If you witnessed the 2008 Mr. Olympia contest, you witnessed more than the champ being dethroned for the second time in over twenty years.  You also witnessed the age of the “belly” ending, once and for all!  Dexter Jackson won the title from the incumbent Jay Cutler, despite Cutler being almost forty pounds heavier than Jackson.  It was the first time in modern history that a smaller man has beaten a bigger man to steal away the title.  It sent ripples across the bodybuilding world.  Not only did it mean a reigning champion had been dethroned, but it meant that he had been beaten by a competitor much smaller than him.  In other words, the best physique won, not the biggest one.  Jackson had better lines, conditioning, and shape – even though Cutler had him beat in terms of overall muscle mass.   Class defeated mass, and it had been a long time coming.

How does this affect you, as a beginner or intermediate bodybuilder?  If you ever plan to compete in a show, it affects you plenty!  Bodybuilding mandates are usually handed down from the top.  In other words, it’s not the local NPC shows that change the direction of the sport.  It’s the top shows in the land – the Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia – that guide fan outlook, judging requirements, and overall presentation for the entire sport. 

In years past, the biggest man always won.  This has been the case since 1984, when Lee Haney won his first tile and then never looked back.  During his own winning span of 8 titles, many argue that he was bested on occasion by a sub-200 pounder named Lee Labrada. Labrada.  When standing side-by-side, Haney would dwarf Labrada.  However, in terms of lines, shape, and conditioning, Labrada usually had Haney beaten.  It was no different under the reign of the next Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates.  Shawn Ray often showed up looking better than Yates in just about every pose.  However, Dorian’s weight advantage was too much for Ray to overcome.  While Shawn ray was able to win the prestigious Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, he was never able to topple Yates and take home the biggest prize in bodybuilding, the Sandow, for winning the Olympia.

Dexter Jackson changed this. For the next Shawn Ray, and for the next local bodybuilder intent on making his mark in the sport. Finally, we are entering an era where bodybuilders with better shape, conditioning, and lines will finally have a chance against guys with more muscle. If you plan on a career in bodybuilding, it’s time to make one major move you never thought you’d be making.  Throw away your scale, and go buy a mirror.  Stop looking at the numbers.  Use that time to look at your lines, shape, and conditioning.  Yes, you still want to build muscle, a whole lot of it.  But the word has come down from the top – in the judging standards, the combination of lines, shape, and conditioning now defeats pure mass.  Mass monsters, your reign at the top is just about over.

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