|
| 2003 IFBB Masters Olympia DVD Review |
|
BodybuildingPro.com  Bodybuilding Video & DVD Reviews 2003 IFBB Masters Olympia DVD Review
Go to: REVIEW OF THE DVD
Go to: BUY THE DVD
REVIEW OF THE DVD
Back To Top
2003 IFBB Masters Olympia
16th August 2003
Charlotte, North Carolina
U.S.A
GMV-550DVD
Prejudging & Show
The DVD started off showing the competitors doing the quarter turns. You could see the group as a whole nailed their conditioning. The next group showed up and Lee Apperson was in this group. He was looking the best I had seen him yet of these masters DVDs at 6'2 and 250 pounds shredded. It's hard to gauge height sometimes from watching videos, but I would assume Nicolae was about 5'8. There were definitely some near midgets competing that day! The next group lined up and Stan Frydrych was in that group. He was huge and shredded, somewhere between 50-60 years of age! Again, I wish I could gauge height but that is so hard to do from TV or pictures.
The callouts started next with Claude Groulx, Dave Hawk, and Johnny Stewart called out as the first three. Claude Groulx looked to be the best in this linep, but Dave Hawk was looking pretty good too. Claude had his conditioning nailed and even his glutes were hard. His tan and colour added to this condition as he was the best I have ever seen him! Definitely better than his appearances at the Mr. Olympia from 2001-2004.
I have not yet seen his 1998 performance. A lot of the guys getting called out looked great, but it was almost sad to see how short some of them were. LOL. It's too bad that being competitive at a higher height is so difficult to do. It is often the shorter guys who pack on the beef better than the taller ones. Juan Marquez was in a following callout looking far better than his performance at the 2002 show.
Somebody once said it was a travesty to see these guys juicing at an advanced age. But what's better? Juicing at the prime of your life? LOL. A lot of the physiques on the stage in this DVD looked to be pretty moderate, so you never know how much juice they were actually using.
Flavio Baccianini was in the next callout and using his height of 4'10 as a marker I kind of got an idea of how tall all the other guys were in the lineup. I would say they appeared to be 5'8 to 6'2 but it's hard to say for sure. Lee Apperson was in the callout after Flavio's and he is 5'2. All the guys in this callout looked to be about 6'2 except for Nicolae who looked to be 5'6. Once I get the information on their heights I would include it in stats pages found here on the site. I know I always try to dig up resources on this online and they are pretty hard to come by. I want to create a definitive source for this info for all to share.
Stan Frydrych was in the next callout, again having no idea of his height. One thing was for sure - at over 50, he was about as cut as a person can get. He looked to be about 5'10 but who knows. He could be 5'6 or 6'2 for all I know.
Claude was back in the next lineup doing quarter turns and his great conditioning and colour once again easily illustrated why he later went on to win the show. His fullness was also very notable, particular in his shoulders and arms. Even his chest was looking full which normally is not for him. His legs were big, even his calves. At 40, he had the advantage of being the youngest in the show. I'm not sure what Claude is up to these days, but he was still competing in 2004, at the Olympia.
As the bodybuilders went up to do quarter turns and pose, I realized that some of these guys had some stomach distention. Bodybuilders of ALL sizes get distention - I think it's just that so many "fans" of bodybuilding want to believe it is caused solely by GH abuse that they only seem to notice the guts when the person with it is over 250 pounds. In reality, many factors cause distention including diet (eating LOTS of food), hard training (squats and deadlifts which put pressure on the abdominal wall), and GENETICS (a big factor for sure). I can't stick my stomach out or suck it in at all - it is perpetually flat. Meanwhile my friend can stick his stomach out quite a bit and also pull a vacuum. Go figure. If I can get some screencaps of this DVD and other GMV titles up, I will. I was getting some errors doing this in MS Paint (when I used "print screen" and pasted the image in paint, it was still moving! The still didn't show up, but the actual screen in live action. As soon as I work around this error I should be able to fill these reviews with pictures.
Once the guys stepped up to hit the compulsory poses, the overall conditioning at this show became apparent once again. Of course, these are the top masters competitors in the world! You would expect good conditioning, but this show particularly impressed me. It would have been tough for Don Youngblood to defend his title if he had competed this year. All the standard markers of good conditioning were present - striations, shredded glutes, split biceps, lightning bolt triceps, vascularity, Christmas tree lower backs, and splits running all over the place. Some of these guys held quite a bit of size too, but it was mostly the conditioning that stuck out for me. Honore Cironte was back to compete in this contest again. He is one of the very few whose body does look old - but indeed it is! I think he was around 65 at the time of this contest! Very impressive.
Lee Apperson was posing in the mandatories and he looked great. It truly is a shame if he did indeed fill his arms with oil or use implants. I hope this is just an ill founded rumour on the message boards! Nicolae was one bodybuilder who always looked somewhat tall (around 5'10) when alone, but compared to the 6'2 Lee Apperson only appeared to be about 5'6! I am now very curious about his real height.
When Claude went up to hit the mandatories he reminded me a bit about Rich Gaspari - hard as nails and in fantastic shape. Great colour to boot. Claude may not have been a mass monster, but masters shows are more about nailing down your conditioninig anyway, and he definitely did that. So did a lot of the other guys. This was by no means a weak show - by any standard, masters or open. There was a lot of variance at the show in terms of hardness, muscle maturity, thickness, and other factors, but it really looked like every competitor dialed it in and came in at the best shape they could have. And that's really what bodybuilding is all about.
Individual Routines
Alberto Bistocchi
Italy
Alberto posed to some classic opratic music. This guy had an excellent physique! Talk about amazing balance. I prefer the appearance of his physique over Claude's, but objectively, Claude had him beat. Bodybuilding is not really judged solely based on what is the most pleasing to the eye. There are other factors in play such as size and conditioning as well as performance in the mandatory poses. But Alberto looked damn good. I think I'm going to see if GMV has anything else featuring him in it, because I had never heard of this guy before this DVD.
Lawrence Marshall
Trinidad
Big dude. Lawrence posed to some hard rock and looked pretty hard too. Gotta love how these older guys sill get in the shape much younger guys would envy. Very impressive.
Leon Brown
USA
Leon posed to "Forever Young" - the song many of you probably heard in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite ". He looked to be in pretty good condition. At least compared to his performance in 2002. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly his flaw is but I would say it is something in his extreme upper body - perhaps upper chest or side delts.
Mauro Grosso
Italy
I tried to dig up the lyrics to the song he was posing but couldn't figure out what it was. Good physique, but not a standout in this crowd. Nailed his conditioning like the rest of the batch though.
Joe Palumbo
USA
Joe was very impressive! His lats looked particularly powerful from the front and his hardness caught the eye. He was shredded and looked healthy and happy to be on stage. Thick guy for sure and very impressive. Another older guy with a body looking much younger.
Christian Ovidiu Mihaileschu
Romania
OK...this guy I had never heard of before. LOL. I would definitely have recognized the name. He was in respectable shape but lacked the thickness in his upper body necessary to do well at the show. He also didn't appear to have the stature to dominate a show this strong. He posed to "MANOWAR" by King of medal (1988). Possibly a song which was popular during his prime. I notice a lot of somewhat older songs are played at these masters shows - probably for that very same reason.
Behnam Samimy
Canada
Behnam had good colour and a great tan. This helped to highlight his conditioning was looked to be on for this contest. He posed to a soulful song and did the full splits during his presentation! This was a very impressive way to show off his muscularity and hardness.
Dayo Audi
UK
Dayo posed to "I Don't Know Why" by the Rolling Stones. His nipples appeared to be a bit puffy when he put his arms overhead which would lead me to suspect he had a mild case of gyno, but in other poses it wasn't noticeable at all. Go figure.
Jim Pedone
Australia
I've seen Jim in a few GMV features now. He looks good for a muscular body in everyday life - he's probably a pretty impressive sight in person. In contest, his lack of size in relation to some of his competitors prevents him from making his way to the top spots. He posed to the same beat Lee Haney used in his career and that Ronnie has used multiple times, including the 1996 and 2004 Mr. Olympias. Ronnie has used it many times in fact, including the 1996 English Grand Prix.
William Eonard
Australia
William posed to "Hero" by Enrique Eglesias. He was hard and had a great tan. He was short so didn't have the dominance to win the show but was pretty powerfully built.
Flavio Baccianini
Italy
Flavio isn't tall enough to be a giant killer, but he is probably the best sub five foot tall bodybuilder in the history of bodybuilding.
Honore Cironte
Spain
Again, you can't stop from being impressed with a guy somewhere between 60-70 years old coming into a show as cut as he is. I know I am impressed. I would like to be in that type of conditioning now at 24, let alone at the age close to that of my grandfather! Very impressive, no matter how you cut it.
Roy Menig
Netherlands
Roy posed to some rap and had some pretty heavy cuts in his physique. His abs and legs were very defined and he had some nice round delts. His overall balance was good and he was full of striations too. Yet another guy at the show who really nailed it condition wise.
Greg Dwyer
Australia
Great had a natural colour to his physique (at least as far as tans go LOL), and was in respectable conditioning. His muscles really "popped" in some poses.
Nicolae Giurgi
Romania
So was this the 5'6 Nicolae? I honestly have no idea of his height. He looked fantastic as always with a huge full chest. He posed to a song called "Want to Live Forever" (I think!!). If you know of any of the songs these guys pose to, feel free to email me with the information (webmaster@bodybuildingpro.com). The crowd really liked it when Nicolae hit the hands on hips most muscular.
Lee Apperson
USA
Lee looked fantastic as always. At 45 he looked as good as ever. His posing routine was similar to the one he used in 2002 at the masters. I am very impressed with Lee, and he will be 48 this year. I hope the rumours about any crap in his arms is false. I will keep posted on this as I get more information.
Darryl Stafford
USA
Darryl looked good. His glutes looked pretty hard and he had a Christmas tree lower back and very thick lat spread. He posed to the Terminator music and also had a thick upper body from the front.
David Hawk
USA
David was obviously one who would finish high up at the show. His triceps were in great shape and he was pretty cut with a good shape and balance. He looked great, and very young in the face. Nice to see he preserved his youth as he aged, unlike some who seem to grow so haggard so quickly.
Emeric Delczeg
Romania
Emeric looked a bit too bronze in my opinion and would have probably brought out his conditioning better with a brighter tan. I'm not even sure if it was the tan or the conditioning that was off. He was cut, but not up to par with some of the other guys at the show. He posed to "Time" by Pink Floyd.
Stan Frydrych
Poland
Talk about a jacked old man! Then again, what is "old"? 40 is now the new 20. I know Stan was in his fifties at this show, but he was looking cut like a lot of young guys - huge too! Could you imagine seeing a guy in his fifties as huge as Stan? I would quite like to see that! His posing routine was very similar to the one he used in 2002.
George Turmon
USA
George had a nice balanced physique. He posed to "Hearts Get Broken All the Time" by Luther Vandross. His triceps and shoulders were bang on in terms of cuts and his chest was great too. He looked fantastic.
Claude Groulx
Canada
Claude's conditioning was on par with Don Youngblood's conditioning in 2002. He was full and hard and I think his conditioning won him the show. Don might not have had the greatest conditioning in 2002 but he definitely did have the greatest conditioning - as did Claude at this show. He was hard as nails and shredded from head to toe, side to side. He posed to "Shake Ya Tail Feather" by Nelly. The same song used in the posedown at the 2003 Mr. Olympia.
Ken Jones
USA
Ken is a guy who just loves to compete. I think Ken was around 42 years of age at the time of the contest. The song he posed to was "Ebony Eyes" by Silk (I believe), followed up with "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson. Tony Pearson posed to that song at the 1984 Mr. Olympia in a very impressive routine!
Rafael Vera Diaz
Spain
Rafael had some good conditioning highlighted by his very thin skin. He had a classic physique with good lines and cuts everywhere. He definitely had a physique that I admired and would like to have myself. Again, his height was hard to determine but he was possibly between 5'8 and 6'0.
Juan Marquez
USA
Juan also posed to Nelly. He was in good condition - far improved over his 2002 conditioning, but was still too short to be dominant at this show. Good physique otherwise and an impressive sight. More than anything, I was impressed with his improvements in overall conditioning.
Johnny Stewart
USA
Johnny posed to the song "Lucky Charm" by The Isley Brothers. He was very thick especially from side to side.
Josef Rac
Czech Republic
Josef posed to "We are the Champions" by Queen. He looked like he had a very natural tan and was in good shape. He had a great muscular pose.
Next up the whole lineup came out to the stage to pose. There was a huge variance in height here lol. The shortest guys looked to be bordering on midgets. Quite possibly some of the people competing were shorter than Flavio at 4'10, but it's hard to say. for sure. Stan Frydrych who looked to be about 5'10 was towering over these guys. The posedown music was "Wild Wild West" by Escape Club.
Honore Cironte was announced to the stage and turned out to be 66 years old!
Honore Cironte
Spain
2003 IFBB Masters
Over 60 Olympia Champion
Rafael Vera Diaz
Spain
2003 IFBB Masters
Over 50 Olympia Champion
Rafael looked great at any age - let alone over 50. I had no idea he was that age.
Shawn Ray presented an award to Flavio Baccianini for best poser and he was towering over him at 5'7 lol! It really puts 4'10 into perspective. I felt that Flavio's title was well deserved. He put on a posing demonstration upon receipt of his award.
Top 5
The top five looked great and it was quite apparent that Claude was the obvious first place finisher. His conditioning really sealed the deal. The rest of the top five did look pretty damn good too though.
After hitting the mandatories, the top five went on to perform with some posing music and looked great doing so.
The top five was then announced:
5. George Turmon
4. Shawn Ray
3. Darryl Stafford
2. Johnny Stewart
1. Claude Groulx
The fifth place award was presented by Richard Jones and the fourth place award was presented by Shawn Ray.
I'm not sure if I agree with Johnny Stewart placing second, or even being in the top five altogether. But an argument could be made he deserved his spot in the top five. Second seems a bit high to me though. He didn't have much stature and I do think that is a necessary component to placing so high at a show. Some would disagree but it is how I feel.
Claude Groulx
Canada
2003 IFBB
Masters Olympia Champion
Be sure to check out Claude in these other titles, including some GMV pump room action DVDs:
Overall Review:
This is another great GMV gem. I loved it. The photo quality was excellent and so was the competition. I also happen to be especially motivated seeing the older guys compete. I can only hope to be in some kind of shape when I'm older. Please note: if you have any GMV titles you would like to see reviewed here, please email me or contact GMV directly and put in your request. I will be happy to write detailed reviews of any of their titles. They are the greatest bodybuilding video producers ever.
BUY THE DVD
Back To Top
Take care,
webmaster@bodybuildingpro.com
 Back To Matt Canning's Main Page
Back to Contest Pages Database
Back to Mr. Olympia Pages Database
Back to Writers Database
Back to Bodybuilders Database
Back to Discussion Forum
Back to EZINE Database
Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Read Visitor Reviews - Write Your Own Review
Related Pages:
Links!
Supplement Links!
ProMera Health Con-Cret Smaller Doses for Superior Results!
- The Future Of Creatine Is CON-CRET! Creatine Hydrochloride is revolutionary as presented at the 2009 ISSN World Conference in New Orleans.
- CON-CRET has superior solubility, uptake and efficiency -- greater than creatine monohydrate.
BUY IT NOW
|  |
E-Mail: Webmaster@BodybuildingPro.com
|
|
 - tn.jpg)
