So yesterday was the Arnold Classic, and as the day went on, social media was on fire with predictions (and photos) supporting a possible win for Cedric McMillan.
During the posing routines, Kai did his usual fans-love-it-or-hate-it thing. Cedric did his usual thing.
When the finals came, Kai was announced the winner (Ced in 2nd), and Arnold himself at the microphone, stated that (paraphrasing here:) although Cedric had the better physique, Kai had pulled ahead and won with his posing routine. Obviously this added fuel on the already burning fan fire that had been going since prejudging.
Steve Weinberger (IFBB big wig) stated that Kai was already ahead after prejudging but that his posing routine - which is scored - cemented his win. Judges sheets were released online. Of course anyone whoâs been a fan of the sport has probably seen the released judgesâ sheet from the 1980 Olympia where Arnold had straight 1st place votes despite his physique being arguably not worth even a top 5 finish.
Iâve seen some people chalking this all up to âapples and orangesâ, while others seem to think anything IFBB related must have some money or politically related âfixâ involved.
Disagree with you here Stu regarding your opinion of Arnold in 1980. To me, though he had flaws, they were no worse than any other competitor in that line up. Not even in the top 5? I humbly disagree.
I was disappointed in this years AC mostly because I thought the IFBB judging would take that leap and give the win to the classic physique of which McMillan has. Kai, though incredible (those armsâŠwow, he gained a lot on those), is not a classic physique at all and I am one who would not have given him the win.
I havenât seen the photoâs yet so I wonât comment on their individual condition on the day. In the IFBB it seems that if you are lower on the totem pole with previous pro placings you are really at a disadvantage against someone who has a bigger track record, despite the condition they show up with on the day.
Yeah, I suppose some might consider it disrespectful of Arnold to put Kai on the spot like that,⊠âyou didnât have the best physique, but you won anywayâ
This is quite possibly the best Iâve seen Cedric. He won the Levrone contest a week or two earlier I believe.
I think it was just a statement to âjustifyâ bringing posing scoring back into the mix this year, like âSee, We were right to bring that back because it ended up deciding the winner!! Thats how important it is! We did a good thing!â
As far as his comments go about who actually had more development, I think Kai had more muscle and was better conditioned⊠Maybe Ced is âprettierâ but in terms of the actual numbers I think Kai is the winner here.
Kai is looking pretty good from the front and back and by the current IFBB standards is carrying maximum muscle mass on his frame, and is very well balanced in terms of proportion. Under the criteria that wins an Olympia these days heâs got it.
CMac is looking definitely looking more idealised, his legs are less developed than Kai but despite that he looks more ârightâ while Kai appears cartoonish in comparison.
Cedric has got that tiny waist(it would have been considered normal/good back in the early 1990âs). I guess he has great genetics and doesnât hit the hgh as much as the other guys.
Canât say Iâm a fan of #3 Josh Lenartowiczâs physique, Kai looks like a Greek good in comparison to him.
Heâs another example of what mega doses of juice hgh and slin will do plenty of size but too blocky.He looks like a Clydesdale racing against thoroughbred racehorses, I canât understand why he places so highly.
The thing that I see a lot of fans commenting on, is Branchâs landing in 5th place. Some folks see it as a gift, and others, thinking heâs gonna be viewed as a top dog forever, see it as insulting.
I liked Acetoâs breakdown analysis where he pointed out that the usual bunch of âtop guysâ are obviously fading somewhat, and without a large influx of impressive new pros to fill the spots, this is what youâre going to see.
I may not be an authority on the subject, but a lot of people seem to be saying Cedric has the better âclassic physiqueâ (which i agree with), but isnât that why theyâve added the new division? Kai had better conditioning, posing, and muscularity, which is what thyâre looking for. If Cedric were to win because he has the âprettierâ physique, shouldnât he get down to whatever the weight limit is for classic physique at his height? Cedric definitely is prettier, but maybe it would have been smarter to have planned for the first pro classic physique show coming up as opposed to this one.
Kai and Ced both looked incredible. Itâs very interesting to see a top 2 finish like that, given the major differences in their physiques/lines. Itâs so subjective when youâre comparing those 2 guys. Itâs just a âwhat do you like moreâ question.
Which brings me to what I think is the issue thatâs worth addressing, Arnoldâs commentary. It seems to me that Arnold is trying to steer bodybuilding in a particular direction through recent comments (also talking about the Branch Warren issue). Heâs decided he wants his opinion known. So heâs telling us here that he wants Ced to be the future of bodybuilding, not Kai. I DO see it as disrespectful to Kai to describe the 2nd place finisher as, essentially, better than him. Thatâs fucked up. But I guess Arnold doesnât mind hurting some feelings if he can get bodybuilding moved in the direction heâd like to see. So I get that too.
IDK though. Iâm just a powerlifter. I donât know what Iâm talking about.
thereâs a video I canât link to where the head judge of the Arnold goes into a play by play as to why Kai won. Itâs a really cool vid if youâre wondering just what the hell they were thinking
The thing about the video analysis by Weinberger (head judge), is how he assesses the scoring of rounds.
Assuming Round 1 = morning, Round 2 = posing, and Round 3 = Evening (basically the order they occur in),⊠if you remove the 2nd Round scores (Posing Round?), then Cedric wins. Again, assuming the numbering of rounds is chronological, then the offered âexplanationâ of how Kai would have won anyway is complete bunk.
I actually have no problem with this. As far as I can tell, heâs not competing against nattyâs. Thatâs the only thing that would concern me.
Iâm honestly 100% ok with this, particularly for a guy in Australia. That country has stricter laws than our country does against steroid use/possession (from what I understand). Iâm never against a guy lying to the public about illegal drug use. If he feels like he has to be outspoken against them to avoid legal scrutiny, so be it. I saw an interview on I think the Today show with Kai Greene where he essentially said he was natural a year or 2 ago. Even Ronnie still dances around the subject, although heâs slightly more open now than he was when he competed.