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Mr Olympia HopefulDate: 23.03.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team Bahamas
The 'World's Best Back' is a title many professional bodybuilders only dream of holding, but for Bahamian professional bodybuilder Joel Stubbs, adding a Mr Olympia trophy to your resume means "you have arrived."
Even though Stubbs, the only Bahamian currently competing on the professional bodybuilding circuit, has already highlighted his name to the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) when he won the title of 'World's Best Back' in 2005, the dream of qualifying for the Mr Olympia tournament has never diminished.
It is this dream that has Stubbs working feverishly on improving his already 'ripped' body. The Bahamasair pilot revealed that he is receiving daily accolades from fans and fellow professional bodybuilders since earning the title of the 'World's Best Back', but nothing will compare to the praises he will get as Mr Olympia. When Stubbs won the title of 'World's Best Back', he added his name to a list that holds top bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates and Lee Haney.
Stubbs said: "I am preparing every day for the next competition. I know what I have to do in order to get up in the top three if I want to qualify for Mr Olympia. I am more confident now since I've taken on a new trainer, everything is looking up and moving into the right directions. The most important thing is to stay healthy, though.
"It is a long road ahead but I believe that I am getting closer to my dreams. The response I've been receiving has me working even harder. I've had people when I went down to Australia say that I can win Mr Olympia, that I am their pick, these comments are coming from fans and bodybuilders. So whenever I hear this I want to go in and give it all I've got; I am working harder, sometimes I work until my legs get tired."
The odds are truly in Stubbs' favor, now that he has won the Best Back award, but in order for him to qualify for the Mr Olympia Championships, he must finish in the top three of any of the Professional Shows on the IFBB calendar.
So far Stubbs has competed in three professional shows, the Grand Prix Australia, Ironman Pro Invitational and the Sacramento Pro Championships. His highest ranking at any of the shows was 6th place, at the Grand Prix Australia. At the Ironman Pro Invitational, held in Pasadena, California, Stubbs finished in the ninth spot and was eighth at the Sacramento Pro Championships.
The improvement in positioning by Stubbs leaves him feeling very optimistic as he prepares for his next showing, but he revealed that a lot of work will need to be done during his off time on his legs.
He added: "I want to better my positioning and improve my legs because that is the only thing they keep knocking me for in competitions. All the athletes in the sport right now that are beating me, they are weak in various other parts of their bodies as well, but they will always beat me because of my legs, even though I have the better upper body torso.
"So I have to work very hard on my legs, in fact I've already started training. You can see the difference in them, from when I first started out and now. I still do upper body workouts but I go all out when it comes to my legs, this is a big deal for me especially when I am in competitions that can be judged closely.
"In every sport you have politics, this sport is no different. I don't have any of the judges on my side besides for my upper body portion, so when I am competing in towns were some of the guys are from there, they will get the nod over me when it is close. In order to separate myself I will have to put in the extra work."
Stubbs is now in his fourth year of competing as a professional bodybuilder. Although he earned his professional card in 2003, his professional debut wasn't until 2005, at the IFBB sanctioning Europa Supershow. This would be the only show Stubbs would compete in that year, closing his season with a 12th place finishing overall.
He said: "I don't live my life based on regrets, but I do believe that my downfall came after I decided to sit out in 2004 and use that year to train and upgrade. I did that because I wanted to step out in 2005 and be dominant, but it hurt a little that year. I wasn't as ready as I thought I should have been.
"This year is definitely my year to make the Olympia stage. The most important thing is to stay healthy so you can compete with some of the big names. The thing about making the Olympia stage is once you've made it you will always be known or referred to as an Olympian. Olympians are the top athletes, the elite guys, and everyone will remember that every time you step on stage."
The following year Stubbs competed in three shows, the Atlantic City Pro, Europa Supershow and the Montreal Pro Championships. At both the Atlantic City Pro and the Montreal Pro Championships, Stubbs finished 12th. Stubbs would better his debut performance at the Europa Supershow finishing in10th place .
Stubbs returned to the capital today where he will continue training for the Europa Supershow, set for Arlington, Texas, August 10-11. If he is unsuccessful at this show, Stubbs will try his hand at either the Montreal Pro or the Atlantic City Pro, both shows are set for the month of September. The Mr Olympia championship is scheduled for September 29, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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