“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

This will be an exclusive to MuscleSport Mag and MuscleSport Radio. Coleman will let everyone know if he is in fact going to compete again or possibly retire forever from the sport that he once ruled.

It was MuscleSport Radio that first broke the news live on the air that Coleman was going to forego the 2009 Olympia due to travel commitments with BSN and don the posing trunks once again in Las Vegas this year. Not much has been heard from Coleman on the subject since then and we are honored to have him give us the opportunity to once again be the first in the industry to hear of his plans.

Be sure to see the original article from June 30, 2009: http://www.musclesportmag.com/2009/06/30/breaking-news-coleman-comeback-confirmed-for-2010/

***PLEASE NOTE THE SPECIAL DAY AND STARTING TIME FOR THIS EPISODE – FRIDAY/4:00 PM EASTERN TIME***

Visit Ronnie Coleman’s official website, www.bigroncoleman.com.

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 Ronnie a question or make a comment. Our call-in number is 347-884-8157.

MuscleSport Radio has enjoyed a steady flow of special guests since launching, with famous names in the bodybuilding and sports industry such as Samir Bannout, Bill Grant, Boyer Coe, Troy Brown, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Leo Ingram, Heather Mae French, Cathy LeFrancois, Colette Nelson, Cathy LeFrancois, Dena Westerfield, Bill Romanowski, Tony Mandarich, “Leapin’” Lanny Poffo, Taylor Boyd, Steve Michalik, Dan Lurie, Emy Silvagni, Rae Holitt, Tom Terwilliger, Dan “The Beast” Severn, Kevin Levrone, Layne Norton, Randy Roach, Debi Laszewski, Heather Armbrust and more.

Photo courtesy of Ron Coleman

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.

Did he reflect back on the 2008 Junior USAs, when he took the super-heavies and overall? If he did, McMillan must have felt deja-vu when he heard his name announced once again as the best man in town that evening. What made this accomplishment all the more special was the fact that he was one of seven young men to earn their pro card.

Also taking home pro cards were Bleu Taylor (bantamweight winner), Joe Vu (lightweight winner), Shavis Higa (welterweight winner), Nathan Detracy (middleweight winner), Seth Feroce (light heavyweight winner) and Jeff Long (heavyweight winner).

Some popular names finished out of the running, such as “Big” Sean Allen (6th – SH), Trey Brewer (8th – SH), Lee Banks (2nd – HW), P.J. Braun (12th – HW), Paul Sousa (13th – HW), Tamer El-Guindy (3rd – LHW), Branden Ray (4th – LHW) and Timothy Corscadden (DNP – LHW).

McMillan joins a list with some quality company in winning this contest. Lee Haney (1982), Shawn Ray (1987), Jay Cutler (1996) and Victor MArtinez (2000) all have enjoyed this honor.

In women’s bodybuilding, Kris Murrell won the heavyweight and overall titles and earned her pro card along with Lori Steele (lightweight winner), Lisette Acevedo (middleweight winner) and Nicole Berg (light heavyweight winner).

In figure, Mindi Smith was named the class E and overall winner, earning her pro card. Joining her on the paid circuit were Kimberle Trowbridge (class A), Kathleen Tesori (class B), Ava Cowan (class C), Taylor Gallagher (class D)and Holly Beck (class F).

As far as the bikini class went, Jessica Anderson won the overall and class E. Others who walked away with pro cards were Trina Goosby (class A), Erica Reder (class B), Alea Suarez (class C), Tianna Ta (class D) and Stephanie Lindsey (class F).

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.

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.

Then when Cutler was unseated this past September by Dexter Jackson, the word was that the former champion did not even deserve second place.

There was even some talk before the Olympia that Cutler was possibly leaning towards retirement because he and his wife wanted to start a family. Perhaps if he did win, that may have been the case.

Not resting on his laurels, Cutler is looking to change things up in the hope of improving. According to an article on FlexOnline, he has been using Haney Rambod’s fst-7 training method since the beginning of December.

“I felt I needed change,” Cutler said in the article. “I want to emphasize my weaker bodyparts, and I felt since I was a volume trainer that the 7s would work best for me.”

Rambod plans to meet with Cutler a few times a month and has also trained Phil Heath, who finished third in his initial Olympia competition. Rambod feels that the Cutler and heath can both benefit from training together.

Going by Jackson’s victory, it is possible that the judges may be getting away from that ‘freaky’ or ‘blocky’ look, hence the reason for Cutler to get rounder in certain areas. With the mass that he already possesses, he can cut down slightly and tighten up the spots that have been knocked, such as his back and abdominal area.

If Cutler does in fact find himself in the winner’s circle again, he will become the first person to win back the Sandow after a defeat.

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.