Flex 50th Olympia Souvenir Edition

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THEOLYMPIASTORYTHEBATTLES!
THEHEROES!
THECLASHES!
NEVER-BEFORE-SEENPICSOF
ARNOLD
WHO’LL
WINTHE
SANDOW
IN2014?
B R I T I S H E D I T I O N
PHIL
HEATH
COMPLETE
TRAINING
PROGRAMME
ARNOLD
DORIANLEE
RONNIE
9 770955 121136
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SEPTEMBER 2014 £4.20
www.flexonline.co.uk

THE GREATEST WELCOMETOOUR
SHOWONEARTH
50THOLYMPIA
SOUVENIREDITION
Football has its World Cup,
athletics has its Olympics and
bodybuilding has its Olympia…
the sport’s undisputed main event.
Every bodybuilder dreams of being in
the Olympia and every fan wants to go
to Las Vegas to see it.
My first one was in 2003 and the sight of
Ronnie Coleman striding onto the stage like
a creature from another planet remains one
of my most memorable moments.It didn’t
seem possible that somebody could be so
far ahead of their rivals at the highest level.
That year I saw Ronnie in his pomp,
great athletes such as Jay Cuter,Dexter
Jackson and Kevin Levrone,and a guest
appearance by Arnold.It was the stuff of
dreams but the Olympia is so big these
days,there is always something to
treasure.
Last year’s line-up was one the greatest
and featured numerous sub-plots.There
was Big Ramy’s debut,Cutler’s comeback
and a hard-charging Dennis Wolf.Iris Kyle
won a record ninth Ms Olympia and men’s
physique and women’s physique debuted.
Two years ago the Phil-Kai rivalry
threatened to boil over.As they jostled for
position on stage you could feel the enmity
and wondered if one of them might take
things too far.In 2012 it was also great to see
fellow Brit Flex Lewis,who gave an exclusive
interview for this souvenir edition,take the
212 Showdown.
TherewasRonnie’stear-jerkingfourth-
placedswansongin2007…thememoriesgoon.
It wasn’t always like this.When Joe Weider
founded the Olympia in 1965 there were just
three competitors—Larry Scott,Harold Poole
and Earl Maynard.But on the giant-sized
shoulders of titans like Sergio Oliva and
Arnold Schwarzenegger,the Olympia soon
became bodybuilding’s premier event.
Then came the Haney and Yates eras,
distinguished not only by those two greats
but also by the quality of their opponents: Lee
Labrada,Rich Gaspari,Kevin Levrone,Shawn
Ray,Flex Wheeler and Chris Cormier,to name
just six.
Last year 131 men and women lined up in
eight different categories.Prize money
exceeded $1m,the Saturday night finals sold
out and the four-day expo was the biggest
ever.
There are now five female categories and
three male,catering for all kinds of different
looks.But whichever physique you aspire to,
the Olympia is the place to see the best.
We’ve assembled a team of unparalleled
expertise to relive the battles and dramas of
the last
50 years and look ahead to this year’s
showdown,where Phil Heath will attempt to
win Sandow number four.Albert Busek,our
German editor,has possibly seen more
Olympias than anyone alive,having attended
his first one in 1971 and missed only a few
since.He promoted the event in 1983 and has
provided nevers before seen pictures of his
friend Arnold.Chris Lund,our UK editor-in-
chief,photographed the Olympia for 30 years
and Gary Phillips,our Australasian editor,has
shot every one since 1997.These guys have
seen about 80 Olympias between them from
the best seats so they know a thing or two.
I hope you enjoy this souvenir edition and if
you haven’t been to the Olympia yet I hope
you get the chance to do so soon. FLEX
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1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
1965 1966
1977
1983 1984
1989 1990
1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
2001
2007 2008
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
2009 2010 2011 2012
20142013
1985 1986 1987 1988
1978
1979
1972
1973
1979
1974
1980
1975 1976
1981 1982 ?
1991
1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
1965 1966
1977
1983 1984
1989 1990
1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
2001
2007 2008
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
2009 2010 2011 2012
20142013
1985 1986 1987 1988
1978
1979
1972
1973
1979
1974
1980
1975 1976
1981 1982 ?
1991
THEMEN
WHOMADE
Chris Lund,our UK editor-in-chief since 1985,attended his first Mr Olympia in 1979 and
photographed every subsequent battle,except 1980,for the next 30 years.He has taken
some of the most famous photos in bodybuilding history and has shot virtually all the top
pros from the 1980s onwards.Drawing on his own Olympia recollections and his conversations with
the pros,he tells the story of the greatest bodybuilding show on earth.
23FLEX
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COLuMbu:ZELLER©FiTnESSPubLiCaTiOnS,inC.,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;ZanE:CaRuSO,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;DiCKERSOn:COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS,
bannOuT:nEVEuX,COuRTESYOFWEiDERHEaLTHanDFiTnESS;HanEY,YaTES:CHRiSLunD,COLEMan:KEVinHORTOn,CuTLER,JaCKSOn,HEaTH:biLLCOMSTOCK

1960sLARRY LEADS THE WAY
When Joe Weider launched the Mr Olympia in
1965,I doubt even he realised what a monster
he had created.“I want all the great
champion bodybuilders in the world to
compete against each other to see who is the
greatest of them all,”said Joe.And so,on
September 18th 1965,the first Mr Olympia
was staged at the prestigious Brooklyn
Academy of Music in the heart of New York
City.
The line-up included just three
bodybuilders.There was Harold Poole,who
was only 21 years old and remains the
youngest ever Olympia competitor,and Earl
Maynard,but even before Larry Scott reached
the posing platform there was an enormous
roar from the audience who screamed and
shouted,“We want Scott,we want Scott!”
Scott was unanimously declared the
winner and the first ever Mr Olympia.He
returned the following year,won again,then
retired.
In 1967 the world was introduced to a new
kind of bodybuilder.The audience was
astounded by the appearance of the greatest
genetic freak ever to walk the earth—Sergio
Oliva.
Sergio stood 5’10”and weighed between
235 and 250 pounds.His upper arms
measured 22 inches and his chest was 55
inches,tapering down to a minuscule waist
measuring only 28 inches.He also had
31-inch upper thighs.
Sergio,who soon earned the moniker
“The Myth”,displayed huge muscular mass
and definition,including the most
unbelievable V taper from chest to waist
ever seen.
He took the 1967,1968 and 1969 titles
(even defeating Arnold Schwarzenegger in
1969),and appeared unbeatable.Sergio
ended the decade being touted as the
greatest bodybuilder who ever lived.
WINNERS
1965 Larry Scott USA
1966 Larry Scott USA
1967 Sergio Oliva Cuba
Nobodyhadseen
armslikeLarryScott's
JoeWeidercongratulatesSergio
asArnoldlooksonin1969
24 FLEX
SCOTT:ZELLER©FITNESSPUBLICATIONS;INC.,COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS;JIMMYCARUSO

In 1970 Sergio made the mistake of coming in
far too smooth and paid the price by being
beaten by Arnold.
Arnold had been training like a man
possessed after losing the previous year and
he continued to do so in 1971 ahead of his next
encounter with“The Myth”.However,Sergio
broke IFBB rules by entering the NABBA Mr
Universe in London,where he was beaten by
Bill Pearl.Consequently the IFBB did not
allow him to compete in the 1971 Mr O in Paris.
Unknown to everyone,including Arnold,
Sergio prepared for the 1972 event in Essen,
Germany,like never before.He already had
more muscle mass than any bodybuilder in
history but now trained even harder and paid
much more attention to diet.The Myth
landed in Essen in the best shape of his life
whereas Arnold had guest posed at the IFBB
1970s
Mr America one week prior to the‘72 Olympia,
and was definitely not in top shape.
People were wondering how Arnold was
going to beat the great Sergio in a contest
that attracted a greater number of
champions than ever,including Serge Nubret,
Frank Zane and Franco Columbu.
Sergio looked supremely confident as he
posed and played to the audience and he was
completely devastated when he was
announced as runner-up.Even Arnold must
have realised he was lucky to have beaten
The Myth at his all time best in one of the
greatest and more controversial Olympias.
Sergio was considered by many to be the
perfect bodybuilding specimen.He was a
genetic wonder,but this was Arnold's time,.
He combined tremendous shape with superb
separation,muscular development and
definition.
The 1972 contest was,for me,a battle
between two of the greatest bodybuilders in
history.Alas,they never competed against
each other again.
WINNERS
1970 ArnoldSchwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA
1976 Franco Columbu ITALY
1977 Frank Zane USA
1978 Frank Zane USA
1979 Frank Zane USA
THE ARNOLD
PHENOMENOM
PUMPING
IRONWith Sergio out of the picture,Arnold
easily won the Olympia in 1973,1974
and 1975. Cameras for the movie
documentary Pumping Iron captured
the build-up to the 1975 event in
Pretoria,South Africa,and Arnold
surprised the world by retiring
afterwards.
Arnold and Pumping Iron took
bodybuilding to another level of
popularity but when Arnold retired,
bodybuilding’s greatest prize was up for
grabs.
Much attention in 1976 focused on
the under-200 lb class,which had
started two years earlier.It included
Columbu,Zane,Ed Corney,Bill Grant
and Boyer Coe,while the open class
pitched Ken Waller against Mike Katz.
Columbu,who had narrowly lost in
recent years,got into the best muscular
condition of his life to beat Frank Zane
by the slenderest of margins in the
under-200 lb class and then overcame
Waller for the overall title.
Zane was determined to take the
honours the following year when,
competing against the favourite Robby
Robinson,he exhibited a flawless,
breathtaking physique.Looking perfect
from head to toe,he won his first of
three Olympia titles.Even today Zane’s
physique is widely considered to be the
most symmetrical and aesthetic of all
time.
In 1978 Zane again beat the fancied
Robinson but 1979 was a different story.
This time he faced the most massive
bodybuilder since Sergio and
Arnold—“Mr Heavy Duty”Mike Mentzer.
Mentzer led after the morning
pre-judging but Zane was undeterred.“I
knew I was behind going into the
evening posing round,but I also knew
that I was going to win,”he said.
He was right.After all,he was the
master poser and Mentzer definitely
was not.He was also in fantastic
muscular shape,possibly the best of his
career.A decade dominated by Arnold
ended with Zane and aesthetics in the
ascendancy.
Arnoldwasnumerouno,
sixtimesinthedecade
JoeWeider
congratulates
FrankZane
ArnoldandFranco
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The 1980 contest in Sydney turned out to be
the most controversial Olympia ever.Even
today,people debate the result.
The contest had 16 contestants,which was
the biggest number ever at the time.Zane
and Mentzer were the favourites but the
bodybuilding world was in for a huge shock.
Arnold had retired from bodybuilding in
1975 and moved into acting,where his
physique had become notably smaller.It was
1980s
obvious Arnold had been training hard prior to
the 1980 Olympia but he convinced everyone
he was simply getting in shape for Conan the
Barbarian.When anyone asked why he was in
Sydney,he said:“I am doing the TV
commentary for CBS.”
Then to the horror of every competitor on
stage that day,Arnold entered and won his
seventh Olympia title.Chris Dickerson was
second.Many who were there claimed the
title should have gone to either Zane,who
was third,Coe,who finished fourth,or
Mentzer who placed fifth.
If 1980 was the most controversial
Olympia,1981 wasn’t far behind it.
Columbu,who had seriously injured a leg in
the World’s Strongest Man,won the title for a
second time although many of the world’s
greatest bodybuilders,including Zane,Coe
and Mentzer (who never competed again)
had boycotted the show because of what
happened in Sydney.
Columbuwasextremelyluckytowinin1981.
HewaschasedallthewaybyDickerson,who
placedsecondonceagain.TomPlatz,whowas
intheshapeofhislife,placedthirdandmany
feltheshouldhavewon. Thepackedauditorium
inColumbus,Ohio,startedbooingwhenDanny
Padillawasannouncedinfourthplaceandthey
neverstoppeduntiltheshowended.
LONDON
& MUNICH
PLAY HOSTLondon hosted its first and only
Olympia in 1982.Zane was attempting
to collect a fourth Sandow but he did
not account for the determination and
tenacity of Dickerson.The contest
turned out to be a three-man battle
between the immaculate,symmetrical
physiques of Dickerson and Zane and a
new mass monster called Casey Viator,
who exploded onto the stage to the
Conan movie soundtrack.
The verdict went to Dickerson,who
told everyone how much he loved
London,whilst Zane and Viator gave
everyone that“I was robbed”look.
The world’s greatest bodybuilders
flew to Munich in 1983 where Samir
Bannout,who had always struggled
with water retention,finally got into
rock-hard muscular condition and won
the show.Bannout was pushed all the
way by Mohamed Makkaway (2nd),Lee
Haney (3rd),Zane (4th) and crowd
favourite Bertil Fox (5th).
In some ways it was the end of an era
because Bannout was the last of the
more aesthetic and symmetrical
Olympia champions.Haney was on his
way!
When Haney,weighing a massive 247
lbs of solid but still shapely muscle won
his first Olympia title in New York in
1984 (Sergio made a comeback in that
contest and placed 8th),I’m sure even
he did not believe he would carry on
winning the title for another seven
years.
Haney continued to conquer all,
despite the amazingly muscular Rich
Gaspari,who was runner-up in 1986,
1987 and 1988.
IN 1989 Haney faced even tougher
opposition from Lee Labrada,who was
in fantastic contest condition while
Haney was not.In the end though,
Haney was awarded his sixth Sandow
trophy to end the decade as the
dominant champion.
HANEY MAKES HISTORY
WINNERS
1981 Franco Columbu ITALY
1982 Chris Dickerson USA
1983 Samir Bannout LEBANON
1984 Lee Haney USA
1985 Lee Haney USA
1986 Lee Haney USA
1987 Lee Haney USA
1988 Lee Haney USA
1989 Lee Haney USA
NewYorkhostedthe1984Olympia
MikeChristiancelebratesHaney's 1986winasrunner-uprichGasparilookson
SamirBannout(secondright),flankedbyGermanJusupWilkoszandBritainsBertilFox
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COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS,©PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK,GREGAIKEN

In 1990 Haney faced tough opposition from
Lee Labrada and Shawn Ray and was actually
two points behind going into the night show,
but once again his huge size and shape
prevailed.
In 1991,however,Haney faced his most
formidable foe of all in the form of Britain’s
greatest ever bodybuilder,Dorian Yates.Yates
displayed the most amazing degree of
muscular size and conditioning ever seen at
the Olympia.He weighed more than 250
pounds,which was incredible back then.
That is probably why Haney turned up in
Orlando,Florida,in the best condition of his
career and after winning the show remarked,
“I finally learned how to peak!”
Haney now had a record eight Olympia
titles and was the greatest bodybuilder in
history.He bowed out at the top.
In 1992 the IFBB moved the Olympia
battlefield to Helsinki,Finland,and the total
amount of prize money awarded was
$275,000,which showed how far the event
had come from the first contest,when the
prize was $1,000.
Yates,infantasticshape,wonhisfirstofsix
titles,beatingKevinLevrone(2nd)andLee
Labrada(3rd). LouFerrigno,makinga
comeback,placedonly12th.
Thefollowingyear,YatesarrivedinAtlanta,
Georgia,weighingamassive257pounds.Noone
couldstandnexttohim.FlexWheelertook
1990s
secondandShawnRaythird.
In1994,Dorianseriouslyinjuredhisleft
rotatorcuffandthesamemonthtorehisleft
quadriceps.Thenlessthannineweeksbefore
theshowhetorehisleftbicepsdoing
reverse-gripbentoverrowswith405pounds!
Despiteallthis,heenteredtheshowandwon
histhirdSandow.
Thewordwasnowoutthatyouneededto
behugeandrippedtowintheOlympia.The
daysofgettingbyonsymmetryaloneand
aestheticswereover.
In1995YatesreturnedtoAtlantainhisbest
conditionsofarandeasilypickeduphisfourth
Sandow.Thehighlightofthiscontestwas
whenallnineMrOlympiaswerebroughton
stagetopaytributetoJoeWeider.
In1996theOlympiamovedtoChicagobut
theoutcomewasthesame—anothereasy
victoryforYates.NasserElSonbatywas
disqualifiedduringthecontestwhenhefailed
adiureticdrugtest.
Buttherewasarealbattlein1997inLong
Beach,California,whenYateswentbicepsto
bicepsagainsttheequallymassiveElSonbaty.
ElSonbatyheldhisowninallthefrontal
comparisonsbutwhentheyturnedaroundthere
wasonlyonewinner.YatespickeduphissixthMr
Olympia,plusachequefor$100,000.Nobody
knewhehadsufferedaserioustricepstearafew
monthsbeforetheshow.Hesaidnothing,and
stillcompeted.Butheknewhisdayswere
numbered,soheretired.TheShadowhadleft
thebuilding!
YATES
BOWS OUTWiththegiantBritgone,the1998
Olympialookedwideopen.ElSonbaty,
Ray,LevroneandWheelerwerethe
favouritesinNewYork.Noonegave
muchthoughttoRonnieColeman.
Afterall,hedidnotappeartobea
contender,andhecertainlywasn’ta
geneticfreaklikeSergio.Coleman
finishedlastathisfirstOlympiain
1992.In1993hedidnotentertheshow
andin1994heplacedonly15th.In1995
heplaced11thandinthe1996showhe
moveduptosixth.However,in1997,which
wasYates’last,heslumpedtoninthsono
oneimaginedhecouldbethenextMr
Olympia.
Everyone quickly changed their mind
when he walked onto that New York
stage weighing an unprecedented 270
pounds.He was huge and ripped to
shreds,and no one else stood a
chance.
When Big Ron was awarded the
title,I noticed Joe Weider and Scott
Connelly,the founder of METRx,climb
onto the stage to try to grab hold of
him.As soon as I had the chance,I asked
Ronnie what they had said to him.
“They both wanted to sign me up,”he
replied,grinning.“Never!”I exclaimed.
“You mean they actually jumped on
stage and offered you a contract on the
spot?”Ronnie nodded his head,and
simply replied,“Yup!”
In 1999 the Olympia found a
permanent home in Las Vegas but
although the venue changed,the
outcome didn’t as Coleman proved he
was the man for a new century.
DORIAN REDEFINES
BODYBUILDING
WINNERS
1990 Lee Haney USA
1991 Lee Haney USA
I992 Dorian Yates UK
1993 Dorian Yates UK
1994 Dorian yates UK
1998 Ronnie Coleman USA
HaneyandYatescomparelatsin1991
Cormier Levrone Yates Ray
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Coleman would win the title eight times to
equal Haney’s record.He continued to train
even harder and at one point tipped the
2000s
scales at over 280 pounds,in contest
condition.
He had some outstanding opponents,
most notably Jay Cutler.But during most of
Ronnie’s reign I got the impression that many
of his rivals were training for second place,
although few would admit it.
In 2006 Ronnie turned up for his training
shoots as usual at Koloseum Gym in California
three weeks before the Olympia and I could
tell almost at once that something wasn’t
quite right.We talked about training injuries,
and I was astonished when he causally said,
“I’ve always trained with some type of injury
throughout my career but I just get on with it.
What else can I do?”
Coleman,in my view the greatest
bodybuilder in history,lost his title to Jay
Cutler at that 2006 Olympia.I know that
Ronnie desperately wanted to beat Haney’s
record of eight Mr Olympias and although he
came back in 2007 and placed fourth,he
never looked the same.The king’s reign was
over.
WINNERS
2006 Jay Cutler USA
2007 Jay Cutler USA
2008 Dexter Jackson USA
2009 Jay Cutler USA
KING COLEMAN
REIGNS SUPREME
THE
CUTLER
RIVALRYCutler had placed second to Ronnie on
four occasions.I knew how much he
wanted to win and when he left our
photoshoot 10 days before the 2006
Mr Olympia weighing in excess of
260 pounds,I had a strange feeling
something was about to happen.
As he climbed into his car to drive
home to Las Vegas,Jay quietly said,
“This time I will take this guy out.”
And that is exactly what he did.
He took the 2006 and 2007 titles but
lost the 2008 contest to Dexter Jackson
before coming back to win again in
2009 and 2010.
DexterJackson,RonnieColemanandJayCutler
Four-timeMrOJayCutler 2008champDexterJackson 33FLEX32 FLEX
KEVINHORTON,COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS,KRAUSEJOHANSEN

In 2011 Jay Cutler was gunning for his fifth title
when he came up against Phil Heath,a new
star in magnificent condition.Although there
were many other great bodybuilders in the
contest,it was really a two-man race—four-
time champ Cutler against Heath,who had
placed second in 2009 and 2010.
2010-
PRESENT
Phil finally pulled off his dream to become
the new Mr Olympia.The following year,he
returned to Vegas and took on Kai Greene,
who was probably the only bodybuilder in the
world who could beat him.But he didn’t,and
Heath picked up his second Sandow trophy in
a contest that formed the backdrop to the
movie Generation Iron.
Therewasmoreofthesamethefollowing
yearwhenHeathtookthe49thOlympiatitle
atasell-outOrleansArenaduringanOlympia
weekendthattopped$1mprizemoneyforthe
firsttimeandwhichnowincludeda212
Showdownpluscategoriesformen’sphysique,
women’sphysique,women’sbodybuilding,the
FitnessOlympia,theFigureOlympiaandthe
BikiniOlympia.
Heath has one of the most beautifully
proportioned physiques in Olympia history
and is capable of winning this great event for
many years to come.
This year sees the 50th Mr Olympia,and the
contest will be held at the Orleans Arena in
Las Vegas over the weekend of September
18–21.I hope to see you there.FLEX
THE HEATH ERA BEGINS
WINNERS
2010 Jay Cutler USA
2011 Phil Heath USA
2012 Phil Heath USA
2013 Phil Heath USA
IFBBProLeaguechairmanJimManion
congratulatesHeath
Bestofrivals,bestoffriends
Wolf Martinez Heath Cutler Greene Jackson
2011top6
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KRAUSEJOHANSEN,BILLCOMSTOCK

OFTHE
THE
TheOlympiawas
createdtogive
theworld’stopbody-
buildersthechanceto
provewhoisnumber
one.Fiftyyearson,
thatremainsthecase
buttheshowhas
evolvedtoincorporate
womenanddifferent
levelsofdevelopment.
Since 1965,six other classes have been
introduced to the ever-expanding Olympia
weekend.From the addition of female
bodybuilding in 1980 to the first physique
showdowns last year,the Olympia now
seeks to reward the best of a broad range
of physiques.
Here we take a look at the history of the
half-dozen categories that didn’t feature in
1965 but will be a part of the 50th Olympia
weekend.
1980
MS
OLYMPIA
Thelongestrunningofallthe“new”
categories,theMsOlympiaisnowin
its35thyear.LiketheMrOlympia,it
hasundergonenumerouschangesin
formatandjudgingcriteriathat
haveoftenseenitdoggedin
controversy.
Atthefirstcontestin1980,
muscularitywasminimalcompared
totoday.RachelMcLish,the
champion,wouldprobablybebetter
suitedtobikiniorfiguretodaybut
hercurvescausedasensationthat
sawthesportgrowrapidlyforafew
years.
Women’sbodybuildinggrew
rapidlyduringthereignsofearly
greatchampions,including1983
winnerCarlaDunlap,andCory
Everson,whowonthefirstofsix
consecutivetitlesin1984.Everson,
whoretiredin1989,remainstheonly
multipleOlympiacompetitorother
thanLarryScottandDavanaMedina
tohavewoneverytimeshestepped
onstage.
In1990,duetoalackofqualifying
events,MsOlympiawasopenedup
toallwomenwithprocards.
Twenty-ninetooktothestagewith
LendaMurraybaggingtheprize.
The 1993 show set a new
high for competitor numbers
with 32 women contesting the
title,a record across all Olympia
categories matched only by the
2012 bikini contest.
Despite alterations to the
judging criteria calling for less
muscularity,Murray won six in a
row between 1990-95,tying her
with Everson.Her reign was a
pivotal one: since then women’s
bodybuilding has struggled for
acceptance and prize money has
declined.
Murray retired in 1997 after
finishing second to Kim Chizevsky
for the second year running.
Chizevsky captured two more titles
and retired after the 1999 contest,
where a certain Iris Kyle made her
debut.Then came the biggest
shake-up in Ms Olympia history.
In 2000,the Ms Olympia was
officially brought into the Olympia
Weekend for the first time.
Competitors were issued with
new judging criteria calling for
them to be muscular“but not
to the extreme”,which caused
widespread confusion.
Then came the introduction
of light and heavyweight classes.
Uniquely,no overall winner was
crowned,with Ukraine’s Valentina
Chepiga winning the heavyweight
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themostsuccessfulbodybuilderinhistory,maleor
female.
Now,withgrowingspeculationsurroundingthe
futureofwomen’sbodybuilding,Kylehasthe
chancetosetherselfevenfurtherapartbywinning
her10thtitle.Hergreatestchallengewilllikelybe
lastyear’srunner-upAlinaPopa,whopushedher
closerthananyoneinthelasteightyears.
Whateverthefutureholdsforwomen’sbodybuild-
ing,Kylewillgodownasatruelegendofthesport.
title and Andrulla Blanchette of the UK
scooping the lightweight prize.
The overall title was reintroduced
the following year,just in time for
Juliette Bergmann to make a
stunning comeback after
12 years away from the sport.
She won the lightweight
class and beat heavyweight
winner Kyle to the overall
trophy,the only time a light-
weight would ever do so.
Another comeback queen took
the title in 2002,with Murray
returning from retirement to win a
record seventh title.She made it eight in
2003 before retiring for the second and
final time after losing her title to Kyle in
2004.
2005 saw yet more changes with the
scrapping of weight categories and the
introduction of the“20% rule”.Female
competitors were requested to decrease
their muscularity“by a factor of 20%.”
This applied to“those whose
physiques require the decrease”.
Whatever that actually meant,
Kyle lost her title to Yaxeni
Oriquen-Garcia.
Kyle recaptured her title
in 2006 and hasn’t looked
back since.By 2013 she
had equalled Murray’s
record of eight wins and
set a new record for
consecutive triumphs
with seven.Her ninth
win that year made her
WINNERS
1980,1982
Rachel McLish (2 titles) USA
1981
Kike Elomaa (1 title) FINLAND
1983
Carla Dunlap (1 title) USA
1984-89
Cory Everson (6 titles) USA
1990-95,2002-03
Lenda Murray (8 titles) USA
1996-99
Kim Chizevsky (4 titles) USA
2000Heavyweight
Valentina Chepiga (1 title) UKRAINE
2000Lightweight
Andrulla Blanchette (1 title) UK
2001
Juliette Bergmann (1 title) NETHERLANDS
2004,2006-13
Iris Kyle (9 titles) USA
2005
Yaxeni Oriquen (1 title) VENEZUELA
38 FLEX
KEVINHORTON,UNKNOWN

Sinceitsintroductionin1995,thefitnessclass
hasbeenthemostentertainingeventatthe
Olympia.Theuniqueblendofgymnasticdisplay
andphysiquecontesthasattractedsomeofthe
mostimpressivefemaleathleteseverseen.
Theroutinesoftheearlyeventsmay
havelackedthetheatricalelementof
today’sstars,mostnotablycrowd
favouriteOksanaGrishina,butthey
werenolessimpressive.
AfterMiaFinneganclaimedthe
inauguralFitnessOlympiatitlein1995,
thecrownpassedtofourothersbeforethe
eventfounditsfirst
repeatchampionin
SusieCurry.The
Americandominated
theOlympiastage
from2000-03
beforeAdelaGarica,
whodebuted
in2000,
sealed
herfirsttitle.SincethenGarciahasmadeiteight
titles,losingonlyonceandmissingthe2008
showthroughinjury.
Afterthe2012ArnoldClassicEurope,where
GarciafinishedbehindGrishina,somefelt2013
mightbetheyearthe42-year-oldwouldfinally
relinquishhertitle.TheRussianpulledoff
anotherspectacularroutineattheOlympia,
probablyamongthebestthecontesthasever
seen,butGarciaheldontohertitleonceagain.If
shewinsagainthisyear,theDominicanwill
becomeonlythesecondeverOlympia
competitortowinninetitles.
Davana Medina made the figure class her own
from the moment of its inception at the 2003
Olympia Weekend.The Puerto Rican went on
to capture three titles between 2003-05 and
remains,jointly,the most successful
competitor in Figure Olympia history.Had she
not missed the 2006 event,she may well
have gone on to further success but illness
prevented her taking part and Jenny Lynn
won the first of her two titles that year.
Since Lynn’s second triumph in 2007,no
one has held on to the Figure title for more
than a year at a time,with the last five Figure
Os shared between the vastly different but
equally impressive physiques of
Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern.
The big talking point heading into this
year’s show is whether Wilkins can finally
retain her title or will Stern again leapfrog
her rival.Or will Candice Keene,who beat
both Wilkins and Stern in 2013,jump from
third to steal the prize?
1995
FITNESS
OLYMPIA
2003
FIGURE
OLYMPIA
WINNERS
2003-05
Davana Medina (3 titles) USA
2006-07
Jenny Lynn (2 titles) USA
2008
Jennifer Gates USA
2009,20011,2013
Nicole Wilkins (3 titles) USA
2010,2012
Erin Stern (2 titles) USA
WINNERS
1995
Mia Finnegan USA
1996
Saryn Muldrow USA
1997
Carol Semple-Marzetta USA
1998
Monica Brant USA
1999
Mary Yockey USA
2000-03
Susie Curry (4 titles) USA
2004,2006-07,2009-13
Adela Garcia (8 titles) DOM.REPUBLIC
2005,2008
Jen Hendershott (2 titles) USA
40 FLEX
DAVELEE,BILLCOMSTOCK

2008
202/212
From 1974-1979 the old lightweight class had
given bodybuilders weighing under 200 lbs
the opportunity to compete for the big prize,
with the likes of Franco Columbu,Frank Zane,
Albert Beckles and Boyer Coe all
starting out there.When it was
scrapped in 1980,smaller,more
aesthetic physiques were common
sights but over time,the emphasis
on sheer freaky size took over.Smaller
competitors were simply being outmuscled
so the 202 category,introduced in 2008,once
againgave the little big guys a chance to
shine.
David Henry had slayed some big guys in
the open ranks but he’d never been a serious
threat on the Olympia stage.Now his fine
lines and razor-sharp conditioning got their
reward when he won the first ever 202 title.
The 202 ran for four years before being
replaced by the 212 in 2012.By that time,
Kevin English was the dominant force in
lightweight bodybuilding having won three
straight 202 titles,but he sat out the
inaugural 212 through injury.
Flex Lewis,second to English in 2011,seized
the opportunity and deservedly became the
first ever Olympia 212 Showdown champion.
Asthe2013Showdownapproached,the
ever-outspokenEnglishclaimedtheWelsh-
manhadonlywonbecausehehadn’t
competed.“Youhavethetitle,butI’mthe
champ,”hesaidatafeistyexchangeatthe
traditionalpre-showpressconference.
Lewiswasunfazedandunleashedhis
best-everphysiquetowintitlenumber
two.
He’s stated 2014 will likely be his final
212 appearance as he prepares to make
the jump to the open division,so the way will
soon be open for a new star to make his name
as the world’s best lightweight bodybuilder…
WINNERS
2008202
Dave Henry USA
2009-11202
Kevin English (3 titles) USA
2012-13212
Flex Lewis UK
42 FLEX
BILLCOMSTOCK,PAVELYTHJALL,KEVINHORTON,BILLCOMSTOCK

2013
PHYSIQUE
WINNERS
2013Men’s
Mark Anthony Wingson USA
2013Women’s
Dana Linn Bailey USA
Nonewcategoryhashadsuchatransforma-
tionalimpactonbodybuildingasbikini.Allover
theworldithasbroughtthesporttoawhole
newaudience.Womeneverywheredreamof
competingattheBikiniOlympia.
Initsfour-yearhistory,nowinnerhasretained
thetitle,neverthelesscertainwomenhave
dominatedthetopspots.Before2013,thetop
threehadonlyeverincludedsixdifferent
womenacrossthreecontests.
SoniaGonzaleswonthefirstMissBikini
Olympiain2010butfelltofifthin2011when
NicoleNagraniandNathaliaMelobothjumped
aplacetofirstandsecondrespectively.
Brazilian-bornMelothencompletedherjourney
throughthetopthreein2012bytakingthetitle
asNagranislippedtosecond.
2013sawachangingoftheguard,as
newcomerAshleyKaltwasserleftLasVegas
2010
BIKINI
WINNERS
2010
Sonia Gonzales USA
2011
Nicole Nagrani USA
2012
Nathalia Melo BRAZIL
2013
Ashley Kaltwasser USA
withthewinner’scheque.NagraniandGonzales
werenoticeableabsentees,whileMelodropped
outofthetopthreeforthefirsttime.
Whatwillhappenthisyearisanybody’sguess
butifKaltwassercanretainhertitleshe’llwrite
herownpieceofOlympiahistoryasthefirst
repeatBikinichampion.
ThetwomostrecentadditionstotheOlympia
pantheon—men’s physique and women’s
physique—debuted at last year’s Olympia
weekend.Both divisions require some
serious muscle without crossing the line
to the extreme size and conditioning of
bodybuilding.
Internet sensation Dana Linn Bailey,a pro
since 2011,became the first ever women’s
physique showdown champion,narrowly
beating Tycie Coppett with an impressive
combination of muscularity,shape and poise.
Over in the men’s division,Mark Anthony
Wingson’s perfect scores earned him the
number one spot.Love it or hate it,like the
bikini class,men’s physique has opened the
door for a whole new kind of board-short-
wearing bodybuilder.In the long run,that is
only likely to see both the sport,and the
Olympia,get even bigger.
44 FLEX
BILLCOMSTOCK,

The records and standards up for grabs at the 50th IFBB Olympia Weekend by TEAM FLEX photographs courtesy of WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS
*AfourthMrO,Haney,wascrownedatthisshow.
HOWEXCLUSIVEISTHESANDOWSOCIETY?
THEREHAVEBEEN26ARNOLDCLASSICS(INCLUDING
2014)AND49OLYMPIAS(UPTO2013).DESPITENEARLY
TWICEASMANYCONTESTS,THEREHAVEBEENFEWER
OWINNERS(13)THANARNOLDCLASSICCHAMPS(15).
Thisiswhere
legendsare
bornandhistory
iswritten.Every
autumn since the
inaugural event in
1965,the Mr Olympia
has been bodybuild-
ing’s pinnacle.This
year there are eight
Olympia categories
up for grabs on the
50th Olympia week-
end.We look at the
potential changes to
the record book in
each category with a
particular emphasis
on the Mr Olympia,
where the line-up is
stackedfulloftalent.
Will Phil Heath (or
Dexter Jackson) win
again,or will we see
the crowning of a 14th
Mr O? On September
18-21,some legends
will be born,others
will grow,history
will be made in pose
after pose,and the
record book will be
rewritten. 3MOSTMR OLYMPIA
WINNERSINTHE
SAMECONTEST:
2013:3Heath,Cutler,Jackson
1984:3*Oliva,Dickerson,Bannout
THE
SANDOWSOCIETYMROLYMPIAWINNERS
LARRYSCOTT
1965-66
LEE
HANEY
1984-1991
CHRISDICKERSON
1982 SAMIR
BANNOUT
1983
DORIAN
YATES
1992-97
DEXTERJACKSON
2008
SERGIOOLIVA
1967-69
PHILHEATH
2011-13
ARNOLDSCHWARZENEGGER
1970-75,1980
FRANCO
COLUMBU
1976,1981
FRANKZANE
1977-79
JAYCUTLER
2006-07,2009-10
RONNIE
COLEMAN
1998-05
BOTTOMINSET:CUTLER,HEATH&JACKSON:BILLCOMSTOCK;OLIVA&DICKERSON:NEVEUX;
BANNOUT:BALIK/COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS
HANEY,BANNOUT,OLIVA,SCHWARZENEGGER&DICKERSON:COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS;
SCOTT&YATES:BOBGARDNER;HEATH:BILLCOMSTOCK;COLEMAN&JACKSON:KEVINHORTON;ZANE:COURTESYOFCHRISTINE
ZANE;CUTLER:PAVELYTHJALL;COLUMBU:ZELLER/COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTHANDFITNESS
OLYMPIAFACT
46 FLEX 47FLEX

Onceararity,aMrOchamplosinghas
becomemorelikelythannotrecently,
happeninginfourofthelasteight
years.Theseventimesadefending
champwasdefeatedare:1970(Oliva),
1980(Zane),1984(Bannout),
2006(Coleman),2008(Cutler),
2009(Jackson),2011(Cutler).
Ofthefivechampstowintheoldlightweightdivision,the202Showdownor
the212Showdown,Lewisistheonlyonetodosowhileunder30.Hewas28
in2012and29in2013.Aswewenttopress,noneoftheothercompetitors
whowerequalifiedforthisyear’s212showdownareunder30.
He’llbetheoldestOchampever.At44yearsand10
months,theBladewillbeayearandninemonthsolder
thanDickersonwaswhenhewonthe1982Olympiaat
43andonemonth.
Hissix-yearspan(2008-14)willbeanewrecordfor
longestperiodbetweenwins,beatingSchwarzenegger
andColumbu’sfiveyears(1975-1980and1976-81
respectively).
Whereverheplaces,his
15entrieswillputhimjoint
firstwithRonnie
ColemanforOlympia
appearances.
At29,he’llbetheyoungestOwinnersinceHaney
andthesixthyoungestever.
He’llbethesixthnon-Americanchampandjust
thesecondfromoutsideNorthAmericaorEurope,
theotherbeingtheLebaneseSamirBannout.
He’llhavemadethebiggestyear-on-year
improvementofanyOwinnersinceRonnie
Colemanwentfrom9thto1stinwinninghisfirst
Sandowin1998.
WINS?
PHILHEATH
WHATIF
HisO-winning
percentage
willriseto57%
(fourout of 7).
57%
FOURWINS
WILLTIE
HIMWITH
CUTLERFOR
THEFIFTH
MOSTOLYMPIA
TITLES.
4
ThiswouldmakehimthesixthpersontowinfourormoreOlympiatitles.
Fouroftheotherfive(allbutCutler)wontheirfirstfourconsecutively.
STRAIGHTOWIN4thIT’LL
BEHIS
82.5%
337
LOSSES WINS
Chancecurrentchampwill
defendhistitle
MrOdefendingtitle
SHAWNRHODEN
WHATIF
6THchampion
tobeborn
outside
theUSA.
RaisedinJamaica,
hewillbethefirst
champbornoutside
theUSAsinceYates
andthesixth
overall. They would both also be the third oldest first-time winners.
Like Greene,the 39-year-old
WILLBETHE14THMROLYMPIAANDFOURTHOLDEST.
WHATIFDEXTERJACKSONWINS?If we include the recent 202 division
(2008–11) and the old lightweight
division (1974-79),the record for
Olympia“lightweight”titles is
three,held by FrancoColumbu
(1974–76),FrankZane(1977–79),
andKevinEnglish (2009–11).
Lewis goes for number three this
year to equal that record.
HE’LLBETHEFIRSTSINCEYATESAND
THEFIFTHOVERALLTOWINASANDOW
AFTERJUSTTWOATTEMPTS.
RHODEN&ELSSBIAY:ISAACHINDS
HEATH:PAVELYTHJALL;LEWIS:BILLCOMSTOCK;ENGLISH:ISAACHINDS;
JACKSON:ROBERTREIFF MAMDOUH“BIGRAMY”ELSSBIAYWINS?
WHATIF
WINS?
OLYMPIA212SHOWDOWN
youngest
personto
winfour
Otitles.
TH
1stFlexLewisremains
thefirstandonly
Olympia212Showdown
championafterdefending
histitlelastyear.

GREENE&WARREN:BILLCOMSTOCK;
MARTINEZ:ISAACHINDS
WOLF,KYLE,GARCIA&ORIQUEN:BILL
COMSTOCK;CUTLER:KEVINHORTON
Itwillbe
Oriquen’s
record17th
MsO(allconsecutive
since1998),themost
foramanorwomaninany
Olympiacategory.
ItwillbeKyle’s16th(all
consecutivesince1999).
Thisisthe20thFitnessOlympia,
and AdelaGarciawill be going for
her record ninth title. SusieCurry
has the second most, far behind
with four. Garcia will also be
going for her sixth in a row.
In her 14th Fit O, she’ll also be
increasing her mark for most
entries. And at 42, she can break
her own record for oldest champ.
WINS?
39Greene’sageifhewinsthe2014
Olympia.Thatwouldmakehim
thefourtholdestwinnerbehind
Dickerson,Columbuand
Colemanandthirdoldestfirst-
timewinner,behindDickerson
andColumbu.
KAIGREENE
WHATIF
AwinforGreene
wouldmake
himthe14th
Mr Olympia.14th
Ifhefinishessecondagain,he’llmoveuptothirdonthelistofrunners-up
withthree,behindCutler(6)andKevinLevrone(4)andlevelwith
RichGaspariandFlexWheeler.He’llalsobeonlythethirdtofinishsecond
atthreesuccessiveOs,alongwithCutlerandGaspari.
HE’LLBECOMETHEONLYCOMPETITOROTHER
THANPHILHEATHTOHAVEFINISHEDTHIRD
ANDSECONDBEFOREWINNING.
17th
This is the fifth Bikini
Olympia, and there has
so far been a different
champ each time. Last
year’s No. 1 Ashley
Kaltwasser and 2012
winner Nathalia Melo
return. If either wins, she’ll
become the first multiple
Ms Bikini Olympia. FLEX
It’llbehisfirstOwin,placinghimlevelwith
Dickerson,BannoutandJacksonontheall-time
winners’list.
Itwillbethefirsttimehe’sbrokenthetop
twoineightattempts.Lastyear’sthird
placewashisfirsttimeinbodybuilding’s
triumviratedespitepreviouslymakingthe
top6fivetimes.
HewillbethefirstEuropeanwinner
sinceDorianYatesin1997andthefirst
GermaninOlympiahistory.
He’llbethefourtholdestfirst-timeOwinner
at36,behindDickerson,ColumbuandJackson.
12
Thisisthe12thFigure
Olympia.Davana
MedinaandNicole
Wilkinsjointly
holdtherecord
formosttitles
withthree.This
year’scontest
couldonce
againcome
downtothe
Wilkinsand
ErinStern,whobetweenthem
havewonthelastfiveFigureOsin
alternatingyears,Sternin2010
and2012andWilkinsin2009,
2011and2013.
Withnine
wins,IrisKyle
isthemost
successful
MsOlympia
competitor
inhistory.
Herninthtitlelastyearputheraheadofboth
HaneyandColemanandgavehertheall-time
recordformostOlympiavictories,maleor
female.
9IfeitherDebbieLaszewski(3rdlastyear)
orYaxeniOriquen(4thlastyear)wins,she
willbetheall-timeoldestMsO.Laszewski
willbe45justafterthisyear’scontest,
whileOriquen,whowonin2005,willbe48.
MarcAnthonyWingsonand
DanaLinnBaileywonlastyear’s
inauguralPhysiqueshowdowns
andcanbothincreasetheirrecords
formostwinsiftheyrepeatthisyear.
Ifsomeoneelsewinseither,they
willequalthenewrecords.
WHATIFDENNISWOLF
WINS?
FIGUREOLYMPIA
MEN’S&WOMEN’SPHYSIQUE
SHOWDOWN
BIKINIOLYMPIAFITNESSOLYMPIA
MSOLYMPIA
50 FLEX

LEADING TRAINER NEIL HILL PREDICTS
THE TOP SEVEN AT THE 50TH OLYMPIA
54 FLEX 55FLEX
ISAACHINDS,STOCKPHOTO,BILLCOMSTOCK

7th
NEIL’S PREDICTION:
Dennis James is doing an amazing job with
Ramy but he still needs a lot of refine-
ment.When you walk on stage with
top seasoned veterans at the
Olympia,you have to be in condition
because mass alone will not be
enough to get in that top six.
People were overwhelmed by
his size last year but it didn’t
impress me because I look at
the overall physique and there
were major flaws in his calves
and thigh development,as
well as conditioning.I didn’t
see any progress at New York
this year,in fact his condition
was worse.I’m impressed by
his waist to shoulder ratio,
his quad sweep and the
huge amount of muscle
he carries.Ramy brings
something new to the
sport but he’s a work in
progress that will take two
or three years to complete.
MAMDOUH
“BIG RAMY”
ELSSBIAY
DATEOFBIRTH:16/09/1984
HEIGHT:5ft9ins
WEIGHT:286lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2013,8th
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:
2013-14NewYorkProchampion
WanttoseemoreofBigRamy?CheckoutourFLEXSpecialReport:TrainLikeBigRamy.
Only£1.49.Gotowww.flexonline.co.ukandclickonDigitalPublications.
STOCKPHOTO
56 FLEX

6th
Hisfullnessimpressedmelastyear
buthisconditiondidn’t.Ididn’tsee
toomuchseparation.Hischange
incoachinghasbeenpositive
andhe’sheadingintheright
directionbuthe’sstilltoo
hitandmiss.When
Roellyison,he’sgoing
tobedangerous.He
cancauseproblems
forthelikesof
Jackson,Rhoden
andWolfinthe
battleforthird.
Istillthinkthe
besthelooked
waswinningthe
NewYorkpro
showin2010.His
armsarestilltoobig
forhisphysique,hischest
isnotfullenoughandhistorsois
toolong.Atthetoplevelit’saboutthe
wholephysique.Top6isdefinitelypossible
butheisgoingtohavetoworkhardtobring
therightcombinationandconditioning.
HEIGHT:5ft6ins
WEIGHT:230lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2010,14th;2012,12th;2013,7th
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2010NewYorkProchampion
ROELLY
WINKLAAR
BILLCOMSTOCK
58 FLEX

5th
Dexter is the wild card of the bunch.He’s
at that crossroads where he knows his
physique will go backwards because
he’s getting older and at some point it
becomes impossible to retain that
fullness,but he’s somehow managed to
keep his consistency going and from
what I’ve heard he’s looking better than
ever this year.With his quality,if he’s on the
money and Shawn and Dennis are slightly
off he could take third.
Last year he finished a strong third and you
wouldn’t have argued if he were second.
That’s the best I have seen Dennis,and it
was better than he looked when he won
the Arnold this year even though he
warranted that win.His weaknesses are
still his calves and lower back and he
needs more depth in his rear
hamstrings.When you have
persistent weaknesses you
have to do the opposite of
what you’re doing or just
accept they are genetic
weaknesses that won’t
respond.He may have
tried other training
protocols but he might
not have given them
long enough.It can
take 12 or 16 weeks to
bring up a weak body
part.It’s very close
between him and
Shawn but if they both
come in bang on the
money I would go for
Shawn.
4th
HEIGHT:5ft6ins
WEIGHT:235lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:1999,9th;2000,9th;2001,
8th;2002,4th;2003,3rd;2004,4th;2006,4th;
2007,3rd;2008,1st;2009,3rd;2010,4th;2011,6th;
2012,4th;2013,5th
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2008Olympiachampion
DEXTER
JACKSON
HEIGHT:5ft11ins
WEIGHT:275lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2007,5th;2008,4th;2009,
DNP;2010,5th;2011,5th;2012,6th;2013,3rd
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014ArnoldClassicchampion
DENNIS
WOLF
STOCKPHOTO
STOCKPHOTO
60 FLEX 61FLEX

3rd
NEIL’SPREDICTION:
I’m a big fan of Shawn:
he’s got the kind
of physique
Mr Olympia is all
about.His lines
are amongst the
most beautiful
and graceful in
the sport and
his legs are some
of the best in the
IFBB pro league.
They’re phenom-
enal from all angles.
And I like that tiny
waist.But his arms
don’t have that same
3D effect as his legs,and
his chest and back need
more fullness.I have seen him
looking better than he did at
last year’s Olympia and this
year,so far.This time he’s got
to bring his A game.If he does
he’s the number three
athlete.
HEIGHT:5ft9ins
WEIGHT:235lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2011,11th;
2012,3rd;2013,4th
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:
2012ArnoldClassicEuropechampion
SHAWN
RHODEN
BEST OF THE REST
STEVEKUCLO
HEIGHT:5ft11
WEIGHT:260lbs
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014Arnold
ClassicBrazilchampion
JUANMOREL
HEIGHT:5ft11ins
WEIGHT:260lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:Rookie
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:
2014TorontoProchampion
BRANCHWARREN
HEIGHT:5ft7ins
WEIGHT:245lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2005,8th;
2006,12th;2009,2nd;2010,3rd;2012,
5th;2013,9th
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2011–2012
ArnoldClassicchampion
CEDRICMcMILLAN
HEIGHT:6ft1in
WEIGHT:265lbs
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2013FIBO
PowerProchampion
JUSTINCOMPTON
HEIGHT:5ft8ins
WEIGHT:224lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:Rookie
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2014Europa
ShowofChampionsOrlandochampion
BILLCOMSTOCK
62 FLEX

2nd
HEIGHT:5ft8ins
WEIGHT:260lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2009,4th;2010,7th;2011,3rd;
2012,2nd;2013,2nd
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2010ArnoldClassicchampion
I like Kai,he’s a sincere person,but I think
he has lost the opportunity to be Mr
Olympia.His strengths are his legs,
back and shoulder width,and he has
a crazy amount of depth from the
side and rear but from the front
he’s flat across the chest and
shoulders.He’s brought a
better package in the last
couple of years but he has
to keep that midsection as
small as possible.When he
does a side chest I get
drawn to his midsection
rather than his overall
shape and structure
because he doesn’t
hold himself well
enough.He also needs
to walk on stage like
he’s Mr Olympia,like
Phil does.Judges and fans
want to see confidence.
Presentation,condition and
fullness in front chest and shoulders
are the things he needs to work on.
KAI
GREENE
STOCKPHOTO
64 FLEX

1ST
HEIGHT:5ft9ins
WEIGHT:250lbs
OLYMPIAHISTORY:2008,3rd;2009,5th;2010,
2nd;2011,1st;2012,1st;2013,1st
CAREERHIGHLIGHT:2011–13Olympiachampion
PHIL
HEATH
I don’t see any weaknesses in Phil’s
physique. In his early days as a pro,
people spoke about his narrow shoul-
ders and clavicles, and his back was a
weakness but now he’s the ultimate
three-dimensional athlete. It doesn’t
matter if you look at him from the front,
back or side, everything’s balanced.
Maybe his arms still stand out a little
but he has evened things out, and he
always comes in in shape. If Kai and
Phil both come in bang on the money
Kai might win on back but I think Phil
would take him out on every other
shot. He has better refinement—look
at his leg separation. I don’t see
anybody touching him. The one thing
I hope he doesn’t do is try to get bigger.
He’s everything a Mr Olympia should be.
He just needs to keep being more and
more refined. FLEX
STOCKPHOTO
WanttoseemoreofPhilHeath?CheckoutourFLEXSpecialReport:
TrainLikePhilHeath.Only£2.49.Gotowww.flexonline.co.ukand
clickonDigitalPublications.
66 FLEX

INHISOWNWORDS
ON HIS CHILDHOOD
I grew up in Llanelli,a place where you work
hard to get what you want.My grandfather
was a coal miner.I grew up with that attitude
but the reality is you are working for
someone else.I went to college and started
looking outside the box so I started my own
removal company at 18.I went from one van
and one man to winning young businessman
of the year three times.
ON THINKING BIG
I’ve always had goals even from my
childhood when I did athletics and rugby.
When I was a kid I had a severely broken
elbow and the doctor said I was one
centimetre away from having my arm
amputated.I learned from that.I developed a
strong,driven mindset that has translated
into bodybuilding.
ON HIS FIRST COMPETITION
Ididmyfirstcompetitionforafreegym
membership.ItwasaWelshFederationof
Bodybuilders(nowpartoftheUnited
KingdomBodybuildingandFitness
Federation)showin2003andIdidmy
owndiet.That’swhereImetNeilHill.
ON HIS JUNIOR CAREER
I have some of my best memories from those
times and I left that part of my competitive
career very happy.I did what I set out to do:
win the British and the Universe titles.
I treated it as a profession from the start.
Even as a junior amateur I had a pro attitude.
ON TURNING PRO
I had missed the overall in 2006 and some big
names in British bodybuilding were saying
“Oh,he’s all hype.”It shocked me because
these were guys I had looked up to.I had no
s**t talk before then.I didn’t expect it from
grown men to a kid.So winning it is one of my
favourite memories,particularly as all my
family were there.
ON MOVING TO AMERICA
I had a successful removal company but I sold
everything and went to California.I slept on
my friend’s sofa for six months and I did store
FlexLewisis the only non-American male to have tasted victory at the Olympia this century.
TheWelshman won the first 212 Showdown in 2012,repeated his success in 2013 and is now bidding for a
hat-trickinSeptember before moving to the open weight class.Here,in his own words,Lewis talks about his
journeyfromthevalleys of south Wales to a life of bodybuilding superstardom in America.
66 FLEX 67FLEX
PAVELYTHJALL

have to be in the United States.I’m not saying
everybody should jump on the next plane
because you have to be realistic.But I’d rather
live and try than live and not try.These days
my risks are more calculated but as a young
guy I took a lot of crazy risks.
ON HIS FAVOURITE WINS
I always have a delayed reaction to winning
because my mindset is always“on to the
next”.Even after the Olympia I had to carb up
for the Prague show and go on the road again.
What I’d achieved didn’t set in until I was
home for Christmas.All my shows have their
own stories.The most memorable are
winning my pro card,winning my first and
second Olympias and winning the Arnold.
ON GETTING INJURED
JUST BEFORE THE OLYMPIA
The Olympia last year was my best prep ever.
I was ready four weeks out but then three
JOE WEIDER’S
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appearances that left me out of pocket just
to get my face seen.A lot of young guys think
they will turn pro and get a pot of gold but the
pro card is just the beginning.Your whole
mindset has got to change.You have to start
thinking like a professional and create
opportunities because in bodybuilding there
is a tier system.The upper tier guys get paid
and the ones in the lower tier have to hustle
like mad.
ON GETTING
INTO FLEX
I moved from Venice Beach because
there weren’t many pros there,
to live near Milos Sarcev’s
Koloseum gym where all
the photo shoots were
happening.I stayed in good
off-season shape so if ever
a pro was being a diva and
didn’t turn up I would
shoot.I said to FLEX
photographer Chris
Lund I would be
there in 30 minutes and I made sure I was
and I would train afterwards.I trained
with Dennis James,Johnnie Jackson,
Troy Alves,Hidetada Yamagishi
and Dennis Wolf when they came
to shoot.To use an American
phrase,we became a frat house
and I earned their respect.
ON BODYBUILDING IN
THE US AND EUROPE
If you want to make it big you
68 FLEX
IANSPANIER,J.M.MANION

weeks out I tweaked my back.It was the most
horrific pain I’d ever had.I woke up one
morning with a stiff back and the next day
I couldn’t get out of bed.I had to roll on to my
belly and slide myself to my feet and let my
girlfriend put my belt and socks on.I have a
chiropractor that works with some of the best
sports stars in the world.He said,“This will
take 10 days,don’t stress.”I hadn’t missed a
beat of cardio or training so it was very hard
psychologically to adapt.It cleared up two
weeks before the show.I kept it away from
Neil and my sponsors.I didn’t want anybody
knowing.
ON LIFTING HEAVY
I’m not as gung ho as I used to be.I have a lot
of friends who post on Facebook and
Instagram how hard they train.F**k that; just
be honest.Believe me,the guys who make the
money don’t train crazy.On a video what you
see is what you get but nobody
trains hardcore like that
all the time.If
you want to
squat six plates
and get injured,
fine; I’ll stick to my two or
three plates and have good reps
and not kill myself.Remember
too,I have to make a weight so I
can’t be going balls to the wall 10
months a year and expect to make 212
lbs.
ON HIS APPROACH
TO TRAINING
My training philosophy is to hit the fast and
slow twitch fibres in the same session.It’s like
the week 2 version of Neil’s Y3T programme.
I’m a big believer in the lower,heavier rep
ranges but with good form.In the off-season
THE RISE OF FLEX LEWIS2003 1stBritishJuniorChampionships,1stWelshJuniorChampionships
2004 1stBritishJuniorChampionships,1stWelshJuniorChampionships,1stJuniorMrUniverse
2006 1stBritishLight-heavyweightChampionships(lostoveralltitletoheavyweightTroyBrown)
2007 1stBritishLight-heavyweightChampionshipsandoverallBritishchampion
20082ndTampaPro202,1stEuropaSuperShow202,3rdOlympia202Showdown
20091stAtlanticCityPro202,5thOlympia202Showdown
2011 1stBritishGrandPrix202,3rdMrEuropeopenclass,2ndNewYorkPro202,2ndOlympia202Showdown,
5thArnoldClassicEuropeopenclass
2012 1stOlympia212Showdown,1stBritishGrandPrix212,1stPragueProShow212
2013 1stOlympia212Showdow,1stPragueProShow
2014 1stArnoldClassic212UK
I believe in high calories from good food.You
grow when you’re happy and consistent.For
guys reading this there’s no excuse because
they don’t have to travel.They should have a
good structure to their day.I wish I had that.
ON FLYING ONE MILLION MILES
I’m a 1K flyer on United Airlines alone.That
means I do over 100,000 miles with them and
I have air miles with US Airways and American
Airlines as well.I probably do almost
200,000 miles a year.My goal in the next six
years is to be a one million mile flyer with
United.Ronnie Coleman’s done that.
ON HIS HECTIC LIFESTYLE
I shut up shop about eight weeks out from a
show and do nothing at all other than
consistently train and eat.
Outside that time
everything is done
on the road.I start
cleaning up my diet 20 weeks
out and I don’t f**k around,no matter
where I am in the world.I just have to be
flexible.I can come in from a 20-hour flight
and train.It’s a lifestyle I love and I wouldn’t
70 FLEX
KEVINHORTON,BILLCOMSTOCK

change it for the world.I eat,sleep and s**t it.
In a few years I will probably look back and
wish I enjoyed the moment more.But I’m
always thinking about things happening
months from now.
ON PREPARING FOR
THIS YEAR’S OLYMPIA
It’s going to be exactly the same.I just want to
bring a little more pop.At the Arnold Classic
I had to over-diet to make weight again.
I was ready at 216-217 lbs.I was grainy and
my glutes were in but then I had to over-diet
to make weight.I can look hard and grainy at
214 lbs.People say it’s only 2 lbs to lose but it
makes a difference.So I’m going to keep my
body weight as light as possible this year so
I can bring that pop.
ON HIS MAIN RIVALS
Dave Henry,someone I have looked up to for
years,has got that work ethic.He’s a military
boy so he’s got a lot of mental strength.I wish
Kevin English the best.I’m not sure where he
is at this point in his career but you can’t
discount a previous champ.I’m sure he’s had
time off to work on areas that were lacking
last year.We’ve got some rookies creeping up,
like Aaron Clark.Jose Raymond is the freak of
the class.Guy Cisternino has made some
fantastic improvements.
ON WORKING WITH NEIL HILL
I have a coach that speaks his mind.The first
year I won the Olympia I thought I brought a
fantastic package,and people backstage
were saying“You’ve won it!”The first thing
out of Neil’s mouth was“What the f**k were
you doing up there; your gut was out.”I said I
had a stitch and he said,“I don’t care,you hold
72 FLEX
GARYPHILLIPS,

it in.”Whatever hits his head goes out of his
mouth.
ON HIS PROSPECTS
IN THE OPEN CLASS
The plan is to do one last 212 Olympia,and
probably Prague afterwards,then take 2015
off and compete in 2016.I will probably make
my open debut at the Arnold Classic.I want to
be top three.I would never say I could win the
open class Olympia.To me that’s idiotic.
That’s not even on my radar.I think I could do
well at the Arnold because that gets judged
differently to the Olympia.I’ve seen guys of all
shapes and sizes do well at the Arnold.I can’t
be scared thinking of the size of the guys I’ll be
up against.If you have that fear it will tell in
your physique.
ON HIS LIKELY OPEN
CLASS WEIGHT
I’ll be in the 220s—probably between 220 and
225 on the day of the show.I can get up to
250,no problem,so if I can get up there and
diet down I can get down to 220 or 225.
ON WHEN HE PLANS TO QUIT
I want to leave on top.I want to set a legacy of
winning three 212 Olympias and doing well in
the open class.I’m 30 now.I don’t know what
age I will quit but I won’t be one of those guys
that competes forever.Look at Jay Cutler: he
was the king,now he’s a very smart
businessman.He is one of the few guys
’ve looked at from afar and learned from.
ON LIFE AFTER BODYBUILDING
I look at everything as a business now.
I own my own corporation and have LLCs
underneath that,in and out of the sport.
I have my own show,a quarter share in a club,
a clothing range…a lot of pros are flat-ass
broke because they thought this thing would
never end.I’m one injury away from it ending
so I have started now.Bodybuilding will be
the path to the next chapter in my life.
I’m not going to be like that film The Wrestler,
thinking I’m going to win the Olympia when
I’m beat up and torn up.I want to leave when
I’m on top and segue into a new path.
Mentally I’m already prepared for it.That’s
the hardest part for a lot of athletes because
they can’t get over the fact they’re done.FLEX
74 FLEX
GARYPHILLIPS,MIKEMADAR

Henominatedtwo:1975,
whenhisfriendArnold
Schwarzeneggerwonin
SouthAfrica,and1983,an
eventhepromoted.Here
aretheinsidestoriesof
thosetwospecialevents.
WhichMrOlympia
contestwasthe
best?It’sahotly
debatedsubject.
WeaskedAlbertBusek,
editoroftheGerman
editionofFLEXandan
IFBBvice-president,who
sawhisfirstMrOlympia
in1971,toselecthis
favourite.
OF THE
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Franco
Columbo
76 FLEX 77FLEX
©PHOTOBYALBERTBUSEK

ThecontestinSouthAfricastruckablowagainstapartheidand
sawArnoldSchwarzeneggerathisall-timebest
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY ALBERT BUSEK
A MILESTONE FOR
SPORT AND HUMANITY
The year was 1975 and South
Africa was still in the grip of
apartheid.The idea of this divided
country hosting a world sports
championship seemed to be little more
than a distant dream.But Ben Weider,then
president of the IFBB,set himself the goal
of achieving the impossible —and he was
determined not to let anyone or anything
stand in the way.
“In sport,there are no limitations,no
barriers of race,religion,politics or culture,”
Ben famously said.“In sport,we are in touch
with each other.”
That year,under the patronage of the
country’s sports minister,Piet Koornhof,
Ben’s dream came true and South Africa
reached a key milestone.Athletes,trainers,
administrative staff and other officials of all
colours stayed in the same hotel and
travelled in the same bus.
I accompanied Arnold Schwarzenegger
around South Africa and saw first hand
what things were really like then: the
overcrowded“coloured”sections for black
people on the buses while the“whites-
only”sections remained practically empty.
It was only then that I began to realise
the extent of what Ben had accomplished
in the name of bodybuilding.Of all the
many great achievements of the world’s
athletes over the years this,for me,was
the biggest victory of all.
BACKSTAGE BATTLE
In the warm-up room—the subterranean
main hall of the University of Pretoria—
space was limited,to say the least.
In this cramped,thick-carpeted room,
the atmosphere could not have been
more tense.The big guns were all keen to
demonstrate,through words and gestures,
they were there to win.Everyone was
determined,in his own way,to look
confident and convince the others he
was the best.
It was fascinating to observe the
different temperaments.While Lou
Ferrigno obediently followed the instructions
being barked by his father,Matt—sometimes
very loudly—Arnold and Franco Columbu got
up to their usual joking around (Lou was the
most frequent target of their jokes).
Meanwhile,Ed Corney busied himself with
lifting barbells without making a sound—you
couldn’t even hear him breathe.Frank Zane,
the university academic and the intellectual
in this group of superstars,appeared to
consider himself above the whole business.
We would later learn that this show of
self-confidence was just that—in reality,
he failed to deliver.
The tension was heightened further by
rumours surrounding Arnold,the title-holder.
The rumours took less than 24 hours to reach
the relatively small bodybuilding community
in Germany,even though fax machines were
not yet invented.The reason for the
speculation was the film Stay Hungry,
for which the reigning Mr Olympia had been
forced to significantly reduce his body weight.
Filming in Birmingham,Alabama,had taken
Arnoldat
prejudging
78 FLEX 79FLEX

two months longer than planned,leaving
Arnold with only two months to prepare to
defend his title in South Africa.Would it be
enough? Would he be too light for Lou?
Would he have enough definition to beat
Serge and Franco?
In the weeks leading up to the
championships,I’d already felt Olympia fever
slowly tightening its grip on me.Now I was
right at the centre of the action as IFBB
official Oscar State announced:“Three
minutes to go!”
A LIGHTWEIGHT TREAT
TheauditoriumattheUniversityofPretoria
wasfilledtoburstingbutyoucouldhavecut
thetensionwithaknifeasRegParkprepared
toinvitethecontestantsonstagetofightfor
thebiggestprizeinbodybuilding.
Eventuallythebestathletesintheworld
emergedfromthedepthsoftheuniversity
andsteppedintothelimelight.
Inalltheexcitement,I’dforgottenthe
conteststartedwiththelightweightcategory
formenunder200lbs.Asabodybuildingfan,
itgotmypulseracingtoseetheselighter
Olympiansliningup:FrankZane,EdCorney,
GiuseppeDeiana,FrancoColumbuand,to
mostpeople’ssurprise,AlbertBeckles,who
hadjustfinishedsecondbehindRobby
Robinsoninthemiddleweightcategoryofthe
IFBBWorldChampionship,whichwasbeing
heldatthesametime.
ItwassoonclearthatZane,theidolofso
manyathletesaroundtheworld,wasnoton
hisbestform.Hehadnottrainedhardenough
andatthislevel,that’ssomethingyoujust
can’tgetawaywith.Ifyoudon’thavethe
necessarystrength,noamountofstage
presenceisenoughtowinthetitle—noteven
ifyou’reFrankZane.
EdCorney,FrancoColumbu
andAlbertBecklesatprejudging
ItbecameclearthatLouandSerge
werefightingforsecondplace
EdCorney
MR OLYMPIA 1975
RESULTS
CLASS PLACE NAME COUNTRY
Overall Arnold Schwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA
+200 lbs 1 Arnold Schwarzenegger AUSTRIA/USA
2 Serge Nubret FRANCE
3 Lou Ferrigno USA
-200 lbs 1 Franco Columbu ITALY
2 Ed Corney USA
3 Albert Beckles UK
4 Frank Zane USA
5 Giuseppe Deiana ITALY
“From head to toe,
Franco Columbo had
all the attributes of
a champion”
80 FLEX

TheoppositewastrueofEdCorney.Ed,
whohadjustturned42,hadbeentrainingwith
Arnoldandtheresultssurprisedeverybody.
Hewastheepitomeofmasculinityrightdown
tohismoustache.Itwasaprivilegetoseehim
inhisfirstOlympia.
On the far left stood the athlete who,for
many years,had been the biggest of the
“small”athletes—Franco Columbu.It’s hard
to describe the visual impact of his muscles.
From head to toe,he had all the attributes of
a champion.With his legendary lats and his
captivating definition,Franco was the
“muscle mountain”that everyone else had
to conquer in that category.
By then,Franco had already been trying
for many years to topple the mighty Arnold. Although it no longer seemed likely he would
succeed,in South Africa he appeared better
prepared than the year before.Franco was
the embodiment of a muscular athlete par
excellence.
With respect to the others,the contest
was all about Columbu and Corney,though
Beckles also put in a surprisingly strong
performance.Beckles was the rookie of the
year,from a European point of view.
In those days,the posing round counted
for a much higher proportion of the overall
contest and could really make or break an
athlete’s chances of winning.Zane impressed
with his distinctive style in the freestyle round
and Beckles astonished the audience with his
muscularity.Columbu’s inimitable talent for
either speeding up or slowing down his
posing,and for suddenly switching from a
classic pose to a power pose,was met with
jubilant cries from the crowd.
But it was Ed Corney who really pushed
the boundaries in the posing round.His
interpretation of muscle control was unique.
When he started posing,you could believe
you were watching a Michelangelo statue
coming to life.Every movement was solid,
had been practised a hundred times and was
unbelievably expressive.In 1975 in South
Africa,Ed Corney showed everyone what
posing can be—art.
The highlights of this“muscle symphony”
were the transitions between the back,side
and front poses and back again.You felt the
presence of utter perfection when he moved
slowly out of the double biceps pose,
stretched his left arm out behind him and
equally slowly leaned his whole body
forwards,without compromising the integrity
of the pose by a single millimetre.This was
bodybuilding at its most beautiful.
Corney was in no hurry to leave the stage
but when he did,he left like a champion to the
kind of thunderous applause you don’t hear
very often.Everyone in the room knew they
had seen something special that day.Even
now,39 years later,I get goosebumps when
I think about
By the final stages,there were only three
men in it—Beckles,Columbu and Corney.
The audience held its breath as head judge
Reg Park announced Franco had won,by a
hair’s breadth.
It was the first time in a world
championship I’d seen Franco look visibly
shattered.He’d given every single bit of
strength in his powerhouse body.The
intensity of the duel had left even these
elite athletes close to exhaustion.
Ed Corney finished second and bore the
result with tremendous dignity,and Albert
Beckles was delighted with third place—
especially since Frank Zane had finished
behind him in fourth.
THE HEAVYWEIGHTS:
ARNOLD OWNS THE STAGE
The heavyweight category was all about
Arnold Schwarzenegger,Lou Ferrigno and
Serge Nubret—the“magnificent three”who,
that year in South Africa,defined
bodybuilding for decades to come and whose
SergeNubret
Serge,BenWeider,ArnoldandLou
82 FLEX

“Arnold cemented a
status in the history of
bodybuilding that can
only be compared to
that of Muhammad Ali
in boxing”
names even now still carry a magnetic power.
These three big yet very different
personalities were to surpass everything that
had previously been seen in the Mr Olympia.
During the warm-up,they all tried various
psychological tactics to undermine each
other’s confidence.Doing biceps curls,Lou
began to cry out as though he were
performing karate chops and even in this
moment of extreme tension,Arnold kept his
sense of humour and asked his rival if he was
at the wrong championship.Lou didn’t let it
get to him though,and carried on pumping his
275 lbs body like a machine.Meanwhile,
in the corner,still wearing his robe,Serge
Nubret was simultaneously working his
arms and calves.
Lou undressed first,intending to shock
his opponents,but Serge and Arnold were
unfazed.They were both feeling too strong.
When Arnold eventually disrobed,first Lou’s
father Matt and then Lou himself looked
visibly rattled.But after a second of shock,
Lou recovered himself again and addressed
Arnold:“Today it’s my show!”
Only Serge was still wearing his robe when
Oscar State announced the start of the
competition,and when the Guadeloupe-born
Frenchman eventually undressed,it appeared
to make a big impression on Lou.It was
several seconds before he turned his eyes
away again.Did Lou already know then that
his high body weight would turn out to be a
miscalculation?
Serge,who had until then remained silent,
now went on the attack.Leaning close to
Arnold,he said in a quavering voice:
“Today I’ll get you!”
Serge’sexceptionalmuscledefinitionin
SouthAfricasetastandardthatlookedhard
tobeat.Moststrikingly,histinywaisttook
thingstoanewlevelandlaiddowna
benchmarkforprobodybuildingthatstill
remains.Sergehadevenmanagedtoimprove
histhighsandcalves,formerlyhisbiggest
weaknesses,butthediscrepancybetweenhis
lowerandupperbodywasstillevident.Would
itbeenoughtotoppleArnoldfromhis
throne?
Surroundedbyanarmyofphotographers,
thethreeathletesmountedthestepstothe
stage:firstArnold,thenLouandfinallySerge,
onwhomallexpectationswerenowfocused.
Sergeswitchedpositionsandplacedhimself
betweentheothertwocontestants.
Spectatorscouldbarelybelievetheireyesat
Serge’staperedupperbody.Nexttothehuge
massofhistwoopponents,helookedalmost
delicate.
The contrast between him and Lou was
especially stark: 6 ft 5 ins and 275 lbs next to
5 ft 11 ins and 200 lbs.What they both lacked,
Arnold seemed to combine in a single ideal
body,setting himself apart from his
opponents right from the start.
Byenteringathislowestchampionship
weightofthepastfewyears—234lbs—hehad
seeminglyachievedperfection.Theprevious
year,he’dbeenathisheaviestchampionship
weightsofar—247lbs—andnow,inSouth
Africa,hewasdemonstratingthatevenas
“leanArnold”,hehadlostnothingofhis
Afriendlyhugbywinner
Arnoldafterwards
Arnoldleaves
thestageto
thunderous
applause
ThemightyLou
Ferignowas
alwaysacrowd
pleaser
84 FLEX

strikingformandphenomenalsymmetry.
He was clearly superior to his opponents,
not just in the overall impression he gave but
in every single muscle group.There was only
one exception: Serge’s impossibly small
waistline.But in an athlete as powerful as
Arnold,such a small waist would have
compromised the overall athletic effect.
When it came to the combination of
muscle mass,muscularity and symmetry,
Arnold—the unbeaten Mr Olympia title-
holder since 1970—was setting a new
standard.I said then that in future,
we should measure perfection in
“degrees Schwarzenegger”.
Inthecompulsoryround,Arnold’s
superioritybecameclearerstill.Withevery
singlepose,heincreasedhisadvantage.
Evenhissmallestmusclegroupswerestrikingly
definedashecarriedouteverycompulsory
posewithtextbookperfection.Totopitall,
hedeliveredeverythingwiththekindof
naturalcharismararelyseeninanysport.
Duringtheindividualposing,itbecameclear
Louhadmadeabigtacticalerror.Assuming
he’dbeabletocrushhislighteropponentswith
sheersize,he’dcometoSouthAfricamuchtoo
heavy.Thecrevicesbetweenhismuscleswere
notdeepenough;thecontrastbetweenthe
differentmusclegroupswasnotsharpenough.
Nexttosomeoneasslimandwelldefinedas
Serge,thisdeficiencywasevenmoreapparent.
Lou’sgiganticmasswentdownwellwiththe
fans,buthewastheretowinandhisstrategy
hadcompletelybackfired.
Sergewasdefinitiveproofthatfinely
sculptedmuscleswillalwaystriumphover
massalone.Hisposingwasbeautyinmotion.
JustasIwaswonderingifanybodycould
betterhisphysique,thereweredeafening
cheersasArnoldappeared.Yetagain,hehad
achievedtheimpossibleandwentonebetter
thanhisopponent.InSouthAfrica,Arnold
Schwarzeneggercementedastatusinthe
historyofbodybuildingthatcanonlybe
comparedtothatofMuhammadAliinboxing.
Ineveryaspect,Arnoldwasinhisownleague:
unbeatable.
Thejudgesagreed.Whiletheyrepeatedly
calledSergeandLoubacktothestage,
Arnoldpacedquietlybackandforthinthe
background.Heappearedcompletelyfocused,
preparedforeverypossiblecomparison,for
everyfurtheropportunitytodisplayhis
superiority.Healreadyknewvictorybelonged
tohim.
Inthebattlefortheoveralltitle,friends
ArnoldSchwarzeneggerandFrancoColumbu
stoodsidebysideastheyhadinprevious
years.Andjustlikeinpreviousyears,the
AustrianOakwastoostrong.Francohad
knownitfromthestart,butthehugecheers
forhislatspreadlefthimoverjoyed.The
verdictwasunanimousandArnold’sidol,Reg
Park,finallydeclaredhimMrOlympiafora
sixthconsecutiveyear.
Afterwards,Arnoldthankedhisteamand
announcedhisretirementfrominternational
competition.Overthosefewhours,themain
hallofPretoriaUniversityhadbeen
transformed into the “Arnold auditorium”.
Legendaryphotographer
AnnieLeibovitzwith
Arnold,LouandSerge
inthewarm-uproom
Maybethe
greatest
threequarter
backposeever
ArnoldandFranco
sightseeingin
Capetown
Ahappy“trio”inSouthAfrica:
Arnold,AlbertandReg
86 FLEX

SamirBannoutbecamethelastmanweighinglessthan200lbs
towintheOlympiaonadramaticnightinMunichthatsaw
LeeHaney’sOlympiacareerstart,FrankZane’send,aguest
appearancebyTomPlatzandanearriotoverBertilFox’splacing
Thirty years ago,before the
internet,mobile phones and social
media,the only way to read about
bodybuilding was in magazines.Fortunately
for us in the media,we got to witness the
historic contests and stars first-hand so I was
honoured when Albert Busek,who promoted
the 1983 Mr Olympia,asked me to recall it for
this 50th Olympia special edition.Although it
was more than
30 years ago,I remember it like yesterday.In
fact,the 1983 Olympia is the one I remember
the most and it stands out above all others.
Stepping off the plane in Munich I was
anxious and excited.It was my first time in
Germany and I had the feeling this Mr.
Olympia was going to be special.
In those days the competition moved from
country to country.The previous event had
taken place in London.
Albert Busek is one of the most passionate
individuals about bodybuilding I have known.
He was the publisher of Sport Revue
magazine at the time and a world-renowned
physique photographer who was largely
responsible for bodybuilding’s huge
popularity and success in Germany.He helped
to build the German federation into one of the
IFBB’s strongest,so when we heard he would
be promoting the 1983 event at the site of the
1972 Olympic Games,a huge buzz erupted
throughout the bodybuilding community.
We all knew Busek,a perfectionist,would
raise the bar.
As the weekend’s events unfolded it soon
became clear we were right.It would be one
of the most memorable contests of all time.
Everything from the hotel and venue to the
post-contest banquet was organised to the
highest standards.
Of particular interest to me was the
outstanding stage lighting that was perfect
in highlighting the spectacular physiques.
Until this event,we always struggled with
substandard lighting.
In 1983,bodybuilding,boosted by the
success of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film
Conan the Barbarian,was at an all-time high
in Germany so it was no surprise to see nearly
5,000 enthusiastic fans packed into the
Olympia Halle for what would be one of the
most controversial battles in Olympia history.
THE CONTENDERS
With 1982 champion Chris Dickerson absent,
everyone debated his likely successor.
Rumours circulated that the superbly
balanced Samir Bannout,the Lion of
Lebanon,had finally got his act together
by squeezing out the water that had so
often prevented him from being at his best.
Three-time Mr.Olympia Frank Zane was back
after his runner-up finish to Dickerson the
previous year.Some felt newcomer Lee Haney
would pose a serious threat.Few predicted
England’s Bertil Fox and Egypt’s Mohamed
Makkawy were destined to play a major role in
the unfolding drama.
Never one to hold back,Bannout got off to
a bad start at the IFBB pro meeting the night
before the competition by asking IFBB judge
LudekNosekwhyhehadplacedhimsolowin
BY GARRY BARTLETT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARRY BARTLETT AND JÜRGEN FREISLER
A CLASH OF AGES
“TheLionof
Lebanon” had
neverbeenin
bettershape
thanon24th
September,
1983.Hewas
adeserving
MrOlympia
88 FLEX 89FLEX

1982,whenhefinished4th.Makkawaysaid
ifanyonehadarighttocomplain,hedid
becausehehadfinished7thin1982despite
manypeopletellinghimheshouldhavewon.
EventheusuallyintrovertedBertilFoxpiped
up,sayingthemostmuscularposeshouldbe
incorporatedintothecompulsoryposes.His
pleafellondeafearsbuthaditbeenadded,
theoutcomemighthavebeendifferent.
Whentheshowstartedtheaudiencewas
introducedtoawho’swhoofbodybuilding.
ThisincludedJoeandBettyWeider,Benand
HuguetteWeider,ArnoldSchwarzenegger’s
mother,Gold’sGymfounderJoeGoldandIFBB
officialsWayneDeMilia,JacquesBlommaert
andOscarState.
And,ofcourse,ArnoldSchwarzenegger.
HowcouldaMr.Olympiatakeplacein
GermanywithoutanappearancebyArnold!
AlongwithsidekickFrancoColumbu,Arnold
setthemoodwithafewhumorouscomments
thatpreparedeveryoneforwhatwastocome.
THE GOLDEN EAGLE LANDS
Following an entertaining posing routine by
robot man Russ Testo,we were surprised to
hear Tom Platz also being introduced as a
guest poser.We expected to see Platz,
nicknamed the Golden Eagle,in the
competition but a torn biceps forced him to
withdraw.Platz was one of the most popular
bodybuilders in the world,as evidenced by
the standing ovation he received.
Fifteenoftheworld’sbestIFBBpros
thencompetedforthetitle.
Lance Dreher,the massively armed world
heavyweight champion,finished last.
Considering his reputation for intimidating
size and thick,stocky development,a lot was
expected of Dreher.But he failed to impress
with less than contest condition,which
might explain his lacklustre performance.
I feel blessed to have witnessed Ed Corney,
who finished 14th.Corney came into
bodybuilding late in life but his astounding
physique and stage charisma made up for it.
One month from his 50th birthday,he
wanted to prove age was not a factor in
competitive bodybuilding.In reality,he was
well off his best condition but it didn’t affect
his legendary posing and ability to entertain
with classic transitions and spell-binding
magic.
France’s Gerard Buinoud was in superb
condition with bone-dry muscularity but was
no match for the favourites and had to settle
for 13th.
In 12th place was the previous year’s IFBB
World Championships middleweight winner,
American Dale Ruplinger.He gave a gutsy
attempt to get a rise out of the packed arena
by posing to Eye Of the Tiger but he fell short
in terms of size and mass.
Bannout’scombinationof
aesthetic,athleticand
symmetrymadehim the
7thmantowinMrOlympiaSamirBannout:
“I’mthehappiest
manontheplanet”
90 FLEX

America’s lightweight world champion
James Gaubert held his own against lighter
bodybuilders with rock-hard conditioning and
excellent posing but this was the big time.He
couldn’t match the required size and mass of
the top finishers.Still he did manage to pull
off a respectable 11th place finish.
HERE’S HOW THE TOP 10
FINISHED:
10th Jacques Neuville
(France)
Neuville’s claim to fame was defeating the
highly rated Tim Belknap to become the first
man from his country to win an IFBB world
championship.Good looks,great shape and
pleasing symmetry made him a crowd
favourite but again he lacked size compared
to the best.
9th Hubert Metz (Germany)
When it came to spot-on conditioning and
bone-dry muscularity you needed to look no
further than Metz,who came to Munich
equipped with the necessary arsenal of
weapons to challenge the favourites.
Unfortunately,Metz’s biggest competitor
seemed to be himself as he failed to project
a winner’s attitude and the aggressive desire
to win.This probably cost him a couple of
placings in the final results.
8th Johnny Fuller (UK)
In spite of an awkward and less than
professional posing routine,Fuller’s
granite-hard conditioning helped him to
leap ahead of shapelier and better balanced
challengers.When it came to pure raw muscle
and chiselled muscularity he was hard to
ignore.
7th Albert Beckles (UK)
Beckles more than any other champion
proved over and over again that older people
could succeed at the top in pro bodybuilding.
He was by now in his late 40s but sported his
customary bone-dry conditioning and
forged-muscle density.
6th Jusup Wilkosz (Germany)
When the stern-faced Wilkosz made his
entrance on stage and started to perform his
stoic routine it was obvious he was a strong
favourite.His tank-like physique was made
even more impressive by rock-hard
conditioning.He was one of the most heavily
muscled competitors on stage and
considering his shape and conditioning he
should have finished higher.Unfortunately,
his stony expression and lack of stage
charisma didn’t go down favourably with
the judges.
5th Bertil Fox (UK)
Coming into the 1983 Mr.Olympia I don’t think
anyone could have predicted the kind of
sensation the usually reserved Fox would
create.The Englishman was at this time
perhaps pound-for-pound the most muscular
man on the planet.Unfortunately,he seemed
to take his spectacular development for
granted and didn’t show the kind offlair
required to gain the judges’attention.
During morning prejudging this muscular
colossus dominated others with his mass
and mounds of full-bellied muscles,but
something was missing.He just wasn’t
“In spite of Fox’s superior mass and crowd
popularity he failed to matchthe total
package Bannout presented”
BertilFoxand
SamirBannout
atprejudging
BertilFoxin
oneofhis
bestposes
92 FLEX

getting the most out of what he had to offer
and appeared awkward and unprofessional
alongside the likes of Zane,Makkawy and
Bannout.
But during the evening finals his first pose
seemed to send a bolt of electricity through
the crowd.Posing to Sexual Healing by Marvin
Gaye,the crowd suddenly came alive and
began cheering for him.Fox responded with
a series of poses that featured his spectacular
arms,which created an even greater frenzy.
For the first time in his career Fox was
acknowledged as a muscular phenomena
and he milked it for all he was worth.Fuelled
by the unexpected reaction Fox began hitting
a series of signature most muscular poses,
much to the delight of the hysterical crowd
that included an enthusiastic Arnold
Schwarzenegger,who was jumping out of
his seat shouting and screaming,‘Now that’s
your Mr.Olympia!’
Had he displayed this kind of desire to win
and crowd-pleasing charisma at the morning
prejudging,things might have ended
differently.
4th Frank Zane (USA)
This would be the last time we would witness
the greatness of three-time Mr Olympia Frank
Zane.Despite being in his best condition at
the age of 41,time was catching up.Never
known for size and mass,he could no longer
continue winning on his pristine muscularity
and superb symmetry.Like a living statue he
glided through one classic pose after another.
But a new age of mass and size was coming
and the magnificent Zane didn’t fit into the
new world order.In contrast to the larger and
fuller front-runners he simply didn’t have the
required mass and was lucky to slip by the
hulking Fox.
3rd Lee Haney (USA)
This was the previous year’s heavyweight
world champion’s first Mr.Olympia and it
was clear we were looking at greatness in
the making.The small joints coupled with
yard-wide shoulders,narrow waist and hips
were the foundation of a future champion.
Once more quality pounds of solid muscle got
added and distributed evenly on his frame
there would be no stopping the totally
awesome Haney.But on this occasion his
lack of big contest experience resulted in a
mediocre and lacklustre posing routine.
Still,his easygoing attitude made him an
instant crowd favourite.
MR OLYMPIA 1983
RESULTS
PLACE NAME COUNTRY POINTS
1. Samir Bannout LEBANON 29
2. Mohamed Makkawy EGYPT 40
3. Lee Haney USA 73
4. Frank Zane USA 80
5. Bertil Fox UK 87
6. Jusup Wilkosz GERMANY 125
7. Albert Beckles UK 99*
8. Johnny Fuller UK 119*
9. Hubert Metz GERMANY 152*
10. Jacques Neuville FRANCE 155*
11. James Gaubert USA 158*
12. Dale Ruplinger USA 173*
13. Gerard Buinoud FRANCE 201*
14. Ed Corney USA 202*
15. Lance Dreher USA 217*
*not in final
AlbertBeckles,FrankZaneand
MohamedMakkawyatprejuding
LeeHaney,SamirBannout
andMohamedMakkawy
attheVictoryCeremony
JusupWilkosz,SamirBannout
andBertilFoxduringthefinal
comparison

2nd Mohamed Makkawy
(Egypt)
InLondonthepreviousyearMakkawynearly
stoletheshowwithhismagnificentshape,
conditioningandcharisma.Somechampions
justhavetheXfactor,andMakkawywasone
ofthem.In1983hewasconsideredoneofthe
favouritesandwhenhegracefully
commencedposingtoChariotsofFireitwas
evidentwewerelookingatthepossible
winner.Allhismagnificentqualitieswere
there:colour,separation,balanceand
proportion.Hadhebeenjustatriflesharper
thetitlemighthavebeenhis.Butintheend
hewasnomatchfortheunequalled
developmentofSamirBannout.
1st Samir Bannout (Lebanon)
Inthedaysbeforethecompetition,Bannout
braggedthathewas25%betterthanthe
previousyearandthetitlewouldbehis.Most
ofuswereusedtothiskindofself-promotion
anddiscountedit,asheneverseemedtoback
uphisclaims.
HowwrongwewereastheLionofLebanon
finallygotittogetherandstoodonstagein
thebestconditionofhislife.
Ironically,hisquesttobecomeMrOlympia
almostdidn’thappenashecamedownwith
seriousstomachpainsjustbeforetheevening
show.Fortunately,withhelpfromFranco
ColumbuandDrLudekNosek,thejudgethat
Bannouthadearliercalledout,hegotsorted
outandlandedonstageevensharperthanhe
wasatthemorningprejudging.
Bannoutwasadeservingwinner.He
combinedthesizeofFoxandHaneywiththe
shapeandsymmetryofZaneandMakkawy.
Whenyouaddjusttherightamountof
conditioningtothemix,youhaveadeserving
MrOlympia.Evenifeverythingwasequalfrom
thefront,Bannoutblewthefieldawayfrom
theback.
A NEAR RIOT
Sadlythe1983Mr.Olympiaisnotremembered
forBannout’soutstandingvictorybutthe
controversialdecisiontoplaceFoxfifth.In30
yearsofcoveringtheMrOlympiaIhavenever
witnessedsuchgenuineandhostileangeras
thatwhichfollowedFox’sfifthplace
announcement.
Itgotsoloudandunrulythatitbecame
intimidating.Thecrowdrefusedtoacceptit
anddemandeditbechanged.Itwasclearthe
judgeswerescaredtothepointofconsidering
achangeastheloudbooing,whistlingand
aggressiveshoutingbecamesointenseaariot
becamepossible.Itwasafullsixminutes
beforethecrowdeventuallysettleddownand
allowedtherestoftheplacing
announcementstobemade.
ShouldFoxbeendeclaredMr.Olympia?
Theanswerisno.Itwasnotacontesttopick
themostmuscularmanandinspiteofhis
superiormassandcrowdpopularityhefailedto
matchthetotalpackagethatBannout
presented.In1983posingplayedamuchmore
importantpartinthescoringthanitdoestoday.
Foxwasawkwardanduneasy.Thosethat
finishedabovehimweremastersofphysique
display.Buthisawesomephysicaldevelopment
couldhaveseenhimfinishashighas2ndor3rd.
The 1983 Mr.Olympia set a new standard
and marked the end of the era of smaller,
shapelier athletes as nobody weighing less
than 200 lbs has ever won the title again.It
was Bannout’s only Olympia triumph and set
in motion the dominant reign of the larger,
more heavily muscled titans,beginning with
eight-time winner Lee Haney and then Dorian
Yates,Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler.FLEX
“The booing, whistling and aggressive shouting
became so intense a riot became possible”
ArnoldcheersforBertilFox,
muchtotheamusementof
Franco(rightofArnold),
RickWayne(leftofArnold)
andRobertKennedy
(sittingbehindArnold)
Samirsavours
themoment
SamirBannoutposesforthe
cameras,includingthatof
Flex’sChrisLund,left.
96 FLEX

What’stheeasiestwaytostartafight
amongstagroupofbodybuildingfans?
Ask them to name the greatest Olympians
never to have won the Olympia.
It’s one of those subjects that will never lead
to agreement.It’s hardly surprising.Judging
bodybuilders in one era is difficult enough;
judging the best over 50 years,with all the
changes in muscularity and judging criteria,is
tantamount to folly.
But it’s tremendous fun so we asked
bodybuilding geek Giles Thomas to nominate
his picks.There’s no room for Lou Ferrigno,Lee
Labrada,Serge Nubret or Kai Greene.Most of
those he has chosen had the misfortune to be
around during the Lee Haney and Dorian Yates
eras,when those two vacuumed up the
Sandows for 15 consecutive years.
Do you agree with his choices? Go to
flexonline.co.uk and take part in our poll on the
greatest Olympian never to win the Mr Olympia.
Youmightbesurprisedtosee
Wheelersolowonthelist.Letme
explain.Thereiscertainlynoarguing
withthreesecondplacefinishesat
theOlympiain1993,1998and1999
butWheeleronlyeverreallybrought
his“A”gametotheArnoldClassic.
HewontheArnoldin1993,1997,
1998and2000andhadhebrought
anyofthosefourArnold-winning
lookstotheOlympia,Iamcertain
hewouldhaveatleastoneSandow
sittingonhismantelpiecerightnow.
Although
bodybuilding
legendPlatztook
acareerbestOlympiaplacingofthirdin
1981,it’sthewayheinspiredsomanyother
bodybuildersthatmeritshisnameappearing
onthislistaboveotherswithbetterOlympia
records.Eventoday,18yearsafterhislast
Olympiaappearance(heachievedsixtop-10
finishes),fansaroundtheworldrememberthe
GoldenEagle.Ask212Showdownchampion
FlexLewiswhoinspiredhimandhesimply
replies“Platz”.Platzwasknownforhiscrazy
legdevelopmentandinsanetrainingintensity.
THE BEST OLYMPIANS
NEVER TO WIN
FLEX COLUMNIST GILES THOMAS NOMINATES HIS SIX BEST NEARLY MEN
6
5TOM
PLATZ
FLEX
WHEELER
100 FLEX
CHRISLUND
COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTH&FITNESS
KRAUSEJOHANSEN

YoucouldarguethatRobinson,whowontheover200lbsdivisionat
the1977and1978Olympias,isanOlympiachampionandtherefore
shouldn’tbeonthislist.ButtheBlackPrincelosttheoveralltitleto
FrankZaneonbothofthoseoccasionsandthereforeisn’tconsideredan
overallchampion.RobinsondeservedatleastonevictoryagainstthemuchsmallerZane.
Neverthelessheenjoyedaremarkablecareerthatspannedaquarterofacentury,fromthe
goldeneraofArnoldandFrancountil2000,bywhichtimephysiqueshadgotmuchbigger.
TheDragonSlayerfinishedthirdatthe1985MrOlympiain
Belgiumwhenhewasa22-year-oldrookiepro.Hewasalso
oneofthefirsttobringstriatedglutestothestage,
somethingthathasbecomeaprerequisitefortoday’spros.
Gasparifinishedrunner-uptoeight-timeMrOlympiaLeeHaneythreeyears
runningfrom1986to1988.TheclosesthecametoHaneywas,Ithink,in1988.
4 ROBBYROBINSON
3 RICHGASPARI
102 FLEX
COURTESYOFWEIDERHEALTH&FITNESS
CHRISLUND

Raywasrunner-uptoDorianYatesin1994and
1996andfinishedinthetopfivefor12consecutive
years.Butthisonlytellspartofthestory.Itwasn’t
thetwosecondplacefinishesthatbroughthim
closesttowinningthetitle.1990,whenhefinishedthirdinChicago
behindLeeHaneyandLeeLabrada,waswhenIthinkRaydeserved
thetitlemorethananyotheryearhecompeted.
2 SHAWNRAY
104 FLEX
CHRISLUND
KRAUSEJOHANSEN

Despitefinishingsecondin1992(hisrookieyearasapro),1995,
2000and2002,IbelievetheclosesttheMarylandMuscleMachine
cametowinningtheOlympiawasactuallyin1997whenhefinished
fourth.Thephysiquehedisplayedatthepost-OlympiaGrandPrixtour
(certainlyattheBritishGrandPrix)thatyearwould,Ibelieve,havetaken
outDorianYatesinhissixthandfinalOlympiawin.Butwhatarecord!In12
consecutiveOlympiasfrom1992to2003Levronefinishedsecondfourtimes,
thirdthreetimes,fourththreetimes,fifthonceandsixthonce,givingLeeHaney,
DorianYatesandRonnieColemanthefightsoftheirlives.FLEX
1 KEVIN
LEVRONE
106 FLEX
CHRISLUND

MY OLYMPIA
I am fortunate to have been able
to travel to the US over the last 16
years to photograph the best
bodybuilders in the world, to see
new Mr Olympias crowned and to
meet so many other photographers
in the press pit. Little did I know
when I first picked up a camera
and visited a local bodybuilding
show in the UK that I would end
up photographing the Mr Olympia
for as long as I have. I look
forward to many more.
SCRAPBOOK
I must have shot 40,000 photos at
the Mr Olympia since my first one as
a photographer in 1997 so narrowing
the choice of my favourites down to
12 was no easy task. In the end, I
went with these because besides
being good shots, they brought back
memories of particular contests.
When you have been photographing
the same event for as long as I
have, they can begin to blur into one
so these images help me recall
memories of particular years.
Here he shares hisOlympia since 1997.
favourite images
This image was taken at the1999 Olympia in Las Vegaswhere Flex Wheeler broughtthe complete package andmany people thought he wouldfinally win the crown. Theonly problem was that a guycalled Ronnie Coleman hadcome from practicallynowhere the year before toclaim the title after DorianYates had retired.I didn’t know at the timebut this image would turnout to be my most famousimage to date. Shortly afterthe 1999 Olympia I showedthe contact sheet (for anyyoungsters of the digital
age, a contact sheet is a
10 x 8 inch print showing
all 36 images of a roll of
film) to Flex, who picked
this image as hisfavourite.
Thanks to him using the
image on everything he
owned, including his car,
motorbike and clothing,
it soon became recognised
as one of his most iconic
photos. I never thought
it would end up on the
cover of so many
magazines around the
world. It was also used
on the 2006 Olympia
stage—see photo.
AT HIS BESTFLEX WHEELER
Gary Phillips,
the British- born
of FLEX has
EDITOR OF
the
Australasian edition
photographed every
107FLEX

DORIAN’S
LAST
STAND
GUNTER-MANIA
After beating reigning Mr Olympia
Ronnie Coleman at the 2002 GNC
show, Günter Schlierkamp was
tipped to knock the king off his
throne. Everyone in the audience,
myself included, was riveted as
we waited to see if the charismatic,
300 lbs German would become the
new Mr. Olympia.
If results were decided by a
clapometer, Günter would have
taken the crown hands down. As it
was, he only managed fifth in an
amazing line-up but he was the only
competitor to receive a standing
ovation after his placing was
announced and he cemented his
place as one of the most popular
bodybuilders of recent times.
Dorian Yates badly injuredhis triceps just weeksbefore the 1997 Olympiayet in typical Yates’style he decided to goahead and compete. Thiswas my first Olympia and Iwas thrilled to be able tosee my fellow Brummiecompete in what turned outto be his last contest.I sat to the far right ofthe stage, which gave me aclear shot of his injuredleft triceps. Being a trueprofessional, he hid itwell and it was onlyeasily visible from whereI was sitting. You can seeclearly in this photographthat his triceps haddetached from the elbow.It was a close callbetween Yates and NasserEl Sonbaty, who wasprobably in the best shapeof his life but Yates,typically, prevailed.
108 FLEX

After losing his crown to Dexter
Jackson in 2008, Jay Cutler made
a spectacular comeback. He
appeared even bigger and better
than his previous wins—clearly
losing had motivated Cutler to
regain his title.
Many people didn’t believe this
image was real. There were lots of
comments that it had been
morphed or enhanced but the truth
is that this photograph came
straight off the camera and is
completely untouched.
JAYFINALLY
BEATSRONNIE
COMEBACK
Haney, whose record
Coleman would have
broken had he won,
presents Cutler with his
Olympia medal.
Finally, the Coleman era
was over and the world
had a new Mr Olympia.
After finishing second to
Ronnie Coleman four
times at the Olympia, Jay
Cutler finally defeated his
nemesis to win his first of
four Olympia titles.
In above left image
eight-time Mr Olympia Lee
JAY’S
110 FLEX

TRUESPORTSMANSHIP
There was no love lost between
reigning champ Phil Heath and
underdog Kai Greene when the two
men met at the 2012 Mr Olympia.
There had been so much hype leading
up to the competition that all the
pre-contest talk was focused on
their rivalry. You were either in
the Phil camp or the Kai camp.
Nobody else came even close.
It did indeed turn out to be a
two-horse race. Check out Kai’s
face here. Talk about devastated.
There was a time when RonnieColeman was a little-known IFBBpro. After Dorian Yates retired,everybody thought Flex Wheelerwould be the next Mr Olympia in1998. Nobody, including Wheeler,predicted that Ronnie Colemanwould come from virtually nowhereand clean up.
I remember sitting in the presspit at Madison Square Garden inNew York and thinking “holy s**t”when Ronnie walked out on stage.It was all over there and then.
THE HEATH-
GREENE RIVALRY RONNIE SHOCKS
THE WORLD
Jay Cutler was the dominant champion
after the Coleman era, winning fourtimes in five years. Reigning champions
rarely lose, so many people expectedhim to seal his fifth triumph in 2011 in
Las Vegas. It turned out differently,however. A new Mr Olympia called Phil
Heath was crowned and the old onecouldn’t have been much happier.Cutler and Heath are friends and Ibelieve the old champion was genuinely
delighted to see his mate take over,even though it meant he lost the title.Heath was a worthy new champ butCutler showed what a great championand gentleman he is.
112 FLEX

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Flex 50th Olympia Souvenir Edition