Tag: All GI Exclusives
Victor Martinez: Logan Paul Isn’t Hurting Boxing, Lack Of Prime Athletes Is
Victor Martinez reacts to the upcoming boxing match of Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather.
Victor Martinez may be a bodybuilder first and foremost but he’s also an avid fan of pro boxing. Admittedly, boxing has fallen quite a bit in popularity from its heyday in decades past. There is one exception – spectacle super fights that have brought in record amounts of revenue. The latest spectacle fight in boxing is Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather. But is the spectacle worth it? Or simply diminishing the respect of boxing even further to a sideshow attraction? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Victor Martinez shares his thoughts on boxing super fights, Logan Paul, and the current state of boxing.
Logan Paul is a YouTuber with a massive following and a strong personality. This leads to him being a lover him or hate him kind of influencer. So of course, when he started dipping his toes in to boxing – it led to mixed reactions. Now he’s set to face off against Floyd Mayweather in a super fight expected to bring in record amounts of profits. But is allowing YouTubers special exhibition matches damaging to the reputation of the sport?
We asked this very question to Victor Martinez. A pro bodybuilder who is also a deeply passionate boxing fan. How does he feel about Logan Paul’s entrance into the world of boxing? Victor admits that the fight is pure spectacle. It’s for money and it will succeed in bringing in tons of cash. That being said, Victor doesn’t see this as primarily a bad thing.
If anything, Logan Paul is bringing more attention to boxing at a time when it needs it most. UFC and MMA as a whole has taken a lot of boxing audience into a new direction. MMA is now arguably a more popular sport than boxing. It’s brining in fight fans and fight talent and away from boxing. The Logan Paul might not be a respectable title fight – but it’s still bringing young new energy into a sport that has diminished slowly over the years.
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Check out the latest GI Exclusive segment with Victor Martinez above!
In fact, Victor Martinez does not see Logan Paul or any social media influencer to be the actual problem for boxing. It’s simply a reaction to a deeper problem with the sport. According to Victor, the main problem with boxing is a lack of premiere talent – especially in male boxing. There is no Muhammad Ali or George Foreman. Even the last legendary boxer, Floyd Mayweather, has been retired and only comes out for special fights.
Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather is a direct reaction to the fact that current title holders don’t hold the same kind of popularity as legendary boxers in the past. Simply put, these super fights are the only way for boxing to get attention. Victor Martinez has no solution to fixing this problem other than hoping that more notable talent comes into the sport in the coming years.
This brings Victor Martinez to a bigger point regarding social media, influencers, and their place in professional sports. Bodybuilding faced a similar intersection of social media and competition over the past 10 years. You now have bodybuilding influencers who hold more attention than actual champion athletes. Is this bad? Victor says no.
In fact, Victor Martinez thinks that those who are angry about social media influencers taking the spotlight away need to start adapting to the new world. The world will not change back to what it used to be. Bodybuilders, or any athletes, that cannot adapt to social media will eventually be left behind (with rare exception). If they don’t want to adapt, that’s fine. But they also shouldn’t be angry about the new influencers gaining attention. If you don’t like it adapt.
You can watch Victor Martinez’s full comments on Logan Paul, boxing, and social media influencers in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melle Mel: Shaun Clarida Had A Better Physique Than Big Ramy At Olympia 2020
Melle Mel explains why he believes Shaun Clarida was the best bodybuilder of the entire night at Olympia 2020.
Melle Mel previously stated in one of our interview segments that the quality of the Men’s Open bodybuilders were impressive but not ideal. By that he means that there was no Ronnie Coleman, Phil Heath, or Dorian Yates type of brilliance on display. In his mind, Big Ramy was no better than anyone in the top 10 at Olympia 2020. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melle Mel goes a step further. He believes that Men’s 212 champion Shaun Clarida had a better physique than Big Ramy and anyone else on the Men’s Open stage.
Melle Mel loves bodybuilding but he falls into the camp of people who think Men’s Open has become too bloated with size. While he does enjoy the freak factor, he laments the loss of beauty in more conditioned and aesthetic physiques. Which is why he was happy for the creation of Classic Physique.
Somewhat ironically, it wasn’t the Classic Physique Olympia 2020 champion that stood out to him this past year. It was the Men’s 212 champion – Shaun Clarida. Known for his small height, Clarida was a Men’s 212 bodybuilder that often got overlooked. He proved the world that they should start paying attention with a truly career defining physique at Olympia 2020. He won and became champion.
Melle Mel believes that Shaun Clarida is the ideal phyisque that bodybuilders should all aspire towards. He goes as far to claim that if Clarida stood on stage next to Big Ramy – that Clarida would have won the Mr. Olympia overall. That’s how much Melle Mel was impressed by Clarida’s physique.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Melle Mel above!
Of course, the sheer height and size difference would be a challenge for Clarida to overcome. But Melle Mel believes that size should not always matter. Bigger is not always better. He believes that Clarida should be able to stand side by side with Big Ramy – and fans and judges should be able to award Clarida victory regardless of his smaller size.
“Now had he stood beside Big Ramy, I guarantee you he would look better than Big Ramy,” Melle Mel states in our interview. He goes on, “He just wouldn’t be bigger. So you would probably overlook him. Absolutely he was in better conditioning than Big Ramy.”
The point Melle Mel seems to be making here is that it’s natural for us to overlook smaller stature people. Even if Clarida held a better conditioned physique – it would be less noticeable when an elephant is standing next to him. That being said, if it was possible to really let the crowd evaluate each of them honestly – Melle Mel thinks it’s clear that Clarida was superior in every single way.
There was a time in bodybuilding’s younger era, where the lightweight and heavyweight bodybuilders would ultimately battle on stage side by side for an overall winner. That has disappeared with the removal of traditional weight classes and the creation of divisions. Perhaps one day the IFBB and NPC can open up special crossover categories.
Imagine the Mr. Olympia standing next to the Men’s 212 Olympia and so on. Would it always be guaranteed that the Men’s Open competitor wins? Or would we have some surprise upsets? Melle Mel wants to believe that someone like Clarida can win overall – but we’ll never know unless these sort of crossover events are allowed to happen.
You can watch Melle Mel’s full comments on Shaun Clarida and Big Ramy in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Joey Swoll Details His Rock Bottom Moment Of Pain Killer Addition
Joey Swoll opens up about his recent pain killer addiction, his rock bottom, and his recovery.
Over the past year, Joey Swoll made a public announcement online that shocked many of his fans. He had been quietly suffering from a pain killer addiction during the pandemic. Swoll made the post after he had put himself through recovery – but wanted his fans and followers to know the truth and hope to inspire those who are also suffering a way towards recovery. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Joey Swoll goes into detail about how became addicted to pain killers, his rock bottom, and his journey towards recovery.
The last time we spoke to Joey Swoll, he described how he was not much of a drug user. He smokes marijuana but stays away from alcohol. All things considered, he was a very mild mannered person when it came to experimenting with drugs. So it makes it all the more shocking when he revealed that he was addicted to pain medication for about a year in 2020.
That’s why we decided to reconnect with Joey Swoll and discuss in more detail his addiction, how it started, and what he learned from the entire experience. Upon reconnecting with Swoll, he detailed how his pain killer addiction started. Like many cases, it was due to an original prescription to help treat an injury.
Joey Swoll explains at the same time as his injury, he was dealing with compounding stress putting weight on his shoulders. Of course, the pandemic was changing life as we knew it. He was also going through an emotional breakup and facing some serious business challenges. All of these added up to a level of stress and anxiety that he couldn’t handle. The pain medication he received for his injury suddenly made everything more manageable.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Joey Swoll above!
Like any addiction, it became a slippery slope. He kept increasing pill dosages as his tolerance grew. Suddenly, something that was making him feel happy was no longer bringing him relief. He felt trapped. His mood wildly swung from hour to hour. He felt depressed, out of control, and trapped.
Joey Swoll goes on to describe his rock bottom moment. He took so many pills that he believed he should just take even more to overdose and end his life. He wrote messages to close friends stating he would do as such. Ultimately, and luckily, this didn’t happen. He made it through the night. It was a wake up call that he needed help.
This was then compounded by Joey Swoll’s mother connecting with him. Knowing her son better than anyone, she could tell something was wrong. When she confronted him, he realized that if his mother noticed something was wrong – he definitely had a problem.
Joey Swoll’s social media post showcasing his bed covered in sweat due to withdrawals (above).
Joey Swoll didn’t receive professional help for recovery. Instead he did research, slowly weened himself off the pills, and eventually got to a point where he was completely free of using them. He did suffer withdrawals but now after going through recovery, Swoll feels stronger and able to avoid relapse and further addiction in his future.
Ultimately, Joey Swoll suffered silently during most of his addiction. Due to the pandemic, he was able to be easily isolated during the entire time. None of his friends knew about it as it was happening and the people he did reach out to – never returned his calls.
Despite this being a low point and struggle in Joey Swoll’s life, he looks at the experience as something that made him stronger. Luckily, this is due to him finding the ability to overcome the addiction. He went public with his experience in the hopes of inspiring others who are quietly suffering. They are not alone even if it feels that way.
You can watch Joey Swoll go into more detail about his pain killer addiction, his rock bottom, and his recovery in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Mike O’Hearn Answers: Is A Bodybuilding Lifestyle Bad For Your Heart & Blood Pressure?
Mike O’Hearn and Vlad Yudin debate about heart heath advice from doctors within the bodybuilding lifestyle.
Mike O’Hearn is a bodybuilder with an incredible physique. But he’s also a bodybuilder who focuses just as much on health and longevity as he does on his outward physique. It’s certainly possible to have a sculpted massive physique but be incredible healthy under the hood. O’Hearn understands that and has dedicated his life to overall health. That’s why we asked O’Hearn his thoughts on heart health and blood pressure for bodybuilders. In our latest GI Exclusive, Mike O’Hearn breaks down why he thinks heavy weightlifting and bodybuilding is ultimately good for your heart and blood pressure.
Mike O’Hearn has seemingly accomplished the impossible. He maintains a mass monster physique without the use of PEDs. It’s so incredible that many believe he is lying and secretly uses steroids. It’s a strong believed rumor that has persisted for nearly O’Hearn’s entire career.
Regardless, it’s clear O’Hearn has been consistent in his claims of being all natural. Not only that – O’Hearn has always promoted healthy lifestyle choices within the world of bodybuilding. It’s surprisingly possible to build an impressive massive physique with unhealthy habits. Mike O’Hearn wants to have his cake and eat it too. An incredible physique and incredible long term health.
But is that fully possible when carrying mass monster levels of muscle? We asked this question to Mike O’Hearn, specifically in regards to heart health and blood pressure. Vlad Yudin states that he had a conversation with a cardiologist claiming that heavy weightlifting and massive muscle is ultimately bad for your heart in the long term. The reasoning behind this is two fold. On one hand, you are still carrying a massive amount of weight on your body. This is harder for the heart to pump blood through. On the other hand, the heart can actually grow like a muscle. Heavy weightlifting can increase hearts size (this is ultimately a bad thing).
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Watch our GI Exclusive segment with Mike O’Hearn above!
When asked about this, Mike O’Hearn had his own rebuttal. He recently visited a cardiologist for a routine check up. Not only is O’Hearn incredibly healthy for his age. He also discussed overall heart heath when it comes to heavy weightlifting. His conversation with a doctor revealed the opposite opinion. Lifting weights helps make the heart stronger. Mix that with a healthy diet and you avoid high blood pressure as well.
So what is the correct answer here? Two different doctors with two different opinions on bodybuilding and heart health. Mike O’Hearn chooses to then look at anecdotal evidence. O’Hearn looks back at pro bodybuilders from the golden era and what we know about their health now in their twilight years. According to O’Hearn, many of these older former bodybuilders are healthier and more able bodied than many people their age. This makes O’Hearn believe bodybuilding, when done correctly, is ultimately healthy for your heart.
Mike O’Hearn puts an important caveat on that statement. It’s very easy for a bodybuilder to abuse the techniques to make up an ultimately unhealthy lifestyle. Bodybuilders can eat crap to bulk up muscle. These “dirty” foods can lead to high blood pressure and ultimately heart problems. Heavy lifting can also go too far. Going hardcore each session in the short term does not look forward towards health in the long term.
O’Hearn also makes one more statement in regards to bodybuilding and heart health. Ultimately, there is a randomness to health as a whole. Some people smoke their whole lives but live to be 100. Some people are incredibly healthy-minded but die in their thirties. This doesn’t mean it’s not worth focusing on health – but it does mean that we shouldn’t accidentally assume coincidence is evidence of an actual statistical trend.
You can watch Mike O’Hearn go into full detail about bodybuilding, heart health, and blood pressure in our latest GI Exclusive interview above!
Jose Raymond’s Warning: Avoid Coaches Who Rely Too Strongly On Drugs
Jose Raymond shares the biggest red flags when choosing a bodybuilding coach.
Jose Raymond has been a competitive bodybuilder since 1993. While he had to step down for a few years due to an injury, he has been actively involved with bodybuilding for nearly 3 decades. So it stands to reason that his advice on what to look for in bodybuilding coaches should be taken seriously. In our latest GI Exclusive, Jose Raymond warns of the biggest red flags to look for when choosing a bodybuilding coach.
Jose Raymond didn’t start working with a bodybuilding coach or guru until he was 37 years old. That’s because he wanted to exhaust every single one of his own resources to see how far he could climb before turning to expert help. That kind of mentality showcases how rigorous and serious Raymond took his own role in bodybuilding. It’s his first tip for young bodybuilders today looking for advice on finding a bodybuilding coach.
Far too often, a bodybuilding coach is seen as a necessary key to success in pro bodybuilding. While a coach can be extremely helpful, they are not a catch-all tool to instantly make a bodybuilder better. At the end of the day, the bodybuilder does the work and follows the plan. So before turning towards a coach, Raymond suggests that a bodybuilder does the work to ensure they have exhausted all personal resources. This way – the bodybuilder will know they are ready to put everything in to working with a coach and succeeding.
Of course, when starting the journey of looking for a coach, the biggest question is who do you trust? There are certainly famous names in bodybuilding with proven pedigrees. But not all bodybuilders will have the luck or opportunity to work with them. In today’s internet landscape, it can be hard to tell the tried and true coaches from the hacks looking to make easy money.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Jose Raymond above!
That’s why Jose Raymond shares some red flags that bodybuilders should look out for when choosing a coach. These are key factors that should give the bodybuilder an immediate warning to stay away and find someone else.
His first tip is to look for a coach that still embraces the basics. While it’s certainly okay for a coach to bring in some groundbreaking material into their practices – they should also respect the basics that work. Science does evolve and opinions on fitness do change but certain fundamentals will always be true. If you find yourself with a coach who is trying to reinvent the wheel and throw away tried and true basics – that should be a warning sign.
Secondly, Jose Raymond believes that a coach who focuses too much on drugs is a red flag. Raymond admits that drugs are always going to be a part of any professional sport. It will be an element for top tier pro athletes. But Jose Raymond believes that more recently, the importance of drugs has become overstated. Many bodybuilders go into a coaching relationship only looking for a drug protocol. That is not the main thing a coach should be doing.
So Jose Raymond’s advice is to turn away from any coach that claims he can provide a drug protocol that will make you successful. More is not always better when it comes to drugs. Moreover, drugs are not the most important element in bodybuilding. Any coach who tells you that is not the right coach.
So ultimately there are two key takeaways Jose Raymond hopes to convey for up and coming bodybuilders. Don’t look for coaches that throw away the basics. And don’t look for coaches that act more like drug dealers than trained professionals. If you avoid those two things, do your research, and find a credited trainer – you’ll find yourself getting the help you need for success.
You can watch Jose Raymond break down his advice for bodybuilding coaches in full by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Danny Hester: Chris Bumstead Won Olympia Due To Improvements But Not Perfection
Danny Hester believes that Chris Bumstead’s physique was very close to Breon Ansley – but it was his massive improvements that earned him the win.
Chris Bumstead vs Breon Ansley was one of the most hyped up battles of the Classic Physique Olympia 2020. Ultimately, Chris Bumstead solidified his status as champion with a second win. Surprisingly, Breon Ansley fell down to third place. But Danny Hester believes that Bumstead and Ansley’s physiques were actually very close in quality. What made the difference was Bumstead’s massive improvements since last year.
The same can be said of Terrence Ruffin, who slipped up into second ahead of Breon Ansley. These three competitors were neck and neck. It’s Danny Hester’s belief that comparisons to previous years and how much they each improved decided the ultimate placings. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Danny Hester explains how judges consistently reward improvements – and that’s the main reason Chris Bumstead won Olympia 2020.
Danny Hester wants to make one thing clear during our latest interview segment. When a bodybuilder competes on stage, they are being not only compared to the other competitors but also their past self. Pro bodybuilding and judges cannot help but be somewhat subjective. Despite scores and a set of guidelines to follow – judging a physique will always be skewed by subjective opinion.
That’s why there are multiple judges on the panel instead of just one. To help bring in a consensus among multiple perspectives. Danny Hester also believes that comparisons to previous competitions also helps keep the judges guided. That it’s an unwritten guiding principle with scoring. If a bodybuilder shows incredible improvement from one competition to the next – the judges take notice. That affects the overall score and placing.
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Watch our GI Exclusive segment with Danny Hester above!
Danny Hester doesn’t give his personal opinion on who had the best physique at the Classic Physique Olympia 2020. But he does suggest that the physique quality was very close between Chris Bumstead and Breon Ansley.
“Now even with the improvements, was it enough for him [Chris Bumstead] to beat Breon? That’s a whole different story,” Danny Hester states in our interview. While not confirmed -this seems to imply that Hester doesn’t view Bumstead’s physique as breakaway superior from Ansley.
He does understand, and truly believes, that Chris Bumstead won purely on his vast improvements. Hester himself gives Bumstead credit. He admits that the amount of improvements in Bumstead’s physique from the Olympia 2019 to 2020 was incredible. It’s hard for any pro bodybuilder to get that kind of improvement in one year. Bumstead pulled it off. The judges noticed. That gave Bumstead the edge.
Danny Hester relates this to his experience competing. He recalls a competition he competed in just three weeks before winning the Classic Olympia. He placed third due to feeling slightly sick on the night of the show. He was frustrated. So he worked extra hard in the final three weeks leading up to Olympia.
Ultimately, he won the Classic Physique Olympia. He thinks this is partially due to the extra effort he put in after feeling defeated. But he also thinks it’s because some of the same judges were at the earlier show and also judging at Olympia. They saw his improvements. They directly noticed how he changed. That helped him get an edge and win that year.
So what does that mean for Chris Bumstead going into 2021? There are always improvements to be made – but can he surprise with such vast improvements like the year before? And if he can’t will it be enough for him to stay on top? Only time will tell. Perhaps Breon Ansley will be the one to bring in improvements and get the edge.
You can watch Danny Hester go into more detail about his thoughts of the Classic Physique Olympia results by watching our latest GI Exclusive above!
Lou Ferrigno Fixes Hearing With Implant: Calls It “Life Changing”
Lou Ferrigno can hear like never before due to new hearing aid implant.
Lou Ferrigno is most known for two things. He was an iconic bodybuilder and star in Pumping Iron. He was also the Incredible Hulk on television for many years. It is also well documented that Ferrigno has suffered hearing loss since a young age. It’s partially the reason for his now iconic cadence of speaking. Now at 69 years old, he’s starting to hear like never before due to a specialized implant. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Lou Ferrigno details his new hearing implant and what it was like to be a pro bodybuilder with severe hearing loss.
The world may know Lou Ferrigno as the original Incredible Hulk. But the bodybuilding world also remembers him as a legendary bodybuilder and star of the iconic film Pumping Iron. What some might not know as well is that Ferrigno also suffers from hearing loss. Since a young age, Ferrigno had lost 75% of his hearing. Due to this, he relied on a hearing aid for most of his life.
Technology changes at an alarming pace. And now Lou Ferrigno is experiencing the world of hearing in a whole new light due to a cochlear implant. The implant, over time, has allowed him to hear without the use of a traditional hearing aid. More importantly, it has also allowed him to hear on a level he had never experienced in his life.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Lou Ferrigno above!
“Over the age of 65, one out of three people were having hearing loss,” Lou Ferrigno states in our interview. He goes on:
“There are some bodybuilders out there who have had hearing loss. But the reason why I’m talking about this is because I’m going to give a lot of people hope. That this is not a dreadful thing. It’s a very positive experience because the surgery is really minor. Especially if they can have a life changing experience. Especially even now I heard different people. I can appreciate hearing people talk. Hearing the ‘S’ sound. The final consonant… People would say I have a slight lisp to my speech but now I’m overcoming that because of the cochlear implant.”
Lou Ferrigno goes on to detail what his life was like growing up with limited hearing. How he was bullied due to his massive hearing aids. That bullying, in part, was why Ferrigno eventually turned to bodybuilding. He wanted to prove he was strong in the face of bullies.
He also goes into detail about what training was like as a bodybuilder with limited hearing. Due to the intensity of his workouts, he wouldn’t wear a hearing aid during training. This made it harder for him to full engage in the social experience of the gym. He even admits that there have been times gym patrons thought he was being rude and ignoring them. But in reality, he couldn’t hear them. He relied mostly on reading lips in the gym.
Now all of that has changed. Lou Ferrigno will be able to full hear in the gym. Every clank of the weights and grunt of lifters. It’s an entirely new experience. As he stated in the quote above. It was not only a life changing experience for him – but he hopes to spread the word for others so they can have that life changing experience as well.
You can watch Lou Ferrigno go into full detail about his hearing loss and new implant in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Samir Bannout: Some Beauty Is Lost When Bodybuilders Become Super Massive
Samir Bannout comments on whether or not the modern era of bodybuilding has declined.
Between the past five to ten years, there has been a growing conversation about the quality of modern bodybuilding. While it’s often common to hold the past in higher regard – it seems that fans have become more vocal about bodybuilding physiques declining in quality even compared to the 90s. Alternatively, there are those who believe we are now at the beginning of an upswing after a slight decline. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Samir Bannout shares his thoughts on modern bodybuilding, super mass monsters, and wether there has been a decline in quality.
Samir Bannout is a diplomatic man. He’s not someone to cast blame on specific people. He’s also not one to make bold statements without all of the facts. So when it comes to something subjective like the quality of bodybuilding physiques – he’s careful with his answer.
During our video interview, we asked if Samir Bannout considers bodybuilding an extreme sport. More specifically, if bodybuilding is more extreme today than it was during his era of competing. This conversation evolved into discussion of the quality of physiques in bodybuilding. Has the increased effort for bigger size led to lower quality physiques overall?
Samir Bannout makes a point first and foremost to highlight that pro bodybuilders today are extremely talented. They work hard, they put in the work, and their ambitions are respectable. So Bannout purposefully avoids saying that physiques have declined. Instead, he comments that certain weak points are becoming more common. He assumes this is likely due to focusing more on size.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Samir Bannout above!
Instead of talking about increase or decrease in quality, Samir Bannout talks about beauty in the sport. Again, this is a subjective term. But Bannout believes that some of the beauty has left the sport. It’s become more favored towards blocky and bulky mass monster physiques. To use an alternate word from beauty, it seems that Bannout is talking about aesthetic and conditioning.
Samir Bannout uses two examples. He points out Frank Zane, who has won multiple Mr. Olympia competitions. He also points out Phil Heath – a man who has seven Olympia titles under his belt.
Bannout comments that Frank Zane was no where near the largest bodybuilder even during his own era. Yet his beauty, aesthetics, and conditioning were so on point that he became a champion. Fast forward to Phil Heath. Bannout believes his first four victories were flawless. Shortly after that, criticism of his gut came to the forefront. Bannout believes this was due to Phil starting to chase more size.
“I think he [Phil Heath] lost his beauty once he started to get super massive,” Samir Bannout states in our interview. He continues:
“Sometimes it’s not about size… Same thing with Flex Wheeler. You know, Flex, it was immanent that he’d win the Olympia. Seriously… It’s a shame that if Flex, if he slowed down a little bit he would have been Olympia no doubt.”
Samir Bannout doesn’t want to demonize massive size. He thinks that massive size can work so long as the beauty remains. He thinks that some bodybuilders are genetically predisposed to handle massive size while maintaining tighter aesthetics and conditioning. He uses Ronnie Coleman’s earlier Olympia victories as an example. Unfortunately, Bannout also thinks that too many bodybuilders fall victim to chasing size and beauty is lost as a result.
You an watch Samir Bannout’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
George Farah: Milos Sarcev Is Wrong To Promote Insulin In Bodybuilding
George Farah doubles down on his anti insulin stance in bodybuilding.
Over a year ago, bodybuilding coach and guru George Farah strongly criticized the use of insulin in bodybuilding. He claimed it was an outright dangerous drug to use inappropriately. He believes that using insulin for benefits in bodybuilding is always the wrong way to use the drug. A year later, we followed up with Farah to revisit his stance on this topic. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, George Farah urges bodybuilders to stop using insulin and thinks it is wrong for Milos Sarcev to promote it.
George Farah wants to get something off his chest. He wants the world to know that bodybuilders use insulin far less often than people think. In recent years, many believe that insulin has become a mainstay in top level pro bodybuilding. Farah is here to debunk that belief. In fact, he goes on to say that he has had up to six athletes in the top 10 of the Mr. Olympia. He knows for a fact all six of them did not use insulin.
In George Farah’s mind, that’s all the evidence anyone would need. These bodybuilders have made it into the top 10 of the world without insulin. So why would anyone want to take the health risk just to get an edge over the competition? Farah believes it’s not necessary.
We followed up asking George Farah about his thoughts on Milos Sarcev. Milos is a bodybuilding coach who is a strong proponent of insulin in bodybuilding. His argument is that insulin can be used safely, as long as it’s not abused. He feels this way about nearly all taboo drugs. It can be safe when done correctly. After our initial interview with George Farah, Milos responded to Farah’s comments about insulin. Clearly the two are at odds with this topic.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with George Farah above!
That’s why we asked George Farah for his thoughts on Milos Sarcev and his endorsement of insulin for bodybuilders. Does he think Milos is simply wrong? Farah had this to say in his response:
“Milos is a friend of mine okay? I don’t want to say he’s wrong or right. He’s wrong promoting insulin. This is my opinion. He’s entitled to his opinion but my opinion… I don’t think we should have insulin [in bodybuilding].”
George Farah goes on to detail how many bodybuilders he knows who have health problems. The fact is that bodybuilding already has health risks as it is. Farah doesn’t understand why a bodybuilder would want to add even more risk to that.
It seems that insulin is where George Farah draws the line. He has gone on the record endorsing the use of steroids for bodybuilding (though he does think it’s often abused too much recently). When it comes to insulin, though, Farah believes it’s a black and white issue. It’s clearly unhealthy. It’s clearly dangerous. And even when done right, it can lead to complications. At least, that is what George Farah believes.
You can watch George Farah go into full detail about Milos Sarcev, insulin, and bodybuilding in our latest GI Exclusive segment above!
Brad Castleberry: “Being Unhealthy But Looking Healthy Isn’t Cool”
Brad Castleberry goes into detail on why he changed his training methods to focus more on health than sculpted muscle.
The very core of bodybuilding is a healthy endeavor in line with fitness. But just like many things in fitness, it can become unhealthy depending on how far you take it. Professional bodybuilding and even modeling can put so much focus on perfecting the physique that it comes at the cost of traditional health standards. Some athletes are okay with taking that risk. But the general public might not realize that a shredded physique does not automatically mean the athlete is healthy. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Brad Castleberry discusses completely changing his training method to focus on feeling good more than looking good.
Brad Castleberry may be a controversial figure in bodybuilding, but one thing that can’t be disputed is that he has an incredible physique. Whether he lifts fake weights or not – it takes hard work to accomplish that kind of shredded look. But during our new interview with Brad Castleberry, he wanted to focus on how he’s been making a change in his fitness life.
After years of ego lifting and powerlifting massive amounts of weight, Brad Castleberry is now focusing on lighter weight and more on cardio. His reasoning for this change is that he wants to focus more on feeling good than looking good. Sometimes the two can come hand in hand. Other times they can be at odds with each other. It depends on how far you want to push the boundaries of your body.