Tag: Melvin Anthony
Melvin Anthony Full Interview | Best Posers, How To Beat Big Ramy, & Modern Bodybuilding
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Watch the full uncut GI Exclusive interview with Melvin Anthony.
Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder that was in his prime between the second Golden Era of the 90s and the modern era we see today. He competed from the late 90s through to 2008. In the prime of his career, he often placed in the top six at Mr. Olympia. He is also best known for his incredible posing routines.
A lot has changed in bodybuilding over the years since Melvin Anthony competed. Which is why we decided to get his perspective on modern bodybuilding, particularly how posing has evolved, and also his take on the latest trends in the sport.
Over the past few months we’ve released multiple GI Exclusive segments from our interview with Melvin Anthony. Now we’re releasing the full length interview including topics such as the best bodybuilding posers of all time, how to beat Big Ramy at the Olympia, and how today’s era compares to previous decades of the sport.
Listen To Our Melvin Anthony Interview On The Generation Iron Podcast
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Listen to the full Melvin Anthony interview here:
The Ultimate List Of The Best Bodybuilding Posers Of All Time
While the focus on posing has dwindled over the years – there is still hope in the form of select bodybuilders with incredible posing routines. That’s why we asked Melvin Anthony to list his picks for the best bodybuilding posers of all time. He mentions younger bodybuilders like Terrence Ruffin – but the biggest standout to him is Kai Greene.
Fans of bodybuilding are no stranger to Kai Greene’s sometimes bizarre but often beautiful posing routines. He would wear costumes and masks (for guest posing) and incorporate interpretive dance into his routine alongside mandatory poses. His entire persona was based in this art. His interviews are often poetic, just like his posing. He has always seen bodybuilding as pure art. This explains his skill and passion behind painting and his recent line of comic books.
So was Kai Greene the second coming of Melvin Anthony? Was he influenced by Anthony’s career? Anthony will be the first to admit that Kai Greene is one of the greatest, if not the number one greatest, poser of all time. But their styles are very different. Anthony details how his posing came from his street background. He would incorporate hip hop and breakdance style into his routines. Kai Greene feels more like abstract poetry. Two very different forms – but both dedicating to evolving the routine into something more.
Ultimately, Melvin Anthony struggles to come up with even five names for the best posers of all time (he eventually locks a solid five names). This is an example of just how few and far between true elevated posing is in the sport.
Melvin Anthony: Bodybuilders Today Train Hard, But They Can Train Harder
Melvin Anthony doesn’t want to to knock the new school era of bodybuilders. He understands how general sweeping statements can paint a broad stroke on a very diverse group of athletes. That’s why when we asked him about the current state of bodybuilding – he was very careful with his words. He doesn’t think that there is a bad training ethic in bodybuilders today – but he does think that it could push to the next level to match the greats of yesteryear.
In fact, history is very important to Melvin Anthony. He worries that we are not focusing enough on the history of bodybuilding to learn from what was done in the past. Anthony thinks that social media and short attention spans might be preventing bodybuilders today from reaching their best.
“I’m not saying they’re not training hard,” Melvin Anthony states in our interview. He continues:
“I’M NOT SAYING THAT THEY ARE NOT WORTHY OF WHAT THEY ARE GETTING ON STAGE. BUT THERE’S A LEVEL THAT THEY CAN GET TO THAT THEY HAVEN’T TAPPED INTO YET. AND I BELIEVE THEY WILL. HOPEFULLY THEY’LL GET IT. HOPEFULLY THEY’LL START TALKING TO A FLEX WHEELER OR A JAY CUTLER – ‘HEY MAN, HOW DID YOU TRAIN. CAN YOU SHOW ME WHAT YOU DID?’ WATCH HOW THOSE GUYS TRAIN… I’M NOT SAYING THEY’RE NOT TRAINING AS HARD. I JUST THINK THEY CAN TRAIN HARDER.”
How To Beat Big Ramy At The Mr. Olympia
While this is not a guarantee for Big Ramy, Melvin Anthony believes that it will take more than him being “a little off” to lose the title. Judging is meant to be as objective as possible. At the end of the day, though, it’s a subjective sport. Judges will see Big Ramy differently than in previous years. He’s no longer a competitor hungry to win his first Olympia, he’s now a returning champion.
So Melvin Anthony believes that the only way Big Ramy will lose is if he is defeated by a “knock out.” What he means by this is that either Ramy has to make significant mistakes to his physique or someone has to show up with a next-level physique than we’ve seen so far. Big Ramy has a lot of mass on his side – but his conditioning is where he has struggled in the past. No one will be him on pure mass alone – so all other competitors will need to be more perfect than they ever have been in order to surpass Ramy. Or again as we mentioned earlier – Big Ramy would have to make a huge mistake.
Melvin Anthony acknowledges that everyone on the stage has a great challenge ahead of them. Big Ramy has the pressure of either matching his 2020 physique or making it even better. The other competitors all need to try and contend with Ramy’s massive size.
Wrap Up
Melvin Anthony discusses many more topics than what we can cover in this single article. He also talks about bodybuilding gurus and their role in a bodybuilder’s health, how strong modern bodybuilders’ dedication is compared to the past, and more. That’s why you should check out the full GI Exclusive interview above!
Melvin Anthony’s Behind The Scenes Account Of Jay Cutler Defeating Ronnie Coleman At Olympia 2006
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Melvin Anthony shares his first hand story of seeing Jay Cutler defeat Ronnie Coleman for the first time.
Ronnie Coleman is a bodybuilder of legends. He’s arguably the greatest bodybuilder to ever live. So of course, the moment when he was finally defeated from his Mr. Olympia reign was a noteworthy one. The man to take down Coleman was Jay Cutler – who went on to win four Mr. Olympia titles. Many bodybuilding fans have seen the footage – but only a small number of people were there in person for this historic moment. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony shares his behind the scenes first hand account of Jay Cutler’s victory over Ronnie Coleman at Olympia 2006.
Melvin Anthony was competing at the Mr. Olympia in 2006. So not only was he in person to witness Ronnie Coleman’s defeat after eight Mr. Olympia wins, he was also behind the scenes in the events leading up to it. That’s why in our video interview, we asked Anthony to break down what that experience was like. Was it clear from the beginning that Jay Cutler would take down The King? Or was it a surprise for even the competitors?
Melvin Anthony admits that his perception on the moment is slightly skewed. He was competing himself – and so he had tunnel vision due to the hunger for victory. He wasn’t worrying whether or not Jay Cutler could beat Coleman. He instead was focused on being the one to beat Coleman himself.
Despite this, Melvin Anthony had some interesting stories to tell about the Olympia 2016. Once Anthony saw Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman pose – he knew that he wouldn’t be able to take the first place spot. It’s at this moment he was able to focus on the battle between Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman with more focus.
Was he surprised that Ronnie Coleman lost? No, not really. This isn’t because it was obvious he would lose. It was because in a sport like bodybuilding – anything can happen between competitors at this top tier level. In fact, Melvin Anthony believes that Jay Cutler had a better physique in previous years. Cutler only lost because he lost the mental game.
Melvin Anthony describes a moment from a previous Olympia, when Ronnie Coleman came out to warm up backastage and, according to Anthony, you could see Coleman’s size grow as he got pumped up. It was in that moment that Jay Cutler go psyched out. By having his mental game thrown off – his physique diminished and he lost to Coleman.
Anthony believes that Jay Cutler’s physique was slightly less on point in 2006 – but his mental game was completely on point. It helped take down Ronnie Coleman. The moment was a big one. It was the passing of the torch and the end of an era for one of the longest running Mr. Olympia champions. Everyone knew that day that there would never be another like Ronnie Coleman.
You can watch Melvin Anthony go into full detail about his behind the scenes experience of Ronnie Coleman vs Jay Cutler in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melvin Anthony Answers: Is Bodybuilding Less Lucrative Today?
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Melvin Anthony discusses financial opportunities in bodybuilding during his era vs today.
Those who follow bodybuilding history know of the coveted Weider contract. Back when Joe Weider was still alive – he would offer lucrative sponsorship contracts to the top bodybuilders in the sport. It was at once a sort of confirmation of a bodybuilder’s talent as well as a consistent pay day. In a sense, it was how an athlete became a career bodybuilder. Today contracts like Joe Weider’s are unheard of. Instead, social media influencer sponsorships and affiliate rates provide opportunity for income. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony debates on whether or not bodybuilding was more lucrative in the past model compared to today’s model.
Melvin Anthony’s bodybuilding career happened just at the tail end of a massive cultural shift in the world. By the time he was done with pro bodybuilding, social media had just begun blowing up. Now ten years later – it’s almost a way of life for younger generations.
The rise of the internet, and more specifically social media, completely changed how bodybuilding worked. The competitions, of course, remained the same. But how the fans interacted with key athletes and followed the sport shifted. Magazines were no longer king and fans could get daily updates instead of monthly.
In many ways, this has helped bodybuilding grow. Bodybuilders can now promote themselves without a middleman. Live streams can be broadcast to those who can’t attend shows in person. Exposure is at an all time high. But has the financial opportunities for athletes grown with it?
Melvin Anthony is at odds with bodybuilding revenue opportunities of today vs yesteryear. He’s old enough to remember what the 90s paydays were like. Prize money might have been down – but supplement contracts were massive. Today, it’s common to hear that athletes are only paid in free supplements an affiliate percentage rates. Meaning – the more the bodybuilder can sell the more money they can make. This can be lucrative for some – but is vastly different than a consistent monthly paycheck.
Melvin Anthony at first claims that bodybuilding in the past was more lucrative. The lack of exposure made the niche sport even more “elite.” A bodybuilder could sell merch at expos – and they became collectors items. On top of this, earning a supplement contract or a Weider contract, was only for the best of the best. When it was earned – it was like winning the lottery.
At the same time, Melvin Anthony admits he doesn’t understand fully the new model of sponsorships for bodybuilders. He feels as though it’s less impressive of a payday – but he also understands that social media provides so many more options for exposure. Exposure can equal big money for those who know how to harness it.
The reality probably falls somewhere in between. It seems as if, in the past, the paydays were higher but dispersed to smaller number of athletes. Today, even a bodybuilder who places low on stage can make big money if they build a brand on social media. Many more bodybuilders have gone on to become entrepreneurs. While this isn’t direct money from bodybuilding proper – they used their physique and social media to help kick start a business.
The old vs new debates will always rage on in sports and in culture at large. The only true fact we know for sure is that there are more fans of bodybuilding today than ever before. So there is plenty of opportunity to succeed with that kind of exposure. Perhaps it’s simply different but not better or worse in that regard.
You can watch Melvin Anthony break down his thoughts on bodybuilding revenue in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melvin Anthony: Bodybuilding History And Competitive Hunger Are Largely Missing Today
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Melvin Anthony believes that bodybuilders today don’t know enough about the sport’s history.
Melvin Anthony has previously stated in our earlier interview segment that bodybuilders today train very hard but could be training harder. Overall though – he believes that bodybuilders today are still extremely hard working and talented. The bigger problem, in his opinion, is that modern bodybuilders do not know enough about history, do not have enough camaraderie, and are not competitive enough. In our latest GI Exclusive, Melvin Anthony goes into detail about how a lack of bodybuilding history and hunger is hurting modern bodybuilding.
In this segment of our GI Exclusive interview, we started off by asking Melvin Anthony his thoughts on Women’s Bodybuilding. It’s a division that was near death only a few years ago but has since been revived by its return at the Olympia weekend. Anthony ultimately didn’t touch much on this topic in his answer. Instead, he expanded on a bigger issue he finds with modern bodybuilding. An issue that is directly related to the trials and tribulations of Women’s Bodybuilding and perhaps other divisions.
Melvin Anthony believes that Women’s Bodybuilding gets a bad rap for a few reasons – but the biggest is a lack of respect for muscle above all else – and a lack of respect for history. While many bodybuilding fans and young competitors certainly know the legends in the sport – Anthony worries that there is a lack of extensive knowledge of bodybuilding history. How can the new generation of bodybuilders break barriers if they don’t know what was done before them? How can you break the rules before you know where the rules came from?
Melvin Anthony had previously stated to us that bodybuilders train very hard today – but could be training harder. His words in our new segment today are an extension of that idea. He believes that it’s a lack of historical bodybuilding knowledge that prevents bodybuilders from training even harder and breaking new ground. Attention spans are so thin due to the instant response of internet and social media. It causes people to lose sight of the past. At least, that’s what Anthony believes.
The biggest irony behind this is that the internet can be used to gain more information more than ever. Melvin Anthony points out that bodybuilders today have the entire history of bodybuilding at their fingertips. Posing routines and competitions from each era can be watched on YouTube. Bodybuilding greats can be studied in a play-by-play detail. Not just the biggest legends but also the dozens of other great competitors who made big impressions in their era but perhaps didn’t land Ronnie Coleman status.
On top of this, Melvin Anthony believes that the hunger in competition has diminished. While his reasoning is purely anecdotal, he worries that bodybuilders are too willing to settle for sixth or third place before they even actually compete. Real champions, Anthony argues, will always believe they are the best. They will go into every competition thinking they will win until they don’t. If a competitor goes in thinking, “I hope to at least get third place.” They aren’t hungry enough.
Of course, there are likely still bodybuilders today with strong wills and hungry beliefs of victory. But from Melvin Anthony’s personal experience looking at modern bodybuilding – he doesn’t see it the same way as the past. Is he right? Or is he simply not looking in the right places? Or perhaps he’s not as in tune with current bodybuilding as he’s gotten older? It’s impossible to say with 100% certainty until this new era recedes into the past and is looked back on in retrospect.
You can watch Melvin Anthony talk about bodybuilding history and hunger to compete in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melvin Anthony: How To Beat Big Ramy At The Mr. Olympia
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Melvin Anthony breaks down how Big Ramy needs to be more than “a little off” to lose Mr. Olympia. He needs to be knocked out.
After many years of close calls, Big Ramy has finally become the Mr. Olympia champion many fans hoped he would be. Now with the 2020 Olympia under his belt, he’s entering the biggest competition of the year as a returning champion. Will he be hard to defeat? Or will his past challenges with conditioning plague him in 2021? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony details what it will take for Big Ramy to lose the Mr. Olympia 2021.
During our conversation with Melvin Anthony, we asked if he had watched the Mr. Olympia 2020 last year. He does indeed continue to follow bodybuilding and was incredibly impressed by Big Ramy’s physique. He believes that the athlete certainly deserved the champion title.
But what does the future hold for Big Ramy? Will he continue to reign as champion or another one shot champion? Melvin Anthony doesn’t claim he can read the future – but he does look back at past champions to predict what it will take for Big Ramy to be defeated.
Melvin Anthony knows one thing is certain, an Olympia champion almost always maintains some sort of reign and repeat victories. There are exceptions and the past few years actually showcased that in the form of Shawn Rhoden and Brandon Curry. That being said, the majority of bodybuilders who win Mr. Olympia go on to win multiple in a row.
So while this is not a guarantee for Big Ramy, Melvin Anthony believes that it will take more than him being “a little off” to lose the title. Judging is meant to be as objective as possible. At the end of the day, though, it’s a subjective sport. Judges will see Big Ramy differently than in previous years. He’s no longer a competitor hungry to win his first Olympia, he’s now a returning champion.
So Melvin Anthony believes that the only way Big Ramy will lose is if he is defeated by a “knock out.” What he means by this is that either Ramy has to make significant mistakes to his physique or someone has to show up with a next-level physique than we’ve seen so far. Big Ramy has a lot of mass on his side – but his conditioning is where he has struggled in the past. No one will be him on pure mass alone – so all other competitors will need to be more perfect than they ever have been in order to surpass Ramy. Or again as we mentioned earlier – Big Ramy would have to make a huge mistake.
Melvin Anthony acknowledges that everyone on the stage has a great challenge ahead of them. Big Ramy has the pressure of either matching his 2020 physique or making it even better. The other competitors all need to try and contend with Ramy’s massive size.
You can watch Melvin Anthony speak in full detail about Big Ramy and the future of Mr. Olympia in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melvin Anthony: Bodybuilders Today Train Hard, But They Can Train Harder
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Melvin Anthony talks about new school bodybuilders and their training ethic.
Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder that was in his prime between the second Golden Era of the 90s and the modern era we see today. He competed from the late 90s through to 2008. So he brings an interesting perspective on the recent debate about modern bodybuilding. Is the quality not up to par with the 90s and earlier? Or is this an unfair criticism? Do bodybuilders today not train as hard as earlier eras? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony believes that bodybuilders train very hard today… but thinks they can also train harder.
Melvin Anthony doesn’t want to to knock the new school era of bodybuilders. He understands how general sweeping statements can paint a broad stroke on a very diverse group of athletes. That’s why when we asked him about the current state of bodybuilding – he was very careful with his words. He doesn’t think that there is a bad training ethic in bodybuilders today – but he does think that it could push to the next level to match the greats of yesteryear.
In fact, history is very important to Melvin Anthony. He worries that we are not focusing enough on the history of bodybuilding to learn from what was done in the past. Anthony thinks that social media and short attention spans might be preventing bodybuilders today from reaching their best.
“I’m not saying they’re not training hard,” Melvin Anthony states in our interview. He continues:
“I’m not saying that they are not worthy of what they are getting on stage. But there’s a level that they can get to that they haven’t tapped into yet. And I believe they will. Hopefully they’ll get it. Hopefully they’ll start talking to a Flex Wheeler or a Jay Cutler – ‘Hey man, how did you train. Can you show me what you did?’ Watch how those guys train… I’m not saying they’re not training as hard. I just think they can train harder.”
Melvin Anthony stresses the difference between training hard and training beyond hard in a similar manner as past legends. He thinks that the immediacy of the internet has changed the attention span of everyone – including bodybuilders. He worries that they don’t deeply learn enough about the past and actually engage with it.
But Melvin Anthony also makes a point to say he’s hopefully that this will pass. The current era of bodybuilding seems to be almost a transitional one. We still have some greats of the early aughts competing such as Phil Heath and Roelly Winklaar among others. The new crop of bodybuilders, such as Hunter Labrada or Nick Walker, are only just now exploding onto the scene.
Melvin Anthony is optimistic that these bodybuilders are only on the beginning of their journey – and that their training will become even more focused as they continue to grow as athletes. He hopes that the new generation will learn from the past greats and become the next legends of the sport.
You can watch Melvin Anthony’s full comments about new school bodybuilding and training in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Melvin Anthony Defends Chad Nicholls & Other Gurus: It’s Not Their Fault If Bodybuilders Take Too Much
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Melvin Anthony shares his personal experience working with Chad Nicholls and defends against accusations that gurus are killing bodybuilders.
Chad Nicholls and other bodybuilding gurus have been subject to criticism in recent years. There have been claims that the kind of supplementation and protocols they advise is too risky. That gurus are not doctors and should not be providing athletes with drug protocols that could end up endangering the athlete. Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder who worked directly with Chad Nicholls and believes that these accusations are false. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony defends Chad Nicholls and other gurus – claiming that the risk comes from bodybuilders not following protocol.
In the world of pro bodybuilding, the human body is like a machine that needs the perfect set of elements to run perfectly. Bodybuilders will spend their entire lives trying to determine what works perfect for their own individual bodies. Not only that – but how to then push the limits and take their mass and physique to the next level. Bodybuilding gurus help aid in that process. They provide knowledgable insight into how to train, diet and supplement.
The unspoken truth is that this also involves advice on performance enhancing drugs and other substances. Over the years, these gurus have been praised for their knowledge and the results seen in their clients. They help bring athletes to new heights. But more recently, criticism has been laid at gurus for the dangers posed by their supplementation and protocol advice. Should a guru be held responsible if a health emergency happens to one of their clients because of the very protocol they recommended?
Melvin Anthony caught word of the recent allegations against gurus like Chad Nicholls. The claims go so far as to say he and other gurus like him are killing people. That they are drug dealers with no real medical experience. That they should be held responsible. Anthony disagrees. In fact, he has directly worked with Chad Nicholls. From his experience, Nicholls was nothing but knowledgable and responsible. He always took health into consideration when putting together a protocol for Anthony.
Melvin Anthony believes that the blame thrown towards bodybuilding gurus have been blown out of proportion. Yes, there is always an inherent risk in being a pro bodybuilder. But he also believes that many of the medical emergencies or tragic deaths are not due to the gurus – but the athletes themselves. A guru can only recommend a training program or drug protocol. When the bodybuilder goes home – there’s no telling whether or not that person really follows it. If the bodybuilder takes more than recommended and something bad happens, the guru is not directly responsible.
More than that, a bodybuilder can also not be transparent or truthful about their own lifestyle. A drug protocol might be recommended based on the current diet and training the athlete is doing. But if the athlete is actually not being truthful about their diet, or perhaps their own medical history, then the recommendation by the guru is based off of half truths. In this case, again, the guru is not responsible.
Melvin Anthony believes that this kind of miscommunication is what is largely to blame for medical issues with bodybuilders. He thinks that the responsibility lies with the athlete at the end of the day. No one is forcing them to do anything and, more importantly, if they don’t follow directions to a tee – it’s beyond the guru’s control.
You can watch Melvin Anthony go into detail about his experience with Chad Nicholls and his opinion on bodybuilding gurus in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Melvin Anthony: The Ultimate List Of The Best Bodybuilding Posers Of All Time
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Melvin Anthony was one of the greatest posers in bodybuilding history. Here’s his picks for the top 5 best posers of all time.
Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder who was active during the 90s and 2000s and best known for his incredible posing routines. In the prime of his career, he often placed in the top six at Mr. Olympia. A lot has changed over the past few decades in bodybuilding – that’s why we connected with Anthony to discuss his revolutionary posing routines and his thoughts on posing in the modern era of bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony breaks down the top five best bodybuilding posers of all time.
It’s often been said that posing has fallen to the wayside in bodybuilding. What was once an art form in and of itself – has now been a simple set of mandatory moves for the judges. While there are some who still value creativity in posing, it’s almost become secondary in today’s era of bodybuilding.
Arnold Schwarzenegger himself warned of this change and urged the Arnold Classic to instate a score for posing as part of the overall results. The change was made and is still active in the Arnold Classic competitions to this day. It has yet to expand to other major competitions such as the Mr. Olympia.
We connected with Melvin Anthony via video chat to reflect on his career and the inspiration behind his posing routines. There really aren’t many bodybuilding posers out there like Anthony. Melvin was meticulous with his prep and practiced each and every move. His goal was for each posing routine to be flawless.
While the focus on posing has dwindled over the years – there is still hope in the form of select bodybuilders with incredible posing routines. That’s why we asked Melvin Anthony to list his picks for the best bodybuilding posers of all time. He mentions younger bodybuilders like Terrence Ruffin – but the biggest standout to him is Kai Greene.
Fans of bodybuilding are no stranger to Kai Greene’s sometimes bizarre but often beautiful posing routines. He would wear costumes and masks (for guest posing) and incorporate interpretive dance into his routine alongside mandatory poses. His entire persona was based in this art. His interviews are often poetic, just like his posing. He has always seen bodybuilding as pure art. This explains his skill and passion behind painting and his recent line of comic books.
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Watch Kai Greene’s posing routine in Brooklyn in this clip from Generation Iron above!
So was Kai Greene the second coming of Melvin Anthony? Was he influenced by Anthony’s career? Anthony will be the first to admit that Kai Greene is one of the greatest, if not the number one greatest, poser of all time. But their styles are very different. Anthony details how his posing came from his street background. He would incorporate hip hop and breakdance style into his routines. Kai Greene feels more like abstract poetry. Two very different forms – but both dedicating to evolving the routine into something more.
Ultimately, Melvin Anthony struggles to come up with even five names for the best posers of all time (he eventually locks a solid five names). This is an example of just how few and far between true elevated posing is in the sport.
You can watch Melvin Anthony go into detail about his posing routines and the best bodybuilding posers of all time in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!