Dennis James was joined by compadres Milos Sarcev and Chris Cormier on Episode 232 of The Menace Podcast, together with particular visitor Bob Cicherillo, and the sparks quickly flew in a heated debate about how aggressive bodybuilding rounds are judged.
The primary ever Open Division competitors on the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro saw a final that was almost too close to call between Nick Walker and Derek Lunsford. A such, the athletes, judges, and followers are nonetheless dissecting the best way that bodybuilding exhibits are judged. And, with “The Voice of Bodybuilding,” on the present, tensions quickly flared over what the judges are searching for precisely. Cicherillo just isn’t an lively choose himself, but as an emcee and commentator, he has proposed his personal reforms over time and understands the judging course of maybe as a lot as anybody within the trade.
However it seems that the bodybuilders themselves are sometimes confused about what’s being requested of them. This was illustrated in a fiery debate when Sarcev expressed his disgruntlement over the truth that the symmetry spherical was phased out within the late ’90s as a result of he felt it provided a further likelihood to indicate the physique from all angles and get a rating for what he noticed as an important spherical.
Opposite to standard perception, Sarcev defined that the symmetry spherical was not solely about symmetry, however it additionally took general muscularity and form into consideration. The confusion over what was required within the symmetry spherical is prevalent within the presently lively rounds, it appears.
All Bodybuilding Rounds are Muscularity Rounds, Explains Bob Cicherillo
“I can solely converse for myself, proper now,” stated host Dennis James. “I turned professional in ’98, proper? And again then they nonetheless had the three man callouts, and so they nonetheless did the symmetry rounds … and I, to at the present time, didn’t know the data that you simply simply gave me. I believed the symmetry spherical was primarily based simply off the symmetry that I’ve, the proportion that I carry, and I believed the posing spherical is for my artistic posing routine and displaying my physique, hiding my weaknesses.”
However Cicherillo confirmed that this perception was mistaken, and Sarcev piled on. “How may anyone assume that (the) posing spherical is for posing and choreography, your dancing skill?” he requested The Menace. Nonetheless, this can be a false impression held by many athletes and followers. “I by no means understood how Dorian (Yates) can beat Flex (Wheeler), or Shawn (Ray) within the symmetry spherical, although what you simply stated, it nonetheless doesn’t make sense to me,” stated James.
Cicherillo clarified that this may be defined by the truth that similar to all different rounds, it’s nonetheless about general muscle. “They’re all muscularity rounds,” stated Cicherillo, concurring that the naming of rounds, similar to the posing round, appears to counsel that there’s an emphasis on the pose moderately than the muscle. “This was the very thought of why I went to the desk with them and stated, ‘look, particularly with the posing spherical, in case you’re not gonna choose the posing, don’t name it a posing spherical. Simply name it spherical quantity three,” stated the Olympia host.
However this assertion had Sarcev’s blood boiling. “You once more say you got here with a proposal to take the posing spherical, who the f**** are you?” requested Sarcev, infuriated that as he sees it, “The Voice” was talking for himself moderately than the athletes. “You make it seems like I by no means talked to anyone,” retorted Cicherillo. “I talked to loads of athletes over time,” including that lots of the most profitable Olympians couldn’t have received in the event that they have been purely judged by the labeling of the rounds.
As a substitute, he stated that the competitors was about muscularity at its core, noting that in his opinion, Nick Walker had higher symmetry on the 2025 Pittsburgh Professional, and but he misplaced out to Derek Lunsford in the long run. “However Derek received on the higher form,” stated Sarcev, suggesting that some features of the competitors nonetheless should be given a rating for transparency. “I’m all for it,” agreed Cicherillo. “You took it out!” bellowed Sarcev. “Milos, watch your blood stress,” pleaded James.
Some debates are destined to go on perpetually, it appears.
To watch the sparks fly in episode 232, the place the panel mentioned different features of judging and Nick Walker’s prospects of profitable a Mr Olympia title, see beneath.
