Meadows' Gnarly Conditioning!

The word you’re looking for is “daaaaammmmmnnnn”

He placed 9th which is kind of a bummer, but he just didn’t have the size and shape of the other guys.

Still, the improvements he’s made (made all the more impressive considering his age) are still pretty astounding.

I saw his pictures a few days ago. Yes, he has made some very good improvements considering how long he has been doing this. He appeared leaner or drier than some of his higher placing competitors, but those guys just have a genetic predisposition that he doesn’t (nature ain’t fair).

I really like Meadows as a person, but as one can seem on message boards, every time he places lower than where his fans think he should place, they get very heated and state there is some anti-Meadows conspiracy amongst the judges. One one board, some people even stated that judges placed him as they did because they are jealous of him. Well, considering the average judge doesn’t look anything like anyone onstage, does this imply they are extra jealous of Meadows? :slightly_smiling:

I understand that Meadows has a certain look about him that a lot of guys like, the so-called “brutal” look, what is likely a combo of ungodly muscle mass and vascularity. But those two qualities don’t guarantee a win.

Again, to reiterate, I like the guy a lot. But people get very sensitive when he doesn’t place or win.

Yeah I know exactly what you mean. Meadows fans can be quite fanatical. Don’t get me wrong, I think the guy’s brilliant - he’s been a massive influence on my training and I love the whole “bodybuilding for health” approach he takes - but it’s undeniable that he just doesn’t have the structure to really do damage in the pro ranks.

Having said that, he’s an intelligent guy and knows more about the sport than all the posters on this site together, so I doubt he really had any expectations of actually winning the Arnold. I still think last place was a little harsh, though. His conditioning looked miles ahead of anyone else from what I saw (which was, admittedly, only from a few photos) and if that was really the case then it seems unfair that the dude with the best conditioning could be given last place.

My close friend, an IFBB pro himself, was at the Arnold. I asked him about this. He said if one was there in person, he would see how Meadows placed appropriately.

You always hear how judging solely from photos (and this was a common complaint back in the day when everyon still read muscle magazines), doesn’t convey the same assessment as actually being a few feet away at the judges’ table.

Having been in both boats myself, I can agree with such a statement.

Still, fans are fans, and some are truly fanatical. Meadows loves the sport, and has been at it a hell of a long time. With a huge fan base (he’s definitely a thinker in a field of not too many), you can see why so many people are rooting for him. Still, at the end of the day, (and this applies to every competitor!) conditioning, vascularity and even the slight improvements that long term BBers can try to make aside, nature is nature and it sometimes doesn’t favor those with the gifts that they would choose for themselves.

S

Look at the top six and their proportions and symmetry.
I was thinking PERHAPS Charles Dixon’s midsection is too blocky, but look at the damn size of his legs that somewhat balance it out. If you compare Meadows to each one of these guys one by one, you can see the deal, I believe.

the truth is he looks great by himself but when he stands next to other competitors, it is not impressive anymore.
there is nothing he can do about his structural flows unfortunately