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 Professional noticed a closing that was virtually too near name 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 shouldn’t be an lively decide himself, however as an emcee and commentator, he has proposed his personal reforms through the years and understands the judging course of maybe as a lot as anybody within the business.
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 supplied an extra likelihood to point out the physique from all angles and get a rating for what he noticed as a vital spherical.
Opposite to well-liked perception, Sarcev defined that the symmetry spherical was not solely about symmetry, nevertheless it additionally took general muscularity and form into consideration. The confusion over what was required within the symmetry spherical is prevalent within the at present lively rounds, it appears.
All Bodybuilding Rounds are Muscularity Rounds, Explains Bob Cicherillo
“I can solely communicate for myself, proper now,” mentioned host Dennis James. “I turned professional in ’98, proper? And again then they nonetheless had the three man callouts, they usually 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 convey, and I believed the posing spherical is for my artistic posing routine and exhibiting my physique, hiding my weaknesses.”
However Cicherillo confirmed that this perception was mistaken, and Sarcev piled on. “How might anyone suppose that (the) posing spherical is for posing and choreography, your dancing capacity?” 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, though what you simply mentioned, it nonetheless doesn’t make sense to me,” mentioned James.
Cicherillo clarified that this may be defined by the truth that identical to all different rounds, it’s nonetheless about general muscle. “They’re all muscularity rounds,” mentioned Cicherillo, concurring that the naming of rounds, identical to the posing spherical, appears to recommend that there’s an emphasis on the pose moderately than the muscle. “This was the very concept of why I went to the desk with them and mentioned, ‘look, particularly with the posing spherical, in the event you’re not gonna decide the posing, don’t name it a posing spherical. Simply name it spherical quantity three,” mentioned 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 appears like I by no means talked to anyone,” retorted Cicherillo. “I talked to loads of athletes through the years,” including that most 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 an alternative, he mentioned 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 ultimately. “However Derek received on the higher form,” mentioned 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 strain,” 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 under.
