BNBF Centrals Results and small Review...

Just came back from the Centrals and what a good show it was...
Here is a small review with a few pics and video of my brother who finished 3rd in the MIddleweights!
 
http://ptwithme.blogspot.com/2011/08/bnbf-centrals-2011-review.html

Thanks Mark. I liked Chris physique and think he's got great potential. I think if his condition had been a little tighter he might have squeezed the 2nd place. He got an invite to the Brits which he wouldn't have done if it was not considered he was up to it so that says a lot in itself.

Cheers for the results, looks like Ben Guest from my gym did well for his debut show! 

Ben was very good, he was in my top 3 for the overall.

I agree 100%!
We think he over did it with his carbs because he was looking alot more in condition a few days out especially his legs! I think he lost that little bit that made him look a little soft! So I hope he does the Brits and gets his condition right! I think he has very good shape, just needs a bit of improvement with his upper body then he would do really well!

Nice post. I thought your bro looked really good so it was good to see him get given the invite. Ben Guest looked fantastic....he looked like he should have been a middleweight though. For me the only downside of the show was how on earth Cortez Medford (for the record I don't know him/never met him etc) only came second. He looked incredible. I don't want to knock the guy that one the class because that wouldn't be fair but Cortez was a class apart in my humble opinion. i guess we shouldn't be shocked by inconsistency in bodybuilding judging and I also realise that particular class was huge, thus making the judges tougher, but I'm still scratching my head over that decision.
Also as a side note it was disappointing, once again, to see how many people cleared out before the end.
Great day though.
 

Greg, Lee who won had better condition and a more balanced physique based on his symmetry. Cortez has an amazing amount of muscle but there are the other points to judge on. He will certainly go along way. He can always reverse the decision round at the finals. I never won a qualifier with the BNBF but took the British title over those who placed above me at the qualifiers. It can be done

I have to say I totally thought Lee had it nailed over Cortez in the Juniors personally. He's not the biggest but his symmetry's good, he's balanced, and has amazing condition.
 
I thought Cortez had a standout Chest in particular, good muscle size, and was easily 2nd for me but just needs more condition for the Brits...
 
That's what I love about shows - people see things completely differently, it's good to debate :-)

Agreed. It does make it fun that we all see it slightly different. Though I think Lee's conditioning was good at times he's more reminiscent of a "cut" swimmer. Whereas if you looked at Cortez he still had enough symmetry, conditioning and balance but was obviously a bodybuilder. It sometimes feels at the amateur shows, particularly the naturals, this gets forgotten...it's as if size plays second fiddle at times even when that size isn't coming at the cost of conditioning.
I hear you though Kitty....it's for him, and everyone else, to turn it around at the finals...
The big thing for me though is the consistency. Ben Guest won his class, rightly so in my opinion, but his condition was eclipsed by the second place guy ( I forget his name). Now I don't understand how this is different to the Juniors yet the result went the other way around.
But like I say...I'm truly not looking to stir things up. I realise you guys have got a hell of a job on and you're to be congratulated on a good show. It's just that, for someone like me, who's looking to compete next year, I was there with eagle eyes trying to ascertain what the judges "liked" and it was a little inconclusive to me....all I do know is I'm glad Nigel St Clare was a novice this year and not next ;)
Congrats again on a good show. 

As a judge, what you have to consider is "is MR x's level of conditioning better than MR y's bulk". In the case of Ben Guest, he had tremendous size, enough conditioning to give him ripped glutes and great symmetry. The guy in second was not as big, did have good conditioning but his symmetry was not as good either. Based on the 3 counts, it went to Ben. Ben also presented himself very well which showed his physique off fabulously.
 
In the juniors, IIRC Cortez did not have detail in his lower back whereas Lee was showing his Xmas tree and his glutes were virtually shredded. He obviously has a tiny bone structure so the level of muscle on his tiny frame looks a lot on stage. Cortez had imbalances which I'm sure he can correct very easily and who knows, with his condition a little tighter it could all come together much better. In this case, Lee's condition and symmetry won over Cortez muscularity.
 
I will add that I didn't actually judge the juniors but that was how it appeared in my opinion.

Here is a photo from Eric Guy, the official photographer. If we are to go off muscle mass alone, the guy in 3rd place should win. But look at Lee and how his quads are on display, granted a photo is a moment in time but this does show the difference between the conditioning of Lee and Cortez.