2009 Arnold Blog

I am very happy to announce I have placed 3rd. at the Arnold’s Classic in Ohio  I greatly appreciate all of the ongoing encouragement and support from my family and friends on this allready joyous occasion.

Sitting here in Venice Ca, Im talking with  competitor Ernie "Mongo" Chang who just arrived from Ohio where he was attending the Arnold with close friends Brandon Curry and Brandy Leaver who most bodybuilders know from the magazines  the Nationals or the USA. Mongo who is living in Oahu, Hawaii competed at a weight of 280lb in the Hawaiian Strongman competition from 1998 thru 2001. Then in 2002 Ernie started training with IFBB Pro Mike Dragna and decided to switch over to bodybuilding so in 2005 did his first show as a Heavyweight where he took his class along with the overall title and Best Poser award.

As we discussed the women’s bodybuilding division Mongo said he didn’t see the complete show but did see the overall and felt that Cathy LeFrancios should have been around third place.  Myself, I saw Cathy 1 week out as we filmed her DVD and her condition was on with cross striations on her triceps, quads and even calves.  When I spoke with her boyfriend Scott the day before he said some of the past top pros who stop by the room to see Cathy said her shape and condition was there and things looked good for Cathy.

Moving into the mens class Mongo thought the Phil Heath should have taken 1st place with being both bigger and harder then Dexter.  However, Dexter was unstoppable with his shape and tie-ins.  Speaking with several others I was given the same impression that the judges said if Dexter gave in with the same shape and hardness but bigger then he would take the show.  Moving to 3rd place was Kai Greene which was a fair placing for Kai, however his leg development is on the verge of passing his upper body development.  A great posing routine even though they cut his music, a great performer Mongo said.  At 4th place was Branch Warren with huge size and as hard as nails with legs that look crazy.  Even though he has improved his shape he just doesn’t have the lines or shape as the guys winning.  With 5th place was Silvio who looked good and was ripped but his legs just overpower his upper body and still needs more lat width.  But great arms, serratus and abs and when your up close very thick, cut side delts and this should of had him in 4th place instead of 5th.  Gustavo had 6th place and didn’t try to hide his disappointment to fans or the judges as usual.  Yes, he has a lot of muscle but the shape is not there unless you like the blocky look and his condition was not on for this show.

From the contest most people headed to the afterhour party that was a big hit where there two floors with several DJ’s spinning with dfferent music to choose from.  Mongo said there were about 600 people or so there.  The hit of the night is when the "Real Deal" Commier pulled Ernie "Mongo" Chang to the floor and tried to show Mongo how it’s done on the West Coast but with Mongo not being shy himself and always winning Best Poser award decided to show the Real Deal how it’s done in the Islands.  This in itself was worth being at the party.

The women’s show took place last night and there were a few surpsises. Let’s start with the women’s bodybuilding…

The biggest news hit fans when defending champ, Iris Kyle failed to make the top six. Iris finished in seventh place when the dust cleared. You may be wondering why the defending champ fell so far down in the placings. It was obvious when I shot the prejudging that there were more than a couple indications Iris could and should be knocked down in the judging. Why? Well, despite her being called out in the top 3-5 at the prejudging, the judges felt they needed to send a message. What message? I spoke with a couple judges after the show and they informed me that Iris was out of the top six because of the marks on her physique. If you look at the photos, pay attention to her shoulders and her buttocks… You’ll see what I am talking about.

Congrats to Yaxeni for winning the Ms. International. When I saw her at prejudging, I had her pegged as the champ. She looked great and brought the physique we have grown to love when she brings it. She was in excellent condition and brought great symmetry combined with just enough mass, to the stage.

As predicted, Gina Aliotti walked away with victory in the Figure International. I’m a huge fan of Gina’s and she never looked better than she did last night. She presented a balanced physique with just enough hardness to reign supreme. Jennifer Gates showed that a competitor can change drastically in three weeks. I had a sneak peak at what Jen was looking like before the show and I thought she was behind in her prep. I ate my words of predicting her fourth and knew when I saw her at the check-in Thursday that she was ready. Jenn presented a very balanced physique and look amazing. You can see her on the next issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers in a couple weeks. Paola Almerico grabbed a top six placing which was a tremendous accomplishment from her. The most overlooked competitor had to be Juliana Malacarne. I know the judges probably thought she was still too muscular but overall, she is still the most balanced competitor on the figure stage. She has it all from top to bottom when it comes to rock’n the figure stage. Amy Fry landed in third, as I predicted, and looked great. She towered over her competition but showed why she is one of the best competitors in the biz today by bringing a balanced physique to the stage.

Fitness super star Kim Schiedler rocked the stage in Columbus. I hope I spelled her last name right as her father corrected me a couple times backstage on her name. Those who aren’t aware, Kim has had a number of personal issues to deal with while prepping for this show. I won’t go into great detail but long story short, she is getting a divorce and dealing with the stress attached to that. Kim’s physique was much improved from the Olympia and you could tell she was much happier. Her routine was reflective of where she’s at in her personal life, check out the webcast to see it. Jen Hen was in second and I love Jen but I honestly wasn’t that impressed with what she brought this time around. She looked good in the physique rounds and her routine was funny and full of high energy but had too much dancing and booty shaking for my liking. I’d like to see more strength moves and less dancing out of her, but it was still fun to watch and photograph. The biggest gift in the show was given to Julie Palmer in my opinion. I love Jules as a person and this no knock on her but she was not a top three competitor in this show, at least from my vantage point. Her physique was good in prejudging and she placed well in those rounds. I thought her routine had too much set up and was a little hoaky. I didn’t feel as though her routine was that good and I would have her out of the top ten when it came to the routine rounds, but I’m not a judge and making those calls. The judges liked what they saw and placed her high in the routines. Julie Lohre has never looked better and brought a great routine and physique to the stage. She should have been second in my opinion but again I’m not a judge. Oksana was highly favored by many going into this show and while she performed a great routine her physique looked the worst I’ve seen from her since hitting the pro show. Her waist is a little too wide and it looked like she was overdieted. I’d like to see her add some size to her shoulders and improver her lats to give the illusion of a smaller waist.

I’m off to the expo to do some more videos with some of the IFBB’s hottest women. Check back for more info, photos and videos through out the weekend.

This great video recap came in recently from world-class photographer SecondFocus, and is a compilation of some absolutely wonderful photographs from the 2007 Arnold Classic, set to some catchy music.  Thanks, Ian!

Click here to download and view the QuickTime version (60 MB).

This great video interview just came in of über-lovely fitness model, Jamie Eason at the Bodybuilding.com booth during the 2007 Arnold Expo!  Hear Jamie’s thoughts about Bodybuilding.com…  Thanks, Jamie!

Video courtesy of Dean Marini of Image Video in Canton, Ohio.

Having problems with the video?  Click here for the downloadable Windows Media version.

These photos were taken by Isaac Hinds at the 2007 Arnold, but for some reason never made their way into a photo gallery on our main Arnold photos page.  So, here are some of the best of the bunch, for your belated viewing pleasure!  =)

For more 2007 Arnold photos, click here.

These photos were taken by myself (Richard Barnet) and Isaac Hinds at the 2007 Arnold, but for some reason never made their way into a photo gallery on our main Arnold photos page.  So, here are some of the best of the bunch, for your belated viewing pleasure!  =)

For more 2007 Arnold photos, click here.

Travis Chapman and the gang, including the lovely Jamie Eason (!), have produced yet another stunning episode of The Fit Show, capturing highlights from the 2007 Arnold Classic, Sports Festival, and Expo!

Check it out!

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/fitshow/episode54/fsi_4everfit.htm

This post-Arnold week has now brought you four (4) new 2007 Arnold-themed wallpapers for your computer desktop, cell phone, and/or PDA device.

Just added today:  2007 Fitness International Winner, Mary Elizabeth Lado, and 2007 Ms. International, Iris Kyle!  Get yours here.

Tyler has put together an “alternate” 2007 Arnold Weekend highlights reel (in addition to the first highlights reel), which is now available for your viewing pleasure on our Arnold Video Clips main page.  Be sure to check it out!

Also, J.P. has put together a Flash animation about the Arnold Webcast & what you didn’t see on it, which is now viewable on our WebComic page.  Don’t miss it! 

I felt the Arnold Amateur Classic was an opportunity that I could not miss when I heard about it. I had to send in my application. They made the stipulation that you basically had to have qualified for a National level show to participate so the turn out of athletes was spectacular.

Walking in the room was a bit of a shock. To stand there and see so many women that actually had near pro level physiques was almost intimidating. But I entered this contest number one because it was close to home for me and number two it was an amazing opportunity and an honor to be accepted.

The competition itself was run a bit differently then any show I had been in before as it was go go go from the moment we arrived at the Veterans. Mike Davies was to the point, gracious, kind and quite helpful to the girls to get us organized. Hats off to him for taking care of things. We were lined up quickly one group after the other and quite frankly the next round started lining up before even the last two groups finished the first rounds. This will give you some perspective of how quickly this contest ran.

My biggest thrill was to stand on the same stage as so many pros have done in the past. To be up there and have my family and so many friends out there watching ME was such a thrill! You couldn’t help but feel like a star!

All and all I had an amazing time and experience and honestly would do it again next year if given the opportunity. The rest of the weekend went by in a blur with photo shoots and and trying to catch up with as many of my friends as possible that live all across the country.

I felt so fortunate to have made it to that stage after the last month I had. I had a horrible infection, two mouth surgeries, a major snow storm and then 3 days before leaving for the show…I was in a car accident which totaled my SUV and in all ways should have basically taken me from this earth. So I felt very special to be up there in more ways then one.

I am sorry but as of yet I don’t know the standings. I am told they will be posted on the Arnold Amateur website but they are not there yet.

MUAH
Dream BIG!!!!!
K

As some of you may have seen, Ron Avidan, Lonnie Teper and myself have been doing "The Experts" predictions. We have fun with it and most of the time we’re all wrong. This time around Ron picked the right winner with Victor Martinez, but this was only because LT and I convinced him Luke Wood wouldn’t be a strong choice. Check out the recap after the prejudging as we freeze our butts off in Columbus.

Check it out:

Ron, Isaac and Lonnie Teper, aka “The Experts” freezing in Columbus.