by Christian Duque
The Arnold Classic is just about four weeks away and there’s growing talk around the water cooler and up in the cheap seats that’s concerning. It seems everyone in the peanut gallery is under the impression that Derek is way behind and had better start playing catch-up or he won’t have a shot of coming within striking distance of Samson Dauda. I, personally, don’t subscribe to these naysayers very much. It’s extremely common with this type of competition.
We can’t forget the Arnold Classic is the second biggest bodybuilding show on the roster and it is paying a whopping half million dollars to the top winner. It’s also going to be a situation where the reigning Mr Olympia will look his best outside of Vegas. He’s going to bring absolutely everything he’s got to win this title during the first and possibly one of many years he will have the top title in the sport. This is a very important competition for him. He has won the Arnold in the past and knows what needs to be done. Right now all eyes are on him by virtue of being the number one bodybuilder in the world. I can assure you that he is not taking anything lightly and that he is very much aware of Derek, Martin, and everyone else who may potentially take his title. Even though he is not the defending Arnold Classic champion, He is still very much someone to watch out for.
The question is can Derek upset the apple cart to the point that he can win the Arnold Classic while the reigning Mr Olympia is in the show and in great shape? That’s a pretty huge question right there. So let’s talk about it. Derek is navigating some uncharted waters at this point. This is the first show without longtime coach Hany Rambod by his side. Unlike with other coaches, Hani basically pulled away. Nobody left him. In fact, I would argue that Derek and Hadi would have stayed with Rambod for their entire careers – if possible. He was able to do a great deal for both of those guys, including taking them all the way to the top of the sport.
As a result of Hany’s retirement from preparing top professional athletes, guys like Derek had to hit the ground running and find a coach that could do for them what Hany had. I don’t know that Chris will do everything the same way or provide the same level of support, but the Arnold Classic will be make or break for this partnership. I feel that if Chris drops the ball, Derek won’t stick around to see if he can rectify the situation. If Chris hits it out of the ballpark, then I think he and Derek will have a very long and fruitful relationship. But what exactly can Derek accomplish and what is outside of the realm of possibility.
The one thing about the Arnold Classic is that it’s not judged like the Olympia. This does not mean that the Olympia is shady or rigged; it just means that in the event politics do play a factor, they play less of a factor at the Arnold Classic than they do at the Olympia. Does that make sense? I can see where it may not. It isn’t exactly a very easy to understand sport but we try our best.
Basically if someone is going to go in with the hopes of toppling the greatest bodybuilder in the world, the Arnold Classic is the best place to do that. It’s the best place to have an honest shot at doing that. I don’t think it would be as fair at the Olympia, the New York Pro, or any other show. And this is because Arnold has always been a maverick. Even though Arnold is not judging the show, the fact that it is his show, means that it’s going to be judged slightly differently. And if Arnold is not happy with the judging decision, he will be amongst the first to voice his concerns. Trying to control Arnold is something that Pittsburgh stopped doing a long time ago. It’s not possible and it’s simply not worth anyone’s time. The man will say whatever he wants about the judging, about the state of bodybuilding, he’ll even openly challenge the president of the United States. Arnold marches to the beat of his own drum – always has and always will.
With regards to Derek what I am seeing so far is more size and a fuller look. I know that he is way shorter than Samson but that is not something he can change. I feel that trying to change one’s height is pretty much a waste of time. There are little tricks of the trade, like what we have seen with classic physique during the weigh-in process and the use of Chiropractic medicine, but those are only temporary effects. The reality of the matter is if you’re short – you’re short. Make the best of it. And that’s exactly what Derek and Hadi have been able to do. They have been able to create far wider physiques even though they are vertically challenged.
At the end of the day, however, what the judges are looking for are body parts and flow. Height has never really been a factor. There isn’t a box to check for height. In fact, many have often made the point that being tall in bodybuilding is actually a disservice to the competitor. There is more space to fill out and there is a greater likelihood of looking lanky. Bodybuilding has never been a tall man’s sport.
Now that being said, having a tall, towering Mr Olympia next to a couple of anklebiters isn’t exactly the most promising look for those that are on the shorter side. They may even look like dwarfs. Then again it doesn’t matter what they look like, it matters how they have developed their physiques. At the end of the day if a guy like Sean Clarida can beat guys that are a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier, then it stands to reason that this is a physique based sport – not a height-based sport, not a weight-based sport.
With regards to the Arnold Classic, the Mr Olympia, and pretty much all the professional shows, I think that condition will still be a huge factor. I understand that for guys like Derek and Hadi growing is really all they can do. If they come in super conditioned but are not up to par size-wise, they’re not going to win the show. So therefore, I understand they need to have wide backs, flaring quads, and narrow’ish waists. This is going to help them make up for the height differential. but at the end of the day it may not be enough.
This last point I think is very noteworthy because we are dealing with single year champions. Hadi, Derek, and Samson all are single year Olympia champions. None of them have reached the level where their physique is what the judges are looking for. They have merely one title each. Therefore, Derek doesn’t need to be a better looking Samson. He doesn’t need to go in that direction. Moreover, what he needs to do is try to get as close to his Olympia winning look as possible. He needs to try to be the best Derek. Hopefully Chris understands this and is working diligently towards this goal.
As far as I’m concerned it’s anyone’s show. Samson will come in with an undeniable edge as the reigning Mr Olympia, but that alone is not going to be enough. And in fact it may come back to haunt him because if he’s even a smidgen off, he is going to be judged to the highest standard because he is the number one in the world. Perhaps Derek can fly in under the radar and position himself in such a way as to conserve energy, while jumping in at the exact precise moment to steal the whole show.
There’s no point in over-exerting yourself and there’s certainly no point in psyching yourself out. You may not be the tallest and you may not be the heaviest, but if you play the game strategically, you just might walk away with the win!
I have all the faith in the world that Derek can upset the apple cart in Columbus, OH. What say you? Can he win the Arnold Classic? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments.