Photos of Cutler from the Olympia clearly showed swelling and redness in the area and it was reportedly suffered during a photo shoot. The injury was still apparent a few weeks later at the inaugural Sheru Classic in India, at which Cutler again was the runner-up to Heath.

That was back in September. Cutler is scheduled to go under the knife in February and be back in the gym by the end of March. Considering that he has competed only once a year, that should be more than enough time for him to get ready for the 2012 O.

But with the torch already passed to Heath and Cutler being 39 by the time that show rolls around, it would have been a wiser decision to have the procedure done earlier. Muscle tears like this need to be surgically repaired and waiting is not going to change anything for the better.

If Cutler has any chance of regaining the title for the second time (he took it back from Dexter Jackson in 2009), then he is going to need as much time as possible to get there. Losing the last four months cannot be changed, so Cutler had better hope that his recovery goes well without any setbacks. He doesn’t have any wiggle room now and has to be on point at every stage of his preparation.

So when it came down to make the same decision this year, Greene didn’t have to give it too much of a thought judging by his – and his fellow competitor’s –  recent history. Both Phil Heath and Jay Cutler (the last two Mr. Olympia winners, respectively) prepared solely for the O and stayed away from competing until September.

Greene had a lot to prove in 2011 after a lackluster seventh place finish at his maiden Olympia voyage the previous year. He came back strong and dominated the big city stage at the New York Pro, which put him right back into the mix for a top three placing at the Olympia.

That is exactly what happened and Greene is once again in the conversation of dominating bodybuilders. He has already proven himself in Columbus on more than one occasion and he is more than ready to take it a step further.

KAI GREENE – CONTEST HISTORY

Just who walks away from the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, Florida this weekend remains to be seen, but it goes without saying that we should all take note of those names and expect to see them in the months and years ahead.

2011 will be the first year that the Men’s and Women’s Physique divisions will be represented at the Nationals.

In its 29th year of existence, the Nationals has had a who’s-who of the sport of bodybuilding come through the ranks. This is an impressive list of the winners and the greatness that many of the men have went on to obtain since turning pro is self-explanatory:

1982: Lee Haney

1983: Bob Paris

1984: Mike Christian

1985: Phil Williams

1986: Gary Strydom

1987: Shawn Ray

1988: Vince Taylor

1989: Troy Zuccolotto

1990: Alq Gurley

1991: Kevin Levrone:

1992: John Sherman

1993: Mike Francois

1994: Paul DeMayo

1995: Don Long

1996: Willie Stallings

1997: Tom Prince

1998: Orville Burke

        1999: Aaron Maddron 

2000: Victor Martinez

2001: Jonnie O. Jackson

2001: Toney Freeman

2003: Mat Duval

2004: Chris Cook

2005: Bill Wilmore

2006: Desmond Miller

2007: Evan Centopani

2008: Ed Nunn

2009: Cedric McMillan

2010: Robert Burneika

The top six resembled the one in Las Vegas in more ways, with Dexter Jackson being the one exception. ‘The Blade’ sat this show out, so Toney Freeman moved up from seventh at the O to sixth here. Kai Greene (third), Victor Martinez (fourth) and Dennis Wolf (fifth) placed the same.

The big names in bodybuilding will now enter a much deserved offseason in anticipation for an action packed 2012. In March, of course, the Arnold Classic takes place and we surely will see the likes of Martinez, Wolf and Freeman. But there will be questions if Greene will compete in Ohio again.  It seems a given that Cutler and Heath will choose to prepare year round for the Olympia.

The final placings at the IFBB Sheru Classic were as follows:

1- Phil Heath

2- Jay Cutler

3- Kai Greene

4- Victor Martinez

5- Dennis Wolf

6- Toney Freeman

7- Michael Kefalianos

8- Alfonso Del Rio Valencia

9- Mohammed Touri

10- Ntuk Sunday

11- Varinder Singh Ghuman

“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

It’s will be hard to argue if “The Gift” gets the nod, as he is showing improvements from 12 months ago. The same cannot be said of the defending title holder. Cutler appeared to be a little drier in 2010, but a day can make a big difference in bodybuilding. We will see tomorrow night.

Kai Greene, Dexter Jackson, Victor Martinez and Dennis Wolf were also in the first call-out and that should be the top six in no particular order. Greene is a little bloated but looks massive and he should be able to place third. The rest can be interchangeable.

On Saturday evening, we will find out if Cutler can win his fifth Sandow or become the first Olympia champion to be defeated on two separate occasions.

The figure competition is also on tap, where Nicole Wilkins-Lee and Erin Stern have chiseled out a great rivalry. Here is the full line-up:

FIGURE

Alea Suarez
Alicia Harris
Ann Titone
Ava Cowan
Candice Keene
Candice John
Chelsea Morgenstern
Cheryl Brown
Courtney West
Darlene Escano
Deena Walsh
Ella Horton
Erin Stern
Felicia Romero
Gennifer Strobo
Heather Dees
Holly Beck
Jami DeBernard
Jelena Abbou
Krissy Chin
Kristen Nagrani
Larissa Reis
Latisha Wilder
Michele Mayberry
Monica Specking
Natalie Waples
Nicole Wilkins
Raechelle Chase
Teresa Anthony

There’s no time for any of those shenangins because we had to sit and interview as many Olympians as we can and get the videos edited and posted so you – our loyal fans – can see what the hell is really going on out here in the desert.

We’ll post more shortly, but wanted to give you a taste of how these competitors look after months of wondering. Not much time because it’s off to the expo for more. By the way, it’s a slam dunk once again for Jay Cutler. He looked like The Thing from the Fantastic Four. The guy is huge and looks tight as a model’s ass.

As expected, the defending Super Bowl champions came out of the box strong and won the league Thursday night opener. Aaron Rodgers outgunned Drew Brees in a contest that seemed a one-way affair until New Orleans mounted a comeback. Both teams should be right in the mix for the NFC representative when it’s all said and done.

RAVENS – 35, Steelers – 7

What was expected to be game of the weekend ended up being a dud. Seven Pittsburgh turnovers was the story and we will have to wait for the rematch in this great divisional rivalry to see if it was a fluke or not.

BEARS – 30, Falcons – 12

Two playoff teams faced off at Soldier Field and linebacker Brian Urlacher was the difference maker for Chicago with an interception and fumble recovery for a touchdown. Julius Peppers had two sacks and Jay Cutler threw for over 300 yards and two scores. This may be an important tie breaker down the road for the Bears.

Bengals – 27, BROWNS – 17

Everyone – including us – had Cincy left for dead before the season even started. But they didn’t seem to care and took care of their interstate and division rival. Rookie starting QB Andy Dalton went out with an injury and the Bengals were able to get the W with back-up Bruce Gradkowski throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green with just over four minutes remaining.

TEXANS – 34, Colts – 7

All of the attention has been on Peyton Manning’s absence and Houston exposed that weakness by holding replacement Kerry Collins to under 200 yards passing. Ben Tate rushed for 116 yards and a score as Arian Foster’s sat out with an injury. With only three weeks to learn the offense, Collins should see better days ahead.

JAGUARS – 16, Titans – 14

A surprise move looks as if it may pay off as Luke McCown (named the starter last week after Jacksonville released David Garrard) was efficient (17 for 24, 175 yards) and didn’t make any mistakes. On the Tennessee side, holdout running back Chris Johnson had a quiet day with only 24 yards on nine carries.

Bills – 41, CHIEFS – 7

A bit of a surprise here with Kansas City (a division winner a year ago) getting trounced by an also-ran on their home turf. Ryan Fitzpatrick lit it up with four touchdown throws. No, Buffalo is not this good and KayCee not this bad.

Eagles – 31, RAMS – 13

Philly came out roaring and never looked back in a convincing win at St. Louis. Michael Vick looked every bit the superstar he’s paid to be with two touchdown passes and 98 yards on the ground.

Lions – 27, BUCS – 20

Matt Stafford went 24-for-33 for 305 yards and a touchdown as Detroit picked up right where they left off last season to make it five consecutive regular season wins. Calvin Johnson caught two of those scoring passes and the final score was not a good indication of this contest, which was controlled by Detroit.

CARDINALS – 28, Panthers – 21

Number one overall pick Cam Newton had a huge day (24-for-37, 422 yards, two touchdowns) but Kevin Kolb fared better by leading his new team to a win. The former Eagles back-up eclipsed 300 yards in the air and threw for two scores of his own as Arizona came back to beat the pesky new-look Panthers.

CHARGERS – 24, Vikings – 17

A ten-point Minnesota halftime lead was wiped out by a strong second half by the Chargers, with fullback Nate Tolbert’s third touchdown of the day the finishing touch on the comeback. In his Minnesota debut, Donovan McNabb was awful with only 39 yards passing.

49ERS – 33, Seahawks – 17

Ted Ginn, Jr. starred with two special teams returns for scores as San Francisco took care of the new-look Seahawks at home. David Akers added four field goals to help make Jim Harbaugh a winner in his pro head coaching debut.

REDSKINS – 28, Giants – 14

A stingy Washington defense held New York scoreless in the second half and Rex Grossman looked like a Super Bowl quarterback again with two touchdowns and over 300 yards passing. It was Grossman’s first opening day start since he led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.

JETS – 27, Cowboys – 24

This game had so many side stories we don’t know where to begin. The pre-game ceremony for 9-11 was touching and the home team gave their fans a reason to smile when it was all said and done. The Jets may be called lucky, but you have to be good to make your own breaks and then take advantage of them.

Patriots – 38, DOLPHINS – 24

Tom Brady – 517 yards passing. That is all you need to know.

Raiders – 23, BRONCOS- 20

Sebastian Janikowski is the third kicker in NFL history to make a 63-yard field goal and it was the difference maker in the latest installment of this long-time AFC West rivalry. Although the fans in Denver were chanting Tim Tebow’s name, Kyle Orton quietly threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown.

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

Centopani was victorious that evening in Manhattan and did not enter a contest again until the FLEX Pro Championships earlier this year, where he once again stood in the winner’s circle. He then entered his first Arnold Classic and placed a very respectable fourth in a stacked line-up.

Contemplating the Mr. Olympia, Centopani took many things into consideration. His wife is expecting their first child and he is having a house built, so the Connecticut native decided to wait until next year. “Earlier in the year I was thinking that I wanted to do the Olympia and now that things are coming up, with everything going on with the house and the baby seven weeks from now, and I’m looking at where I’ll have to be getting ready for the Olympia, I think maybe it would be in my best interest probably to wait one more time and come in strong at the (2012) Arnold and know that I’m going to go from there into the Olympia,” he said in a recent video clip on Muscular Development.

If Centopani did go to Las Vegas this year, he probably would not have had an easy time of it. With the likes of Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Branch Warren, Kai Greene and Dennis Wolf up there, there’s a good chance that he would have not made the top six. That doesn’t mean the field will be any easier in 2012, but the youngster is giving himself a better chance by keeping it to the two major contests in the calendar year.

This will give him ample time to work on some weaker points, such as his chest. By possessing such mass and symmetry, a Sandow or two is certainly not an impossibility for Centopani.

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