By: Andrew Carruthers - Editor-In-Chief
Photography by: Gary Phillips
Kai Greene has done it again! He successfully defended his 2009 Arnold Classic title with a well deserved follow up victory, along with a paycheck for $130,000, proving he is one of the world's best bodybuilders. He was also able to make multiple additions to his trophy cabinet when, in addition to his first place trophy, he walked away with the award for best presentation, showing off both his immense muscularity and agility. Kai's ability to maintain his weight at around 300lbs (136kg) only a few weeks before show time is simply amazing. On show day he'll arrive at the venue 25lbs (11.3kg) down and dialed in for action. He showed up in tremendous shape this year, looking even sharper than his appearance at the 2009 Mr. Olympia. He displayed his usual, crazy thigh development, complete with striated vastus muscles (the fibres that visually enhance the upper leg with the ladder effect when an athlete squeezes his quads). His conditioning in the evening show was a bit off from his pre-judging appearance. However, it was still better than his Olympia stage appearance, albeit marginally, but still good enough to win the overall competition. From the minute he started posing there was no doubt as to who would take home the title. The general consensus in the crowd, echoed by the man himself, Arnold was that he has some great momentum going into the 2010 Mr. Olympia show - so watch out for him this year!
Phil Heath managed to secure second place and a cheque for $75,000, with what can only be described as an incredible physique. His winning combination of full, sweeping muscle bellies, combined with awesome separation of muscle groups is without a doubt a future winning physique. He has incredible skin tone, which has a very grainy look when it comes to show time, enhancing the level of detail that can be brought out in every pose. This is without a doubt a huge asset to his final overall appearance.
Branch Warren secured third place with prize money of $50,000. Branch's conditioning has improved ten fold, with his initial and most evident changes coming to the fore at the 2009 Mr. Olympia contest. Whether it's something in the air in Texas, who knows, but Branch Warren has become one of the most conditioned athletes around today. He even had cross-striated hamstrings. In saying that, the detail he presented in his back could be stronger - these were points where Heath and Greene certainly conquered. If he achieves that overall condition he will certainly be a top contender for the number one slot in future. His routine was a brilliant display of exceptional power, with music befitting the big guy's style of posing. He had the crowd on the edge of their seats, with goosebumps on every single neck in the audience. He has the uncanny ability to make you wanna get up and go to the gym to train your ass off. Disappointed with Branch's placing, the crowd let it be known with their echoing boos, but this was somewhat redeemed with an award for being the most muscular athlete in the competition.
Dexter Jackson held on to fourth place, showing some of his smoothest conditioning to date. Something clearly went wrong in his prep and his result clearly showed that. His abs and midsection were rock hard as usual, but his legs were smooth and looked especially soft - not something you'd expect from the Blade! His hamstrings specifically were overshadowed by the bigger guys ahead of him. It's becoming abundantly clear that while he remains the same size each year, the other guys are starting to push well beyond Dexter's competition size. The scary thing is the guys that are placing ahead of him are not only getting bigger, but they're managing to get harder and even more conditioned than their previous contest appearances. Dex managed to secure a cheque for $30,000 and I hope that we see him improve drastically to keep his physique up there with Kai, Phil and Branch, who seem to be kicking up dust into the faces of those who are not adding the much needed size to their physiques throughout the year.
Toney Freeman held onto fifth place and a cheque for $15,000. He was smooth in pre-judging, but had he been sharper he would definitely have placed higher. In 2007 he dominated with awesome conditioning at the Iron Man, and at the 2008 Mr. Olympia contest he showed, yet again how well he can condition himself. He has a huge crowd following and this was evident during both the pre-judging and show rounds of this event. His movements are smooth and fluid and he has a truly awesome presence when posing on stage.
Sylvester Stallone was presented with the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award. Clearly approving of the decision the crowd went ballistic when his name was called. Sequences of his many movie highlights were played for all to see, with his legendary portrayal of Rocky Balboa standing out from all the other memorable career moments. Seeing both Arnold and Sly on stage together was also awesome, and it's great to know that people can still shake hands with these two legends as they moved freely through the expo halls earlier that same day.
In concluding, the stage sets at the 2010 Arnold Classic were some of the best seen to date at any bodybuilding show worldwide. With an Aztec temple the main visual element, the organisers really went to town bringing the Aztec theme to life with the best lighting and visual effects ever seen. To top it all off, the competitors this year were brilliant, and it is both exciting and refreshing to see that there are a number of guys all capable of winning the show. The 2010 Arnold Classic has set a very high standard with good momentum going into the 2010 Mr. Olympia showdown. Jay Cutler is going to have his work cut out for him if this calibre of athlete arrives with more improvements over their current conditioning.
Final Top 6 Results:
1st - Kai Greene ($130,000.00)
2nd - Phil Heath ($75,000.00)
3rd - Branch Warren ($50,000.00)
4th - Dexter Jackson ($30,000.00)
5th - Toney Freeman ($15,000.00)
6th - Ronny Rockel ($10,000.00)
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