2010 WNBF SEASON PREVIEW

by WNBF Pro - Alberto  Nunez

The WNBF season kicks off June 6^th in Marlborough Massachusetts at the Pro American, which over time has become one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The season eventually comes to a close at the WNBF Worlds in New York City, which always makes for a very climatic ending. Last year’s season was a great one, but it left so much up in the air, so many questions unanswered. Will the former lightweight champion be able to re-establish his reign over his division? Will Jim Cordova come back triumphant? Will Jon Harris throw his hat into the ring? Will Rodney Helaire be able to topple the mighty Martin Daniels? 

Since the introduction of weight classes in 2006, the overall Champion has come from the middleweight division. This year the division is more competitive than ever, and there is a chance that we may see four World Champions battling it out just to go on to the overall! The heavyweight division welcomes the return of a few familiar faces, and a few new competitors that will surely be a force for years to come. The talent pool in the WNBF is as deep as it ever has been. Just as in any other sport, the competition evolves and the upper echelons become more impressive every year. Competition is simply so fierce that the difference between 1^st place and 4^th place is decided by the most miniscule of details. While it is easy to have favorites, the sleepers are out there. They are not to be taken lightly, not at this level of competition, as Brandon Greenwood showed us in 2008. Virtually all of the competitors on this list have the potential to take top billing at any show, but of course there are favorites among fans. These are my favorite athletes going into the season; the ones I feel are most likely to win big in 2010. I am not just a competitor myself, I am a big fan, and look up to many of these guys.

1) Martin Daniels (center)

For anyone who has actually seen what a heavy weight line-up in the WNBF looks like, the floor literally seems to shake as these men take to the stage. You are in awe of how much muscle these guys have been able to pack on naturally. Within this division there is a man that stands out, even among these monsters. The most muscular man in the WNBF also happens to be the most symmetrical. Every sport has had that athlete that pushes it to the next level, and Daniels might be the man to do so in Natural Bodybuilding. With literally no flaws, each one of his body parts leaves you in awe. Even his high lat attachments look great because the muscle bellies appear ready to burst. His waist is seemingly smaller than guys 40 pounds lighter, and sprouting out of that tight waist are the largest legs in natural bodybuilding. Seeing that bodybuilding is judged on muscularity, symmetry, and conditioning, if Daniels can bring up the latter we might have a dynasty on our hands. He is simply too far ahead in the field of mass and symmetry. If he can get on stage another 8-10 pounds lighter there is nobody at their best that can keep up. Daniels has continued to improve his placing at the Worlds, and 2010 might be the year Daniels starts his reign.

             "With literally no flaws, each one of his body parts leaves you in awe."

2) Clarence McGill

Clarence was certainly on last year, and lived up to all the hype. He possesses a unique hardness when he comes in sharp and full, which really makes him stand out. Combine that with his mellifluous lines, huge protruding muscle bellies, and the cliché phrase: “something out of a comic book” comes to mind. With an arsenal of incredible most-muscular poses, the hands-clasped in particular really gets the point across. He will literally look like the widest man on stage, even though he is a middleweight. He is an overly muscled middleweight with great top to bottom symmetry, with what I think are some of the most underrated hamstrings in natural bodybuilding. While McGill repeating his win in 2010 would not be surprising, he also happens to compete in the most competitive division in the WNBF. He might not be the most muscular, or the most conditioned, but he is certainly the most balanced. It is essential that McGill come in as sharp as possible, seeing that there is little room for error in the middleweight division.

"He is an overly muscled middleweight with great top to bottom symmetry, with what I think are some of the most underrated hamstrings in natural bodybuilding." 

3) Jim Cordova

Jim was gaining momentum all through 2009 and it looked as if the two-time World Champion was on his way to another Championship season. He was improving from show to show, and appeared to be the leanest we have ever seen Cordova at the Mr. Universe. However, he couldn’t hold onto his crispness into the Worlds. The best way to describe Jim’s physique is that it looks like one of those bodybuilding trophies, with muscle bellies, and muscle shape you would think doesn’t exist in real life. Combine the fluidity of his physique, with posing to match and literally it’s like watching living art. It is truly hard to take your eyes off Jim, and it doesn’t help that he makes the upper echelons of the WNBF look under-muscled. Jim is surely one of the favorites next year; the biggest factor is how well he will peak. Even at his leanest at the Universe, he appeared a bit flat which has been something of a common occurrence since the 2008 Worlds. If Jon Harris steps in this year, there is simply no way Jim can afford to come in off, because Jon won’t.

"The best way to describe Jim’s physique is that it looks like one of those bodybuilding trophies, with muscle bellies, and muscle shape you would think doesn’t exist in real life."

4) Jon Harris

Last time Jon Harris had a two year layoff he came back in grand fashion, winning the 2006 WNBF Worlds. His presence has really been missed. While the former Worlds Champion is not a freak of nature when compared to other middleweights, he certainly offers a great deal to this very tight class. It is one thing to be well armed for battle, but even better to be an unmatched marksman. That is the best way to describe Jon, because his presentation is unmatched. There is not a single pose he hits that makes you wonder “maybe he can adjust this, maybe he can get more out of his physique if he tinkered with that”. He knows how to emphasize his strong points, and how to minimize things that lag comparatively. Not just awe inspiring symmetry, Harris posesses some “out of this world” features. The flow of his entire backside combined with his superb conditioning are a trademark. He has some of the most beautiful side poses in the sport, the muscle bellies in his arms and thighs sit perfectly on his frame when viewed in profile. I am sure Jon has not lost his touch as far presentation goes during this layoff; in fact he has made sufficient improvements during this time away from the stage. Most noticeable are the gains in his upper body, where he lacks the most compared to other middleweights. The plot thickens and twists in the middleweight division this year, especially if Jon decides to give it another go.

"Not just awe inspiring symmetry, Harris possesses some “out of this world” features. The flow of his entire backside combined with his superb conditioning are a trademark."

5) Rodney Helaire

2010 eagerly awaits the return of Rodney “The Mass Monster” Helaire.  With some of the most insane proportions, his arms appear to be almost larger than his waist. It is almost unfair that he be allowed to hit a front double biceps. There are just too many freaky things going on, from veins that look like cables, to conditioning other bodybuilders spend their whole careers trying to duplicate. What puts Rodney in the 5^th spot is lack of development in his lower half. Truly this is only obvious because of how extreme Helaire’s upper body development is in comparison. In past years he could sneak into the top spot, but not with Daniels and Peacock roaming the heavyweight division. In order for Rodney to repeat he will have to make some significant improvements since his last season, and take his conditioning to another level. He stands out against this new crop of heavyweights who have outstanding size, and symmetry, but who also can’t seem to come in as sharp as Rodney."

"With some of the most insane proportions, his arms appear to be almost larger than his waist. It is almost unfair that he be allowed to hit a front double biceps."

6) Clement Yearwood

What a pro debut Clement had in 2008, just getting edged out by Brian Whitacre at the Worlds. Never had Yearwood, who had been making plenty of noise in the amateur ranking for a while, been in such great shape. He really took his physique to a whole new level. The scary part is that if Yearwood really pushes it he can get tighter. There are so many wonderful, unique, awe inspiring qualities to Yearwood’s physique. The most obvious being his back, his lats in particular. His waist, or lack thereof make for an amazing front lat spread and front double biceps shot, he is the WNBF’s version of Brian Buchanan. With striated glutes being such a hot commodity in bodybuilding these days, Clements attach very low making him standout that much more when he comes in great shape. The one thing missing from Yearwood's physique is a bit more quad development. If he can bring that up some and take his already stellar conditioning to a whole new level, he will be the favorite in the lightweights. Clement took the first prolonged offseason of his career, which is why he is the favorite to take the lightweights.

7) Shaun Clarida

The one thing that was missing, Shaun got a hold of last year. His new and improved conditioning was enough to give him the nod in the lightweights. For years Brian Whitacre had been leading the pack, specifically in the conditioning department, and Shaun was able to bring up his conditioning to the point that it wasn’t too distractingly behind. What this did was make it clear just how much he outmuscled everyone else. When Shaun completes poses his muscles don’t seem to stop flexing, just when you think they have finished popping they keep going. The amount of muscle he carries on his frame is so absurd. During his back double biceps it looks as if his own delts are going to swallow him whole. He has been progressing so much over the years. Just when you think he has maxed out how much muscle he can hold, he has you shaking your head again. In recent years his legs have also caught up to his extreme upper body development. Much like Yearwood, Clarida has finally found the right protocol to get his conditioning to those extreme levels you must achieve at the top of rankings in the pro level. The strides he made from the US Cup to the World’s stage were amazing. One can only imagine what he will be able to achieve next year.

8) Brian Whitacre

The two-time World’s Champion finds himself not being the favorite to win the lightweights this year. Whitacre has conditioning that is second to none and he will simply never come in off. It’s very hard for the other lightweights to keep pace with the muscularity he brings, which at his height of 5’9” you wouldn’t think he could possess. He has the most complete back in the division, both thick and wide. There is not a pose he doesn’t look great in, and this tells you so much about his attention to detail in his presentation. Whitacre has consistently brought the best package to the Worlds stage these last few years and I would go as far as saying that he might have edged out Clarida last year despite the judges decision. So what has changed that doesn’t put Brian in the top lightweight spot? Truly it is only that some of the freaks in his division have a better grasp on their conditioning than they did before. In order for Whitacre to repeat, he must make huge strides this offseason. While he is larger and bigger framed than other lightweights, his muscle bellies are not as pronounced or voluptuous as the mesomorph freaks who will continue to get leaner.

"Whitacre has conditioning that is second to none and he will simply never come in off."

9) Shevon Cunningham

Ever wonder what a full blown mesomorph looks like? Look no further than Shevon Cunningham. Other than Shaun Clarida, no man possesses more muscularity in proportion to his frame. There is not a single muscle group on this guy that is not striking. The package Cunningham brings to the stage is complete enough to where he will at some point be a world champion, once he glues everything together. The deciding factor has been his presentation. In the WNBF this is held in high regard, and in the middleweights it is even more obvious if you are lacking in that department. If Cunningham can come in a little tighter and really improves his presentation, not only can he sweep the middleweights, but he would match up very well with the muscular freaks from the heavyweights and the shredded freaks from the lightweights. One thing is for sure, he will have at the very least a few middleweight titles under his belt someday, but not until he improves on those small details which can be easily rectified.

10) Brandon Greenwood

Solid in every way and probably the most well rounded competitor in the middleweights, Brandon has symmetry, muscularity, and some amazing conditioning. There seems to be no spot on his body that doesn’t have some kind of detail that demands a second look. Very polished and complete, he is the consummate professional. A great poser equipped with some of the best quads in the WNBF in terms of muscularity, shape, and separation. He knows how to get everything out of his physique. So how did the recently uncrowned World’s Champion end up in the 10^th slot? That middle weight class is simply stacked and while Greenwood is one of the reasons it is, he simply does not possess as much raw talent as others in the field.  What Greenwood does do well, is come in shredded more often than not. While the other competitors in the middleweight class may have issues coming in razor blade sharp, don’t count on Greenwood to make the same mistake.

11) Francisco Montealegre 

12) Kurt Weidner

Kurt “The Animal” Weidner is coming off what was his most successful season as a professional. He Edged out Shaun Clarida in the US Cup, and finished 4^th at the Worlds. Weidner has to be one of the most relentless workers in the WNBF; I don’t think we are ever going to see him show up out of shape. In fact, saying that he shows up in shape is an understatement. Weidner simply gets so lean and grainy it’s a mind boggling thing to witness in person. Shrink wrapped skin over slabs and slabs of muscle. But, his symmetry not only lacks in comparison to his strengths, it lacks compared to other top heavy weights.  Considering this gap, Weidner does very well and continues to improve every year. How far will he move up the ranks? Well, considering that on paper he should have not made it this far, who knows?

"Weidner simply gets so lean and grainy it’s a mind boggling thing to witness in person. Shrink wrapped skin over slabs and slabs of muscle."

13) Brad Steere

A master of his craft, he is one of the best natural bodybuilders most have never heard of. Brad is a very fluid poser and he really knows how to show his strengths. He possesses great symmetry, beautiful lines, and muscularity and conditioning to match. There really isn’t a knock on Steere, other than he doesn’t possess anything downright freaky like the top guys in the lightweights. Remember, freaky at the top level means some mutated trait! While Steere packs quite a punch, his success is too dependent on other competitors perhaps coming in a bit off. Still, if you had to pick a sleeper, Steere would certainly be a good choice.

"He possesses great symmetry, beautiful lines, and muscularity and conditioning to match."

14) Wendell Webb

Webb really shot up in the ranks last year and proved he can still hang with the best of them. His legs might be bigger than his waist, which is not an exaggeration; they literally might be bigger than his waist! His front lat and his front double biceps steal the show. The x-frame he possesses is absurd, and when he comes in shape he can certainly be a threat for the top spot.  The only issue is that there are a few poses in which he doesn’t show his thickness to the best of his ability. His arms are also not a strong point, and it’s more obvious on man of extreme proportions like Webb. With that being said, Webb shows no signs of slowing down and has many top five placings ahead of him.

"The x-frame he possesses is absurd, and when he comes in shape he can certainly be a threat for the top spot."

15) Steve Subcleff

More often than not Steve is the leanest guy at his shows, and on top of that has great hamstrings which really go well with his superb conditioning. He is an amazing bodybuilder, but even in the heavyweight division symmetry is what wins. This is the area in which Subcleff lacks. He comes in leaner than many of the giants at the top of the division, but his structure holds him back. Still, I don’t see Subcleff finishing any lower than 3^rd or 4^th, as his conditioning and peaking are always on.

"More often than not Steve is the leanest guy at his shows, and on top of that has great hamstrings which really go well with his superb conditioning."

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