The IFBB Keystone Pro Classic was held in conjunction with the NPC Lehigh Valley Bodybuilding and Figure Championships for the first time this Saturday. In conjunction with the show, there was an expo with about 25 different vendors, held at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena. The show was split into two sessions with morning pre-judging and evening competition. I arrived around 2:30 PM after having gotten lost in and around, and even on, Lehigh’s campus. Unfortunately, I showed up just as they were closing for the morning. I was told the doors would open again at 4:30 PM. I managed to catch a glimpse of Johnnie Jackson and Branch Warren relaxing outside soaking up the sun. When I got back I checked out some of the vendors, picked up a few supplement samples, and even met Toney Freeman and professional wrestler Mick Foley.

Since this was my first bodybuilding event, I only purchased the cheap seats; however, the arena was far from filled and I ended up moving to the floor. I didn’t really know what to expect, as I had never even seen a posing routine aside from those featured in Pumping Iron. The show started around 6:30 PM with several of the women’s categories. They first competed with the one piece and later on moved to the two piece. The show then moved on to the men’s categories. I was particularly impressed with the men’s novice category in which there were some young teen competitors who already had great physiques. What astonished me even more though were the men’s masters categories (above 40, 50, and even 60). There were few competitors in this category, but the determination and conditioning of these individuals was inspiring. I hope that when I’m that age I can look as good as they did on stage. There was a man in the over 60 category who had undergone double bypass surgery and was still competing. Hearing his story and seeing him compete was amazing.  

The biggest issue I had with the event was the lack of coordination and planning. First off, there was no event schedule. Having not been to an event of this type before, I didn’t know when each event was supposed to take place. Also, there were few explanations given for the different categories. The MC several times stalled on announcing the next competitor or announced the wrong competitor. This happened several times even during the pro show, with him announcing competitors from the wrong country on occasion. Speaking of the pro show… this was what I had waited all night for. And wait we did. They took a break between the Lehigh valley competition and the pro show, and then again took a break after all of the individual competitors did their routines and announcing the winner. All in all, the show ended sometime around 10 PM or later.

But back to the action, the pros showed exactly why they deserve to be called pros. Not only did they all possess gargantuan physiques, they also exuded showmanship. The night began with Dennis Wolf and ended with him taking the title. In between however, I found some of the best highlights which I will share with you all. Music choice played an integral part as different tempos and styles added to the personalities of the competitors. Tricky Johnson gave perhaps one of the most entertaining performances of the night, complete with sunglasses, popping and locking and some other smooth dance moves. His routine may have been more dance and entertainment than posing though. Darrem Charles’ routine was also in the same vein. Trevor Crouch from England wowed the crowd with his massive lat spread. Branch Warren looked very good coming off of his win at the NY pro event. Kai Greene put on a very unique show with moves like a headstand pose and even the worm.

Overall, I thought this was a good experience. I was impressed by the conditioning of both the amateurs and professionals, and I was finally able to experience first hand what bodybuilding is all about. Going to an event like this also helps promote a sense of community that perhaps is lacking during one’s own day to day workouts. Coming out of this, I have a greater appreciation for the people who are part of this sport and it made me want to concentrate harder on attaining my own goals. Who knows, perhaps one day I’ll step on stage? Regardless, I encourage anyone in the tri-state area to go to this event next year if you have the time and support the people who are doing this locally, for fun, as well as for a profession.

- Andrew “Segansational” Segan