Talkback - Letter to the Editor

VEGAN MUSCLE

After reading the January 2002 issue of FLEX, I was extremely impressed by "Las Vegan," an item in the Advanced Nutrition section that focused on vegetarian and vegan bodybuilding. Steve Stiefel did an excellent job discussing an often-controversial topic in bodybuilding.

I am a vegan bodybuilder. I have been following a vegan diet for the past six years and have been bodybuilding the past two. I am 21 years old, 5,11" and 185 pounds. In six years, I have gained 60 pounds, including 25 pounds of quality muscle during the past two years of heavy training. My diet is composed of tofu and other soy products, beans, nuts, carbohydrates such as rice and pasta, and multivitamin and protein supplements.

I've included some photos displaying the results of my vegan bodybuilding, including one of me and Lee Priest, with whom I discussed this topic. Before I even told him I was a vegan bodybuilder, he was supportive of the idea. I'd like to encourage anyone who is considering bodybuilding on a vegetarian or vegan diet to do so. It is certainly possible to achieve amazing results, and my transformation is testimony to that.

Robert Cheeke

Corvallis, OR

WEB SITE KUDOS

Your Web site [flexonline.com] is incredible. Of all the bodybuilding sites, FLEX definitely has the edge. Thanks for providing info online. I'm sure it will prove to be helpful in my training. Keep up the good work and thanks again.

Via e-mail

Patrick Mitchell

Knoxville, TN

If you like it now, just wait! Watch for a new improved flexonline.com later this year.

ANOTHER STORY

I had to write in and let everyone at FLEX know that this is the greatest magazine I have ever read. I get all my training routines and tips from FLEX. I think if FLEX wrote that jumping off buildings was a good workout, I'' be the first one up the stairs! I also love hearing about Jay Cutler, the next Mr. Olympia. Thanks for everything.

Via e-mail

Mark W.B.

Silsbee, TX

MISSING IN ACTION

I have been a loyal reader of FLEX for many years, and FLEX has been a great source for bodybuilding information and inspiration as I trained others and myself over the years. I was disappointed when I opened up your January 2002 issue and found myself missing from your photoreport of the 2001 NPC California State Bodybuilding Championships, where I was the men's middleweight champ.

I have enclosed a picture from the contest, which I hope you can share with your readers. I am currently training hard for the NPC USA Championships in Las Vegas, and I will continue to read FLEX magazine for cutting-edge information on training and nutrition. I am confident that the knowledge I have gained from FLEX will take me to the top of my class! See you in Vegas.

Roman Esparza, CFT Temple City, CA Thanks for the enthusiasm you expressed toward FLEX, and congratulations on your victory. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, our Talent Roundup section includes only a random selection of the winners. We hope that publishing your letter and photo here is reward for your efforts at the NPC California State.

MR. OLYMPIA TOP-TWO DEBATE CONTINUES

I think Jay Cutler was at his best, but it wasn't good enough to dethrone the reigning Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman. Cutler obviously won the abs-and-thigh pose and held his own in front double biceps. However, Ronnie cannot be beaten when they turn around. Cutler was holding water in his back, and his lower lats weren't detailed enough. During the rear lat spread, Ronnie displayed huge mountainlike traps that stood up and out. Based on the pictures in FLEX [January 2002], finding lines and separation on Cutler was much more difficult. I think Cutler was a fair opponent, and I admire his physique. However, Mr. Olympias always have great backs.

Via e-mail

Name and address withheld

Jay Cutler, hands down! Ronnie had nothing on Jay. I was there--I saw it. The Mr. Olympia isn't a dance contest; it's a muscle contest!

Via e-mail

Joseph Gallira

Highlands, NC

Thank you for the best magazine for bodybuilding enthusiasts like myself. Since I am currently in the Navy, I have not had a subscription in four years, but I have bought FLEX every month. I am a huge Ronnie Coleman fan, but I am disappointed that he won the 2001 Mr. Olympia! At every gym I've worked out in, the word is that the reigning Mr. O wins, no matter what [although this is a misconception]. Dorian Yates should not have won with "no biceps and one arm" and a bloated Ronnie Coleman should not have beaten Jay Cutler. It is obvious by your own pictures that Cutler was in unbelievable shape. All that size and yet a tight ripped midsection! I can't wait to see Cutler and Coleman go at it in the future. I will still be a Coleman fan, but now I also admire Jay Cutler. Way to go, Jay, you gained a new fan!

Eric Goniea Aiea, HI

After watching the Mr. O via the net and looking at the FLEX edition of the contest coverage [January 2002], my conclusion is this: Jay was robbed. I'm a huge Ronnie fan and have followed his career for some time now. However, Jay showed up in the best shape of his life, period, and Ronnie was bloated in the midsection. This problem has progressively worsened with each of his last three shows! Come on judges, do your job.

Via e-mail Mark Hem Portage, IN

In response to the question on the January 2002 cover of FLEX, "2001 Mr. O: Did Ronnie get a gift?" my answer is a big yes! The sport of bodybuilding is not to be judged on the basis of who is the most massive athlete onstage, nor is it to be judged on reputation alone. Bodybuilding is the picture of the ideal male: deep cuts and separations between the muscles, and a balanced, symmetrical and aesthetic physique.

At the 2001 Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman was not the embodiment of this ideal. That honor should have gone to Jay Cutler and Shawn Ray; respectively. The photos in your contest report in that same issue show that Jay Cutler and Shawn Ray are much more deserving of the top two spots. The judges missed the mark and should rethink their vision of what bodybuilding should be.

Steve Collins

Columbus, GA

I am 22 and have been reading other people's FLEX mags since I was 12. I now have my own subscription.

I want to comment on the judging controversy and other aspects of this sport. We must all remember that every participant of bodybuilding has dedicated his life to this sport. The ongoing history of this sport paves the road for many to come.

Yes, there are many expectations of what a bodybuilder is and how he or she is viewed and judged, but no matter what, we all win because we do it for ourselves.

Every man glowed at the Mr. O with the aura of muscle, self-confidence and direction. Ronnie Coleman won his fourth Mr. O. Whether the judging was right or wrong, this man put his effort, hard work and dedication forward and was rewarded for it. We should all feel rewarded. It motivates us to work harder and harder. The strong will prevail!

Jeremy "Black Cloud" Stevens

Thomaston, ME

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

As I reflect on 2001, I am struck that it was the IFBB's most transitional year in memory. Suddenly, Jay Cutler established himself as the premier bodybuilder in the sport.

After years of the same old top six, Flex Wheeler is retired and Nasser El Sonbaty has fallen to the middle of the pack. It appears that Orville Burke, Dennis James and Dexter Jackson are all emerging as legitimate top-five pros. Then there is that host of rookies, headlined by King Kamali, who has shaken the sport at a time when some shaking has been needed.

As I look ahead to 2002, I am eager to see how Quincy Taylor fares. He has the height and completeness to become a dominant pro in the near future. Speaking of tall men with total packages, Big Sean Allan comes to mind. This man is 6'4" of superhuman dimensions. He is walking around this winter at a conditioned 325 pounds. In a sport where the huge boys have distended stomachs, Big Sean still sports a little waist, balancing some mammoth legs and thick wide wings. I truly believe he will get his pro card in 2002 and, in my opinion, is destined to the Olympia title within a few years.

Peter Fisk

Yonkers, NY

Thanks for the update on Sean Allan. We'll be keeping an eye on his progress this season.

A TON OF THANKS

I have been working Out for a year and have lost 67 pounds. I owe much of my success to FLEX. With its constant great interviews and photos of all the greats, I have been motivated to take it to the next level, and I plan to start competing next year. I have high hopes that you will see me in Street Scene soon. Thank you for your wisdom. I owe you a ton--most of which I lost!

Via e-mail

Mike Thomson

Clovis, NM

FOUR'S A CHARM

The next big thing coming out of Phoenix, Arizona, should be me, Keith Young, along with the help of Troy Alves. I'm hoping to reach the national level in 2002 after the Mr. Arizona contest, which will take place a few weeks before Troy takes the stage at the 2002 NPC USA to hopefully bring home Phoenix's first homegrown pro card.

There's something about the number four and Arizona. The Diamondbacks won the World Series with a four-game victory; this will be Troy Alves' fourth shot at his pro card as a heavyweight; and it is my fourth shot at the state level. This year, Troy and I will be hitting those game-winning runs in bodybuilding for the state of Arizona. Thanks to FLEX for putting Arizona on the bodybuilding map by featuring Troy Alves in your magazine.

Keith Young

Phoenix, AZ

HANG IN THERE

I hope and pray that Jenny Worth and Timea Majorova don't give up on fitness competition yet ["Heads Up on Fitness," February 2002]. Worth and Majorova present an image that is strong and sexy, and mature enough so that women feel they may actually have a chance at looking like that and might be willing to spend the money on supplements to help achieve it. Both athletes are exceptional at selling the sport, as their many workout pictorials and modeling shoots attest, and they should be encouraged and awarded fairly. Fitness judges should be held accountable if such talents are driven away from the sport that could benefit from them the most.

Via e-mail

Carolyn Pearl

Arlington, TX

FLEX welcomes letters from readers: Prise us, trash us whatever, but please write Send correspondence to Talkback. FLEX, 21100 Erwin Street Woodland Hills CA 91367 FLEX reserves the right to edit and condense letters for publication. Please include your name address and phone number for verification purposes.

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