Victor Martinez sits down with the Generation Iron crew to discuss the Liver King scandal, Andrew Jacked’s chances at the 2022 Olympia, and remembering Eric The Trainer
The bodybuilding and fitness world exploded last week with news of leaked emails seemingly proving that Liver King was taking steroids. This came after nearly a year of the bodybuilding influencer claiming he was all natural. Shortly after the emails leaked, Liver King admitted they were real, revealed that he does in fact use steroids, and made an apology to his audience. In this week’s episode of the Generation Iron Podcast, Victor Martinez and the GI crew predict what the future holds for Liver King now that he has been exposed. The team also discuss the 2022 Mr. Olympia and pay tribute to the late Eric The Trainer – who tragically passed away on Thanksgiving.
In the bodybuilding and fitness industry, there is a small handful of athletes who claim to be all natural despite much skepticism from fans. These are bodybuilders with such massive and impressive physiques – that most cannot believe it was achieved without the aid of steroids or other PEDs. Of this often criticized group, Liver King was the most vocal in defending his natural status.
Liver King went onto multiple outlets confronting accusations that he used steroids. Each and every time he confidently stated he was all natural. On his Instagram page, he often posted humorous videos trolling users who lambasted his comments with “fake natty” claims.
So it must have stung pretty badly when emails were leaked proving that Liver King was using steroids the entire time. On December 1st, 2022, Liver King confirmed that the emails were real and admitted directly that he uses steroids.
Rather than focus on what happened, Victor Martinez along with Vlad Yudin, Edwin Mejia Jr. and Ehsan Farahi, look towards the future. Will this destroy Liver King’s business? Will it destroy his viral ability on social media? Or will the bodybuilding and internet world simply keep watching like nothing happened? Let’s break it down.
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Will the bodybuilding world turn on Liver King or will they keep watching?
After discussing the events that occurred outing Liver King as a steroid user, Victor Martinez and the GI team discuss what will likely happen to Liver King moving ahead. Many headlines and comments online have claimed this will ruin his business. But will it really? Or will it simply be controversial for a few weeks and then everyone moves onto to the next shocking viral news? Will Liver King’s content get less views? Will he make less supplement sales? Will anything change at all?
Vlad Yudin thinks that Liver King was an entertainer first and foremost. Yes, he has a successful supplement business – but that is reliant on his ability as a public figure, character, and entertainer. This has less to do with whether or not he does steroids, in Vlad’s opinion, and more to do with his shocking videos of eating raw meet and living in the woods.
With that in mind, Vlad Yudin thinks that the consumer fanbase will continue buying his products. They will also continue watching. Yudin thinks that hardly any irreversible effects will happen to Liver King moving forward.
Victor Martinez falls on the other side of this argument. He thinks that there were many who believed that his natural status and lifestyle directly influenced his supplement sales. While there are many in the bodybuilding industry who might not have been fooled – Liver King appealed to many outside of hardcore fitness.
Martinez believes that those individuals will likely turn away and never look back and that it can have a big impact on his bottom line with Liver King’s business. With this in mind, Martinez believes that an honest apology isn’t enough. He thinks that it would be best if Liver King donated a large chunk of his earnings back into the community. If Liver King were to do this, Martinez believes that his fans would forgive him and continue to support his brand.
Don’t underestimate Andrew Jacked
The GI crew also jump into some 2022 Mr. Olympia talk – specifically how Andrew Jacked will fare against such a deep lineup this year. Almost universally, the entire podcast agrees that Jacked is a very serious threat. Victor Martinez in particular, thinks that Andrew Jacked will surprise everyone in a very similar way Hadi Choopan did with his third place finish in his Mr. Olympia Men’s Open debut.
Those are big words, Hadi Choopan’s third place finish was a big deal. Due to his smaller size, nearly everyone thought he would get buried by the top five men’s open competitors. Choopan could have stayed in Men’s 212 and won his first Olympia title in the smaller division. Instead he risked it all to possibly hit a much lower placing against the big boys.
Instead Choopan placed first. While not a first place victory like he could have achieved in Men’s 212, this was far beyond what anyone thought was possible.
Victor Martinez expects the same level of shock from Andrew Jacked. He predicts that Jacked can place in the top three. When asked if Martinez believed Jacked could overtake Hadi Choopan himself – he answered that it is definitely possible. Ehsan agrees as well saying that he is excited to see Jacked stand next to Choopan.
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Remembering Eric The Trainer
The podcast ends on a solemn note with a discussion about the recent passing of Eric Fleishman – best known as Eric The Trainer. News of his passing spread just after the holiday. Eric passed away on Thanksgiving day at only 53 years old.
Eric the Trainer was best known for his extremely positive attitude and outgoing nature. He loved fitness and brought energy to every single engagement or person he met. Nearly everyone in the fitness community knew Eric – including Victor Martinez and the entire GI team. So the podcast takes a moment to remember the incredible and optimistic life lived before his too-soon passing.
Wrap Up
This past week was jam-packed with bodybuilding news so make sure to watch the entire episode of the Generation Iron Podcast above. Make sure to check back every Tuesday for new episodes only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever podcasts are downloaded.
