1. Justin Compton: Bodybuilding’s Top Gun
2012 NPC Nationals Heavyweight Champ (lost overall to Brian Yersky); 2013 Chicago Pro 5th Place; 2014 Europa Orlando Champ. Many bodybuilding fans like to snicker at competitors for not making improvements from year to year. In a two year period, Justin Compton has gone from promising IFBB Pro to the biggest threat to Phil Heath. He’s gained size at the same rate we saw Kai Greene go from winning the 2007 Colorado Pro to winning the 2009 Arnold Classic in a similar time frame. We may have been let down by Big Ramy in 2014; do not expect Compton to let us down in 2015.
2. Flex, MD, and Major Supplement companies drop athletes like crazy!
As if everyone at Project Bodybuilding didn’t see this one coming from a mile away. Sorry athletes, this isn’t 2008 and the days of getting paid just because your name is recognizable is no longer of value to the bodybuilding and supplementation industry. From the previously mentioned Justin Compton to Jon Delarosa and on down to former champions Dexter Jackson and Branch Warren. Big time names were being dropped or swapped like crazy in 2014. If you aren’t up to speed with your social media game and visible to your fans you can forget about an endorsement deal. It’s a new era. The days of penny smart and dollar foolish are long gone.
3. The Great Prohormone Ban of 2014
Here ye, Here ye, the dishonorable United States Senate has decided to protect its citizens from the terrifyingly dangerous pro hormones that walk the streets and threaten the lives of children across America. I’ve yet to figure out who this new law is protecting. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – muscle terrifies Americans, in particular American Government. It promotes a strong, healthy, and confident male which directly scares politicians, for it’s those character traits that can actually make change in this country instead of the diseased, weak, and inferior politically correct new aged fellows. Look at all of the great leaders throughout history and although many of them weren’t jacked to the high hills, they projected strength and confidence.
4. Michael Lockett comes out of the woodwork, turns Pro
2007 NPC Junior Nationals Champ; vanished for 7 years; 2014 NPC Nationals 2nd Place – turns IFBB Pro; vanishes once again. Easily the biggest enigma in bodybuilding over the last decade. Does he have a myostatin deficiency? Does he use gear? Does he even diet or train hard? Most of the conversation in regards to Michael Lockett is his oddness. We shouldn’t talk about Michael Lockett, but every once in a while on forums across the internet his name will appear and conjure up the same discussion time and time again. Who is Michael Lockett? We tried to interview him at Project Bodybuilding and he declined. And since he hasn’t been seen on any other site I would imagine he just isn’t interested in talking – but then again when has he ever? At this point nobody knows if he’ll compete 6 times in 2015 or if we won’t see him again for another 7 years.
5. RxMuscle Implodes…
Another storyline everyone at Project Bodybuilding saw coming from a mile away. You can’t continue to replace great talent with no talent and expect to maintain a degree of excellence. Then to pour gasoline on the fire, the guy who steers the ship has been missing in action since the Singerman debacle. Duque-gate was the final straw that broke the camel’s back, but certainly not before bodybuilding content turned into a Finding Nemo replay week after week, combined with exhausting stories about one’s father. Does it have a place in the industry? Absolutely, I love behind the scenes bodybuilding content as much as anyone, but like all things in life you need to find a balance. The lights may still be on at Rx, but the inmates have clearly taken over the Iron Asylum. Will Dave plug the leaks and resurface his site or will 2015 truly be the year the ship finally sinks?
6. NBC Balks on Olympia broadcast
Premeditated douchebaggery or old-hat for bodybuilding? As soon as I heard NBC’s broadcast of the 2014 Mr. Olympia would be delayed until October I knew it was going to be lame. The only thing lamer would be filming the event, after hyping it to the industry, and then pulling the plug in the 11th hour. A month delay initially felt like déjà vu of the Magazine Era. A bodybuilding.com livestream would make much better sense, but what do I know? Hey wait, that did happen. Then reports came out that the camera crew/directors from NBC had poor camera angles and didn’t capture any of the compelling action off-stage. For the sake of bodybuilding fans world-wide, do it right or don’t do it at all. I hope if this opportunity ever presents itself again those in charge don’t botch it any worse than they did this year.
7. Under Construction: The Film
Not since Mike Pulcinella gave us the Raising the Bar trilogy have bodybuilding fans been treated to such a high quality film. Generation Iron tried, but Under Construction delivered. It has been fun to watch Dave Crosland and James Grealish become ‘household’ names in the industry. If you haven’t spent the money and watched the movie you need to get on with it. It’s entertaining, compelling, and extremely well-produced. Now, it’s just time to sit and wait for what they’ll bring next – either way I’ll be watching.
8. Dominick Cardone youngest to turn pro
And we thought Dallas McCarver was something else when he won the 2012 NPC North American’s to turn IFBB Pro. Well, that just got trumped this past November when 21 year old Dominick Cardone went into NPC Nationals and showed everyone who’s boss. He has been on the radar for years – funny to say that considering his age, but it’s true. We saw the Coleman/Cutler rivalry and now it’s Heath/Kai and only a matter of time before Cardone and Cody Montgomery carry on the torch. Cardone has plenty of growing to do before he’s a real threat in the IFBB, but to show the kind of physique he did in 2014 gives everyone in the industry reason to believe he’s the real deal and a future champion.
9. 212 Division Makes Its Presence Known
The only way the Men’s 212 Bodybuilding Division could have been validated more than it was in 2014 would be by dropping the word, “Showdown” from its world championship contest. Even Phil Heath hasn’t been as dominant in his division as Flex Lewis has been in the 212 class. Seven consecutive wins and 3 of them at the Olympia. Then when you look at the Top 10 guys in the division the margin of difference between 1 and 10 is much tighter than that of the Open Division – hey, these guys actually come in dry and conditioned, what a concept. I wish we could say that about the mass monsters. And to put a cherry on top, the 2014 season featured 13 contests, an increase of 5 shows from 2013’s meager 8. This division has my attention drawn more than the Open, a thought I never expected to say.
10. Project Bodybuilding Explodes onto the Scene
No need to boast. In less than a year we have continued to output the most entertaining content on the bodybuilding interwebs to which we are most proud of the 66 original radio/podcast episodes across 5 different regular broadcasts. We saw a void in a space and took it over. A complete team effort from Day 1 and loyal members have been the key to the success of the site. On behalf of everyone at Project Bodybuilding, we hope you are enjoying the site and feel that all of us are approachable, but most importantly thank you for allowing us to do what we love to do. 2015 includes much of the same you have grown to expect with new features in video and article format. Plus, as we find our grove you’ll continue to see a more polished final product. We’re just getting started!
The post Meinrod’s Top 10: 2014 Year in Review appeared first on Project Bodybuilding.