Tag: Jose Raymond
Insane Stories of Gyno Surgery Gone Wrong by Milos Sarcev
Bodybuilders go to extreme lengths to be competitive in the sport. Using anabolic steroids to get shredded for the stage is a common practice but sometimes it can be excessive and result in adverse side effects. In a recent IFBB AMA YouTube video, renowned bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev traded crazy stories of gyno surgery mishaps with IFBB Pros Jose Raymond and Chris Tuttle.
Milos Sarcev has a respected voice in the sport based on his decades of experience competing and coaching. He first gained attention for his massive build after winning the Mr. Universe title in 1989. The two-time Mr. Yugoslavia enjoyed a successful run as a Men’s Open competitor in the 90s with several Mr. Olympia contests. Following his retirement, he turned into a prolific coach guiding many elite contenders, including Samson Dauda, seven-time 212 Olympia winner Flex Lewis, and Flex Wheeler, under his wing.
Sarcev highlighted the risk of dehydration from overusing diuretics for competitions earlier this year. He argued against rewarding extreme dryness to avoid having the coaches push more diuretics on their athletes.
After Dauda’s victory at the 2023 Arnold Classic, Sarcev urged his client to focus on building thickness in his back to improve his chances of beating top contenders like the 2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan. Then, he doubled down on his stance of not rewarding conditioning weeks later. He revealed his experiences of helping athletes who nearly passed away due to dehydration and urged for a balanced approach to judging.
Sarcev suggested former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay skip the 2023 Mr. Olympia last month. He believes Ramy needs to take some time off to regain muscle and revamp his physique after dropping the title at the last edition.
Milos Sarcev heaped praises on rising Classic Physique competitor Stephane Matala weeks ago. He was in awe of Matala’s upper body muscle development and stated he had never seen a chest as striated as his. He believes Matala could present a tough challenge to reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead. While he ranked Bumstead’s structure better, he favored Matala over him in a muscle-for-muscle comparison.
Sarcev backed Choopan and former 212 Olympia champion Derek Lunsford as the favorites going into the 2023 Mr. Olympia. He praised Lunsford’s impressive back but believes with the right improvements his pupil, ‘The Nigerian Lion’ can secure the Olympia title.
Retired bodybuilding veteran Jose Raymond laid out some of the biggest mistakes an athlete and coach could make while in prep for a contest two months ago. He argued against pushing competitors to extreme lengths to display striated glutes and following a low-carb diet for a long time.
Milos Sarcev & Jose Raymond Share Insane Stories of Gyno Surgery Gone Wrong
In a recent YouTube video, Milos Sarcev, Jose Raymond, and Chris Tuttle shared crazy stories of gyno surgery mishaps.
Tuttle started by detailing the time he asked his father, who had never performed a gyno surgery, to operate on him.
“I had gyno surgery,” said Tuttle. “My dad’s a physician, he’s never done gyno surgery before. I asked him about it and he goes, ‘I’ll give it a shot.’ And he goes, ‘But you’re going to be awake. We’ll just numb the area. If I hit a tender area, just let me know.’ So, I’m lying on the table, he’s trimming away, tracing the nipple and he flips the nipple over and I feel him start to cut the tissue out. I’m like *screaming* and he’s like, ‘okay, hold on.’
Goes in there with Novocain, numbs around the area again, goes back in, starts tugging on it. I didn’t even had that bad gyno but when he pulled it out it was pretty massive, like the size of an old school flip top cell phone. When you look at it, it doesn’t look pretty big but it’s an iceberg.”
Sarcev revealed he saw a bodybuilder who lost his nipples due to a gyno surgery accident.
“I go to the bodybuilding contest in England and I’m watching this… I can’t really like what is wrong, what is weird, what is it? Then I realized a guy had no nipples.I think his last name is Connolly. So, I guess he went to somebody that wasn’t really that much experience and skill to do the gyno surgery. He removed everything including the nipples.”
Raymond weighed in with a tale of Roelly Winklaar getting the surgery done in his hotel room.
“I heard a story about I think it was Roelly over at Kuwait and they just came to his hotel room to remove the gyno. It was just some guy in his hotel room just came with some scissors and blades and whatever and just cut it out right in the room.”
Milos Sarcev voiced his disapproval of modern bodybuilders not competing regularly at shows a week ago. He called on the promoters to raise the prize money to attract more athletes and pinned the blame on not getting enough sponsors. Sarcev followed up with his breakdown of the top contenders for the next edition of Mr. Olympia and predicted Dauda to secure the Sandow trophy ahead of Lunsford and Choopan.
Based on these comical stories, it’s a smart idea to consult with a professional for gyno surgery to avoid the risk of losing nipples and other side effects.
You can watch the full video below:
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Published: 30 July, 2023 | 10:03 AM EDT
Jose Raymond Shares the Biggest Mistakes to Avoid in Contest Prep
Bodybuilding veteran Jose Raymond has a ton of experience based on years of competing professionally. Although he excelled in the Men’s 212 division, Raymond also made a splash in the Men’s Open category. In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, Raymond shared some of the biggest mistakes competitors and coaches make while in prep for contests.
Jose Raymond first rose to prominence for his incredible muscle shape, definition, and lower body development as a Men’s 212 competitor in the early 2010s. He turned in a strong performance at the 2011 Mr. Olympia, where he cracked the top three and proved himself to be one of the most consistent and disciplined athletes in the game. Being a regular feature of the 212 Olympia, Raymond never placed outside of the top five in any of his eight appearances from 2011 to 2018.
Raymond came close to picking up the ultimate title but eventually took silver after falling short of legendary 212 competitor Flex Lewis in 2015. He also battled with the likes of Hidetada Yamagishi, former champions Derek Lunsford and Kamal Elgargni as well as Ahmad Ashkanani.
In April 2021, Raymond and bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler teamed up for a collaborative training session with Egyptian IFBB Pro Hassan Mostafa. The pair mentored the budding Men’s Open prospect through a tough workout to get him ready for the New York Pro contest.
‘The Boston Mass’ chimed in on the passing of former Mr. Olympia Shawn Rhoden in Nov. 2021. Raymond expressed his disappointment that Rhoden wasn’t able to clear his name in a legal matter. He also argued Rhoden should have won more Mr. Olympia titles following the first victory.
Jose Raymond shares the biggest mistakes to avoid in prep
In a recent YouTube video, Jose Raymond shared some of the biggest mistakes to avoid while in preparation for bodybuilding contests.
Raymond started by highlighting the error of pushing too hard in an attempt to get striated glutes.
“What I realized is that people push and push like oh don’t have striated glutes yet, got to keep pushing, two hours on the step mill, zero carbs, keep going, and then the body disappears,” said Raymond. “Well, maybe he just doesn’t have genetics to have striated glutes. Maybe he’s got small muscles, there’s not a whole lot of muscle there to strike but they keep pushing and pushing thinking that it was going to help. He’d end up 20 pounds to light just all in the search of getting striated glutes.
“Now next week this kid won’t have striated glutes but he’ll be the hardest guy in the show. He’ll have separation, lines in his hamstring, striated lower back, lats everything, crazy abs, midsection. He just doesn’t have striated glutes. Is he going to go on to win the Olympia or the Nationals or New York Pro? I don’t know maybe he can make some adjustments but right now he’s at the best his body can be. That’s a mistake that not only competitors do but coaches do by pushing too far in the holy grail of striated glutes and you’re destroying a guy’s physique in that quest for glutes.”
Raymond argued against following a low-carb diet for long periods of time.
“They hit panic mode and try to overdo everything. They’ll overdo the fat burners, low carb or zero carb days like if your coach tells you to have zero carbs for three to five days straight and three hours of cardio, you gotta question their motive like what is going on here. There’s no way that can be beneficial.”
The 48-year-old dismissed some common myths that prevail in the sport.
“In the last three weeks, I’ve had at least four clients say to me and they’re relatively new to competing but they are like hey should I bring honey, jam, and peanut butter backstage for my rice cakes? Backstage is not a time to binge. They think they are supposed to eat a ton backstage. No, you get up early, eat your breakfast, have another small meal and get on stage. If you’re back there like at the Olympia for four or five hours, yeah have your meal or some granola or rice cakes or something ready to go just in case.
“I’m like no don’t pay attention to those people. Do not listen to them lathering up big scoops of peanut butter. Then they go on stage, get a bloated stomach, ripping farts backstage like it’s disgusting. There’s no benefit to that.”
Jose Raymond offered his experience of coaching competitors who refuse to follow instructions.
“I get these weird messages like when you’re prepping someone and for six to eight weeks you’re not seeing the progress you think you should be really. Then they’ll see that and be like can I keep drinking the Yoo-hoo that I have with my last meal? I’m like wait what? When did I tell you to do that?
“They’ll be like I don’t know I’ve always been doing that. But I wrote you up a diet exactly what I want you to have and you’re adding a Yoo-hoo. That’s what your physique looks like, a Yoo-hoo.”
“I just say I don’t know under what context your coach is having you do this so I can’t guess to tell you what to do. They may have you doing this for a certain reason so I have no idea and I don’t want to know. If you want help from me, you talk to your coach and next show or off-season, we’ll get together and have a discussion. But I’m not going to get into this. I just tell people hit me up at some other time but you gotta trust your coach until it’s over and see how that goes.”
“You can’t just put everyone on the same plan with tons of fat burners, tons of cardio, and low carbs. It’s not going to work. It’ll work for the select few that are freaks but the rest of the people, you’ll literally ruin their physique or worse and then they’re completely wasted and exhausted by the time the show comes. It’s important to have enough fuel to be able to train like an animal all the way up to the show.”
Jose Raymond weighed in on the scuffle between Shawn Ray and Dominic Nicholls, son of renowned bodybuilding guru Chad Nicholls, recently. He criticized Ray for his role in the incident and labeled him as a bad guy in the industry.
RELATED: All 212 Olympia Winners Since 2008 (and History of the Division)
You can watch the full video below.
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Published: 11 May, 2023 | 6:14 PM EDT
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!
Jose Raymond: If You Can’t Win An Amateur Bodybuilding Show Without Drugs, It’s Not For You
Jose Raymond warns younger bodybuilders to not spend too much money on contest prep before going pro.
In the modern world of bodybuilding, there is a wide variety of substances, equipment, and services all designed to help you become a better bodybuilder. Many of these tactics are legit. But many others are also scams. Either way, Jose Raymond worries that younger bodybuilders are spending too much money in their amateur careers during contest prep. In fact, he believes if a young bodybuilder requires the extra bells and whistles to succeed in a local show – that they are setting themselves up for failure when the competition gets more serious. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Jose Raymond shares tips on how to not spend too much money during contest prep.
Often times when bodybuilding fans and aspiring bodybuilders read magazines or follow iconic pro bodybuilders online – they absorb a lot of really fascinating advice and tips. The problem is – these tips are coming from people at the top of their game. It’s good advice but it might not yet apply to a younger bodybuilder who is still establishing his amateur career. When a person reads up about the supplements, substances, and tactics Big Ramy used to become Mr. Olympia – it would be a mistake for that person to mimic that routine as an amateur.
This is especially true when it comes to contest prep and money. Jose Raymond has publicly warned of this in the past. Yes, bodybuilding can be an expensive lifestyle. But when you are just starting – it doesn’t have to be as expensive as the industry makes it out to be. Jose wants younger bodybuilders to know that they don’t need to spend money on massive sacks of supplements or turn to drugs right away. It’s a waste of money.
So what is Jose Raymond’s rationale behind this advice? The way Jose explains it – amateur bodybuilders need to be able to succeed on a core level in order to really find success as a pro. What he means by this is that if an amateur bodybuilder can’t win a local show without the help of drugs or spending money on fancy tools – they’re going to have a really hard time when they start competing in pro shows.
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Check out our GI Exclusive segment with Jose Raymond above!
Jose Raymond wants to help prevent young bodybuilders from spending tons of money only to hit a wall and give up a few years later. One example are really ambitious bodybuilders who travel across the country to compete in multiple amateur shows in hopes of getting a pro card. That’s fine – if you have the skill to actually succeed. But to spend money on a plane ticket to travel to the Nationals, only to place 10th place and get no prize money, is a waste of the competitors time and money.
“If you place fifth at a local show, do not travel to go do the Nationals,” Jose Raymond states in our interview. His reasoning is – if you can’t win in a smaller local show, there’s no way you’re going to win against the best amateurs in the country. Moreover, if you don’t live near that show, you’re spending money on a plane ticket and the entry fee of the show. It’s wasted money. Wait until you’re ready.
That’s overall the core of Jose Raymond’s advice. When it comes to even supplements – don’t jump into them right away. Find out how your body reacts on plain natural clean foods first. See the limits of your natural body before diving into supplements. Same goes for drugs like steroids (though its should be noted that there are also health and legal risks associated with illegal substances such as PEDs).
You can watch Jose Raymond’s comments in full by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Jose Raymond: You Should Never Do Bodybuilding To Make Money
Jose Raymond’s advice to young bodybuilders: don’t become a bodybuilder for fame or money.
If you’re a fan of the sport, it’s common to celebritize the top athletes in the sport. Like any other sport, truly gifted athletes seem larger than life. They accomplish things that are impossible for most average folk. Since the inception of sports as entertainment this has allowed for famous athletes to bring in big money. Suddenly, you have fans who are inspired for partially the wrong reasons. They want to become a star athlete simply to become rich and famous. In our latest GI Exclusive, Jose Raymond shares his key advice to young aspiring bodybuilders. Don’t enter the sport for the money or the fame.
During our interviews and conversations with pro bodybuilders, we always make a point to ask them to share advice for aspiring bodybuilders. The star athletes of today are directly responsible for inspiring the star athletes of tomorrow. So any advice they can share could help shape the future of the sport.
So when we asked Jose Raymond to share his key advice – it was less about specific workout or diet tips. Instead, it was about the mentality behind the sport. His message – don’t become a competitive bodybuilder motivated by money or fame. His reason? Only a very small percentage end up getting that kind of achievement.
Now don’t let this be discouragement from Jose Raymond. Far from it. What Jose wants to express here is a message about passion. Bodybuilding requires an entire lifestyle shift. Whether you compete or not. Whether you succeed or not. You will need to eat, sleep, and train under the strictest of circumstances in order to shape and transform your body. Even if you become successful at it – if you don’t love the process, you will never be happy. It’s just that much of a sacrifice.
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Check out our latest GI Exclusive segment with Jose Raymond above!
That reality behind professional bodybuilding is this – pro bodybuilders don’t make the same kind of revenue overall as other bigger professional sports. That’s not to say there are some who bring in big fame and big dollars. But if you compare it to a sport like football, where even the least talented professional player will make big money simply for being on a pro team, it’s a whole different ballgame compared to pro bodybuilding.
Unlike many other sports, bodybuilders don’t get paid if they lose. You only win prize money for gaining a top placing. And even then, unless you win first place at one of the biggest shows, you won’t earn that much money. Yes, sponsorships and entrepreneurial opportunities can arise from pro bodybuilding. But that takes work in and of itself separate from the work of being a bodybuilder.
Which brings us back to Jose Raymond’s advice. Bodybuilding is hard work. It’s the kind of day in and day out hard work that can burn out many people. So his biggest advice is for a bodybuilder to truly be passionate about the grind and the lifestyle. The money may come and go. The fame may come or may never reach your lane. But if you’re passionate about the sport – none of that will matter. Bodybuilding, at its core, is about self change.
Yes, you can be competitive and want to achieve greatness. That’s the key to any professional competitive sport. But you should make sure to fall back on one thing behind that – passion for the lifestyle of bodybuilding.
You can watch Jose Raymond go into more detail in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Jose Raymond Breaks Down His Bodybuilding Comeback Training Routine
Jose Raymond shares insight into his comeback training claiming it’s the first offseason he’s ever had in his life.
In our previous interview segment, Jose Raymond confirmed that he’s planning on making a comeback to Men’s 212 bodybuilding. Or at least, he’s training to compete again to see how his body reacts. If he’s happy with the results, he will pick a show to compete in and re-ignite his journey. But after many years away from tried and true contest prep, what is Jose’s tactic to get back on the saddle? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Jose Raymond breaks down his bodybuilding comeback training routine.
Jose Raymond had a series of unfortunate situations that prevented him from competing over the past few years. But after full recovering from surgery, he’s ready to jump back into action and return to a competitive level of training. During our recent video conversation, we asked him to share what that comeback training looks like and how it differs from his past tactics.
“This is the most different I’ve ever been in my life”
Right off the bat, Jose Raymond makes a point to say that this training process is different than he’s ever experienced before. More specifically, he claims it is the first true off season he’s ever had in his life. Throughout his career, he’s always competed in so many shows – that he never had time for a real off season. He always had to stay in a contest prep level of conditioning due to a competition right around the corner.
So perhaps for the first time since he originally started bodybuilding, he is going into a true offseason bulk phase. Meaning that he can focus purely on building size without worrying about strict conditioning.
In terms of diet, Jose Raymond is currently eating 100 grams of carbs per day. He’s not the kind of bodybuilder to eat sloppy – but he’s also using this opportunity to really focus on building size and worrying less about conditioning at this moment. That means allowing for more heavy foods and carbs in his diet.
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Check out our latest GI Exclusive with Jose Raymond above!
Lower weight with high volume… with a few exceptions
Jose Raymond also dives into his training regimen. He’s doing very little cardio. This is again because he’s focusing on building mass at the moment. He does about 30 minutes of cardio, very light, on a treadmill or stepmill.
Being a bit older and wanting to prevent injury, Jose Raymond is focusing less on heavy weight and more on high volume. In a traditional set he aims for approximately 12, 15, or 18 reps. Though he admits sometimes he will feel energized and try and go all out with some truly heavy weight.
He also does, in a sense, drop sets. Thought perhaps not as strict as a traditional drop set would be. After he gets to a point with his high volume sets where he can only do six to eight reps. He will do one extra set. He lowers the weight and tries to do as many reps as possible. Sometimes reaching up to 20 or 22 reps. This is to make sure that he’s truly exhausted the muscle.
Wrap Up
Ultimately, Jose Raymond is excited to be able to focus on building as much size as possible. He’ll see how his body reacts. And then will evaluate his options and decide what show he wants to compete in. Once he decides that, of course, real contest prep begins. He’ll go back to what he knew for most of his career – focusing on conditioning. We can’t wait to see what show he’ll appear in and how he’ll compare to the new era of competitors.
You can watch Jose Raymond go into even more detail about his bodybuilding comeback training regimen in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!