2009 Olympia Blog

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!