Musclemag Arnold Classic 2013 Digital Special Issue

Dexter Ties Flex’s Record !

c i s s a 3 l 1 c 0 2 nold ar

e r mo

Masthead

Letter to Readers “There are two times in life: now and too late!”

Nowhere is this old adage more apparent than in the publishing industry. In our modern digital age, if you don’t have the information your readers want when they want it, they will ( justifiably so) go and find it somewhere else. Therefore, in keeping with a 40-year tradition of striving to provide the absolute latest bodybuilding news and information, MuscleMag is proud to present our Arnold Classic 2013 Digital Special Issue. Rest assured, this is not a one-time experiment. Rather it’s just part of our greater commitment to revamping, reevaluating and reinventing the way we do things so as to better benefit our valued readers. Instead of sitting around complaining about how fickle audiences have become and griping about how things aren’t like they used to be, we’ve wholeheartedly committed ourselves to the new way of doing things. To put it plainly, we’re not only a print magazine anymore; we’re a complete, total-media bodybuilding resource. So wherever you happen to be reading this, sit back, relax and experience the 2013 Arnold Classic firsthand through our one-of-a-kind photographs and expert reporting and analysis. Or you can wait six to eight weeks and see what our competitors have to say about the show! Yours, Alex Zakrzewski Online Editor

President, CEO Tosca Reno Kennedy EVP, Group Publisher Todd Hughes Group Editorial Director Bill Geiger, MA Group Creative Director Michael Touna Group Creative Adviser/ Editor-in-Chief Johnny Fitness Managing Editor Sarah Wells Deputy Editor Dan Felipe Copy Editor Angie Mattison Online Editor Alex Zakrzewski Art Director Derek Hounsell Associate Art Director Darrell Leighton Digital Creative Lead Ryan Keaveney Intermediate Web Designer Cameron Stevens Photographer Gregory James Contributors Mike Jenkins Brandon Curry

musclemag.com 02 MARCH 2013 | musclemag.com

MARCH 2O13 06 Dexter Wins Fourth Title! 12 “The Blade”

Dexter Jackson

16 Men’s placing 2–5 24 Men’s placing 6–13 38 Ms. International

06

42 Fitness International 46 Figure International 50 Bikini Internatinoal 56 Arnold Men’s Amateur 58 Arnold Strongman

16

24

12

56

42 50 38 04 MARCH 2013 | musclemag.com

46

58

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CONTEST REPORT Jackson

“You could call it redemption for a man seemingly forgotten.”

Ties Record

with Fourth ASC Win

At

age 43, there were those who thought Jacksonville, FL’s Dexter Jackson’s best years were behind him. His contest placings had slipped since his 2008 Mr. Olympia title as other younger bodybuilders seemed to pass him by. But at least on the night of March 2 at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH, The Blade proved he still has what it takes to bag a big one. And what a win it was. In his biggest payday ever, Dexter won his fourth Arnold Classic title — tying Flex Wheeler’s record of four ASC wins — in taking the 25th anniversary event before a sell-out crowd. The Blade, who last won the event in 2008, recorded a perfect score in claiming the $130,000 firstplace prize by a decisive margin over runner-up Ben Pakulski of Canada. You could call it redemption for a man seemingly long forgotten, who was also coming off last December’s Masters Olympia title to run his win streak to two. The 5´6˝ athlete was competing in a record 14th Arnold Classic, and despite the absence of the sport’s most elite names — Phil Health, Kai Greene, Jay Cutler, Dennis Wolf and Branch Warren, all sitting this one out in favor of September’s Olympia showdown — The Blade looked every bit as conditioned as he did when he was regularly winning the sport’s biggest contests a decade earlier. Ben is best known for his 22-inch calves, but the Pakman’s rapid ascent up the Arnold Classic standings (10th in 2011, fourth last year, second this time around) indicate that Canada’s best bodybuilder is a force to be reckoned with. With his superfreaky legs reminiscent of one Tom Platz, Pakman also earned his highest-ever placing in a pro event, taking second and receiving a $70,000 check to go along with the contest’s Most Muscular Award, which netted him another $10,000. Georgia’s Toney Freeman is another seasoned pro that’s getting better competitions scores with age. Not only did the

06 MARCH 2013 | musclemag.com

musclemag.com | MARCH 2013 07

CONTEST REPORT

ARNOLD CLASSIC RESULTS March 2, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

Dexter Jackson

2

Ben Pakulski*

3

Toney Freeman

4

Johnnie Jackson

5

Hidetada Yamagishi

6

USA

$130,000

Canada

$75,000

USA

$50,000

USA

$30,000

Japan

$15,000

Cedric McMillan

USA

$10,000

7

Fred Smalls**

USA

8

Ed Nunn

USA

9

Darrem Charles

USA

10

Fouad Abiad

Canada

11

Marcus Haley

USA

12

Michael Kefalianos

13

Ronny Rockel

Greese Germany

*Winner of Most Muscular Award and $10,000 **Winner of Most Entertaining Poser Award and $10,000


46-year-old’s third-place finish tie his highest placing ever at the ASC (Toney also placed third in 2007), it comes on the heels of his runner-up placing to Dexter at the Masters Olympia last December. With more height and size than his competitors — he’s 6´2˝ and competes at 284 pounds — the X-Man’s star is again on the rise as he’s now considered a bona fide threat to challenge in the Olympia. For his efforts, Toney took home a nifty 50 grand. Not to be left out of the 40-something club, Texan Johnnie Jackson raced to his best ASC finish ever, moving up three spots from his 7th place finish in 2011. Considered the world’s strongest bodybuilder, Johnnie overcame a four-point deficit after prejudging to claim the $30,000 fourth-place check. Rounding out the top five was Japan’s Hidetada Yamagishi. Hide (pronounced Hee-day), hugely popular back home, improved upon his previous best 8th place finish in 2010 ASC. Though he was in fourth after the afternoon judging session, he was knocked down a few places as he wasn’t as sharp during the finals. It seems every bodybuilding competition has its share of controversy, and for this event it was when South Carolina’s Cedric McMillan’s name was given sixth. A chorus of boos rained down when his placing was announced. The 2009 NPC Nationals super heavyweight champ may have been overlooked in the afternoon judging round but rebounded nicely at the night session to take the $10,000 prize. Fred Smalls is anything but, and if there’s any aspect of the show the bodybuilder from Delaware knows how to do well, it’s entertain. A crowd favorite, Fred’s routine was met with roaring approval, making him the obvious choice for the $10,000 award for the evening’s Most Entertaining Poser. Fred’s 7th place finish was also his best ever at a top pro show. The state of Indiana was also represented in the top 10 with 41-year-old Ed Nunn taking eighth. Coming off his fourthplace finish at the 2012 Masters Olympia, a contest some had him pegged to place just second in, the Hoosier has similar Xframed lines that make Toney Freeman so popular. Now living in Florida but originally from Trinidad, Darrem Charles, who placed ninth, has a long and respected 22-year pro career. In his 10 ASC showings, Darrem’s best finish was 6th, a feat he accomplished in 1998, 2003 and 2005. Though he hasn’t competed much in recent years, he’s still renowned for his conditioning, classic lines and entertaining posing. Just making the top 10 was Canada’s Fouad Abiad, who moved up a placing in each of the two past two years at the ASC. He was followed by Arizona’s Marcus Haley (11th), Greece’s Michael Kefalianos (12th) and Germany’s Ronny Rockel (13th). Last year, MuscleMag publisher Robert Kennedy was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award just a month before his passing. This year, the committee honored Rich Gaspari, who won the inaugural ASC title 25 years ago and is now president of Gaspari Nutrition. In a moving ceremony, Gaspari thanked Arnold, his family and his employees. —Bill Geiger, MA


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Men’s winner

1

Dexter Jackson Brandon’s

take on dexter

Dexter has always impressed me with his ability to adapt and try new approaches to bodybuilding. His connection with George Farah has had a revitalizing effect on his physique. I respect Dex a lot for his ability to perform at such a high level for so long. He is truly a master of the art of bodybuilding, and I congratulate him on a well-deserved win. Keep laying a template and setting an example, Dex!


Pros Brandon’s thoughts

While I don’t believe he was 100%, Dexter was sharper than most of the field. He was obviously on enough to undisputedly take the show. So much muscle on such a shredded, symmetrical frame is very hard to beat, and he definitely stood out when compared to the other bodies in the lineup.


CONs Brandon’s thoughts

He was too oily in prejudging yet could have used more oil at the finals. All in all, he didn’t appear to be quite as full as he was at the Masters Olympia.



Men’s finalists 2–5

2

Ben Pakulski


Man, Ben is so freaky in his poses. He looked hard and dry with a noticeable improvement in size. You can just tell Ben’s been working hard. He really gets the crowd going.



Ben was not quite as impressive when he wasn’t posing, and something was off when he entered the stage. His back also lacked thickness and detail. Not the prettiest physique onstage but impressive nonetheless.



Toney came in dry, hard and very sharp from front to back. The X-Man was definitely on his game and deserved his placing.

3

Toney Freeman


I thought he could have been fuller. He needs a bit of pop to his muscle. It’s seems to me that he is losing leg size, as his wheels are not quite as massive as they used to be.




4

Johnnie is so massive up top! He was in pretty good shape and his muscles looked hard. It was definitely on for Johnnie!

Johnnie Jackson


Unfortunately, his lower body did not seem improved. His legs were separated, but they lacked the size to match his upper body.




Hide appeared bigger and fuller at this show than I’ve seen in the past. I’m very surprised he came into this show looking this good considering his broken wrist. My hat goes off to him as he shows the true samurai spirit!

5

Hidetada Yamagishi


I don’t believe bigger is necessarily better for Hide’s frame. He showed more abdominal distension than I’ve seen from him in a while. Maybe he just wasn’t controlling it well. His conditioning was sub-par, but this may have had something to do with his injury.



Men’s finalists 6–13

6

Cedric McMillan



I’m tired of hearing about this guy’s potential — it’s just obvious! He was bigger than I’ve ever seen him. He had the prettiest physique onstage, he performed with great confidence and he was having fun.


Judges are looking for this guy to nail it. They want to see his physique in all its glory. He just needs some hardness and dryness.

7

Fred Smalls


When Fred first came out I immediately noticed his increased mass. He’s been really putting in some work and his quads were sweeping like crazy. He put on the most entertaining performance of the night. His added thickness was apparent, especially in his chest.


Though his condition was not bad he could have been harder and dryer. His softness really started to show in his glutes and hams, as they lacked detail.

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I felt that at the finals he was one of the sharpest in the show. He was dry from front to back and his glutes were in better shape than they’ve been in a while. I would have liked to have seen him compared in a high callout.

9

Darrem Charles


It was great to see Darrem back onstage. He performed and moved onstage as if he never left. I don’t remember his glutes ever being as striated as I saw them at the finals.

8

Edward Nunn



The first thing I noticed was that he had on a little too much oil. Then he turned around and appeared to be softer from the back. His physique lacks density.

His upper body was a bit flat. He needs a bit more fullness and pop.




10

CLEAN ENERGY

Despite his low placing, I don’t think Fouad had a bad performance. He definitely looks to have increased in size!

Fouad Abiad

CONs He just didn’t stand out. He just doesn’t flow as well with the size i ncrease, and his lower back had a noticeable film on it.

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Marcus is a great entertainer and appeared to be having a great time onstage. It was definitely on for him. His old quad injury wasn’t even noticeable.

11

Marcus Haley


The biggest flaw I saw from Marcus was that he had trouble controlling his midsection. Belly rolling is not a good idea if you’re trying to hide distension. He was lean but could have been a tad bit drier.


12

Michael Kefalianos


Mike showed why he is known for his wheels and razor-sharp conditioning. His wheels were definitely still there, and he appeared a bit bigger.

13 Ronny Rockel


After all these years, Ronny still has good muscles and solid structure. His hardness really comes out as he poses.



Ronny looked softer than normal. He lacked detail and was holding water. He also needs to make more of an effort to control the distension in his stomach. Most importantly, he just looked bored onstage!

Coming in a little heavier took away from his usually superior conditioning. Knowing Mike, he has many more shows ahead of him and is still waiting to peak!



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ms. international

1

Iris Kyle From left to right: Angela Debatin, Cathy LeFrancois, Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia, Iris Kyle, Debi Laszewski, Brigita Brezovac

kyle runs away with Ms.international — Again T

exas’ Iris Kyle picked up a record seventh Ms. International crown on March 1 in Columbus, OH, becoming the most decorated bodybuilder of all time, male or female. With another perfect score and already the owner of a record-tying eight Ms. Olympia wins, it doesn’t appear Kyle will be bowing out any time soon, so those records she’s smashing will simply set new, higher marks. With the win, the 5´7˝, 160-pounder claimed the $25,000 first-place prize. Unfortunately, somebody has to finish second and once again it was Miami’s Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia. Competing in the 50th professional show of her career, the five-time Ms. International winner herself settled for the $13,000 secondplace prize. Debi Laszewski, who lives just up the I-95 in Jupiter, finished second a year ago at both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia and has only once placed outside the top five in a pro show since her pro debut in 2007, but settled for third this time around. Slovenia’s Brigita Brezovac, who has cumulated three pro wins in her three-plus year pro career, came in fourth. Her best finish on the big stage was third at the 2011 Ms. Olympia. No one has come as far as Canada’s Cathy LeFrancois, who finished dead last in her first Ms. International effort (19th in 1999), but won the lightweight category in the 2003 event. The


2

Yaxeni OriquenGarcia

Ms. international results March 1, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

Iris Kyle

USA

$25,000

2

Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia

USA

$13,000

3

Debi Laszewski

USA

$8,000

4

Brigita Brezovac

Slovenia

$5,000

5

Cathy LeFrancois

Canada

$3,000

6

Angela Debatin

USA

$2,000

7

Kim Buck

USA

8

Olga Puzanova

9

Tazzi Colomb

10

Jeannie Paparone

11

Eleni Kavva

Russia USA USA Greece

winner of three consecutive New York Pro Championships, and the shortest competitor onstage at 5´2˝, now has back-to-back top-five Ms. International finishes having placed fourth a year ago. This was LeFrancois’s 12th appearance at the Arnold. –Bill Geiger, MA


4

Brigita Brezovac

3

Debi Laszewski

6

Angela Debatin

5

Cathy LeFrancois



fitness international

1

Tanji Johnson

in her 10th try,

johnson wins

the fitness international

W

ashington state’s immensely popular Tanji Johnson is a two-time runner-up of both the Fitness International and Fitness Olympia, but she finally bagged the big one in taking the 2013 Fitness International crown on March 1 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, OH. With a perfect score in the swimsuit round combined with an athletic and acrobatic routine that took second in that round, she edged out Russia’s Oksana Grishina for the $25,000 first-place check. This was the 10th time that Johnson had competed in the Fitness International. Her impressive résumé is bookended by a win at the Arnold Classic Europe in 2011.


From left to right: Ryall Vasani, Trish Warren, Oksana Grishina, Tanji johnson, Bethany Cisternino, Regiane DaSilva

Ms. fitness international results March 1, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

Tanji Johnson

2

Oksana Grishina

USA

$25,000

Russia

$13,000

3

Bethany Cisternino

USA

$8,000

4

Trish Warren

USA

$5,000

5

Regiane DaSilva

Germany

$3,000

6

Ryall Vasani

Canada

$2,000

7

Kizzy Vaines

United Kingdom

8

Nicole Duncan

9

Fiona Harris

10

Amanda Hatfield

USA Canada USA

Grishina, who now makes her home in North Hollywood, CA, is a crowd favorite with her tumbling, strength and flexibility moves that oftentimes defy human limits (if you haven’t seen her routine, check it out on YouTube). The three-time pro winner took home $13,000 — and possibly a leading role in a future Cirque du Soleil show? — for her efforts.

A consistent finisher, New Jersey’s Bethany Cisternino placed third. Cisternino won the 2010 Europa Super Show and was runner-up in countless others, including the St. Louis Pro and Fort Lauderdale Cup last season. Back onstage after maternity leave, Texas’ Trish (and wife of Branch) Warren finished fourth, continuing a string

of top finishes that included third at the Fitness International (2011) and fourth (2010) a year earlier. Brazilian native Regiane DaSilva, who now lives in Germany, finished fifth, just three points behind Warren. Now in her seventh Fitness International appearance, the former European champ’s highest placing at Columbus had been fourth in 2009. –Bill Geiger, MA


3

Bethany Cisternino

2

Oksana Grishina


4

Trish Warren

5

Regiane DaSilva

6

Ryall Vasani


figure international

1

Candice Keene

Keene

secures decisive

figure international

W

ith three-time defending champion Nicole Wilkins sidelined with an injury, the 2013 Ms. Figure International at the Arnold Classic on March 1 in Columbus, OH, was a wide-open race for the title. Seven-time pro winner Candice Keene of Maitland, FL, won her biggest competition ever, taking the first-place prize of $16,000. Keene finished third at the Figure International, Figure Olympia and Sheru Classic a year ago but still managed a perfect score in the 11th rendition of the women’s event. With five pro wins in 2012 including the Bikini Olympia, Tampa’s Erin Stern was the odds-on favorite to win, but instead it was Utah’s Heather Dees who narrowly took the runner-up spot. Dees won the California Governor’s Cup a year ago and placed fifth at last year’s Figure International. For Stern, the fall to third was a bit of a disappointment given her collection of hardware after she won the Arnold Figure Europe, Australian Pro, Valenti Gold Cup and Sheru Classic in addition to her Oympia win. In fourth was Arizona’s Candice Lewis, who entered the competition having won five of the 10 pro shows she’d entered since 2011. Lewis had a record-tying year in 2012, winning five contests (Houston Pro, Fort Lauderdale Cup, Pro World, Omaha Pro and Wings of Strength). Rounding out the top five was Las Vegas’ Mallory Haldeman. A pro for less than a year, Haldeman took second in her pro debut in Tampa last August and fifth in the Figure Olympia. —Bill Geiger, MA


WIN

From left to right: Camala Rodriguez, Candice Lewis, Heather Dees, Candice Keene, Erin Stern, Mallory Haldeman

Ms. figure international results March 1, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

Candice Keene

USA

$16,000

2

Heather Dees

USA

$10,000

3

Erin Stern

USA

$8,000

4

Candice Lewis

USA

$5,000

5

Mallory Haldeman

USA

$3,000

6

Camala Rodriguez

USA

$2,000

7

Ava Cowan

USA

8

Gennifer Strobo

USA

9

Cheryl Brown

USA

10

Kamla Macko

USA

11

Ann Titone

USA

12

Aleisha Hart

Canada

13

Candice John

Trinidad

14

Nicole Sims

USA

15

Giada Simari

Italy

15

Olga Morales

Mexico

15

Natalie Waples

Canada

2

Heather Dees


3

Erin Stern


4

Candice Lewis

5

Mallory Haldeman

6

Camala Rodriguez


bikini

From left to right: Jessica Paxon, Nicole Nagrani, India Paulino, Nathalia Melo, Yeshaira Robles, Jamie Baird

Paulino wins bikini I international by razor-thin margin Ms. bikini international results March 2, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

India Paulino

USA

$7,000

2

Nathalia Melo

Brazil

$3,000

3

Nicole Nagrani

USA

$2,000

4

Yeshaira Robles

USA

$1,000

5

Jessica Paxson

USA

$1,000

6

Jaime Baird

USA

$1,000

7

Jennifer Andrews

USA

8

Tiffany Marie Boydstor

USA

9

Tawna Eubanks

USA

10

Ashley Kaltwasser

USA

11

Anna Virmajoki

12

Lacey DeLuca

USA

13

Abigail Burrows

USA

14

Alexis Kaufman

USA

15

Noy Alexander

USA

16

Marcela Triban

Columbia


Finland

FBB bikini competitions may be only in their fourth year, but already Fort Lauderdale, FL’s India Paulino tallied her sixth pro win on March 2, coming up with her biggest title yet on the professional stage at the Ms. Bikini International at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH. In front of a sold-out Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Paulino moved up a spot from last year’s runner-up finish to edge Brazil’s Nathalia Melo and claim the $7,000 first-place prize. Though as a sport it offers little more than women standing and turning onstage, the crossover appeal is obvious as the women’s competition is staged back-to-back with the men’s pro show. On Paulino’s heels was a competitor who knows the champion all too well considering she, too, lives in Fort Lauderdale. Melo was trying to bookend her huge win last September at the 2012 Bikini Olympia with the Arnold title. The five-time pro champ, who came in fifth on this stage a year ago, lost by just two points. Two years ago another Floridian, Nicole Nagrani, swept the Ms. Bikini International and Bikini Olympia titles, but she fell to third this time around. The full-time medical student at Stetson University in DeLand won both the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Tampa Pro and Sheru Classic titles a year ago. Finishing fourth was New York City’s Yeshaira Robles, who was making her first appearance on the Bikini International stage. Robles had a breakout rookie season a year ago, winning the Valenti Gold Cup and Fort Lauderdale Cup while placing third in three other shows. Rounding out the top five was Centerville, OH’s Jessica Paxson. The certified personal trainer is a former figure competitor who transitioned into bikini, having won the 2009 Jacksonville Pro to go with a pair of runner-up finishes. Paxson came in fourth at the inaugural Bikini International in 2011. —Bill Geiger, MA

1

India Paulino

2

Nathalia Melo


B E W A R E.

3

Nicole Nagrani

4

I T ’ S E V O L V I N G.

Yeshaira Robles a new look. new formulas. it’s a new age... for a whole new beast.


5

Jessica Paxson


6

Jamie Baird

arnold amateur Heavyweight and Overall Champion

Emiliano Dell’Uomo

Middleweight Champion

Super Heavyweight Champion

Charles Mario Soares

Welterweight Champion

Darren Ball Mahmut Irmak

Lightweight Champion

arnold amateur men’s bodybuilding class winners Lightweight Champion

Marcin Kosel

Poland

Welterweight Champion

Mahmut Irmak

Turkey

Light Middleweight Champion

Randolph Stephen Naranjo

Venezuela

Middleweight Champion

Charles Mario Soares

Brazil

Light Heavyweight Champion

Alex Dos Anjos

Brazil

Heavyweight and Overall Champion

Emiliano Dell’Uomo

Italy

Super Heavyweight Champion

Darren Ball

United Kingdom


Light Heavyweight Champion

Alex Dos Anjos

Light Middleweight Champion

Marcin Kosel

Randolph Stephen Naranjo musclemag.com | MARCH 2013 57

arnold strongman

“Lalas is the total package! He’s strong, fast and doesn’t give up. I think he was initially second-guessing himself on certain lifts because of his injury. However, in the end it worked to his advantage because so many people counted him out and expected someone else to win, so he had nothing to lose.”

From left to right: Vytautus Lalas (Lithuania), Brian Shaw (USA), Mikhail Koklyaev (Russia), Krzysztof Radzikowski (Poland), Mike Burke (USA), Mark Felix (UK), Jerry Pritchett (US). Thor Bjornsson (Iceland), Derek Poundstone (US), Adam Scherr (US)

lalas rallies to win arnold strongman Commentary by Mike Jenkins, World’s Strongest Man, Team MHP Athlete

“The deadlift was nuts as nearly all competitors were lifting around 1,OOO pounds! England’s Mark Felix and Brian Shaw tied for an in-contest record of 1,122 pounds. Felix, the 46-year-old ageless wonder, then shocked the crowd by hitting an outof-competition record of 1,128 pounds!”

L

ithuania’s Vytautas Lalas won the final event, the Circus Dumbbell, doing a one-arm overhead press with a gargantuan 275-pound dumbbell five times from the floor in 90 seconds, to come from behind and win the 12th annual Arnold Classic Strongman and claim the sport’s top payday of $60,000 and the Louis Cyr Trophy on March 2 in Columbus, OH. Brian Shaw, who led after three rounds, including a world record in the Manhood Stones competition by lifting 540 pounds three times, came in second and took the $20,000 award. Besides Shaw’s record, a number of other world marks fell during the two-day competition. Mark Feliz and Shaw both made 1,122 pounds for new world records in the Tire Deadlift, and Krzysztof Radzikowski set a world record in the Austrian Oak with a threetime clean and two push-presses of 445 pounds. In third was Russia’s Mikhail “Misha” Koklyaev, who bagged $15,000; fourth place went to Poland’s Krzysztof Radzikowski, who earned $10,000, followed by Colorado’s Mike Burke, who took home an $8,000 prize.


arnold strongman results March 1–2, 2013 * Columbus, OH 1

Vytautas Lalas

2

Brian Shaw

Lithuania

$60,000

USA

$20,000

3

Mikhai Koklyaev

Russia

$15,000

4

Krzysztof Radzikowski

Poland

$10,000

5

Mike Burke

USA

$8,000

6

Mark Felix

United Kingdom

$6,000

7

Jerry Pritchett

USA

$5,000

8

Hafthor Bjornsson

Iceland

$3,000

9

Derek Poundstone

USA

$2,000

10

Adam Scherr

USA

$1,000

“It was not known before the contest by anyone other than myself and a few others, but Lalas had not trained in 2–3 weeks because of a tear in his quad. That makes his victory even more impressive. At 5´10˝ Lalas is also the smallest athlete to ever win the Arnold Strongman Classic.”

1,128 pound record

4

There were four events: • The Austrian Oak (log lift) • The Manhood Stones • The Tire Deadlift • The Circus Dumbbell. musclemag.com | MARCH 2013 59

“The Austrian Oak log lift went as I predicted, and I wasn’tsurprised to see Poland’s Krzysztof Radzikowski win the event. Vytautas Lalas and Mikhail Koklyaev from Russia took 2nd.”

“Another big surprise was the biceps injury to crowd favorite Derek Poundstone. He tore his right biceps attempting to load the 54O-pound stone. As a result he finished 9th.”

“The stones were heavier than ever, with the big one weighing 54O pounds and the smaller one 452 pounds. The USA’s Brian Shaw ran away with this event with five reps. For me, the huge surprise was Thor Bjornsson from Iceland getting zero reps on the big stone. I know Thor to be an amazing stone loader, but this just wasn’t his day.”

264 pounds “Vytautus Lalas and Mikhail Koklyaev were the standouts when it came to the 264-pound dumbbells, hitting five and four reps respectively off the floor!”


“While it was disappointing not being able to defend my title due to injury, I had the pleasure of announcing the contest and really got to soak up what the athletes did. All the guys looked huge in the meeting and were anxious to get going.” musclemag.com | MARCH 2013 61

Musclemag Arnold Classic 2013 Digital Special Issue

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