Tag: GI News

Zane Watson: The Most Inspirational Bodybuilders Currently Competing

Zane Watson: The Most Inspirational Bodybuilders Currently Competing

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Zane Watson talks about his future plans and the current bodybuilders that most inspire him.
Legends never die – which is why most athletes will list bodybuilding greats such as Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, and Lee Haney in their list of most influential bodybuilders. It’s for good reason. But as these athletes recede further into the past, new athletes rise up to inspire a new generation. Zane Watson is a relatively young bodybuilder in his 30s and finds himself inspired by the rising current crop of athletes succeeding today. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Zane Watson lists his picks for the most influential bodybuilders currently competing today.
Zane Watson is looking at a three year plan to success in pro bodybuilding. He’s been competing already for some time now but last year’s pandemic put a halt to his original plans. Now he’s looking to compete in the Arnold Classic 2021 this September. He’s had a routine memorized in his head that he’s excited to finally share with the world. He hopes this will be the first step towards further success and, hopefully, a future Olympia title.
We asked Zane Watson which bodybuilders inspired him most and helped influence his physique and posing routines. He had previously spoke with us about his original influences from past eras – but which bodybuilders currently competing excited him most and affected his approach?
Watson stated that he has multiple influences depending on which area of bodybuilding you are focusing on. For example, John Meadows is a big inspiration. He may no longer compete but now he trains athletes – including current Men’s 212 champion Shaun Clarida. Watson believes that Meadows’ training principles are legendary and have helped shape him into the bodybuilder he is today.

When it comes to pure physiques, he believes that Keone Pearson is a future Men’s 212 Olympia champion in the making. He believes that Pearson has one of the best physiques currently on stage in all of bodybuilding. He uses that as a beacon or goal to reach towards in his own physique.
Zane Watson also has a deep love of posing. He is most inspired at the moment by Terrence Ruffin’s posing routines. He believes that he will also become an Olympia champion in the Classic Physique division one day. Watson is a rare younger bodybuilder who believes posing is equally important as physiques. Without pitch perfect posing – the entire physique wouldn’t come together for the judges to see.
Athletes like Keone Pearson and Terrence Ruffin have been gaining heat for the past few years now. It makes sense that Zane Watson sees inspiration in them as well as motivation to rival them on stage with his own physique. Perhaps Watson will be the next guard of athlete to catch attention alongside these two bodybuilders. Watson’s New York Pro showing in 2018 caught a lot of attention. If he can earn a victory in the next step up such as the Arnold Classic – it can upgrade his status even further. We can’t wait to see his three year plan come to fruition.
You can watch Zane Watson’s full comments about his future plans and his inspirations in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!

IFBB Portugal Pro 2021 Results

IFBB Portugal Pro 2021 Results

Complete results for the IFBB Portugal Pro 2021 that took place over the weekend.
There were more tickets punched for the 2021 Mr. Olympia over the weekend. The IFBB Portugal Pro 2021 took place from July 16-18 in Estoril, Portugal. Winners in all 10 divisions had a chance to receive an invitation to the biggest competition of the year.
Portugal saw no shortage of storylines over the weekend. The female presence was strong as over 100 women made the trip to compete in different categories such as Bikini, Wellness, Women’s Physique, and Figure. It was highlighted by Anastasia Lenova and Minna Pajulahti, who picked up victories in their competitions.
Wesley Vissers made a return to the stage after last competing in the 2020 Mr. Olympia, where he placed 11th. Vissers took home third place in the Classic Physique division, behind Jose Maria Mete Bueriberi and German Pastor.
If you had a chance to follow the Portugal Pro this weekend, you were given a treat. Below are the complete results from the IFBB Portugal Pro 2021.
Portugal Pro 2021: All Division Winners
A quick breakdown of the winners in each division from the New York Pro 2021. All winners are now automatically qualified to compete in the Olympia 2021.

Men’s Bodybuilding: Andrea Presti
Men’s 212 Bodybuilding: Lucas Coelho
Classic Physique: Jose Maria Mete Buerberi
Men’s Physique: Felipe Franco
Women’s Bodybuilding: Anastasia Leonova
Fitness: Minna Pajulahti
Figure: Rhea Gayle
Bikini: Kristina Brunauer
Women’s Physique: Dany Castillo
Wellness: Juliana Mota Esteso

Portugal Pro 2021 Breakdown
Men’s Bodybuilding Results

First Place – Andrea Presti
Second Place – Tim Budesheim
Third Place – William Martins
Fourth Place – Vlad Suhoruchko
Fifth Place – Theo Leguerrier
Sixth Place – Krystian Wolski
Seventh Place – Andrea Muzi
Eighth Place – Alfred Vlad Chiriac
Ninth Place – Khaled Alkazem
Tenth Place – Anton Shal

 Men’s 212 Results

First Place – Lucas Coelho
Second Place – Seve Benthin
Third Place – Fabricio Moreira
Fourth Place – Melnikov Andrei
Fifth Place – Nasser Sayed
Sixth Place – Ahmed Bat

 Classic Physique Results

First Place – Jose Maria Mete Bueriberi
Second Place – German Pastor
Third Place – Wesley Vissers
Fourth Place – Alex dos Anjos
Fifth Place – Fabian Mayr
Sixth Place – David Hoffmann

 Men’s Physique Results

First Place – Felipe Franco
Second Place – Youcef Djoudi
Third Place – Elton Mota
Fourth Place – Pedro Lima
Fifth Place – Luca Biolo
Sixth Place – Sanad Alsanad

 Women’s Bodybuilding Results

First Place – Anastasia Leonova
Second Place – Margita Zamolova
Third Place – Vera Mikulcova
Fourth Place – Vanesa Lloria
Fifth Place – Alena Hatvani
Sixth Place – Nidia Hermosilla

Fitness Results

First Place – Minna Pajulahti
Second Place – Kate Errington
Third Place – Corrine Bean

Figure Results

First Place – Rhea Gayle
Second Place – Lena Ramsteiner
Third Place – Jennifer Zienert
Fourth Place – Oyku Basare
Fifth Place – Bahar Ayra
Sixth Place – Olesya Kochura

Bikini Results

First Place – Kristina Brunauer
Second Place – Anastasia Gonzalez Andreu
Third Place – Cristiane Silveira
Fourth Place – Noora Mahonen
Fifth Place – Ottavia Mazza
Sixth Place – Alice Marchisio

Women’s Physique Results

First Place – Dany Castillo
Second Place – Elisama Manoel B. Zoretto
Third Place – Modesta Halby
Fourth Place – Laura Pintado Chinchilla
Fifth Place – Alcione C. da Silva dos Santos
Sixth Place – Isabel Martins Bajao

 Wellness Results

First Place – Juliana Mota Esteso
Second Place – Isamara dos Santos
Third Place – Anna Mroczkowska
Fourth Place – Charline Mas
Fifth Place – Lisa Christin Meiswinkel
Sixth Place – Rania Politis

Generation Iron wishes to congratulate Andrea Presti and all the great athletes who earned a win at the 2021 IFBB Puerto Rico Pro. 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.

IFBB Republic Of Texas Championships 2021 Results

IFBB Republic Of Texas Championships 2021 Results

A complete breakdown of the IFBB Republic Of Texas Championships 2021 results
This past weekend held the IFBB Republic Of Texas Championships on July 17, 2021 in Austin, Texas. The event included just two divisions – Men’s Physique and Bikini. After a hard fought battle, Andrei Lincan won the Men’s Physique division alongside Daraja Hill who won the Bikini division. Read on for a full breakdown of the Republic Of Texas Championships 2021 results.
With only two divisions competing at this contest, the Republic of Texas Championships was one of the smaller pro shows of the month. That being said, it still provided two individuals with a chance to qualify for the Olympia 2021 weekend.
Both divisions were full of hungry competitors all fighting for first place. A pro show of this caliber is also a great moment to see what up and coming pro bodybuilders to look out for heading into the future – could one of these competitors be a future threat to a major pro bodybuilding title?
Both first place winners in the Men’s Physique and Bikini division earned qualification to the Olympia 2021 – set to be held later this year in October in Orlando, Florida. Both divisions showcased a big turnout for pro competitors – all hungry to earn that qualification spot.
Check out our full breakdown of the IFBB Republic of Texas Championships 2021 results below.

2021 Republic Of Texas Championships: All Division Winners
A quick breakdown of the winners in each division from the 2021 Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk.

Men’s Physique:  Andrei Lincan
Bikini:  Daraja Hill

2021 Republic Of Texas Championships Breakdown:
Men’s Physique Results

First Place – Andrei Lincan
Second Place – Jason Huynh
Third Place – Nick Koeu
Fourth Place – Ramses Rams
Fifth Place – Joseph Less
Sixth Place – Myron Griffin
Seventh Place – Lindon Bond
Eight Place – Emanual Hunter
Ninth Place – Brian Lloyd
Tenth Place – Reuben Glass

Pro Bikini Results

First Place – Daraja Hill
Second Place – Erin Stern
Third Place – Cristobalina Pajares
Fourth Place – Carla Garthwaite
Fifth Place – Jasmine Gonzalez

Official Scorecards

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!

The GI Team is here to provide top news and original content for the new generation. The generation of bodybuilders who are pushing the sport to bigger and better places. Join The Movement. Become a part of Generation Iron!

Guy Cisternino: “If You Don’t Have Thick Skin, You Shouldn’t Be On Social Media”

Guy Cisternino: “If You Don’t Have Thick Skin, You Shouldn’t Be On Social Media”

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Guy Cisternino discusses the difference between hardship and depression… and how social media has risen self-induced anxiety.
Guy Cisternino is a bodybuilder who exudes confidence. When he recently went viral for his argument in a gym – many online criticized him harshly. But Cisternino, though defending himself, didn’t seem bothered at all. This is rare in the internet age when many, but not all, can have their mood deeply affected by how well received they are on social media. That being said, Cisternino is not impenetrable. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Guy Cisternino opens up about dealing with anxiety, hardships, and discusses how social media has risen anxiety for nearly everyone in the world.
Though Guy Cisternino appears to have a “I don’t give a crap” attitude, he’s human. And while he overall projects confidence, he would be lying to say he didn’t suffer from anxiety. During our recent conversation, Cisternino opened up about how he’s had some truly dark times in his past. He’s overcome them and he doesn’t consider those bouts of time being real depression. But they were challenging.
In fact, Guy Cisternino uses this moment to discuss the difference between hardship and depression. He thinks that mental health is a very serious thing – but there’s a difference between real clinical depression vs just having hardships in your life. He worries that some people today confuse the two and use it as an excuse to not improve themselves.
Cisternino also discusses how he suffers from chronic anxiety himself. But this anxiety is different than what you might assume based off the standard definition of the word. Guy Cisternino explains how he has trouble sleeping nearly every single night. It’s not because he is kept up by anxious thoughts. Instead, his brain simply doesn’t turn off. He can be lying in bed, wide awake, thinking about nothing. He’s gone to doctors and sought help from psychiatrists. It’s a form of anxiety – but not the kind of social anxiety that brings bad thoughts into his brain.

Guy Cisternino then pivots in the interview to talk about anxiety as a whole in our culture. He believes that social media has made anxiety worse for most people. He considers it self induced though – as most people don’t need to use social media – despite nearly everyone succumbing to it. He believes that individuals who suffer serious anxiety caused by social media – should just log off permanently. It’s only making things harder despite the addictive rush of likes and positive comments.
“I think some people shouldn’t be on social media,” Guy Cisternino states in our interview. He continues:
“Some people I think it effects them in a real negative way. If you don’t have thick skin, you shouldn’t be on social media. Because you’re putting yourself at risk at the opinion of others. And you’re never going to get the majority of people – there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you just because.”
The term “everyone’s a critic” comes to mind with his statement. Social media has allowed us all to be put out into the mass public – and we will be judged. It’s in our nature to judge what we see. Social media makes that more constant and easier to disassociate our words from how it affects the person on the other side. Guy Cisternino doesn’t lose sleep over negative comments – but for those who do – he thinks the best course of action is to leave social media behind completely.
You can watch Guy Cisternino’s full comments on anxiety in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.

IFBB Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk 2021 Results

IFBB Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk 2021 Results

A complete breakdown of the IFBB Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk 2021 results
This weekend held the IFBB Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk 2021 on July 17 in Norfolk, Virginia. The even included four divisions – Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Women’s Bodybuilding and Figure. In the highlight of the competition, Janeen Lankowski won the Classic Physique division. Read on for a full breakdown of the Lenda Murray Bodybuilding Norfolk 2021 results.

The GI Team is here to provide top news and original content for the new generation. The generation of bodybuilders who are pushing the sport to bigger and better places. Join The Movement. Become a part of Generation Iron!

Talking Huge With Craig Golias | EP 7: Bodybuilding Heroes & Villains, Eating & Genetics, + More!

Talking Huge With Craig Golias | EP 7: Bodybuilding Heroes & Villains, Eating & Genetics, + More!

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Craig Golias talks about bodybuilding rivalries – do we need heroes and villains in the sport?
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 rivalries, trash talk and drama in bodybuilding. He also discusses eating and genetics, the problem with bodybuilding sponsorships, and more.
Craig Golias brings an interesting perspective to professional bodybuilding. Having abandoned the competitive side of the sport, he is simply a man passionate about the lifestyle while keeping tabs on pro bodybuilding. He’s not even 100% a die hard fan of the sport. This allows him to be a bit more honest and less subjective about the current trends in pro bodybuilding.
That’s why a significant chunk of today’s episode revolves around how to make pro bodybuilding entertaining. Should it go down a more wrestling route with drama, heroes, and villains? Or does that cheapen the very real integrity behind competing in pro bodybuilding? We dive in with our latest episode of Talking Huge. Read on for a full recap and watch above!
Heroes and Villains in Bodybuilding
Craig Golias and Vlad Yudin start today’s conversation reflecting on the past weekend’s Conor McGregor fight. He ultimately lost and broke his ankle. This is one of a string of setbacks for McGregor. Yet, both Craig and Vlad are certain that McGregor will continue to be a major figure in MMA for the foreseeable future. It has less to do with his record and more to do with his personality. He can sell the hell out of an upcoming MMA fight.
This begs the question – does bodybuilding need more drama and characters like Conor McGregor? Blessing Awodibu recently tried this tactic leading up to the New York Pro against Nick Walker. Ultimately, Walker came out victorious with Blessing falling quite behind. Does his lower placing deter destroy his ability to build hype before a show? Or will his personality always prevail?

Craig Golias thinks that characters like Blessing Awodibu are important for the sport. He thinks that the past decade of bodybuilding has been missing that kind of exciting hype leading up to events. While Kai Greene and Phil Heath are famous rivals – Craig doesn’t find their clash all that exciting. Instead, he turns towards the early 2000s when Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman faced off year after year. To Craig, that was the shining example of what rivalries should be with significant hype leading up to the big shows.
Beyond rivalries, Craig Golias also thinks it’s good to have true characters – heroes and villains – in pro bodybuilding. Similar to wrestling, this kind of dynamic creates fan drama and connections. In some sense, Phil Heath accepted his role as villain in the sport. But didn’t have anyone, other than Kai for a short time, to match against his personality.
Craig Golias On How Genetics Skew Perceptions Of Bodybuilding Diets
Craig and Vlad also discuss the truth behind bulking and cutting in bodybuilding. Many fans believe that during the bulking phase, that pro bodybuilders can eat as much junk food as they want. They believe that due to drugs like insulin or steroids that athletes have more leeway in what they can eat during the offseason.

Craig Golias wants to debunk this myth. If anything, certain athletes simply have the genetics that allow them to eat what they want and still come to stage shredded later. This is simply a general thing. We all know the kid growing up who could eat junk food all day and never gain a pound. Genetics can be a powerful thing that separates how each of us react to our diets. Unfortunately, in a sport so focused on size, physique, and diet – bodybuilders with phenomenal genetics skew the perception of how to really train and eat as a bodybuilder.
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 how the internet destroyed bodybuilding sponsorships and also why bodybuilding mass monster physiques will never be mainstream. 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!

Gunter Schlierkamp: Women’s Bodybuilding Is Impressive But Not Enjoyable To Look At

Gunter Schlierkamp: Women’s Bodybuilding Is Impressive But Not Enjoyable To Look At

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Gunter Schlierkamp shares his personal feelings on Women’s Bodybuilding.
For a short while, Women’s Bodybuilding looked to be dead. It was no longer included in the Olympia weekend and only appeared in a very small handful of shows. All of that changed in 2020, with the Ms. Olympia returning and seemingly on track to stay in the future. Compared to other female divisions, Women’s Bodybuilding has often been controversial due to the massive size of the competitors. The battle for “femininity” in the sport has plagued the division since its inception. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Gunter Schlierkamp tries to find balance between the impressive accomplishments of Women’s Bodybuilding vs his personal taste in women physiques.
Gunter Schlierkamp has made his opinions on Women’s Bodybuilding clear in the past. He’s admitted that he doesn’t find the mass monster physiques on Women’s Bodybuilders attractive. That’s why during our recent interview, we wanted to follow up with Schlierkamp about those comments. Does he still feel that way since the division’s comeback? And could he go into more detail about what exactly he meant?
Gunter Schlierkamp doubles down on his original statement. For him, the Women’s Bodybuilding division is just too big and doesn’t have enough femininity. In fact, he believes the division has the same problem that Men’s Open currently has. Namely, that the athletes are putting on too much size and muscle for their frame.
For Women’s Bodybuilding, this increase in mass monster culture combines with Gunter Schlierkamp’s personal taste on women’s physiques. He simply believes they should not be as muscular as men. It’s not something he’s attracted to.
It’s at this point that Vlad Yudin chimes in to point out that an athletic sport is about achievement and not personal taste. A women’s division in a sport should aim to accomplish the same athletic feats as the men’s division counterpart. Gunter Schlierkamp agrees and reframes his initial comments.

Shclierkamp admits that he finds Women’s Bodybuilding extremely impressive. He believes that what the female athletes accomplish in terms of muscle and conditioning is awe-inspiring as the male athletes. He doesn’t want to take away from what they accomplish. That being said, as a fan of the sport and from the perspective of a spectator – he simply doesn’t find Women’s Bodybuilding enjoyable to watch. He doesn’t find it appealing to his personal taste.
“If a woman does it for competing and just placing and winning shows. Is that impressive the work she puts in there? Hell yeah,” Gunter Schlierkamp states in our interview. He continues:
“I mean, it’s ridiculous, it’s insane, it’s dedication, it’s awesome for that. But do I like it for me personally to loo at? I have to say no. That’s not what I like. So how about I say it like that.”
Do you agree or disagree with Gunter Schlierkamp’s separation of personal taste vs achievement in athletic sport? Check out his full comments in our GI Exclusive interview segment above and decide for yourself!

Melvin Anthony: The Ultimate List Of The Best Bodybuilding Posers Of All Time

Melvin Anthony: The Ultimate List Of The Best Bodybuilding Posers Of All Time

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Melvin Anthony was one of the greatest posers in bodybuilding history. Here’s his picks for the top 5 best posers of all time.
Melvin Anthony is a bodybuilder who was active during the 90s and 2000s and best known for his incredible posing routines. In the prime of his career, he often placed in the top six at Mr. Olympia. A lot has changed over the past few decades in bodybuilding – that’s why we connected with Anthony to discuss his revolutionary posing routines and his thoughts on posing in the modern era of bodybuilding. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Melvin Anthony breaks down the top five best bodybuilding posers of all time.
It’s often been said that posing has fallen to the wayside in bodybuilding. What was once an art form in and of itself – has now been a simple set of mandatory moves for the judges. While there are some who still value creativity in posing, it’s almost become secondary in today’s era of bodybuilding.
Arnold Schwarzenegger himself warned of this change and urged the Arnold Classic to instate a score for posing as part of the overall results. The change was made and is still active in the Arnold Classic competitions to this day. It has yet to expand to other major competitions such as the Mr. Olympia.
We connected with Melvin Anthony via video chat to reflect on his career and the inspiration behind his posing routines. There really aren’t many bodybuilding posers out there like Anthony. Melvin was meticulous with his prep and practiced each and every move. His goal was for each posing routine to be flawless.

While the focus on posing has dwindled over the years – there is still hope in the form of select bodybuilders with incredible posing routines. That’s why we asked Melvin Anthony to list his picks for the best bodybuilding posers of all time. He mentions younger bodybuilders like Terrence Ruffin – but the biggest standout to him is Kai Greene.
Fans of bodybuilding are no stranger to Kai Greene’s sometimes bizarre but often beautiful posing routines. He would wear costumes and masks (for guest posing) and incorporate interpretive dance into his routine alongside mandatory poses. His entire persona was based in this art. His interviews are often poetic, just like his posing. He has always seen bodybuilding as pure art. This explains his skill and passion behind painting and his recent line of comic books.
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Watch Kai Greene’s posing routine in Brooklyn in this clip from Generation Iron above!
So was Kai Greene the second coming of Melvin Anthony? Was he influenced by Anthony’s career? Anthony will be the first to admit that Kai Greene is one of the greatest, if not the number one greatest, poser of all time. But their styles are very different. Anthony details how his posing came from his street background. He would incorporate hip hop and breakdance style into his routines. Kai Greene feels more like abstract poetry. Two very different forms – but both dedicating to evolving the routine into something more.

Ultimately, Melvin Anthony struggles to come up with even five names for the best posers of all time (he eventually locks a solid five names). This is an example of just how few and far between true elevated posing is in the sport.
You can watch Melvin Anthony go into detail about his posing routines and the best bodybuilding posers of all time in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!

George Farah Warns Bodybuilders: Stop Old School Bulking And Cutting

George Farah Warns Bodybuilders: Stop Old School Bulking And Cutting

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George Farah favors building muscle slowly rather than old school bulking and cutting and warns of dire consequences.
George Farah is a legendary bodybuilding coach. He has also been much more vocal in the past decade about how his perception is changing as to what a pro bodybuilder needs to succeed. In fact, Farah believes that as bodybuilding culture changes – the training and dieting has not caught up and it’s endangering athlete health. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, George Farah warns against old school bulking and cutting in bodybuilding. He fears it will raise high blood pressure and lead to damage to kidneys and the liver.
Heart health and high blood pressure has been a topic we’ve discussed previously during our GI Exclusive interviews. That’s why we decided to turn to the bodybuilding guru himself – George Farah – for his take on how to avoid high blood pressure as a mass monster bodybuilder. His answer expands past blood pressure and also into liver and kidney health as well.
George Farah worries that the current culture of bodybuilding is leading to more health risks than necessary for athletes. Much like other individuals we have interviewed recently, Farah believes mass monster culture is leading to younger bodybuilder getting too big, too fast. More specifically, be believes that the old school method of bulking and cutting is no longer the best way to prep as a pro bodybuilder.
Bulking and cutting has been a very common way for pro bodybuilders to train and diet for decades. In short, in involves eating more to bulk up muscle in the off season and then cutting down during competition prep. This allows for a shredded and conditioned look after adding some significant size.

This is of course not the only way to prepare. Bodybuilders like Dexter Jackson have long since focused on staying lean all year and building muscle slowly rather than going through bulking cycles. While bulking itself can be done clean – there are many who will dirty bulk to put on as much weight as possible. Not all of it is muscle and the cutting phase becomes more challenging.
George Farah believes that with the changes in bodybuilding today – bulking has become more dangerous. Especially dirty bulking. There are more powerful supplements and drugs being taken by bodybuilders. Not only that – but the overall size of bodybuilders has increased since the golden age of the sport. This makes the bulking and cutting phase much more dangerous.
The mass amounts of food needed to eat during bulking will inevitably lead to health problems. High blood pressure and possible future heart issues is just one of them. All of the food and ingredients a person eats needs to be processed through the liver and kidneys. During consistent bulking every year – this can over time do some serious damage to both organs.

In our previous segment with George Farah, he claimed that if a bodybuilder can’t see his or her abs during the off season – then they are doing something wrong. This same mentality goes into his view on bodybuilder health. In the chase for building as much muscle as fast as possible – unnecessary risks are being taken. These risks won’t show the true significance of the damage until many years down the road. It’s easy for young people to avoid thinking about it. Life seems long and possible danger is so far away.
It’s just like cigarettes – consistent use in the long term can lead to serious health issues. But millions of people smoke every year. It’s short sighted. It’s focusing on the short term benefits over the long term losses. George Farah has had enough of it. Much like our past few videos – he desperately warns the new generation to actually think ahead. “There is life after bodybuilding,” Farah says multiple times in this video. He can’t stop repeating it. He hopes it eventually starts changing the culture.
You can watch George Farah go into detail about blood pressure in bodybuilding, bulking, and cutting in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.

Samir Bannout: “Why Can’t A Guy Who Is 200lbs Beat Someone Who Is 250lbs?”

Samir Bannout: “Why Can’t A Guy Who Is 200lbs Beat Someone Who Is 250lbs?”

Samir Bannout believes there are “a lot of things that need to be adjusted” in pro bodybuilding moving forward. Samir Bannout is a pro bodybuilder and a Mr. Olympia champion from a far different era. A perfect example of this is the fact that Banout won the Olympia weight in at only 196 pounds. In…