Olympia Blog

Melvin Anthony is a new breed of bodybuilder and he is out to prove that he can hang with the big boys. Will he improve upon his 5th place finish at last year’s Olympia?

Melvin Anthony won the overall and the Super-Heavyweight Division in the 1999 USA Championships. His first professional competition was in 2000 at the Night of Champions where he finished 7th. In the next year, Melvin Anthony truly hit the scene - he finished 7th at the Arnold Classic and the Grand Prix Australia, 8th at the Grand Prix Hungary, 2nd in the Iron Man, and 3rd in the San Francisco Pro. Later that year, in his first Olympia, Melvin finished 11th.

In 2003, after failing to qualify for the Olympia in the previous year, Melvin finished 9th at the Olympia and continued to make improvements. In 2004, Melvin Anthony won his first show, the Night of Champions, against the likes of Darrem Charles, Ahmad Haidar, George Farah, Craig Richardson, Branch Warren, Toney Freeman, Quincy Taylor, Ronnie Rockel, Eddie Abbew, and Johnnie Jackson. In 2005, Melvin again competed in the Olympia where he finished 7th. Last year’s Olympia was Melvin’s best showing - he finished 5th and was one of the biggest shocks of the Olympia weekend.

Melvin doesn’t have many flaws. He always shows up to contests with great conditioning, flowing lines, a small waist, and a surprising amount of muscle mass. Combine those factors with some of, if not, the best posing in bodybuilding, you have a recipe for destruction. If any of the top competitors come in off of their mark, Melvin Anthony could take advantage of that.

Post by: NoNameNecessary

Eddie Abbew brough a whole different package to the Iron Man Pro stage this year, where he placed third. Will he continue to make improvements and place well at the Olympia? Only time will tell…

Eddie Abbew has failed to crack the top ten at most of his competitions - 14th at the 1999 Toronto Pro; 16th at the 2001 Night of Champions; 15th at the 2001 Grand Prix England; 11th at the 2002 Iron Man Pro; 14th at the 2002 Night of Champions; 11th at the 2002 Toronto Pro; 12th at the 2003 Iron Man Pro; 13th at the 2003 Arnold Classic; 13th at the 2006 San Francisco Pro; and 11th at the 2006 New York Pro. Until recently, Eddie only had a few decent finishes - 7th at the 2000 Grand Prix Hungary; 9th at the 2000 Night of Champions, 9th at the 2003 Grand Prix Hungary and 2004 Grand Prix Hungary;  6th at the 2005 Toronto Pro; and 9th at the 2006 Grand Prix Australia.

At the 2006 Iron Man Pro, no one had Eddie placed anywhere near the top five - most didn’t have him in their top ten. However, when he stepped on stage, it was painfully obvious their predictions were wrong. At a height of 6′1′’ and a competition weight of 270-pounds, Eddie Abbew was a force to be reckoned with - the physique he brought to the Iron Man stage was his best ever. He brought incredible thickness to the stage. His biceps were perhaps the most impressive aspect of his entire package - they were rumored to be measured at around 24′’.

He lacks separation in his back and hamstrings and those are two of the most important aspects of an Olympia phsyique. While he made great improvements at the Iron Man, I think he will need some more time to improve some of his weakness.

Post by: NoNameNecessary

The company NxLabs (formerly NxCare), burst onto the scene with more than a few interesting products. Last year I had a chance to speak with Scott Welch, who does product research and development for NxLabs, and was very impressed to say the least.

This company is one of the booths I am looking forward to checking out at this year, since they are sure to have a few NEW concepts designed into their products.

Brand Name:  NxLabs

Booth info: 1635 & 1636

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Craig Stevenson
- Mike Buckley
- Scott Welch
- Eric Nussbaum
- Duane Keizs
- Jennifer Van Barneveld
- Domenic Mauro

Products Featured:

Methyl Ripped, Mass System, Ripped System, the Ultimate Muscle Expansion Pack, Anavol, Aminovol, NitroT3, VASO.

Athletes Featured: Marlon John

Promotions/Samples:

Ripped Books, Mass Books, Anavol shirts, Aminovol shirts, NitroT3 shirts, Methyl Ripped shirts.

Another Sneak Peak:

Me!  =)

As you can probably guess, this year I, Vince Andrich, am reporting via online Blog for bodybuilding.com, on events leading up to, and at, the 2006 Mr. Olympia Contest in Las Vegas. I am excited to be involved, and truthfully my main interest is to bring our readers information on the top sports nutrition companies that will be in attendance.

First, let me explain why I want to focus my blogs on the supplement side of the show. Well, for sure I am not an expert on predictions or trash talking about the athletes. This is not what interests me, although when I see any one of the competitive lineups, you can bet I will be scoring the show on the fly. I may comment on athlete placings, but only from the standpoint of €˜what were the judges looking for’, and €˜was the criteria consistent’. Who knows, maybe this year we will see a new €˜standard’ being set for the bodybuilding and fitness generations to come. No matter who comes out on top, there will be controversy, and that’s part of the fun.

An Event for Bodybuilding Fans, Is More than A Contest

The Olympia has many exciting things to offer the spectator in all of us. More importantly, I believe that the consumers/readers on bodybuilding.com are not just spectators, and in fact are as dedicated, and train every bit as hard as the Pro’s on stage.  From my perspective, we are all fans of the art and sport of bodybuilding, but this only inspires us to create our own best body.

With that in mind, what I will focus on are the supplement companies that attend the show. You’ll get my views regarding what the best companies in our industry have to offer the athlete in all of us. This will be based on company input, and reader feedback. I WILL NOT trash talk or state one brand is better than the next. My goal is to let YOU get a sneak peak of what the €˜breakout’ products of the show will be.  With the help of from my colleagues, which are company owners, executives and essentially the €˜brains’ behind the brands you read about, YOU will get an inside look at how much work is put into your newest products, or informational pieces. In other words, which companies are really working hard for YOU to succeed? Which companies can get YOU more out of the blood, sweat and tears that go into YOUR training and diet? This is what I look for at these big events, and I want to get the scoop for those who will attend, or can’t make it to Vegas.

Stay Tuned The Info Is On The Way…
My blogs will all be under the 2006 Olympia Blogger group at BB.com, and I will create a series of blogs per brand. This will create a virtual €˜2006 Olympia Performance Supplement Showdown’.

Here’s is a short list of things you will find out by visiting this blog:

Who Are The Key Execs, and or formulators that will be attending from each brand?

What Products Are They Launching, and WHY?

Can We Expect Groundbreaking New Product Concepts at The Show, and From Which Brand (s)?

What Products Athletes Will Be Featured At The HOTTEST Booths?

What Promotions and Product Samples Will Be at Individual Booths?

What Are the Brand Sponsored Events (parties or giveaways etc.)

General Booth info

Train hard,
Vince

Hey everyone.

I just thought I’d send in a blog post, about how someone who comes from a small village in South Wales, got into following professional bodybuilding, so much to the extent that now, I watch every show I can, and aim to be up on stage next year!

Well, where to start! I always had a fascination with size, and the power that came with it, as a very young kid there would always be world strong man and such events on TV, here you get men lifting insane weights, with tremendous size themselves.

I started off at 14, weighing a mear 135lbs, not an ounce of muscle on my tiny frame, I started training, just once per week, for the sports I was playing at the time, but every month i saw more muscle, then more etc etc. At this time, I hardly even knew that bodybuilding existed, to me, it was something that was mentioned in small conversations, and the very mention would get the “freak show” response anyway.

Well, anyway, as I grew up, my friend, who was into his training was talking to me about DVDs his brother owned, one being Lee Haney’s workout, and the other being the classic Pumping Iron, I was intrigued, he brought them in the next day, and as soon as I got home from my school bus I put them on, firstly Lee Haney, as soon as I turned it on, lee was there, hitting a few poses, I was in awe, and then, when he hit his infamous lat spread, I was stunned, I watched the full DVD glued to the screen on how someone could get to that degree of development.

As the hours rolled by, the bodybuilder inside of me grew, as soon as that finished, I put Pumping Iron on, and much to my amazement, there was arnold, posing with franco, once again I was stunned, as I watched, the bodybuilding lifestyle seemed so right, it was at that moment, that I said to myself, in my head, “that’s what I want to do”

Since then, I joined these forums, where I learned so much about Pro Bodybuilding and the things that come with it, I think I’ve watched the 2005 Olympia dvd about 99 times! It amazes me, that before bodybuilding, we didn’t know that all this existed, a world, of a select breed of people, known to us as bodybuilders, and my the rest as outcasts.

Thank you for your time,
Rhys.

Let me first say hello and introduce myself. My name is Ian L. Sitren, my company name is SecondFocus and many of you have seen my photos and reports from the shows around the country right here on Bodybuilding.com. And I will be shooting and reporting from the Olympia, getting in to Las Vegas on Wednesday the 27th and not leaving until Monday. And by the way, I would love to hear what you would all like to see and how you would like to see and hear about it. So please comment or send me a note. And if I can get it done I will and/or try to work your ideas into future shows.

Last night and this morning I have been reading the analysis and predictions on this Blog and I am astounded. What a great job! It is like reading the anaysis of a stock market pick. But I will say this….. You never know for sure. My first reaction was that it would be a fight for third place. But I stopped and thought for a moment. When you get up to the top bunch of guys, very little difference can go a long way. At many of the shows I have heard some of the behind the scenes chatter between judges and have been amazed at what I have picked up. They really do see details that you and I might miss. So again, at the top end, I would not count anybody out. Somebody could come in 2% off and the next guy could come in at 105% and that could be the show.

I will come back a little later with some more. I am really looking forward to this Olympia. It is going to be a lot of work for me but it is going to be fun. Let’s hear from you. And THANKS!

MY SCREEN NAME IS SIRJINKZ, AS EVERYBODY IN BODYSPACE KNOWS, BUT MY REAL NAME IS JENUS, AND IM FROM DELANO,CALIFORNIA IM 26 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE BEEN A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER FOR 5 YEARS NOW.

SO HERE IT GOES MY BODYBUIDING BACKGROUND, I ALWAYS LOVED LIFTING WEIGHTS I GUESS WHEN I WAS A KID AT THE AGE OF 12 BECAUSE I GOT TIRED OF MY BIG SISTER ALWAYS BEATING ME UP LOL.. SO I HAD TO FLIPP THE SCRIPT ON HER BUTT AND GET STRONGER THAN SHE WAS..WELL I REALLY GOT SERIOUS INTO BODYBUILDING WHEN I FIRST SEEN A RONNIE COLEMAN VIDEO CALLED REDEMPTION THAT GOT ME HELL OF MOTIVATED.  IT WAS LIKE WATCHING ROCKY THE MOVIE  YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WATCH ROCKY IT MADE MOSTLY EVERYONE GET OFF THERE BUTTS AND TRY TO START BOXING.. WELL RONNIE COLEMAN DID THAT TO ME IT GOT ME OFF MY BUTT TO START LIFTING SERIOUSLY ESPECIALLY WHEN RONNIE STARTED SHOUTING OUT LIGHT WEIGHT BABY!!  AND ALONG THE WAY I STARTED BUYING BODYBUILDING MAGAZINES LIKE MUSCLE MAG AND MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT TO GET MORE KNOWLEDGE ON FITNESS AND NUTRITION BUT IT WAS STILL NOT ENOUGH BUT I THEN SEEN AN ADD FROM BODYBUILDING.COM ON ONE OF THE PAGES.. SO ONE DAY I WENT TO THE BODYBUILDING.COM’S WEBSITE AND IT HAD A LOT MORE INFORMATION ON MUSCLE GAIN, FATLOSS, NUTRITION AND SHOWING YOU HOW TO PERFORM AN EXCERCISE THE RIGHT WAY THAN A MAGAZINE. HELL AFTER THAT I WAS HOOKED ON THE BB.COM SITE I STARTED BUYING ALL MY GYM ACCESORIES  AND SUPPLEMENTS THERE PLUS BB.COM HAS GREAT DEALS AND CHEAP PRICES THAN GNC BELEIVE ME I CHECKED.
WELL ENOUGH ABOUT HOW I GOT STARTED  ON BODYBUILDING..
LETS START TALKING ABOUT ME GOING TO THE 2006 OLYMPIA BABY!!  IM SO PUMPED UP ON GOING THERE TO SEE HISTORY BE MADE BY RONNIE COLEMAN HIMSELF.. THIS WILL BE MY FIRST TIME ATTENDING THE MR.OLYMPIA SHOW  THATS ANOTHER REASON WHY IM SO PUMPED. I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET EVERYBODY AT THE OLYMPIA EXPO LIKE RONNIE COLEMAN, DEXTER JACKSON, VICTOR MARTINEZ AND BOB CHIC AT THE BB.COM BOOTH.. AND AT LAST A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE BB.COM  STAFF FOR HAVING ME ON THE OLYMPIA BLOG TEAM…

Howdy, My name is Crissy and I live and train in Dallas Texas! I just graduated college a little over a year ago and am venturing out to start the rest of my life. I am getting married this upcoming spring and we’re going to be moving out to Las Vegas right after it!

Fitness…. hmmm…. working out is what I like to call my drug of choice. I find myself in a gym most Saturday nights instead of out on the town with my friends. What can I say, I’m addicted to working out. My adventure into fitness started with playing tennis in high school and college. While athletic, I was overweight my whole life, so on January 1st 2005 I started the first day of the rest of my life, I started eating clean and working out. Before you know it I had gone from over 220lbs down to 160! I was the happiest I had ever been, the next step was wanting to compete. I am lucky to have an awesome trainer who is able to take me to the next level, www.alifitness.com, I am now down to 149lbs and planning for my first contest!

I train at Metroflex, which as many of you know is the home of Ronnie Coleman. Through working out there I have met some amazing people who have really confirmed my passion for working out. I don’t look at pro competiors as “celebrities” more as role models, they are doing what I am training to do and will do.

The first contest I went to was the Europa Open in my hometown. We can officially say that’s where I got bitten by the competition bug! It was an incredible show, where I got the chance to meet some of my heroes and even get some new ones! I walked by the bodybuilding.com booth and Bob Cicherillo was there and he is what got me actually posting more on the forum instead of just being a shy lurker as I had been for the past year. I had gone there to support a good friend whom was competing in the amateur men’s, Rendy De La Cruz, and left with a new “high”, I had found what I wanted to do!

I started planning on going to Olympia this year back in March when I thought taking my fiance would be a great birthday present since he is an aspiring bodybuilder himself and his birthday is the same week as Olympia. Needless to say now I am the one counting down!! Our plane takes off for Vegas in 17 days!! I can’t wait! Getting the chance to be on the blog team for my favorite website is the icing on the cake!!

I look forward to meeting many of you at Olympia this year!! Who knows in a few years I might be on that stage!

I would first like to say thank you to everyone working hard at bodybuilding.com and bodyspace to give me an opportunity to blog my thoughts and experiences leading up to and at the 2006 IFBB Mr. Olympia contest.
Now, let me introduce myself. My real name is Jeff (or Jefe’ as my friends call me), and I am 24 years old from the bay area in California… yes, I know… my surfgod screen name probably gave that one away! I recently graduated from college in Santa Barbara, and moved up to the bay area 2 years ago to pursue a career in computer engineering. I am now living in the same town in which I grew up in, so it’s kind of nice to be home again.rn   As far as my backgorund with the bodybuilding and fitness industry, I began my interest in the industry when I first discovered how great it feels to workout! Well, this was partly the reason… the other reason was that I was out of shape and in need of some drastic change. It was also around that same time, over 2 years ago, that I discovered bodybuilding.com. The huge selection of articles and information blew me away. I was truely sitting at my computer for days on end reading everything I could to expand my knowledge on diet and training. I have been doomed with bad genetics from my family (sorry mom and dad!), so I needed all the info that I could get my hands on.
Once I felt comfortable with the information that I have read on this site, I then found the the famous bodybuilding.com forums! This was the first type of web forum that I ever joined, and is still the only forum that I actively browse and post on now. For anyone that is reading this, and isn’t a member at the forums, I strongly suggest signing up, or at least browse around and see what your missing. With everyone from chemist to company reps to pro bodybuilders, this forum is hands down the best BB forum on the net! No joke!
I am truely looking forward now to contributing to this Olympia blog for everyone to read. I have been to the past 2 Olympia’s, so this will be my 3rd straight Olympia in Vegas that I will have atteneded. Every year I get more excited as the anticipation builds as it comes closer to the contest date. I am so dorky when it comes to stuff like this, as I bought my tickets this year on the first day they went on sale! I figured for my third visit, I would step things up and get some good seats for the finals, which I did. The previous two years I literally sat in the last row! Well, the first year, we had 3rd to last row tickets, but we couldn’t read the letters on the seats, so we ended up in the back row… and at that time, it was in the huge Mandalay Bay arena which made it inpossible to see! At least last year we were able to see the competetors from the back row at the smaller Orleans venue… which by far is a better venue for this show.
Stay tuned for some blogs that will include such things as contest predictions, expo preview, fitness/figure preview, and my journey to the 2006 Mr. Olympia contest. And don’t forget, I will be blogging 1-2 times a day while in Vegas, which will include first hand commentary and even pictures!

Hey everyone, my name is Rhys, currently living in South Wales and in college studying Biology, Chemistry and PE. I’m 5″9 and 195lbs, I have been training for 2 years now and loved every second of it, the image of seeing myself on stage in a few years inspires me every time I think about it. I’ve been a member on the forums for about a year now, and as you’ll be able to see by my post count, I post alot This Mr.Olympia contest is gonna be off the chain, I can’t attend as it’s a bit pricey at the moment, but I will when I can get the money together for sure. I can see this year being one of the best yet, loads of different twists; Ronnie going for the record 9th win. Jay hot on his tail for the best part of 5 years and getting better every year. Dexter with his always hot conditioning entering the show. Victor Martinez, the widest clavicles in bodybuilding constantly improving. Branch Warren, hot off his recent form will hopefully come in grainy as ever and cause a shock! There’s also a few things going on down the lower end of the results, Dennis James pre-contest is looking better than he ever has, Toney Freeman has qualified, him and his monstorous physique will definately heat up the show, Melvin is looking bigger than ever… Seriously there are so many twists this year it’s insane! Keep checking this blog for more Olympia predictions, info and more!