Victor Martinez recounts the heaviest off season bulk of his bodybuilding career as a warning for Samson Dauda
In the latest episode of the Generation Iron Podcast, host and pro bodybuilder Victor Martinez covered everything from 2026 Mr. Olympia predictions to questionable bodybuilding trends, scam coaching offers, celebrity fitness, and the unique strength of sumo wrestlers.
Victor Martinez also gave fans a direct answer when asked which athlete he personally wants to see win the Olympia this year. His choice was clear: Andrew Jacked.
Here’s a brief overview of the topics discussed in this week’s episode:
- Who does Victor Martinez want most to win the 2026 Mr. Olympia?
- Victor reacts to a man who drank heavily, took steroids without working out, and then placed last in a bodybuilding competition
- Is a $3,000+ cash bodybuilding coaching deal worth it? Or is it a scam?
- Victor reacts to the new and improved Russell Crowe
- Victor and Ehsan reveal their love of sumo wrestling and why they have such massive legs
- Shawn Ray and Victor Martinez agree? Revisiting Samson Dauda’s off-season 350lb tactic and why it creates new challenges
You can watch the full episode of the Generation Iron Podcast above. Keep reading for a more in-depth recap of the podcast discussion below. Let’s get into it!
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Victor Martinez Picks Andrew Jacked to Win the 2026 Mr. Olympia
A fan asked Victor Martinez to forget the politically correct answers often associated with bodybuilding media and name the competitor he genuinely wants to see win the 2026 Mr. Olympia. Victor said he would love to see Andrew Jacked capture the Sandow trophy.
Victor has long admired Jacked’s physique, and there is another important reason for his choice: Andrew Jacked is one of the few elite competitors in the current Olympia lineup who has not yet won the Mr. Olympia title.
Victor’s second choice is Nick Walker. Martinez pointed out that Walker has been hungry for the Sandow trophy for a long time. If Walker finally wins the Mr. Olympia, Victor believes it would create a genuinely memorable moment in bodybuilding history.
Ehsan Farahi added another interesting perspective on the 2026 Olympia lineup. The top contenders represent very different body types and heights. Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan are shorter athletes, while Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda bring much taller frames. Nick Walker sits somewhere in the middle.
That makes direct comparisons difficult because the same amount of muscle can look dramatically different depending on an athlete’s height, structure, and proportions. The current lineup is particularly interesting because one of the taller competitors has already won the Olympia, while two of the shorter competitors have also held the title.
The question is whether experience will outweigh size, structure, and conditioning when they all return to the Olympia stage.
Victor Martinez Slams Steroid and Drinking Stunt
The hosts also discussed a viral bodybuilding story involving a man who reportedly drank heavily and used steroids without actually training before making his bodybuilding debut, where he finished last.
Victor Martinez’s reaction was blunt. He said the man was lucky to still be alive.
Victor argued that stunts like this are not worth the potential damage they can cause to the body. Using performance-enhancing drugs without training does not provide the intended bodybuilding benefit, while excessive drinking and drug use can still create serious health consequences.
Victor also believes these stunts make a mockery of competitive bodybuilding. Athletes who prepare seriously spend months dieting, training, posing, and conditioning their bodies before stepping onstage. Turning the competition into a viral stunt can be disrespectful to those competitors and to the judges who are expected to evaluate the lineup.
For Martinez, the most frustrating part is that the stunt generated attention and gave the individual a larger platform.
RELATED: An Investigation Into Modern Bodybuilding, Health, & PED Use
Is a $3,000 Bodybuilding Coaching Deal Worth It?
Another fan asked Victor about a self-described former professional bodybuilder who offered to coach him toward a men’s physique pro card.
The proposed deal was $3,000 for the first two weeks of intense training, dieting, and posing, followed by $750 per week for four months. The prospective coach also offered assistance with obtaining “gear” and insisted on being paid in cash.
Ehsan’s response was simple: run away.
Victor Martinez agreed that the situation sounded extremely suspicious, joking that the client might be paying the trainer’s child support rather than receiving legitimate coaching.
Ehsan explained that the growth of bodybuilding and the number of pro cards being awarded has created opportunities for competitors to turn a pro credential into a coaching business. Someone can compete a handful of times, earn a pro card, and then use that achievement to establish credibility and charge others for training.
The biggest red flag for Victor, however, was the promise that the trainer could make the client a professional bodybuilder.
A legitimate coach cannot guarantee a pro card. A trainer can provide guidance, programming, nutrition advice, posing instruction, and accountability, but ultimately the athlete has to develop the physique and perform well enough to earn the qualification.
Victor’s advice was to save the money. According to him, aspiring competitors do not need to spend enormous sums on someone selling a guaranteed outcome.
Russell Crowe and the Return of the Gladiator Physique
The hosts also reacted to images of Russell Crowe looking muscular at 62 while working out with a WWE star.
Victor Martinez admitted that Crowe’s fitness journey has included periods when the actor gained significant weight before getting back into better shape. Still, Martinez had a hard time criticizing him.
The reason is simple: Victor is a major fan of Crowe and particularly loves Gladiator. He also noted that Crowe has a musical side and performs with a band when he is not working in Hollywood.
Why Sumo Wrestlers Have Such Massive Legs
The viral physique of sumo wrestler Ura Kazuki also caught Victor’s attention, particularly his enormous legs.
Martinez joked that if an apocalypse ever happened, the wrestler’s leg would look like a giant slab of meat. Beneath the humor, however, Victor explained why sumo wrestlers develop such extraordinary lower-body strength.
Their size is part of the sport, but their legs also have to support enormous body weight while repeatedly performing low, powerful movements. Sumo wrestling requires athletes to squat, brace their core, generate force from the ground, and use momentum to push an opponent out of the ring or take control of the exchange.
Their massive legs are therefore not simply a product of bodyweight. They are central to how they compete.
RELATED: Sam Sulek’s Killer Leg Workout Routine
Samson Dauda’s Added Weight Could Hurt His Olympia Chances
The episode returned to one of the biggest questions surrounding the 2026 Mr. Olympia: Samson Dauda’s increased size.
Victor Martinez said he was not surprised that bodybuilding legend Shawn Ray expressed concerns about Dauda adding more weight. Martinez has made a similar argument before.
Dauda was already enormous when he won the Mr. Olympia. Adding even more muscle could create additional challenges without necessarily improving his overall package. Victor believes that adding muscle on top of existing muscle can eventually produce a less aesthetically pleasing appearance.
More importantly, conditioning could become harder.
Victor used his own career as an example. In 2005, he increased his offseason bodyweight from approximately 275 pounds to 295. Instead of feeling stronger and better, he recalled feeling trapped in his body and described himself as feeling like a “fat bastard.”
Cardio alone was not enough to bring his weight down, so he eventually had to reduce his food intake dramatically, sometimes eating only two meals a day.
His offseason diet was enormous. He recalled eating roughly 12 ounces of meat per meal and approaching 400 grams of protein per day. He also described eating at IHOP, where he could consume around 10 pancakes in the morning, and recalled eating an entire pizza pie.
The experience taught Victor an important lesson: getting bigger is not automatically better. For an Olympia-level bodybuilder, the ultimate goal is not simply maximum bodyweight. It is bringing the best possible combination of size, proportion, aesthetics, and conditioning to the stage.
That lesson could become particularly important for Samson Dauda as the 2026 Mr. Olympia approaches.
Wrap Up
The latest Generation Iron Podcast covered the biggest storylines heading into the 2026 Mr. Olympia. Victor Martinez backed Andrew Jacked as his personal pick, with Nick Walker as his second choice, while the hosts also questioned reckless bodybuilding stunts, expensive coaching promises, and the risks of adding too much size.
With the Olympia approaching, the key question is whether contenders like Andrew Jacked and Nick Walker can challenge the established champions, and whether Samson Dauda’s added size will help or hurt his chances of reclaiming the Sandow.
