THOUGHTS ON THE OLYMPIA
ANDREW HUDSON
THOUGHTS ON THE OLYMPIA
I
was extremely busy leading up to the Olympia so didn’ t manage to see much of the My Olympia pre-show hype. As some of you might know, the SSN / Bodyguru crew in KZN always get together and watch the finals live at Bodyguru Umhlanga at 4am- it’ s a tradition for us! So here are my thoughts on the top 5 after being able to go back and see the pre-judging.
• PHIL HEATH- he was slightly off at pre-judging, had some midsection issues but it was still enough to hold off his strongest challenger Kai Green. By the finals Phil was pretty much his usual self again with perfect symmetry and proportion with his customary 3D / Photoshop look in full effect! In my opinion Phil is just too good to be beaten for the next few years at least. He could show up looking exactly like he did this year and not be beaten for the next 3-4 years. He is that good!
• KAI GREEN- aka Mr Getting it Done was on top form, with some stellar poses, and his usual crazy lat, quad and glute striations were popping out. This year’ s look was a good one for him but I still think he needs to go back to the super lean, super detailed look of 2012 to come close to being a threat to the champ.
• SHAWN RHODEN- in my opinion he was the surprise of the showhe showed up bigger and better than ever before. I am a huge fan of his type of physique- arguably the most aesthetic of the whole show, however I think he should have placed behind Dennis Wolf who showed probably the best condition out of everyone in the top 6.
• DENNIS WOLF- He was shredded from head to toe but lost just a little fullness in his back and chest. Well it looks that way when he stands on his own. When you put him next to everyone else in the lineup his big, wide structure is very imposing and I would have had him ahead of Rhoden.
• DEXTER JACKSON- the best we have seen from Dexter in the last few years, had he placed
“ I’ m not sure whether the tiff between Kai and Phil was a good or bad thing yet. Some rivalry is good but it was taken a little too far and got a little too personal.“
higher not many people would have had a problem with it. He was his usual mix of ridiculous conditioning with full, round but grainy hard muscle bellies... a great showing for his 15th Olympia appearance! Overall I thought the Olympia this year was awesome. I’ m not sure whether the tiff between Kai and Phil was a good or bad thing yet. Some rivalry is good but it was taken a little too far and got a little too personal. I am very glad Phil is not winning on size alone, but a combination of clean lines, lots of detail and perfect proportion. I would love to see Kai win an Olympia as I think he has worked hard enough to deserve one but I don’ t think we will ever see it if he continues to try beat Phil like he did this year.
From my side I have been very busy working, I haven’ t had the time to put 100 % into my own training of late because of all the local contests. My clients come before my own priorities right now and when you have shows almost every weekend I am working at least 10 hours a day 7 days a week. As this contest season draws to a close and I don’ t have any guest poses lined up for the rest of the year it allows me to have some time to put some muscle on for next year. So I am about to start my full-on off-season mass gain and I couldn’ t be more excited, it’ s been a long time since I was able to have a proper off-season! I will be posting updates and pics on Facebook and Instagram so be sure to check those out if you want to follow my progress.
COBUS VAN DER MERWE
BUSINESS OF BODYBUILDING
Selling yourself to a sponsor in South Africa is a big challenge for bodybuilders, because the reality is that we are competing with major sports such as rugby, cricket and golf. Generally, most athletes tend to opt for sponsorships from supplement companies, but this is often only to get a few free supplements.
As athletes, we should be thinking about marketing ourselves to more, and bigger, companies outside of the supplement industry, so that we can get sponsors who are able to provide more money for the things we really need, such as money for food, accommodation and tans etc. In order to approach companies like this we need to change our approach – what works for one type of industry does not necessarily work for another. It becomes about developing skills beyond just our muscular bodies, as these companies need to know how they will benefit from sponsoring an athlete from our industry, and we must be equipped to tell them and show them.
What follows are some ideas that have helped me in the past to get some of these sponsors. I will enter the company and sell myself as a fitness and lifestyle consultant to bring to the fore awareness about healthy eating as well as the benefits of weight training, and how adopting a lifestyle that incorporates these elements will benefit their employees. The ways I have done this in the past includes writing a monthly health column in the company newsletter, visiting clients as their brand ambassador in order to do motivational speaking and so forth. This was a skill that I consciously decided I had to learn. In addition to this, I volunteer to do charity work for companies that sponsor me as this has a positive spinoff for their image in the public eye. Because I travel a lot, I made it even more appealing for the sponsor by offering for them to brand my car, thus giving them mobile advertising.
Spend time on a full written proposal – you cannot just ask a company to sponsor you. You need a professionally done proposal wherein you are able to show them how they could benefit from sponsoring you, and what you as an individual could offer them.
When I started bodybuilding more than 20 years ago I did it for the love of it and it was never with the intention to make money out of the sport as it was a very small industry. In the 20 years that followed many things have changed, and now there are many opportunities to make a living out of this sport, which for me has always been a hobby. It is a hobby, however, that made me realise that because of my muscular appearance people have always noticed me more than they would the average person. Looking like this makes you stand out, and I have used this to my advantage in order to get ahead in most aspects of my life.
As I write this column I am weeks away from the Amateur Olympia. I was blessed to get some good sponsors to support me to compete at this show, making it possible for me to go. See you all there and good luck to everyone who is competing!
Muscle Evolution 125