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With just nine
weeks since the houselights went up at the Arnold Classic, where Kai Greene
finished a very respectable third place, eager eyes were waiting to see what-
if any-improvements he could bring to the New York Pro stage. The New York Pro holds a
special place in this man's heart, for it's the site of his pro debut. Although
he placed a dismal 14th, it's now three years later and he enters
this same show as the odds-on favorite, a first in his professional career.
Having already
established two things at the Arnold, namely an Olympia qualification and proof
that he can indeed battle with the best of them, some questioned Kai's decision
to enter. Why not focus purely on the Olympia? After all, what could he do with
a mere nine weeks? But Kai Greene is anything but predictable. Here's how I saw
the Predator's physique on Saturday, May 10th in New York versus the
incarnation he unveiled at the Arnold Classic on March 1st.
Overall
My jaw hit the
pavement as soon as he walked onstage. W-O-W. I was rendered absolutely
speechless. It's hard to imagine how he attained that level of size and
conditioning in such a short time span. I'd say he was about 95 percent to 98
percent here. The leaps and bounds he's made with his conditioning reminded me
of Ronnie right at the time he won his first Olympia.
Mass
Without a doubt,
the most drastic improvements made to the Greene Machine's physique between ‘07
and ‘08 were in the size department. The thickness he displayed over last
year's version was astounding. Previously, I said that in order to battle with
the best, he would need more size, especially through the upper body. He
achieved that at the Arnold. At the New York, I wasn't expecting any additional
size given the lack of time, but once again, I was surprised. Right off the
bat, it appeared he'd added muscle. Reports had him around 5 pounds lighter
than he was at the Arnold, but the greater conditioning created the illusion of
more size and muscularity. Note for all those playing the size game: being in shape
will actually make you look bigger than you really are. And in bodybuilding,
it's what you look like that matters.
Fullness
Being full while
retaining dryness is the bodybuilder's biggest dilemma. If you come in flat,
you look small and smooth. Overspill and you run the risk of blurring your
lines and details. At the Arnold, Kai was full, but a smidgeon blurry. In New
York, he was even fuller, but drier.
Conditioning
At the AC, Kai was
huge but just shy of missing his Colorado Pro conditioning, his best to date. Peaking
at a higher bodyweight takes a little time to master and in New York, the extra
few weeks gave him enough time to dial it in even harder. The thin film of
water was gone. That little difference made all his muscles jump to life, a
quality he takes full advantage of. Some athletes don't change much when they
pose. Their muscles look the same whether they're standing relaxed or hitting a
shot. Kai is not one of them. When this guy moves, every fiber takes on a life
of its own. Being full and conditioned amplifies this effect and it was evident
here.
LOOKING
AHEAD
Opinion heading
into the show was that Kai would walk away with the ring and trophy-all he had
to do was match his AC condition. The moment he walked out in prejudging, it
was over. With all due respect to the other athletes, it was no contest. The
judges seemed to think so, too, as he was called out just once the entire
afternoon. Everything was there: striated, feathered quads, ripped hams and
glutes, deeply separated back and full, peaked biceps. And this time, he kept
his posing routine to the allotted time span, though I'm sure Steve
[Weinberger] would have made amends for the raucous hometown crowd.
In the end,
entering this show was a very strategic move. It affords him the chance to
further hone the peaking process with a much more heavily muscled physique. However,
the biggest advantage is the momentum generated for the Olympia. So far the
talk has centered on Jay, Dennis, Dexter and Phil (with Victor the X factor). Now
you have to add Kai to that list. All athletes, no matter how great, can be
defeated. At the highest levels, the competition is too close to count anyone
out. Prior to New York, Kai was on the outside looking in, but now he is a bona
fide threat. If he adds any more muscle or tightens his conditioning even
further, expect him to make serious noise. He's now got a full four months to
prepare for his first Olympia and I foresee big things from this warrior. For
now, congratulations on your second pro victory. Enjoy that ring!
KEVIN
ENGLISH
202
& Under Champion
When you're around
5'4" to 5'6", it's nearly impossible to carry over 220 pounds of muscle
(although there are notable exceptions like Dexter Jackson and Lee Priest). It's
very tough competing with natural heavies or super-heavies. The beautiful thing
about this class is that all the fantastic athletes who turned pro as bantams,
middles and light-heavies are now afforded the opportunity to compete at their
ideal weight. Now they can dare to dream of owning a title. And that's exactly
what Kevin English dared when he came out of retirement to enter this new
class.
To tell you the
truth, I can't remember the last time I've seen Kevin onstage. In fact, he
hasn't competed since 2006. After the show, I found that he came down to 202
from an off-season weight of 280! That's at a height of 5 ‘6". Originally my precontest favorite was Charles
Dixon, but the moment Kevin took the stage, I knew I had made a mistake (not my
first and certainly not my last). He took his class just as easily as Kai took
his, but the real surprise came in the overall where he jumped past Craig
Richardson, David Henry and Ronny Rockel for the runner-up spot behind Greene,
proving that a supremely conditioned little man can upset the big boys. Congratulations
to Kevin on his first pro title!
Guns
Humongous guns. Biceps are popping off the
charts and triceps hang to the floor.
Chest
Chest is a standout. Wide, round and thick.
Delts
Good, capped delts. And that clavicle width! It's
like he's got a crossbeam inserted under his skin.
Back
Lats are high, but he has good width and
thickness throughout his back region. I would like to see more inner separation.
Waist
Tiny waist for a great X-frame.
Quads
Good thickness, although he could use a tad
more sweep to complement those extra-wide clavicles.
Hams
Hams have impressive thickness from the side
with great detail from the rear.
Calves
Calves need to come up.
Symmetry
and Proportion
Kevin looks great
standing relaxed from the front with those wide delts, full chest and tiny
waist. His outer quads could flare a bit more for grand effect. Everything is
in proportion, flowing beautifully from one muscle into the next.
Conditioning
I've never seen him
harder and drier. Conditioning had been a problem in the past, as he sacrificed
it in an effort to match the size of the big boys (competing at a far too heavy
220). With this 202 category, he came down more than ever and it paid off, as
he looked crisp and diamond hard. Definitely the best he's ever pulled off.
Mass
With his height and
structure, he's never going to be a mass monster. And he doesn't have that
freaky Lee Priest thickness. He does sport good mass for his frame, but as
we've seen, conditioning will be his greatest asset, whether he's battling in
the 202 or the open class.
LOOKING
AHEAD
This night, Kevin
had it all- impeccable conditioning and balance. He actually qualified for the
Olympia with his runner-up finish. If he is to taste success at the
202-and-under contest at the Olympia or the Olympia itself (the 202 class is a
separate contest apart from the
Olympia), he will have to work on his most glaring weakness: stage presence and
posing. Communicating with the audience via smiling and facial expressions is a
must. The fans don't want to see a robot. There's no doubt that he has a pro
physique, but he poses like an amateur. He relaxes completely and has trouble
holding in his midsection. Practice that posing, Kevin! Physically, he'll need
a thicker back to go against an in-shape Dave Henry, surely the biggest threat
for this class. Dave will bring it so Kevin needs to be able to stand with him
from the rear.
Congratulations to
Steve Weinberger for another awesome show. Props to Shawn Ray for sponsoring
the 202-and-under class. Congratulations to both champions and all the
competitors for a fine display of bodybuilding. New York is home to the
greatest crowd in bodybuilding and they more than lived up to this billing this
past weekend.
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