Dennis James was joined by Milos Sarcev and Jose Raymond for Episode 242 of The Menace Podcast and with special guest Justin Shier also on the show, they put his prediction of a bodybuilding victory in Tampa to the test.
Shier, who explained that he currently weighs around 230-pounds, predicted that he will be victorious at the 2025 Tampa Pro, which runs July 31-August 2, during his appearance on “TMP.” If he’s right, the Men’s Open competitor will stamp his ticket to the 2025 Olympia event in Las Vegas. First, however, he will have to get past another favorite, Jonathan De La Rosa. So, with a wealth of experience on hand to examine Shier’s chances of success, the crew took a look at how these two warriors measure up on a pose for pose basis.
Shier placed 15th in his 2023 Olympia debut, impressing judges, while Jonathan De La Rosa placed twelth in 2024. “I’m going to ask Jose, because Jose never lies,” quizzed Sarcev. “Pose for pose, Justin or Jonathan De La Rosa?” Sarcev first wanted to know what his fellow bodybuilding coach felt about their front double bicep pose. “Very similar,” said Jose Raymond. “That’s the one that’s probably the closest,” admitted Shier. “Maybe Justin has little higher lats,” added Raymond, struggling to find a defining difference. Dennis James was more adamant, however. “If you asked me, I would have to say John,” touted The Menace. “Simply for the fact that John’s gonna be bigger. It’s bodybuilding.”
Raymond agreed that De La Rosa could be as much as 240-pounds on stage. But in bodybuilding, overall size can often be in the eye of the beholder. James felt that De La Rosa is fuller in the chest, but Sarcev may have evened the judging out. “Justin has a more extreme V-taper,” he explained.
What did Justin Shier say of the package he’s bringing to the 2025 Tampa Pro?
“My lats are gonna flare more and my waist is going to be in, tighter,” stated Shier. “I feel like my arms are better, I’m taller,” he added. During the show, Jose Raymond said De La Rosa was actually closer to 5’ 6”, while Shier stands at 5’7”.
When it came to lamenting the lat spread pose down, James agreed that Justin Shier was on top here, and Raymond concurred. Still, as the varied posing predictions showed, it will be tight run contest in Tampa, and Shier will have left “TMP” with a burning desire to prove that he is the one who should be Olympia bound.
To watch the full dissection, where the boys also discussed Nick Walker’s current shape, Olympia prize money, and other pressing bodybuilding news, see below.
