2005 NABBA World Championships: The Men's Show - DVD Review by Matt Canning.

VENUE:
The Praiamar Hotel
Natal, Brazil
18th June, 2005

Some individual comments:

Masters Over 40

Joao Bispo De Andrade - Brazil
Joao displayed an excellent physique. He was in superb condition with great muscle maturity and density, and cut from head to toe. He was a good poser. His chest was extremely striated.

Jari Salmenaho - Sweden
Jari was also in great shape with good muscle maturity and chest striations. He had a physique which many would likely wish to aspire to for themselves. He was big, but not like a cartoon character.

Nortom James Murayama - Brazil
Norton posed to the same tune Ronnie Coleman used at the 2003 Mr. Olympia Contest. It was a powerful beat and he posed to it accordingly. He had good size and condition, but less so than the previous two competitors. He finished his routine by performing a complete front splits! Talk about definitely not being musclebound. A future superstar.
(Special Note: Since this event, Nortom has now won the following events -
2007 Mr Universe - NABBA, Masters 40+, 1st
2008 Mr Universe - NABBA, Masters 40+, 1st
2009 Mr Universe - NABBA, Masters 40+, 1st
2011 Mr Universe - NABBA, Masters 40+, 1st
2011 World Championships - NABBA, Masters 40+, 1st
2013 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, Masters 50+ HeavyWeight, 1st
2015 Arnold Amateur - IFBB, Masters 50+, 1st)

Paul Longfield - UK
Paul was in decent shape, but once again, not to the degree that the first two competitors were. His posing routine also seemed very short which did not give him the chance to display his physique to the fullest.

Mario Gomes - Brazil
Mario was in good shape with a most muscular pose that was big and shredded. His arms seemed to be lacking somewhat in the biceps, but he looked great. It's amazing what clean living can do for people as this guy had the face of somebody under 30 easily.

Grant King - Australia
Grant posed to the Spiderman theme music. All of these guys had great physiques, Grant included. Definitely world class, despite not having the size required to compete against today's top tier pros. It's unfortunate that bodybuilding is only about the pursuit of sheer size these days. Grant looked good - not just for over 40, but for any age.

The free posing round began next. The song played was "Wishing you were somehow here again" by Sarah Brightman. The group looked sharp and this was definitely a strong class. The top six were announced as follows:

6th - Paul Longfield
5th - Grant King
4th - Mario Gomes
3rd - Jari Salmenaho
2nd - Nortom Murayama
1st - Joao Bispo De Andrade - Brazil - Masters Over 40 Winner

I felt that the class was placed accordingly as this is the same result I would have picked for myself.

The Masters Over 50 class was shown next in the free posing round.

Juan Garrido - Brazil
Juan put on an entertaining posing routine and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. Iwould definitely be quite pleased to look like that over 50. Seeing these older guys on the stage makes me question if bodybuilding and moderate juicing is really as unhealthy as people say it is. Now I can understand why extreme bodybuilding among the younger guys in the pro ranks today would be, but maybe a more moderate attitude towards weight training, eating, and steroid use is a lot less damaging, but I don't know.

Luis Flavio Felicio - Brazil
Luis posed to the classic song "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. He was in excellent condition and was shredded all over.

Heraldo Biscayzacu - Brazil
Heraldo posed to the song "Chariots of Fire" by Vangelis. Facially, Heraldo appeared to be in his late fifties or even in his sixties, but from the neck down he looked considerably younger. It really is amazing how long it's possible for a person to remain shredded. His shoulders were very deep cut.

Jose Goncalves - Brazil
Jose appeared to be in good shape and had good size. Jose posed to the song "The Show Must Go On" by Queen. His abs and serratus also looked very good.

Francisco Rios Vega - Mexico
Francisco posed to an interesting club song that I recognized but could not make out the name of since the lyrics were foreign. He was in good shape and had great arms.

John Citrone - UK
This man looked incredible. He was huge and very shredded with no signs of age in his physique at all. I could only hope to be in that type of shape at 60+, or even now for that matter. The six competitors were then placed:

6th - Heraldo Biscayzacu
5th - Juan Garrido
4th - Francisco Rios Vega
3rd - Luis Flavio Felicuo
2nd - José Gonçalves
1st - John Citrone - UK - Masters Over 50 Winner 
 
The Junior class was up next.

The size and condition displayed among the juniors was not nearly at the level of the masters competitors. Muscle is something that takes years to develop and mature and it's difficult to have a lot of quality mass at a young age.

Leonardo Elizabetzky - Argentina
Leonardo had a good physique and posed it well. He was big but without being a cartoon character and kept a tight waist. His conditioning was also good, but not ridiculously cut and dehydrated as competitors usually are. He looked better than competitors who generally place higher at contests. His physique looked a lot more attainable than some others.

Mateus Correa - Brazil
Mateus posed to the Terminator music. He had his tan and oil down and had fantastic arms and great conditioning. This show was full of bodybuilders with physiques that people would want to aspire to for themselves and not the extreme mass monsters seen at upper level shows.

Bernard Chelin - Australia
Bernard posed to the song "The World's Greatest" by R. Kelly, the same song Kris Dim posed to at the 2004 Mr. Olympia Contest. He looked to be in good shape and sporting good size but could probably have used another coat of oil.

Marvin Nagelbloem - Holland
Marvin posed to the song "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. Phil Collins is one of my all time favourite singers and I always enjoy it when bodybuilders pose to his music, as I feel it is perfect for bodybuilding posing. Marvin's physique looked good and was very balanced all around.

The juniors were then placed as follows:

4th - Bernard Chelin
3rd - Leonardo Elizabetzky
2nd - Marvin Nagelbloem
1st - Mateus Correia -  Holland - Junior Winner

Men's Class 4

The men's division looked great - the bunch had more mature muscle mass than the juniors and of course, more experience in posing and competitive bodybuilding. Of course, bodybuilders have to start somewhere and world class physiques are not built overnight.

Hubert Olborski - Poland
Hubert had a great physique - his size and conditioning was good and he was big, but not freaky to the point of being disgusting, like so many others at this show. His posing was also very good and he looked like someone with a great deal of posing practice and experience. His side chest shot looked great and his tan and oil were perfect.

Marilandio Ponchet - Brazil
Marilandio was in good shape and sported good size. Like so many others in the show, he had no standout body parts and no weak ones for that matter - everything was very balanced. His glutes were hard and shredded and his triceps were deep cut. (Note: He subsequently became a World champion and Mr Universe winner.)

Leo Flores Sanchez - Mexico
Leo was in great shape and shredded. His legs were particularly cut and feathered - cross striated with great flare. His chest and delts were pretty ridiculous too. He displayed freaky conditioning that could easily compete with any bodybuilder in the world. He also had a lot of size - he was definitely a lot freakier than the others in the show up to this point.

Fernando Luis - Brazil
Fernando was cut and a very fluid poser. He lacked size compared to some of his fellow competitors but otherwise had a good showing.

Jerry Koolhoven - Holland
Jerry posed to "She's Coming Home With Me" by Jay-Z. He was in decent condition with good shape and had an excellent most muscular pose as well as a strong abs and thighs and side chest pose.

Ribamar Guedes - Brazil
Ribamar had excellent condition in the upper body but less so in the lower body (at least from the rear). He possessed good balance and was a great poser.

The six finishers were announced in order:

6th - Fernando Luis
5th - Ribamar Belarmino Guedes
4th - Jerry Koolhoven
3rd - Leo Flores
2nd - Marilandio Ponchet
1st - Hubert Olborski - Poland - Class 4 Winner

Men's Class 3

This class had more bodybuilders in it who looked very good, but the lineup was a lot less close than the other ones were, as there was a greater discrepancy in the quality of physique.

Mariusz Strzelinski - Poland
Mariusz posed to the song "I'm Wrong, But You Ain't Right" by Kid Rock. His tan and oil was perfect and the detail in his legs really caught the eye. He had great hamstrings and quads definition. Looked like a winner.

Jorge Luciano Dos Santos - Brazil
Jorge posed to a remixed version of "We Will Rock You" by Queen, remixed with some hip hop including Eminem. The posing music was a good choice and Jorge looked good.

Ladislav Kurchik - Czech Rep.
Ladislav Kurchik was another bodybuilder in the show with a great tan and great oil. His physique was also very balanced and he had cuts everywhere, including rock hard glutes and a great most muscular pose.

Roberto Vitoria - Brazil
Roberto posed to the song "Basket Case" by Green Day. He was very big and certainly pro material.

Marcelo Caldas - Brazil
Marcelo had the same freaky grainy conditioning that current top pro Branch Warren has. Marcelo was one big dude.

Fabio Augusto Caverna - Brazil
Fabio had a great chest and some great size going on. He posed fast and hard and really looked to be enjoying the pose. He was another competitor from Brazil - it only makes sense that there would be a higher proportion of bodybuilders from Brazil at the show, since travel costs are extremely high when it comes to travelling around the world to compete at shows - another reason why bodybuilders should be reimbursed - at least for travel costs.

The top six were announced:

6th - Jorge Luciano Dos Santos
5th - Roberto Vitoria
4th - Marcelo Caldas
3rd - Fabio Augusto Caverna
2nd - Ladislav Kurcik
1st - Mariusz Strzelinski - Poland - Men's Class 3 Winner

Men's Class 2

Piotr Gluchowski - Poland
Piotr was very big and in great shape. He hit some classic poses and looked good doing it. His abs and serratus were sharp and his chest was big and full. His arms were also big and balanced. He posed to the song "Bang Bang" by Cher.

Edson Nogueira - Brazil
Edson was very shredded. His chest was extremely striated and his oil and tan really brought out his cuts. He posed to the song "Emotions" by Mariah Carey.

Mohamed Mohen - USA
Mohamed was able to pull a vacuum when he was hitting poses and that is something seldom seen these days. His shape had a great genetic gift and he had very balanced musculature. He was able to hit the abs and thigh pose in two separate ways - both with the vacuum and without - circa the 1980s.

Luke Nichols - UK
Luke was in good shape but lacked size to hold up well compared to his fellow competitors. The conditioning of his legs was very eye catching though.

Glayson Souto - Brazil
Glayson was a big bodybuilder. His arms were particularly impressive as were his legs when viewed from the side. He hit some classic poses and I noticed his waist seemed somewhat wide or that his taper was lacking somewhat (hard to pinpoint the exact flaw but easy to notice when you look at him). He definitely looked good though.

David Fox - UK
David posed to "Diesel Power" by Prodigy. He was in excellent shape and was huge as well. His delts were very three dimensional which improved many of his poses.

Next the class posed down, and the top six were announced:

6th - Mohamed Moshen
5th - Edson Nogueira
4th - Luke Alicmons
3rd - David Fox
2nd - Glayson Souto
1st - Piotr Gluchowski - Poland -  Men's Class 2 Winner

Men's Class 1

Lourival Oliveira - Brazil
Lourival had a great tan and good oil and showed fantastic cuts when he hit the most muscular pose.

Chris Wall - UK
Chris posed to the song "Freak Me" by Another Level. He was shredded and very full. His waist was somewhat wide, but he had great muscularity to go along with it.

Steve Naylor - UK
Steve posed to the song "Set You Free" by N-trance. Steve showed excellent condition but seemed lacking somewhat in size compared to some other competitors in his class. His most muscular pose was freaky shredded.

Cleber Reis - Brazil
Cleber posed to the song "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent. His physique was very balanced and he posed to the music well. He hit a lot of mandatories and that's always a good thing, as it makes it easier for judges to assess a physique.

Stephane Machovic - France
Stephane looked good but didn't have any knockouts to his physique. He was lacking compared to some of the stronger competitors in his class but his showing was still respectable and his legs were shredded.

Hedwig Parden - Holland
Hedwig was very much into his posing routine and displayed his physique well. He had long limbs and filled them out well and was also in great condition.

The class posed down and the top six were announced:

6th - Lourival Oliveira
5th - Stephane Machovic
4th - Chris Wall
3rd - Stephen Naylor
2nd - Cleber Reis
1st - Hedwig Parden - Holland - Men's Class 1 Winner

The class winners then hit the mandatory poses:
Abdominals and Thighs
Lat Spread
Front Double Biceps
Side Chest
Side Triceps
Rear Lat Spread
Rear Double Biceps

Piotr Gluchowski was announced to be the Overall champion of the show and posed for pictures and also did so with the figure champion of the show.

A photo gallery was included in the DVD which was a good addition and allowed the viewer to get a recap of the caliber of competitors in the show.

This is another gem from GMV that makes me wonder where the bodybuilding world would be without them. Certainly there are not too many people who would be willing to put the time and effort into filming amateur shows like GMV is. I'm thankful to have them doing so when no one else does.