by Craig Titus
This column does not represent the opinions or views of IronMagazine, it’s advertisers or affiliates. Craig’s column is unedited and for entertainment purposes only, read at your own risk.
What do you think about the recent decision to issue more IFBB Pro Cards? Now you can obtain your Pro status by placing top two in each weight class at the NPC Nationals, and many more Pro Cards in other NPC Shows as well…
Seriously are you kidding me? Well it’s not much to be an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder anymore, it’s a fucking joke! But then again, the honor and prestige of possessing a IFBB Pro Card was diminished long ago…the privilege and hard work of earning and then receiving a IFBB Pro Card was destroyed when the power’s to be decided to make Bikini models part of the Olympia Stage…and a whole bunch of other stages as well!!
Wow what next, wet t-shirt contest? But hey, I understand. I mean it’s all about money, not money that will ever be seen by the bodybuilders, but the money that goes into the pockets of those owning and running the NPC and IFBB. Just like adding A bikini Division to the NPC/IFBB, (I can’t even write it without laughing my ass off) by giving more Pro Cards, the IFBB stands to significantly more money in Pro Card fees. Not to mention the NPC earns more money is membership now that a bodybuilder can obtain pro status as easy as same stripper putting on a Bikini. By awarding so many Pro Cards in one year, by giving away 14 Pro Cards at the NPC Nationals alone, you utterly strip the status of being part of the Elite. Ya Know bodybuilding in the eyes of most people is a freak show, something weird and hilarious to make fun of…but even a greater percentage of those people respected and had some admiration towards a muscle head who obtained his pro status. Even those people respected how much work and dedication it took to be an IFBB pro…not anymore. I mean, lets keep it real… when I turned Pro, it was $350.00 for my IFBB Pro Card. When I was a member of the NPC, it was $60.00 to $75.00 for my NPC Card. Now you have a Bikini Division, Men’s and Women’s Physique Division and rumors of a Men’s Physique at Mr. Olympia…you do the math. I honestly cannot believe there’s a Bikini Division and Men’s and Women’s Physique Division associated with I FBB Pro Shows…OMG that’s fucking hilarious!! So now you have more gym rats getting Pro Cards, with the same amount of nutritional companies signing athletes to endorsement contracts, it doesn’t work! Which brings me to another travesty going on in the Bodybuilding and Fitness Industry still to this day. Why are these countless Nutritional Companies capitalizing off the fitness industry, without endorsing Athletes? It’s Bullshit!! If it weren’t for bodybuilding in the First Place, these companies wouldn’t have a target demographic to peddle their products to. Damn, I don’t even want to get started on this subject! Let me just make a suggestion to up and coming bodybuilding looking to choose a regimen of supplements, of course in addition to your steroids and tilt cycle…don’t purchase the creatine, or glutamine, or whey protein from a company unless they have a Professional Bodybuilder endorsing that product. And when I say Professional Bodybuilder, I mean an Athlete who earned his pro status by winning the OVERALL title, not some smuck who placed second in his weight class at the Nationals! LOL! All you big name pro’s out there mush be doing everything in your power to stay politically correct and not disclose exactly what you think about all these new IFBB Pros walking around… Me, I’ve never been politically correct and I am certainly not going to start now. So you got Mary and Susie in between strip acts at the Spearmint Rhino Men’s Club in Las Vegas…”hey Susie, what are you doing tomorrow?” asks Mary…”Ph, I’m competing at the Ms. Bikini Olympia and I am the favorite to win.” I’m fairly certain conversations are going on all over America at the finest establishments men frequent. OK, so maybe not so many IFBB Bikini Pros, but a whole slew of NPC Bikin Athletes. LMFAO! Just think, all you IFBB Pro Bodybuilders out there can literally have an IFBB or NCP Bikini Athlete dance for you! And being that it’s so prestigious to have an IFBB Pro Card these days…you’ll have a lot in common. Seriously, are you fucking kidding ME!!
Who is the greatest Mr. Olympia of all time?
Seriously, are you kidding me, is that even a serious question? Listen, out all your politically correct and ass kissing answers aside, and if you can’t say what you’re really thinking in fear of offending someone, just be honest with yourself…you and I both know the very first name that comes to mind in Ronnie Coleman, period. It’s almost comical one can even compare Ronnie to other Mr. Olympia’s. Shall we for one moment state some facts and cast opinions aside. Fact, Coleman has won eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles. Fact, although there were the biggest names competing on stage during Ronnie’s rein, true be told, we all know, and when I say all I mean anyone with knowledge in the bodybuilding world, that those big names such as Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, Chris Cormier, Kevin Levrone, Nasser and others were never for a moment competing against Ronnie, not really. Sure in their minds they were, but in reality anyone in the Olympia competing from 1998-2005 were battling for second place. In reality during those years, other competitor’s weren’t worthy of holding Ronnie’s gym bag. We all know I’ve never been politically correct so I’ll just write what 99% of the bodybuilding word truly thinks…And knows to be fact. And the you have the numbers, not opinions, but numbers that are factual and not debatable. Fact, Ronnie has more professional bodybuilding contest wins then anyone at 26…more then any other IFBB Pro. So not only is he tied with Lee Haney at 8 sandows, but he also holds the most wins… it’s fact, not my opinion. You see opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, that’s precisely why I’m stating facts. Fact, Ronnie competed at 387 lbs, not his off season weight, his stage ready contest weight. Let me spell it out for you just in case you think the digits are deceiving you. Ronnie Coleman weighed two hundred eighty seven pounds on stage!! No one, not even Dorian Yate, not Lee Haney, not Jay Cutler were possessed that much muscle on stage…not even Phil Heath, who by the way was 248lb. when he claimed the Sandow. Let’s talk about physique… Fact, Ronnie had beautiful symmetry, absolutely no weak body parts, full belly muscles, with muscle insertions that were second to no one. Are you doubting any of these statements? I don’t think so, because their facts no opinions. In the words of the great Lee Haney “Ronnie is a freak of nature”…in my words, “Ronnie was a fuckin beast”…”A Silver Back Gorilla that no one came close to during his rein, and no other Mr. Olympia’s come close to now. “I’m Fairly certain this next statement is true, I can’t say it’s fact because I wasn’t there witnessing all Coleman’s workouts, but I’m pretty sure he’s the strongest IFBB Pro were to compete. At least some of the lifts I know he performed were the most powerful I’ve ever seen. For example, he performed a 800lb. squat, 200 lb dumbbell presses and did 225lb. walking luges like it was the thing to do! From own experience competing in the 2001 and 2002 Mr. Olympias, and when I say competing in I mean, attempting to place in the top ten, Ronnie Coleman made other IFBB Pro look like they were NPC card holders…just as I knew damn well battling for 8-12th place, the other top dogs damn well knew that in reality, they were battling for second place. Yeah yeah, I know, some of you are saying no, other competitors were competing to wine…well that maybe true in their minds, but in reality, anyone sitting in the crowd could clearly see Ronnie Coleman was from a entirely different planet, and I’m saying it’s not even true in their minds…I’m pretty sure shawn Ray for example was quite certain Ronnie was the dear cut Mr. Olypmia…and not because shawn didn’t want to jeopardize his health for more sizz…blah blah blah…always whining like a bitch…but because Coleman is the best Mr. Olympia of all time!! I have an Idea, I challenge any magazine or online magazine out there, to print pictures of the greatest Mr. Olympia’s of all time, side by side in several poses, the same poses side by side. Fact is, Ronnie will smash the other’s in all Poses!!
Lastly I don’t want to read anymore about how it’s hard to compare Mr. Olympia’s from different era’s…sick of hearing that crap, it’s crap!! It’s simple, you line up photo’s of Arnold, Haney, Yates, Cutler, Jackson, Heath, and Coleman side by side in the same poses and boom…Ronnie devastates all of them!! Fact. That’s like saying the Apple I phone isn’t better then the first five pound box phone with the huge black antenna. Different phones, different times but which is the clear winner? The only difference with that comparison is, Ronnie will most likely remain the Greatest Mr. Olympia of all time, even when time moves on…unless of course Phil Heath packs on another 50 pounds of muscle and then wins 27 pro shows…highly unlikely.
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
1988 NPC Houston Bodybuilding Championships — 1st, Middleweight and Overall
