If you’re a huge bodybuilding fan like me then you follow the NPC just as closely as the IFBB. And no other NPC shows are more exciting to watch than the Nationals, USA’s, and North Americans. Today, more pro cards are handed out than ever before. But without fail, more and more competitors opt not to compete in their first year as a pro and many more choose to compete only a few times over their first 3 years. Yet, more times than not, it’s the same guys who can’t seem to figure out why their placings are low. The take home message: new guys, you want to place well, get out and compete.
Maybe Phil Heath and Evan Centopani ruined it for all the new IFBB pros, but in this day and age most of the new crop of pro bodybuilders think they automatically need to take a year off after they win their pro cards. Then after the first year of “growing” is up, they enter a smaller pro show, only to go back into seclusion for another year of bulking before returning to another smaller pro show the following year. It’s an incredible perpetual cycle of growing in the off season only to come down to competition shape once a year; they’re putting all their eggs in one basket, banking on coming in peaked, which seems to happen only about 50% for most of the IFBB pros. Most guys come in soft or blow their prep in the last week and find themselves out of the top 5; all that unnecessary bulking for 2 to 3 years for a 10th place finish. It seems almost comical, but it happens every season.
The reason guys like Dexter Jackson, Shawn Rhoden, Jose Raymond, Johnnie Jackson, and Toney Freeman are continuously in the top of every contest goes way beyond genetics—and more into experience. These guys know all the dirty little tricks to coming in looking perfect. Cedric McMillan recently commented that he thought the lights at the Arnold Classic were brighter than expected and that he should have used more coats of tan and applied much more posing oil. Little, but costly mistakes like that might have meant the difference between 6th place and winning the show. It’s a huge move for Cedric to compete at the FIBO in a couple weeks and continue on with the Arnold Classic Brazil. I think he now understands the importance of stage experience.
However, there are plenty of bodybuilders who still haven’t gotten the message about competition frequency. Everyone loves to talk about the huge potential in several of the new IFBB pros, but eventually these guys are going to have to get up on stage more than once a season. Not only will they never master the pro stage, but their posing will suffer, the judges won’t be familiar with their physiques, the fans will lose interest in them, and their conditioning will always be a coin flip on game day. You’ve got NPC champions with names like Jason Huh, Steve Kuclo, Branden Ray, Michael Liberatore, Dan Decker, Stan McQuay, Ben White, and Robert Burneika who seem to go missing for an entire season. Think I’m exaggerating? I’m just guessing everyone has already forgotten about Darron Glenn winning the overall at last year’s USA Championships. Not to mention guys like Tamer El-Guindy, Abbas Khatami, and Mark Alvisi who all seemingly retired after earning their IFBB status a few years ago.
I’m far from an IFBB Pro, but I can’t help but be unimpressed with the lack of improvements most of these guys actually make during their long layoffs from the stage. For the most part, everyone looks exactly the same regardless how long they take off. There are the exceptions to the rule with Phil Heath in 2006, Kai Greene in 2007, and Shawn Rhoden in 2012. But even Kai only had 7 months elapse between his 2007 Colorado Pro/AM win and the 2008 Arnold Classic where we literally saw Kai explode to a 3rd place finish while adding a game changing 30 pounds to his frame. Most guys aren’t like that though.
Very rarely does a bodybuilder turn pro based on potential. For the most part the NPC Nationals, USA’s, and North American champion is considered to have an IFBB ready body. Yet that message seems to go on deaf ears to the majority of competitors. I will admit, however, there are some amateur champions who turn pro and come out swinging. Juan Morel and Jon Delarosa both competed twice in their rookie seasons. Todd Jewell competed 4 times in his first year pro in 2012. Fred Smalls has competed 7 times since earning his pro status at the 2010 Nationals. And Ed Nunn has competed in an awesome 18 competitions since turning pro in 2008. It’s no coincidence that these are some of the most popular new IFBB pro’s not named McMillan and Kuclo.
I know Darron Glenn might be on the small side, Brian Yersky might have some weak body parts, and Dallas McCarver might be young, but they’re better off competing than sitting on the sidelines. There’s more to gain by competing than there is to lose. The fans want it, the pro league wants it, and the sponsors want it. You earn your pro card; get out and use it.
Until next week you can follow me on Twitter @MattMeinrod and read my archived articles on www.MattMeinrod.com
