About Generation Iron
The First Digital Network For Bodybuilding, Strength Sports, & Fitness
Generation Iron is a NYC based digital media company delivering health, fitness, strength sports, news and premium entertainment content worldwide. Since launch, Generation has been the leading publisher of original programming and premium entertainment content for Strength Sports worldwide.
We provide tools you need from our experts to live life stronger through in-depth, service-minded coverage directly on your computer, tablet, or smart phone at any time around the world. We give you exclusive access to the biggest names in bodybuilding, fitness, health, strength sports, combat sports and provide an inside view of their world.
That also means deeply reported features, films, professional workout tips, reviews on top brands, contest coverage of the latest fitness events and bodybuilding shows and daily coverage of trends in the worlds of health and wellness. Our experienced staff spans several continents and covers fitness, strength sports, nutrition, technology & gear, entertainment and more.
Original Programming
Generation Iron is dedicated to creating the highest quality content in the strength sports and bodybuilding world. Our in-depth original series, shows, films and programs build the backbone of our original programming. Our programs are produced and distributed around the world – bringing top tier entertainment to the bodybuilding & strength sports world.
Original Films
Generation Iron is the leading producer and distributor of original strength sports, fitness, combat sports and bodybuilding titles. Our titles and programs are available across major streaming outlets such as Netflix, Prime, Hulu, ESPN, Apple TV, HBO, TUBI, Google Play and many others. Generation Iron’s recent titles include: The Raw Story starring Chris Bumstead, Ronnie Coleman: The King, Bigorexia, Strength Wars: The Movie, Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster, CT Fletcher: My Magnificent Obsession, the Generation Iron series & The Hurt Business.
Generation Iron dedicates itself towards cinematic character stories as the backbone of bringing these worlds to a mainstream audience.
Our Leadership
At Generation Iron, our leadership team is at the forefront of the fitness, bodybuilding, and strength sports industry. With a passion for innovation and a commitment to excellence, we bring together a diverse group of experts dedicated to elevating the global fitness community.
Vlad Yudin
Founder
Born and raised in Russia, filmmaker Vlad Yudin grew up in Moscow before moving to New York where he would pursue his career in film. In 2009, Yudin formed The Vladar Company to create a platform for production and distribution of various feature and documentary projects. Some of his titles include “Generation Iron,” “Ronnie Coleman The King,” “The Hurt Business,” Last Day Of Summer,” “Jeremy Scott The People’s Designer” and many chart topping sport documentaries over the course of the past 10 years.
Edwin Mejia Jr.
Founder
Edwin Mejia Jr. serves as Founder at Generation Iron Brands and Vladar Company Films. Two fully integrated media company’s producing and distributing media for Film, TV, Live Events, Digital platforms, Tech, Publishing, Podcasts and branded fitness studio operations. Mejia leads business development, in-house productions, co-productions, acquisitions and manages the company’s worldwide multimedia IP distribution and licensing needs.
Our Team
Generation Iron Network’s writing staff and contributors include certified trainers, coaches, doctors, historians, bodybuilders, strongmen, and dietitians – providing the highest quality information on all things bodybuilding, fitness, and strength sports. Our main goal is to provide a wide range of experiences and viewpoints to our content.
Derek Dufour
Digital Manager
Derek Dufour has been managing all digital operations on the Generation Iron Network for over six years. He currently manages a team of editors, writers, and designers to provide up-to-date content across the GI Network.
Dylan Wolfinger
Staff Editor/Writer
Dylan Wolfinger’s focus on bodybuilding and strength sports was first introduced to him via the original Generation Iron film. He has since competed in amateur competitions and written for numerous publications in the fitness space.
Craig Barton
Producer
Craig Barton is the director of operations and producer of Generation Iron’s digital video content. Craig also oversees special event video shoots, coordination, and has been an avid lifter for over 15 years.
Greg Patuto
Head Staff Writer
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
Victor Martinez
Podcast Host/Expert
Victor Martinez is an IFBB pro bodybuilder and second ever Dominican to become pro. Now retired, Martinez gives back to the community as a personal trainer and promoter of his own bodybuilding competition in the Bronx.
Terry Ramos
Staff Writer
As a personal trainer and writer, Terry loves changing lives through coaching and the written word. Terry has a B.S. in Kinesiology and is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. He enjoys music, reading, and movies.
Jerry Brainum
Podcast Host/Expert
Jerry Brainum is a research expert on all things bodybuilding and fitness. He was the science editor for Muscle and Fitness, editor-at-large at Flex magazine, and also wrote for Men’s Fitness, Muscular Development, and Iron Man Magazine.
Jonathan Salmon
Contributor/MMA Writer
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. He has been writing about bodybuilding, combat sports, and strength sports for over 8 years. Check out his Instagram for in-depth MMA analysis.
Anton Dotsenko
Photographer/Editor
Anton is a photographer, videographer, and editor who has produced content in bodybuilding for over 10 years. Working with GI’s producers, he edits all Generation Iron Network digital videos including original GI series and promotional content.
Pete Williams
Contributor
Pete is a NASM-CPT and the author or co-author of several fitness books, including Core Performance and Every Day is Game Day. His work has appeared in multiple publications such as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, and USA Today.
Mehmet Edip
Contributor
Mehmet is a fitness writer, actor, and model who has worked in the industry for over 8 years. He focuses on achieving his physique through an all natural plant-based diet and shares his insight via his workout & nutrition guides.
Josh Bryant
Contributor
Josh Bryant is a best-selling author, speaker, strength coach and ISSA course creator. His passion is to help people grow stronger both mentally and physically. You can learn more about his training programs at his official website here.
Toby Amidor
Contributor
Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND is a nationally recognized nutrition expert and Wall Street Journal best selling author of seven cookbook including her latest The Best 3-Ingredient Cookbook: 100 Fast and Easy Recipes for Everyone.
James Tognarini
Contributor
James has been in the Strength and Conditioning field for over a decade. Coaching, writing, teaching, and research are the cornerstones of his career and continue to be integral parts of the success his clients achieve.
Dan Chavez
Contributor
Dan Chavez is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Sports Nutritionist with over a decade of experience. He is the founder of DC Training Systems Nutrition Systems. You can follow him on Instagram here.
Calvin Huynh
Contributor
Calvin Huynh is a strength coach and online trainer working in Southern California. He enjoys helping people lift heavy, live healthier, and upgrade their physiques. You can follow him on his official Instagram here.
Austin Letorney
Staff Writer
Austin Letorney is a writer, actor, and fitness enthusiast. As a former rower, he has shifted his focus to sharing his knowledge of the fitness world and strength sports with others. Check out his Instagram for more of his work.
Cesar Cruz
Staff Writer
Captain in the Brazilian Army, Cesar “BigC” Cruz knows what it takes to be always in shape. A lifetime sports passionate, he found his purpose in fitness and bodybuilding lifestyle, which lead him to the Physical Education College.
Vidur Saini
Contributor
Vidur Saini is a fitness enthusiast with a passion to share his hard-earned knowledge and bust broscience stereotypes. His unsolicited advice benefits the readers & elicits the bros.
Our Experts
Generation Iron’s number one goal is to provide accurate and useful information on all things bodybuilding and fitness. As such, we’ve assembled a team of accredited experts to provide and fact check our in-depth articles about exercise training, nutrition, and supplementation. This is in order to guarantee that the content we provide is top level information that will help you maximize your bodybuilding and fitness potential.
Victor Martinez
Pro Bodybuilder
Victor Martinez is an IFBB pro bodybuilder and entrepreneur. He is the second ever Dominican bodybuilder to become pro. Now retired, Martinez gives back to the bodybuilding community as a personal trainer, supplement company owner, and promoter of his own bodybuilding competition in the Bronx, New York. He also hosts the GI Podcast.
Kai Greene
Pro Bodybuilder
Kai Greene is an IFBB professional bodybuilder, 5x Arnold Classic champion, and personal trainer. He is the author of over training 30 e-books that combine his personal pro bodybuilding experience, fitness education background, and IFBB pro certification into an educational tool for bodybuilding and fitness training, nutrition, and supplementation.
Don Saladino
NSAM, Training Coach
For over 20 years, Don has coached actors, athletes, musicians, and titans of business to function at their full potential. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Krasinski are among his roster of clients who have trained with him. Saladino has been tapped as a fitness expert in publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Met Rx.
Rich Gaspari
Pro Bodybuilder/Entrepreneur
Rich is an IFBB Hall Of Famer professional bodybuilder involved in the field for more than 30 years. Champion of the very first Arnold Classic in 1989 and has gone on to win the Mr. America, Mr. Universe, Professional Mr. World, and is a three-time runner-up for the most coveted title in professional bodybuilding: Mr. Olympia. After retiring, Rich began developing his own line of quality supplements and built one of the most formidable and respected brands in the world, Gaspari Nutrition.
Mike Dolce
Dietician
Mike Dolce is a strength and conditioning coach, weight-cut coach, author, nutrition and fitness expert, and motivational speaker. He is one of the world’s top weight management coaches, known for training the best athletes in the world including Ronda Rousey, Thiago Alves and Carlos Condit. He is the creator of the Dolce Diet – a diet plan designed to burn fat and transform the human physique in only 3 weeks.
Dr. Thomas O’Connor
MD, Testosteronology
Dr. O’Connor created Testosteronology, a sub-specialty of Internal Medicine after many years of caring for thousands of men on testosterone and anabolic steroids. His medical practice consists of a specialized medical services for men including Testosterone Replacement Therapy, Anabolic Recovery Medicine, and Cardio-Metabolic Men’s Health – focusing on aggressive prevention of cardiovascular disease, quality of life, and prostate health.
Dr. Jacob Wilson
PHD, CSCS, Skeletal Muscle Physiologist
Dr. Wilson has a B.S. in sports nutrition, two masters degrees in exercise physiology and sports psychology, and a doctorate in exercise physiology. Dr. Wilson is CEO of Applied Science and Performance Institute. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and abstracts. Jacob has won several awards including the NSCA’s 2013 Terry J. Housh young investigator of the year award, 2013 bodybuilding.com writer of the year award, and the 2014 bodybuilding.com column of the year award.
George Farah
BODYBUILDING COACH
George Farah is one of the top trainers in the bodybuilding circuit. He has worked with many of the top pro bodybuilders over the past several decades including Kai Greene – a modern legend in the sport. Farah has been featured in many fitness and magazine articles, including Building Muscle, Burning Fat magazine and Muscular Development magazine. He currently resides in Rochester, New York.
International
Strength Sports and Fitness is a global phenomenon and as such Generation Iron is dedicated to putting a spotlight on strength sports worldwide. Generation Iron now operates publishing franchises in regions such as Brazil, Central Europe, Persia, in Arabic and many more on the horizon. These platforms are run by local publishers in each region that work with our network to bring you localized content across the world.
Generation Iron Brands
The Generation Iron Network also houses various brands within the bodybuilding and fitness space. Serving original content to a variety of niche topics and genres including competitions, awards shows, and humor.
Strength Wars
A widely popular digital brand, competition show and clothing line. Strength Wars pits two muscle and strength athletes against each other in a collection of strength exercises.
Gym Fuckery
For as long as there has been home video, there have been workout fails. Gym Fuckery is a user submitted collection of the most insane gym fails ever caught on camera.
Competition & News Coverage
Generation Iron is also on the ground floor for some of the biggest events and competitions every year – bringing you live stream coverage, exclusive athlete interviews, & breaking news coverage as it develops. We proudly broadcast and stream global events such as the Mr. Olympia, the Arnold Classic, World Strongest Man and are on the ground floor for many combat sport events for DAZN, FITE TV, BKFC and many others.