The 2024 Arnold Classic goes down this weekend, prompting a round table of bodybuilding veterans to discuss the nearing show. In a recent Rx Muscle YouTube video, Chris Cormier discussed Hadi Choopan’s potential path to victory and offered him a few posing tips.
Time is ticking away before competitors clash at the 35th annual Arnold Sports Festival, hosted by bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, from February 29 to March 3. Atop the headliner sits ‘The Nigerian Lion’ Samson Dauda and former Olympia titleholder Hadi Choopan, who are destined for another showdown after their close encounter on the Mr. Olympia stage last November.
Since that night, the reigning 2023 Arnold Classic champ Samson Dauda has kept busy, stringing together two consecutive victories at the 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro and EVLS Prague Pro. Meanwhile, Choopan, who lost his Olympia title to Derek Lunsford, decided to jump into the 2024 Arnold Classic to get back to his winning ways.
With their epic battle taking place in just a few days, Chris Cormier, a 1990s IFBB Pro standout, discussed how Choopan could emerge victorious. In addition, he examined and offered guidance on two of Choopan’s poses.
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Chris Cormier Opens Up On Hadi Choopan’s Posing and Path to 2024 Arnold Classic Title
According to Chris Cormier, Choopan has to present his signature dry conditioning and hardness to walk away with gold in Ohio.
“Definitely he’s got to be a lot harder. That was always his thing. It’s not like he has the most-pleasing physique.
It’s not like he was shaped like a Greek God he was more like that blistering hardness that he had when he first came to the Olympia and took that third and could have arguably been like the winner at that time but they had Ramy and they had you know, everyone else that’s been in the Olympia but every Olympia he has done, he probably had an argument where he could have placed higher or won the thing.”
In addition, Cormier shared his concerns of Choopan’s height, arguing that Dauda’s physique could make him appear ‘squatty.’
“It could [his height could work against him] going against Samson. It really could. He could make it look like more of a squatty looking physique it’s not like the most, he don’t have the smallest waist out of for that height.”
At this stage in Choopan’s career, Chris Cormier doesn’t think size is what is most important.
“You know just getting bigger and bigger that’s not going to do his body justice if he wants to continue to compete it’s going to become a fine point where weight is not going to be something that’s going to help him get better and better. It’s going to be keeping that shape going and understanding what muscle groups you need to try to improve and the other ones you need to try to harness and keep that where it’s at,” said Chris Cormier.
Lastly, Chris Cormier gave Hadi Choopan some posing pointers, specifically for the former Mr. Olympia’s front and back lat spreads.
“You have to be careful of hand placement when you hit the front lat spread or rear lat spread sometimes people get lazy with the hands and it won’t do the body justice. There’s a space between your hips and your lat insertions that you can press your thumbs in there nice and deep.”
This wasn’t Chris Cormier’s first time breaking down the potential bodybuilding action headed to Columbus, Ohio. When speaking with Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy, Cormier mentioned that Choopan had more pressure to perform at the 2024 Arnold Classic than Samson Dauda.
With just a few days until top talent collides at the second biggest bodybuilding event of the year, the excitement surrounding the Open roster continues to build. Don’t miss the event for free or our coverage of the prejudging and finals this weekend!
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