Titus Talks

by Craig Titus

2014 Mr. Olympia Report
It has been a few months since the 2014 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas Nevada marking its 50th anniversary. Just as expected, Phil Heath won for the fourth time leaving no shock to the bodybuilding and fitness community. Heath winning was a yearlong foregone conclusion and certainly left no disbelief in my mind or those bodybuilder’s standing next to him on stage. Let me first start this report in regard to the press conference which seamed to be totally dominated by Phil Heath and Kia Greene hurling insults towards each other leaving the other athletes shocked and apparently speechless. Speechless in that the other competitors chose to remain silent and allow Heath and Greene to become the center of attention.

Not a chance in hell would I have ever permitted two bodybuilders to become the main attraction at a press conference I was attending!!! The Heath vs. Greene rivalry has been compared to the Titus vs. Kamali rivalry but with the Heath and Greene duo being much more hostile towards each other. Kamali nor myself never harbored any grand illusions of beating Ronnie Coleman but at the same time demanded respect from both each other and our competitors. Never would have I sat there dormant listening to Heath and Greene insult each other while my fans wanted to hear from me…. Not for more then a few moments anyway. That said, I also found it a bit cheesy that Heath would announce to the memory of his late father. Like Greene, my first thought would be exactly what he stated “ You should’ve dedicated it to him the last three years.” In Kai Greene’s position he simply felt that Heath was using his father’s passing as yet another attention seeking ploy. You see, that’s the difference between the Heath vs. Greene and the Titus vs. kamili rivalry, we respected each other and like all those who personally knew me, Kamili never got to personal with our bantering. Everyone who knew me was quite aware of the fact I had no problem with smacking you in the mouth! That said, I don’t understand why the other Olympia competitors remained silent? I haven’t read many articles discussing all that transpired at the Olympia press conference. I see no write ups featuring Dexter or Victor or Juan or even Branch Warren answering questions for the fans during the press conference, not one. I’ve only read the four page “2014 Olympia Shocker” featuring just two athletes, Phil Heath and Kia Greene with no mention of the other competitors allowing all the attention to revolve around their rivalry! The point is, why would you as a relevant IFBB Professional Olympia qualified bodybuilder permit the emcee Bob Cicherillo to direct so many questions to only two athletes?!? Speak up, be relevant, let it be known you refuse to deny your fans to have their questions answered. You see, that’s precisely the agenda the Titus vs. Kamali rivalry maintained. We demanded respect and let all those involved know it. And honestly, what exactly is the Heath vs. Greene rivalry all about? In reality, Heath’s the clear cut Mr. Olympia. In reality, the only way Phil Heath will lose is if Phil Heath beats himself by expediency so catastrophic injury or contest prep foul up. Sure eventually Heath will lose but certainly not anytime soon. If I were Kai Greene, I would totally ignore his nemesis before he directs another insult that is far to offensive for fans to forgive. This time the audience gasped, next time they may just leave Kai Greene’s corner. Alright so let me go ahead and break down this year’s Mr. Olympia top ten placing’s including my previous predictions.

2014 Mr. Olympia
1. Phil Heath
2. Kai Greene
3. Shawn Rhoden
4. Dennis Wolf
5. Dexter Jackson
6. Branch Warren
7. Mamdough Elssbiay
8. Victor Martinez
9. Steve Kuclo
10. Juan Morel

My previous predictions
1. Phil Heath
2. Mamdough Elssbiay
3. Kai Greene
4. Dennis Wolf
5. Dexter Jackson
6. Shawn Rhoden

I predicted 7-10 would be a crap shot consisting of Victor Martinez, Steve Kuclo, Juan Morel and Johnny Jackson. I was a bit shocked that Johnny Jackson was placed just out of the top 10 at 11th as well as Branch Warren placing 6th. Ok, so Phil Heath took home his fourth Olympia title. No one can argue Heath is the absolute clear cut winner. Phil possess a 3-D appearance that’s’ simply mind boggling. And honestly weird in that it almost appears he has no skin. His muscle bellies, muscle separation, muscle insertions and conditioning reminds me of Ronnie Coleman. The operative word being “reminds.” Don’t get it twisted, Phil Heath definitely deserves to be the four time Mr. Olympia but he’s no Ronnie Coleman. That said, as much as I hate to admit this, and as much as I believe Greg Valentino is an absolute ass clown douche bag, I would heartedly agreed with Valention’s Olympia predictions in two regard. Right before Valentino’s discussed the burning in his girlfriend’s vagina, he states that Phil Heath won his fourth Olympia title, and Heath did precisely that. Then he goes on to point out that competitors better watch out for “Big Ramy” at this years Olympia…. I also agreed and predicted Mandough Elssbiay would place second. So I was off slightly with Momdough’s placing however he did move up from 8th to 7th. Believe me when I tell you, Mamdough Elssbiay is a short time away from battling for the number one spot!! As everyone predicted, Phil Heath was once again proclaimed Mr. Olympia. Heath’s training, diet and nutrition schedule is spot on and his anabolic androgenic steroid applications are working perfectly for him. Now second place again went to Kai Greene. I have to admit, perhaps I underestimated Kai’s physique and tenacity is his quest to dethrone Heath. In retrospect I should’ve known better then to place Kai Greene in any slot but second. It’s obvious Kai obtains all the mature muscle he needs, as well as small waist and sheer size to stand toe to toe with Heath. However, second place is where Greene will stay due to Phil Heath’s qualities of uncanny depth and separation between his muscle groups. Let it be known, I am a huge Kai Greene fan!!! I know Kai most definitely would not agree with me, but having the distinction of being the second-best in the world, at this point in time, is certainly an outstanding accomplishment. I admire Kai’s candor and ability to speak his mind without the concern of being politically correct. Lastly, I would advise Greene’s contest prep advisor George Farah, to make a few slight adjustments to kai’s diet and AAS cycle to bring his contest physique in a bit dryer. Also, someone tell Kai to cut that ridiculous looking “rope” off his head!!! Incidentally, I believe Kai Greene’s front double bicep pose smashes Heath’s every time. Another physique I sorely underestimated is the one of Shawn Rhoden’s. Rhoden has certainly made a believer out of me. Shawn rounded out the top three taking a more then respectable truly amazing third place. He proved my sixth place prediction to be utterly ridiculous with outstanding improvements since last year. Showing obvious gain in muscle mass. Simply put, Shawn Rhoden displays a beautiful physique. With incredibly small hips and knees, his quad sweep and waist to shoulder ratio remind me of Flex Wheeler in his prime. In my mind, Rhoden should be the discussion of the Olympia parsing the improvements he’s made in just one year in both muscle accumulation and the excellent package he presented. Just as predicted, fourth place went to Dennis Wolf. Wolf seems to be an odd fit. Within the top four with his physique being completely different then those in front of him. While Dennis doesn’t possess the lines and muscle separation of Heath, Greene or Rhoden, he certainly gains ground with his sheer size and width. He’s a big dude!! Dennis was huge and conditioned with tremendous development in the traps and shoulders, two body parts where those placing behind him simply could not match. I think fourth place for Wolf is excellent and very much deserving. Considering his physique in comparison with the top three is like “apples and oranges.” Another correct prediction came by way of Dexter “The Blade” Jackson taking the fifth place spot. One thing’s consistent and for certain with Dexter, he’ll always show up contest time in superior condition. As usual and as expected “The Blade” was dry with excellent muscle separation while maintaining fill muscle bellies accompanied by his trade mark hardness. However, it appears that Dexter’s quads have diminished in size and lacked the deep cuts of past competitions. I’ve read Dexter predicting this year would be the biggest version we’d ever witness with the same spot on conditioning. That may be true as far as Jackson’s upper body but his quads were smaller then I’ve seen in past years! Legs smaller or not, he’s still one of my favorite bodybuilders in the sport today. It shouldn’t be much of a problem bringing his quad size up a bit with few minor adjustments in his leg routine and possibly his AAS cycle, his quads should fill back out to their previous size. Make no mistake, at 44 years old he’s still a force to recon with and continues to build muscle even at this stage in his career. As far as I’m concerned, he’s seasoned, he has phenomenal muscle majority and proved yet again he’s one of the best bodybuilders in the world… even at 44! Sixth place was filled by one of the hardest working bodybuilders in the industry today, Branch Warren. I wasn’t sure if Branch would crack the top ten this year let alone the top six. Frankly I whole heartedly believed his physique was looking over trained, tired and depleted. But, in true Branch Warren fashion, he showed up displaying a physique worthy of placing among the top 10 bodybuilders in the world. I’m not sure if I would have placed Branch ahead of Mamdough Elssbiay but keep in mind I’m forming my opinions based on photos. After last year’s Olympia performance it looks as though George Farah has made the necessary adjustments in Warrens diet, training and AAS schedule resulting in the total redemption. Rounding out the 7-10th placing were Mamdough Ellssbiay, ( Who I had no doubt would place 2nd) Victor Martinez, Steve Kuclo and Juan Morel. I’ll finish this Olympia report with one last thought… if Johnny Jackson some how wakes up one morning possessing the necessary DNA to build quads that matched his upper body…. The top ten Olympia placing’s would surly shift abruptly. And in closing, I was so sure “Big Ramy” would break the top three and actually give Phil Heath and Kia Greene a run for their money, that I literally found myself disappointed with my prediction. Honorable mentions to Victor Steve and Juan, good job! I had plans to also report on the bikini division competition.

If you have a question for Craig Titus please send an email via our contact form.

Craig Michael Titus was born in Wyandotte, Michigan on Jan 14, 1967. The eldest of Michael and Sandra Titus’ three children. In high school, Craig wrestled for his school team at 132lbs. After graduation, decided to put on some muscle via weight training. When Craig graduated from high school he was 5’6″ and 140lbs. By the age of 21, he was 5’9″ and 185lbs. Once he started weight training and seeing results, he was hooked. Craig’s first bodybuilding show was the 1988 Houston Bodybuilding Championships in which he won the Men’s Open middleweight class and the overall title.

Competitive Record

2002 Mr. Olympia – 11th
2002 Night of Champions XIV – 5th
2002 Southwest Pro – 7th
2001 British Grand Prix – 9th
2001 Mr. Olympia – 12th
2001 Arnold Classic – 6th
2001 SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX – 2nd
2001 IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL – 5th
2000 Toronto Pro – 1st
2000 Arnold Classic – 10th
2000 Night of Champions – 11th
2000 Ironman Pro Invitational – 8th
1996 NPC USA Championships — 1st Heavyweight and Overall
1995 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC National Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1994 NPC USA Championships — 2nd Heavyweight
1993 NPC USA Championships — 4th Heavyweight
1991 NPC Ironman/Ironmaiden — Overall
1990 NPC Tournament of Champions — 3rd Heavyweight
1990 NPC Western Cup — Overall
1989 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships — Overall