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.

But they are this time around, and anything less shouldn’t be expected from The Governor!

All four champions from 2011 will return and defend their crowns, not the most usual circumstance when you factor in a number of reasons why this is a special occurrence, indeed. Many competitors skip the Arnold to concentrate on the Mr. Olympia or have no choice in the matter if they suffer an injury. Take Branch Warren, for instance. The Texas native not only won the title last March, but also the Most Muscular Award. Outside of the British Grand Prix a few weeks later (which he also won), Warren will have not had donned the posing trunks in nearly 12 months when he hits the stage at the Arnold. A freak accident caused him to become injured and have to bow out of the Mr. Olympia.

Warren will have his work cut out for him against a line-up that includes Dexter Jackson (a three-time Arnold champion), as well as Dennis Wolf and Evan Centopani, who both finished in the top six a year ago.

In female bodybuilding, it will be once again the great Iris Kyle looking to monopolize the Ms. International first place prize, something that she has been able to do on six prior occasions. “I just take one year at a time,” Kyle said. “I do my homework and try to come in with the package that (the judges) are looking for.”

Of course, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia will have something to say about that, herself a four-time winner in Columbus and a frequent runner-up to Kyle here and at the Ms. Olympia.

Adele Garcia will look to add a fifth Ms. Fitness International trophy to her growing collection and will have to fend off the likes of Tanji Johnson and Camala Rodriguez.

In 2011, the inaugural Ms. Bikini International took place and Nicole Nagrani was named its first champion. “I feel amazing right now; I’m on top of the world,” Nagrani commented backstage following the win.

The 19-year-old again stood in the winner’s circle at the Olympia and will have to watch out for Sonia Gonzales (second) and Nathalia Melo (third), who were directly on her heels last March.

Perhaps the most interesting battle will take place in figure, where Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern have gone back and forth in Ohio and Las Vegas the last few years. Wilkins has tasted victory at the last two Ms. Figure International shows and will also have to keep her eyes on Ava Cowan and Cheryl Brown.

Keep in mind that these lists are just the people who have been invited to the 2012 Arnold Classic and there will be some who decline the invite for one reason or another. But competing here is an honor and most will in fact be up there on the stage at the War Memorial come March 2 and 3.

The official lists are as follows:

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

For more information, be sure to visit the official contest website, www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.

But just seeing some of these names from yesteryear was a thrill all in it’s own, as the crowd at the Jackie Gleason Theater can attest. It has been years – and in some cases, decades – since some of these men donned the posing trunks.

In the bikini Olympia qualifier, India Paulino took first place, with Tianna Ta (second) and Juliana Daniell (third) following.

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

“I’m excited that I found someone that believed in me,” he said last September. “I truly feel that I can get into the top 10.”

Although he did not fare as well as he liked at the O (15th), Alves was still on the map and a threat against a line-up that didn’t include the Jay Cutlers and Phil Heaths of the world. He proved that he still has what it takes by winning July’s Europa Show of Champions and tasted victory again this past weekend at the Phoenix Pro.

Alves, 43, was able to hold off a top-heavy line-up that included Hidetada Yamagishi (second), Ed Nunn (third) and Marcus Haley (fourth) and celebrate a key win in his home town.

After turning pro in 2002, Alves has competed in multiple shows each year. In 2003, he donned the posing trunks on 10 separate occasions and although he hasn’t kept that pace up, Alves is a regular at all of the top IFBB contests. In his rookie campaign, he finished in the top 10 at both the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia.

Now the real test comes for Alves to see if he can maintain the proper conditioning to have an impact in Las Vegas in two weeks. He has proven that he can rise to the top in that second tier-level contest, but he’ll need something extra to do that at The Orleans Arena.

TROY ALVES CONTEST HISTORY

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

“Being back in Venice Beach after all these years, I was inspired to get back in shape,” Gaspari wrote in his blog on June 24th. ‘The Dragon Slayer’ then set up a cover photo shoot for Iron Man Magazine and another shoot with Hidetada Yamagishi (one of his Gaspari Nutrition athletes) for Muscular Development.

At 48, Gaspari is still young enough to get back on stage in some capacity. “Who knows how far I will take this?” he continued. “Featured Guest Poser Rich Gaspari? You never know.”

Guest posing is definitely something that would be a big attraction in the sport and Gaspari may even take it a step further. The Masters Division is something that has not garnered a lot of interest the past few years, but adding a name like Gaspari can give it a boost.

The IFBB Pro World Masters Championship is being held in Miami in December and some famous names have already committed. Ronnie Coleman, Samir Bannout, Dexter Jackson, Stan Frydrych, Andreas Cahling, Chris Cormier, Pavol Jablonicky, Roland Czuirlock, Toney Freeman, Troy Alves, Dennis James, Darrem Charles, Gary Strydom, Lee Apperson, Bill Wilmore and Lawrence Hunt are competing. An impressive line-up will be even bigger if Gaspari jumped on board.

Only time will tell if Gaspari takes this comeback all the way.

Competition history

• 1983 NPC Junior Nationals Overall Winner
• 1983 NPC Junior Nationals HeavyWeight, 1st
• 1983 NPC Nationals HeavyWeight, 5th
• 1984 NPC Nationals Light-HeavyWeight, 1st
• 1984 World IFBB Amateur Championships Light-HeavyWeight, 1st
• 1985 IFBB Night of Champions 2nd
• 1985 IFBB Mr. Olympia 3rd
• 1986 IFBB Los Angeles Pro Championships Winner
• 1986 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
• 1986 IFBB World Pro Championships Winner
• 1987 IFBB Grand Prix France Winner
• 1987 IFBB Grand Prix Germany 2nd
• 1987 IFBB Grand Prix Germany (2) Winner
• 1987 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix England 2nd
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix France Winner
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Germany Winner
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Greece 2nd
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Italy Winner
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Spain (2) 2nd
• 1988 IFBB Grand Prix Spain Winner
• 1988 IFBB Mr. Olympia 2nd
• 1989 IFBB Arnold Classic Winner
• 1989 IFBB Mr. Olympia 4th
• 1990 IFBB Mr. Olympia 5th
• 1991 IFBB Arnold Classic 7th
• 1991 IFBB Mr. Olympia 10th
• 1992 IFBB Arnold Classic 13th
• 1994 IFBB Chicago Pro Invitational 16th
• 1994 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational 15th
• 1994 IFBBNight of Champions- Did not place
• 1995 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 5th
• 1995 IFBB Night of Champions 12th
• 1996 IFBB Canada Pro Cup 11th
• 1996 IFBB Florida Pro Invitational 12th
• 1996 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational 16th