It's that time of year again. People are asking me what I think about this-or-that bodybuilder, how I think they'll place, and what they need to do to improve. This line of questioning seems to be lot more prevalent in my life when the bodybuilding contest season approaches and 2011 is no different. With anticipation at an all-time high for the season-opening IFBB Flex Pro on February 19th, I felt it was my duty to give you my pre-contest blow-by-blow of the competitors and, finally, to speculate on where they may eventually place.
Dexter Jackson Dexter's strength is that he has few weaknesses and of course, he's the Blade! It's 
important to note, however, that he has different levels of "blade-ness." Most of the time he's tight and dense all over, but sometimes he gets so conditioned and tops that off with an uncanny ability to stay super full that he takes on a genuine 3-D look. If he comes in with that multi-dimensional body, complete with eye-popping fullness, he's hard to beat. Front double, back double and side chest are knock-out shots for him. Dexter's only downside is; in the back lat spread he looks a bit thin in the outer lower quads when compared to some of the other guys with huge thighs. He's also been criticized for lacking leg separation but I think that's a photo issue and not a real life reality. By that, I mean, you can find photos of him on the web with quads that look marginally separated but, in real life, 25-feet from the stage, they appear completely different. He's obviously dead serious for this show-- training regularly with Charles Glass out in Venice, CA and sticking with Joe McNeal to dial in his conditioning. Experience counts and, out of the entire line-up, Dexter has that edge. He's most likely focusing solely on what he has to do to win without giving a second thought as to how the rest of the field may show up on game day.
Dennis Wolf. He's the wild card here. At the Mr. Olympia he proved he was back, putting the disaster of 
the 09 Olympia and his decent-but-not super showing at the New York Pro behind him. His height, shoulder width, crazy taper and outrageous quads are a super package from the front that can take your breath away. If he is both full and hard, no one beats him from the front relaxed. His front lat spread can look ridiculous at times and he's one of the only pros today who "opens up" (i.e. something really happens) on the front double bicep. His quarter turns are darn impressive too as he's one of the big guys who appear "gutless." That said, besides the fact that his condition is up and down, his sole weakness may be the back double. He could use more thickness but when he's real hard, it's not very noticeable. Although he was not at his best at the 2010 Olympia, if he can improve just a little bit, an A+ Wolf is capable of winning. He's been training with Robert Burneika which I imagine could only help his intensity and drive. If he's hard from behind, watch out. If not, then there's no way he can win. Oh, almost forgot to mention; Wolf has zero calves. But Dexter doesn't have any either so in this show it's a secondary issue.
Evan Centopani. The Big Threat. This is why the Flex Pro may turn out to be not only the show of the season but a tipping point in terms of who will become the new Super Pros in the coming few years. I saw Evan compete when he won the NY Pro and he was quite impressive although he needed more pecs, back 
thickness and could probably use a little better condition. That said; he was still good enough to leave that show with all first place votes. Dave Palumbo told me about 3 years ago matter-of-factly, "Evan's drive and dedication will take him straight to the top." At the Hartford Pro last year, Centopani was out and about and looked Cutler-Coleman big. Everything seemed blown up and huge huge (that's not a typo) with the exception of the midsection. He's big with a small waist. If he can carve that up and show the improvements that everyone expects, anything can happen. He's either gonna win this show and become the talk of the sport or he's gonna land in third or 4th. Still, I think he compares to Wolf in that they are both tall and wide though Wolf has bigger pecs and sweepier quads which may give Wolf an edge when compared. That, in turn, allows Wolf to beat Evan or makes it even clearer to the judges that Dexter's just Dexter; in a class of his own. However, if Evan really does improve as much as people close to him feel he already has and he comes in sharp, then holy shit, will this be a war! We'll have to wait and see.
Fouad Abiad I have seen Fouad compete, yearly, since 2004 and he has grown every year and has never 
been less then ripped. He's an excellent bodybuilder who has already proven he can compete at this level. His back double is excellent. Same for the back lat spread. It's wide and his hams get super diced. He's got the ripped up hanging hamstrings on the side shots and he has an excellent balance to his body that allows him to get looked at over and over at prejudging. Fouad's not crazy huge but he still wins or gives others a run on some of these shots. That's why he can place very high here. He has no real weaknesses and the upshot of excellent condition and a good flow may allow him to get plenty of call-outs and if that happens, he may fight for a top 3 spot. Abiad employs Hany Rambod as his go-to-guy for his nutrition so we should expect an even better Abiad than last year.
Ben Pakulski "Pacman" has Platz-Warren like quads, fabulous back lat spread, and was in great condition for the NY Pro. That's the good stuff. The only thing that holds him back is the need for greater pec development and arms. However, his conditioning may allow him to disguise the need for more upper body size. Charles Glass has been kicking his ass, so that end result may end up having a big (positive) impact on where he finishes. Pakulski's a very good bodybuilder who may have to really fight hard in this lineup. It's really hard to say for sure how he'll place until he's compared.
Ben White If Ben White can improve this year like he did last year, he'll definitely get a top look here. IN 2010 when he won the Tampa Pro he had a 
really dense "looks like he smashes the weights" look to his body especially in the most muscular, side chest and back double shots. If he can add 3-4 pounds to that look, I think he'll be there in that top call out. If he adds 6, he will definitely be in the first call. At the risk of sounding like an internet goof, I did see him at the Olympia weighing in the high 290's in what appeared to be very good shape. I was like "Wow, 290 and in shape." That was then, this is now, and we will have to see how that 290 gets or got molded down to 255. Ok, in reality, a true goof would say something like, "I saw him and he was ripped even at 290 and looked like he could have beaten Dorian."
I feel better. None the less, I think White was probably the most improved bodybuilder of 2010 and if he pulls that off again, he's gonna hurt some feelings onstage in Santa Monica.
Grigori Atoyan Atyoan is a very good bodybuilder. His strengths are his shape, his front double and front last spread but he might run into serious trouble if his conditioning is not good enough from behind. The aforementioned names all will likely come into this show looking like they dieted on razor blades, black coffee and chicken breasts. Hopefully, Atoyan gave himself a good dose of all 3 as well!
Stan Efferding 2010 World's Strongest Bodybuider hasn't done much placement-wise since turning pro although he looked big and hard at the Phoenix Pro. What held him back there was simply a tough top 8 lineup where most of the guys simply had a better flow to their physiques. That said, Stan has new pics up on the RX Forums that makes the old Stan look like nothing. Check out his 3 weeks out pics and you'll see for yourself. He's far harder and fuller then he's been which is definitely gonna help him move up. He just needs some good callouts to place in the upper ranks.
