2011 IFBB British Grand Prix - LIVE report play by play - 19th-20th March

I think i've still got the buzz from being there. It was absolutely brilliant.
Massive thanks and well done to organisers and the guys on the day.
Didn't find any Muscletalkers on Saturday but my friend Kyle Young & then Chris Jenkins both set British & World Records powerlifting which was fab.
Saw Daz & IB reporting Sunday afternoon,
Then went back Sunday Evening to Mens Showdown.
 
I don't think you should compare by pictures, yesterday IMO Rockell should have been 3rd and Johnnie Jackson shouldn't have placed 3rd...his legs were not there.
Rockell had a brilliant overall symetry, condition, size.
 
Toney Freeman had a very entertaining routine as did Flex in the under 202's.
James F Lewis - massive congratulations...he looked FANTASTIC!
So pleased i went back in the evening, never seen anything like it before. It was great, can't wait for next year.
 
Sarah x

PS. Did anyone else see the TRICEPS on Roelly!!!!
You could have grated cheese on them....HUGE!
 
x

What a great show.
For me Branch brought the sort of show stopping physique that has sent a clear signal to Phil and Jay - bring your A game at the Olympia.

My keys for branch are to put his arms into the super league so that phil heath doesnt overshadow him there, and then to bring out that lower back so top to bottom Jay doesnt get him on that portion. If he brings and improved Branch to Las Vegas in rock hard dry as the Nevada desert condition then we could well see Jay in Branch's Wild Boar Death grip.
 
I felt Roelly was jaw dropping through his arms and shoulders and from the front, especially the most muscular, he is right on. For me its a bit different from the back and in the legs - these need to match and flow into his freakazoid upper body. And Sarah is spot on, triceps to sell relatives for!
 
Johnnie Jackson was super unlucky to be third, the improvement on last year is phenomenal, to come back from such a bad year so much better than ever before is testament to his dedication and brutal hard work. Sure his calves are woeful, but for me his thick as bull physique was good enough for second and is rapidly knocking on the door or the Olympia top 6.
 
Ronny Rockell: faultless as is becoming his trademark. The problem is that Rockell is always well conditioned and aesthetically pleasing, with good hardness, but nothing pops out. The top guys bring something extra special to the table, Jay is pure freak these days, Phil is just a beautiful physique with phenomenal lines combined with serious mass that looks better the more muscle he add - and those arms! Roelly the same has an extra something to make the judges step up and notice - in this company Ronny often has to wait for someone to slip to move up.
 
Michael Kefalianos - great showing today, bumping the X-man down too. A solid pro physique and I will be watching closely to see if he improves and moves up the rankings to place as well against more of the Premiership in bodybuilding. Has to be very happy with this placing
 
Toney Freeman - the legendary X-man brought a great physique, but of late he as been lacking the X-factor that brought him so much acclaim in 2008. At 44 he is phenomenal, and imposing as they come. To me I want to see more, what muscle is there is great but he doesnt quite fill his frame, and he doesnt quite condition it. Hoping Toney will get full of rage and anger, stick on 10lbs and come in sliced and diced to add that xtra dimension.
 
 

Thoughts on the 202:
Everyone, including me, had Flex as the favourite, well John Hodgeson nearly upset the Flex train. In short if Flex had turned up in his Olympia shape then it is entirely possible he would be leaving London a beaten man.
As it was his physique upped the anti and is now a legitimate threat to English at the Olympia. With David Henry on active duty and out for the season Flex has moved into definite contention.
 
John Hodgeson was a revelation - the best I have ever seen him, how he and Flex squeeked into the 202 with that much beef is phenomenal. Combined with John's legendary conditioning it very nearly became the ultimate comeback to the pro-stage with a win. The judges saw it as a dog fight between Flex and John and rightly so to make it a great showdown.
 
James L: what a great third place making it a UK clean sweep, improved everywhere, great conditioning.  James is going to the Olympia by right and if he is as productive going into that has he has been he will drop some jaws in Las Vegas.

dazc


Flick, we spoke to James l, he's not giving up yet! He's going to the olympia! And your right, people are being waaaay too critical of SJT, as IB said this was his seventh ever time on stage! Some of those guys have nearly done that many shows this year!

I take it this is towards me as i'm about the only person to mention SJT.
He is an MT guy and people are a little bias- i get that.
However frmo what i saw at ukbff finals compared to what he brought this weekend(i was sat pretty up front at both shows) his physique has taken a step backwards.
 
At the 2010 ukbff's he looked massive.
maybe got too big in the off season and ended up dieting muscle away?
only him and james will know for sure, however he has taken a step back, regardless of it being his 7th show and 207th he has not made progress.
I also don't believe he is that young? mid 30's ?

i disagree that hes taken a step back mate, i just think that hes stood against much better guys now on a pro stage, and that shows up his weaknesses, where previously hes been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
 
he needed a little more glaze to show condition, and he improved from pre judging to the show on sunday, having carbed up a bit more.  sure, he could have been a couple % tighter, but then so could quite a few of the other guys.
 
hitting stage totally nailed is an art. pros that have competed 100's of times can still get it wrong, so expecting SJT to walk onto a pro stage for the first time, in his 7th comp, and be at the top of the field was a huge ask.
 
he has made progress, and has made improvement to his weaker areas.  i dont see what his age matters, over the next couple of years he will continue to improve and we will see him do much better.
 
end of the day though, we are all entitled to our opinions.  i was sat right at the front for both shows as well.

I know what your sayin in regards to beside top pros.
In 08 beside James L and Alvin he looked on par with them, 09 beside zack again looked on par.
This year against James looked a shadow of his previous showings.
Going to the show i thought Shaun would be the only one who oculd give flex lewis a problem.
If that is progress then i don't see Shaun ever doing much in the 202's
 

I agree with Dazc. Someone can look fabulous on one stage and then when next to others of a higher standard "which they were at this show", may not look quite as sharp. I saw this myself at another show last year where I had a clear winner for the overall but once the class winners were put together he was clearly not the better one and came 3rd!! I don't think any of the piccies, as good as they are show the guys as sharp as they were and don't think it fair to judge anyone on them. 
 

Well I didn't get to see the finals on Sunday, but watched the pre-judge saturday. For me it went:
 
202s
1. Flex - holy crap... just incredible shape, size, condition, fullness, spot on, seriously impressive
 
2. John Hodgson - immense, completely peeled, exactly how I hoped I'd get to see him at some point in my life, superb
 
3. James L - again insane condition, good lines, and enough mass to stay ahead of the rest of the pack
 
So I got top 3 right, woot
 
Thoughts on others - great to see Paul G up there, rate his physique incredibly highly. Simply not enough mass in the 202s, but that doesn't take a thing away from one of hte classiest packages of the show. Shaun T looked immense when on his own, but unfortunately when the stage was full, he was a bit lost for me, still, superb. The foreign guys (sorry, didn't recognise/remember the names!) were pretty much all on the money, a couple who could easily have challenged into the top 3.
 
Open
1. Branch Warren - the second he came out it was clear he would win. I sat down with a very open mind, trying hard to like his physique, but I couldn't. He looked like a lump of crap to me, don't get me wrong, incredibly impressive, scary looking crap, but not a physique I find inspiring. He looked softer on Sat then he did on the pics above, he actually looks a lot better in the pics, so fair does to the guy.
 
2. Ronnie Rockel - don't know what to say about the guy, other than pure class. The only reason I didn't place him 1st is because I knew Branch would win it. Looked superb from every angle, full, conditioned, lovely lines. How he came 4th...?!?? Baffled by that, something must have gone wrong on Sunday? Or I was a bit blind on saturday??
 
3. Roelly Winklaar - beautiful physique, great condition & mass, he was close to Ronnie but not past him in my eyes. His frame looks like it can hold a lot more mass (vs Ronnies which is at its limits I reckon), which could be why I had him lower. Given the rate this guy has come on, in my mind there's no questioning him hitting the podium at the 'O' in the next few years.
 
Hmm, so got 1 right, and it was the 1 I wanted to get wrong, lmao!
 
Others - JOJ - holy cow, what an upper half, I really feel for the guy that he doesn't have calves... Massive, bursting, flowing, very impressive. Alvin Small - great to see up there not being horrifically outmassed, still a way off the top guys, but looked great IMO. Tony F - thought he'd looked better? Still, big guy with good lines - stood next to Alvin showed the mass difference at that level.
 
Overall I prefered the 202s - nicer physiques IMO
 
Massively jealous of the seats that Daz, IB, etc got - I was sat about 50 fecking feet back with my VIP ticket... note to self, buy ticket sooner next year!!!

sorry tony, 'roelly winklar- beautiful physique' ?????  were you watching the same roelly as me?  he looked good, dont get me wrong, but he most definately doesnt have a beautiful physique! 

Roelly is anything but beautiful to me too!
He looks small and soft when relaxed, and when he flexes there is a lack of flow or balance or something that makes his physique jar to me.
 
Tony: clearly you are not a mass monster fan; but take in the fact that Branch is a mass monster with a flat midsection, and isnt blocky as hell but has balance between his upper and lower body - which with quads like that is something else.
 
The one thing I think may hurt him is that he doesnt seem to striate across the chest but rather goes more vascular and grainy when compared to say Roelly.
 
I know there are big Rockell Fans out there, and he has amazing physique with great lines, no flaws, great conditioning - but he suffers for the fact nothing jumps out at you. He wasnt the hardest, the biggest, didnt have an amazing shape - and I think Ronny needs something, as does every bodybuilder that makes you sit up and take notice. Sure he is pleasing aesthetically, but what is there that makes Ronny stand out - now if he added another 10-15lbs in the right places and another 5% hardness and dryness - watch out there would be a Ronny about :)

Roelly is the next Sergio Olivia- according to Dorian....
 
Loved Roelly's physique, tiny waist, huge delts and the best arms i have ever seen! Oh also the seperation that he brings is pretty freaky.
Agree 100% with Tony about the full show.

dazc

sorry tony, 'roelly winklar- beautiful physique' ?????  were you watching the same roelly as me?  he looked good, dont get me wrong, but he most definately doesnt have a beautiful physique! 

Big Les

Roelly is anything but beautiful to me too!

_GM_

Agree 100% with Tony about the full show.

 
lol - 2 vs 2 then !! Its really funny how differently people see things!
 
Les - as I said above, Branch looked a lot better in those pics from Sunday then how I saw him on Saturday. There is no denying the 'rawness' of the guy, and the mass is very impressive, but it just comes across with such an ugly result. Maybe its just me harkening way back to when the upper body was what counted above all else - I don't like a single front shot of Branch from the waist up, waist down his legs impress me, but again, they don't have a pleasing structure, they're just fecking massive.
 
Roelly looked great from every angle, just lacking a bit in the mass?!
 
Funny!
 
GM - didn't realise you were there, should have dropped by the stand

Big Les


Roelly is anything but beautiful to me too!
He looks small and soft when relaxed, and when he flexes there is a lack of flow or balance or something that makes his physique jar to me.

Tony: clearly you are not a mass monster fan; but take in the fact that Branch is a mass monster with a flat midsection, and isnt blocky as hell but has balance between his upper and lower body - which with quads like that is something else.

The one thing I think may hurt him is that he doesnt seem to striate across the chest but rather goes more vascular and grainy when compared to say Roelly.

I know there are big Rockell Fans out there, and he has amazing physique with great lines, no flaws, great conditioning - but he suffers for the fact nothing jumps out at you. He wasnt the hardest, the biggest, didnt have an amazing shape - and I think Ronny needs something, as does every bodybuilder that makes you sit up and take notice. Sure he is pleasing aesthetically, but what is there that makes Ronny stand out - now if he added another 10-15lbs in the right places and another 5% hardness and dryness - watch out there would be a Ronny about :)

Wow just wow!
At the gym a fair few people were saying your comments about the show seemed strange and i see what they mean.
Branch is a block of muscle nothing more nothing less. He has short small arms, a missing lat, over powering chest and quads. He has no balance to his body what so ever.
I agree that nothing pops so to speak about Ronny but that is because he has no weak points. Some amy say needs a little more back but that is clutching at straws. RR with anymore mass will crush his physique.
RW when relaed like every other guys looks more "soft" when tensed he had striations on his quads. His arm detail is nuts.
Sure him ham and lower back was not the best in the show, however, it was not by any means soft.
You were sat a little closer than me but i honestly do not know what you were looking at.
I guess this is BB'ing and it is a subjective sport.
 
Prior going to the show i wasn't a fan of Ronny- he won me over!
Also i wasn't a fan of Roelly i thought he was another Dennis James aka Mr O in the Gym but damn the guy is impressive! full round muscle, tons of size, crazy standout body parts, tight tiny waist. He looked like a super hero.

R.E. The SJT thing - no not just in this thread, but elsewhere too ;-)
I have no MT bias, I don't care who he's sponsored of prepped by I just think it's quite a British trait for us to cast people down unecessarily. As I think Dazc said, which was my original point, you can't compare UKBFF Finals with being onstage with Pro's  - totally different ball game.
 
Fair play to James L - obviously upped his game massively and now hopefully will go to Vegas and OWN IT! :-D
 

_GM_

Prior going to the show i wasn't a fan of Ronny- he won me over!

Exactly my thoughts as well - always thought he looked great and conditioned in the pre-show shots he puts up, but he'd never really caught my eye for some reason. On stage I literally couldn't fault him

My 2 penneth worth....
 
202's....
 
The class was superb in its line up and density of high quality physiques on display.
John Hodgson, mr conditioning, brought what i felt was the best conditioning out of the class and his 2nd place was rightly deserved.
 
James.L had me on the edge of my seat after seeing him miss his conditioning at his last pro shows so this weekend he made amends and he is firmly back in my thoughts re: making the top 10 at the Olympia.
 
Flex Lewis has improved greatly and Rich Gaspari should be applauded for allowing Flex the time off the promotion circuit to make those needed tweaks to his physique. Flex is now more balanced in proportion to his legs, his back and arms have also thickened up.
 
SJT, yes he missed the conditioning, i'm not going to blow smoke up his ass because he is a MT member but he did deserve his placing IMO. I think people should cut him some slack seeing he has only competed 6 times prior to stepping on a IFBB pro stage!
 
Open Class
I think the open class will be remembered for the slap down Ronny Rockell had...how the hell he was 4th i will never know and looking at the score cards he wasnt even close to 3rd.
Ronny Rockell is to me what I deem proportioned, large and conditioned in one package. Sure his glutes were smooth and the hams could of been tigther but to put Roelly and JOJ ahead of him was a bit of a harsh result.
 
Roelly, coming in larger and more conditioned with every show but didnt deserve 2nd place IMO. He has now qualified for the Olympia so he must be very happy, and i am too as I know how much he wants a second crack at it.
 
Branch, a classic Branch Warren display of pure mass and conditioning....to the front.
His back, while large was holding a lot of water and needs to dry out more before the Olympia but you can forgive him after his 1st Arnold Classic win... Grand Prix shows are lesser shows on their radar.
This was his show before the curtain was raised, no judge in their right mind would mark him lower straight after an Arnold win.
 
Alvin Small, didnt look out of place and he has to be pleased knowing he was only a few points behind Essa Obaid in 7th. More mass to the chest to balance out the arms and shoulder would be my 1st port of call.
 
Toney Freeman must be pissed at missing out of a top 5 spot by 1 point to the Australian Michael Kefalianos, but IMO Michael was in better condition.

 

Incredible Bulk

I think the open class will be remembered for the slap down Ronny Rockell had...how the hell he was 4th i will never know and looking at the score cards he wasnt even close to 3rd.
Ronny Rockell is to me what I deem proportioned, large and conditioned in one package. Sure his glutes were smooth and the hams could of been tigther but to put Roelly and JOJ ahead of him was a bit of a harsh result.

 
I'm with you 110% here, I'm baffled by 4th, especially with a 10 point gap?
 
Not sure what the judges did/didn't see here.
 
On that note, did anyone else spot the speed of the judging at the prejudge? In the comparisons, they'd hit a pose for barely a couple of seconds. I found myself not able to flick my eyes across the whole stage quickly enough from way back, so up close, where turning my head would have been required (!!), I've no idea how they came to their decisions so rapidly? Most local shows I've been to give more time to the judges to go through as many comparisons as possible, with big discussions, etc, going on all the time - this felt like judging on speed!

How did you think i felt reporting on it LMAO