Tag: Videos
Jay Cutler Details High-Protein Diet and Gives Update on Fit for 50 Physique Goal
Motivation is at an all-time high for Jay Cutler who is currently transforming his physique before turning 50. In a recent YouTube video on JayCutlerTV, the bodybuilding legend discussed his ambitions for 2023 and the high-protein diet he’s using to rebuild his body.
Jay Cutler was a proven force during his time as an active Men’s Open pro. He is well known in the community for his rivalry with eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman. In 2006, Cutler dethroned Coleman with a blend of conditioning and mass. After upsetting the long-standing champ, Cutler would eventually lose the title in 2008 to Dexter Jackson.
The following year (2009), Cutler became the only Men’s Open pro in history to regain a Mr. Olympia title that was lost. Retiring with four Sandow trophies, the Massachusetts native remains one of the sport’s most popular and visible ambassadors.
Late last year, Cutler’s physique update spurred comeback discussions online. He trained and posed in the company of fitness influencer Lexx Little. Shortly after the collaboration, Cutler had to inform his fans that a return to the sport was not a part of his agenda. Instead, he explained that he was transforming his body for a fit-for-50 challenge. Taking to another podcast, Cutler discussed his latest progress and the types of food he’s utilizing to get back in shape.
Jay Cutler Reveals Struggles of Fit-for-50 Goal: ‘There’s Holes in My Physique & Atrophy in Certain Areas’
Cutler believes muscle atrophy and ‘holes’ in his physique are preventing him from returning to guest pose. He shared that his legs, biceps, and lats are all areas where he’s struggling to regain volume.
“You know what, I’ll be honest, it’s motivating, so… we asked for – I asked people what motivates you to go to the gym, the simplest term is progress right? When you see your body changing that’s where you in a positive way, whether you’re losing weight or adding muscle or getting leaner,” said Jay Cutler. “It’s like you’re trying to prove things but the question is does this give me more motivation when people are like, ‘Are you doing the Masters?’ But it does not make me think, ‘Maybe I should do it.’ And I’ll be honest, that’s one thing about [me] I’m very transparent, I have no no no no intentions of getting on stage and competing.”
“Listen man, I would love to feel like I could get up there and guest pose at a contest but I don’t even think I could do that, no. Because I just, my body still has somehow can I say this… there’s some holes. There’s some holes in my physique that I feel are just biceps the legs are definitely smaller, atrophy in certain areas. The lats aren’t ever going to come back to what they were. For me, I think it’s just going to hurt it a little bit.”
According to Cutler, his biggest obstacle was consuming food during the height of his career. Despite the reservations about his physique, Cutler underlined that he’s happy with the way he looks today.
“As I lead into, I’m pretty much back on May 2nd. That’s when I kind of start this full push of this thing. And we got to get a physique update here pretty soon before I leave. I got to have to lock into a gym session at some point, I leave on, I think I leave next week.”
“My appetite is really good. That was my biggest fear is when you get a little older, people’s problem is, when they’re trying to get bigger, even these young kids; they don’t eat enough. Even you know, you have to eat a ton to stay at it right? So, I’m hoping that continues because if you remember and a lot of our viewers don’t actually know this, my biggest obstacle was the food when I was really big.”
“Sometimes it was obviously the anabolics I took too, right? Yeah, so, I think now doing it with a very very little help in that area it’s going to make it a lot better, I think my look is going to be a lot better. I’m happy with the way I look today. Yesterday I felt really good in the gym. Today, I’m going to get a good workout in.”
Cutler Talks High-Protein Focused Diet
Cutler mentioned that he’s tracking his food carefully and named chicken, steak, and bison as his protein sources.
“I ate good yesterday, that was one thing, I’m trying to stay on track keeping with the food. Like I said, the title of our last video was ‘I quit cardio,’ and it’s kind of true. In the comments people were like, ‘Dude you’re walking around the neighborhood,’ this was kind of stop-and-going because Capone was with us. At the same time, this is considered cardio right?”
“I’m focusing more on chicken and steak from Trifecta and bison and that kind of stuff,” added Cutler.
The last time Cutler took a closer look at nutrition he discussed the differences between bulking and lean-bulk diets. He shared that most people today outside of the bodybuilding industry desire a leaner body. To achieve this, Cutler emphasized the importance of setting realistic goals, overcoming challenges, and making recovery a priority.
Upon announcing his fit-for-50 goal, Cutler laid out a framework that he plans to follow. The four-time Mr. Olympia made it clear he’s exclusively using testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) over more powerful compounds like Trenbolone.
RELATED: Bodybuilding Legend Jay Cutler Discusses The Rock & TRT: ‘I’ll Never Say It’s Not A Steroid’
Cutler will be in attendance at the 2023 Masters Olympia contest, which formally announced its roster last week. Fans look forward to seeing the results of Cutler’s physique transformation in the near future.
Watch the full video below from Jay Cutler’s YouTube channel:
Published: 4 May, 2023 | 11:27 AM EDT
Flex Lewis Shares Top 3 ‘Tried and Tested’ Movements for Better Triceps
Bodybuilding legend Flex Lewis continues to give back following a successful career in the IFBB Pro League. In a recent Instagram video, Lewis offered tips for building triceps with triceps pushdowns, seated pushdowns, and dumbbell skull crushers.
Lewis tested his talents as a Men’s 212 Bodybuilding competitor for over a decade. He rose to the top quickly, having earned the 212 Olympia title in 2012. He used his muscle detail and hardness as a weapon during his reign, which saw him earn a total of seven titles until 2018. While building his legacy, Lewis defeated mainstays in the category like Derek Lunsford, Kamal Elgargni, and Jose Raymond.
While he stopped competing following his final Olympia win, fans expected Lewis to switch to the Men’s Open class before calling it a career. There were rumors that he would receive a special invitation for the Mr. Olympia show, however, they never materialized. Last May, Lewis closed the door on his career once and for all and announced his retirement. Instead, Derek Lunsford received the special invite and earned second place in his Open debut at the 2022 Olympia.
While enjoying retirement, Lewis teased the possibility of competing in a recent Straight Outta the Lair podcast. Joined by Steve Kuclo, Lewis shared that a seven-figure price tag would lure him back on stage. In his latest undertaking, Lewis shared his go-to exercises for building sharper triceps.
Flex Lewis Shares How To Build Olympia-Level Triceps with Top 3 Favorite Movements
Lewis favors rope triceps pushdowns, seated pushdowns, and dumbbell skull crushers for building his triceps. He offered tips for each exercise which you can find below:
“This is my top three triceps movements: exercise number one, the tried and tested rope triceps pushdowns, I’m contracting the triceps at the very bottom as you can see I’m stretching it all out; controlling the weight past 90 degrees getting a full stretch at the top and getting a full stretch at the bottom. As I said, these are tried and tested these are better to grow the biceps.
I’m a big fan of mixing up reps with heavy weight as you can see on this second movement – with this second exercise the seated pushdown, I’ve changed my body to face the actual machine. As you can see here I’m pushing some serious weights along with some serious reps, try this along with some heavy reps next time.
Last of all is number three: the dumbbell skull crushers, I’m a big fan of these, I’ve been doing these since I was a teenager. If it’s not broke why fix it. Try these, the dumbbell skull crushers in your next workout,” Flex Lewis shared.
The 39-year-old has been open about life post-bodybuilding. He showed off his ripped physique in an update where he revealed major changes to his diet and training plan. At the time, Lewis was weighing 200 pounds and mentioned that his current goal was to pack on 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. To accomplish this objective, Lewis shared that he’s regularly consuming six meals daily.
Aside from ‘The Welsh Dragon,’ four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler also offers consistent training tips and techniques. The legend took to his YouTube channel in March to explain how he built an Olympia-caliber chest with just four exercises.
In retirement, Lewis continues to offer value to the bodybuilding community. Considering the muscle maturity and detail Flex Lewis displayed in his prime, fans can learn a lot from his technique breakdowns.
More Triceps Workout:
Published: 4 May, 2023 | 9:07 AM EDT
Samson Dauda Says Hadi Choopan & Derek Lunsford Will Lose 2023 Mr. Olympia If He Improves His Back
Bodybuilder Samson Dauda‘s confidence is rising ahead of his next competition in November. In a recent Muscular Development interview, Dauda explained that a bigger and more detailed back is the ticket to his first Mr. Olympia title against Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford.
“That’s going to be one area where they’re holding their strengths on, we need to take that away,” said Samson Dauda.
Dauda caught the attention of the bodybuilding world last year when he turned in a sixth-place finish at the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest. At the event, he managed to push the former two-time champion, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay who claimed fifth. Meanwhile, Hadi Choopan won with Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker taking second and third, respectively.
Dauda immediately jumped back into a show at the 2023 Arnold Classic in March. After the prize money swelled to $300,000, a few high-profile athletes joined the show, such as Elssbiay, Nick Walker, and Andrew Jacked. At his second Arnold Classic competition, Dauda earned gold in a close battle against ‘The Mutant’ and Jacked. While some in the sport found the results controversial, Dauda succeeded in earning his invite to the Olympia stage in 2023.
Bob Cicherillo, a notable voice in the bodybuilding community, has taken to a handful of podcasts to discuss the Men’s Open landscape. According to Cicherillo, Dauda and Lunsford are now equal threats to Choopan’s title after the Nigerian’s latest performance. Now taking a closer look at the potential showdown is Dauda, who joined Giles Thomas for a candid talk.
Samson Dauda on Hadi Choopan/Derek Lunsford: ‘Once I Improve My Back Shots, Where Else Can They Beat Me?’
Dauda said he’s already eying gold at the Olympia show scheduled for November 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.
“I mean, this one, I’m already thinking, okay, fu** we gotta go win the Olympia now,” said Samson Dauda. “A few weeks later off the Arnold stage yeah, I’m like let’s go. I mean, I’m still sort of taking it all in. Enjoying the idea, it’s the Arnold man, it just changes your life.
You sort of taking it in and enjoying the prospect of that but at no point in the back of your mind, every training session – I mean, you go to that gym, one thing is on the mind, you know what you’re training for now. I’m no longer training to be top 10, I’m not training to qualify for the Olympia, I’m not training to be in the top five, now you go into the gym training to be the Mr. Olympia, to be the greatest bodybuilder in the world. This is your moment, this is it,” says Dauda.
“This is the moment, that’s why you got to be prepared, first, you have to fight to be in that call out, then you have to fight to win that call out. Now, this is what you train for. This is what you’re in the gym for. This is what every session, every grueling pain, everything you put your body through, okay, you have to be ready for that one moment.”
Samson believes his back shots are the only obstacle preventing him from winning the Olympia.
“One thing, obviously, I want to make sure that — because I know the one point that those two guys [Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford] will have over me will be the back shots. So that one, okay, I got to close that door. Close that gap. I probably won’t be able to pass it but I will close it enough to where it no longer is a night and day sort of thing. Once I do that, the rest of it… where else can they touch me on?
Bring your weaknesses to match up with theirs so then you can show your glaring strengths and make those parts shine out,” added Dauda. “For us, break down our faults… break down what we know we’re weak at. Break down what anybody has an advantage over us; we say, ‘Right, let’s take it away, let’s fix that.’ So they don’t have that advantage.”
Even if he is unable to match the back density of Choopan or Lunsford, Dauda said the improvements would be enough to sway the judges.
“At least if we do that, it will be significantly enough to be like, ‘Okay, he might not beat them in that shot,’ but it’s enough to make them turn around and go, ‘Eh, but,’ and that’s all it needs to be.”
“We make sure we tick so much boxes that you might beat us in this shot or that shot, but guess what, when you overall tally the score, we get a lot more points than you do and this is how a physique works, being so balanced and so symmetrical that you can’t pick out a bad pose.”
Whether or not Choopan defends his title this year has become a topic of debate. Nick Walker is confident that the next Olympia will be decided following a battle between himself and Lunsford. He emphasized that Choopan won’t repeat as Mr. Olympia. However, William Bonac disagrees and recently stated that Choopan will definitely win at least one more Sandow, likely this year.
RELATED: Seth Feroce Says Nick Walker ‘Allowed to Be Fuc**ng Pissed’ After Samson Dauda Loss at 2023 Arnold Classic
While Mr. Olympia is still several months away, fans will get a sneak peek of the top contenders’ physiques at Jim Manion’s 2023 Pittsburgh Pro next weekend. Hunter Labrada, Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and Shaun Clarida will all make special guest posing appearances.
You can watch the full video below from the Muscular Development YouTube channel:
Published: 3 May, 2023 | 1:54 PM EDT
Brett Wilkin Crushes A Hypertrophy-Inducing Back Workout
Bodybuilder Brett Wilkin is all set to elevate his career to the next level under Coach Joe Benett AKA the Hypertrophy Coach’s guidance. Wilkin announced the association in the latest video on his YouTube channel. The client and his new coach are now in the process of formulating the new training program for the year 2023.
Wilkin is an American professional bodybuilder that calls the Men’s Open division his home. Although he won the IFBB Pro Card in the Classic Physique division, the 35-year-old never competed in the weight class professionally. Instead, he made the pro debut in the 212 division. But following a couple of humbling performances at the 2019 Puerto Rico Pro and 2019 Toronto Pro Supershow, he took an extended break from the competition to work on his physique.
After a two-year hiatus, Wilkin returned to the stage but in the Men’s Open division. His divisional debut at the 2021 Chicago Pro resulted in a runner-up finish and Wilkin became a hot prospect of the division. However, he could not capitalize on the momentum built in 2021 and the 2022 competitive season yielded moderate success.
After a sixth place finishes at the 2022 Arnold Classic, Brett Wilkin’s hope to compete at the 2022 Mr. Olympia relied solely on winning the 2022 Romania Muscle Fest Pro as per the qualification criteria. However, he secured a runner-up finish at the show and called an end to the 2022 competitive season.
Brett Wilkin is now getting ready for this year’s challenges and Joe Bennett’s presence can certainly make a huge impact in making leaps in terms of progress. The famed coach is widely praised for his hypertrophy inducing training methods and has worked with big names like Terrence Ruffin and Dave Bautista. Under Bennett’s guidance, Wilkin went through a back workout. So let’s take a look at how Bennett’s guidance shaped Brett Wilkin’s workout.
Brett Wilkin demolishes a back workout under Joe Bennett’s guidance
Brett Wilkin has trained by himself for the majority of his workouts. However, he feels that ‘Hypertrophy Coach’ can really level him up with his expertise.
“I’ve somebody who’s looking over the shoulder at everything I am doing, somebody providing feedback… He’s gonna be watching my training just to level me up,” Wilkin said in the beginning of the workout.
One Arm Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown (Machine)
Coach Bennett started Wilkin’s back training with this movement on the plate loaded iso-lateral front lat pulldown machine. Bennett advised Wilkin to bring the arm down and press the triceps against the lats to line up most of the muscle fibers and contract the lats more effectively. He suggested going at a really slow pace to become more aware of the mechanics of the movement and increase the pace only after he was familiar with it.
“Warm-up sets in general, go slow, feel what you’re trying to feel and when you’re going the working sets just go after it,” Bennett added.
Speaking about the benefits of the Hammer Strength machine used for this exercise, Bennett added:
“The most important part of this machine or the range of motion is that stretch… The stretch that you get here, you’re not going to get it on a row, right? So a row doesn’t fully stretch your lat. You have to bring your arm up here somewhere (in the starting position of lat pulldown).”
“It’s probably good for almost everyone to pause for a second and make sure that it’s the lat and not momentum (that pulls the lever down again).”
Wilkin pushed through some heavy sets of this exercise under Bennett’s watchful eye and performed the last set with both arms. He then followed the coach to the next exercise.
Chest Supported T-Bar Rows
Bennett instructed Wilkin to take up the chest supported T-bar rows next to build the upper back muscles. While it is good to have a dedicated machine for this exercise in the gym, The Hypertrophy Coach stated that you can almost always get the same results as long as you can get the similar grip and position. So for example, doing the dumbbell rows using an incline bench for chest support can accomplish the exact same goal as a dedicated T-bar row machine.
“This exercise is going to pretty much train everything when I say upper back form shoulder to shoulder. So there’s going to be rear delts involved, traps involved… rhomboids involved… Pretty much your entire upper back musculature… But yeah, you’re going to get some lats working as well too…”
“Now what I want you to do is feel like you’re keeping the spine position. So slow everything down just a little bit so as everything pulls forward, you don’t do any spinal flexion. This (The spine) stays still and everything just kind of moves around that.”
After getting a few sets of chest supported T-bar rows under the belt, Wilkin curiously went to the Prime chest supported rows machine for the next exercise.
Prime Chest Supported Rows
This horizontal pulling movement followed next and Coach Bennett set up the machine in such a way that it targeted the latissimus dorsi muscles more than other back muscles.
“He (Coach Bennett) turned this Prime chest supported row and set it up so it’s fully isolating the lats, especially the lower lats. So our body’s in the position and all we have to do is keep our elbows tucked to our side, drive down, keep your traps lower. Don’t scrunch up,” Brett Wilkin added.
With this set-up, the resistance profile was harder in the beginning and got easier as the arm was pulled back. Wilkin started out with the warm-up sets to understand the movement and performed a few working sets. Following this, he did a couple of drop sets before taking up the next exercise.
Chest Supported Straight Arm Pulldowns
Straight arm pulldowns increase the scapular strength of the muscles and stability. These attributes are necessary for maintaining a safe posture while performing heavier compound movements like deadlifts, pull-ups and bench press etc. Coach Bennett guided The Butcher through a few sets of this exercise. Wilkin performed it using a banded attachment to the cable machine.
Weighted Back Extensions
Bennett instructed Wilkin to position himself in such a way that his hip crease was blocked. This way, he could bend forward and extend back up using only the lower back.
“All I want you to think about is – some of it’s obviously rounding and folding over the front. But while you’re doing that I actually want you to feel like you’re pushing your lower back to the ceiling as well.”
“So it’s a combination… So obviously as you go down, because your hips are blocked, everything’s going to half the round but by overdoing it, you’ll get even a little more rounding from that. That’s what we want here… As much rounding as we can and then as much extension as we put on the way up,” Bennett explained.
Wilkin performed a few reps without the barbell to get accustomed to the movement as Bennett watched over. He then cranked out some sets using the barbell which summoned the end of the training session.
The training session comprised of exercises in the order mentioned below:
Brett Wilkin’s training program heading into the 2023 Mr. Olympia competition will be documented on his YouTube channel and will be available on Joe Bennett’s app as well. So those looking forward to elevating their own performance can stay tuned to his YouTube channel to take its advantage.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Brett Wilkin’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 3 May, 2023 | 12:56 PM EDT
Bodybuilder Hunter Labrada Shares Detoxifying ‘Gut Health Drink’ for Optimal Digestion
Men’s Open bodybuilder Hunter Labrada is back with another Tuesday Tip for fans. In a recent YouTube video, Labrada revealed a gut-health drink recipe he’s using to keep his waistline down in preparation for his next bodybuilding contest.
Labrada is seeking redemption following his seventh-place finish at the 2022 Mr. Olympia show. Having reflected on his performance, Labrada highlighted a few areas that held him back on stage. Most notably, he and his coach Ben Chow encountered problems with the peaking process for the contest.
Hunter’s father, IFBB Pro League Hall of Famer Lee Labrada, announced that his son would be participating in two shows before the Olympia this year. Hunter later confirmed the news and specified that he’ll be taking his talents to the Tampa Pro and Texas Pro. Should he follow through in Texas, he’ll have the opportunity to compete against the reigning champ Andrew Jacked.
Aiming for back-to-back victories, Labrada has kept fans updated on his training progress. He said he’s not chasing size this year and plans to minimize his waistline. The Open standout intends to accomplish this goal by implementing vacuum poses and a new diet. In his latest endeavor, he offered fans a recipe for a go-to gut health drink he’s using for digestion benefits.
Hunter Labrada Shares ‘Gut Health/Digestion Drink’ for Keeping Tight Waist
Maintaining a near-300-pound physique requires a substantial diet, and Labrada says he’s taking this gut health drink every morning to aid with digestion.
“Gut health/digestion and what I am doing for it in the morning. So, it’s no secret after last year’s competitive season that I wanted to do everything in my power to minimize my waistline and a lot of that comes down to how well your body is digesting its food. That process starts before you’re taking digestive enzymes with each and every meal. Before you’re paying attention to what food sources you’re eating and this that and the other.
It starts with what you do when you get out of bed in the morning and what first hits your stomach. I wanted to go over what I do every single morning and have been doing for quite some time I’ve come to really enjoy this not because of how it tastes, I’m not going to lie it doesn’t taste that great but because of how it makes me feel and how its left my stomach feeling. As I do this the longer and longer that I do it, the flatter and flatter I feel I’m waking up in the morning in terms of any kind of bloat or distention and I just feel better throughout the day. At the end of the day, it’s not what you eat, it’s what you’re able to digest and assimilate.”
Labrada’s Signature Gut Health Drink
Labrada shared the contents of his gut health beverage, which you can find below:
“That is the morning digestion drink. I’m going to shake this up and throw it in the fridge. I like to make it — the night before sometimes if I’m not being lazy then I get to roll out of bed and be lazy in the morning. Throw this in the fridge. Anyways, that is the Tuesday Tip on my digestion/gut health drink,” added Labrada.
Start with 16 ounces of water to hydrate the body.
Add 2 ounces of Aloe Vera gel to soothe and heal the intestines.
Squeeze juice from one whole lemon for taste and detoxification benefits.
Add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to create an acidic environment in the stomach and aid in detoxification.
Include 10 grams of glutamine powder to boost immune system function, promote recovery, and heal intestinal damage.
Finish with a quality greens powder for added nutrients.
In addition to nutrition, Labrada has consistently offered useful tips via YouTube. The last time fans heard from the 30-year-old, he shared a guide on how to grow weaker calves. Labrada underlined the importance of training intensity, emphasizing the difference between training to pain versus total failure.
RELATED: Hunter Labrada on Gym & Bodybuilding Mindset: ‘It’s a Practiced Skill’
The 2023 Tampa Pro kicks off August 3-5, where Hunter Labrada will aim to earn an invitation to the Mr. Olympia event. If he’s successful, he’ll have the chance to face off against the reigning champion Hadi Choopan.
You can find the full video below from Hunter Labrada’s YouTube channel:
Published: 3 May, 2023 | 9:01 AM EDT
Chris Cormier & Olympia Judge Discuss Potential of Iain Valliere, Michal Krizo, And ‘Good Vito’
The 2023 bodybuilding season is underway, prompting Terrick El Guindy and Chris Cormier to discuss the potential Mr. Olympia lineup. In a recent episode of Prime Time Muscle, Cormier and El Guindy assessed the Olympia-winning potential of Iain Valliere, Michal Krizo Križánek, and Good Vito (Vitaliy Ugolnikov).
As a consistent top-seven finisher at Olympia, Iain Valliere came up short at the event last December. He earned 11th place though pushed through adversity during prejudging and finals. Reflecting on his last show, Valliere admits some mistakes were made regarding his nutrition, posing, and training. When the dust settled, Hadi Choopan claimed gold, and Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay was knocked down to fifth.
Fellow mass monster Krizo made his way to the Mr. Olympia stage following a historic bodybuilding season. He switched to the NPC, won a pro show, and earned his Olympia invite in the span of a few months. He proved himself in his Olympia debut with a 12th-place finish, just one spot behind Valliere.
Vitaliy Ugolnikov, well known as ‘Good Vito,’ continues to grow in popularity among the bodybuilding community. He boasts an impressive level of size and conditioning. Fans have also praised his biceps and flaring quads. Last November, Good Vito earned his IFBB Pro card after winning the Musclecontest International Brazil Nationals.
Chris Cormier and Olympia Judge on Iain Valliere: ‘He Needs to Bring Up His Calves & Back’
When all is said and done, El Guindy is convinced Valliere will be considered an all-time great Canadian bodybuilder.
“He’s a great bodybuilder. Iain is a great bodybuilder. He’s won plenty of pro shows. He’s going to go down in history as one of the best Canadian bodybuilders of all time; I got to give him credit for that. Was this performance his best performance? No. It wasn’t a good performance, he’ll be the first one to tell you, ‘I missed my peak, I’m going to be better next time.’”
El Guindy advised Valliere to improve his back and calves.
“The biggest issue here is his back. His back double biceps, his back lat spread, because look at this: this is one of his best poses [side triceps] this is how he won in Texas; this is how he won a lot of shows. Look at the hamstrings, the legs, he’s massive on top, he’s a mass monster. From the back here, this is not a good back double biceps,” said Terrick El Guindy.
“Let me tell you then: he needs to bring up his calves, his back, here’s the thing, I had a chance to talk to Iain Valliere. Sometimes, we look at the posing and maybe he needs to practice his back posing. I’m not saying he’s pinching his back on the back double biceps but on the back lat spread, I just don’t like it. He needs to fix that. If he fixes that and he becomes as good as that side chest, this guy is formidable.”.
Cormier on Michal Krizo: ‘Everything About Him is Raw, But He Has So Much Upside’
Chris Cormier believes Michal Krizo is still ‘raw’ or inexperienced in many aspects of bodybuilding such as posing. Given his mass and conditioning, Cormier predicted that the Slovakian native will give competitors problems on the horizon.
“He wanted to go up against the big boys, he wanted to be considered the best or one of the best in the world and I mean… he could have placed better but I was really impressed when he took that shirt off and hit that crab [during the presser]. The big old arms, he’s very raw as I noticed, very raw. Everything he does, from the posing, the training, everything is raw with him but he has so much upside. I think he’s going to give some people some real headaches pretty soon. I’m really impressed with what he can bring in the future. Those arms — they are gigantic,” said Chris Cormier.
“He might have some of the biggest arms in the history [of the sport]. To make it more disproportionate, he doesn’t have a big head. His head is kind of small so his arms look even bigger,” said El Guindy. “He’s just so impressive.”
‘He’s Another One That Will Shock A Lot of People’: Cormier Talks Good Vito’s Potential
According to ‘The Real Deal,’ Good Vito also has the capabilities to make major waves in the Men’s Open this year.
“Good Vito, he’s very young, big flaring quads. The back is not too bad for his age. I mean, at that age, you don’t expect someone to have that type of back development. I had a tough time building it for a long time. Just his depth to his body is pretty good,” said Chris Cormier.
“When that comes, you got to get around someone that’s actually done that shit [bodybuilding]. But he has so much upside, I was looking forward to trying to see if he was going to be able to get into a pro show and try to get to the Olympia but you know, there’s always time for that. He’s a young guy. He has a lot of road ahead of him. As long as he stays doing everything smart — I think he’s another one that can shock a lot of people pretty soon.”
El Guindy said he heard a rumor that Good Vito plans to compete at the 2024 Arnold Classic South America contest.
“I think he is in his late 20s. So, he’s a guy that was with the other federation,” El Guindy said. “I was able to connect him with some guys in Brazil who were looking for a bodybuilder [to sponsor]. He’s been training in Brazil. He’s massive. Now, the thing about [him], we have not seen him compete in the IFBB Pro League. Rumor has it he’s going to make his pro debut at the Arnold Classic in Brazil.”
In addition to those mentioned above, Andrew Jacked is another new contender who recently emerged as a Men’s Open threat. He recorded a spectacular season last year, where he claimed victories at the 2022 Texas Pro and Arnold Classic UK shows. He finished eighth in his debut at Mr. Olympia and earned third place in a close affair at the 2023 Arnold Classic.
It should be noted that this video and an Instagram post promoting this episode were initially deleted after offending fans online. They used words like ‘failure’ and bust’ to describe a few of the Men’s Open competitors that were unable to find success on the Olympia stage. In response to the backlash, El Guindy issued an apology and stressed he’d be more careful with his word choice in the future.
RELATED: Iain Valliere on Next Show: ‘I’m Not in A Big Sluggish Off-Season, I Could Go from 285 to 265 in 4 Weeks’
With such a talent-rich division, fans are excited to see which athletes earn invites to compete later this year. El Guindy and Cormier are confident Valliere, Good Vito, and Krizo have the potential to shake up the 2023 Mr. Olympia assuming they earn qualifications.
You can watch the full video below courtesy of the Olympia TV YouTube channel:
Published: 2 May, 2023 | 6:52 PM EDT
Ronnie Coleman Reacts to Brian Shaw’s Most Insane Strongman Lifts: ‘Holy Sh*t’
Legendary bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman was renowned for lifting insanely heavy weights during his career. Following the retirement of Strongman legend Brian Shaw, Coleman shared his reaction to some of Shaw’s most impressive lifts on YouTube.
Ronnie Coleman is widely regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He presented a jacked package with freakish muscle mass, size, and conditioning in the Men’s Open division. In addition to his look, Coleman made a name for himself with his brutally heavy workouts. He took home the top prize at the 1998 Mr. Olympia and went on a dominant run that saw him win eight Sandow trophies against the likes of four-time champ Jay Cutler, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, and Kevin Levrone.
Given the intense nature of his training, Coleman would eventually suffer from a string of injuries. He needed multiple back surgeries and had trouble walking properly. Fortunately, Coleman made great progress in recovery after getting stem cell treatment. He credited the therapy for helping him recover earlier this year.
As of late, Coleman joined social media fitness sensation Jesse James West for a powerlifting style workout a few months ago. West pranked Coleman by using fake weights to exaggerate his lifts. Coleman conceded he was stunned to see West seemingly lift 700 pounds on the squat with ease.
‘The King’ gave fans a look into four of the greatest bodybuilding poses he incorporated in his performance routine on stage two months ago. He detailed how each pose brought out his strongest features and overall package in the best way possible.
He teamed up with former 212 Olympia champ and Men’s Open standout Derek Lunsford for a grueling back and biceps workout last month. Both men discussed their training philosophies as Coleman mentored him through the session. A few weeks later, Coleman extended his support for Lunsford again by backing him to dethrone reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan at the next event.
The 58-year-old credited fellow legend Flex Wheeler for his immense success in the sport last month. He revealed Wheeler connected him to prolific bodybuilding guru Chad Nicholls, who led him to his first Mr. Olympia victory.
Two weeks ago, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man contest concluded with the win of Mitchell Hooper and the exit of Brian Shaw, widely considered to be one of the greatest strength athletes ever. The four-time WSM winner had announced it would be his final appearance in the build-up to the show.
Brian Shaw is one of the most accomplished strongmen in history. He has won the World’s Strongest Man title four times, in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. He has also won the Arnold Strongman Classic three times, in 2011, 2015, and 2017. He is the only person to win both competitions in the same year twice. He has set numerous world records in events such as the Atlas Stones, the Hummer Tire Deadlift, and the Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift.
Shaw was a regular feature of the WSM events with 16 participations in total. He stands as the fourth-winningest Strongman of all time with 26 international contest wins under his belt. During his decorated career, Shaw battled it out against fellow legends Eddie Hall, Hafthor Bjornsson, and Zydrunas Savickas.
Ronnie Coleman reacts to Brian Shaw’s insane Strongman lifts
In a recent YouTube video, Ronnie Coleman shared his reaction to some of Brian Shaw’s jaw-dropping lifts in Strongman contests.
Coleman started by commenting on Shaw performing the Tire Carry.
“Running with them big old heavy ass tires. Running like it ain’t nothing to it and it wasn’t nothing to it.”
Then, he weighed in on Shaw lifting a 530-lb (240.4-kg) bench press and a 1,091 pounds (494.8 kilograms) deadlift.
“530 pounds like it’s 330 pounds easy to lift.”
“1,000-pound deadlift like it ain’t nothing to it but to do it. Pull it, lightweight baby. That’s how you do it. Make the thousand pounds look like a hundred pounds.”
The next clip was Shaw’s 2016 deadlift of about 980 pounds followed by a lower body exercise.
“That was easy, lightweight. Go ahead and put another 45, 50 pounds on there.”
“I don’t know how much weight that is but I see it’s got to be pretty heavy. I don’t know what kind of contraption that is but ain’t nothing easy about what he’s doing.”
Coleman was astonished by Shaw’s crazy strength on the Kettlebell Toss and Overhead Press.
“Those awesome big ass kettlebells and he tossed them like they peanuts. Those are 60-pound kettlebells, holy sh*t!”
“This is one of the hardest I think I’ve seen. He’s just hopping it like it ain’t nothing.”
Finally, Coleman wrapped up by lauding Shaw for his insane Car Deadlifts and Truck Pull.
Recently, Ronnie Coleman made headlines for selling his home of 26 years for $495,000 in Texas over a week ago. He utilized the home gym during his days of competing on stage, making it a great piece of bodybuilding history.
RELATED: Ronnie Coleman On ‘Comical’ Biceps Comparison with Nick Walker: ‘I Shouldn’t Even Be In This Conversation’
Coleman gave his take on iconic bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger’s strongest lifts last week. He offered to train with Schwarzenegger following the reaction video.
You can watch the full video below.
Published: 2 May, 2023 | 5:31 PM EDT
Bodybuilding Icon Robby Robinson Defies Age: Astonishingly Shredded at 76!
Turns out that veteran bodybuilder Robby Robinson never lost the eye of the tiger and continues to train hard at 76 years of age. The Black Prince partnered with natty Greek god Mike O’Hearn for an arms workout and his incredibly shredded physique stole the show.
Mike O’Hearn posted Glimpses of the veteran bodybuilder’s training session on his YouTube channel. Robby Robinson is seen performing barbell preacher curls in the video. The 76-year-old looked incredibly shredded and rock solid during the workout. You can see the video below, courtesy of Mike O’Hearn’s YouTube channel:
Robby Robinson performed a drop set of barbell preacher curls in the session after a warm-up set. For the drop set, he started with a 70 lbs barbell and pumped out seven solid reps with a great form. Mike O’Hearn handed him a 50 lbs barbell and the former Masters Olympia champion cranked out five more reps to close the show.
“Look at this… The fibers, the striations, insertions…That is what we do this for,” Mike O’Hearn marveled as Robinson flexed to show his pecs and arms.
Robby Robinson responded:
“I’m working, working, working all the time.”
“You’ve gotta put in the work. If you’re not willing to put in the work like you see myself and Mike, seriously, just go home,” He added.
Mike O’Hearn obviously knows a thing or two about maintaining the body at an age where it is supposed to fall apart. Him being astonished by Robbinson’s physique says a lot about the latter’s commitment to maintaining a shredded physique at 76.
Robby Robinson’s bodybuilding career at a glance
Robinson proudly belongs to the golden era of bodybuilding. He took his first steps in competitive bodybuilding in the early to mid 1970s. As an African-American born in the deep south, Robinson had a tough path leading up to the stature of a legendary bodybuilder. However, he competed successfully for nearly 27 years and left a lasting legacy in the sport.
Mr. Lifestyle started out as an amateur in 1974, winning the AAU Mr. Southeastern USA and Mr. Southern States competitions. Robby won four titles in 1975, the Mr. World title being the most prominent of those.
IFBB Pro League’s Mr. Olympia contest turned out to be the real proving ground for the Georgia native bodybuilder. He took home the Heavyweight title at the 1977 and 1978 Olympia and finished third in the Lightweight division at the 1979 Olympia. Unsurprisingly, Robinson was the runner up to Mr. Olympia overall winner Frank Zane in 1977 and 1978.
The 1981 NABBA Mr. Universe Pro turned out to be his only victory in the winless stretch of nearly seven years. However, The Black Prince never stopped working and emerged victorious at the 1988 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational. In the later stages of his career, Robbie became a Masters Olympia mainstay. He has his name etched on the 1994 Masters Olympia as well as the 1997 and 2000 Masters Olympia 50+ trophies.
Robby Robinson’s contribution to the sport is undeniably important. Fitness Volt wishes him good health and a fulfilling life.
Published: 2 May, 2023 | 1:00 PM EDT
William Bonac: ‘Hadi Choopan Will Repeat as 2023 Mr. Olympia, He’s Going to Take Another Title’
William Bonac continues to deliver as a Men’s Open bodybuilder, competing twice in four months. In a recent The Menace Podcast, Bonac predicted Hadi Choopan would win 2023 Mr. Olympia and discussed what measures Nick Walker needs to take to become champion.
The Men’s Open division has endured major changes since 2022 Mr. Olympia. Hadi Choopan won his first title after outlasting a slew of threats in prejudging and the finals. Shockingly, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay was unable to retain his throne in fifth whereas Derek Lunsford and Walker found themselves in second and third. Bonac, however, finished ninth, respectively.
At the 2023 Arnold Classic, Bonac redeemed himself with an impressive package, showcasing a blend of fullness and conditioning. While Bonac hoped to secure his third title in Columbus, Ohio, the veteran settled for seventh, proving himself against a lineup that saw Samson Dauda come out on top.
In light of his last two performances, Bonac suspended his current season. He set his sights on 2024 and plans to focus on rest and recovery. Looking ahead, ‘The Conquorer’ said his next show would likely be the Arnold Classic. Refusing to dismiss his Olympia ambitions, Bonac stated if he ‘brings his all,’ he could still retire with a Sandow trophy in the next two years.
In his latest endeavor, Bonac laid out who he believes might win the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest, scheduled for November 2-5, in Orlando Florida. Additionally, Bonac touched on what improvements Walker needs to make to reach the next level in his career.
William Bonac Says League ‘Going Away from Mass Monsters,’ Expects Hadi Choopan to ‘Repeat’ as 2023 Mr. Olympia
According to William Bonac, he’s ‘sure’ Hadi Choopan will win another title and believes he can definitely repeat at 2023 Mr. Olympia.
“I think definitely Hadi can repeat it, definitely. I think as you see… a lot of 212 guys are doing very good in the Open class. That’s something that I’ve noticed. They’re extremely good, maybe because they don’t look as big as Big Ramy, those mass monsters. I think they’re trying to go away from that. Not to say they are little guys, you understand. I also see that they are rewarding the taller guys. The few taller guys we have with beautiful aesthetics. That’s a good thing as well. No bloated guts you know, that’s what I see,” said William Bonac.
“We’ve seen him [Hadi Choopan] on the stage and he’s ripped to pieces. How are you guys backstage, you see more than we do. When you see Hadi, he is next level right?” asks Sarcev.
“He’s next level. Even with the pump up, when you stop pumping up, then he will come alive. The more he pumps up the freakier he gets. So, you know, I think honestly… last year or the year before the Olympia that he didn’t win — he looked way better. If he came even with that shape even now, that wasn’t even his best shape and he won it. So, I’m sure he’s going to take another title. If he brings the condition that he brought the year before, yeah,” Bonac shared.
Can Brandon Curry Regain the Mr. Olympia Title? Bonac Says ‘I Don’t Think So.’
Bonac believes his rival Brandon Curry will struggle to regain his Mr. Olympia title because he loses size in his legs when he shreds down before a contest.
“Brandon [Curry] is my dude man. I hope so [he takes another title]. I hope he can fight for the title like the direction that they are going — I think – I don’t think so,” Bonac added. “No because if he does that, he will lose the size then he doesn’t look so impressive. They have to play the size game a little bit because when he dials in too much, he will lose the size of his legs again.”
Bonac Says Nick Walker Needs Improved Quad Sweeps to Contend for 2023 Mr. Olympia Title
Milos Sarcev, Dennis James, and William Bonac agree that Walker needs more outer quad sweep for 2023 Olympia.
“Bigger legs, bigger chest, and I think his chest improved dramatically already,” said Sarcev.
“It’s just the legs, the sweep of the legs,” clarified Bonac.
“That quad sweep, that could be a genetic thing. I’m sure it’s not because he’s not working hard enough or he’s not doing what he’s supposed to,” Dennis James said.
Chris Cormier and Bonac also shared that Walker would benefit from some posing adjustments.
“From the side, he looks good, from the back he looks good, it’s just from the front or maybe maybe the way he stands on his legs, maybe he should turn it more like Brandon does, so you get more of the inner thighs [in the abdominals and thighs pose].”
“I would try to utilize my legs differently in those poses. The way he’s doing them is not helping him right now,” Chris Cormier explained.
Before confirming his one-year hiatus from the sport, questions about Bonac’s retirement circulated online. Bob Cicherillo, who serves as the announcer of the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia shows, said he would like to see Bonac receive a special invite for 2024 Mr. Olympia so he could retire on top.
As for Nick Walker, he recently argued that Choopan wouldn’t be able to successfully defend his title later this year. He believes the 2023 Olympia winner will be determined following a battle between himself and former 212 Olympia Derek Lunsford.
RELATED: William Bonac ‘Taking Measures’ for Inflamed Kidneys, Stops Oral Steroids In Prep for 2023 Arnold Classic
The 2023 Pittsburgh Pro takes place May 12-13 and serves as a teaser for bodybuilding’s ultimate destination. Given how unpredictable 2022 Olympia was, fans are looking forward to seeing their favorite competitors make a play for Hadi Choopan’s title.
You can watch the full video below from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel:
Published: 1 May, 2023 | 7:32 PM EDT
Bob Cicherillo on Olympia TV Labeling Athletes ‘Failures’: ‘It Wasn’t Done Intentionally’
Bob Cicherillo is speaking up for the Olympia social media team after a post upset fans over the weekend. In a Voice of Bodybuilding podcast, Cicherillo said Olympia’s Instagram post calling Iain Valliere, James Hollingshead, Antoine Vaillant, and Steve Kuclo ‘failures’ was done unintentionally.
After Hadi Choopan captured gold at the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, changes at the top of the Open class became a major talking point. At the show, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay failed to retain his title and dropped to fifth. The podium saw Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker finish second and third. In the aftermath, athletes rep Bob Cicherillo was vocal about the outcome as fans suspected Ramy wasn’t offered a fair shot on stage.
Debate continued following Samson Dauda‘s victory at the Arnold Classic last month. Walker, who placed runner-up, found the results controversial. In fact, fan outrage surrounding Dauda’s win continued to build until Bob Cicherillo got involved. He took to multiple podcasts to explain the judging process. Moreover, he stressed that Dauda won because he possessed a better combination of factors like conditioning, balance, proportions, and stage presentation.
Instagram
Prime Time Muscle is a bodybuilding podcast represented by the Olympia TV YouTube channel. In a recent post made to Instagram, they teased their latest video. However, some fans found the thumbnail and description disrespectful given their use of words such as ‘bust’ and ‘failure.’
Bob Cicherillo on Olympia TV’s Distasteful Post & Fan Outrage: “The Clickbait Stuff Needs to End”
In response to fan backlash, the OlympiaLLC Instagram page deleted the post. The Prime Time Muscle episode was also deleted from YouTube. According to Cicherillo, the choice of words was done ‘unintentionally.’
“For those that have been following the bouncing ball, there was a video put out by our good friends, Terrick and Chris Cormier and Tim Wilkins, they do a show called Prime Time Muscle. They put a video out and it was actually pretty innocuous, if you were actually able to catch the video but it was removed unfortunately, we’ll get to that in a moment.
The title of it was ‘Olympia Threat or Bust?’ Now that was probably where the problem started and ended because it wasn’t really worded proper in my opinion; I think that’s where a lot of this outrage had occurred. In the tag it said Olympia failures or promises. This is inherently where the problem came about, because you can’t judge a book by its cover. The clickbait stuff needs to end.”
“Listen, we’re all in the same biz, we’re all trying to catch someone’s attention but blatantly putting something out just to catch somebody’s attention is not really being – it’s being rather disingenuous. We catch on quick. We’ve all seen podcasts that are no longer on YouTube that have literally made their following by this action, and again, it gets old quickly. You don’t need clickbait if you got good content. I don’t think it was done intentionally, I think it was the wrong verbiage use.”
Cicherillo highlighted that the Olympia is an entity and doesn’t hold opinions regarding the physiques of different bodybuilders. He added that Hollingshead, Valliere, Kuclo, and Vaillant didn’t take the post personally.
“The Olympia is an entity. The Olympia doesn’t make statements unless it’s something pertaining to Olympia. Here’s where Olympia is going to be, here is where VIP tickets will be on sale, that type of stuff. Much like the IFBB Pro League, the IFBB Pro League does not have an opinion when it comes to things of this nature or how good a bodybuilder is.”
“Iain Valliere, great bodybuilder, but a top 10 Olympian a few times; they’re not referencing him as some sort of failure or bust to the Olympia or this isn’t a guy whose lived up to his expectations, they’re giving critique. There’s a few others. We’re not going to play them all. Iain, James Hollingshead, Steve Kuclo – they’re just referencing some bodybuilders and giving some critique to literally get to the next level,” Cicherillo said.
While the video was taken down, Cicherillo said its contents weren’t as offensive as the post made to Instagram.
“So to see the outrage that I’ve seen the other day from the fanbase… you got to check yourselves here people. I’m talking about the fans in particular out there. Don’t take things so personally. This was not an attack on the Olympians. ‘Oh, the Olympia should be ashamed of itself.’ Again, you’re talking about a competition – an entity- they, they Olympia, don’t have an opinion when it comes to individual competition and individual competitors that are in there trying to win a show.”
“I want to make sure it’s clear. Not only is everyone entitled to an opinion but then you have to reference who’s making that opinion and what they’re talking about. I can see clearly that most of you did not watch the video; you saw the title, you assumed what it was all about, and then you got crazy.”
As a result of the fiasco, Terrick El Guindy apologized for the mishap and explained that it was a ‘terrible choice of words.’
“Words are powerful. I learned this over the weekend when I wrote a post to promote the latest episode of Prime Time Muscle. My intention was to analyze whether a few athletes didn’t live up to expectations at the 2022 Olympia. Unfortunately I used the word “failure” when I wrote the post (implying failure to live up to expectations). A terrible choice of words on my part. Olympia athletes are the best in the world!!!! I have reached out to Iain and James to apologize for the poor choice of words. They were both very gracious about it. Bodybuilding fans are passionate. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” El Guindy posted.
El Guindy’s opinions on the Prime Time Muscle podcast hold weight given his status as a promoter and IFBB Pro League judge. The last time fans heard from him, he offered advice for Nick Walker who he believes to be a future Mr. Olympia winner. El Guindy said if Walker improves the volume of his legs, he’ll never lose to Samson Dauda again.
The latest post from El Guindy and Olympia raises the question of how far media can go to attract attention. As for Cicherillo, he doesn’t believe clickbait content has a place in the sport.
You can watch the full YouTube video below courtesy of Bob Cicherillo’s YouTube channel:
Published: 1 May, 2023 | 11:20 AM EDT