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The “Classic” Arnold: The Cage 2006
by G Diesel
(Above:
The Animal Crew (left to right): Melissa, Waleska, Ashley, Kirsten, The
Lad, Vinny, Machine, Tamara, Sgt. Rock, Rhino, Wrath, The House)
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 The “Journey” section of The Cage where fans could meet Wrath in person and talk to him about his personal journey.
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 Sgt. Rock pulling like there’s no tomorrow.
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 Rhino and The Lad congratulating Sgt. Rock after his lift…
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 Vinny hitting a pose.
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 Wolfy and some of the fellas from the Westside Barbell Club.
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 Machine on the mike, giving his seminar on delt training.
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 The Lad and Vinny talking shop.
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 The Lad hitting his lift.
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 Wrath talking about training forearms.
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 Melissa, Kirsten, Waleska, Ashley and Tamara.
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Leaving from Philly, I flew on a US Airways owned micro airline named
Chappaqua Air. My seat was the only one on my side of the plane with
only the wall to my right and the aisle which I was hanging out into to
my left, being incessantly bumped as the lone stewardess made her
frequent rounds. It was a quick trip to Columbus and when we touched
down, about an hour after leaving, the waiting attendant asked
sarcastically, “Let me guess, you're here for the Arnold.” Nah, I'm
just here to train… Yeah, that and the Arnold.
My training sessions at World Gym on Long Street in downtown Columbus
were intense. In my three days there, I trained chest in the presence
of greatness (see “Diary of a Madman”, Entry #49), trained delts with
my boy Wrath (the big dude in The Journey) and hit arms solo. The gym
was teeming with IFBB pros and top level amateurs in the few hours I
was there: Ronnie, Chris Cook, Sean Allen, Waleska Valle, Stan McQuay,
Renee Toney, my dawg Rhino from Animalpak.com plus a host of others.
Needless to say, it didn't take much to get motivated and fired up to
train.
Beyond that, this week I touched an icon… When Arnold was making his
rounds, ushered through by his secret service at a breakneck clip, he
stopped by The Cage for his requisite photo op. When he got there he
walked right in front of me and smiled as he turned to pose for the
picture. Our eyes locked and I managed something along the lines of,
“It's an honor, sir.” It was a big moment for me since most of my
heroes are long dead. With me over his right shoulder and Wrath over
his left, that is a pic I need to track down. Someday when I reach the
top of the mountain, it will hang framed in my office.
Like usual, The Arnold was a classic and The Cage represented the iron
brotherhood more than any booth at the expo. The theme of this year's
seminars: Eat… Just eat! From Rhino to Machine to
Wrath… Sufficient caloric intake was stressed above all else, even
training. I listened intently as I stood there the biggest I've ever
been at over 250 lbs and realized how far I have yet to go. Rhino's
quips and one-liners livened up the proceedings as he broke down the
lessons he has learned in his over 20 years in the game.
Machine's seminar was a highlight as his intensity and brutal, no holds
barred approach is the shit of legend. Every word that dude spits is a
fucking hollow point bullet. His philosphy always resonatse with me and
reverberates in my cerebral cortex long after his seminars end. You can
see his fire has been stoked. Don't say I didn't warn you… It is just a
matter of time before he is ready to do serious damage again.
Vinny MC'ed the whole gig and when you combine his Jersey edge and laid
back persona with his staggering resume you can expect fireworks. Vinny
orchestrated the bench your bodyweight and curl contests and kept
everyone involved, interested and motivated by calling some guys out,
making them push bigger weight and struggle to get more reps. Vinny has
the perspective of the seasoned vet, knowing the ins and outs of the
sport and playing the political angles like a fiddle.
On the closing day, Wrath broke down his approach to training and
nutrition. If you've been following The Journey (shit, I have), then
you know Wrath keeps things simple and basic. The blueprint for
victory. He held court at the Arnold, drawing a crowd worthy of “the
next big thing” on the verge. Shit, let me tell you, he's got some of
the freakiest forearms I've ever seen…
The powelifting seminars took it all to a different level of insanity.
Sgt. Rock, the fucking human forklift, yanked over 800 lbs. on the
deadlift with a thumb-numbing hook grip. The dude is a character
straight out of a South Boston gangster flick. Day 2 had the Big Bad
Wolf, Mike Wolfe from the immortal Westside Barbell Club bench 830 at a
staggering bodyweight of over 400 lbs… Wolfey would dwarf a grizzly
bear but couldn't possibly be a nicer guy. Finally The Lad hit 815 with
ease. The speed with which he moves the bar is not only a marvel of
power but of sheer explosive athleticism. The Lad is also a great
speaker, able to easily communicate the nuances of powerlifting and
bodybuilding, being an expert and world class athlete in both pursuits.
After Saturday's expo madness, I hauled ass to get to the contest. I
was about 15 rows back from the stage at the Columbus Veterans Memorial
for the big night show which featured a packed line-up made of modern
greats and meteoric rising stars. With Arnold in the house to present
Lee Haney with the lifetime achievement award, this was truly an
evening to remember. Here are my observations on the top 10 in the show:
1. Dexter Jackson: The Blade was sliced and diced as usual. His repeat
win was not really a surprise to those in the know, considering he
skipped the O and allowed his body time to rest. Dexter's insane
conditioning is a biological anomaly in that he claims to only train
with weights 3 days a week, has been known to hit up the BK and Mickey
D's precontest and that for a majority of his pro and amateur career he
never did a lick of cardio.
2. Branch Warren: Branch took home the Most Muscular trophy and in turn
probably gave The Blade the scare of his life. With a massive back and
arms, slabs of beef hanging from his ribcage and the freakiest wheels
in the biz, not a man in the building and perhaps on this planet (this
side of Ronnie) carries as much chiseled beef per square inch as Branch
Warren. With Warren, the mythical Dorianesque graininess is back. Odds
are Branch will never again finish outside of the top 5 in any pro show
he enters.
3. Victor Martinez: Ordained by Ronnie himself as the heir to the
throne, Big Vic is the total package. Massive from head to toe, back to
front, and with aesthetics still in tact, the guy's physique is so
awesome he can cop trophies on his worst day. Maybe a little bit off
from a conditioning perspective, but could have taken top honors
regardless. If Branch or Vic took home the hardware you wouldn't have
heard much argument.
4. Gustavo Badell: Leapfrogged here by three guys he has beaten (two of
which he beat handily) in the past couple of years, Gus has to be
wondering what went wrong. With a big and complete physique, he has
established himself as a member of the bodybuilding elite. You'd think
that with the kind of stellar outings he's had recently he'd get more
buzz coming into each show.
5. Melvin Anthony: As much hype as the aesthetic elements of Melvin's
physique garner, you'd think he'd be an emaciated waif with no true
size. Not the case. Melvin may have a bantamweight's waist, but the
rest of his physique is super heavy all the way… Wide clavicles with
barn door delts and cobra head lats, plus big pecs, guns and
quads-Marvelous Melvin brings much to the table. His Darth Vader posing
routine may have been a little much, but shit, nobody's perfect.
6. Lee Priest: The Aussie Superman was in full effect with the cape,
slicked hair, red boots and bedazzled “S” posing trunks. Kissing his
lady Adela as he entered the stage, Lee brought with him limbs from
another planet. An Ironman champ the week before, Lee's torso may never
match a pair of the best arms that have ever hit a front double biceps,
but who the fuck cares? Certainly not the packed house who rained down
“boos” at the announcement of the Blonde Myth's 6th place finish.
7. Mustafa Mohammad: What a fucking beast this dude is… It is almost as
if his placings are a punishment for being too big. Next to Branch,
Mustafa was the most massive guy in the competition. If he can manage
to bring a little bit more refinement, he'll be undeniable.
8. Darrem Charles: A pro's pro, Darrem brings it every time. In a
lineup of this quality guys get screwed and overlooked, as if the top 6
just isn't enough to represent all of best guys onstage. Such was the
case here with Darrem. Peeled and complete, Charles' physique is
reminiscent of a sculpture from antiquity… But Michelangelo's David
never busted a move like Darrem.
9. Toney Freeman: Tall and massive, Freeman casts an imposing shadow.
The guy is so tall that he can carry so much muscle and still bring
nice lines, almost to the point that he could stand to further fill out
his frame--which is a ludicrous statement when you are talking about
somebody with almost 300 lbs of crisp muscularity.
10. Troy Alves: Apparently dealing with a lot of personal issues, it
was a triumph for Alves just to make it onstage. Alves brings a nice,
tight physique that led MC Lonnie Teper to aptly dub him “the modern
Frank Zane.”
There you have it Animal fans, the straight dope on the 2006 Arnold
Classic from an insider's point of view. An insider who, no matter
what, is still nothing more than a huge fan of the sport. You've heard
me say it a several times before, The Cage comes at the perfect time
for me each year… Just when I think I'm getting big, reality hits me
like a Tyson upper cut to the jaw. And here, I find myself again…
Hungry, angry and straight up ready to tear the gym down brick by
fuckin brick. Ready to get stupid huge. If you go for no other reason,
when The Cage sets up shop again, be there simply for the effect it can
have on your motivation. It is more than an event, it is an experience.
The kind of experience that can literally transform you, both mentally
and physically. I'll see you cats next time, but you might not
recognize me… I'll be 20 lbs bigger.
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