Introduction
Welcome friends to today’s new blog.
Today, we are going to talk about the Men’s Classic Physique pre judging updates of the Arnold Classic UK, and we will go through everything that happened in this show in detail.
From the first callout to the individual rounds, we will understand everything properly. So let’s get started with today’s blog.
Comparison Rounds of Men’s Classic Physique Division
So friends, first of all, let’s talk about the comparison rounds. In this, athletes are compared group-wise according to their trunk numbers.
In the first group, a total of 5 athletes can be seen. Among them, Andrea Mammoli had the best conditioning, and he has definitely caught the judges’ attention.
After this, we move to the second group of athletes. This group includes the main competitors like Mike Sommerfeld, Wesley Vissers, and Sam Sulek.
In the second group, a total of 4 athletes can be seen. Here, it was clearly noticeable that Mike Sommerfeld’s glutes were standing out, and in terms of glutes, he was directly outperforming Wesley Vissers.
Talking about Wesley, his size looked very impressive on stage, and his stage presence was also quite strong and noticeable.
Joaquim Camps Angel Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So friends, now let’s talk about the individual rounds.
First of all, we can see Kim Angel. The most special thing about him is that he usually brings a very dry physique, and his conditioning is always top-notch—there is no doubt about that.
Here, I would say that Kim Angel looked good, but looking at his physique, it felt like somewhere his body was holding water.
Because the kind of extremely dry look he is known for, we didn’t get to see that same level of dryness on stage this time.
Now, it is also possible that lighting played a role here, due to which the conditioning was not clearly visible.
In fact, many people also complained that the lighting at the Arnold Classic UK was not good, especially when compared to the Arnold Classic USA and the Detroit Pro.
Jorge Herrera Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So friends, now let’s talk about Jorge Herrera, who belongs to Mexico.
He also brought his physique in good condition.
However, his waist looked slightly wider, and his overall size was not that big, which made his waist appear more noticeable.
But if you look at his conditioning—especially his hamstrings, glutes, and back—they looked absolutely top-notch in terms of conditioning.
Andrea Mammoli Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So friends, after that we can see Andrea Mammoli from Italy, who is becoming a very impressive athlete.
Many people are even calling him the future of Men’s Classic Physique.
Here, his physique looked absolutely peeled, and in terms of conditioning, he appeared extremely impressive. If we talk about fullness, he was not at his fullest here, but he might bring that fullness in the finals.
However, if we focus purely on conditioning and shape, his physique looked outstanding.
His glutes and hamstrings were also very impressive, and these are clearly one of his strong points.
Mike Sommerfeld Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So friends, after Andrea Mammoli, we now come to Mike Sommerfeld.
Finally, Mike got the chance to compete in this Arnold, because he was not able to compete in the Arnold Classic USA. So let’s talk about his first impression in this show.
Mike Sommerfeld was the champion of last year’s Arnold Classic USA.
This time, he looked slightly downsized, mainly because his height is shorter, so according to that he has to maintain a lower weight.
However, in terms of conditioning, he did not look off at all. Many times, from the front, his physique looked a bit faded, but that issue was probably due to the lighting.
From the back, he clearly proved that he came in top condition—his back looked very 3D and well-detailed. During pre-judging, Mike Sommerfeld presented a very solid structure with an excellent shape.
Sam Sulek Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So after Mike Sommerfeld, we now come to the famous bodybuilder Sam Sulek.
Here, his waist looked quite wide. Although his waist generally appears wide, in this show his physique was not popping as much.
Sam Sulek came in decent shape for this competition, but personally, I would say that his Arnold Classic USA version looked better.
In that show, his physique had more peak, and his overall size also looked much better. But in the Arnold Classic UK, he looked average in terms of shape.
Also, he did not hit his most muscular pose here. Although this pose is generally not required, he did perform it in the Arnold Classic USA, where he looked extremely freaky.
Wesley Vissers Individual Round Posing In Arnold Classic UK
So friends, after Sam Sulek, we move to Wesley Vissers, who became the champion of the Arnold Classic USA and secured a completely one-sided victory.
We had seen Wesley at the Arnold Classic USA and also at the Detroit Pro show, where the lighting was absolutely amazing. In both of those shows, his leg separation looked incredibly impressive.
However, in this show, his condition didn’t look as impressive.
At the Arnold Classic UK, those deep lines in his legs that we usually see were not visible this time. This could also be due to lighting issues.
Talking about his glutes, they looked quite weak here, and there was also a slight imbalance visible in his back his right side appeared more dominant compared to his left side.
First Callout of Pre Judging in Arnold Classic UK
So friends, now let’s directly talk about the comparisons and start with the first callout.
In the first callout, there were a total of 4 bodybuilders—Andrea Mammoli, Wesley Vissers, Mike Sommerfeld, and Jorge Herrera.
Here, the judges brought Wesley straight to the center stage next to Mike Sommerfeld.
This kind of positioning is usually done by the judges during the first callout to compare the top contenders.
Both Mike Sommerfeld and Wesley Vissers were standing right at the center stage.
If we talk about the front side, Wesley looked more impressive here because his stage presence was extremely strong, and in terms of size, he was clearly dominating.
However, where Wesley seemed to lose ground was from the back side.
In back comparison, Wesley Vissers was not only getting outperformed by Mike Sommerfeld, but he was also being outmatched by Andrea Mammoli and Jorge Herrera.
After some time, the judges switched the positions of Mike Sommerfeld and Wesley during the comparisons Mike moved to the right side, while Wesley shifted to the left side.
Second Callout of Pre Judging in Arnold Classic UK
So friends, now let’s talk about the second callout.
In the second callout, those bodybuilders are brought in who couldn’t make it to the first callout.
Here, a total of 5 bodybuilders can be seen—Joaquim Camps Angel, Sam Sulek, Paul Kanu, Luis Roberto Valenzuela Ramos, and Angelo Rossi.
When it comes to positioning, the judges moved Luis Roberto Valenzuela Ramos to the side and placed Sam Sulek in the center.
At that moment, Sam Sulek looked quite happy, but that happiness was only for a short time.
Soon after, he was also moved to the side, and then Joaquim Camps Angel was brought to the center.
So here, the judges clearly considered Joaquim Camps Angel as the best bodybuilder in the second callout.
Luis Roberto Valenzuela Ramos was placed completely on the left side, but if we look closely, in terms of back conditioning, he was actually challenging all the bodybuilders.
His shape was decent, but he deserved a slightly higher position in the comparisons.
Now friends, let’s move to the next comparison, which was done for the 3rd to 5th placings.
Here, a total of 3 bodybuilders were compared—Joaquim Camps Angel, Andrea Mammoli, and Jorge Herrera.
This comparison was specifically for deciding the 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions, so the final placements among these three bodybuilders would determine who finishes 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
Final Callout of Pre Judging in Arnold Classic UK
So finally friends, now let’s talk about the final callout of pre-judging, which happened between Mike Sommerfeld and Wesley Vissers.
Starting from the front, Mike Sommerfeld looked quite good, but honestly, there wasn’t much comparison here because Wesley looked far more dominant from the front.
So from the front side, judges may prefer Wesley.
Now if we talk about the side shots, Mike Sommerfeld’s chest, hamstrings, and glutes looked very impressive compared to Wesley Vissers.
In side poses, it’s possible that judges might be leaning towards Mike Sommerfeld.
Now coming to the most important part—the back shots. In back comparison, Wesley clearly seemed to be losing because his glutes were not as visible, and overall his back wasn’t as strong.
On the other hand, Mike Sommerfeld looked completely on point during pre-judging. His lower back, along with his glutes and hamstrings, looked bigger and more detailed than Wesley’s.
So in back shots, Mike clearly had the advantage.
The comparison ended with the favorite classic physique pose, and both athletes looked amazing here. Wesley Vissers had a great shape, but in terms of conditioning, Mike Sommerfeld looked more impressive.
Now it all comes down to what the judges prefer If they go for size and shape, then Wesley Vissers can win.
But if they prioritize conditioning and overall completeness, then Mike Sommerfeld could take the win.
So friends, this was the complete breakdown of the Men’s Classic Physique pre-judging at Arnold Classic UK.