Changing of the guard: My perspective on bodybuilding's future

[deathmetal1992]

A few years ago, the future of the IFBB was bleak but now it's better than ever. A lot of top athletes are unfortunately in their competitive golden years so to speak. Dexter is turning 47 soon, it's a borderline miracle he's aged so well, I think he has a few more years left in him before he starts to decline. I wonder if he'll be the first top 6 50 year old since Albert Beckles. Shawn Rhoden is 41, although he shows no signs of slowing down, it's overly optimistic to expect him to still be a top 6 competitor when he's Dexter's age. Wolf is 38, although his muscle maturity is reaching new heights, his physique is showing some signs of fatigue, I don't see him competing much longer tbh. Kai Greene is 42, I don't think he'll ever participate at another Olympia because he realizes the IFBB will not let him win and will most likely place him lower than 2nd due to his behavior, I still see him as being Arnold Classic winner worthy material for the next few years though. Cedric is 39, his physique has peaked, I could see him lasting a while though, because his physique doesn't scream drugs as much as some of the other competitors, plus he seems to truly love bodybuilding. In my opinion, once he starts to be unhappy with his look, he won't overstay his welcome unlike some (cough cough Branch). Roelly is 39, he's a beast but it's clear he's not going to bring his back up, I could see him eventually being 4-5th though, like Cedric I see him still being on stage for a while longer. Phil imo has nobody that could really threaten him for a while, I think he'll win his 10 Sandows than retire at the top of his game unlike several of his predecessors.

So where will bodybuilding be in the next 5 years?

Dallas McCarver- I think he is Phil's successor, he will be 30 years old in 5 years, I feel like he can only get better. He has plenty of size and has no problem coming in conditioned, he just needs some more back thickness which will come with age. I don't think he will ever have a Dorianesque back but it will not be a hindrance. I have a feeling he's not going to last that long since he started really early and time is fairly unkind to mass monsters. But Dallas for the few years he will be at his peak will be something spectacular.

Big Ramy- He showed promise this year at the Finals. He wasn't as flat as prejudging plus his conditioning was at its best. I still think his Prague showing was better, slightly less conditioned but much fuller. I don't see him ever getting it together to be honest, he's only 32 right now so he's still a baby in the sport but it's already his 4th Olympia and he hasn't come in even close to 100%. Time's ticking...If he can get it together, he could definitely dethrone Phil and start his own reign, postponing Dallas' by a few good years.

William Bonac-The oldest of the newer guys. I don't see him placing higher than 3rd no matter how off some other guys come in, I don't see how he can come in much better than this year. He has maxed out his small frame, he has no weak bodyparts but his relatively blocky waist and narrow clavicles are a limiting factor. I can see him establishing himself as a perennial top 6 finisher for several years like Shawn Ray, but unlike Shawn Ray, I doubt he'll go down in the history books as an uncrowned Mr.O.

Josh-In my opinion, this guy would have done amazingly 5-10 years ago but not now. Judges seem to be going for the narrow waist, full muscle belly, not so grainy look. Josh's physique reminds me of Dorian's, not necessarily the greatest shape or bodyparts, but he has the imposing size and the conditioning to boot. I can see him winning an Arnold eventually and being in the top 6 but imo, he just does not have the structure and shape needed to cater to what the judges are looking for.

Justin-In my opinion, he doesn't have as much potential as the other 2 great white hopes. Still he is top 6 material. I don't see his back ever coming up and him really nailing it.

Nathan-Unlimited potential, he has an amazing structure and could do some serious damage, in my opinion he has the potential to push Dallas. Needs more leg size, and a bit more overall size, it's a little too early to say if he has good chances to reach it.

Cody-It's too early to tell how he'll do, he needs to gain a lot more size. I personally think he'll have more luck in the 212.

Steve-The new Brandon Curry, he's been an established pro for a few years but he's not living up to his potential. He carries the size, but he can't come in conditioned and full no matter what. He will be Brandon Curry status in the next 5 years, a what if.

Brandon Curry-Will still be around if he wants to be, as irrelevant as today.

Lionel-Same as Brandon.

[adamsz]

good analysis overall IMO

[tonyt82]

A few years ago, the future of the IFBB was bleak but now it's better than ever. A lot of top athletes are unfortunately in their competitive golden years so to speak. Dexter is turning 47 soon, it's a borderline miracle he's aged so well, I think he has a few more years left in him before he starts to decline. I wonder if he'll be the first top 6 50 year old since Albert Beckles. Shawn Rhoden is 41, although he shows no signs of slowing down, it's overly optimistic to expect him to still be a top 6 competitor when he's Dexter's age. Wolf is 38, although his muscle maturity is reaching new heights, his physique is showing some signs of fatigue, I don't see him competing much longer tbh. Kai Greene is 42, I don't think he'll ever participate at another Olympia because he realizes the IFBB will not let him win and will most likely place him lower than 2nd due to his behavior, I still see him as being Arnold Classic winner worthy material for the next few years though. Cedric is 39, his physique has peaked, I could see him lasting a while though, because his physique doesn't scream drugs as much as some of the other competitors, plus he seems to truly love bodybuilding. In my opinion, once he starts to be unhappy with his look, he won't overstay his welcome unlike some (cough cough Branch). Roelly is 39, he's a beast but it's clear he's not going to bring his back up, I could see him eventually being 4-5th though, like Cedric I see him still being on stage for a while longer. Phil imo has nobody that could really threaten him for a while, I think he'll win his 10 Sandows than retire at the top of his game unlike several of his predecessors.

So where will bodybuilding be in the next 5 years?

Dallas McCarver- I think he is Phil's successor, he will be 30 years old in 5 years, I feel like he can only get better. He has plenty of size and has no problem coming in conditioned, he just needs some more back thickness which will come with age. I don't think he will ever have a Dorianesque back but it will not be a hindrance. I have a feeling he's not going to last that long since he started really early and time is fairly unkind to mass monsters. But Dallas for the few years he will be at his peak will be something spectacular.

Big Ramy- He showed promise this year at the Finals. He wasn't as flat as prejudging plus his conditioning was at its best. I still think his Prague showing was better, slightly less conditioned but much fuller. I don't see him ever getting it together to be honest, he's only 32 right now so he's still a baby in the sport but it's already his 4th Olympia and he hasn't come in even close to 100%. Time's ticking...If he can get it together, he could definitely dethrone Phil and start his own reign, postponing Dallas' by a few good years.

William Bonac-The oldest of the newer guys. I don't see him placing higher than 3rd no matter how off some other guys come in, I don't see how he can come in much better than this year. He has maxed out his small frame, he has no weak bodyparts but his relatively blocky waist and narrow clavicles are a limiting factor. I can see him establishing himself as a perennial top 6 finisher for several years like Shawn Ray, but unlike Shawn Ray, I doubt he'll go down in the history books as an uncrowned Mr.O.

Josh-In my opinion, this guy would have done amazingly 5-10 years ago but not now. Judges seem to be going for the narrow waist, full muscle belly, not so grainy look. Josh's physique reminds me of Dorian's, not necessarily the greatest shape or bodyparts, but he has the imposing size and the conditioning to boot. I can see him winning an Arnold eventually and being in the top 6 but imo, he just does not have the structure and shape needed to cater to what the judges are looking for.

Justin-In my opinion, he doesn't have as much potential as the other 2 great white hopes. Still he is top 6 material. I don't see his back ever coming up and him really nailing it.

Nathan-Unlimited potential, he has an amazing structure and could do some serious damage, in my opinion he has the potential to push Dallas. Needs more leg size, and a bit more overall size, it's a little too early to say if he has good chances to reach it.

Cody-It's too early to tell how he'll do, he needs to gain a lot more size. I personally think he'll have more luck in the 212.

Steve-The new Brandon Curry, he's been an established pro for a few years but he's not living up to his potential. He carries the size, but he can't come in conditioned and full no matter what. He will be Brandon Curry status in the next 5 years, a what if.

Brandon Curry-Will still be around if he wants to be, as irrelevant as today.

Lionel-Same as Brandon.

+1


The moment i seen dallas walk i out i just though dam hes built and hes not nipper either.

[SPARTANUP]

I agree on all points save 1, and that concerns Roelly Winklaars back, true his lower/mid back is a weak point in comparison to most of the top 5 but I do think he can bring it up, and bring it up a lot, he has improved it this year and I think he can even do more to bring out some detail in his lower back,or even add more crazy pop to his "high lats". I think some lower lat fingers and Christmas tree striations are possible, and that would make all the difference in the world to his physique.

True just a few years ago Roelly and Lionel were the next generation, now is Dallas/Nathan/Justin/Akim, but just as Big Ramy propelled himself from unknown to bodybuilding stardom, I think the nest few years will provide us with a few more surprises.

[Kulutues]

Roelly is 39, he's a beast but it's clear he's not going to bring his back up, I could see him eventually being 4-5th though, like Cedric I see him still being on stage for a while longer. Phil imo has nobody that could really threaten him for a while, I think he'll win his 10 Sandows than retire at the top of his game unlike several of his predecessors.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Did you even watch the show kid. How much if the IFBB paying you for this dumb sh!t.....




Even in the RLS Phixs 2nd best pose he got destroyed by Roelly/Ramy/Rhoden, not to mention Bonac is much thicker



Even in Phil's easy best pose, the BDB, he gets blown up by Ramy, just so small



Everyone but Dexter and Bonac has a bigger and wider back than Phil, sometimes much bigger



#Phixedbodybuilding #Stolenolympia2012-2016

[deathmetal1992]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Did you even watch the show kid. How much if the IFBB paying you for this dumb sh!t.....

Lat spread is good, can't ding him. It's his BDB that's holding him back although he's a beast in every other pose. He deserves better.

[Kulutues]

Lat spread is good, can't ding him. It's his BDB that's holding him back

Retard phix phan logic 101: one good pose (BDB) and looking like garbage all other poses wins the show. One bad pose (BDB) and domating the field in the other 7 poses means out of top 5 OOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOL stfu kid

[DiamondMaker]

I'm not convinced Roelly needs to develop his lower back anymore than it already is. The reason his RDB looks so bad is because he can't properly spread out his arms, he does the same thing in the FDB (which makes him look like his has no neck). He's literally so tight he can't pose correctly. Annoys the **** out of me.

Roelly does need better adductors - but that from what I remember isn't going to happen for him due to injuries. Still he could fix his foot position so that the gap between his legs isn't as obvious.

Overall Roelly's major issue is that he struggles to pose well.


Back on topic...
Dallas is probably not the future of the sport. Yes he is young, but his stomach is already become a major distraction to the way his torso looks. My guess is he's going to morph into a Ben Pakulski more likely than a Dorian Yates.

Phil will likely tie or beat 8. Unless Kai shows up 100% on and they judge things fairly.

[deathmetal1992]

Retard phix phan logic 101: one good pose (BDB) and looking like garbage all other poses wins the show. One bad pose (BDB) and domating the field in the other 7 poses means out of top 5 OOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOL stfu kid

Phil has only 3 relatively weak poses; front double bicep, abs and thigh, and front lat spread. The side chest, back double bicep, rear lat spread, side tricep, most muscular are top 3 in the world. Roelly's biggest weakness is his back double bicep, we've already established that. His front double bicep is nothing stellar either( arms are incredible but torso doesn't flow well, lats are high, for good flow see Shawn Rhoden or Flex Wheeler), front lat spread is awkward, he can't seem to hit that pose properly, the width isn't being seen and his arms are completely overpowering that pose) , Roelly's abs and thigh is nothing great either. I will say he has Phil on the Side Chest 100%, most muscular and side tricep are both great. So Phil has 3/8 weak poses, Roelly has 4/8, both have similar strong poses and Roelly edges him in those. However, the judges are looking for the most complete physique and they seem to think it's Phil's. You're getting angry at the wrong person though, Roelly has one of my favorite physiques, along with Dallas and Shawn Rhoden. I'm just trying to explain it how a judge would see it.

I'm not convinced Roelly needs to develop his lower back anymore than it already is. The reason his RDB looks so bad is because he can't properly spread out his arms, he does the same thing in the FDB (which makes him look like his has no neck). He's literally so tight he can't pose correctly. Annoys the **** out of me.

Roelly does need better adductors - but that from what I remember isn't going to happen for him due to injuries. Still he could fix his foot position so that the gap between his legs isn't as obvious.

Overall Roelly's major issue is that he struggles to pose well.


Back on topic...
Dallas is probably not the future of the sport. Yes he is young, but his stomach is already become a major distraction to the way his torso looks. My guess is he's going to morph into a Ben Pakulski more likely than a Dorian Yates.

Phil will likely tie or beat 8. Unless Kai shows up 100% on and they judge things fairly.

So who's the future of the sport then? Is he already well known or are we waiting for the 2nd coming of Ronnie? Dallas' stomach is flat, he just has a huge gap in the middle of his abs, if that had been a hindrance, neither Ronnie nor Lee would have ever had their 8 Sandows.

[DiamondMaker]

So who's the future of the sport then? Is he already well known or are we waiting for the 2nd coming of Ronnie? Dallas' stomach is flat, he just has a huge gap in the middle of his abs, if that had been a hindrance, neither Ronnie nor Lee would have ever had their 8 Sandows.

Honestly I think bodybuilding is going to completely lose all of its appeal and fans within 20 years. You're going to have a class of guys that don't look aesthetic at all once phil/dex/shawn leave. Like what happen with the women the Men's physique will be the slightly favored group of the show, but that will never be a mainstream sport.

In the end it'll be closer to what it was in the 70's. Underground. Who will be champ then? Who's ever participating.

[batspoof]

Phil has only 3 relatively weak poses; front double bicep, abs and thigh, and front lat spread. The side chest, back double bicep, rear lat spread, side tricep, most muscular are top 3 in the world. Roelly's biggest weakness is his back double bicep, we've already established that. His front double bicep is nothing stellar either( arms are incredible but torso doesn't flow well, lats are high, for good flow see Shawn Rhoden or Flex Wheeler), front lat spread is awkward, he can't seem to hit that pose properly, the width isn't being seen and his arms are completely overpowering that pose) , Roelly's abs and thigh is nothing great either. I will say he has Phil on the Side Chest 100%, most muscular and side tricep are both great. So Phil has 3/8 weak poses, Roelly has 4/8, both have similar strong poses and Roelly edges him in those. However, the judges are looking for the most complete physique and they seem to think it's Phil's. You're getting angry at the wrong person though, Roelly has one of my favorite physiques, along with Dallas and Shawn Rhoden. I'm just trying to explain it how a judge would see it.



So who's the future of the sport then? Is he already well known or are we waiting for the 2nd coming of Ronnie? Dallas' stomach is flat, he just has a huge gap in the middle of his abs, if that had been a hindrance, neither Ronnie nor Lee would have ever had their 8 Sandows.

Phix's Front Lat Spread is undoubtedly the best in current bodybuilding, and, quite possibly one of the top 5 of all time.

[batspoof]

Honestly I think bodybuilding is going to completely lose all of its appeal and fans within 20 years. You're going to have a class of guys that don't look aesthetic at all once phil/dex/shawn leave. Like what happen with the women the Men's physique will be the slightly favored group of the show, but that will never be a mainstream sport.

In the end it'll be closer to what it was in the 70's. Underground. Who will be champ then? Who's ever participating.

I disagree. What Arnold and co. are trying to achieve, is to bring bodybuilding back to its essence -- a thing of beauty and perfection, like it was in the 1970s. They are of course doing this by implementing a new scoring system where your individual posing routine counts towards your total score. For the first time, a bodybuilder's artistic merit will actually pay dividends in their placing, and subsequently their paycheck. The net result is that bodybuilders will take their individual posing routines far more seriously and make bodybuilding a better spectacle. I believe the scoring system that they're now using for the AC will eventually become the standard for IFBB shows, including the Olympia.

[deathmetal1992]

Phix's Front Lat Spread is undoubtedly the best in current bodybuilding, and, quite possibly one of the top 5 of all time.

Lmao, Rhoden and Ramy owning him, and Cedric and Kai aren't even there. He's not even top 5 currently, let alone of all time.

[batspoof]

Lmao, Rhoden and Ramy owning him, and Cedric and Kai aren't even there. He's not even top 5 currently, let alone of all time.

Not sure if trolling but it's literally night and day in that pic. FLS was probably Phix's most dominant pose at this Olympia.

[DiamondMaker]

I disagree. What Arnold and co. are trying to achieve, is to bring bodybuilding back to its essence -- a thing of beauty and perfection, like it was in the 1970s. They are of course doing this by implementing a new scoring system where your individual posing routine counts towards your total score. For the first time, a bodybuilder's artistic merit will actually pay dividends in their placing, and subsequently their paycheck. The net result is that bodybuilders will take their individual posing routines far more seriously and make bodybuilding a better spectacle. I believe the scoring system that they're now using for the AC will eventually become the standard for IFBB shows, including the Olympia.

I don't believe the judging or money is the major issue. The problem is that a large majority of supplement companies no longer sponsor bodybuilders, and the teens that use to support the industry are now more interested in staying natural, crossfit, powerlifting, and MMA.
Also now that people are more openly aware of the risks required to be a top pro, the few that do decide to do gear seem to be more willing to going the physique route.

[Unbiasedfan]

Not sure if trolling but it's literally night and day in that pic. FLS was probably Phix's most dominant pose at this Olympia.

Why do you call him phix?

[Kulutues]

Phil has only 3 relatively weak poses; front double bicep, abs and thigh, and front lat spread. The side chest, back double bicep, rear lat spread, side tricep, most muscular are top 3 in the world. Roelly's biggest weakness is his back double bicep, we've already established that. His front double bicep is nothing stellar either( arms are incredible but torso doesn't flow well, lats are high, for good flow see Shawn Rhoden or Flex Wheeler), front lat spread is awkward, he can't seem to hit that pose properly, the width isn't being seen and his arms are completely overpowering that pose) , Roelly's abs and thigh is nothing great either. I will say he has Phil on the Side Chest 100%, most muscular and side tricep are both great. So Phil has 3/8 weak poses, Roelly has 4/8, both have similar strong poses and Roelly edges him in those. However, the judges are looking for the most complete physique and they seem to think it's Phil's. You're getting angry at the wrong person though, Roelly has one of my favorite physiques, along with Dallas and Shawn Rhoden. I'm just trying to explain it how a judge would see it.



So who's the future of the sport then? Is he already well known or are we waiting for the 2nd coming of Ronnie? Dallas' stomach is flat, he just has a huge gap in the middle of his abs, if that had been a hindrance, neither Ronnie nor Lee would have ever had their 8 Sandows.

Side chest phix got destroyed by the whole lineup, even Dexter (smallest guy on stage) had bigger, more cut legs than phix



Also please stop talking about ppls stomach when ur a phix phan ur boy has a 2nd penis hanging from his stomach and at most 2 abs

[Agentdark45]

I don't see any shots where Ramy lost to Phil in the above pictures. I even watched the live streamed final and Phil was DWARFED by Ramy, who had equally as good conditioning. Admittedly, Phil's side chest is amazing, but Ramy's lower half + deep carved cuts dominates phils in the shot so you could argue it either way.

[batspoof]

I don't see any shots where Ramy lost to Phil in the above pictures. I even watched the live streamed final and Phil was DWARFED by Ramy, who had equally as good conditioning. Admittedly, Phil's side chest is amazing, but Ramy's lower half + deep carved cuts dominates phils in the shot so you could argue it either way.

Ramy lost every pose against Phix at the 2016 Olympia, and by quite some margin. But you'll believe whatever you want regardless, I guess. While I'll admit that the Side Chest was very close between them, the other mandatory poses were not close. Phix is destroying Ramy in literally every conceivable judging metric (aside from Width -- which the people on this forum seem to think is the only thing that matters) in most of these poses.

[deathmetal1992]

Ramy lost every pose against Phix at the 2016 Olympia, and by quite some margin. But you'll believe whatever you want regardless, I guess. While I'll admit that the Side Chest was very close between them, the other mandatory poses were not close. Phix is destroying Ramy in literally every conceivable judging metric (aside from Width -- which the people on this forum seem to think is the only thing that matters) in most of these poses.

Your trolling is getting old.

[batspoof]

Your trolling is getting old.

Yeah bro, Phix won the Olympia with perfect scores (again) and Ramy finished in 4th place, even though Ramy beat Phix in most poses, because the judges are trolling us.

Face it -- you're delusional.

[Exane]

Perfect scores doesn't mean he didn't lose any poses, it just means that the middle 5 judges had Phil in first.

[batspoof]

Perfect scores doesn't mean he didn't lose any poses, it just means that the middle 5 judges had Phil in first.

In case you missed it, Agentdark45 is the one making outrageous claims -- suggesting that Ramy was beating Phix in every pose. I refuted this, and apparently that makes me the troll, LOL.

But I'll say it again for clarification -- the Side Chest pose is the only pose between Ramy and Phix that was close. The other poses were not close.

[Exane]

In case you missed it, Agentdark45 is the one making outrageous claims -- suggesting that Ramy was beating Phix in every pose. I refuted this, and apparently that makes me the troll, LOL.

But I'll say it again for clarification -- the Side Chest pose is the only pose between Ramy and Phix that was close. The other poses were not close.

Actually, he only said in the above pics, which are only two posses, Side Chest and Front Lat Spread, both of which are close.

So it looks like you actually missed it, brah.

[batspoof]

Actually, he only said in the above pics, which are only two posses, Side Chest and Front Lat Spread, both of which are close.

So it looks like you actually missed it, brah.

No.

I don't see any shots where Ramy lost to Phil in the above pictures.

The "above pictures" are comparisons in the RLS, BDB, FLS, and SD. That's 4 different mandatory poses. The only one of those poses that's close is the Side Chest. The other poses are not close -- Phix is blowing him out of the water with his superior muscle separation, detail, density, and proportions.

[Exane]

No.



The "above pictures" are comparisons in the RLS, BDB, FLS, and SD. That's 4 different mandatory poses. The only one of those poses that's close is the Side Chest. The other poses are not close -- Phix is blowing him out of the water with his superior muscle separation, detail, density, and proportions.

I have him winning all of them as well, but there is no blowing out of the water. Ramy does have strengths over Phil, but Phil's strengths out weigh Ramy's.

The problem is people say crazy stuff like "destroyed, smoked, etc, ect." when in reality everything is pretty close overall.



If we want to talk crazy though, Ramys legs from the side, Jebus! I dislike his legs from the front but damn, those side shots.

[batspoof]

I have him winning all of them as well, but there is no blowing out of the water. Ramy does have strengths over Phil, but Phil's strengths out weigh Ramy's.

The problem is people say crazy stuff like "destroyed, smoked, etc, ect." when in reality everything is pretty close overall.



If we want to talk crazy though, Ramys legs from the side, Jebus! I dislike his legs from the front but damn, those side shots.

The only strength I can see that he has over Phix is that his overall frame is bigger and he is wider (which the weirdos on this forum seem to think is the only thing that matters). However, the quality of Phix's muscle is just in a whole different league.