Rookie sensation Essa Obaid talks shoulders

He seemingly came out of nowhere. First, he won the super-heavyweight class and overall at this year’s Arnold Amateur, defeating more heavily touted bodybuilders from around the globe. Then, five months later, Essa Hassan Obaid of the United Arab Emirates, made his pro debut at the Europa Super Show. American rookies Cedric McMillan and Mark Alvisi had sat out since last year, planning to take top honors in Texas, but it was another debuting pro, Obaid, who shocked the bodybuilding world again, taking top prize and securing a place on the Mr. Olympia stage on September 24-25 with fellow rookie pro winner and last year’s Arnold Amateur champ, Roelly Winklaar. Which international rookie sensation will finish closest to the top? Find out at the 45th Mr. O.

ESSA DOUBLES UP

“I do two exercises for each delt head. I think of each delt head as a separate muscle and give each its own small workout, even though they are all connected and work together to some degree. I also like to train traps after delts to tie the whole region together.”

The IFBB Pro Bikini competitors slated to appear include:

1. Dina Al-Sabah (Kuwait)
2. Jennifer Celeste (USA)
3. Jessica Clay (USA)
4. Michele D’Angona (USA)
5. Jennifer Dietrick (USA)
6. Sonia Gonzales (USA)
7. Michele Gullett (USA)
8. Kat Holmes (USA)
9. Rachel Labender (USA)
10. Anca Marcus (Romania)
11. Cathy Miller (USA)
12. Nicole Moneer-Guerrero (USA)
13. Brook Mora (USA)
14. Karen Mullarkey (USA)
15. Natalie Pennington (USA)
16. Vanessa Prebyl (USA)
17. Zhanna Rotar (USA)
18. Christina Vargas (USA)

My Top Contenders:
Dina Al-Sabah has steadily improved with every show and has found her way around the new division. She teamed up with TEAM BOMBSHELL a few weeks ago and the results have paid off. Look for her to be one of the names called out in the top five.

Jennifer Celeste will be making her pro debut. She turned pro at the 2009 NPC JR Nationals and has good bikini physique. Since we haven’t seen her on stage in over a year it’s a roll of the dice on what her current physique looks like in a bikini. Jennifer is currently living in Los Angeles and has the added advantage of not having to travel.

Sonia Gonzales has two pro bikini shows to her credit but they were the first two pro shows of the year. She was the runner-up at the Pittsburgh Pro to Nathalia Melo however Melo lost to Latona, who Sonia beat at The Muscle Contest. Confused? Don’t be. Sonia has streamlined her physique with the help of trainer Kim Oddo and will be presenting a much different look than the one we saw at the beginning of the year. The key to Sonia’s success is her stage presence. If she can “own it” and present with confidence she’ll be the one to beat.

Anca Marcus will be making her pro debut. Anca, originally from Romania, successfully petitioned the IFBB Pro League and was granted pro status. She won the overall bikini title at the NPC Orange County Muscle Classic and was the runner-up to Amanda Latona at the 2009 California State Bikini Championships. We haven’t seen her against this type of competition however she has a solid track record and physique to make a case for a top five spot here.

Brooke Mora turned pro in July at the 2010 NPC USAs. Many felt she was good enough to win the overall title there, myself included. Brooke is one of the taller competitors in the line-up and has good stage presence. If she brings a similar presentation and look to this show she could be a top contender. I like her look and would be surprised if she’s not in one of the first call-outs.

The Wild Cards:
Christina Vargas will be making her Pro bikini debut after a few tries at Figure. I think this division will suit Christina better and she could be in the mix if she brings her sass to the stage. I could see her in the mix for a top five spot here.

Jennifer Dietrick was in the mix at the 2010 Europa Super show and could be here. She’ll need to improve her stage presence and have a different suit to move up. Her suit was too small from the back and will likely be one not allowed on stage after this year’s Olympia. Jennifer has a good physique she just need to show some personality and present it with confidence.

Natalie Pennington is already qualified for the Olympia but will face some stiffer competition here. She has a nice look but needs a little more booty to hang in the top spots. We haven’t seen her on stage in a few months so perhaps she’ll bring a bit more junk in the trunk to this show.

Karen Mullarkey is competing in bikini after a few runs in the Figure division. She has the sass on stage but will her physique be in line with what the judges are looking for? We’ll have to see.

There are of course a number of other women who could be in the mix here and it all depends on who shows up with the best presentation and physique on Saturday. Get more information on the show at www.musclecontest.com and we’ll see ya in Culver City on Saturday!

We wil see you there!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Friday, Sept 10th – 6:30 pm
Figure/Bikini athlete brief followed by check-ins. (NPC)
Radisson Hotel

Saturday, Sept 11th
10:00 am – PRO Athlete brief followed by weigh-ins/check-ins.
11:00am – Prejudging
6:30pm – Finals for all classes
Veteran’s Memorial

2010 IFBB North American Championships – Bikini Results

Earned Pro Card
Zara Pineda-Boorder
Angela Leong
Samantha Morris

Overall Open Winner
Zara Pineda-Boorder

Class A – Bikini
1 Zara Pineda-Boorder
2 Kim DeArcangelis
3 Alectra Kelley
4 Karen Pang
5 Khay Rosemond
6 Sara Marie
7 Francesca Hartman
8 Brea Sharron
9 Nicole Rollins
10 Tiffany Nelson
11 Missy Groeger

Class B – Bikini
1 Candyce Graham
2 Tatum Miranda
3 Iveth Carreon
4 Donna Lalino
5 Michele Wood-Seng
6 Venus Ramos
7 Jill Gary
8 Jill Dufresne
9 Ashley Vargo
10 Meggan Clay
11 Melissa Grady
12 Hayle Hahn
13 Stephanie Jones
14 Cari Rezman

Class C – Bikini
1 Jennifer Andrews
2 Cristy Mendivil
3 Stacey Naito
4 Carrie Hensman
5 Ziata Sushchik
6 Bethany Shefferly
7 Meghan Duncan
8 Sherry Hasty
9 Katie Hoover
10 Angelique Costa
11 Emily Westlake
12 Nina Reyna
13 Bonnie Mcmaken
14 Alycia McCollough

Class D – Bikini
1 Angela Leong
2 Samantha Morris
3 Summer Taylor
4 Lisa Lutz
5 Maria De Lourdes
6 Richelle Valdez
7 Melisa Dorney
8 Holly Powell
9 Shawn Hektor
10 Abby Phillips

35+ Bikini Overall
1 Angela Leong

Class A – 35+ Bikini
1 Kim DeArcangelis

Class B – 35+ Bikini
1 Iveth Carreon
2 Michele Wood-Seng
3 Melissa Manieri
4 Venus Ramos
5 Jill Gary
6 Kathy Everton
7 Melissa Grady
8 Stephanie Jones

Class C – 35+ Bikini
1 Stacey Naito
2 Sherry Hasty
3 Pamela Chatman
4 Leslie Thompson

Class D – 35+ Bikini
1 Angela Leong
2 Summer Taylor
3 Holly Powell
4 Richelle Valdez
5 Melisa Dorney

Tiffany Procopio was the Overall Master’s Figure winner. The win earned her IFBB Pro status as well.

Congrats ladies!

The bikini division is competitive in each division with some familiar faces and few new ones to the stage. Visit FLEXonline.com for complete photographic coverage of this weekend’s event.

The 2011 Arnold Sports Festival is set for March 3-6, 2010. New to the 2011 event will be the IFBB Bikini International. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Arnold Sports Festival set for March 3-6
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Arnold Sports Festival, co-produced by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer, is the largest multi-sport festival in the nation. The March 3-6 event will attract an estimated 175,000 attendees to see nearly 18,000 athletes competing in 45 sports and events, including 12 Olympic sports.

The Arnold Fitness EXPO, a highlight of the festival, takes place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. It features more than 700 exhibit booths offering the latest in fitness apparel, equipment, training tools, nutrition and entertainment.

New to the festival in 2011 are an IFBB sanctioned Bikini International competition, the Arnold Sports Film Festival, the Arnold Track and Field Championships, the Arnold Hockey Challenge, and the Ultimate Teen Challenge, a weightlifting event. Plus, more features are added to the VIP ticket package.

Arnold Sports Festival
Dates: March 3-6, 2011 Locations: Greater Columbus Convention Center (400 N. High St.), Veterans Memorial (300 W. Broad St.), Nationwide Arena and Dispatch Ice Haus (200 W. Nationwide Blvd.) and The LC Pavilion (405 Neil Ave.). Hours: Thursday 7-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. EXPO hours: Friday 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission: A $10 EXPO ticket provides admission to most events and the EXPO Web: www.arnoldsportsfestival.com Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com/arnold or 800-745-3000.

Get more information and tickets to the show at mrolympia.com.

First up is the reigning Figure Olympia winner Nicole Wilkins-Lee. As the 26-year-old beauty prepares to defend her title on September 24-25, she shared some back training tips with us, and she details the back routine that has helped her win her win four contests in a row, including last year’s Figure O and this year’s Figure International. And be sure to see all four Olympia winners training back in the new collector’s edition of Golden: Wilkins-Lee, Garcia and Kyle together and, in another Golden exclusive workout shoot, reigning Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler.
CHECK OUT BIOS AND PICS AT OUR OLYMPIA LANDING PAGE

WILKINS-LEE’S BACK TRAINING TIPS

* “Just because I’m a figure competitor doesn’t mean I shy away from free-weights. I always do at least one kind of free-weight row in my routine, but I keep the reps at around 15.”

* “I find 15 reps is best for bringing out the muscle qualities I want without packing on a lot of mass.”

* “I like to finish the back routine include here with back extensions for 3 sets of 20 reps to bring out my lower back and tie it in with my glutes.”

* “I train back once per week.”

8-time Mr. O Ronnie Coleman talks about his guns

As we countdown to the 45th anniversary of the Mr. Olympia on September 24-25, let’s check in with the man who entered a record 15 O’s and won a record-tying eight. This year will mark the third anniversary of his last O appearance and the fifth anniversary of his last O win, and yet his lengthy reign casts a long shadow. For a whole generation of bodybuilding fans, Ronnie Coleman was the king. Two of the reasons why were his right and left biceps. Ronnie tells us what makes his biceps training unique and shares a typical routine he was doing when he was scooping up the Sandow every autumn.
MORE ON OLYMPIA WEEKEND 2010

RONNIE TALKS BI’S

* “I trained biceps twice per week, and the two routines were different but always focused on three basic exercises for three sets each.”

* “The routine here is one example, the next workout I would pick three different exercises, like barbell curls, hammer curls and concentration curls.”

* “The heavier you lift, the bigger you get. I try to lift as heavy as I can but always get at least 10 reps.”

* “Twenty-one curls are a favorite. They’re demanding, so I like to do them first. It gives me a great pump right from the start.”