Dennis Wolf – Most Overrated Bodybuilder?

“Big Bad” Lucky to Finish in Fourth
By Joe Pietaro, MuscleSport Mag

Heading into the Mr. Olympia contest, the fan favorite to take the title away from Jay Cutler was none other than Dennis Wolf. The 5′11″ German had been spoken of as the most likely of the competitors to make the biggest jump from his fifth place finish in 2007.

While he did come in looking as if he trained intensely for the show, he did have enough flaws that his fourth place finish was questioned. Tony Freeman finished in fifth and appeared to be in much better condition than Wolf.

Wolf lacked in a few areas, including his hamstrings and calves. His obliques were not where they should have been, either. From some angles, he appeared to have ‘love handles.’ Definitely not a trait that you want on stage striving for the Sandow.

In comparison, eventual winner Dexter Jackson looked shredded in that area, with striations giving him good definition. Wolf may have even appeared to have taken a step back from last year in some aspects.

The question now arises if Wolf is overrated. Since turning pro in 2006, he finished in seventh at the Europa Supershow, fifth at the Montreal Pro Championships, third in the Grand Prix Spain, didn’t place at his first Olympia in 2006 (16th), finished third at the 2007 New York Pro, first at the 2007 Keystone Pro Classic and the aforementioned fifth in Vegas that same year. Not exactly criteria that would make you a favorite to win the highest level award in the world.

Wolf felt confident heading into his latest show. “I improved myself, all my body parts,” he said two days prior to the Olympia. “I did my homework and we’ll see what happens.” He also felt that concentrating on one contest for the year was beneficial. “I got some rest for my body,” he added. “I had a good offseason, good dieting and preparation. Everything went good.”

While moving up one place is still an accomplishment, Wolf had to be slightly disappointed that he could not crack the top three, especially since Cutler was unseated and his title was ripe for the taking.

Wolf had stated that he intends on adding 10 pounds for the 2009 Olympia. Especially since he already has so much size, he should concentrate on improving what he has before adding more.