Arnold Classic discussion

[[EM1]Bobby]

so in about 2 weeks we have the first Major competition of the 2008 season. With the Ironman finished, and Phil Heath with a decisive win under his belt he now has to peak for the second biggest show of the year and defeat an even greater linup:
Melvin Anthony
David Henry
Gustavo Badell
Dexter Jackson
Adorthus Cherry
Johnnie Jackson
Toney Freeman
Desmond Miller
Kai Greene
Ronny Rockel
Deshaun Grimez
Silvio Samuel
Phil Heath
Branch Warren.

Currently most think Phil is the sh!t and that he is a lock for the top 3 at the AC. But, it think that Kai Greene is going to be fighting with Dexter and Melvin for the top 3 spots. He apparently is aiming for a stage weight of 265 according to the MD video, at 5'8 and sickly conditioned he will be a major contender.

In a battle between Phil v. Kai I predict kai will be the winner. He is peaking once and he supposedly has had a super productive offseason. He has phil by at least 25 pounds and is only an inch shorter, he has great presentation, and conditioning that is just as good if not better than Phils.

so what do you guys thing the top3 might be and who will win between Phil and Kai?

[mr unbelievable]

i think it will be something very interesting. im hoping kai can bring it, but idk if he has the fullness of phil. phil has lots of momentum also and he will definitly get the callout with dexter jackson. i think kai and melvins physiques are more similar, and i see them battling for 4 and 5th. and toney, gustavo, branch and silvio will be next in line. it will be interesting. if kai comes in 100% he can do very well.

[saosin19]

I'm rooting for kai to make it aswell, But I think phil has this one.

[Wayneizgod]

I honestly think Dexter got this won..but it definatly can go to Phil as well so I see them both fighting for first..Who i really want to win is Kai Greene tho but I just don't think he is on their level yet

This is my prediction..
-Dexter
-Phil
-Kai
-Melvin
-Gustavo

and I haven't seen any recent pics of branch but from what I hear he brought his back up alot..so we gotta see how that goes

IM ROOTING FOR YA KAI!!!...BRING IT BACK TO THE EAST COAST!!!!

[jjdrum06]

i dont think dexter is going to win. everyone keeps saying that only because he's one the show before. whoop dee do. i havent seen any recent pics of him so i am going to assume he will look the same. phil heath has made major changes, and we just saw that melvin has as well.

honestly...i wouldnt be shocked if melvin took this one.

top 3 will be melvin, phil, dexter (not necessarily in the order).

[Wilde]

If they judge strictly by the book (which they never do) they will hand it to Dexter, because he's more proportioned. Heath's chest seems to dissapear a bit when he does that crab and his massive arms slightly overpower his delts. Heath's calves blow Dexter's away but that seems to be the least important bodypart. Either way its gonna be intense, I think it will be something like

1 Heath
2 Dexter
3 Melvin
4 Freeman
5 Green
6 Baddell

[alvinali6]

this is how i predict (even before Ironman took place):

1. phil heath
2. dexter jackson
3. gustavo badell
4. melvin anthony
5. branch warren
6. ronny rockel
7. kai greene
8. silvio samuel
9. johnnie jackson
10. toney freeman

[Wilde]

this is how i predict (even before Ironman took place):

1. phil heath
2. dexter jackson
3. gustavo badell
4. melvin anthony
5. branch warren
6. ronny rockel
7. kai greene
8. silvio samuel
9. johnnie jackson
10. toney freeman

not a bad order, but they'll give Rockell the shaft like they normally do.

[CunnyFunt]

Dexter Jackson
Phil Heath
Melvin Anthony
Kai Greene
Gustavo Badell
Branch Warren.
Silvio Samuel
Johnnie Jackson
Toney Freeman
Ronny Rockel / David Henry

Is how i'd have the top guys. with 4-6 interchangable imo, but im pretty sure 1-3 will look like that

[Npeart]

so in about 2 weeks we have the first Major competition of the 2008 season. With the Ironman finished, and Phil Heath with a decisive win under his belt he now has to peak for the second biggest show of the year and defeat an even greater linup:
Melvin Anthony
David Henry
Gustavo Badell
Dexter Jackson
Adorthus Cherry
Johnnie Jackson
Toney Freeman
Desmond Miller
Kai Greene
Ronny Rockel
Deshaun Grimez
Silvio Samuel
Phil Heath
Branch Warren.

Currently most think Phil is the sh!t and that he is a lock for the top 3 at the AC. But, it think that Kai Greene is going to be fighting with Dexter and Melvin for the top 3 spots. He apparently is aiming for a stage weight of 265 according to the MD video, at 5'8 and sickly conditioned he will be a major contender.

In a battle between Phil v. Kai I predict kai will be the winner. He is peaking once and he supposedly has had a super productive offseason. He has phil by at least 25 pounds and is only an inch shorter, he has great presentation, and conditioning that is just as good if not better than Phils.

so what do you guys thing the top3 might be and who will win between Phil and Kai?

Kai makes me nervous because he is impoverished. A guy like that is hungry and even desperate. He is living in the projects in Brooklyn. Go to MD's website and watch Palumbo's interview. It's a reality check to see how guys without contracts live. Sad. . .

[[EM1]Bobby]

yeah i watched it, it really made me feel sorry for him... but i also realized in last months MD Kai says he wakes up early to move his car every morning. Could Steve Blechman be trying to turn his bb'ers into WWF superstars? lol.

[alvinali6]

not a bad order, but they'll give Rockell the shaft like they normally do.

not this time around, if rockel can bring extreme improvement in his conditioning and presentation hopefully he will this time.

[nubbb]

In a battle between Phil v. Kai I predict kai will be the winner. He is peaking once and he supposedly has had a super productive offseason. He has phil by at least 25 pounds and is only an inch shorter, he has great presentation, and conditioning that is just as good if not better than Phils.

so what do you guys thing the top3 might be and who will win between Phil and Kai?

lol, kai isn't even gonna come close, IMO.

[icanrace]

Phil for sure.

Dexter and Phil is going to be great!

[CleanSlateScott]

A little OT but i didnt want to start a whole thread for it...

Can you take cameras in to the actual competition? I always see professional shots posted here but never some that were taken from what looks like the crowd. This is going to be my first show to ever go to and im going crazy right now to see everthing. I've also never seen a pro in person before so I'll finally fully appreciate their size.

[[EM1]Bobby]

as far as i know you should be able too. i brought one into the olympia. but you are gonna need a serious lens to get a decent picture from most seats.

[CleanSlateScott]

as far as i know you should be able too. i brought one into the olympia. but you are gonna need a serious lens to get a decent picture from most seats.

I got VIP tickets so im relatively close. Row V is 22 rows back but i have a 10x zoom so i might can get some good ones. But they don't have to be great, I just want to take some.

[Clean]

If they judge strictly by the book (which they never do) they will hand it to Dexter, because he's more proportioned. Heath's chest seems to dissapear a bit when he does that crab and his massive arms slightly overpower his delts. Heath's calves blow Dexter's away but that seems to be the least important bodypart. Either way its gonna be intense, I think it will be something like

1 Heath
2 Dexter
3 Melvin
4 Freeman
5 Green
6 Baddell

The Arnold actually makes good judging choices most of the time. If not, Ruhl would of won long time ago and Dexter would not have.

But I agree, Dexter is much more proportioned than Heath. I have said it before, but when you look at Heath, you say "Wow, huge arms!", but when you looks at someone else (Dexter), you say, "Wow, Huge Everything!"

1 Dexter
2 Melvin or Heath
3 Melvin most likely
4 Kai
5 Freeman
6 Baddell

IMO, it is impossible for the top 4 guys to get any other spots besides those top 4. Just like with the Ironman, there is so much hype over those 4 competitors, that they are guarenteed a top 6 finish at the very least.

And after Heath's Ironman win and Melvin's posing, the hype alone will get those 2 in the top 3 with Dexter. Kai is guarenteed top 6 as well, but I see him placing higher than Gustavo or Freeman because of hype and his placing in the Ironman.

[stealth_swimmer]

IMO...predictions for the Arnold are useless, assuming Dex, Mel, And Phil show up in condition. Those guys are gonna battle it out. I ain't counting Dex out, but with Mel's and Phil's improvements I think Dex is in danger of getting 3rd. I don't know if Kai is gonna come in 100%...but if he does, with added size, then he could crack the posedown.

I honestly think this show could go anybody's way, so I'm gonna have to wait to see them next to each other. I think it's shaping up to be one of the best Arnold Classics...and Mr. Olympias (adding even more great bb'ers)for that matter, in a long time.

[Wilde]

not this time around, if rockel can bring extreme improvement in his conditioning and presentation hopefully he will this time.

If Rockell comes in shredded and Silvio or JoJ place ahead of him with their out of proportion physiques I'm sending assasins to the judges.

[AminoAmigo]

My prediction for the top 10

Dexter Jackson
Phil Heath
Melvin Anthony
Kai Greene
Gustavo Badell
Silvio Samuel
Johnnie Jackson
Branch Warren
Ronny Rockel
Desmond Miller

I don't think that Phil can beat Dexter yet. There might be a close race between Melvin, Kai and Gustavo for the 3rd place.

I'm afraid Silvio will be placed lower than Gustavo again ( can't understand this ).

[SOMEPARTS]

Dexter Jackson
Phil Heath
Melvin Anthony
Kai Greene
Gustavo Badell
Branch Warren.
Silvio Samuel
Johnnie Jackson
Toney Freeman
Ronny Rockel / David Henry

Is how i'd have the top guys. with 4-6 interchangable imo, but im pretty sure 1-3 will look like that

This is a good post.

Anyone who thinks Freeman will be close to the top five hasn't seen his last two shows. He has absolutely lost his conditioning, and everyone knows it now.

Phil, Dex, Melvin, and Kai are really close. We know what Phil looks like but Melvin and Kai offseason have looked huge. Those four have the lines and the size that others don't have.

Phil next to Dex will be interesting.

[BigChamp89]

i dunno what AD cherry is thinking, if anyone else gets last i will be very surprised

[Vivid04]

I'm a big fan of both Kai and Phil. I really like Kai for his progress and hardcore work ethic, but he's also goofy. I've also got his signature pic in my room. However, I've also worked out with Phil before and he's a nice dude. He's a hard working guy and him and Kai have totally different ways of training. I've got Phil's sig too. I think Phil's got bigger arms than Kai, but Kai's got the back and if they both come in sliced, it's going to be close. I wish both of them luck. They're both awesome. I just saw video of Kai like 4 weeks out from the Arnold and was weighing 294lbs. Phil's probably only going to be 233-237lbs maybe. I'm sure Kai will get down to like 275 ish, but that's a BIG difference in size.

[DiamondDelts]

1. Flexy Dexy
2. Heath bar
3. Grosstavo
4. Marvelous
5. Grapefruit
6. Yoda Warren
7. Distended Samuel
8. Johnny wet towel around my ass crack Jackson
9. Toney what the hell happened Freeman
10. David small guy big heart Henry
11. Ronny gonna get screwed again Rockel

[shnizell]

1. Phil just getting bigger and better Heath
2. dex I talk **** about phil heath cuz he's better than me jackson
3. Grosstavo cheeseblock badell
4. Marvelous slowling losing it anthon
5. Grapefruit
6. Yoda T rex Warren
7. Distended cacoon Samuel
8. Johnny wet towel around my ass crack and small arms Jackson
9. Toney was always overrated Freeman
10. David small guy big heart big hammer curl underrated Henry
11. Ronny gonna get screwed again Rockel

FIXED

[DiamondDelts]

FIXED

Lol

[LUKEDEICHER]

1. Flexy Dexy
2. Heath bar
3. Grosstavo
4. Marvelous
5. Grapefruit
6. Yoda Warren
7. Distended Samuel
8. Johnny wet towel around my ass crack Jackson
9. Toney what the hell happened Freeman
10. David small guy big heart Henry
11. Ronny gonna get screwed again Rockel

I'll have to rep you on recharge.

Alot of creative thought went into that.

[DiamondDelts]

I'll have to rep you on recharge.

Alot of creative thought went into that.

Thanks big man. I tried.

[siersy]

I honestly think Dexter got this won..but it definatly can go to Phil as well so I see them both fighting for first..Who i really want to win is Kai Greene tho but I just don't think he is on their level yet

This is my prediction..
-Dexter
-Phil
-Kai
-Melvin
-Gustavo

and I haven't seen any recent pics of branch but from what I hear he brought his back up alot..so we gotta see how that goes

IM ROOTING FOR YA KAI!!!...BRING IT BACK TO THE EAST COAST!!!!

if gustavo comes 5th he will put a bullet in his head even though i think all those guys should and could beat him at the arnold