Tag: 2022 Mr. Olympia
Iain Valliere To Improve Triceps for 2023 Mr. Olympia, Talks Big Ramy’s Future & Samson Dauda
Anticipation for the upcoming Mr. Olympia continues to build as fans await the contest in less than five months. In a recent Olympia TV interview, Bob Cicherillo and Iain Valliere discussed the Men’s Open division. During the video, Valliere said he doesn’t believe Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay will win back his Mr. Olympia title.
“It’s all a mind game when it gets to this level. If Iain brings his A-game there, he’ll be right back up there, no question about it,” said Bob Cicherillo.
Iain Valliere is one of the most popular bodybuilders from Canada. In a career lasting almost a decade, Valliere has shown great promise, courtesy of his exceptional conditioning and detailed back. He started the 2022 season with an impressive victory at the Vancouver Pro, where he defeated Antoine Vaillant for first. This earned him passage to the season’s biggest show of the year.
The 2022 Mr. Olympia lineup was strong as many debutants planned to make statements. New names on the stage such as Andrew Jacked, Michal Krizo, and Samson Dauda were all labeled dark hoses ahead of the show. And while Ramy dominated the landscape from 2020-2021, a new champion arrived last December to take his title away. Hadi Choopan won gold. Ramy placed fifth, a harsh drop from the year prior.
Without a qualification to 2023 Mr. Olympia, Valliere worked in the off-season to bring his best look to date. He mapped out improvements and detailed his shredding diet for the new season. He targeted this year’s Toronto Pro Supershow. At the event, he battled with Hassan Mostafa in what many fans described as a close contest. Nevertheless, Valliere presented some of his best conditioning and earned his invite.
Iain Valliere Plans to Improve Triceps for 2023 Olympia, Talks Big Ramy’s Future
According to Valliere, Big Ramy won’t win back his Mr. Olympia title but he still believes he can be competitive on other stages like the Arnold Classic.
“I don’t believe Ramy will win the Olympia again. Do I think Ramy has a career ahead of him making money and being a competitive pro bodybuilder? Absolutely. I don’t think you need to be winning the Mr. Olympia to get six-figure contracts or to be a competitive bodybuilder. He can still win shows. He can still do well at the Arnolds.
Like, he was still a top five guy at the Arnold he’s getting a good paycheck he’s still getting good contracts. And look: even when he was off he was still top five at the Olympia. That’s nothing to snuff at right? I still think Ramy is absolutely a top-tier bodybuilder and will continue to be for a few years. But do I think he’s going to win the Olympia again, I do not,” said Iain Valliere.
Admittedly, Valliere says expectations and new talent might have factored into his last Mr. Olympia performance.
“When you had two years of seventh prior, look, the Olympia linup last year was not the same as 2020 or 2021. It was absolutely improved, there was a lot of new guys there, Samson there, Andrew there, Derek in the mix now,” said Iain Valliere. “Obviously there probably was some looming fear in my head that, ‘Shit I’m going to slip places I’m going to slip places,’ and that was shown in my presentation,” explained Valliere.
Looking ahead, Valliere plans to focus on his triceps which he believes will improve at least two of his side poses.
“There are some things still that I think need to be improved here. I had a little bit of loss of volume on my triceps that I think hurt me in the side chest and the side tri that can definitely be improved from a little bit of a nagging elbow issue I was having on that side specifically which is I think going to be a lot better come the Olympia. If we make some small tweaks there, I’m very confident in my shot to be in that group at the Olympia, for sure,” added Valliere.
Valliere & Bob Cicherillo Talk Samson Dauda, Nick Walker, Hunter Labrada, and Derek Lunsford
In a recent HD Muscle YouTube video, Nick Walker said Samson Dauda’s back was ‘shit’ and ‘flat as a board.’ However, Valliere disagrees. He believes Dauda can establish himself as a true Mr. Olympia contender with improved conditioning, not just back improvements.
“I don’t think I agree with that,” Valliere said. “Samson is making show to show year to year, I don’t think that’s going to be the case for a long time. Even when you look from – bring the conditioning in a little bit more from the Olympia to the Arnold it did show his back a lot better. For a back to look good, your conditioning must be excellent.”
In Bob’s opinion, Dauda’s back isn’t flat and even if it was, Samson still defeated Walker at the Arnold.
“Listen, Nick is being Nick and I appreciate that because I love these guys especially him, he’s not shy about making comments. Listen, is he literally flat as a board? No. And he better hope he’s not flat as a board because he beat him with that flat as a board back,” Cicherillo said.
Since Lunsford no longer abides by a weight restriction, Valliere suspects he’ll improve his conditioning and muscle density.
“In the case of Derek, I think him and Hany played his cards right for the Olympia but now as he gets more muscle maturity and more density to that muscle and he’s held on to it longer because he’s not pushing down to 212 and doing off-seasons, I think we’ll see that conditioning come up more and more and more,” Valliere said.
Lastly, Cicherillo offered Hunter Labrada some words of encouragement ahead of his latest Olympia campaign that starts with the 2023 Tampa Pro in August.
“He’s going to have his cut out for him. Hunter will have to be 100% and more importantly, Hunter has a habit of coming out – and he is just pouring water. He’s got to figure out notably, what he has to do to not be releasing so much water in that first round.”
This isn’t the first time Bob Cicherillo has taken a close look at the Men’s Open bodybuilders expected to compete in Nov. Following Dauda’s 2023 Arnold Classic victory, Bob labeled him alongside Lunsford as Choopan’s two biggest threats.
Big Ramy is also determined to become the only bodybuilder in the Open aside from Jay Cutler to win back an Olympia title. Despite recommendations from Bob and head judge Steve Weinberger to take a break, Ramy has made it clear he’s working ‘angry’ and harder than ever to bring his best physique possible later this year.
Given the number of potential contenders, 2023 Mr. Olympia is shaping up to be an unforgettable event. With his eyes on the first call-out, Iain Valliere plans to improve his triceps and sharpen his posing skills.
You can watch the full Olympia TV YouTube video below:
Find complete coverage of the 2022 Mr. Olympia, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final results at our Olympia coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia
Published: 29 June, 2023 | 5:48 PM EDT
Chris Bumstead And Hadi Choopan Annihilate A Quads Workout As 2022 Olympia Prep Continues
Chris Bumstead recently trained with Hadi Choopan to be stronger and ‘not be a skinny b**ch’. Bumstead is one of the most successful competitors in the Classic Physique division of the IFBB Pro League. The Canadian phenom won the Classic Physique Olympia title by dethroning former champion Breon Ansley at the 2019 Olympia. He then went on to defend it at the 2020 and 2021 Olympia. CBum has dealt with a number of challenging situations in his preparation for the 2022 Olympia, and he is one of the favorites heading into the competition. Iain Valliere, an open-division bodybuilder, and close friend has been coaching Bumstead so far. However, the duo announced the end of their ‘coach-client relationship’ a few weeks back. Although difficult, both men understood it was a wise decision for Valliere’s career.Bumstead is now training under famed bodybuilding coach Hany Rambod and recently partnered with Hadi Choopan, who is also training under Rambod. Choopan is a top contender in the Men’s Open division. He last competed at the 2021 Olympia and finished third behind champion Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay and runner-up Brandon Curry. ‘The Persian Wolf’ has managed to pull off excellent performances in spite of travel restrictions and language barriers. Choopan arrived in the USA seven weeks out of the 2022 Olympia to train with Rambod. He will attempt to dethrone the reigning champ and stake claim at the Mr. Olympia title in 2022.Chris Bumstead and Hadi Choopan went through the legs workout in Southlake, Texas on November 19th under Hany Rambod’s guidance. The video of this session was posted on Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel. Let’s check out how the duo nailed leg day.Chris Bumstead and Hadi Choopan crush a leg workoutLeg ExtensionsCBum and Choopan started the workout with leg extensions to isolate the quads and warm up the knee joints. While it is one of the most common quad isolation movements, leg extension can be harsh on the knees if not done properly. It is advisable to avoid locking out the knees completely during this movement. The duo got a few sets of this exercise under the belt and took to the first heavy compound movement of the day.Smith Machine SquatsThe quad-focused workout continued with Smith Machine squats. Weights on the Smith machine move along a fixed trajectory and this reduces the need to control the weights significantly. Coach Rambod instructed Hadi to do the front squats while CBum did the back squats.“Because I want you to work on your hips a little bit and we’re going to do back squats… Because that’s going to be easier for you and that’s how your biomechanics are dialed in,” Rambod told Bumstead.The duo performed all the sets under Coach’s watchful eye with slow and controlled movement and jumped into the next one.Hack SquatsCBum and his Persian friend worked the quads further on the hack squats machine. Hack squats are a compound movement that works all the major muscles in the lower body. However, quadriceps are the primary focus while hamstrings and glutes take up a more supporting role. After doing a few warm-up sets, they increased the load on the machine and cranked out heavy working sets of hack squats to fire up the quads.“This is the point in my prep where I’m still moving heavy weights but I’m trying not to kill myself. Hany is really trying to stress not to kill myself here. It’s trying to control the reps and not go super heavy. I’m going like a plate or two lighter than I normally would…” Bumstead said.While speaking about how training with Hadi Choopan feels, CBum said:“I trained my whole life with Iain (Valliere). So I always train like an Open bodybuilder. I’m training for the Open as always. But training with Hadi reminds of training with Iain who’s stronger than me. So they’re actually doing the same weight on front squat as I do on the back squat. So it really pushed me to actually be stronger and not just be a skinny b**ch!”Leg PressCoach Rambod then took his pupils to the leg press machine and instructed to perform a few heavy sets to stimulate the quads. Hany explained the mechanics of the machine used here and said:“This is an older leg press machine and it has a very steep angle. So it’s naturally much heavier than a regular leg press machine that does not have such a steep angle. Therefore when you start to fatigue, it just ends up becoming absolutely much much heavier than the normal because you have a very steep angle…”Walking LungesCBum and Choopan worked their quads with the walking lunges. Being the bigger and stronger of the two, Choopan did lunges with barbell while Bumstead did lunges with dumbbells. After doing a few sets of this exercise, the duo did some hamstrings, quads, and adductor muscles work.Seated Leg CurlsThe Persian Wolf and Bumstead took to the seated leg curls to work the hamstrings next. Seated leg curls offer a better range of motion and are thus more effective for inducing hypertrophy compared to lying leg curls. The duo did a few sets of this movement and took to another movement.Standing Calf RaisesChoopan and Bumstead sprinkled a little bit of calf work in the mix and did the standing calf raises. This exercise works the gastrocnemius muscle in the calves. After performing some quick sets, the duo took to the final exercise of the day.Hip Adduction MachineThe adductor muscles are a group of muscles that adduct (bring together) the thighs. Some of the adductor muscles also extend or flex the hips and stabilize the pelvis and trunk while standing on one leg. The duo did a few sets of this movement and wrapped up the training session.Overall, the workout included:Chris Bumstead and Hadi Choopan have a similar goal at the 2022 Olympia but their path to victory and the stakes are completely different. CBum will attempt to create history by winning the fourth consecutive Mr. Olympia Classic Physique title. He has to defeat formidable opponents like Terrence Ruffin, Urs Kalecinski, and Ramon Rocha Queiroz to achieve this. However, Bumstead is looking absolutely jacked in his recent physique updates and experts believe he will be the biggest guy in the division at the 2022 Olympia.On the other hand, Choopan has to beat veteran bodybuilders and hungry up-and-comers to wear the 2022 Olympia crown. Irrespective of how the results turn out, it is going to be fierce competition to reach the top spot.You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Chris Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel:
Bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin Shares 3,000-Calorie Shredding Diet for 2022 Mr. Olympia
IFBB Pro bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin is gearing up for the upcoming 2022 Olympia, scheduled for Dec. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent video posted to his YouTube, Ruffin shared his full day of eating while in prep for the biggest show in bodybuilding.Ruffin first gained attention for his insane conditioning and muscle separation in the IFBB Pro League as a Classic Physique standout. He brought a stellar package at the 2020 Arnold Classic and was runner-up to champion Alex Cambronero. Ruffin would place second again just a few months later at the 2020 Olympia.‘Ruff Diesel’ exacted his revenge by defeating former champion Cambroner to win his maiden Arnold Classic trophy in 2021. He established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the category with another runner-up finish at the 2021 Olympia.The biggest obstacle in Ruffin’s way at Olympia this year is the reigning three-time Classic Physique O champion, Chris Bumstead. After winning his first Classic Physique Olympia title in 2019, Bumstead has managed to retain the title since, and will look to create history by getting his fourth Olympia win next month.Ruffin is determined to dethrone Bumstead at the 2022 Olympia. He successfully defended his throne at the 2022 Arnold Classic in March and will enter the contest with legitimate momentum. Terrence Ruffin shares near-3,000-calorie diet while in prep for the 2022 OlympiaIn a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Terrence Ruffin shared his full day of eating while in preparation for the nearing 2022 Olympia.Meal 1: 50g cream of rice, protein shake, and 100g pineapples. 60g protein, 59g carbs, and 8g fat. Calories: 548.Meal 2: 100g cream of rice, protein shake, and 100g pineapples. 60g protein, 90g carbs, and 0g fat. Calories: 600.Meal 3: 200g rice, 200g chicken, and 2 whole eggs. 60g protein, 54g carbs, and 12g fat. Calories: 564. He used about 2 tbsp of sugar-free sweet chili sauce on top (~5 cal).Meal 4: 200g rice and 200g chicken. 50g protein, 25g carbs, and 3g fat. Calories: 327.Intra-workout shake: 0g protein, 30g carbs, 0g fat. Calories: 120.Post-workout shake/snack: 40g Rice Krispies & 2 scoops of protein. 50g protein, 35g carbs, 0g fat. Calories: 340.Meal 5: Salmon and zucchini. 37g protein, 0g carbs, and 21g fat. Calories: 337.Daily Total: 317g protein, 293g carbs, and 44g fat. Calories: 2,836.RELATED: Try our daily protein intake calculator Terrence Ruffin also showed off his impeccable posing routine in the video. In August, Ruffin opened up about his timeline for retirement. While he said he’ll return next year, Ruffin added that he might step away after winning his third Arnold title. ‘Ruff Diesel’ previously gave fans a sneak peek at the massive 4,800-calorie diet he utilized to pack on the pounds in the off-season. He has cut down on his caloric intake by about 2,000 calories and will tweak his water and macronutrient intake further as the contest gets closer.You can watch the full video below:RELATED: Bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin Shares Intense Off-Season Upper Body Workout
Bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin Shares 3,000-Calorie Shredding Diet for 2022 Mr. Olympia
IFBB Pro bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin is gearing up for the upcoming 2022 Olympia, scheduled for Dec. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent video posted to his YouTube, Ruffin shared his full day of eating while in prep for the biggest show in bodybuilding.Ruffin first gained attention for his insane conditioning and muscle separation in the IFBB Pro League as a Classic Physique standout. He brought a stellar package at the 2020 Arnold Classic and was runner-up to champion Alex Cambronero. Ruffin would place second again just a few months later at the 2020 Olympia.‘Ruff Diesel’ exacted his revenge by defeating former champion Cambroner to win his maiden Arnold Classic trophy in 2021. He established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the category with another runner-up finish at the 2021 Olympia.The biggest obstacle in Ruffin’s way at Olympia this year is the reigning three-time Classic Physique O champion, Chris Bumstead. After winning his first Classic Physique Olympia title in 2019, Bumstead has managed to retain the title since, and will look to create history by getting his fourth Olympia win next month.Ruffin is determined to dethrone Bumstead at the 2022 Olympia. He successfully defended his throne at the 2022 Arnold Classic in March and will enter the contest with legitimate momentum. Terrence Ruffin shares near-3,000-calorie diet while in prep for the 2022 OlympiaIn a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Terrence Ruffin shared his full day of eating while in preparation for the nearing 2022 Olympia.Meal 1: 50g cream of rice, protein shake, and 100g pineapples. 60g protein, 59g carbs, and 8g fat. Calories: 548.Meal 2: 100g cream of rice, protein shake, and 100g pineapples. 60g protein, 90g carbs, and 0g fat. Calories: 600.Meal 3: 200g rice, 200g chicken, and 2 whole eggs. 60g protein, 54g carbs, and 12g fat. Calories: 564. He used about 2 tbsp of sugar-free sweet chili sauce on top (~5 cal).Meal 4: 200g rice and 200g chicken. 50g protein, 25g carbs, and 3g fat. Calories: 327.Intra-workout shake: 0g protein, 30g carbs, 0g fat. Calories: 120.Post-workout shake/snack: 40g Rice Krispies & 2 scoops of protein. 50g protein, 35g carbs, 0g fat. Calories: 340.Meal 5: Salmon and zucchini. 37g protein, 0g carbs, and 21g fat. Calories: 337.Daily Total: 317g protein, 293g carbs, and 44g fat. Calories: 2,836.RELATED: Try our daily protein intake calculator Terrence Ruffin also showed off his impeccable posing routine in the video. In August, Ruffin opened up about his timeline for retirement. While he said he’ll return next year, Ruffin added that he might step away after winning his third Arnold title. ‘Ruff Diesel’ previously gave fans a sneak peek at the massive 4,800-calorie diet he utilized to pack on the pounds in the off-season. He has cut down on his caloric intake by about 2,000 calories and will tweak his water and macronutrient intake further as the contest gets closer.You can watch the full video below:RELATED: Bodybuilder Terrence Ruffin Shares Intense Off-Season Upper Body Workout
Hunter Labrada Smashes A Massive Leg Day Workout En Route To The 2022 Olympia
Hunter Labrada is switching things up in the last stretch of the 2022 Olympia prep to bring a fully conditioned physique to the stage. American professional bodybuilder Hunter Labrada is one of the top contenders of the IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division. He is the son of legendary bodybuilder Lee Labrada and has inherited his love for bodybuilding from his parents. The 30-year-old rose to prominence with wins at the 2020 Tampa Pro and the 2021 Chicago Pro. He last competed at the 2021 Olympia and achieved a fourth-place finish. Labrada will attempt to improve his standing at the 2022 Olympia where he is set to go up against a stacked roster.The efforts poured into the competition prep are bearing fruits as he looks to be in amazing shape in his recent physique updates. The 2020 Tampa Pro winner recently went through a full leg day workout. The video of this session was uploaded on Hunter Labrada’s personal YouTube channel. Let’s look at how he trained his legs now.Hunter Labrada goes through a demanding leg workoutLabrada is entering the final stage of his prep five weeks out of the 2022 Olympia.“Things have changed a little bit. We’re at a point where I am fragile enough that I am not fullsending sets into oblivion, especially on legs,” Labrada said about his present training regimen.The 30-year-old has added volume and intensity to his training with rest-pause methods and drop sets. The goal is to keep the output high and bring a fully conditioned physique to the stage. Labrada’s current training split includes:Push DayPull DayArms DayLegs DayRest DayPreviously, the 2020 Tampa Pro winner was training the legs once every nine days. However, he feels comfortable to train every muscle group once every five days as he is not going too heavy in the workouts.“We’re at a point right now where every time I touch (the legs) and they improve. So the increased frequency with a decreased amount of weight to lead to failure in ten sets… I think that’s good for my legs. So looking forward to pushing hard and finishing this out strong…”Seated Leg CurlsLabrada started the training session with this hamstring isolation movement. The seated leg curls are one of the most recognized lower body movements around the world. This exercise helps tremendously with warming up the knees. Therefore they make for an excellent first exercise in a lower body workout. The Labrada Scion did a few sets of this exercise and took to the next exercise.Leg ExtensionsAfter filling the hamstrings with blood, Labrada targeted the quadriceps with leg extensions next. Leg extensions are undoubtedly effective in developing quadriceps, but they can be detrimental to knee health if not performed correctly. Hunter Labrada cranked out a few solid sets of this exercise before taking up the first compound movement of the day.Pendulum SquatsThe pendulum squat is a compound movement that primarily focuses on developing quads and glutes. However, they can be made more hamstrings focused by modifying foot placement.Labrada got a few sets of this exercise under the belt to fire up the legs.Walking LungesThe 2021 Chicago Pro winner next took to the walking lunges. This compound movement strengthens the legs as well as the core, glutes, and hips. Labrada pushed through a few sets of walking lunges and jumped into the next one.Hip Adduction MachineThe adductors are a group of muscles in the inner thigh. They are responsible to adduct (bring together) the thighs and stabilizing the pelvis trunk when you stand on one leg.Hunter Labrada got a few good sets of this exercise under his belt and took to the final exercise of the day.Standing Calf RaisesLabrada wrapped up the training session by adding stimulus to the calves. The standing calf raise works the gastrocnemius muscles as seated calf raises that work the soleus muscle that lies underneath it. Labrada trained his gastrocnemius muscles with standing calf raises and wrapped up the training session.Overall, the workout included:Hunter Labrada’s father Lee Labrada recently stated that Hunter will retire from competitive bodybuilding once he wins the Mr. Olympia title and focus on his life after bodybuilding. However, winning the title this year is a Goliathan task for every competitor. The roster is filled to the brim with high-level talent working towards a common goal. Veteran bodybuilder Samir Bannout recently predicted the top five bodybuilders at the 2022 Olympia and Labrada’s name does not appear in that list. However, the 30-year-old is training hard to beat the competition. It will be interesting to see what the scorecards show on Dec. 18.You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Hunter Labrada’s personal YouTube channel:
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Coach Dominick Mutascio Opens Up On Split With Nick Walker: ‘I Just Wish Things Were Handled Differently’
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Nick Walker Crushes Leg Workout, Shares Peeled Physique Posing 4 Weeks From 2022 Mr. Olympia
With the goal of becoming a Mr. Olympia champion, bodybuilder Nick Walker plans to showcase dramatic improvements when he steps on stage. In a recent YouTube video, Walker shared a brutal leg workout and posing session four weeks from the Olympia contest next month. Fans and veterans of the sport have taken notice of Nick…