CHAPTER 50

Go For It!

“Sit down before your next competition and outline some of the objectives you want to achieve by competition day. If you’ve never before set a concrete goal and instead have gone blindly into contest prep, I guarantee you’ll do even better the next show with a plan on paper.”

– Charles Glass, pro bodybuilding coach and trainer, offering great advice on bodybuilding competition.

Congratulations and well done. You’ve arrived. After a year or two of training day in and day out, you’ve built a physique that has the size and shape to garner you compliments no matter where you go. It’s now time to take the next step – strutting your stuff on a bodybuilding stage. The following chapters offer numerous tips and strategies to help you look your competitive best on contest day. You have no intentions of ever competing? In fact most people who regularly work out have no desire to step out onto a bodybuilding stage. However, much of what I discuss over the next few chapters can be applied to looking your best anywhere – whether on the beach or the posing platform. Besides, many of today’s greatest bodybuilders had no intentions of ever competing. It was only after they started seeing their bodies developing and after attending a few shows they decided to give it a go. Who knows? You might be next!

THE TWO EXTREMES

Competitive bodybuilders generally fall into two categories. At one end we have the gung-ho types who feel ready to take the Mr. Olympia title after only a couple of months of training. While the occasional genetic freak does come along who’ll put 30 or 40 pounds on his frame in six months, for the most part the average person will need at least a solid year of training under his belt before being competitive at the local level. There’s no way a person can have the knowledge necessary to compete after only a couple of months of training experience. It normally takes about 12 weeks of dieting and practicing posing to be ready, forget the muscle building. Those who compete too early on will usually be carrying too much body fat and won’t look comfortable onstage. Even though they’ll probably place where they deserve, they’ll blame the judges and possibly give up the sport for good. This is too bad, as many potentially great bodybuilding careers ended this way before they even got started.

“For me the urge to compete never seems to go away. It’s always there. Perhaps it’s the thrill of being in front of a cheering crowd, the thrill of going through a posing routine, and the thrill of winning … it’s a part of the bodybuilding life that I couldn’t do without.”

– Rich Scimeca, amateur bodybuilder, as passionate about bodybuilding as he was back in the mid-1970s.

Stepping onto a bodybuilding stage is no easy task, as it requires detailed preparation and practice.
Photo of Silvio Samuel, Johnnie Jackson and Phil Heath by Irvin Gelb

At the other end we have what can only be called the procrastinators, or the “just one more year” folks. These are the guys who train for 10 years or more, have more than enough size and knowledge to compete, but spend too much time comparing themselves to Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler. They’re so hard on themselves that they keep putting things off for another year but unfortunately that one more year becomes 10 years, and before they know it their best competitive years are behind them. You can spot these guys in the audience at local bodybuilding contests. They’re usually in their 30s or 40s and carry more muscle mass than the overall winner of the contest. It’s sad when a contest with two or three contestants per weight class could have had 10 competitors per class if many of those in the audience would only decide to compete. But there they sit year after year.

THE BENEFITS OF COMPETITION

“So let’s say you’ve decided to accept the challenge. That’s usually the reason people enter shows. It’s a challenge getting in the best shape possible. But unless you have one-in-a-million genetics and are willing to take outrageous amounts of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, forget about making money by competing. Entering a show for most people is a personal struggle.”

– Nelson Montana, regular MuscleMag International contributor, highlighting the reason most people decide to enter a bodybuilding contest.

Besides the end result of perhaps winning the contest, there are numerous reasons to give competitive bodybuilding a go. For starters it may be one of the greatest learning experiences of your life. Let’s face it, competing in a bodybuilding contest will necessitate a whole new approach to your training. You’ll need to adopt new strategies and exercises. You’ll also need to learn the ins and outs of pre-contest dieting.

Another benefit of competing is that you’ll probably make the best progress of your life. The primary reason is that you’ll need to cycle your training in the months leading up to the contest. Even though your goal at this point is refinement more than growth, most bodybuilders discover that they actually add muscle size during their pre-contest training. The increased number of reps and sets seems to shock their bodies out of the state of staleness that many have fallen into.

Competition tends to bring out the best in people and do wonders for their training drive. A fifth-place finish will motivate most people to train even harder during the off-season. This constant drive to be the best has but one outcome – increased size and a much better physique.

Give it some serious thought. Unlike such sports as wrestling, judo or rugby, where getting in over your head can have serious consequences, bodybuilding is perfectly safe. Granted your ego may receive the occasional bruise, but my experience has been that most competitors use a poor placing to train harder and improve for their next outing.

THE TITLES – WHAT YOU’RE SHOOTING FOR

With the reorganization of bodybuilding back in the 1980s, the old familiar “Mr.” titles became all but extinct. The Mr. and Ms. Olympias are still around. So is the NABBA Mr. Universe. But by and large the Mr. and Ms. titles are now called Championships. For example, the very prestigious Mr. America has become the U.S. National Championships. Instead of Mr. California, the winner is now called the California State Bodybuilding Champion. The Amateur Mr. Universe is now called the World Bodybuilding Championships, and the Professional Mr. Universe is now the Arnold Classic. Of course you don’t just decide to enter the World Championships. The hierarchy is usually city to state (or provincial) to national to world. Some bodybuilders enter regional shows after winning the state or provincial championships.

Besides the name change, most contests now have separate weight divisions similar to those in boxing. The most common divisions are bantamweight, lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight, and super heavyweight. Once the winners have been chosen for each weight division, an overall winner is picked. But it’s not necessary to win the overall title to progress to the next level.

Most local contests are called “closed,” meaning you must live in a certain geographic area to be eligible to compete. Other events, called “open,” are accessible to anyone regardless of where the contestants live.

Most contests, even major ones, are amateur events. This means there are no cash prizes for the winners. But as with most sports, the line between amateur and professional is very murky these days. Most top amateur bodybuilders make thousands of dollars doing posing exhibitions and seminars. Others make millions endorsing supplements. If the bodybuilder had not won a major contest he would not earn this money, but because he doesn’t earn it specifically for winning a contest, by definition he is considered amateur.

Once bodybuilders have won the World Championships, North American Championships or some other top qualifying event, they receive their professional card and are then eligible to compete in the sport’s professional shows such as the Arnold Classic and the Olympia.

Like most pro athletes, pro bodybuilders compete for cash in the various pro contests. The top prizes are found at the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia. While $150,000 might not sound like much compared to the $1 million plus awarded to the winners of golf and tennis tournaments, it’s still a long way from the tins of protein powder the winners received decades ago. It’s even a long way from what Olympic athletes receive.

Photo of Jay Cutler by Irvin Gelb

Competing is a learning experience. Each time you participate you’ll be motivated to train harder and make improvements.
Photo of Victor Martinez by Irvin Gelb

THE BIGGEST ONE

For those readers who plan on becoming part of bodybuilding immortality, the top contest is the Mr. Olympia, first awarded to Larry Scott in 1965. The Mr. Olympia was created by bodybuilding publisher Joe Weider to see who was the greatest bodybuilder alive. It was only open to former Mr. Universe winners. Since Scott’s first win in 1965, this contest has been won by just 12 individuals. The winners since 1965 are:

Photo of Larry Scott by Robert Kennedy

MR. OLYMPIA RESULTS
YEAR	WINNER	CITY
1965	Larry Scott	New York
1966	Larry Scott	New York
1967	Sergio Oliva	New York
1968	Sergio Oliva	New York
1969	Sergio Oliva	New York
1970	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York
1971	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Paris
1972	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Essen
1973	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York
1974	Arnold Schwarzenegger	New York
1975	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Pretoria
1976	Franco Columbu	Columbus
1977	Frank Zane	Columbus
1978	Frank Zane	Columbus
1979	Frank Zane	Columbus
1980	Arnold Schwarzenegger	Sydney
1981	Franco Columbu	Columbus
1982	Chris Dickerson	London
1983	Samir Bannout	Munich
1984	Lee Haney	New York
1985	Lee Haney	Brussels
1986	Lee Haney	Columbus
1987	Lee Haney	Gothenburg
1988	Lee Haney	Los Angeles
1989	Lee Haney	Rimini
1990	Lee Haney	Chicago
1991	Lee Haney	Orlando
1992	Dorian Yates	Helsinki
1993	Dorian Yates	Atlanta
1994	Dorian Yates	Atlanta
1995	Dorian Yates	Atlanta
1996	Dorian Yates	Chicago
1997	Dorian Yates	Los Angeles
1998	Ronnie Coleman	New York
1999	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2000	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2001	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2002	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2003	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2004	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2005	Ronnie Coleman	Las Vegas
2006	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas
2007	Jay Cutler	Las Vegas
2008	Dexter Jackson	Las Vegas

Photo of Lee Haney and Dorian Yates by Jon Davey

THE MS. OLYMPIA

Although relatively new compared to its male equivalent, the Ms. Olympia has seen many battles over the years. As with the Mr. Olympia, the Ms. Olympia tends to be dominated for long stretches by the same winners. Lenda Murray is the most dominant, with eight Ms. Olympia titles to her credit. The winners since 1980 are:

MS. OLYMPIA RESULTS
YEAR	WINNER	CITY
1980	Rachel McLish	Philadelphia
1981	Kike Elomaa	Philadelphia
1982	Rachel McLish	Atlantic City
1983	Carla Dunlap	Warmister
1984	Cory Everson	>Montreal
1985	Cory Everson	New York
1986	Cory Everson	New York
1987	Cory Everson	New York
1988	Cory Everson	New York
1989	Cory Everson	New York
1990	Lenda Murray	New York
1991	Lenda Murray	Los Angeles
1992	Lenda Murray	Chicago
1993	Lenda Murray	New York
1994	Lenda Murray	Atlanta
1995	Lenda Murray	Atlanta
1996	Kim Chizevsky	Chicago
1997	Kim Chizevsky	New York
1998	Kim Chizevsky	Prague
1999	Kim	Chizevsky Secaucus
2000	Valentina Chepiga (HW)	Las Vegas
2000	Andrulla Blanchette (LW)	Las Vegas
2001	Juliette Bergman	Las Vegas
2002	Lenda Murray	Las Vegas
2003	Lenda Murray	Las Vegas
2004	Iris Kyle	Las Vegas
2005	Yaxeni Oriquen	Las Vegas
2006	Iris Kyle	Las Vegas
2007	Iris Kyle	Las Vegas
2008	Iris Kyle	Las Vegas

Photo of Iris Kyle by Irvin Gelb

THE ARNOLD

The only contest that rivals the Olympia in terms of money and popularity is the Arnold Classic. Held each year in Columbus, Ohio, the Arnold Classic is the creation of bodybuilding superstar and governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his long-time business partner, Jim Lorimer. The contest was first held in 1989 (after a renaming of the Mr. Universe contest), and over the years has grown to include not just bodybuilding, but martial arts exhibitions, powerlifting contests, tons of other sports, and the biggest trade show and expo in all of bodybuilding. Unlike the Olympia, the Arnold Classic hasn’t become dominated by just a few competitors. Over the years, such stars as Flex Wheeler, Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson and Victor Martinez have added the title to their collections.

Photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Irvin Gelb

Dexter Jackson poses with his medal after winning the 2008 Arnold Classic.
Photo of Dexter Jackson by Irvin Gelb

Besides the Olympia and Arnold Classic, pro bodybuilders can compete in other contests to enlarge their bank accounts. The Iron Man, held early in the year, serves as a great warmup for later contests. Another popular show is the Night of Champions (now named the New York Pro), first held in 1978. Rounding out the professional shows are a series of Grand Prix events that over the decades seem to float around from city to city. Most are held in Europe after the Mr. Olympia contest in early fall. These contests offer the pros a chance to earn some decent prize money, and sometimes the person who didn’t place well in the Olympia can earn some good cash and placings in the Grand Prix contests.