Muscle Talk

2014 Arnold Classic Predictions

2014 is upon us and another Arnold Sports Festival is fast approaching. From its humble beginnings in 1989, when Rich Gaspari and Jackie Paisley were crowned the inaugural Arnold Classic champions, to its expansion beyond even Arnold’s wildest dreams, the Arnold Classic is considered the most lucrative contest in the IFBB.

The following is a brief history of the IFBB Pro categories, and interesting tidbits in -between:

1989: Arnold Classic and Ms. International are introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer; Rich and Jackie beat out their competitors in very tough, deep line-ups

2001: Ronnie Coleman becomes the first Mr. Olympia champion to enter the Arnold Classic. He takes top honors.

2003: Ms. Figure International is introduced.

2004: Jay Cutler wins his last of 3 back-to-back-to-back Arnold Classic titles

2011: The first ever Bikini International is held.

2014: Ms. International is swapped out for the Men’s 212 International

Men’s Open

1) Dennis Wolf – 3rd place finish at the Olympia. He brought a whole new package to the Olympia. He filled out his giant X-frame even more, and his rear double biceps was his “lights out” shot. He’s come in the Top 5 consistently at all shows he’s recently entered, and will definitely be bringing his A-Game to try and hold off Shawn again, the way he did at the Olympia. He’s managed to hold on to fullness in his upper and lower body, while still bringing himself in ultra ripped. He may have found the magic formula in 2013, and it’ll only serve him well at the first show of 2014.

2) Shawn Rhoden – 4th place finish at the Olympia. He’s definitely got the right look to be a champ, eventually. His lines are crisp; he’s got the balance of shape, size, proportion, symmetry and leanness. At the Olympia, he had show-stopping conditioning, especially in his legs, and was much improved from the year before. He also improved the thickness in his back (though he could still afford to fill out a little more), and will hopefully bring the same type of improvements this year. He needs to just continue to get better.

3) Ben Pakulski – 2nd at the 2013 Arnold Classic. He took a whole year off just to prepare for this Arnold. Given that Dexter isn’t competing, Shawn and Dennis will be the only people standing in his way. He’s going to come back with an improved package, which I assume will focus more on conditioning and leanness.

4) Branch Warren – 9th place finish at the Olympia. Falling to 9th was probably disappointing for Branch, and those who had high hopes for this mass monster. However, traditionally, Branch has been a favorite at the Arnolds, so I’m thinking he’ll be able to redeem himself, and come in swinging. It’s unlikely that he’ll bring a completely new package to the Arnold stage, after having just competed in September, but who knows? Branch is a guy who sticks to the fundamentals, and what works. He’s not broken, so he probably won’t fix it.

5) Roelly Winklaar – 7th place finish at the Olympia. He just keeps getting better. Since leaving “Grandma” and taking matters into his own hands (with the help of Dennis James, too), his conditioning has improved considerably, as well as his overall presentation and aesthetics. He’s already got an amazing physique, and will only continue to improve. He really made his presence known in the 2013 season, especially at the Olympia, so look for him to try and keep that momentum going through 2014.

*NOTE: Roelly Winklaar has dropped out of the Arnold Classic line-up since these predictions were written. 

5) Victor Martinez!

Men’s 212

* Note: This is the first time the Men’s 212 will be featured at the Arnold Sports Festival

1) Flex Lewis
2) Jose Raymond
3) David Henry
4) Richard “Tricky” Jackson
5) Stan McQuay