2007 Iron Man Pro Bodybuilding Contest Report
* Photos by Richard Rossan
Top - Silvio Samuel
Bottom - Toney Freeman
Pasadena, California - February 2007
Toney Freeman is flexing his biceps at the pre-judging for the 2007 Iron Man Pro, the muscle on display a bulging, defined, vascular mass that rises to a distinctive peak and drops ever so elegantly in a symmetric unison, a stunning visual testament to one man‘s years of dedication to building his physique via countless hours of sweat and grit under the iron. His entire physique is an impressive mix of mass, symmetry and definition, and he has the aura of a superstar on the stage. Next to Freeman is Spanish pro Silvio Samuel, several inches smaller in stature then “X-Man“ Freeman, but equally impressive. Freeman and Samuel are clearly the crowd favorites, and both have vocal supporters. Whenever they strike a pose their names alternately resonate throughout the auditorium. When the men switch to the most muscular pose, Silvio’s upper body muscles look so full that they seem literally ready to burst through his skin.
“Go Silvio, for Espana!“ bellows someone in the first few rows with a distinctively European accent. “Show them how it‘s done, T,” counters another man a few seats away with a gruff American voice. The next bodybuilder to step forward is Joel Stubbs, who I have never seen before. He instantly becomes my personal favorite for the show. The 6’3” Bahamian is a mass monster, displaying the kind of freaky upper body muscles that inspired me to begin lifting weights. From the beginning, I’ve always been partial to the mass monsters. Stubbs’ back, when in full lat spread, is the thickest that I have ever seen in person or pictures for that matter.
Before the 2007 Iron Man I hadn’t attended a bodybuilding show in 15 years, not since I was a high school student in Maryland first taking an interest in the sport. I instantly recalled how much I enjoyed these events and wondered why I hadn’t been to one since. It is an impressive sight and the ultimate motivation to witness a bodybuilding show. Looking at pictures or watching a contest video just doesn’t compare to the live experience observing the finished result of a determined, dedicated, talented, and driven bodybuilder who has achieved the best shape of his life and has the gusto to step on a competitive stage.
Every year my father used to take me to the Mr. Maryland shows when I was a teenager. He’d sit with me through the entire pre-judging, afternoon seminars, and evening show, knowing I didn’t want to miss a minute of the events, and wholeheartedly supporting my new interest despite having no involvement in bodybuilding himself. Attending these annual shows I got to see a then unknown Kevin Levrone win the Mr. Maryland, meet my favorite bodybuilder during my teens Mike Mattrazzo after attending an informative seminar he gave, and see early ’90s superstar Eddie Robinson guest pose.
My father filled our basement with all the essential equipment: a squat rack, an adjustable flat/incline bench, adjustable dumbbells, mounds of plates, and a lat pulldown machine and always bought me all the bodybuilding magazines every month on the day they came out. He saw bodybuilding as a constructive way for a teenage boy to spend his spare time. Seeing these early shows ignited a passion for the bodybuilding credo of hard training and healthy eating that remains a positive focal point of my life a decade later. The discipline, focus and work ethnic I learned from the fundamental principles of bodybuilding training and diet are qualities that have transferred to achieving goals in the business world. So, I was very excited to attend my first pro show after so many years. Forget about other sports. This was “my” world series or super bowl.
The pre-judging ended too quickly, the ninety minutes blazing by. The evening show, scheduled for 7 pm, promised to be interesting. The crowd, mostly hardcore fans who knew their sport, buzzed with predictions as the bodybuilders filed off stage. Freeman and Samuel seemed to be the general favorites to battle for the top spot. Like myself, a lot of the audience was impressed by newcomer Joel Stubbs and expected him to finish high, definitely within the top five to earn his first Mr. Olympia qualification. David Henry also garnered a lot of praise too with his excellent conditioning and poised presence. He would be a contender if he maintained his present condition through the finals.
After the pre-judging I headed to the convention center to check out the Iron Man Expo show booths. There were a number of famous bodybuilding personalities in attendance. I spotted Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, Charles Glass and David Henry on the floor, among others. Shawn Ray was the first familiar face I saw signing at a booth. His competitive days behind him, the former perennial Mr. Olympia contender is now focused on promoting shows. His upcoming event the Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic features an IFBB bodybuilding and Pro Figure content, as well as a strength and fitness expo in conjunction. Across the room from Shawn was German favorite, Gunter Schlierkamp. Taller than most of his peers, with ridiculously thick arms and shoulders, tank-top clad Gunter mentioned he was taking a break from competition for a while and would not be competing at the upcoming Mr. Olympia contest. His recent work in the mainstream movie “Beer Fest” had kindled a desire to pursue further acting opportunities. However, Gunter emphasized that he is not retiring and doesn’t rule out a return to the competitive stage in the very near future. Another autograph signer at the show was 23 year old James “Flex” Lewis, who won the light heavyweight class at the 2006 British Championship. The Welsh bodybuilder’s goal in 2007 is to obtain his pro card. Personable and outgoing, “Flex” Lewis received his first dose of press celebrity recently in the bodybuilding magazines and is being touted as a star on the rise. Lewis said that he thrives on intense, heavy training and enjoys the experience of meeting fans at the expo, one of the first such events at which did a signing. Expect to hear more from this young bodybuilder in the coming year.
The Gaspari Nutrition NPC Iron Man Figure Event Competition got under way early in the afternoon and attracted a large crowd to the exhibit hall’s main stage area. I eagerly headed in the opposite direction of the masses to a downstairs conference room to attend a seminar by eight-time Ms. Olympia Lenda Murray. This was the first of four consecutive seminars by pro bodybuilders to be held in the same room. Lenda was followed by Eryk Bui, Gunter Schlierkamp, and Johnnie O. Jackson. The atmosphere was ideal with a moderate sized room, an enthusiastic audience, and ample time for everyone’s questions to be answered from everything to training to diet to day-to-day living activities. All four seminars were excellent with personable, easy-going hosts who provided a wealth of training tips and greeted fans afterwards for pictures, autographs and handshakes. If you’ve never been to a pro bodybuilder’s seminar you are missing out. You learn so much in an hour.
Lenda, looking fit and fabulous in her retired state, talked about her continuing passion for training. “I still workout several times a week with weights and do cardio with routines similar to my competitive days because training is something I love,” she said. “Bodybuilding workouts will always be a part of my life.” She touched on the changes in women’s bodybuilding since her reign as Ms. Olympia as well. “Nowadays they are telling women to tone down the muscle, not train as hard. For me, I wouldn’t want to do that. I like training hard, lifting heavy, and building muscle. I believe a woman can be muscular and feminine at the same.” Indeed, Lenda was and still is the embodiment of that philosophy.
Eryk Bui placed a special emphasis on discussing proper exercise techniques for maximizing muscle gain. He not only explained it in words but also physically demonstrated the ideal movement for such popular exercises as the squat and barbell curl. “For squats, you should not go below parallel depth in order to maximize the effect on your thighs. When you go below parallel you start bringing your hips into the movement and that’s what leads a lot of people to have joint problems over the long run. Squats are one of the best exercises for stimulating overall growth when done right,” explained Bui. “When you train biceps,” he continued, “the key is to make sure you completely isolate the actual muscle that you are supposed to be working.” Bui demonstrated the barbell curl, minus an actual barbell, explaining to the audience to start with the elbows slightly forward and to curl all the way up and squeeze, as opposed to keeping the arms locked against your sides which only half emphasizes the muscle, he said. I tried his tip during my next bicep workout and I really felt the difference in terms of burn and pump. I was sore for the first time in years the day after a bicep workout.
Gunter’s seminar focused on the lifestyle balance required to be a successful professional bodybuilding competitor and businessman at the same time. “Last year I did seminars almost every weekend. It was definitely a challenge to maintain my workout program with all the traveling and prepare properly for competition. I found that it is essential to listen to my body and know when to take a day off.” Gunter also shared his personal philosophy for maintaining a healthy immune system when you have a hectic lifestyle and interact with a variety of different people on a daily basis. “I am a big believer in vitamins,” said the German muscle man. “I have an extensive regimen of daily vitamin supplements that I take and I firmly believe that this is why I rarely get ill.”
Johnnie O. Jackson’s seminar had the central theme of how he utilizes heavy power movement to build mass. “The basics, like bench, squat, and deadlift, really are the foundation for building a big, powerful physique,“ said Jackson. “I encourage every bodybuilder looking to increase mass to include them in their regular program.” Jackson, who bulks up to 270 in the off-season and then leans down to 240 for competition, surprised quite a few people in the audience when he revealed that he does no cardio until he is actively preparing for a contest. “I like to eat,” laughed Jackson, “and I do a lot of it in the off-season. Steak is my favorite. Salmon is good too. Dieting for a show is very taxing on the body. You need the off-season to recover. You can’t restrict calories year round and expect to maximize mass gain.”
The finals of the Iron Man Pro rounded out Saturday’s events. All twenty-five competitors presented their posing routines. Silvio Samuels, now free to hit the poses of his choosing at will, remained a crowd favorite. Every time he hit a pose, no matter it was, the muscles seemed to be swelling further; the audience cheered loudly in delight. Freeman too had maintained his excellent condition from that morning. It seemed a toss-up to who would win the show.
Soon after the last routine, the top ten contenders were announced. Featured were all the crowd favorites, including Samuel, Freeman, Stubbs and Henry. What’s a bodybuilding competition without some drama and displeasure with the judges, though? Well, we were about to get that in spades. When Stubbs, the most physically imposing man on stage, was announced tenth there were a few scattered boos. The crowd wasn’t pleased either when David Henry was announced sixth, missing a Mr. Olympia qualification by one spot. Henry shook his head slightly, rightfully disappointed, but smiled like a true professional and headed off stage to leave the final five. The biggest boos came, however, when Silvio Samuel got fourth. Most of the electricity in the crowd was gone in an instant as it had previously seemed a given that Freeman and Samuel would be battling for the top honor. Booing continued right through the announcement that Freeman had won. As the crowd filed out there was one light bit of drama to end the night.
MC Lonnie Teper invited Freeman to share a few words about his victory. As the X-man expressed humble gratitude for the win, an obnoxious, perhaps intoxicated, fan in the upper deck of the theatre began maniacally screaming “Silvio” repeatedly in a obvious attempt to take attention away from the winner. Freeman, a class act, took it all in stride with a smile. “I like Silvio too,” he said. “Someone get that guy his medication,” said MC Teper lightheartedly, causing the temporary awkwardness of the moment to evaporate.
I had an incredible experience at the Iron Man events. I plan on attending a lot more bodybuilding shows in the coming year and making the four drive from L.A. to the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas come September.
C)2007 Howard Feintuch Enterprises, Inc., all rights reserved
