Pro/Am Contests Blog

For those of you who missed out on the action of the Kings Of The Bench III & Clash Of The Titans II!

Check out the interviews of the Lightweight, Middleweight, Light-Heavy and Heavyweight winners of the MHP series NOW!

    * Jamie McDougal, Jesse Kellum, Scott Smith, & Randall Harris
    * Mark Martin With EO Board Vest
    * Tom Eilerman With Nebula Fitness

For full coverage including pics, results and webcasts check out the Main Page here.

Check out this great video interview we did at the recent 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic on location in Mesquite, Texas - starring Matt Mc Dermott from Metroflex Gym as the interviewer, and Author L. Rea from ALR Industries as the interviewee!

Enjoy! 

Check out these great video interviews we did at the recent 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic on location in Mesquite, Texas - starring Monique Minton, Natalie Benson, and Amanda Harris as interviewers, and a whole host of IFBB pros, NPC competitors, and industry insiders as the interviewees!

Also, don’t miss the Kings of the Bench webcast replays!

Check out results and contest photos from the 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic here first!

Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.

2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic Results. Check out the results from the 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic contest here. [ 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic Results ]

2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic Check out the pictures of the 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic.  See pictures of contestants, crowds and competition! [ 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic Photos ] [ Mens ] [ Figure ] [ Bikini ] [ Fitness ] [ Women ] [ 2009 NPC Ronnie Coleman Expo Videos ] [ 2009 Kings Of The Bench Webcast Replays ]

Ronnie Coleman Classic Xlll Review
By: Brian Dobson, MetroFlex Gym

This years show was held at the Mesquite Rodeo Conference Center  on 4-18-09 and was the biggest show so far, 180 competitors with crossovers fought it out in teen, men’s novice, men’s open national qualifier,masters men over 40, over 50 and over 60. Women’s novice, women’s open national qualifier,masters women over 35, figure a,b,c,d national qualifier,masters figure, bikini a and b and masters bikini.

During the day show the halls were packed with spectators not only enjoying all the NPC aspect of the show but the Kings of the Bench and Clash of the Titans Raw power lifting put on by Sean Katterle of hardcorepowerlifting.com . Athletes from the whole United states and Europe battled it out raw in this prestigious event. as soon as prejudging ended the U.S. armwrestling association put on a competition with nearly 80 athletes helping keep the hall packed all day long.

Vendors from BSN, MHP, GNC, Open door ministries, Gaspari, Labrada, USANA , MRI, AllMax, Geared Up, House of Pain, Gasp, Metroflex Gym Plano, Cage fighter, Who you with ministry, Michael Knight Homeless outreach, Trainhardrockhard.com, ALR, muscleunderground.com, bodytalk and many more showed, sampled and sold their products to a packed house.

Reserved seats were sold out 2 weeks prior to the contest and all general admission seats were gone within 15 minutes of opening the doors for the evening show. celebrities in attendance were IFBB fitness pro Trish Warren ,IFBB Figure Olympia  Champion Jenny Lynn, IFBB Fitness Olympia Champion Adela Garcia, IFBB MR. Olympia Dexter Jackson  and the contests namesake  8 x Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman.

  God bless and keep it Hardcore

Here are some random expo photos I snapped last night while at the 2009 Ronnie Coleman Classic in Mesquite, Texas.  

Enjoy!

Bodybuilding.com is here on location in Mesquite, Texas for the Kings of the Bench / Clash of the Titans powerlifting event along with the NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic.

I just ran into Ronnie and Dexter down in the lobby, of course  I had to yell YEAH BUDDY like I do everytime i see him. LOL

Tomorrow we will be shooting the whole powerlifting event and then in 1 week from now we will present you for the first time ever a Bodybuilding.com webcast of a powerlifting event!  

Yeah Buddy!

Kings of the Bench & Clash of the Titans
: 5 Mailing Days Left to Sign Up !

$10,000 in total cash prizes ( thanks to our title sponsor, GetMHP.com )

$2,000 in additional prizes from SLAPPA.com and EOSportsGear.com

Bodybuilding.com will be filming the entire show and the broadcasting it starting a week later ( free-to-view and free replays)

Trophies awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each weight division of each contest

It’s too late to call and request a lifter packet by mail, but to get one EMAILED to you, please contact me at SeanZilla@HardcorePowerlifting.com

Current # of Competitors Officially Signed up In Writing as of 02/20/09

Lightweight Powerlifting Division = 4

Middleweight Powerlifting Division = 4

Light Heavyweight Powerlifting Division = 2

Heavyweight Powerlifting Division = 1

Lightweight Benchpress Division = 2

Middleweight Benchpress Division = 1

Light Heavyweight Benchpress Division = 2

Heavyweight Benchpress Division = 1

The winner of each division wins $1,000 cash !

The biggest benchpress of the show wins a $1,000 bonus !

The biggest total of the show wins a $1,000 bonus !

For more information check out the Bodybuilding.com Main Page here.

Kings of the Bench & Clash of the Titans
: 5 Mailing Days Left to Sign Up !

$10,000 in total cash prizes ( thanks to our title sponsor, GetMHP.com )

$2,000 in additional prizes from SLAPPA.com and EOSportsGear.com

Bodybuilding.com will be filming the entire show and the broadcasting it starting a week later ( free-to-view and free replays)

Trophies awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each weight division of each contest

It’s too late to call and request a lifter packet by mail, but to get one EMAILED to you, please contact me at SeanZilla@HardcorePowerlifting.com

Current # of Competitors Officially Signed up In Writing as of 02/20/09

Lightweight Powerlifting Division = 4

Middleweight Powerlifting Division = 4

Light Heavyweight Powerlifting Division = 2

Heavyweight Powerlifting Division = 1

Lightweight Benchpress Division = 2

Middleweight Benchpress Division = 1

Light Heavyweight Benchpress Division = 2

Heavyweight Benchpress Division = 1

The winner of each division wins $1,000 cash !

The biggest benchpress of the show wins a $1,000 bonus !

The biggest total of the show wins a $1,000 bonus !

For more information check out the Bodybuilding.com Main Page here.

We will be doing a tape delayed webcast of the event this year.  Find out more info at:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2009_kings_of_bench.htm

We might see Bodybuilding.com writer, Brian ‘The Bull’ Bullman competing in the bench press.  

We will see….

See you all there.

The 2008 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic was my first competition ever, and was definitely the best experience of my life!

I placed 2nd in my class (Figure A) and will now be competing in the Junior USA’s on May 17th, 2008 in South Carolina.  I’m definitely hooked!!

The 2008 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic was great! Metroflex Productions always puts on an incredibly organized, energetic, and efficiently expedited show! I was hesitant to follow through with the contest because I had actually spent more time OUT OF STATE than in Texas during the month before the contest.

I spoke at the World Scientific Congress of Golf in a symposium about the nutritional needs of golfers, as well as supplements for concentration and focus, as well as golf-related psychology. I also presented at the FASEB (Experimental Biology) conference in San Diego. Though these were great professional opportunities, traveling away from home a ton makes it exceedingly difficult to eat and train properly, though I did my best.

That said, I was not too confident going into the contest. I have a very well-rounded musculature, from years of consistent training and good nutrition, but my conditioning was sub-optimal. In any case, the announcement was made during the competitor’s meeting that a softer look would be favored for figure. Such comments are often delivered during a meeting, but with poor follow-through in the actual judging. NOT SO this time. Women with essentially *perfect* figure physiques of yester-year were over-looked in favor of prettier, younger, and more simply fit-looking women.

Generally speaking, I believe this is a positive trend. This kind of judging is exactly in line with the NPC criteria (as stated by the actual rules of figure). The NPC rules specify that the competitors should display a small amount of muscle with some separation, a small amount of body fat, and NO visible striations. A women cannot be as lean as the national level competitors of recent years and still meet these criteria. When judges who prefer a bodybuilding physique and conditioning judge figure by the same standards, the difference between figure and bodybuilding can become easily blurred. The point is to have two separate divisions, not simply to have figure contestents that look like miniature bodybuilders.

Kudos to the Texas NPC judges for choosing a figure-appropriate look in all classes and awarding the most stunning woman on stage (Jodie Minear) the overall figure title, even though it was her first show and she was not overly muscle-bound.

I also had the chance to take part in the Metroflex video interviews for the contest, which allowed me to meet Marzia Prince; she is an absolute doll and also very down-to-earth and well-spoken.

The next Metroflex show is the NPC Branch Warren in July. If you come, you may even get to see me sing again– who knows? 

Click here for some great news about upcoming NPC shows in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, thanks to The Texas Connection found at the Global Gossip Blog:

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/GlobalGossip/2008/04/04/the-texas-connection-2/

A follow-up review of the recent 2007 NPC Ronnie Coleman Classic has been posted, as well as a full gallery and expanded results.

Check them out here:

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

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/contestresults.php?compid=2280

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/galleries/contestgallery.php?competitionid=2280

I spotted this MySpace bulletin recently, and am reposting it here on BodySpace with permission from the original poster.

“For those of you in attendance this past Saturday at the Ronnie Coleman Classic, thank you for making the show a success. From the prejudging to the Bench Press competition to the standing-room-only night show, we appreciate your participation and hope that you had an enjoyable experience.

A couple of quick highlights, in addition to the terrific competition seen on stage:

- Ronnie Coleman guest posing
- Jay Moore guest posing
- An impromptu marriage proposal with the lady being escorted on stage by Ronnie (yes, she accepted)
- Raffles and free reports offered to everyone in attendance
- Multiple WABDL state records set in the Bench Press competition
- Branch Warren & Ronnie Coleman signing autographs for their fans
- NFL players in attendance

In all, it was a great weekend. Special thanks go out to booth sponsors and the Metroflex Gym staff for all of their help backstage, weigh-ins, and during the show.

We look forward to seeing you in July outside of Houston for the Metroflex Gym/Branch Warren show. Details will be posted in a couple of days [on MySpace].”

Matt Mc Dermott
http://www.MetroflexGym.com/
http://www.MetroflexGymTraining.com/

Editor’s Note:  Photos from the 2007 Ronnie Coleman Classic are here:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/galleries/contestgallery.php?competitionid=2280

And preliminary results are here:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/contestresults.php?compid=2280

The 11th Annual Ronnie Coleman Classic Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Competition occurred April 21, 2007.  Unfortunately, I arrived late to catch the activities of the Bodybuilding per-judging.  Perhaps it was my lackadaisical behavior since I was not competing this year, or maybe because I was preoccupied getting together clothes for a scheduled photo shoot that morning, OR maybe the fact that no parking was available and I was forced to place my vehicle in a very natural surface (grass and dirt) seemingly far from civilization.  That would be incorrect as the proximity of vehicles gathered in this foliage covered area of ground was amazing.

After hiking to the venue, I was met by competitors old and new.  I first did the show in 2003, and competitors have come a long way (baby).  As I already mentioned, I missed ALL of the bodybuilding pre-judging.  Imagine that, a show starting relatively ON Time.  The nerve!  At least I was able to snag some shots with the Bodybuilding contestants as I wished them the “Best” for the evening Awards’ presentation.

Meeting and greeting was fun, yet taxing.  It’s been 6 months since the last show of the season here in Dallas, TX area.  There were so many people to see and stories on which to catch up. So, some former competitors vowed to never return to the stage, and others said they were ‘pre-contest’ at that very moment.  Most interesting was IFBB Pro Fitness Competitor Adela Garcia-Friedmansky saying that she is retiring from the Pro  Fitness arena in exchange for her first Figure show this summer.  She is so adorable…and will undoubtedly do well.

The Fitness prejudging was curt.   Only one competitor this year, but the best regional participant I have ever seen.  Her performance was chock full of energy, and her routine was executed flawlessly with a smile throughout.  I am still in awe of looking happy whilst performing one handed push-ups.  Needless to say, she ultimately received her 1st place finish that evening during the Finals’ awards presentation.

Bling! Bling!  Are the first words that come to mind as I watched the Figure contestants enter the stage.  Gorgeous describes each and every contestant’s posing suits.  My oh my,  have things progressed from the time I first competed in this show 4 years prior.  Whoa…and this is the regional level.  I better tell my designer to “upgrade” my new suit with twice as many stones…?

Overall, it seemed like a less musculature frame was favored by the judges.  The disbelief was heard from the audience on occasion, but when ever is EVERYONE 100% satisfied or agree with the judging?  Need I even utter the age old adage about “pleasing all of the people all of the time”?  Nah, I think you know where I am headed with this.

The evening show proved as successful as the prior year’s competition.  Perhaps it was even more successful in attendance due to the appearance of 8-times Mr. Olympia himself showed up and even posed for the guests.   Massive is he.  I just would have liked a longer duration of the posing.  The crowd was just getting warmed up when the Big Guy ended his routine.  Considering he was not in Olympia conditioning, the performance was a crowd pleaser nonetheless.

The men’s Body Building was entertaining as always…that is what those Posing Routines are for.  And the Pose Downs just tickle me each time.  It was a great year…and I’m sure will continue in popularity and attendance,  What could be better than the Big Guy posing at the show named in his honor?   Hmmmmmm….a Bigger Venue???  Mr. Dobson, something to consider.