 |
Big' Joel Stubbs looking towards "Mr.ODate: 29.01.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team Bahamas
Joel Stubbs could very well be the first Bahamian pro bodybuilder headed to the Mr. Olympia stage.
Even for those who may not be bodybuilding fans or who may not even know anything about the sport, just the sound of that may sound like one of the biggest bodybuilding shows around.
And no doubt they would be right. In fact, the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding show is the Olympics of bodybuilding. Only the best from around the world get to stand on that stage and be judged by some of the most knowledgeable people in the world of bodybuilding.
To think that a Bahamian can be among the best of the best at such a high level can cause a lump of pride to get stuck in one's throat. Joel may not be headed to the Mr. Olympia stage right away, but the Bahamian pro bodybuilder is slowly pushing his way towards that infamous stage.
On the way towards the Mr. Olympia championship Stubbs has his hands full with a number of other bodybuilding shows, all of which can lead to the bodybuilding stage.
Since turning pro, Stubbs has competed on the European circuit and most recently at the IFBB Montreal Pro Classic, where he competed with the likes of Johnnie Jackson, Darrem Charles, Quincy Taylor, Dennis Wolf and Paul Dillett. Stubbs finished 12th in that event.
Joel may have been somewhat disappointed in his overall standings, but was encouraged by the fact that he has begun to make a name for himself in the world of professional bodybuilding.
You see, it was during those appearances the Bahamian bodybuilder began to grow in popularity. That popularity grew even more when Stubbs appeared in the international bodybuilding magazine "Flex".
That interview made Stubbs even more popular because it gave him the title as having "one of the best Backs in bodybuilding."
He was even compared to eight time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. Anyone whose name can be called in the same breath as Ronnie Coleman must really be saying something.
"That was a big deal for me," said Stubbs in a recent interview with The Freeport News.
"I've always been a big fan of Ronnie and to be compared to him is really more of an honour than anything else."
Of course, there were some already established bodybuilders who took issue with the comparison and many wrote 'Flex' magazine to lodge their complaints. More likely all of the "Hoopla" was because Stubbs is virtually a new comer to professional bodybuilding, and to be given such recognition already was more than many of them could stand.
Stubbs never made a big deal out of the comments that were cast by some of the bodybuilders that were circulating on the pro circuit. He just continued to train harder and to get bigger.
But they would have even more to talk about. In December of 2006 Stubbs appeared in 'Muscular Deve-lopment' magazine. This time, he had a 10-page sp-read! That's right, a 10-page interview (inclusive of photos) on the new Bahamian pro bodybuilder.
Just getting inside any bodybuilding magazine of such prestige is a big deal, but to be featured twice in two of the top bodybuilding magazines by a newcomer is just a sign of where Stubbs is headed in his bodybuilding career.
And once again, the comparison to Stubbs and Ronnie Coleman was made.
Muscular Development captioned Stubbs' story as "the Back King from The Bahamas." Their sub-title suggested that the new pro "has the craziest back in the world."
The 10-page spread showed off Stubbs' wide, chiseled back and showed some shots of how he trains to obtain such a massive lat spread.
"I was surprised that the interview and the coverage was so extensive," Stubbs said while here in Grand Bahama for a show.
The features give The Bahamas a big boost and does much to promote sports tou-rism. Maybe now the government will see the need to support bodybuilding and Baha-mian bodybuilders. But that's another story for another time.
In the meantime, Stubbs continues to grow in popularity and size. All the publicity may seem ironic for someone who's quiet and laid back. But somehow, Stubbs may have to learn to get used to all of the attention.
You would think that as a 6' 3'' massive giant, he would be used to attention.
"Since turning pro, it's been interesting because of all the ups and downs and the disappointments that one can face," said Stubbs.
"I had my own idea of what being a pro bodybuilder wo-uld have been like, But hey, things don't always turn out the way you think or the way you plan it. But I'm dealing with it and I'm learning a lot more each day."
Stubbs can wrap up everything he's been through as experience. In fact, it's those experiences that he will be taking with him everytime he steps on the stage for a competition.
As far as competition goes, Stubbs is looking forward to a big year in 2007. He has a few major competitions in mind where he's hoping to compete, but his main goal is to get bigger, more ripped and to work on his symmetry.
His first competition for the year will be at the Iron Man Classic, a prestigious event that's annual held in Califor-nia. Stubbs says that he's looking to do well there and move on to another major show.
He's intent on taking each show with a great deal of seriousness and earnestness be-cause he knows that each one pushes him closer to the ultimate goal, the Mr. Olympia.
"That's always the ultimate goal for any serious pro bodybuilder," said Stubbs. "I know that you have to be ready to get on the Mr. Olympia stage and that's why I'm putting in the hard work."
That hard work includes working out with a personal trainer in Florida on a regular basis. A trainer, who's been through the ropes of bodybuilding and knows what it takes to make champions. Perhaps that's why he has given Stubbs a leg routine that's so intense that Stubbs has vomited twice going through the routine.
"It's hard," Stubbs admitted, obviously still having flashbacks of the gruelling training.
"It's hard, but that's the only way you're gonna get anywhere in this sport – hard work."
|
© Anabolic Info
|
|
 |
