Pro/Am Contests Blog

Check out the finals pictures at:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/2822/event/1/division/18/site/2/

The top 6 posedown:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/2822/event/1/division/18/tag/7/

Let me know what you think about the new ‘compare’ photos side by side.  Go to the results page:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/results/2822

Click on 2 boxes to the right of the competitor and click compare. Ex.

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/compare/contest1/2822/event1/1/division1/18/contestant1/1/contest2/2822/event2/1/division2/18/contestant2/5/

Soon after we work out all of the bugs, it will link to various contest of whatever competitor.  

Full Australian pro coverage at:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008ifbbauspgp.htm

let me know if there are any problems.

WW

Ok so I went to the Australian pro today. it was the second year in a row i had been to the show and i was looking forward to comparing the two.

I must say this years show was better than last years. if you look at the top 6 it could almost be the top 6 of any show other than the O.

My critique of the athletes…

Sala Ibrraheim:
now this guy im pretty sure is Moe Mossaoui’s cousin. at only 24 years old and an IFBB pro hes done pretty well for himself. he was fairly dry and had a solid upper body but obviously lacked the size to shake things up.

Sala Ibraham.

his legs were the downfall of his physique as they dont match his well developed upper body.

Toney Freeman:
the X-man came to the show looking large but in the morning he looked a bit soft even though he eventually placed 4th i had him around 5 at prejuding. but toney redeemed himself at the nightshow by coming in much harder and dryer not to mention having an excellent routine which the crowd absoloutley loved. this guys physique is great its what bodybuildings all about. unfortunatley he missed out on an olympia qualifaction. for the record he was very approachable and very polite, a nice dude all around.

Oliver Adzievski:
one of the imports from Sweden and apparently a past national champ. he had poor condition probably the softest in the show. his back has little taper also. one of his redeeming features is his excellent chest development which complimented many of his shots.

Con Demetrious:
After being given a pro card after winning the IFBB nationals late last year Con got his first taste of the pro ranks tonight. i spoke with Con on Thursday and he said after spending time at the arnold amature competition he fell ill which hindered his prep for this contest.

Con Demetrious.

He still looked great but didnt have the real hardness that he needed to get compared with some bigger names. His strong points are his arms and he presents them well. he was a crowd favourite. i felt he looked better at the prejuding and softened up at the night show.

Melvin Anthony:
Melvin was talking the whole day. On stage he would rev up the crowd and yell a few jokes and at the expo he posed for the fans photos and shared a couple of stories which made it very difficult to buy anything from him but it was worth the wait. i cant praise his physique or his personality enough, also his stage presence was excellent and he was thick as a brick. after a disapointing place at the anrold Melvin said he dropped 7lbs for this show. his condition stayed roughly the same throughout the show but it got slightly better as he posed on stage. his posing was a cut above the rest giving a combination of classic shots combined with his trademard break dancing. he presented himself so well you didnt want to blink in fear of missing somthing.

Bola Ojex:
i had never heard of this guy before but hes from Nigeria. his physique was nice but lacked overall size and development throughout. i think he looked better at the prejuding as he softend slightly for the nightshow.

Michael Kingsnorth:
another New Zealand Pro. this guy was ripped and had a captivating routine that the crowd loved.

Michael Kingsnorth.

his upperbody was hard as nails but he lacked leg size. hopefully more of his routines in the future.

Jaroslav Horvath
this guys Front double Bicep was really amazing. he tapered out so nicely. but when he his the ab shots there were obvious murmers through the crowd. his separation was fantastic in the abs. best shots were Front double bicep, rear lat speard and back double bicep. small legs were his downfall and he could have been a bit harder.

Troy Alves:
i was wrapped that i got to see and meet troy today. in the morning at prejuding he looked a bit soft in the legs but as he went on he got harder and harder. this continued through to the night show until his chest was practically popping out of his front lat spreat. the legs hardened up a bit too. classical posing got huge cheers from the crowd. we love troy in australia

Ronny Rockel:
From the front this guy is amazing. from the back its a different story his hams, glutes and back were soft which was unfortunate because he has one of the thickest and best physiques onstage but he failed to capitalize on it.

Ronny Rockel.

hopefully he can bounce back with a good showing next year. routine was a bit flat and didnt get the crowd going to much.

Sergey Shelestov:
this guy was massive yet retained very nice lines. looked really good from the back. hams glutes and quads all go well together with his great back depelopment. once he gets his condition down a little better toney freeman better watch out.

Moe Mossaoui:
so i finally got to see what all the hype was about. i understand now this guy is so THICK. really low lats and long peaked biceps add to the illusion. his excellent thickness and condition made him a crowd favourite and the crowd would have supported the decision if it went the other way with him and melvin. his condition was the only thing remotely close to dexters.

Martin Kellstrom:
martin was the big dissapointment for me this year. after a great showing last year he came in today a bit softer than last year.

Martin Kjellstrom.

he did look better at the night show but it was too late. considering he was peaking for this show it is disappointing.

Oscar Dexter:
this guy had a thick chest and good shoudlers. he has a good structure and will continue to add muscle as the years go on. if he can bring up his legs he will keep getting better and better. the crowd loved his routine

Dexter Jackson:
a tiny little frame combined with huge amounts of muscle give dexter jackson an amazing look. his condition was soo much better than last years. he really brought it to the table this year tonight we saw dexter at 100%. i think he looked best at prejuding but held most of it to the nigtht show. nobody held a candle to dexter tonight. Dex was in a good mood as he is on a winning streak. i have to give him props for coming all the way down to australia when he clearly doesnt need to go for the money or olympia qualifactions i think hes just doing it for the fans. and he said he will be back next year to break Cormier’s record and win 4 Aus Pro titles.

1. Dexter
2. Melvin
3. Moe
4. Toney
5. Troy
6. Ronnie

the judges did very well as this was a very close line up and was of a much higher standard this year. It was hard to pick.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=106360521

Candid pics now online!

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008australianpro/pics/candids/index.htm

Dexter wins again!

Check out the top 6 at:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/results/2822

WW

Our contest database is having some issues right now, so I had to batch it using Photoshop.

See it here first:

http://webcast.bodybuilding.com/fitshow/2008australianpro/pics/index.htm

WW

Head IFBB Pro Judge, John Tumann and his fiancé, Lisa Schlichter are in Australia now for the pro show. Lisa has been kind enough to take a few photos and provide some insight for the fans on bodybuilding.com. Lisa reports, "It’s currently 7:30am and prejudging begins at 10am." She’ll be providing more coverage from the show throughout the day. The latest from Lisa…

This is the promoter, Tony Doherty of Dohertys Gym. Also in the pic is his father, Frank Doherty. Together these men will put on a great show as they do every year. Let me tell you that Doherty’s Gym is old school and has every piece of equipment that anybody on any level needs. The gym is open 24/7. The kitchen is totally the bomb!  Tony and his dad had all of us the best, clean food that you could get anywhere. The cooks in the kitchen made the basics of steak, chicken, rice and steamed veggies.  We are all treated like royalty. The competitors got a full stomach and we shuttled back to excellent accommodation.  I understand why this show brings the big names in IFBB. These 2 guys take real good care of everyone and they love what they do.

This is Bola Ojex from Nigeria. Really, I saw this guy pose and although he would need a bit more size on his frame, he has a real small waist and joints. His front double bi is something to watch for when he steps on stage!!!!

John Tuman and our new friend from the gym, Jordan Brown. Jordan is hopeful to someday start entering BB shows. He did one once with NABBA and we told him that there won’t be anymore of that going on. So John’s giving him some great pointers and slaughtering his arms with this intense workout!  Jordan has been so kind to drive us around and show us the sights here in Melbourne.

One last picture for now. This is Martin Kjellstrom. Absolutely huge, massive indeed!  Martin represent Sweden and is pictured with his trainer.

For larger versions of the photos and more coverage on this show visit: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008ifbbauspgp.htm

ok well i was at dohertys gym today. I had to train chest and i had to buy a prejuding ticket for my dad for the show on saturday so i thought i would kill two birds with one stone and train at dohertys and get the ticket there and maybe catch a pro if i was lucky.

so i walk in and sitting in the cafe area at the front is Toney Freeman, Melvin Anthony and Troy Alves. i go in and start training and toney and melvin jump on the treadmills and troy starts to train shoulders.

Toney: Toney was the only one wearing a singlet and his arms were HUGE. i was surprised at how shredded he looked also. And as always these guys are always bigger in person and Toney was no exception. depending on the condition of melvin, ronnie rockel and the X factor of Keilstrom i think toney will be top 3 for sure

Melvin: was wearing long sleeves and gave nothing away. when he was leaving he was carrying all these bags full of food and new shoes about 6-7. he kept dropping them so i went up and asked him if he needed a hand and he said yes. i walked him to the car taking him to the hotel and he said to me "thankyou sir i appreciate it". pretty much made my day. funny thing was he was chowing down on Dymatize ISO 100! NO MUSCLETECH!!!

Martin Keilstrom: this guy is huge and is apparently going to weigh about 320 on stage. he was wearing a t-shirt bigger than my bed sheet that cut off about half way down the forearms. the guy had pipeline veins running down his forearms and hands. hopefully he nails his condition. ordered 5 chicken breats and 2 boxes of rice

Con Demetrious: New Australian pro. i had a chat to him while i worked in with him on the preacher curls. he has been in thailand for a while then he went over for the Arnold where he said he got sick and had trouble with food so sadly he might be off. but he was very nice and approachable and has a very good physique.

Troy Alves: was eating the house down. two big shakes chicken breast and rice after he trained shoulders. was wearing long sleeves and pants, couldn’t see anything.

Photos and more here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=106316191

Many of these guys are coming off the Arnold Classic from last week. How will they be able to hold it together from traveling across the globe, on top of doing photo shoots throughout the week. Below are my top 10 picks for this show. I look for Dexter Jackson to make it two in a row and for Marvelous Melvin Anthony to put it together and give Dex a run for his money. Toney Freeman continues to improve and you can’t count out hometown man Ronnie Rockel. Troy Alves was looking tight at the Arnold can if he is able to drop his water on time he could be in the mix. Mo will have to redeem himself after the Arnold placing where he finished 11th.

1. Dexter Jackson
2. Melvin Anthony
3. Toney Freeman
4. Ronnie Rockel
5. Troy Alves

Check out all the exclusive Australian pro coverage at:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008ifbbauspgp.htm

WW

There are a few good forum threads dealing with the Australian Pro from this past weekend.

Here’s one of them with some sweet photos and comments:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1775861

Search the forums if you’re hungry for more 2007 Australian Pro coverage!

Well last night was the Australian GP and the show went of without a hitch (apart from a few no shows). I arrived early at 10:30 with the expo due to start at 11; I didn’t want to miss a thing. The first big name to arrive was Vince Taylor. At the time there were only 4 people outside and Vince greeted us with a hello and a smile like we were old friends. Next to arrive was Ronnie Rockel with a security guard escorting him in which was kind of unnecessary because by now there were only about 10 people outside. Soon after him Neil Gardner, John Hodgson and Mossimo Villi arrived. Then Wong Hong arrived with his entourage of friends all of which were as big as or bigger than he was. Then the wide shouldered giant Martin Kjellstrom arrived. The last competitors to arrive through the main entrance came in a minivan (these guys would have been better suited to a bus). Out stepped Hidetada Yamagishi, Luke Wood and the largest man I have ever seen Joel Stubbs (who exited sideways through the car). Then I was surprised to see another large man exit from the back of the car. It was IFBB legend Milos Sarcev.

Soon after those guys went in the doors to the expo were opened to the public. I looked around and the Muscle tech and BSN booths bought a couple of things from the House of Pain stand and got a few samples from the CEL stand. After I had done a few laps around the expo I took a seat to rest for a while before the prejudging. I quickly got up when I saw none other than Chris Cormier coming up the stairs with a Louis Vuitton suitcase trailing behind him. I went over and talked to Chris and asked him how he was going, he said he was doing great and was now back up to 270 (went from 295 to 200 after being in a coma last year) and he planned to do the Europa on August 10th. At 12 pm the prejudging was due to start and I had acquired seats in the 6th row which I was pleased about. After introductions my MC Toney Doherty the show was underway. I don’t remember the order exactly so bear with me:

Prejudging: each man had 90 seconds to go through their mandatories
1. Neil Gardner
At 42 years old Neil Gardener is defiantly past his prime, but that didn’t stop him from giving it his all. His conditioning was defiantly off but he was in good spirits.

2. Martin Kjellstrom
When Martin walked onstage there were gasps from the crowd and for good reason. The guy was huge (295 lbs) and in rock hard condition. In the 90 seconds he had Martin made a real impact on the crowd who cheered him on loudly. For such a large man he had great proportions and symmetry. Look out for this guy in the future.

3. Mossimo Villi
To be honest Mossimo Villi from Italy didn’t look that great and didn’t even have visible abs and that wasn’t an issue of body fat either. Mossimo didn’t look to healthy.

4. Hidetada Yamagishi  
Coming off a good placing at the Sacramento pro and in my opinion being overlooked at the Iron man Hidetada was there to do some damage. He had held his condition well and was confident and deservingly received a rousing reception from the crowd.

5. Vince Taylor
Everyone wanted to see this man and for good reason. Vince came onstage with a presence like no other. He owned the stage with great personality and posing. Vince was in great condition and his famous arms and calves didn’t let him down. Vince deservingly got the loudest cheers from the crowd

6. Joel Stubbs
Like when Matin Kjellstrom came onstage there were loud gasps from the crowd when Joel Stubbs stepped up. Stubbs was a mountain of muscle and had the largest upper body I had ever seen other than Ronnie Coleman (and he was damn close). His delts were the size of soccer balls and just as round. I had heard of the size of Joel’s back before but now I am truly a believer. His back along with his upper body was world class and unmatched onstage that night. Joel also had the best separation onstage. Each muscle has deep cuts you could have put your fingers in. Joel’s conditioning was also excellent. The only knock on Joel was his legs. His legs are small in comparison to his upper body because he has had many knee injuries in the past. I hope he can overcome this problem because he is something special.

7. Luke Wood
Luke has been sick for the last couple of weeks but he still went on to compete at the Arnold and then honoured his promise to come down to Australia so props to him for that. Luke got cheers from the crowd and has massive delts. His conditioning was slightly off.

8. Wong Hong
Wong Hong I feel was overlooked in the callouts. He looked great but maybe could have been a little harder. Wong’s massive quads fitted his physique well and enhanced his already tiny waist as did his broad shoulders. Wong looked good.

9. John Hodgson
John Hodgson aka “Mr Condition” was a joy to watch with his enthusiasm onstage. He was in good condition with a great most muscular pose.

10. Ronny Rockel
Last years winner Ronnie Rockel was back to defend his title. Ronnie was in great condition and has no flaws in his physique at all. Ronnie is a very complete bodybuilder who is overlooked in the states but no in Australia.

11. Dexter Jackson
Dexter was the man to beat and for good reason. He was in the best condition out of everyone and had the best physique. He was confident and for good reason, Dexter owned the stage more than anyone. Everyone was in awe of his physique including myself. He is much more stunning in person. I think everyone had Dexter first.

Stay tuned for the Night show with pics later!

Well, kids, it’s official - the 2007 Australian Pro is now history!  Congratulations to Dexter Jackson for taking 1st Place!

Check out our photo galleries, results, and reviews here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2007ifbbauspgp.htm

1. Dexter Jackson
Coming off his 2nd place in the Arnold classic, Dexter will obviously be unhappy after loosing his title. Dexter has something to prove here and I think he will easily be able to hold off Toney freeman whose condition will now be deteriorating. Dexter will be at home in the Dallas Brooks Centre as he has won here on numerous occasions.

2. Toney Freeman
Coming off a run of 2 pro show wins and a fantastic 3rd at the Arnold a week ago Toney is a shoe in for second. Though his conditioning may be deteriorating from all the shows and travel he has done in the last couple of weeks his overwhelming size will be too much for some of the smaller competitors.

3. Ronnie Rockel
I predict Ronnie’s condition will hold and may have even improved since the Arnold. Being last years champion its clear that Ronnie’s look is what the Australian judges are looking for. However he will not be able to defeat the larger and equally aesthetic physiques of Jackson and Freeman, Ronnie will be a solid 3rd.

4. Vince Taylor
The legendary and ageless physique of Vince Taylor will be hard to beat. Being one of the most balanced physiques on stage at 51 is a true achievement in itself. Everyone attending the show will be privileged to see this legend in action.

5. Mustafa Mohammed
Mustafa has the most muscle on stage but as of recent trends he hasn’t hit his conditioning the way he used to. If Mustafa is on he will place alot higher

My Wildcard Picks:

Wong Hong, Marcus Haley

Check back here during the day on Friday (here in the U.S. - Saturday in Australia) for results, pictures and more!

Will

Read who our forum members think will win, here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek113.htm

Well, the 2007 Australian Pro is going to be a great one. There is a fantastic list so far with some of the worlds top competitors coming down to join in. The list includes:

Aiman Faour (Lebanon)
Wong Hong (Malaysia)
Dexter Jackson (USA)
Moe El Moussawi (New Zealand)
Vince Taylor (USA)
Marcus Haley (USA)
Mustafa Mohammed (Lebanon)
John Hodgson (UK)
Ronnie Rockel (Germany)
Toney Freeman (USA)
Luke Wood (Australia)

With this being probably the strongest lineup in years it should make for a thrilling contest!