We are only 7 weeks out from the 2023 Arnold Festival! The official competitors so far in the Arnold Classic are William Bonac, Samson Dauda, Shaun Clarida, Akim Williams, Blessing Awodibu, Charles Griffin, Justin Rodrigues and Kamal Elgargni. 

Four-time Mr Olympia and three-time Arnold Classic Champion Jay Cutler, is extremely disappointed in the competitors NOT doing this show! I agree with him and don’t understand why the bodybuilders that just competed in the Olympia are not doing the Arnold, as there should be no excuse why they are skipping it. They are professional bodybuilders and have another opportunity to win money by competing. They have just spent a lot of money and time getting ready for the Olympia, where they won nothing. Those competitors should continue on their diets and continue to prep for eight weeks and do the Arnold. These are professional bodybuilders and they have a second chance to display their work on stage and they should be thrilled to take it. To become popular in the sport of bodybuilding, you have to compete, and competing once a year is not going to cut it.

Although these competitors are worried about their careers, health, longevity and their personal success, they have to create rivalries, and the only way they’re going to do that is by competing at the biggest shows against the best athletes.

What bothers me the most about these athletes is they should never be saying in the public eye that they have to go talk to their coach to see if they can do a show or not. They should make that decision themselves. They are responsible for themselves no matter what the relationship with their coaches is and that’s their career, after all. The only time a coach should step in and tell them they shouldn’t do a show is if their health is in jeopardy.

These competitors have no excuse, they should all be on the show battling for the $200,000 and the Arnold title. They should be solidifying their legacy, especially when they’re healthy and feel good.

What are your thoughts on the 2023 Arnold Classic lineup?

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Calum Von Moger is a professional bodybuilder and fitness model from Australia. He first gained prominence in the bodybuilding community with his victory at the 2013 IFBB Arnold Classic Brazil, and has since gone on to become one of the most popular figures in the sport. Calum has a massive online following, with millions of subscribers on YouTube and Instagram, where he shares his training and nutrition advice, as well as his journey as a professional bodybuilder. Unfortunately, Calum had some life-altering events last year, including a severe fall off a second floor balcony. Calum has been fighting to recover from this accident and alcohol/drug abuse since.

I was very surprised to see and hear Calum posting on Instagram that he was coming back into the spotlight. He’s back in the gym and dieting and wants to turn his life around, but I’m still not convinced just yet. There’s nothing better than a good comeback story, but I wouldn’t ever think of going to instagram first unless I had several months of being healthy, sober, and dedicated to the gym. It’s important to wait so you and your audience know what you’re saying is authentic and genuine, as most people don’t come out of an addiction ever or may be sober for a little and then relapse. Calum is going to have to battle this for the rest of his life, but as of right now, I am happy to see him standing on his own two feet and doing better.

Calum mentions he’s back in the gym, in his routine, and trying to stay healthy and focused. He also mentions he has all the help he needs, but, hopefully, he realizes that he needs to remain sober. He needs to continue that in order to stay healthy, because if he doesn’t, he can easily snap right back into that lifestyle.

Calum talked about working with Bucked Up Nutrition. I reached out to them wondering if they were going to sign or do something with Calum, and they said that as of right now, they’re not doing anything and are playing it by ear. They also want to see Calum prove that he’s back, which is a lot of responsibility for a supplement company to take on. 

This is a give and take relationship between him and his fans, as when you’re a public figure on social media you have to provide something for people to tune into. If Calum can’t deliver that anymore, then people aren’t going to tune in, they won’t buy your products or merchandise, so if Calum Von Moger doesn’t deliver, then the fans are just going to move on.

Then we see some new workout footage of Calum, where we can notice that he doesn’t look anything like he used to, but muscle memory is a real thing. When being able to build a nice foundation of muscle and if you get injured or have a setback like Calum, that muscle will come back very quickly when getting back into your regiment, but you have to be consistent.

Overall, I hope Calum learned a lot about himself from the past. He has to learn from this and understand he can easily fall right back into that lifestyle again if he’s not careful, so staying in his routine is very important right now.

Do you think Calum has changed?

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Nick Walker and Guy Cisterino’s new podcast is now available on YouTube. The podcast is called The Mutant and the Mouth and today we’ll be reviewing their very first episode! In this episode, Nick Walker speaks to Guy Cisterino about his Olympia competition and his thoughts on very specific individuals in the 2022 lineup.

Nick mentions Samson Dauda being a freak and believes Samson could’ve placed above Big Ramy in the 2022 Olympia. Nick mentions Samson should sit out of the Arnold and focus on making improvements for the Olympia, as he could cause a lot of havoc in 2023. Samsons only downfall was that he wasn’t conditioned enough. Samsons skin thickness is not there yet and is not ready to be at the top of the sport, but it’s almost there. Personally, Samson is smart for doing the Arnold in order to earn a paycheck. Also, for Samson, winning the Arnold classic title is very likely. 

Nick then mentions Andrew Jacked. Nick says Andrew made all the competitors look like amateurs. Everyone in the bodybuilding community has been extremely impressed with Andrew. He is the real deal.

Nick overall could have been in second as it really came down to what the judges preferred, but no one was beating Hadi Choopan that night. Nick mentions how he believes Hadi,Derek, and himself will all be in the top 3 again in 2023. Unless something happens where new competitors cause a major upset, I believe Nick is correct. Out of everyone in the Olympia lineup, Hadi Choopan and Nick Walker are the most consistent. Derek’s chest and shoulders were a little flat, which I believe is because he doesn’t have enough mature muscle in his shoulders, chest and legs yet. However, once the maturity kicks in, that’s where we’ll see the hardness, fullness and striations come through.

Make sure you go watch their full podcast episode and subscribe to their channel!

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Jay Cutler and Phil Heath are two of the most well-known and respected bodybuilders in the world. Jay Cutler, a four-time Mr. Olympia winner, is known for his impressive size and symmetry. He started bodybuilding at the age of 18 and quickly rose to fame, winning numerous competitions and earning a reputation as one of the best bodybuilders in the world. 

Phil Heath, also known as “The Gift,” is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner and is known for his impressive muscularity and conditioning. He began bodybuilding at the age of 21 and has since become one of the most successful and dominant figures in the sport. Both Jay Cutler and Phil Heath are known for their dedication to training and their commitment to constantly improving their physiques. They are both highly influential figures in the bodybuilding community and are respected for their hard work and dedication to the sport.

Genetics really do make a difference in body building, which is why Phil Heath’s muscles look the way they do. He didn’t take “special drugs” or train a specific way to have the round and full muscle look on stage with the insane level of detail and separation he had. 

Skin texture and the cleanness or tan of your skin is very important. As a bodybuilder, you need to take care of your skin. Everyone has thinness of the skin. When looking at your arm on the outside, your skin is always thicker than the inside of your arm. Most people have thinner skin on the inside of their arms and that’s what Phil Heath has, but he has it everywhere. You don’t have to be vascular to win bodybuilding shows, as many Mr. Olympias don’t have veins running through their body.

Phil Heath mentions that bodybuilders nowadays do too many site injections close to the show, which is blurring their skin. These competitors are getting too much scar tissue built up and it’s causing potential muscle atrophy. It is ruining the way their muscles look. These site injections have ruined bodybuilders such as Big Ramy. If Ramy didn’t do these injections, he would be dominating the Open class stage for a lot longer.

Another important thing is, competitors have to stop lifting very heavy. You have to do what works best for you and what feels good, which is what’s going to give you the most results. Bodybuilding is not only about lifting heavy.

Do you agree with Phil Heath?

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Nick Walker and Blessing Awodibu are two highly popular bodybuilders known for their impressive physiques and dedication to their craft. American bodybuilder, Nick Walker, who has competed in several bodybuilding competitions, including the Mr. Olympia competition, is known for his massive physique and freaky proportions. Nigerian-born bodybuilder Blessing Awodibu made a name for himself in the United States. He is known for his massive size and impressive strength, with massive biceps and a thick muscular build.

While both men are highly skilled bodybuilders, they have different approaches to training and nutrition. Nick Walker focuses on classic bodybuilding techniques and emphasizes proper form and technique, while Blessing Awodibu is known for his high-volume, intensity-focused training style. Whether you prefer the mass monster look of Nick Walker or the pretty and symmetrical look of Blessing Awodibu, there is no denying the hard work and dedication that these men have put into their bodies.

Nobody thought Nick Walker could do what he had done so far. Nick is a very hard worker, highly determined, consistent, and very disciplined. His relentless work ethic earned him a top 3 spot at the 2022 Olympia. This is why he’s going to be an x-factor in the Olympia for years to come. Most competitors aren’t consistent and Nick is always going to be a threat to those who are inconsistent. Bodybuilder Samson Dauda is one of those guys. Samson hasn’t really figured out a formula yet to get in shape, but he is one of those guys who has one of the best shapes on stage.

Bodybuilding is about having a beautiful physique, as Milos Sarcev mentioned, but there are a lot of competitors that have won the Mr. Olympia, who didn’t have an amazing physique. Nick’s posing needs to get better in order to hide his weaknesses against competitors that do have better shape. With improved posing, Nick can beat guys like Derek, Hadi, and Samson. Nick has to be 100% on point the day of competition, which he has perpetually done and is the reason why Nick has had so much success in his career.

Blessing Awodibu keeps showing up at his shows and has failed all expectations. He talks a lot of smack and has yet to deliver anything positive. Blessing’s coach mentioned the nerves got to him, meanwhile he’s the biggest trash talker online. Blessing was way off when showing up to the Olympia. He can be a very good bodybuilder, but a big thing holding him back is the balance in his legs. He looked bad one month out from the show and still looked bad the day of the show.

Do you think Nick can come back next year and win the Olympia? Do you think Blessing will be able to crack the top 10?

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Powerlifting prodigy Larry Wheels hits the gym for a training session with his training partner Sahar Rahmani. Larry displays his impressive strength and technique, putting in the work to improve his already impressive lifts. His training partner puts in just as much effort, pushing each other to new levels of performance. 

We start off with Larry Wheel introducing Sahar Rahmani in the video, where she tries to attempt a 1 rep max lift for the first time ever. If you’re a bodybuilder, I strongly discourage these training methods. Sahar is extremely lean and she mentions that 1 rep max training isn’t something she ordinarily does. However, this doesn’t intimidate her as she still attempts to do it, but Larry is there to save the day. 

When doing this, it usually doesn’t end well for Larry’s training partners, but Larry was there to help her. You can see Larry is very impressed with her powerlifting. The second time she attempts the lift, she is successful without Larry’s help.

Sahar Rahmani’s legs look amazing and her thighs look better than most IFBB Professional male bodybuilders right now. She has great separation and teardrop shape. She has a very impressive physique regardless of gender, which is rare to say. She has a pro card and her physique is way better than even Larry’s, as her legs and the shape of her muscle bellies can beat most of the men who are IFBB Pros.

Surprisingly, Larry actually saved the day this time, as I am usually talking about the person who gets injured at the end of these videos where they are attempting 1 rep max. Most of the time, they involve individuals that probably shouldn’t have been attempting them in the first place. But luckily, Larry was on point with his spot in this video. He was able to help her in the most perfect way possible.

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Robby Robinson and Mike O’Hearn are two iconic figures in the world of bodybuilding and fitness. Both men have achieved tremendous success in their careers and have become known for their impressive physiques and dedication to their craft. What sets these men apart from others in the industry is that they are both natural bodybuilders, meaning they have achieved their impressive muscles and strength through hard work and dedication, rather than relying on performance-enhancing drugs. In this video, we take a closer look at the lives and training regimens of Robby Robinson and Mike O’Hearn, and explore what it takes to become a natural bodybuilding champion.

Mike O’Hearn’s diet is most likely amazing, but if you know any bodybuilder or retired bodybuilder, their diets are amazing as well. They eat all their proteins, carbs, etc. Most people don’t have these things in their everyday meals and most of them eat whatever is given to them. Bodybuilders and athletes usually eat better than the average human, but this isn’t the reason why Mike still looks amazing at this point in his life, says Robby Robinson. It doesn’t matter how well you eat and how disciplined you are, as we are fighting against the one common denominator we all share, which is your age. As proven by science, as you start to age and get older, you lose muscle, you lose the elastic in your skin, etc. There are a plethora of medical procedures and steroids for anti-aging. What do you think is contributing to Mike O’Hearn being able to look so good when he’s in his late 50s?

Mike O’Hearn’s form is impeccable and he’s disciplined with his diet and regimented, but we’ve never heard of Mike being injured, or in pain, which shows how healthy he is. However, as you get older, your strength will decline, your muscles will get smaller, and your body will deteriorate. Just because you’re lifting free weights and are as disciplined as you were when you were younger, it does not alter the factor of aging. Age eventually has side effects and catches up to you, and the only way to slow down that process is by taking medications, undergoing procedures, and the most likely experimentation and perpetual use of performance-enhancing drugs.    

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Greg Doucette, IFBB Pro and YouTuber, spoke about the current state of open bodybuilding vs classic physique. Greg believes that open bodybuilders are too big and are not as popular as classic physique. I had to disagree and share my two cents on this topic.

In this video, we take a look at Greg Doucette. He mentions the reason we have open bodybuilding is because people are attracted to freaks. It’s so remarkable to see people get that big and shredded and be able to keep their shape. The judges are extremely strict now with guys having small waists, no bubble guts, no blown out midsections, etc. I think the reason bodybuilding is so popular is because it’s not attainable. Not everyone can become an open bodybuilder.

IFBB professional bodybuilder, Chris Bumstead, turned pro in open bodybuilding and I believe he would be just as popular if he stayed in open bodybuilding over being in classic physique. Chris is one of those special guys who has that “it” factor, and Greg has said many times that he doesn’t know what it is and why people follow him, as he doesn’t say much. A lot of people follow Chris because he’s such a relatable and humble guy and has an amazing physique. If we removed Cbum from classic physique, the classic physique division definitely wouldn’t be as popular. However, once Chris retires from classic physique, I think it will still have some popularity because of him, but if Chris never went over to classic physique, no one would care about it. 

Once, Austrian-born American bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger came into the sport of open bodybuilding as a  6’1 240 lbs ripped guy, he went on a rampage and won multiple Olympia’s and became the most popular guy in the world just because he was bigger. He had a physique that was not attainable at that time, but now, there’s a lot of guys that have better physiques than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now the bar keeps getting reset year after year, and there’s always a new guy coming out that’s bigger and better, which is a problem and why open bodybuilding will remain at the top of the chain.

Now that they added divisions, they are adding more people, which means more money, and the popularity for the sport now keeps on growing. If they just kept it as open bodybuilding, figure, and fitness, we wouldn’t have as nearly as many people competing right now, because open bodybuilding is very difficult to do. 

Greg then mentions Chris Bumstead is the most popular person in our sport and I believe he has been for the last couple of years. But, there is a reason why the prize money is so lopsided and why the winner of the Open Class gets $400,000. Classic Physique is just very  popular and has been around for a very long time. Just because Chris is popular and brings eyeballs to the sport, it doesn’t mean the classic physique division as a whole is popular. They like classic physique because Chris is there and makes it exciting, so if you remove Chris, classic physique would be nowhere as popular as it is now.

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IFBB Pro Iain Valliere has had several body parts show signs of atrophy over the years, competing as a bodybuilder. At the 2022 Mr.Olympia, he showed up in his worst shape ever. Iain explains in a video on his YouTube channel, that he indeed has nerve damage.

Iain Valliere took my nerve damage speculation as a joke, and believed his back didn’t look good at the Olympia because his posing was bad and his peak was not properly done. However, I really believe there have been injuries that have occurred over the years and caused his back to progressively get worse, just like his hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Iain used to have really good calves at the beginning of his career, which IFBB Bodybuilder, Guinness World Record Holder, Fitness coach, and YouTube personality Greg Doucette, has pointed out in a recent video. This reminded me of a clip of Iain admitting to nerve damage on his calves, so why wouldn’t he have it on his back? If he believes he has some type of nerve damage in his calves, that means there’s something going on in the middle of his body where his spine, core, and hips are.

Then, we take a look at Iain’s calves throughout the years and see them progressively get worse. Each year they went down to the bone, which is why his calves wouldn’t get better due to the pinched nerve that he admitted to. The reason I believe it’s a pinched nerve is because he keeps on mentioning he can’t get blood flow, which is because the tibial nerve is pinched. The tibial nerve is the nerve that runs through the hamstring, which, if pinched, will not allow blood flow to that part of the calf. I believe this is exactly what’s happening to his back, hamstrings, and glutes as well.

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IFBB Pro Legend bodybuilder Robbie Robinson was a guest on the Generation Iron Podcast and he was asked to comment on the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, but things started off on the wrong foot. Robbie did not know the competitors by first name. He was constantly confusing the bodybuilders, didn’t come across as someone that watched the contest, and he spoke about Chris Bumstead, Nick Walker, Hunter Labrada, Brandon Curry and Big Ramy.

Robbie Robinson said some dumb things throughout this podcast. He mentioned this was the worst Olympia ever, and seemed to know nothing about the show or bodybuilding. He was criticizing Brandon Curry and how he trains, without even knowing who he was talking about, saying he doesn’t look good due to using machines, which is completely inaccurate.

Then, he trashed IFBB professional bodybuilder, Dexter Jackson, saying he didn’t make enough progress. Dexter had one of the best bodybuilding careers in history and ended up taking out Jay Cutler in 2008 because of how good he was. He has one of the most successful careers in history and I highly doubt we will see another pro bodybuilder do what Dexter did in his career. I believe the machines Dexter used gave him that longevity, so for Robbie Robinson to sit there and discredit Dexter for not making enough progress, it’s ridiculous.

Then, he spoke about Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder Chris Bumstead, saying he did the Arnold classic and how he did not come back better this year. Robbie says Chris is afraid to take supplements when Chris has an autoimmune disease and a weight cap that limits his use of “super” supplements.

Then, they ask Robbie what he thinks about Derek Lunsford, and he says he isn’t familiar with him. He then says Nick Walker isn’t big enough for his standards, when Nick is 260 lbs at 5’6. Lastly, he mentions Hunter came from the 212 and should go back, when Hunter never competed in that division, and then Robbie also mentions a guy named “Ramsey” who isn’t even competing. I think Generation Iron should be embarrassed putting this interview out, when Robbie obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Watch full video below.