Tag: GI News
Powerlifter Otis Perkins Has Passed Away
Otis Perkins, who was involved in a car accident last week, has passed away.
Powerlifter Otis Perkins has passed away from complications from pneumonia on Saturday. Perkins was involved in a car accident on July 11 and rushed to the hospital. He sustained major injuries from the accident and required surgery.
Otis Perkins caught a high fever and ran into complications with his lungs during his time in the hospital. There was not enough air getting to his lungs because of the pneumonia and this caused his heart to fail. Perkins passed away on Saturday morning.
Following the accident, there was a GoFundMe page set up where all of the proceeds were to be send to Perkins to cover medical expenses and long-term care.
Larry Williams, a powerlifter and friend of Perkins, took to Instagram to pay tribute to Perkins.
“@black_tom_cruiseThe man brought laughs everywhere he went. Funniest man I ever met. He possessed all the traits of a GREAT friend.I love him and hold him closer to almost anyone I know. It hurts to accept he’s gone.No matter what life threw at him he kept a smile and his head held high. Otis Perkins you will be missed”
Otis Perkins made a name for himself in the powerlifting game by performing great feats of strength, both in competitions and on Instagram. He grew as a well-known figure in the sport and made many friends while competing.
Generation Iron will continue to update this piece as more information becomes available as no official source has confirmed the death or details at this time.
Generation Iron send out condolences to the friends and family of Otis Perkins during this difficult time. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
IFBB Chicago Pro 2021 Results
Complete results from the IFBB Chicago Pro 2021.
The bodybuilding season just keeps rolling along with another qualifier. Competitors flocked to the Grand Hyatt Atlanta Buckhead in Atlanta,GA to compete in the IFBB Chicago Pro 2021. Below, we have the complete results from the event with the winners qualifying for the 2021 Mr. Olympia on Oct. 7-10 in Orlando, FL.
Roelly Winklaar was a late addition to the competition and entered the weekend as one of the favorites in the Men’s Open division. Winklaar burst onto the scene in 2010 and made a name for himself because of his incredible size and conditioning. Over the last year, Winklaar has been in and out of competitions, especially after running into difficulties with COVID-19.
The Men’s Bodybuilding division was certainly one to watch this weekend. Hassan Mostafa and Mohamed Shaaban headlined what was a talented group. Both competitors have been aggressive in pursuit of qualifying for their ticket to the Olympia.
Hassan Mostafa has been near the top in all competitions he has been featured in. He finished third in both the New York Pro 2021 and California Pro 2021. Back in June, Mostafa racked up another third place finish at the Puerto Rico Pro 2021.
Mohamed Shaaban has had a similar fate. He finished second in Puerto Rico, behind Akim Williams. In California, Shaaban came up short once again with Patrick Moore edging him out for first place. Both Shaaban and Mostafa have a chance to finish near the top of the standings where the top three will automatically qualify for the Olympia.
There were a total of 10 divisions at the Chicago Pro with winners vying for a qualification to the Olympia. The full results have now been announced. Check out our full breakdown of the IFBB Chicago Pro 2021 results below.
Chicago Pro 2021: All Division Winners
A quick breakdown of the winners in each division from the Chicago Pro 2021. All winners are now automatically qualified to compete in the Olympia 2021.
Men’s Bodybuilding:
Men’s 212:
Classic Physique:
Men’s Physique:
Women’s Bodybuilding:
Fitness:
Figure: Julia Waring
Bikini:
Women’s Physique: Patricia Gosselin
Wellness: Kass Gillis
Chicago Pro 2021 Breakdown
Men’s Bodybuilding Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Men’s 212 Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Classic Physique Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Men’s Physique Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Women’s Bodybuilding Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Fitness Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Figure Results
First Place – Julia Waring
Second Place – Julia Di Pompeo
Third Place – Sandra Grajales
Fourth Place – Larhannah Robinson
Fifth Place – Danielle Yablin Rose
Sixth Place – Anita Davis
Bikini Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Women’s Physique Results
First Place – Patricia Gosselin
Second Place – Lenka Ferenčuková
Third Place – Brittany Watts
Fourth Place – Elizabeth Bradshaw
Fifth Place – Katherine Hall
Sixth Place – Sheena Washington
Wellness Results
First Place – Kass Gillis
Second Place – Bruna Seredich
Third Place – Renee Jewett
Fourth Place – Daisha Johnson
Fifth Place – Mallory Myers
Sixth Place – Clarissa Sanchez
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the IFBB Chicago Pro 2021. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Talking Huge With Craig Golias | EP 8: Surgery Mishaps, Travel Diet Tips, & More
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Craig Golias discusses the tragic death of Odalis Santos Mena, training to failure, and how to maintain a bodybuilding diet while traveling.
Welcome to another episode of Talking Huge – a weekly digital series in which Craig Golias talks in-depth with Vlad Yudin on the latest trending topics in bodybuilding. Raw, honest, and uncut – Craig Golias shares his opinions on all things bodybuilding. In this episode, Craig Golias talks about the tragic and recent passing of Odalis Santos Mena, training to failure, and diet trips for bulking while traveling.
There were a lot of topics to cover in this week’s episode of Talking Huge after a busy week and as the bodybuilding season moves closer and closer to Olympia weekend. The top of the week was met with tragedy in the bodybuilding world. Odalis Santos Mena sadly passed away at just 23 years old due to a botched surgery. Craig and Vlad discuss the situation and open up the conversation to surgeries in bodybuilding as a whole. They also discuss training to failure, how important it is in bodybuilding, and tips to properly train to failure without injury. Other topics include how to stay motivated after taking a break from the gym, the best supplements for bodybuilders, and how to properly diet while traveling without losing gains. There’s a lot to cover so let’s jump right into it.
The Tragic Passing of Odalis Santos Mena
Odalis Santos Mena’s death this past week hit the bodybuilding world hard. Not only is any death sad – but to pass away at such a young age (23 years old) is truly heartbreaking. Additionally, the death was seemingly preventable. Odalis Santos Mena underwent a procedure to stop sweating. A strange, and rare procedure indeed. Unfortunately, it was a procedure she would not survive. Though there has yet to be an official investigation – signs point towards the anesthesia as the main attribution to her death. Was it due to a freak accident, malpractice, or something else? We’re not quite sure at the moment.
Craig Golias and Vlad Yudin send condolences out to friends and family of Odalis Santos Mena. They also talk about how much more sad it feels when a death happens so randomly as this one. All deaths are tragic. But seemingly sudden and simple ones such as this feel heavier on the heart. Of course, the sad truth is that there is always an inherent risk to any procedure or surgery that requires anesthesia.
Craig and Vlad talk about other surgeries that are popular in bodybuilding and the risks involved. Is this kind of surgery culture bad in the big picture? Is the risk, even when minimal, not worth it when an outcome like this could happen? Craig and Vlad break it down.
Craig Golias’ Tips On How To Travel And Stay Huge
Craig Golias is a bodybuilder who values staying huge above all else. He has admitted previously to doing unhealthy things with his diet just to achieve that in the past. More recently, he has become more educated on how to properly bulk with clean meals, stay huge, and keep himself healthier.
But when it comes to traveling – a lot of healthy options get thrown out to of the window. If you have a six hour flight or even longer, how do you maintain the mass amount of clean meals required to keep bulking? Is it okay to take one day off? Or does it throw off everything completely?
Craig Golias breaks down his tips and tricks to staying huge and staying on diet while traveling. The truth of the matter is, sometimes you have to do some things that are less pleasurable when it comes to taste and comfort in your diet. Pre-prepped meals are always the way to go. If you need to eat over 6,000 calories in a day – make sure to bring pre-prepped chicken and rice on your flight.
Craig recounts having to cut up his cooked chicken into small cubes and breaking it down into tiny bags so that it would pass security on check out. He would then scarf down little cubes of chicken on the plan every few hours. It wasn’t glorious. It felt like work in fact – but sometimes that is what is necessary to maintain a bodybuilding diet.
Ultimately, Craig Golias states that anyone who is serious about their bodybuilding lifestyle and diet will see food as a means to an end rather than a pleasurable dining experience. Like Jay Cutler once said, “I don’t eat for taste, I eat for function.” Traveling is not an excuse to break your bodybuilding diet. It’s simply a challenge you’ll have to overcome.
Wrap Up
There are far more topics discussed in this episode than we can cover in this article. You can watch Craig Golias and Vlad Yudin discuss other topics such as training to failure and tips on how to avoid getting injured. They also discuss the best supplements that all bodybuilders should take who are looking to bulk up. You can check it all out in the latest episode of Talking Huge above! Make sure to check out Talking Huge every week on Friday – only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network!
Chris Craft Shows Off Massive 317.5 Squats Without Belt Or Knee Sleeves
Chris Craft posted a recent video on Instagram where he performed huge squats without much help.
No knee sleeves, no belt, no problem for Chris Craft. When it comes to squats, Craft has always been a bit of a freak. Craft took home the prize during the 2021 United States Powerlifting Association Arkansas Powerlifting competition. On Wednesday, Craft took to Instagram to show that he is still in top shape.
Chris Craft performed a 317.5kg (700lb) squat for a double and did it without wearing knee sleeves or a belt.
Not only did Craft load up the weight on the bar and do it raw, he made it look easy in the process. Craft is forced to pause after each rep because of the weight shaking on the bended bar. This is because of the burst that Craft displayed when performing the lift.
This was not the only lift performed on Wednesday by Craft. He also shared a single rep of 319.8kg (705lb). Craft’s best competition squats was 320kg (705.4lb). It seems as though Craft is heading for some big things in the future.
Chris Craft has been a star in the game for half a decade now. Since 2015, Craft has competed in five sanctioned powerlifting competitions and has won gold in all of them. Craft did not share his bodyweight in his recent Instagram video but it is safe to assume that the weight on the bar was more than double his current weight.
The last three competitions Craft has competed in were the 2019 USPA Rhino Iron Massacre, 2021 Southern Powerlifting Federation (SPF) Proving Ground Classic, and the aforementioned USPA Arkansas Powerlifting Championships. He competed in the 140kg (308lb) weight class during these.
Chris Craft’s caption on his recent video was as simple as it gets. He wrote “700 lbs x 2 #RespectTheDepth”.
“Respect the Depth” is a tribute to a training program created by Craft that is centered around squats. Reading int between the lines of this caption, Craft makes a 700-lb squat seem like nothing and it hints that he might have bigger numbers in mind moving forward.
If social media is any indication, it looks like Chris Craft performs squats in the gym on a daily basis. His Instagram page is loaded with videos performing some massive lifts. More often than not, Craft is performing these lifts without any gear. It is unknown when Craft plans to take the stage again at a competition but when he does, there is a chance that he does something special.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021 Results
Complete results from the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021.
The IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021 took place began on Thursday, July 22 and concluded on Saturday, July 24. Competitors gathered at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh to compete for the top spot in their respective divisions.
Milton Martinez and Michael Ferguson put on strong performances on Thursday. Ferguson took home the top spot in the Men’s Physique division. He competed in three straight Mr. Olympia competitions from 2015-2017. Martinez recently placed seventh in the Puerto Rico Pro 2019 and as high as fourth during the Dominican Republic Pro Men’s 212 in 2018.
There were a total of seven divisions at the Pittsburgh Pro Masters. The full results have now been announced and we have them below. Check out our full breakdown of the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021 results below.
Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021 Breakdown
Men’s Bodybuilding Results
Masters Over 40
First Place – Milton Martinez
Second Place – Kevin Klemm
Third Place – Joey DeCaminada
Fourth Place – Keith Williams
Fifth Place – John Silvey
Masters Over 50
First Place – Milton Martinez
Second Place – James Bryan
Third Place – Charles Jones
Fourth Place – John Whalen
Fifth Place – Donnie Whetstone
Masters Over 60
First Place – Donnie Whetstone
Second Place – Bruce Schneider
Third Place – Rick Scott
Masters Over 70
First Place – Pete Haina
Second Place – Jack Scow
Third Place – Ed Myska
Fourth Place – Frank Pinto
Classic Physique Results
Masters Over 35
First Place – Roderick Jackson
Second Place – Corey Simpson
Third Place – Tim Tevin
Fourth Place – Allen Kendrick
Fifth Place – Mustafa Juber Khater
Masters Over 40
First Place – Corey Simpson
Second Place – Hemradj Mulai
Third Place – Tim Tevin
Fourth Place – Allen Kendrick
Fifth Place – Jason Salinas
Masters Over 50
First Place – Brad Helm
Second Place – Charles Jones
Third Place – Randy Watson
Fourth Place – Phil Martin
Fifth Place – Vince Gentile
Masters Over 55
First Place – Randy Watson
Second Place – Phil Martin
Third Place – Thomas Mabon
Fourth Place – Tramell Taylor
Fifth Place – Gregg Russo
Masters Over 60
First Place – Alfred Scaccia
Second Place – Bruce Schneider
Third Place – Martin Burger
Fourth Place – Michael L. Holloman
Fifth Place – Rick Scott
Men’s Physique Results
Masters Over 35
First Place – Michael Ferguson
Second Place – Ben Duke
Third Place – Matt Smith
Fourth Place – Derrick Felton
Fifth Place – Bruce Nolte
Masters Over 40
First Place – Michael Ferguson
Second Place – Michael Anderson
Third Place – Kevin Reeder
Fourth Place – Ben Duke
Fifth Place – Matt Smith
Masters Over 45
First Place – Michael Ferguson
Second Place – Michael Anderson
Third Place – Kevin Reeder
Fourth Place – Dejuan Springer
Fifth Place – Mark Lancaster
Masters Over 50
First Place – Kevin Reeder
Second Place – Byron Archie
Third Place – Mark Lancaster
Fourth Place – James Johnson
Fifth Place – Rick Thomas
Masters Over 55
First Place – Daryl King
Second Place – Vincent Tushis
Third Place – Michael Samitt
Fourth Place – Alex Aguilar
Masters Over 60
First Place – Vincent Tushis
Second Place – Franklin Ausler
Third Place – Vincent Ramos
Women’s Bodybuilding Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Women’s Physique Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Figure Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Bikini Results
Results coming soon
First Place –
Second Place –
Third Place –
Fourth Place –
Fifth Place –
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Masters 2021. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
WATCH: Bobby Thompson Partial Deadlift Of 455kg For A Double
Bobby Thompson took to Instagram to show off some recent progression he has made for his next event.
Bobby Thompson has been turning heads for awhile. Now, he is beginning to take it up a notch. On Wednesday, Thompson posted a video on Instagram showing him crush a partial deadlift of 455kg (1,003lb) off 15-inch blocks.
Thompson placed ninth back in June during the 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition. This was his first and certainly will not be his last. Next up is the 2021 Shaw Classic, which will be held from Aug. 27-28 in Estes Park, CO.
By the looks of the video below, Thompson’s preparation is going very well.
In his caption, Bobby Thompson hints that he has not been feeling his best lately and his diet is not what it needs to be. If that is the case and he can still pull off a lift like this, then it will be interesting to see what he can do at full strength.
“Feeling decent atm, past few days were a little longer than expected and diet has been off but I’m still climbing. Solid prep for the @theshawclassic in the works.”
Bobby Thompson currently holds the American log press record of 217.5kg (478.5lb). He accomplished this on April 30 during Anthony Fuhrman’s Clash on the Coast. Now, it looks as though Thompson could be interested in setting some more records this year.
This lift for Thompson is considered a partial deadlift because he is not picking the weight up from the floor. However, he is using blocks that are lower than what they have been during strongman competitions. During the 2020 World’s Strongest Man and 2020 Shaw Classic, a partial deadlift was performed off an 18-inch block.
Bobby Thompson is not shy about showing off some of his incredible feats on his Instagram page. He has posted videos showing off his preparation in specific lifts like deadlifts, squats, and log lifts. At this year’s Shaw Classic, Thompson will compete with Brian Shaw, who won the competition last year, and Zydrunas Savickas.
The all-time partial deadlift record is held by Anthony Pernice. He set this mark in 2020 with a lift of 550kg (1,212lb). With the height of the blocks Thompson has used and his ability to perform it twice, there is a chance is he prepared to do something special at his next event.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Gunter Schlierkamp: I Competed In Bodybuilding When It Was At Its Best
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Gunter Schlierkamp details the excitement he had moving to America and training at Gold’s Gym in the 90s.
It’s often said that the 90s into the early 2000s is the new Golden Era of bodybuilding. Or perhaps the second coming of the Golden Era. With athletes like Flex Wheeler, Ronnie Coleman, Kevin Levrone, and Shawn Ray among others – it’s hard to disagree. It also seems that Gunter Schlierkamp shares this sentiment as well. Schlierkamp was an outsider who entered into American pro bodybuilding during this time. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Gunter Schlierkamp reflects on his journey to becoming pro and why he’s glad he was lucky enough to compete in what he calls the best era of bodybuilding.
No one is born a bodybuilder. If you were to look back at childhood photos of any famous bodybuilder – you would likely not expect how physically massive they would eventually become. That’s what makes origin stories so fascinating in this sport. There are millions of avenues and walks of life that eventually point towards pro bodybuilding. For Gunter Schlierkamp – his journal also involved leaving his home country to find his footing in the United States.
During our conversation with Gunter Schlierkamp, we asked him to reflect on how he discovered bodybuilding and what brought him to America. He details how quickly he saw growth once he fell in love with weightlifting. Eventually, his physique was so impressive – someone took him under his wing. That person insisted that he needs to go to America. He wanted him to compete with the greats at events like Night of Champions and, of course, the Mr. Olympia.
Gunter Schlierkamp’s journey to the United States was not an easy one. He describes first arriving and having to basically find places to sleep like a nomad. He would sleep in abandoned factories and in cars. He went head first into traveling to America and it took him some time to get his financial footing. Since he couldn’t get a bank account – he trusted someone to take his money and keep it in a bank for him. That ended poorly as he was taken advantage of.
Ultimately he made his way to California, got some financial footing, and started training at Gold’s Gym. He gushes at how lucky he was to be born at a time when he would compete and train in the 90s. Suddenly he went from idolizing athletes like Flex Wheeler to being in the same room and training alongside him. It was a dream come true.
He also believes that he competed at the best time in bodybuilding history because of the famous Joe Weider contracts. At a time before social media and over-saturation of supplement companies – Schlierkamp was able to land a Weider contract. It was like becoming a salary employee in bodybuilding. Suddenly his passion for bodybuilding was his full time career.
Today, those kind of contracts don’t happen. While there is more opportunity for profit – it’s more entrepreneurial. It relies on social media excellence (which also requires a little bit of luck) to obtain followers and generate revenue. There’s more control – but also more risk. Internet relevancy can turn on a dime.
You can watch Gunter Schlierkamp go into more detail about his bodybuilding origins and why he believes the 90s is the best era for competitive bodybuilding. Watch it all in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Melvin Anthony Defends Chad Nicholls & Other Gurus: It’s Not Their Fault If Bodybuilders Take Too Much
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Melvin Anthony shares his personal experience working with Chad Nicholls and defends against accusations that gurus are killing bodybuilders.
Chad Nicholls and other bodybuilding gurus have been subject to criticism in recent years. There have been claims that the kind of supplementation and protocols they advise is too risky. That gurus are not doctors and should not be providing athletes with drug protocols that could end up endangering the athlete. Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder who worked directly with Chad Nicholls and believes that these accusations are false. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony defends Chad Nicholls and other gurus – claiming that the risk comes from bodybuilders not following protocol.
In the world of pro bodybuilding, the human body is like a machine that needs the perfect set of elements to run perfectly. Bodybuilders will spend their entire lives trying to determine what works perfect for their own individual bodies. Not only that – but how to then push the limits and take their mass and physique to the next level. Bodybuilding gurus help aid in that process. They provide knowledgable insight into how to train, diet and supplement.
The unspoken truth is that this also involves advice on performance enhancing drugs and other substances. Over the years, these gurus have been praised for their knowledge and the results seen in their clients. They help bring athletes to new heights. But more recently, criticism has been laid at gurus for the dangers posed by their supplementation and protocol advice. Should a guru be held responsible if a health emergency happens to one of their clients because of the very protocol they recommended?
Melvin Anthony caught word of the recent allegations against gurus like Chad Nicholls. The claims go so far as to say he and other gurus like him are killing people. That they are drug dealers with no real medical experience. That they should be held responsible. Anthony disagrees. In fact, he has directly worked with Chad Nicholls. From his experience, Nicholls was nothing but knowledgable and responsible. He always took health into consideration when putting together a protocol for Anthony.
Melvin Anthony believes that the blame thrown towards bodybuilding gurus have been blown out of proportion. Yes, there is always an inherent risk in being a pro bodybuilder. But he also believes that many of the medical emergencies or tragic deaths are not due to the gurus – but the athletes themselves. A guru can only recommend a training program or drug protocol. When the bodybuilder goes home – there’s no telling whether or not that person really follows it. If the bodybuilder takes more than recommended and something bad happens, the guru is not directly responsible.
More than that, a bodybuilder can also not be transparent or truthful about their own lifestyle. A drug protocol might be recommended based on the current diet and training the athlete is doing. But if the athlete is actually not being truthful about their diet, or perhaps their own medical history, then the recommendation by the guru is based off of half truths. In this case, again, the guru is not responsible.
Melvin Anthony believes that this kind of miscommunication is what is largely to blame for medical issues with bodybuilders. He thinks that the responsibility lies with the athlete at the end of the day. No one is forcing them to do anything and, more importantly, if they don’t follow directions to a tee – it’s beyond the guru’s control.
You can watch Melvin Anthony go into detail about his experience with Chad Nicholls and his opinion on bodybuilding gurus in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
George Farah Believes Being Shot Is A Main Reason He Got Cancer
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George Farah recounts the story of being shot and how he believes it relates to his later cancer diagnosis.
George Farah has lived many lives, almost literally. He’s nearly died twice. Once when he was shot in a bizarre wrong place, wrong time incident. And again later when he flatlined during a dramatic moment battling cancer. It’s at once tragic and miraculous what he’s been and survived through. That’s why we asked him to recount the story of being shot – which he surprisingly connects to later getting cancer. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, George Farah explains why he believes beings hot later led to him having cancer.
It’s well known at this point that George Farah was shot in an accidental mishap. It’s also well known that he was diagnosed with cancer and later (thankfully) recovered. He’s been through a lot. What’s great about Farah is that he’s a talker – and he’s completely open about discussing both the shooting incident and his diagnosis and battle with cancer. During our recent video conversation – we asked him to recount the moment he was shot and what that experience was like.
He briefly explained how he was misidentified as someone else – whom the shooter was gunning for. It was a “wrong place, wrong time” kind of situation. He also describes how traumatic the entire fallout was. He wouldn’t wish that kind of near death shooting experience to happen to anyone. Most people watching this video will likely agree. No one wants to be shot.
But the interesting bit of this story comes from what George Farah says afterwards. While he has no direct evidence, he believes that being shot is what eventually led to his later cancer diagnosis. He believes that having led pierce through your body as a foreign object is not good for your health (obviously).
But what he means more specifically, is that small fragments of the lead were most likely not able to be removed. That is then settling and flowing through his body in areas like his intestines. He thinks this kind of toxic and foreign material in his body is one of the main reasons he eventually had cancer.
“Because of that gunshot and because of those bullet fragments they left in me – that’s probably one of the main reasons I got cancer,” George Farah claims in our interview. He continues:
“I truly, truly believe, you know, just like you know lead is not good. That’s why if you have a house with lead, you have to paint it because it’s cancer, whatever, it’s not good… so imagine you have lead in your intestines and your rectum and all those places. They couldn’t take everything out. I think that’s one of the reasons.”
It’s an interesting theory and one that he whole hardily believes. Ultimately he tries not to dwell on it much. As he says it himself, he’s been “dead a couple of times.” He believes that there is a greater plan of fate that brings him through it. He’s grateful to be alive. It’s also a big reason why he’s changed his attitude about health in bodybuilding in our past interview segments. He knows what it’s like to almost lose life. Anything that one can do to extend life and avoid health risks should be taken seriously.
You can watch George Farah go into full detail about being shot and his cancer diagnosis in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Samir Bannout Shares Old School Stories Of Gold’s Gym And Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Samir Bannout talks about first coming to America, Gold’s Gym, and some early stories he’s heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Samir Bannout is a bodybuilder who came into his prime during the tail end of the Golden Era of bodybuilding. He’s also a bodybuilder who lived the American dream similar to athletes like Franco Columbu and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came to the US with a passion for bodybuilding and became a superstar and Olympia champion. So of course, he has some amazing first and second hand stories of the Golden Era of the sport. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Samir Bannout shares stories about coming to America, Gold’s Gym, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Bodybuilding is a very different sport today than it was in the Golden Era. The core elements of the sport remain of course but it is now an entire business model compared to the fledgling niche sport it was in the past. Many bodybuilding fans today romanticize the Golden Era. A time when Gold’s Gym was an iconic location and not a business chain. A time when Arnold Schwarzenegger was a bodybuilding champion and not a politician or action star. A time before social media and a time when Joe Weider was still alive.
That’s why we asked Samir Bannout to tell us some stories from his time as a bodybuilder coming to America and rising in the ranks. Samir Bannout was present for the tail end of the Golden Era. He saw Arnold Schwarzenegger and other greats. He trained at Gold’s Gym and personally knew Joe Gold. He also made connections with individuals who were there from the very beginning.
Bannout describes reading the famous bodybuilding magazines in Lebanon and dreaming of becoming a bodybuilder in America. He saw how Joe Weider inspired athletes like Arnold Schwarzenegger to the USA. So Samir Bannout headed out to the United States. He landed in Michigan originally but eventually had an opportunity to meet Joe Weider. That convinced him to move the California and enter the Mecca of bodybuilding.
Samir Bannout describes it as a dream. He made it out to California and Gold’s Gym in 1978. He describes it as coming there just in time. It was the tail end of the Golden Era and he was able to meet Joe Gold, get a lifetime free membership, and that changed everything. He describes himself as a kid in a candy store.
Samir Bannout also describes meeting a man named Art Seller. This was the man who first picked up Arnold Schwarzenegger from the airport when he arrived in Los Angeles. Bannout ended up becoming close friends with Seller and learned of wonderful early stories about Schwarzenegger. During our interview – he shares a short but funny story of Schwarzenegger when he first landed in America.
You can watch Samir Bannout talk about his journey to the US, his stories of Gold’s Gym and some funny short stories of Arnold Schwarzenegger in our latest GI Exclusive interview above. Bannout mentions that he wants to help continue spreading the passion and love and stories of bodybuilding’s past – especially as many of these greats start to recede into time. This video is a great little oral history keeping the past alive.