With a full year between contests, Wolf showed up at the ’09 Olympia extremely off and did not even place. That was a total shock to not only his minions but Wolf himself. But did the big German shoot up the list too fast, only to come back to relaity?

Looking over his professional career, Wolf seemed to have peaked between 2007 and 2008. He finished fifth and fourth, respectively, in those two years at the O. At the 2006 Olympia, he did not place and has won only one show overall (2007 IFBB Keystone Pro Classic). Wolf has taken third at his two New York Pro appearances (2007, 2010) and seventh at the ’06 Europa Super Show.

When you take a look at his placings from afar, they really are not that impressive. That is not a knock against Wolf, but rather just an opinion based on fact. Not taking anything away from him for those two impressive top six Olympia placings, but a legitimate contender needs to have a few wins under his belt in the secondary shows and at least one top three at the Arnold or Olympia before he can be considered a great bodybuilder. Wolf is not even close to that.

He has announced that he will in fact compete at this year’s Olympia and that may not be the wisest decision for him. At 31, Wolf is still young enough to bounce back but another bad placing at the top show may put him on the back burner. He is still a big fan favorite but after a while, that will run out.

There is an argument that Wolf would be better off getting ready for the 2011 Arnold instead of cutting up again in September. He did look fairly decent in Manhattan, but there will be plenty of questions on just what type of improvements he will be able to make in just four months. If he finished behind Roelly Winklaar (a rookie) and Hidetada Yamagishi (a much smaller competitor), then there is no way Wolf will be able to compete against the likes of Cutler, Branch Warren or Kai Greene.

Wolf will need to put on more size and then have enough time to cut up and dry out, and timing has been a major knock against him in the past. The odds of that happening are small, and the fallout will be great if Wolf falters again in Las Vegas.

DENNIS WOLF CONTEST HISTORY

2006 Europa Super Show – 7th

2006 Mr. Olympia – 16th

2007 Keystone Pro Classic – 1st

2007 Mr. Olympia – 5th

2008 Mr. Olympia – 4th

2009 Mr. Olympia – 16th

2010 NY Pro – 3rd

On hand were baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, John Balik from Iron Man magazine, Muscle Beach Director Joe Wheatley, IFBB Pro Jerome “Hollywood” Ferguson, co-founder of Muscle Beach Relna Brewer, fitness model Brenda Kelly, Eric the Trainer and many more.

http://blip.tv/file/3264486

“In Bodybuilding, the posing routine will no longer be scored. This will value the Prejudging and Finals Posedown at 50% each,” was listed as one of the rule changes included as part of the IFBB Advisory Notice 101409 prepared by Chairman Jim Manion. (http://www.ifbbpro.com/news/advisory-notice-101409/)

This may be viewed as a step backwards for a sport that has been finding the terrain difficult growing from its hardcore fan base. Back in its heyday, bodybuilding could promote many superstars who were classic posers. Men such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Corney, Frank Zane and Chris Dickerson made it an art form. But that has not been the case since the end of the 1980s.

With the new rule, competitors will no incentive to even prepare a posing routine and that will do the fans a disservice. As it was, there were only  few who even appeared as if they worked out a presentation. One of the reasons why Kai Greene made such a splash on the scene was because of his unique and incredible posing routine. Hopefully the 2009 Arnold Classic champion will not just go through the motions knowing that his score cannot be improved even though he is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack as a poser.

In 1996, Rhoden needed to sit out a year after injuring his back squatting over 500 pounds. Six years later, his father became gravely ill and subsequently passed away from lung cancer. Rhoden put his career on hold and made his comeback seven years later.

Earlier this year, Rhoden placed first at the NPC Delaware Open and used that as a springboard for the IFBB North American. At 34 years of age, he has earned his pro card by taking the heavyweight and overall in Cleveland.

The top five in each division at the IFBB North American were as follows:

OPEN MEN – HEAVYWEIGHT

1- Shawn Rhoden

2 – Miguel Garcia

3 – Dan Decker

4 – Mark Antonek

5 – Sammy Nagib

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

1- Chuck Lyons

2- Benjamin Muniz

3 – Jose Reyes

4 – Prince Fontenot

5 – Jonathan Johnson

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

1 – Hand Groden

2 – Jason Fuller

3 – Derek Suto

WELTERWEIGHT

1 – Dr. Victor Prisk

2 – Bill Moschelle

3 – Shelby Starnes

4 – Jamie Bonaccorso

5 – Kyle Kubousek

LIGHTWEIGHT

1 – Scott Kivisto

2 – Kelly Pedford

3 – James Segert

4 – Arturo Gomez

5 – Wayne Hugart

BANTAMWEIGHT

1 – Franz Lopez

2 – Asuncion Lopez

3 – Mark Teasley

4 – Rafael Campazuno

IFBB OVERALL FIGURE CHAMPION – Silvania Salvanti

Mark Alvisi won both the heavyweight and overall titles, Daryl Gee the middleweight and Gregori Atoyan the super heavyweight and were awarded their ticket to a future payday at the professional level in the IFBB.

Coming close but having to wait until another day were Tamer El-Guindy and Branden Ray, who finished first and second in the light heavyweights, respectively.

What makes this a difficult competition is that there are seven classes (super heavyweight, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, bantamweight) and only three pro cards are awarded. How the judges determine who should receive the nod and who misses out is something that is debated after every one of these major amateur shows.

Sean Allen, who came into the show confident that he could improve on his ninth place finish from a year ago, finished in the exact spot. The super heavyweight viewed anything higher would have been a step in the righty direction and now has to go for it at the North Americans.

OTHER PRO CARDS EARNED AT USAs

WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING – Akila Pervis, Angie Salvagno

FIGURE – Alkane Nigro-Ismeal, Listy Allen, Candice Houston, Emily Nicholson, Jennifer Woodruff, Taylor Waldrop

BIKINI – Amanda Latona, Michele D’Angona, Michelle Gullet, Kristal Marshall, Jamie Baird, Monique Minton

“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

On Tuesday July 14, we will be joined by NPC competitor Taylor Boyd. The 300-pound behemoth from New Jersey is well known for his showmanship on the stage, with make-up and props that are a prelude to his posing routine.

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

July 21 – IFBB Figure Pro & Lingerie Football League player Heather Mae French

Strydom is reportedly planning on entering two qualifying shows with a goal to make the 2009 Mr. Olympia in September. The IFBB schedule shows that the PBW Championships (August 7-8), Europa Super Show (August 15-16), Houston Men’s Pro (August 22) and Atlantic City Pro (September 11-12) are left before the O.

After his impressive appearance in Denver, Strydom did not view it as a ‘one and done’ type of scenario. In fact, he was in such demand for appearances all around the world that he had to scratch plans for more shows in 2006 and 2007. “Denver was no one night stand,” Strydom said on his official website, date published unknown. “When I said I was back, I meant I was back. I didn’t go to Denver as a once-off attempt just to see how I would do. I am a bodybuilder; it’s my passion and it’s my life.

“In the years since I retired I’ve never stopped living that lifestyle or training,” he continued. “The comeback was more like the beginning of a new competitive career for me. I had planned to do a couple more shows last year but that didn’t work out. But this year I’ll be back up there on stage again and maybe for [a] good couple of years to come, too.”

It appears that this was posted in 2008, a year in which Strydom did not compete.

No one could deny that Strydom has what it takes to stand up there with the mass monsters of today’s game. At 6’2″ and an offseason weight of over 300 pounds, the South African native will compete at approximately 283 pounds. he has 22-inch arms, a 61-inch chest, 29-inch thighs, 19-inch calves and a 32-inch waist. He can hold his own; there is no question about that.

A regular on the IFBB scene in the late 1980s, Strydom was an extremely popular bodybuilder. He won the 1987 Night of the Champions in his professional debut, which was one of the more prestigious shows on the calendar at the time. In his only Olympia appearance, Strydom finished fifth in 1988. In 1991, he chose to join with Vince McMahon’s new WBF and dominated the new league for its two years in existence.

When he hung up the posing trunks, Strydom did so to concentrate on his bodybuilding clothing business. Anyone who frequented a gym back then no doubt had at least one item from Crazee Wear. Being a businessman is still in his blood as he also has launched Strydom Wear and the SPS Strydom Professional Series supplement line. He is also said to be residing in Thailand, where he is the sole distributor of Vitargo Thailand Energy Drink.

MuscleSport Mag has reached out to both Strydom and Muscle Evolution magazine (a South African publication that mentioned it in their latest issue) and we are awaiting responses so we can confirm and expand on these points.

GARY STRYDOM’S COMPETETIVE CAREER

• 1983 NPC Florida Championships, Junior – Heavyweight, 1st and Overall
• 1984 NPC USA Championships, HeavyWeight, 1st
• 1986 NPC Nationals, HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall
• 1987 Night of Champions, Winner
• 1988 Chicago Pro Invitational, 2nd
• 1988 Mr. Olympia, 5th
• 1989 Arnold Classic, 3rd
• 1989 Grand Prix France, 1st
• 1989 Grand Prix Germany, 2nd
• 1989 Grand Prix Melbourne, 1st
• 1989 Grand Prix Spain (2), 2nd
• 1989 Grand Prix Spain, 2nd
• 1989 Grand Prix Sweden, 1st
• 1989 World Pro Championships, 2nd
• 1990 Grand Prix England, 2nd
• 1990 Grand Prix Finland, 3rd
• 1990 Grand Prix France, 2nd
• 1990 Grand Prix Germany, 4th
• 1990 Grand Prix Italy, 3rd
• 1990 Houston Pro Invitational, 2nd
• 1990 Ironman Pro Invitational, 4th
• 1991 Night of the Champions
• 1991 WBF Grand Prix, 1st
• 1992 WBF Grand Prix, 1st
• 1996 Night of Champions, 12th
• 2006 Colorado Pro Championships, 7th

IFBB PRO Rule 4 – Qualifications for Special Events

4.1 Mr. Olympia:
The Promoter of the Mr. Olympia competition must invite the following competitors:

1. The top 6 from the previous year’s Mr. Olympia;
2. The top 6 from the same year’s Arnold Classic;
3. The top 5 from the same year’s Iron Man Pro Invitational and New York Men’s Professional Bodybuilding Championships;
4. The top 3 from any Grand Prix or similar open competition held after the previous year’s Mr. Olympia; and
5. Any other competitor who qualifies pursuant to Rule 4.5.

Special thanks to Muscular Development forum member ‘Hannie’ for originally posting about the magazine article concerning Strydom.

Known as ‘Zap,’ Holitt was one of the more popular Gladiators over the six years she was a member of the cast. She also was the host of the Radiant Pro Women’s Strength Show.

Be sure to visit her official website, www.rayehollitt.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

July 21 – IFBB Figure Pro & Lingerie Football League player Heather Mae French

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