Nick Walker gives his honest takes about the 2022 Olympia.
Nick Walker recently spoke on his performance at the 2022 Olympia stating that he could have taken second place. The third place winner also spoke on Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked and how they can become a major threat in the future.
After taking third place at the 2022 Olympia, Nick Walker is on a mission to ensure that he’s ready to dominate in 2023. That said he’ll have a lot of competition to deal with at the next show. Of course there’s 2022 Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan to consider as well as Derek Lunsford who looked impressive with his second place showing. Walker believes that he had the capability to come in second. When you consider the fact that he was the Olympia peoples champ, he could have a point. In a recent episode of his new podcast along side Guy Cisternino, Walker expressed his thoughts on coming in third place.
“I’m very happy I took third. But I think as an overall package, I think I could have been second. Me, Derek, and Hadi will probably be battling this out for years unless Samson comes out of the woodwork or if Andrew nails it one time. I do believe us three will be there for quite some time.”
But even those outside of the top five will prove to give Nick Walker fits in the future. Two people in particular to watch out for are Samson Douda and Andrew Jacked. Walker believes that both men have what it takes to be a potential challenge to overcome in the future.
“I arguably could have probably had Samson beating Ramy to be honest. Samson’s a freak. I’m definitely excited to see what he can do at the Arnold, what he can do at the next year’s Olympia. My personal opinion of Samson, I think he should sit out the Arnold and focus on making more improvements for the Olympia. He could cause a lot of havoc. His only downfall was he wasn’t conditioned enough.
“Andrew made us look like amateurs. When this man was just chilling in his little Speedo, just relaxing, you’re just like what the f**k is that? He is one of the nicest guys.”
From the sound of things, Nick Walker considers both Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked major threats in the coming years. Both have great physiques and would mostly need to focus on conditioning in order to cement themselves as top of the food chain in the division.
To hear what else Nick Walker had to say about the 2022 Olympia click here.
News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
Eddie Hall has added bodybuilding to his list of goals for the upcoming year.
From strongman to boxing, Eddie Hallhas made waves wherever he has gone over the course of his career. Now, he has his sights set on a new goal heading into 2023. Hall shared his plans to begin training as a bodybuilder and hopes to be stage-ready by late 2024.
During the 2016 World Deadlift Championships, Hall became the first person to deadlift 500kg (1,102.3lb). The very next year, he was crowned champion of the World’s Strongest Man event and solidified his spot as one of the best in Strongman. Hall took a step back from powerlifting to take on boxing. He made a significant physique transformation and took on fellow strongman Hafthor Bjornsson.
After being defeated by unanimous decision, Hall returned to Strongman and led Team UK to a victory during the 2022 World’s Strongest Nation competition. Hall took some time off to focus on other aspects of his life.
“I guess this is the time for everybody to set goals. For me, last year, I did the fight and I literally did nine months of nothing. Filing content, business venture. I spent loads of time with the family.”
Eddie Hall To Take On Bodybuilding
On Sunday, Eddie Hall shared a video on his YouTube announcing his plan to take on this new challenge.
“Obviously the Olympia was just last month in Las Vegas. We saw the likes of Big Ramy and Chris Bumstead, and whatever else on the stage, looking absolutely phenomenal. It’s something I’ve never done. It’s something, not 100%, but something I’m gonna try my hand at just to see where I can get to.”
Eddie Hall shared his current weight of 162kg (360lb). This is downsized from his competition weight of around 430 pounds, where he was before taking on boxing. Hall has gone through a physique transformation before and is planning for one more in a different way.
Hall plans to take on this challenge right away and hopes to take the stage in the backend of 2024.
“I’ve done the strongman. Done a bit of boxing. I was a national champion swimmer back in the day. I think bodybuilding is a great transfer over from strongman.
Hoping to get on stage in the backend of next year so hopefully October, November, December next year.”
Larry Wheels went through a mock meet and compared his TRT lifts to steroid lifts.
Larry Wheels has been leading up to completing a mock meet featuring the foundation lifts in the sport. Since weening off steroids, Wheels has been comparing his lifts now on TRT to when he was using PEDs. Recently, Wheels completed his mock meet and compared results with his PRs on steroids.
In April, Wheels decided to take a look at his health and had his heart examined. When all checked out well, he decided to begin getting away from steroids and went on Testosterone Replacement Therapy. He has seen significant changes in his physique, as he has slimmed down but remains shredded. Also, Wheels is as strong as ever and continues to compare lifts.
During the mock meet, Wheels completed bench press and deadlift under the rules of powerlifting but added knee wraps when squatting.
Larry Wheels completed all lifts over a timeframe of 90 minutes. His bodyweight was around 114kg (251.3lb) at the time.
Wheels began with squats, where he completed a best of 330kg (727.5lb) on his final attempt. Wheels shared that he is at a similar bodyweight to his PRs and compared this squat to his best on PEDs of 349.7kg (771lb).
Wheels then moved onto bench press. This was his biggest dip in results compared to steroids. On his final attempt, Wheels lifted 230kg (507.1lb). This was down 30kg from his PR of 260kg (573.2lb).
Finally, Wheels wrapped up with deadlifts. His final attempt came in at 350kg (771.6lb). There was a slight drop in this as well from his PR of about 24.7kg (54.5lb).
Sticking with the same training program for a long time is a sure shot way of hitting a plateau and stalling your gains. Whether you are training just to stay in shape or become Mr. Olympia, you should want to do the most to achieve your goals. To get the most out of your workouts, your training techniques should develop and advance with you. Changes in training are something that can be extremely beneficial to your gains.
Improving your physique with every passing year is a constant quest for which you’ll have to work hard. As the Godfather of Bodybuilding himself (Arnold Schwarzenegger) said, you have to shock the muscle. Shocking your muscles is the only way to make them grow. If you follow the same training program in every workout, your muscles can get used to them and will refuse to grow.
What is Shocking the Muscle?
Shocking the muscle is a term that essentially means you are hitting it in a way that it is not expecting as a result of changes in training. Muscles adapt to the same training regimens when they are done over and over again. For example, if you hit the same chest exercises every Monday with the same weights, your body becomes used to it, your muscles expect it and won’t adapt and grow.
Instead, you should adopt changes in your training. Hit different exercises each week, different weights, etc. Don’t worry, we are about to dive in.
Advanced Training Techniques
Advanced training techniques are changes in your training that you adopt as you get more into it. Some advanced training techniques are things like the super, drop, giant, rest-pause sets, forces, cheat, 21 reps. Methods like these are a great way to shock your muscles and force them into growing, they have no choice. As you get advanced, you’ll have to be on the lookout for how to incorporate changes in your training and make your workouts harder.
Bodybuilders are always chasing the pump and you should be willing to leave your comfort zone and try new things. Changing the rep tempos and ranges and increasing the time under tension can do wonders for your muscle growth.
New Training Equipment
Use of new training equipment can be instrumental in sparking new muscle growth. Using an arm blaster, fat grips for your arm workouts can make your bicep and triceps blow up like there’s no tomorrow. You can try elastic bands for supersets or adding resistance, or using assistance tools like slingshots, knee sleeves, elbow sleeves can take your workouts to a whole new level.
As stated before, if you have been working out using the same pieces of equipment for awhile, your body might get familiar with the machines and won’t grow as efficiently as you can. Changing gyms can help ignite muscle gains as the ergonomics of the machines will be new for your body. Your body will not be expecting it and muscle fibers will be broken down in a way that they never were before, meaning they will grow back bigger and stronger, thanks to your changes in training.
Change Training Splits
We have heard it all before, “every day is arm day”, “Monday is chest day”, “I don’t do legs“. While this is the gym bro standard, it may not be the best for gaining strength and size, and certainly don’t skip leg day. Switching up your training days can be a good method of throwing some changes into your training.
For example, if you train your chest on the international chest day, i.e. Monday, move it to the end of the week. Doing this can keep your muscles guessing.
You could also train two muscles groups in a single workout. Training two muscles in a single day allow you to train one muscle group twice a week which is a great way of bringing up lagging muscles. There are so many different splits to try, some of the most popular include push, pull, legs and the Arnold split. Let’s look at these real quick.
Push/Pull/Legs:
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Day 2: Back, rear delts, biceps
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Rest
Repeat
Arnold Split
Day 1: Chest and back
Day 2: Shoulders and arms
Day 3: Legs
Repeat this for another 3 days
Day 7: Rest
While these are two popular examples of different training splits, there are so many ways you can mix and match routines to incorporate changes in your training.
Start a New Training Program
You’ll know your body is adapting to your training program when you it gets harder to obtain a good pump and see no positive changes in your muscles. Every training program intends to develop your muscles by following certain principles, but even so throwing in some changes in your training program can be very beneficial to your progress.
You can’t follow the same training program for building muscle, losing fat or toning your muscles and expect to see results. Make sure you don’t jump the gun and start an advanced program if you’re a beginner.
Time
As you advance in your training, the time you spend in the gym shouldn’t increase. Most people think spending more time training will get them better results. Your muscles don’t grow while you’re working out, they develop when you’re resting and are following a good diet.
Incorporate advanced training techniques and make your workouts more intense so you can get a lot done in one hour at the gym. After the one hour mark, the time you spend in the gym will be inversely proportional to the effectiveness of your workout. Most people will do better by keeping their workouts short, intense and explosive.
Wrap Up
All in all, there are numerous ways that you can put changes into your training and see some results. These can be changes to your rep ranges/tempos, weights, training equipment, routines, and so on. However, staying stagnant in your training will only lead to you staying stagnant in your results.
How will you adopt some changes into your training?
When did you start training? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Build a shredded chest with these bodyweight exercises.
A broad and muscular chest has been the symbol of masculinity for a long time. Most people think benching heavy weights is the only way to build a chiseled chest. This is as far away from the truth as it can be. There are those exercises out there that don’t require you to lift absolutely massive weight to build a shredded chest. Plus, these can slide into your chest day routine with no problem.
Your body doesn’t know how much weight you’ve loaded onto the bar. All it knows is the amount of muscle fiber recruitment and tension placed upon it. Calisthenics athletes are a great example of using your own bodyweight to build a ripped chest. Bodyweight exercises allow you to really focus on form and still build muscle. So, you don’t need crazy weight to see huge gains.
Let’s take a look at these 5 bodyweight exercises to build a ripped chest. With no need for equipment, you can do these whenever and wherever you want so you always see gains. The benefit to bodyweight exercises is that once you nail down form, you can better work to add weight for that increased muscle. The versatility of these exercises are hard to ignore and you won’t be disappointed by the results once you see what they can do for you.
Benefits Of A Strong Chest
The benefits of having a strong chest go far beyond looking lean and shredded. A strong chest will work to help you improve strength in your back muscles while also ensuring good posture. Lifting big weight or performing bodyweight exercises requires you to have only the best posture. Great for increasing your ability for those pushing movements, a strong chest will offer better support and breathing ability. The added bonus is the shredded aesthetic that comes along with it.
5 Bodyweight Exercises For A Ripped Chest
These 5 bodyweight exercises are perfect for helping you get a shredded aesthetic. With the right exercises and performed the right way, you are on your way to seeing only the best gains around.
1. Parallel Bar Dips
Parallel bar dips are a bad-ass exercise and will fill up your pecs with blood and lactic acid. We prefer the parallel bar dips over the bench dips as your lower body weight adds resistance in the bar dips whereas the bench dips take it off.
While performing the parallel bar dips make sure you bend forward a little as it will put more tension on your pectoral muscles and will eliminate the recruitment of the triceps. Maintaining a full range of motion in the bodyweight exercises is critical for the development of the muscles.
2. Barbell Rollout Flyes
Barbell rollout flyes aren’t for the faint-hearted. The rollout flyes are for the advanced lifters and include the use of a couple of barbells and weight plates. Don’t worry, you won’t have to lift any of it.
Get into the push-up position and place a barbell at each side, so one end of the barbells are next to your feet and the other is next to your shoulders. Grab the barbells at the start of the grip area and push them apart so your chest is almost touching the floor. Pull the barbells to the starting position where they should be under your shoulders and squeeze your pecs.
3. Push-Ups (Different Variations)
There are enough pushup variations that you can try a new one in every workout for months. Pushups are one of the basic functional exercises and are one of the first exercises people learn to perform.
You can perform the incline pushups if you want to train your upper pecs, decline pushups for the lower chest, normal pushups for the middle and overall chest mass. Advance forms include superman pushups, clap pushups, one-hand pushups etc.
4. Resistance Bands Or TRX Flyes/Presses
TRX and resistance band flyes and presses are isolation exercises which can target the pecs from specific angles. Resistance bands are incredibly portable and can be taken along in a backpack or a suitcase while you’re traveling.
You can decrease the resistance on the bands by holding them close to the bottom or add resistance by grabbing the bands farther away from the ends. Tie the bands to a straight pole or hang them from a bar near the ceiling if you don’t have an access to a gym.
5. Isometric Exercises
Isometric exercises are one of the most underutilized exercises and don’t get their fair share of credit when it comes to building muscle mass and definition. The isometric exercises are a great way of building a mind-muscle connection. If done at the end of a workout isometric exercises can give you a muscle-ripping pump.
Isometric exercises are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length don’t change during contraction. Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion.
Best Equipment To Add To These Workouts
While these bodyweight exercises are great without equipment, adding free weights or resistance bands can add even more strength once you establish the movement. The nice part about these exercises is that you can still see huge gains with or without weight and either way, they will slide into your routine nicely. Whether they be dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbells, the right approach to these exercises can be a game changer for all your goals.
Wrap Up
These 5 bodyweight exercises are great for helping you see huge gains. Whether you are looking to absolutely shred or build more functional muscle, these exercises are perfect to add into your routine. The right approach to any workout can make or break those gains and you will only see the best results when you put your mind to it. Give these bodyweight exercises a try and see what these can do for all your gains today.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Calves not growing? Here’s how to power through for growth.
One of the most complained about muscles are the calf muscles. Men (and women) everywhere lament at the work they’ve put in with less than ideal results when it comes to your calves. While genetics play a large factor in how your muscles will show up, there are certain things you can do enhance what you’ve already got.
One of the most basics concepts you need to learn…is more! While body weight training can definitely keep your muscles pumped and fairy toned, for calves that really pop you’re going to need more. But what does that mean exactly, more reps? more weight? well both of these are true…to a point.
Weight
As far as weight is concerned, you definitely want more of that. Body weight isn’t going to provide the necessary resistance needed to break down muscle, causing it to recover stronger. Next time you’re doing your seated calve raises try throwing some more weight on there. You can use a traditional machine or try it using dumbbells for an alternate variation.
Reps
When it comes to reps, you’ve got to find that perfect balance. While you don’t necessarily need to be doing a hundred reps as you would with bodyweight, you also don’t want to be only doing 4 or 5. If you can do heavy weight for as many as 25 reps per set then you’re in the sweet spot range. As with anything, feel free to tweak the rep ranges depending on your ability and goals.
Contraction
This one really hit home for me as I was working on my chest. Jay Cutler always goes on about concentrating on the muscle when you’re hitting your pecs and I thought it was all hocus pocus. I was wrong.
Concentrating on the contraction of any muscles while performing an exercise not only brings more blood to the muscle but also eliminates useless movement. Perform your calf raises in a controlled manner, when you get to the top make sure to squeeze for extra emphasis.
On the way down you also want to concentrate the negative portion of the exercise as putting the weight back down in a controlled manner is the other 50% of your TUT (time under tension. Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself.
Extra Calf Day
Why not? If your muscles can handle the extra day and you’ve been giving your body accurate rest, then top off those calves with an extra day. Most people work their calves during leg day, which is fine.
But you have to remember your calves are tired from doing other exercises (squats, deadlifts, leg curls, etc.), having a separate day lets you attack them while they’re fresh. This leads to more output and hopefully greater gains.
While all these tips can help get you the swollen calves you want and deserve, you’ve got to have your core principles in check. This means your sleep and nutrition. Without adequate rest and nutrient dense foods you deplete your T-levels and in general reek havoc on your body.
So pay attention to both sides of the sport for healthy and positive gains. What are your problem areas? Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.
Improve overhead pressing with the seated barbell press.
We would all love to beef up our overhead pressing power and what better exercise than the seated barbell press to help make that happen. A great exercise for building strength and overhead pushing power, this exercise is what you need to see great gains on those upper body days. A perfect exercise to work your shoulders, or the right one to add to a full body workout, the benefits of the seated barbell press are hard. We’ll dive into this and much more so you can see just how great this overhead pressing movement is.
Why this exercise truly matters is for both functionality and sport specific movements. Many sports especially rely on those strong shoulders to add stability and give you better strength for that respective sport. Functionally, we use our shoulders every day and while we may not be overhead pressing objects on a daily basis, having the muscles and tools to build upon can benefit you greatly.
Let’s jump into the seated barbell press and see what makes this exercise so great. From what it is, to what muscles get worked, the many benefits, and how to perform it, we will also share some variations and the best exercises to pair it with. By the end, you will have all the knowledge you need to better tackle those shoulder and upper body days to only see great results for that overhead pressing power.
What Is The Seated Barbell Press?
The seated barbell press is a great compound exercise to build muscle and strength. As a seriously effective muscle builder, this exercise is not for those with limited shoulder mobility for it will only continue to build deltoid development, but in this case, in the wrong way. A beginner level exercise, this is the perfect compound movement to add to your upper body and shoulder day routine and greatly increase strength for all things shoulder gains. Overall, what you will find is a great exercise to advance all pushing power, overhead strength, and great shoulder development (1).
Muscle Worked
For the seated barbell press, the muscles that are primarily worked are your shoulders. It is important to stretch pre- and post-workout for your shoulders are sensitive joints and you don’t want any pain to interfere with getting a great workout. Other muscles that will feel work done are your traps and triceps, giving you a great burn in these muscles as an added bonus.
Benefits Of The Seated Barbell Press
The benefits of this exercise are hard to ignore for it can seriously work for strength while building overall better shoulder development. With the right approach to all things gains, and better working to tackle stability, this exercise is one to give you the best when looking to optimize your shoulder day routine.
Benefits of the seated barbell press include:
Increased shoulder strength: Increase shoulder strength by working those muscles to grow with a seriously effective muscle builder.
Better overall shoulder development: As a result of the added growth, your shoulders will round out and have a more full look and feel, thus aiding in better overall shoulder development.
Wrist stability and grip: Build wrist stability and grip by allowing yourself to be challenged with the movement of this exercise (2).
Extra work done in your triceps and traps: Get some extra work done for your traps and triceps as these are secondary muscles worked.
Enhance overhead pressing power: Boost your overhead pressing power with this effective pressing movement to give you the best when it comes to all things pressing and power (3).
Boost shoulder stability: By strengthening your shoulders, you work to build better stability for other movements, either functional or sport specific (4).
Many variations: This exercise has plenty of variations to challenge you and diversify your workout.
How To Perform It
Here are the steps for performing the seated barbell press:
Set your desired amount of weight on the barbell after you position it to about shoulder height.
Sitting on the bench, make sure your feet are firmly planted and your core is engaged. When ready, lift the bar off the rack.
As you begin the movement, lower the bar gently until the bar is in front of your face. To begin the lift portion, drive the barbell overhead, giving a good squeeze at the top.
Continue with the movement for additional reps or re-rack the bar for a break before continuing.
Repeat the exercise for your desired number of sets and reps.
Seated Barbell Press Variations
While the seated barbell press is a great exercise, we wanted to also share some alternatives to shake up your workout and add nice variety to whatever you need. Challenging your muscles differently and working with similar exercises can only enhance your growth and keep your workouts from going stale.
Variations of the seated barbell press include:
Z Press
Thrusters
Pin Press
Overhead Press With Resistance Bands
Seated Dumbbell Press
Seated Kettlebell Press
Arnold Press
Best Exercises To Pair With The Seated Barbell Press
When it comes to building those boulder shoulders, there are some great exercises to pair with during your shoulder routine. Building our shoulders can seem challenging but it is important we find the right stability and strength in our shoulders to maximize our gains and keep us physically healthy. Working with the Arnold press or Viking press are awesome ways to boost growth, as well as more simple shoulder exercises like the front raise, lateral raise, and upright row.
Wrap Up
The seated barbell press is a great shoulder building exercise to boost all things gains. With many benefits and variations, you can get so much out of this effective muscle building exercise for whatever you seek. Give this exercise a try and see what it can do for you today.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Waller, M.; et al. (2009). “Overhead Pressing Power/Strength Movements”. (source)
Lee, J.; et al. (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
Sarabia, J.; et al. (2017). “The effects of training with loads that maximize power output and individualized repetitions vs. traditional power training”. (source)
Williams, M.; et al. (2020). “Activity of Shoulder Stabilizers and Prime Movers During an Unstable Overhead Press”. (source)
So it’s arm day. You’re going to do your usual workout, on your usual machines, with your usual enthusiasm, “This is hard but bearable, at least I can maintain”. But for those of you who are awake, or just tired of being asleep, we’ve got a quick fix to terrorize your arm day, and give it that well needed jolt it deserves.
The secret we are sharing here is to perform pullups before any other exercise during arm day. This will surely fire up those biceps, but also work to target other muscle groups to give you a well-rounded warmup and pump all at once. For those skeptical, this training program can be a game changer if you open your mind to it and commit to seeing big gains.
The program is broken into two sections, “A”, and “B”, and you attach it to the beginning of your arm day workout. Alternate days according to your workout. By following this instructions, you will really start to see great gains and something you can be proud of.
Program A: Do 50 pull-ups as fast as you can (strict as possible)
Program B: Do as many pull-ups as you can within 10 minutes
The Breakdown
While the workout is fairly straightforward there are common pitfalls you can make. Many builders get too overzealous and go too hard in the beginning. While this is admiral, the guts and glory approach can leave you with nothing in the tank to finish the set. You want to leave at least two bullets (pull-ups) in the chamber in order to get to your goal. Longevity is key here.
Another common mistake is staying with one grip. You can switch up grips as much as you’d like for this exercise and we recommend that you do. If you’re a pull-up God then go for it, bust out 50 under hands, strict.
For the rest of us, alternate your grip between underhand (biceps), neutral (palms facing each other; brachialis), and pronated (palms facing away from you: corachobrachialis).
You can also alternate between hand placements. Wide grip emphasize the shoulders as well as other back muscle, while the close grip involve the biceps more as they are in line with the shoulders, giving them slightly more stability.
If you’re feeling really froggy, try extreme close grips (triceps) or extreme wide grips to (traps) to really give you that superman feel. *Plus they look pretty cool when you’re doing them on the bar*
Note: This exercise tend to work best with builders who can do at least 8-10 strict pull-ups, so if you’re not there yet, you might want to concentrate on those first. If you’re doing 10-15 strict pull-ups or more you might want to add weight to get you to the 8-10 range. This will give you the endurance and strength gains you’re looking for.
Wrap Up
To be honest you can add this to the beginning or end of any upper body workout as it hits your lats, biceps, and shoulders in many different ways. Pullups are a great exercise to promote all sorts of crazy benefits especially when it comes to overall strength and added support. For whatever your respective sport may be, definitely consider adding pullups to your training program before arm day to enhance that much desired growth. Make this change and you won’t be disappointed with the results.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Are bodybuilders liable if they lie about steroids and sell supplements? Mike O’Hearn holds nothing back in his response.
Last month, the bodybuilding world went into a viral sh*tstorm over the reveal that Liver King lied about being all-natural. Through the controversy the question started to emerge, is a bodybuilder liable if they lie about being natural and also sell supplements? Is it misleading customers that the supplements can achieve what steroids achieved on the bodybuilder’s body? With a class action lawsuit risen against Liver King after his big lie – Mike O’Hearn does some deep thinking on the topic. In Generation Iron and Barbend’s latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show, Mike breaks down the difference between misleading customers and common sense.
When the Liver King scandal first hit the web, Mike O’Hearn and Vlad Yudin discussed on this podcast whether or not he was liable for misleading customers. Liver King (very loudly) claimed to be natural on numerous videos and podcasts. With each accusation that he was using steroids – he would double down that he was all natural. During this entire defense, he was selling supplements that he claimed to use to help build the impressive physique he currently has.
Once the truth was revealed, that Liver King does use steroids, many commenters online (and now one man in New York who filed a lawsuit) believed that by lying so plainly about his steroid use – it was misleading customers of what his supplements can do.
When Mike O’Hearn was first confronted with this idea, it was only a day after the scandal went live. Now with just about a month of time to think deeper on the topic, O’Hearn has dedicated an entire episode about what a bodybuilding influencer or entrepreneur really owes the public.
If Mike O’Hearn was secretly using steroids this entire time while also selling supplements or some sort of other fitness product – would he be liable? Well, O’Hearn decides to get really honest this week about the entire subject and discusses natural bodybuilding. Let’s dive in.
“I don’t think you guys should get so would up in what others are doing.”
Is a bodybuilder’s physique an endorsement or promise of a supplement?
Mike O’Hearn believes that public figures don’t owe the public anything when it comes to their private life. So if a bodybuilder secretly uses steroids but lies and claims all natural – O’Hearn sees no issue with that. Does it speak on the person’s character? Of course. But is it objectively wrong? No.
But what happens if that same bodybuilder is selling supplements. Claiming to be all natural while also selling the products that helped make that very physique? Does the bodybuilder owe the truth about his steroid cycle in that situation? Mike O’Hearn doesn’t believe so. And he knows that is not necessarily the popular opinion.
What it comes down to is this – if a bodybuilder directly claims his or her supplements are the key ingredient to building a natural mass monster physique, then maybe you have a case. But simply existing with an impressive physique does not automatically mean the supplement promises the same results.
Mike O’Hearn previously made the comparison to cigarettes. There was a time when cigarettes had no warning labels. In fact, doctors claimed they were healthy for you. Times have changed – and O’Hearn believes the labels now in place are necessary. But he also believes that supplements are not the same thing as cigarettes.
A bodybuilder or a supplement should not need to have a disclaimer that says: “This product will not necessarily make you look like me.” That’s common sense. And a supplement not making you look like Mike O’Hearn (or Liver King) is not the same thing as a cigarette potentially causing you cancer. Supplements don’t promise anything in and of themselves. On the flip side, cigarettes do have proven chemicals in them that will damage your health. That is a major difference.
The natty or not debate is stupid – because it ignores the hard work underneath
Mike O’Hearn then expands his discussion beyond supplements and misleading claims. He goes on to discuss the obsession online with the “natty or not” debate. O’Hearn has said it before and he will say it again – whether or not someone does steroids doesn’t matter to anyone other than the individual taking them. The only exception would be if that athlete is competing in an agreed upon league where the substance is banned.
Why does Mike O’Hearn feel this way? Because steroids are not a miracle drug that will automatically make you look like Phil Heath. In fact, Mike O’Hearn hopes more people try steroids just to realize how they won’t succeed as easily as they think they will.
Just because Liver King takes steroids and lied about it – doesn’t mean his supplements weren’t also helping with his diet and physique. And just because someone takes steroids, doesn’t mean they will become a champion bodybuilder. O’Hearn believes that the internet is so consumed with the natty or not question – that they are missing the deeper question underneath. That question is: “What is the real X factor underneath the supplements, the PEDs, and the tips that make this person an iconic athlete?”
There’s nothing anyone can sell you that will make you Mr. Olympia. It takes a combination of experience, hard work, dedication and, yes, genetics to become a great bodybuilder. On top of all of that – you also need to be able to dig deep and be passionate about the sport in a way that 99.9% of people are incapable of. If it were any easier than that – Mr. Olympia wouldn’t be prestigious or special.
Wrap Up
This day and age of constant connection has changed the perception of how we should act in the public world. Mike O’Hearn believes that it allows for such incredible information unlike any other time in history. But he also worries that it is changing what we think it means to be a human being. It’s changing what we think of privacy.
You can watch Mike O’Hearn go into complete detail about steroids, natty or not, Liver King, and the obligation of public figures in our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above. Make sure to check back every Friday for new episodes only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.
The full slate of bodybuilders competing were revealed on Friday.
The 2023 Arnold Classic will take place from March 2-5 in Columbus, OH. It has grown to include many divisions in bodybuilding and the full rosters have been announced. On Friday, the IFBB Pro League shared the full list of competitors in each division that will be present during the event.
Men’s Open
William Bonac highlights Men’s Open as a two-time Arnold Classic champion. He will be challenged by the likes of Shaun Clarida and Samson Dauda. Clarida will be making his Men’s Open debut at the event after regaining his title in 212 at the Olympia. As for Dauda, he is ready to prove that he can build a championship physique. Many were impressed with his performance on the biggest stage.
Terrence Ruffin announced that he would sit out the 2023 Arnold Classic, which means there will be a new champion for the first time since 2020. Arnold Schwarzenegger has urged Chris Bumstead to take on the event but he has decided to skip another year. This leaves the door open for Ramon Rocha Queiroz, who will enter as the favorite after a great performance at the Olympia. He will be challenged by Urs Kalecinski and former champion Alex Cambronero.
Erin Banks pulled off the feat of winning both the Arnold Classic and Olympia in 2022, marking his first victory in each and being the first male to do so last season. Emmanuel Hunter will return as the runner-up to Banks last season looking to take the crown. With Banks coming back to defend his title, he will be considered a heavy favorite.
This year’s Bikini lineup might be the best ever at the Arnold Classic. Lauralie Chapados will be back to defend her title against the last two Olympia champions — Jennifer dory (2021) and Maureen Blanquisco (2022). Dorie was also Crowne champion during the 2021 Arnold Classic. Ashley Kaltwasser is a three-time champ at the Olympia and also has two victories in Columbus.
Fitness will be another division returning a champion with Ariel Khadr coming to defend her title from 2022. She followed it up with a third-place finish at the Olympia. Jaclyn Baker is also on the roster after a third-place finish last year and runner-up finish at the Olympia. Missy Truscott returned to the pinnacle during the Olympia but will not compete in Columbus. Oksana Grishina is another former champion to return in 2023.
The Wellness competition appeared at the Arnold Classic for the first time in 2022, where Isabelle Nunes was crowned inaugural champ. She will return to defend her title in 2023. Angela Borges, runner-up last year, will also return in hopes of taking home the title.
Harold Kelley remains at the top of Wheelchair bodybuilding as he won his fifth Olympia in December. Prior to that show, Gabriele Andruilli pulled off the upset during the Arnold Classic. This will be another matchup to watch between the two at the top of the division.
