by Christian Duque
The world of bodybuilding and fitness is looking at the Texas Pro with great anticipation as Andrew Jacked is said to compete and will more than likely get his Olympia qualification as he always does. And that is because this top-notch competitor uses this particular competition as his springboard for the Olympia. One look at the competitor list and we see some decent talent in guys like Lewis Breed, Nathan Epler, and Jordan Hutchinson. But what we do not see is a man who can take on the champ and deny him the Olympia qualification.
The reality of the matter is that some competitors pick out shows in advance and it becomes quite patently known that if you’re going to go to that show you’re going to be up against a ferocious amount of resistance by a top Olympian. Most competitors just opt for low-hanging fruit. They don’t want to go into it with someone with a fantastic x-frame and wonderful symmetry and balance. They figure what’s the point? They can find a lesser known show with lesser known guys and get an easy qualification. And that is why I think Texas has remained very much Andrew Jacked’s show of choice. He has drawn the line in the sand and he is maintaining that line quite efficiently. I don’t anticipate there being any bumps in the road but I will tell you the fans are looking at the show with great anticipation because this is a competitor that many people believe could one day be Mr Olympia. The question is will 2024 be that one day or not? Other people are saying that perhaps a newcomer will take the title and that Andrew will in fact have to go back to the drawing boards to find a new competition to qualify at.
That being said no one really in this line-up has been to the Olympia before, so the big man has a huge advantage in that department. Something about going to the Olympia cuts you above from everyone else. Maybe it’s knowing how elite that particular competition is and knowing that you belong there. The truth of the matter is there’s competitors that always dream about going there and then there are competitors that have done that show. Andrew has not only just done that show, but he has been very competitive there as well. Psychologically that puts him in a very strong position against guys who have never been there to begin with.
We have often heard from top bodybuilders that the sport has a lot to do with the psychological component. Even from the movie Pumping Iron when Arnold psyched out Franco and Lou Ferrigno we saw it there as well. Even though that was a docudrama and many people say that it wasn’t real, it was real enough when it came down to the psyche out.
There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that really should not be discounted as being an important aspect of the sport. A lot of guys will bring their music with them and put their airpods in and not speak a word to anyone backstage. A lot of them will throw sunglasses on. How bizarre is it to have sunglasses indoors and backstage at a show, right? Well there is a lot of strategy behind that. If you can’t see the competition and you can’t hear the competition, then you can just chill out. And as it becomes closer to the stage you might grab some bands or some light dumbbells and pump up, but the last thing you want to do is get into a conversation with someone that is considerably higher up the pecking order than you. If you are a competitor that has never done the Olympia and all of a sudden find yourself talking to somebody who has been in contention to win it, you could easily find yourself totally freaked out about getting on stage with that type of individual. Therefore it’s just best to kind of hunker down and do your own thing and have as little contact with other competitors as possible. There’s always time for that after the competition whether that means going out to eat or maybe some shows may have a post contest breakfast. But the reality is very few people are going to want to break bread with Andrew pre-show or even during the show because of the fact that he has such lofty credentials as a top-tier competitive athlete. But what about some of the guys that I mentioned early on? Couldn’t they topple Andrew?
In the sport of bodybuilding anything is possible. If you’re on a stage you can win the show. It has more to do with what you bring on game day. You’re not being judged on what you bought last year or the year prior. You’re not even being judged on what you brought to the show the week prior either. Justin looked phenomenal in Tampa taking a top three placing. Lewis has been in the top five as well. Both of these guys could potentially walk away with the win right? Nathan Epler has won an open show even though he is a former 212 athlete. If you think about it, any one of these three guys could potentially pull off the upset and deny Andrew his Olympia qualification. But how likely is that to happen? How likely is it that guys that are very much in that second callout category of the Olympia knocking out someone on Andrew’s level?
Plus you have to figure that Jacked has done this show two times before and each time has earned a qualification. He has a relationship with the competition. He knows what to expect and he knows what to do to prepare. Plus he is a person who has been able to really challenge guys like Samson, guys like Derek, guys like Hadi. Andrew is a guy who, as I said before, is in the conversation for being the next Mr Olympia. So to be totally honest and without wanting to throw any shade at the guys I mentioned who have a chance of winning, there is no way that somebody who could be Mr Olympia would have to put in much effort to best guys that are in that second or third call out category. and that’s no disrespect to them. Maybe one day they will be in that first call out category at the Olympia and/or the Arnold classic, but right now they’re not.
Therefore I don’t think that Andrew needs to bring 100% to win Texas. I don’t think he has ever had to bring 100% to win it. But if he has to do it, if he has to tighten up between the prejudging and the finals, I have no doubt in my mind that he can do it. The only way Andrew loses this show is if he has an injury and he does not have one.
That said, the fans are super excited to see what the big man brings. I don’t think too many fans are wondering who’s going to win the show. I think that is pretty abundantly clear if you ask me. I do think the fans want to see in what capacity he wins the competition in. Is he going to come out firing on all cylinders or is he going to take a more subtle approach? The last time the fans really saw Andrew on stage was at Pittsburgh, but that really doesn’t count because that was a guest posing appearance. Here they will get to see what Andrew will be bringing to the stage in 2024 and it might be a pleasant preview before Mr Olympia.
Now I know with regards to the Olympia everybody’s looking at specific guys and he may or may not be one of them, but it all depends on how he wins in Texas and how much people talk about him. That being said, at the end of the day, Andrew realizes that talk and buzz are not what’s going to win a Sandow. He may not even give a shit about the buzz or the hype that comes as a result of winning. He may simply want the qualification and then very diligently go to work for the O.
I will say though that nobody on Andrew’s level is going to bring 100% to a qualifying competition. At best what we will see is a preview, but there is no way he’s going to peak twice at Olympia level when he doesn’t have to. Now the question becomes, is that a gamble?
I think everything in the sport of bodybuilding is a gamble. But what say you? As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article here at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments.
