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Phil
Heath put an end to all the speculation and predictions concerning what he
would actually bring to the stage when he walked out looking at least 20 pounds
heavier with new muscle in all the right places, sporting the driest,
transparent skinned conditioning of the show to unanimously take the first pro
contest of the 2008 season. For all the
hype following his well publicized offseason, nobody can claim disappointment
with the package he delivered at the Los Angeles Convention Center. There was no doubt, at least in my mind and
judging by the audience response, I was not alone in that sentiment, that when
it comes to Heath, the hype is real.
This kid has not disappointed since he first came out of the shadows at
the 2005 Jr. National's. He keeps
improving with every show. I predict big
things in his future, a future that will see fruition much sooner than later.
But
the story of the show, rivaling even Heath's newfound size and always
superlative conditioning was the emergence of new face and physique Mo
Elmoussawi. Now, Mo's not really new as
he's been a pro for a few years, but he's new in the sense that he's served
notice with his fine showing of 3rd place. I've been saying every year we have an
infusion of fresh new blood to stir things up and Mo is assuming that role this
season. Silvio Samuel showed Dexter
Jackson like consistency with his full round muscle bellies and striated glutes
and hamstrings to take a solid 4th.
Gustavo Badell recaptured his powerful thickness to bully Silvio out of
the way and capture 2nd. If
he can tighten up over the next two weeks, he'll be in the running for the top
3 at the Arnold.
FINAL RESULTS
Johnnie Jackson
5th Place
Not the
hardest I've seen Johnnie. This beast
never lacks for sheer size in the upper body and he didn't disappoint
tonight. Traps flowed out of his ears,
his chest and back looked like two sides of beef were sown onto both his
posterior and anterior profiles. His legs
weren't as sharp as they were at the Olympia and he looked to be carrying a
thin film of water in the upper body.
He'll need to tighten up to stay in the top 6 at the Arnold.
Silvio Samuel
4th Place
Silvio looked
great. Fabulous condition and shape,
with his customary round muscle bellies and small joints. Looked great in the front double biceps and
quarter turn poses but couldn't stack up to the wider, thicker men from the
rear. His shredded to the bone serratus
and intercostals were highlights. Biceps
and triceps, delts and those round, full, thick pecs were outstanding. His sweeping legs were in evidence but the
cuts could have been a little more pronounced.
This was a tight race and I felt it could have gone either way between
Silvio and Mo.
Mo Elmoussawi
3rd Place
What a mover
and shaker! I think the best this cat
did was...I honestly can't remember. I
don't think he's ever cracked the top five before. He's not a big guy but he has just about
everything you could want. Nice peaked
biceps and horseshoe triceps, round mellon delts, and chiseled back. His quads have decent sweep and hamstrings
have requisite hang. He could use more
size overall, but nothing stands out as a glaring weakness or strength. Reminiscent of Ronnie Rockel in that
respect. The real knock out punch in his
repertoire is conditioning. Next to Phil
he was the hardest, most stripped athlete onstage. Superb hams, glutes and lower back. A little more thickness and he will be
dangerous player. Congratulations on earning
a last minute invite to the Arnold Classic!
You deserved it.
Gustavo Badell
2nd Place
The Freakin'
Rican brought his freaky-deaky physique back to the stage with the customary
thickness he's known for. On the way, he
managed to pick up greater pec thickness, too.
Humongous arms, deep, detailed back and hanging hams round out his
package. The only thing he lacked was
crisp conditioning. He just wasn't as
tight and dry as the other guys in the top five. But as always, he proved that if the judges
are willing to give him a chance, he will fight until the last drop of blood
has left his body. Gustavo's mass and
maturity are the exact things that Phil lacks at the moment. He has the look of a man while Phil is still
growing into his physique. I expect him
to tighten up for his date in Columbus.
Great job to this never say die warrior for staying in the fight and
scrapping his way up to second.
Phil Heath
2008 Ironman Pro Champion
Damn! Damn!
That's all I could say when Heath stepped onstage. This man has been clocking serious overtime
since last year's Arnold. I know it's
only the first contest of the year, but I'm saying right now that he is the
most improved athlete of the year. His
competition will need to be superhuman to take that title away. The added size was most evident throughout
the back, upper chest and quads. His
arms and delts are more powerful than they've ever been. Even his legs showed more sweep and thickness
around the knee, plus deeper cuts. With
the additional weight, he's better able to present the illusion of greater
width. What I'm saying is that he's
improved in all the areas necessary to take on the likes of Dexter, Victor,
Dennis, and Melvin. His back, a former
weak point, showed marked improvement in both width and thickness. The detail was always there, but now he has
the size to compare more favorably with the opposition. Frighteningly enough for the competition,
along with the added size, he's managed to keep that tight waist and overall
flowing lines. His conditioning, one of
his trademarks, was superb. Stripped
hams and glutes. I had Phil as a lock as
no one in the lineup can match his condition and shape. With the added size, he
is on the verge of overtaking the guys currently ahead of him.
Honorable Mentions
I'm
so proud of Omar Deckard and the routine he brought to the stage. He gave the crowd a thrilling, entertaining
display of posing that really connected with the audience. Great job Omar! I also want to thank the great Triple H for
getting backstage passes for me, my son and my friends to watch him wrestle in
the adjacent facility. He was very
gracious with my son Darius, taking the time to talk and pose for
pictures. It was an honor to see him
perform live.
SETTING THE STAGE
Phil
made good on the potential he showed 2 years ago when he swept the USA. It's only his third year competing in the
pros and he already has 3 titles under his young belt. In reality and with all due respect to the
other athletes, this was his to win or lose. The real test will come in Columbus and later
in the year in Vegas. He'll have enough
size to contend with Dexter and he's proven he's more than capable of equaling
The Blade's trademark conditioning. Will
he have enough maturity and experience to deliver the knock out blow and
capture the first really big title of his fledgling career? Man, if I know Dexter-and I do-he will have
something to say about it before it's all said and done. Dexter promised that he would be bigger,
harder, and drier than ever before. He's
never been off so when a man of his caliber makes guarantees, you take
notice. This is one helluva a first half
that will conclude at the Arnold. See
you there!
Best Poser
King Kalami
FINAL RESULTS
1. Phil Heath
2. Gustavo
Badell
3. Moe
Elmoussawi
4. Silvio
Samuel
5. Johnnie
Jackson
6. Desmond
Miller
7. Eddie
Abbew
8. Toney
Freeman
9. Troy Alves
10. King
Kalami
11. Will
Harris
12. David
Henry
13. Khalid
Almohsinawi
14. JoJo
Ntiforo
15. Ray Arde
Neset Icli
Paul Baker
Dragan
Paunovic
Mehmet
Yildirim
Vincent Liu
Ken Jones
Jimmy Canyon
Armin Scholz
Gian Enrico
Pica
Sergey
Ogorodnikov
Rusty Jeffers
DeShaun
Grimez
Alfonso Rio
Omar Deckard
Rodney Davis
Troy Brown
Nathaniel
Wonsley
Guest Poser
Melvin
Anthony
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