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The Battle for the Olympia VII - 2002 Mitsuru Okabe is at it again with another edition of the Battle for the Olympia. Since 1997, Mitsuru has been videotaping all the top professional bodybuilders during the final few weeks prior to the Mr. Olympia competition. This year, Mitsuru has released a two tape set for the 2002 version of the Battle for the Olympia. The total running time for this footage of bodybuilding's best adds up to over five hours of video! With 25 competitors in this year's Mr. Olympia contest, Mitsuru shows us veteran bodybuilders who have been featured on the Battle for the Olympia tapes several times before not to mention some "rookie" professionals who were competing in the Big O for the very first time. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of these videos is getting the opportunity to see these bodybuilders in an up close and personal environment. We see them training only weeks before the biggest contest of their lives. We witness their mental attitudes, view their physiques and unearth their unique personalities. For true bodybuilding fans, the Battle for the Olympia tapes are a must-have! Tape number one features second time Olympia contenders Craig Titus, Orville Burke and King Kamali, veterans Flex Wheeler, Ronnie Coleman, Darrem Charles and Kevin Levrone and rookie first timers Ahmad Haidar and Art Atwood. I thought the most impressive bodybuilders in this group (and this applies only to these videotapes, not the actual contest itself) were Ronnie Coleman, Kevin Levrone, Craig Titus and Ahmad Haidar. Those who saw the 2002 Mr. Olympia contest and witnessed the deflated version of the champ, Ronnie Coleman, will be amazed at how incredible the 5 time winner looks in the 2002 Battle for the Olympia tape. At an incredible 275 pounds, Ronnie is freaky big and hard as he trains chest and triceps in his new $30,000 home gym. So much for the theory that Big Ron is past his peak! Coleman gets my vote for the best physique of this two tape set. Kevin Levrone is always impressive in the Battle for the Olympia tapes and he doesn't disappoint here. Kevin bombs his chest in preparation for his runner-up position at the Olympia only two weeks later. Looking relaxed and happy, Levrone pumps out 405 pounds on the bench for an easy 12 reps. Next up is the incline bench press where Kevin reps out with 405 pounds for 6 reps to the applause of the members of his gym. Craig Titus gives us a tour of his new home in Las Vegas before bombing his legs for Mitsuru's camera. Craig is impressively full and vascular as he explains how he eats low carbs during the week followed by a couple high carb days to avoid flattening out as he did the year before. It must have worked as Craig was ten pounds heavier this year than in 2001. Ahmad Haidar was one of the most impressive rookie physiques onstage at the 2002 Mr. Olympia. With his compact and thick structure, Ahmad has some of the best abdominal muscles ever seen on a pro stage. Currently residing in West Palm Beach, Florida, Ahmad is very fortunate to be sponsored by the owners of his gym. He also looks in peak condition as he bombs his back and traps only two weeks out from the big show. Other bodybuilders in the first tape include Flex Wheeler, Darrem Charles, Orville Burke, Art Atwood and King Kamali. Atwood is impressive as one of bodybuilding's new guard. He has impressive size and proportions as we witness him bombing his legs at his gym in Wisconsin. Orville Burke's segment looks almost identical to last year's Battle for the Olympia tapes as he trains back at Steve Weinberger's gym in New York. Flex Wheeler looks like a smaller version of previous Olympia's as he competed in this year's show drug-free. Both he and Kamali have looked better. Darrem Charles was unfortunately videotaped only one day after he discovered the tragic news that his mother was murdered. This is perhaps the most sobering part of the two video set. The second tape features Claude Groulx, Bob Cicherillo, Tommi Thorvildsen, Lee Priest, Dennis James, Gunter Schlierkamp and Flex Wheeler as he poses in Golds Gym. The bodybuilders who impressed me in this group were Gunter Schlierkamp, Claude Groulx and Lee Priest. Gunter, of course, was the surprise of the 2002 Mr. Olympia contest. Competing at an incredible 300 pounds onstage, Gunter was big, full, ripped and bristling with charisma. In the Battle for the Olympia video, we get to witness Gunter only 6 days away from the standing ovation he inspired at the Mr. Olympia show. Schlierkamp and master trainer Charles Glass bomb his chest to failure with exercises that hit the pecs from all angles. It's exciting to watch Gunter pose at the end of his workout knowing that he was about to unveil a new physique for the judges and the crowd. Even he wasn't aware of the sensation he was about to create. Lee Priest looks pretty big and ripped himself as he trains chest, shoulders and calves at his brand new home gym (is this the start of a new trend?) in Lancaster, California. Lee trains with several training partners including his wife, pro bodybuilder Cathy Priest. His gym is impressively equipped with all the best training equipment including a neat new device from a company called Pro Spot. It's like a Smith machine except the bar is free to move horizontally as well as vertically. Lee shows off his thick, vascular arms and forearms as the sunlight peeks in through the opening of his workout shack. Claude Groulx is big and ripped as he trains at Golds Gym in Venice, California. After witnessing Claude in action training his back with his shirt off, you have to wonder if the judges at the Mr. Olympia overlooked him at the competition. Flex Wheeler is also featured on tape two as he poses his classic physique in front of the mirror at Golds. Flex looks great and it's a given that his symmetrical look will always make the top ten at the Mr. O as long as he is in shape. Bob Cicherillo is introduced to the fans as a first-time competitor at the Olympia. Training shoulders with two young (and big!) upcoming bodybuilders, Hollywood Bob looks great with his symmetrical, thick physique. In addition to his impressive musculature, Bob is also very well-spoken and he fills the void left by Shawn Ray who is missing from the Battle for the Olympia tape for the first time since the videos started in 1997. Also featured in tape two are Tommi Thorvildsen, Dennis James, George Farah and Jaroslav Horvath. Mitsuru includes footage filmed around the Mr. Olympia weekend in addition to all the workout material. This includes posing by several of the athletes in their rooms the day before the competition. Art Atwood, Ahmad Haidar and Francisco "Paco" Bautista are all shown at their competition best. Francisco Bautista is especially hard and freaky as he shows off some of the craziest legs and glutes in the business. All in all, the Battle for the Olympia 2002 contains a whopping 322 minutes of workout action and posing footage of bodybuilding's best pros only weeks before the Mr. Olympia. It's a fascinating look at the sport's elite core in the shape of their lives (at least most of them). Here are the awards for this year's edition of Battle for the Olympia: "The
Battle for the Olympia VII" Highlights
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