he has competed in. To come on stage in anything but peak condition will be a risky endeavor, indeed. A once-promising career that has been sidetracked can become completely derailed if Wolf has a bad showing in the Big Apple.

DENNIS WOLF CONTEST HISTORY

2006 Europa Super Show – 7th

2006 Mr. Olympia – 16th

2007 New York Pro – 3rd

2007 Keystone Pro Classic – 1st

2007 Mr. Olympia – 5th

2008 Mr. Olympia – 4th

2009 Mr. Olympia – 16th

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.”

Times have changed and society has moved on from radio to high definition television, but that simple statement rings true as much now over seven decades later. The main difference is that ‘The Shadow’ is not a vigilante crime fighter, but rather a six-time Mr. Olympia.

England’s Dorian Yates shares the same nickname as the old time radio hero and ruled the bodybuilding world from 1991 to 1997. He still is heavily involved in the sport after retiring with his Temple Gym chain and as a staff writer for Muscular Development magazine. These days Yates has taken on another task in training Jason Arntz, the 37-year-old New Jersey native who has been a regular on the new IFBB 202 circuit.

“I usually do my own dieting and contest preparation for the past 10 or 11 years, ” Arntz said after a guest posing appearance at the NPC Empire States. “Now I’m working with Dorian Yates and I’m going to take a little different approach. If you’re going to learn from somebody it might as well be the best. So we’ll see what we can cook up with him this year.”

Arntz current weight is 220 so it will be fairly easy to make weight come September at the 202 Olympia. “I eat pretty good all year,” he said, so a strict diet for me is the last three or four weeks. But I’ve been dieting for the last three weeks and going to kick it into gear starting on Monday (July 20).”

Since turning pro in 1998, the 5’5″ Arntz has found the terrain difficult against the bigger competition. Oddly enough he had his best finish in his rookie show. Arntz placed fifth at the 1999 Toronto Pro and then had to wait until the 202 division was formed to see anything higher.

At the 2008 New York Pro 202, Arntz finished in the top three and then placed fourth in the first 202 show at the Mr. Olympia. That show was sort of a test run to gauge interest in that division and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Proving that point is the fact that this year the posedown and placings will be announced on the Olympia stage at the Orleans Arena as opposed to the expo stage, something that Arntz definitely approves of. ”I’m real happy about that,” he said. ”You felt like a second-class Olympian (at the expo).” Being tutored by the great Dorian Yates will definitely make Arntz feel like a first-class citizen, especially if he can win the title this year.

JASON ARNTZ COMPETITION HISTORY

Greene, while being bigger than Jackson, has the appearance of a smaller bodybuilder due to his narrow waist and small joints. He took home the Arnold Classic championship over the larger Victor Martinez and Branch Warren.

This year in Las Vegas, the best of the best will be on the stage at The Orleans Arena and amongst the much larger competition, Jackson will find it difficult to repeat. Not only will The Blade be facing the aforementioned Cutler, Martinez and Warren, but Markus Ruhl has recently announced that he will be bringing his monster build to the Olympia. Let’s not forget Phil Heath, who finished in third plce a year ago at his rookie O.

The 5’11″, nearly 300-pound German finished in third place at the New York Pro in May and originally intended on retiring from the sport. But as reported by Muscular Development, Ruhl has changed his mind and will be furthering his career. The 36-year-old will make his legions of fans extremely happy with this decision and brings great presence and character to the stage.

With an offseason weight that can get up to an amazing 340 pounds, Ruhl has a few ‘rules’ that he lives by. It was by no accident that he became the “Freakazoid,” and after hearing some of his training methods it will be no surprise.

Ruhl believes in straight sets using heavy free weights and not resting on his laurels. He believes that getting stronger and going heavier will build more size. As far as reps and sets go, he will go as heavy as he can for as low as four to six reps. Using this method, Ruhl can blow out 25 to 30 sets per body part without feeling that he is overtraining. He also trains to failure, something that he feels makes or breaks the growth spurt.

By hitting each muscle so hard, Ruhl only trains one body part per day. By doing so he can assure that each one will get the maximum effort.

Proper nutrition is just as important as training to Ruhl and he consumes approximately 7,000 calories per day, which includes 400 to 500 grams of protein. Even with all of these calories, Ruhl makes sure to keep his diet clean and it consists of chicken, beef, fish, rice and potatoes.

This may be his last hurrah so expect Ruhl to come in looking more massive than ever before. He will leave a lasting impression with size never seen before even more so than a top six placing.

Richards won four of those shows and was the first runner-up in the other, and included three in the U.S. (1982 America Cup, 1983 Teen Los Angeles, 1984 California Gold Cup Classic) and two abroad (1989 Mr. Barbados, 1992 Nigerian Championships).

Although a 36-inch waist may seem fairly wide for a bodybuilder, when you have a 67-inch chest and 26-inch arms, your belt line doesn’t sound as large. But Richards, who was profiled frequently in the Weider publications, was always viewed as someone who could not be taken seriously because of his thickness.

One must remember that during the main part of Richards’ career, Lee Haney was the reigning Mr. Olympia and had a muscular build with symmetry, a word that would never be confused with Richards.

The year that Richards stopped competing, Dorian Yates succeeded Haney as Mr. Olympia and began the monstrous era. Thicker bodies, including waists and ultimately abdominals, eventually became commonplace and the next one to be crowned Mr. O, Ron Coleman, took it to a different level.

He is sometimes called the “Natural Uncrowned Mr. Olympia,” but that sounds like pure fantasy no matter if you read into it or not, and in more ways than one.

Richards did possess a physique that was not appreciated then as much as it would have 10 or so years later. The USC graduate may have become a winner of more than one Sandow if he came along later on, but that doesn’t take away what he once was.

In the sport of bodybuilding, champions have come and go at a steady pace over the years. To sustain a lengthy career is quite an accomplishment in any form of athletics, and to be a top competitor in a period of time that spanned three decades in this field is definitely outside the norm.

That is if you’re name is not Frank Zane. The 65 year-old Pennsylvania native is still working out, and has no intention of stopping. “I am one of the very few people (former competitive bodybuilders) still training,” Zane said. “There’s Larry Scott, Bill Pearl, and me. Have you seen Arnold (Schwarzenegger) lately?”

In his prime, Zane won three consecutive Mr. Olympia contests (1977 through 1979), competing at 5’9 and 180 pounds, much smaller than the 6’2, 240 Schwarzenegger, known in the circles as the “Austrian Oak.”

“I focused on detail,” explained Zane. “I knew I would never be the biggest guy and focused on definition and being proportionate. I also perfected my posing routine. I had a great one in 1980 when Arnold stole the title. I was going for my fourth in a row that year.”

Schwarzenegger, who came out of retirement after five years away from the stage, won the 1980 Mr. O contest. Three years later, Zane retired from competition at the age of 41.

Zane has seen the sport he loves morph over the years from when he competed. “Today, there’s a massive overload of drugs and they pack on the weight,” he said. “It’s an assembly line physique. Nobody around uses my approach.

“Ever since 1984 with Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler. I blame the judges,” he continued. “They encourage that and they’re killing the sport. They’re (bodybuilders) are probably not going to live that long.”

Someone who has been around as long as Zane has understands that performance-enhancing drugs are a part of ‘the game.’ “Every single sport uses them,” he said. “From bodybuilding to baseball to track and field. It’s nothing new, but the use is escalating.

“There’s a place for drugs – but not drug abuse,” Zane followed up. “It’s more of a medical issue than an athletic issue. It won’t go away. The public wants to see bigger, stronger, faster. Bodybuilding gets the tag for it because it’s obvious. When someone says that they’re a bodybuilder, the first question they’re asked is if they are on steroids. And it’s not far from the truth.”

Residing in California for the past 10 years, Zane has been actively retired, to say the least. In addition to nine books he has authored, “The Zane Experience” are his personal training sessions that take place anywhere from three days to four hours in length. He also has invented an apparatus that allows people who cannot do a squat exercise anymore to train their quads the proper way. The Leg Blaster (www.frankzane.com) is not just something that Zane is trying to promote. “After 1982 due to an injury, I couldn’t squat with a bar anymore,” he said. “I used the prototype in my last year of competition.”

If a legend like Zane has been using it for 26 years, it’s hard to argue with success.

Article to appear in the August edition of “New York Sportscene” magazine. Photo courtesy of Frank Zane.