Jordan Hutchinson Wins Again! – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog

by Christian Duque

Well I must say that Jordan Hutchinson’s rise to fame is one that’s well deserved. Just last week he won a major battle against Quinton Eriya at the Tampa Pro and now this weekend he took it to Texas where he won again. In Tampa he battled with Quinton and in Texas he battled with Jo. Both competitors served up a tremendous amount of a fight leading down to the wire at two of the most prestigious shows in the southern United States. In both contests, Jordan was the deserving winner.

That’s not easy to say considering the fact that this weekend’s Texas Pro had 26 professional athletes took to the stage. Can you even imagine that? 26 pro bodybuilders on one stage. It wasn’t the Olympia or the Arnold Classic, but it brought a phenomenal lineup. This shows that bodybuilding is growing even though word on the street is that it’s playing second fiddle to Classic Physique or that people don’t relate to the size of today’s guys. A lot of times actually going to contests is what’s necessary. There’s a lot of talk on the internet about the way things used to be and the way they are today, but when you see how it really is on a contest, that’s what matters most. In my 20 years of covering the sport, I have not seen a situation where this many competitors in this kind of shape have shown up. Because that’s another thing, it wasn’t 20 guys that looked like crap and maybe six guys that looked good. All of these guys brought it and all these guys really made for a fantastic show. I will say that it was the Top 3 where the real showdown took place. In this article I’m going to talk about the champ, the runner-up, and the third place winner. I believe all three guys have a path to the Olympics and I believe all three guys can actually do damage at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. Interestingly all three guys are receiving a lot of attention in the press.

When I look at a guy like Jordan I see a tremendous amount of potential. I see a guy that has paid his dues and that has really developed a true understanding of where the sport is at. I really appreciate the fact that he puts so much attention into how he looks day to day. I think that’s an important level of accountability that’s lost upon a lot of competitors that nearly wait until the last couple of weeks of a prep to start really paying attention to the details. Bodybuilding is not a race, it’s a marathon. And I like what I see with Jordan on social media. I like that Jordan has his own backdrop, and employs the benefits of technology to ensure that he is always on top of his game. He takes pictures with his phone and he uses his iPhone to make sure that he gets the exact pose that he needs. He’s not using filters and he’s not trying to out-post the next guy. He just wants to see exactly how his body changes.

I’ve also had an opportunity to watch a few of Jordan’s interviews and read some of his postings on social media. I just generally like the guy. He seems like a real meat and potatoes type athlete with very little to hide and doesn’t really do much of the trash talk. I appreciate that because it’s important to have competitors that focus on the hard work and not so much on the trivialities that sometimes tend to overpower the content that goes out. To quote the great Kai Greene, the minutiae of the sport is what I can live without. The stuff that doesn’t really matter. When I see what Jordan is doing on social media and then I see what he’s doing on stage – it’s really a breath of fresh air. I really like how Jordan treated Jo at The Texas Pro, and vice versa. I like seeing a champion who knows how to win – the right way. That said, he also has tremendous physique.

What’s good about Jordan is that he’s got a lot of muscle and he is somebody that understands the value of showing the judges what a competitor brings to the stage. Before delving into Jordan’s physique and his posing, I do want to commend the promoters of the Texas Pro for having a great stage. It’s what’s known as a hybrid stage, which has a more or less solid background but also has some lasers and special effects going on with regards to the promoters and the vendors. That being said, it doesn’t have a tremendous amount of distractions, either. It’s not as hardcore as what we saw at Fouad Abiad’s Detroit Pro, which had almost a pure black background, but it’s better than what we see at most shows. As a result, the competitors looked so much better on photos and videos. At the same time however, it isn’t enough to have a great stage. Competitors still need to understand the value of posing. A good poser understands that they can show their attributes to the judge, as well as hiding their flaws in such a way that it almost goes undetected. Although the judges see thousands of physiques each year, even the most trained eyes can be duped by a great poser. And that is a huge part of what bodybuilding is all about. It isn’t just about building the perfect physique, it’s also about presenting it. And if you can present it while hiding some flaws, all the better. Because after all, perfection is not attainable. It’s like the Tower of Babel, you can keep building and building, but you’re never going to reach the sky. The sooner you get that, the better. That’s why creating the illusion is so key.

With regards to Jordan’s physique, I really like the fact that he has a small waist and a controlled midsection. I think that’s very important and I also think it’s important that from the sides he looks very good. A lot of competitors focus on the front and the back but the sides aren’t really a priority. I also love how much attention he put into his transitions. I’ve seen some sloppy transitions from even some of the most seasoned veterans and it’s truly a bad look. They don’t understand that everything is being looked at under a microscope by the judges. And a good transition also helps to hide any flaws in the physique. The fact is that a good transition should look like the physique is flowing. There’s a certain artistic quality to going from mandatory pose to mandatory pose. Some guys will grunt, other guys will gasp as they’re not conditioned to do extended posing routines, and other guys look like they’re just not having a good time at all. Facial expressions are also very important, as is working in the crowd. And that is something that both Jordan and Jo did very well.

So let’s talk about the runner-up here. A lot of people thought it was going to be Quinton because he had been runner-up to Jordan at Tampa. The only difference from Tampa to Texas is that Quinton was not as sharp in the finals as he was in the prejudging. Some people also believe that maybe he thought that Texas was going to be an easier time than Tampa. And that is a mistake that a lot of these guys often make. They think that they can half-assed or coast into a show that they don’t see as being as competitive. Unfortunately not only did Quinton not beat Jordan, but he fell one spot down in the placings. I think that his training has been called into question by some of the media outlets and others have even gone so far as to suggest he work with Chris Aceto. I’m not going to be doing that here, because I don’t think it’s my place to do so. That’s not to throw shade at any publication that has suggested such coaching changes or that he intensifies his training. It’s just not the way that I write an article.

That being said, I do think that there’s something amiss when you go one spot down in the placings and you’re putting out that much of an effort. I like that Eriya is tall, has good structure and has a very dominant front, but again it’s the sides that really need work. I think that if he can’t bring that up, he needs to really consider changing whatever he’s doing. I would like to have seen him more dialed in. I don’t know if he thought that Texas was somehow going to be easier than Tampa or if maybe something happened between the prejudging and the finals. As far as I’m concerned, had he looked the way he looked at the prejudging at the finals he probably would have been second place. I don’t think he would have had enough to have beaten Jordan, though. Jordan has the complete physique and that is very hard to beat. Jo, on the other hand, is just an absolute monster.

NIck’s Strength And Power says that Jo Palacios reminds him of Nick Miller in the front double biceps pose. I don’t know if I would 100% agree with that assessment but I can see what he’s talking about. I see a lot of Branch Warren also in Jo Palacios in the sense that he’s got what appears to be grainy skin. Maybe not as grainy as Branch or Dorian, but he’s definitely in the ballpark. He’s got a tremendous amount of muscle and he looks like an absolute freak from the back and from the front. That being said, I don’t think his waist is all that small. And I’m not a huge fan of the fact that he has sort of a blocky look to him. Now I know that a lot of guys like the fact that he has that Freak Factor going on and I totally get it. What I liked about him as well was that he really worked the audience. The entertainment value is on point, but he also packs on the size.

You look at him and you’re thinking to yourself can this guy put on even another pound or two of muscle? And of course he can, but it’s that look that he’s got that just makes you feel like this guy is muscle upon muscle, slabs of steel upon slabs of steel, and the fact is he really enjoys being up there. He was always happy and he was always very grateful. And again he’s only done one other pro show. It’s not like he has a tremendous track record as a pro athlete. When Jo took second place he was really happy for Jordan, even clapping for him. The guy’s a total class act. I mean the good sportsmanship from the runner up was as impressive as that from the champion. I really think that that is the way to go about building something big. I really think that we will see Jo on the Olympia stage in 2025 and I think that we may even see him moving up the ranks – almost at lighting speed at this point. When the most popular YouTuber in the world is talking about you, as well as many other channels, that’s going to create a tremendous level of buzz for you. And on a much smaller level, you’ve got Christian Duque, writing an article that says glowing things about you for IronMag. That doesn’t hurt, either. Lol

All in all, I think the Texas Pro is a phenomenal show and they did a great job with it. There were other competitors that we recognized from Tampa and elsewhere that were there and they also brought their best, but at the end of the day there can only be one man that walks away with the title. And that man was Jordan Hutchinson. That said, I think that at this point it would be a good time for him to sort of hunker down and prepare for the Olympia, but I have a feeling we may see him compete again. Quinton has already confirmed he will be doing the upcoming Europe and I would imagine Jo will not be too far behind. As far as Jordan goes, I think with two Olympia qualifications that should be enough for him. Will it be? I don’t know.

What do you think the future holds for Jordan Hutchinson? I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. As always, I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will definitely drum up some lively conversation.