The 2011 IFBB Pro World Master Championships gears up Saturday December 10th in my adopted hometown of Miami Beach, FL; and by all accounts this show is loaded with quality. As a quick aside, the host hotel, Eden Roc, is truly off-the-charts with a perfect beachfront location and it screams "Relax! You're on a vacation." From the 
scuttlebutt I hear, the lineup is really going to surprise a lot of people. Hell, $100,000 is on the line and most of these guys have pulled out all the stops hoping to bank one of the best paydays in bodybuilding.
Here's the low down on what I hear.
Dexter Jackson. Nuts. That's what Dennis James told me in Brazil last week. Flex Wheeler said the same thing. Dexter had a lousy spring. He came back with a strong Mr O look and topped that by all accounts in Spain where he was second to Victor Martinez at the Arnold Europe. DJ says he's been in Los Angeles duking it out with Charles Glass and is even practicing his posing with Chris Cormier. Expect a lot and more.
Toney Freeman. Crazy X-Man genetics. Dennis has pics of all these guys and the one he whipped out of Freeman shows he's big and hard. You know, I have seen Toney win shows looking super hard and win them looking mostly hard, which means he has the right muscle bellies, size and shape to beat almost anyone. If you can win IFBB shows in 2011 looking in good but not great, you know you have what it takes to smoke almost any field.
Troy Alves. Bigger for sure then he has been. His side chest and most muscular is bigger than it has been. Not more carbed up. Not fuller. He's just bigger. Goes to show you what staying focused can do. His stance is amazing from the front so he will get a very serious look.
Ed Nunn. I don't think anyone has done more shows than Ed this year. The good thing is that he will look fantastic! He did all year except at the Mr O and in Spain where the toll of the never-ending dieting probably wore him down. The bad news; he won't interview with RX Muscle, for some reason, so at least 50 thousand fans who tune in over the next few days will miss him. Balloon-like stance in the lineup with big quads, and zero waist makes him impressive beyond impressive. Just needs to fill in gaps.
Andreas Cahling. The Viking. You may recall Andreas is a special case because he's a vegetarian. I heard he's in great condition. He won the 1980 IFBB Mr International when they had it and he was years ahead of his time in terms of conditioning. We will have to see what he ends up looking like after all these years away from the game.
Samir Bannout. Go to 1983 Mr Olympia Samir's Facebook page and get lost in hundreds of amazing photos from his hey-day years where he displayed brilliant definition and full blown muscularity. Samir coined the words "Christmas tree, onion skin, and peeled" Samir has always said he needs to be 100% full and 100% dry to make an impact in any show. He attributes stock market- like gyrations in his aldosterone levels to problematic water retention. If he keeps this water-retaining hormone in check, he will look great.
Pavol Jablonicky. A possible unknown. When Victor Martinez stomped the 2003 Night of Champions, Pavol was second because he was diced and I know, for sure, he was no youngster then. I hear he is one of these guys who loves bodybuilding and that means he's always training. Therefore, he may show up looking way better than a lot of people expect based on the fact that he has been at it continuously all these years. He just hasn't got up there on stage.
Bill Wilmore. Nuts again. Same thing here. Dennis James showed me a pic of Bill. To me, he always improves and will certainly be at his best for this show. Lots of big hard muscle. Lots and lots of density. Great guy and a greatly under-rated bodybuilder with something to prove here.
Darrem Charles. This guy has more professional wins than almost anyone else in the lineup. When he's sliced and diced, he's extremely hard to beat. He usually has problems with bodybuilders that outsize him but if conditioning is the name of THIS game come Saturday night (and Darrem is "on'), it just might be game over!
Tricky Jackson. Coming off an impressive 212 win at IFBB Iowa Pro 202, he will be ripped and ready but as he found out in Hartford this year where Troy came out on top, size does matter!
