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Flex Lewis Leads Dan Bilzerian Through Big-Time Shoulder Workout
Dan Bilzerian decided to join the bodybuilding legend Flex Lewis at his own personal gym.
Flex Lewis is known as one of the top bodybuilders of all-time and overall best in the 212 division. Despite his recent retirement, Lewis will remain active in the fitness industry. Lewis was joined by Dan Bilzerian at his Dragon’s Lair gym for a killer shoulder workout.
Lewis won seven consecutive Olympia titles in 212. He did not compete at the 2020 or 2021 show despite receiving a special invitation. There was rumors of his return in 2022 but Lewis would have had to qualify for the show. On the first episode of his Straight Outta The Lair podcast, Lewis announced that he would be retiring from the sport.
Of course, one of the best talents of all-time will continue to run his gym and train others. Bilzerian was on the list. Known as Mr. Instagram, Bilzerian has built a huge following because of his wild lifestyle. Bilzerian is now trying his hand in Hollywood appearing in films such as Extraction and The Equalizer.
Flex Lewis, Dan Bilzerian Shoulder Workout
Dan Bilzerian has displayed a shredded physique on social media on many occasions. Here, Flex Lewis led him through a shoulder workout that will build size. The exact amount of sets and reps were not displayed throughout the video.
The duo began by hitting a lateral raise machine. This is where they focused on keeping their arms fully extended to hit the shoulder muscles hard.
“So today, we got the man, the myth, the legend [Dan Bilzerian], jumping in on shoulders. He’s going to teach me one or two things.” Lewis said.
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The workout continues with more lateral raises. This time, they are seated with dumbbells. Flex Lewis pushes Bilzerian through these sets as they are one of the most important shoulder workouts.
The workout finishes up with cable crossovers to hit the back of the shoulders. Lewis has certainly remained busy since announcing his retirement and this includes training some of the top competitors in the world.
Flex Lewis was recently joined by Rafael Brandao for a workout before his victory at the 2022 Arnold Classic South America. It is clear that Lewis has plenty of knowledge about weightlifting and this is where many can learn. Dan Bilzerian is clearly interested in fitness and decided to soak up whatever he could.
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Big Ramy Says He Could Retire In One Year: ‘ I Will Stop Bodybuilding At 38 Years Old’
Big Ramy claims that he is one year away from his desired retirement date.
Big Ramy has reached the pinnacle of bodybuilding. He is the reigning two-time Olympia champion but might have just one appearance left on the biggest stage. During an interview with the RWA Podcast, Big Ramy explained how he might be one year away from his retirement from competition.
Big Ramy joined the podcast and discussed some personal topics, including his experiences at Oxygen Gym and his plans for the upcoming Olympia. He believes that he will win his third consecutive Olympia but could it be the last? Ramy claims that he has had a plan to retire from competition at 38 years old. At 37, this leaves just one year.
“I’ve decided since the beginning that I will stop bodybuilding at 38 years old. My kids still ask me about it. I tell them 38 hasn’t come yet. When it comes, we’ll talk,” Big Ramy said.
Will Big Ramy Retire If He Wins A Third Title?
This is a conversation that can be had after Big Ramy’s comments, especially after missing the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro. On Tim Budesheim’s YouTube channel, Dennis James provided an update on Big Ramy.
It was explained that Big Ramy was prepared to appear on stage as a guest poser in Pittsburgh. Once he was ready to travel, there was an issue that came up. This issue was not revealed. This raised some questions on Big Ramy appearing at different events.
Now, Big Ramy is preparing to win the Olympia once again. Would he actually decide to hang it up after three consecutive titles? If he does, he does not know what would be next but he would still remain a massive figure in bodybuilding.
“I don’t know what I’ll do after 38 but this is something I’ve decided a long time ago. I’m 37. There’s one more year left,” Big Ramy said.
Big Ramy has built one of the best physiques in the world and has a chance to go on a real tear at the Olympia. At 37 years old, it is unknown if he would be able to approach the all-time record of eight victories, held by Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney. After his recent comments, there might not be interest from Ramy to go on in competition.
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Why Wrist Mobility Matters For Bodybuilders And How To Improve It
Often forgotten, your wrists can make or break a great lift with poor mobility.
We often over-look certain joints in our body and take them for granted. Our bodies are fairly resilient, right? While that may be true, for those of us bodybuilders looking to make big gains without feeling the pressure of unwanted pain and strain on our muscles, joints, and ligaments, then it is important to notice when things just don’t feel quite right. Our wrists and their mobility are crucial to our ability for big lifts and gains, and they should not be a limiting factor in our development.
Poor wrist mobility can lead to time away from the gym where those gains happen and unfortunate pain in a vital joint for simple everyday movements. In terms of lifting, if you are going to lift, your wrist will be involved and while wrist injuries are unfortunately unavoidable, they can be minimized with proper care and mobility work to ensure those big lifts don’t take a toll on your wrists.
With many athletes like CrossFitters and Olympic weightlifters, wrist straps are common as a source of support for their otherwise heavy movements. The amount of weight and pressure we ask our wrists to handle everyday can be exhausting and if we neglect the proper attention to flexibility and form, our risk of injury and damage really increases. But we can prevent this as much as possible through mobility exercises and proper form.
Quick Breakdown Of The Wrist
Your wrist is actually a multi-joint muscle that spans several joints. They start in your forearm and cross between your radius and the bones in your wrists. They also span into your hands and fingers allowing for all of that movement we humans are fortunate enough to have. With multiple ranges of motion, we can move our palms backwards and forwards (flexion and extension) and from side to side (adduction and abduction). Allowing for our grip strength, if our wrists lack mobility, we often rely on our shoulders and elbows for compensation (1).
Mobility Matters
Wrist mobility matters for our overall health, but for us bodybuilders, they allow us to execute lifts properly with great technique. Staying on top of form while also working on wrist mobility allow us to stay on top of our game and injury free. If your job requires you to sit at the computer or use a phone, the chances are high that your wrists become fairly stiff ruining our range of motion (2).
With weak or stiff wrists, we rely on not only shoulders and elbows, but also our forearms which can add unwanted stress to that muscle as well. Often times you will see Olympic lifters bounce the bar off their shoulders in efforts to re-grip the bar so they take the stress off their joints and other muscles to properly correct form and lift heavy weights for competition.
Strong wrists will encourage the right grip, align your body for proper form, and make sure there is a good path for the bar to travel to ensure you get all the benefits of whatever lift you are doing (3). If you do find you have wrist pain when you lift, or even during everyday tasks, it is not too late to change this. Mobility and strengthening exercises will ensure your wrist health stays in peak shape as well as all of your workouts.
Let’s Fix It
These wrist strengthening and mobility exercises are great for a warm-up stretch, mid-workout check-in, or post-workout recovery and really help get rid of unwanted pain and work for your overall benefit.
Wrist Rotations
Wrist rotations are a basic way to improve wrist mobility. These can be done anywhere and at any time to really work on getting those wrists to where they need to be. Wrap your fingers together and move your wrists around in different positions. If one spot feels tight or sore, pause on that spot and really work out the kinks.
Prayers
A very simple way to stretch the wrist flexor muscles, these can also be down anywhere and whenever you feel like working on some mobility. Start with your palms together and raise your hands over your head. Keeping your palms together, move your hands down as far as they will go. Hold for around 10 seconds and repeat the exercise for your desired numbers of times.
Wrist Walks
Wrist walks are great for really working range of motion. Starting with your palms on a wall, extend your arms. While keeping contact on the wall, walk your hands down as far as they will go. Once you reach your limit, turns your hands so your fingers are pointed to the ground and walk your wrists back up the wall.
Desk Wrist Leans
It is important to not go too far past your limit to cause more pain and keeping contact with the desk is key. Lean against a desk or table with your arms extended and palms flat. Rock back and forth gently as you really feel that stretch. For side to side movement, turn your hands on the desk so your fingers face opposite each other. Rock gently from side to side working them from a different angle.
Planche Push-Up
The Planche push-up position may be too much for some, so if you need to, drop to your knees for a modified version. In a plank position with your arms fully extended, turn your hands so your fingers face your toes. With a tight core, shift your body slightly forward so your shoulders are over your wrists. Hold for around 30 seconds, rest, and continue for your desired number of reps.
Wrap Up
Our wrists take a beating every day. We use them for everyday tasks as well as those tough workouts and big lifts. Having solid wrist mobility not only aids in your overall health, but allows for those big gains to shine through, something we all strive for. From promoting proper form to allowing us to lift big, our wrists are crucial for our bodybuilding goals. Try these wrist mobility exercises to really aid in growth and get rid of unwanted pain to keep working hard in the gym without needing any days off.
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
Berger, Richard A. (1996). “The Anatomy and Basic Biomechanics of the Wrist joint”. (source)
Ryu, Jaiyoung; Cooney, William P.; Askew, Linda J.; An, Kai Nan; Chao, Edmund Y. S. (1991). “Functional ranges of motion of the wrist joint”. (source)
Lee, Julia-Ann; Sechachalam, Sreedharan (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
These Exercises Are Key to Developing Great Shoulder Stability
Daily life wreaks havoc on our shoulders.
Between sitting for hours hunched over a computer and behind a steering wheel, we’re constantly curled over with lousy posture. According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s a direct link between poor posture and shoulder pain.
The shoulder is one of the most important joints in the body, designed to promote a wide range of three-dimensional movements. There’s a reason we shoulder a burden rather than knee or hip one.
Runners would never hit the trails without stretching. But lifters routinely tackle some heavy iron without prepping the shoulders. To go from a typical day of sitting in a hunched-over position to some full-blown lifting is a recipe for shoulder injuries and long-term ailments. Even if you lift first thing in the morning, you’re still feeling the cumulative effects of daily sitting.
By taking just a few minutes to perform the following movements at the start of a workout – or even on an off day or non-shoulder day – we can improve our posture and shoulder stability while reducing the risk of injury and improving our performance in the gym.
Shoulder Squeezes
What it does: This counteracts the impact of sitting all day and also mimics the proper movement of the shoulders during lifting.
How to do it: Instead of thinking in terms of squeezing your shoulder blades together, think in terms of pulling them back and then down, as if toward your back pockets. This not only resets your posture from sitting hunched over a computer or behind a steering wheel, but it also moves the shoulders the way they’re meant to move during pressing lifts. This move can be done throughout the day, not just during this routine.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Stair Stand
What it does: This also counteracts the impact of sitting all day by resetting your posture.
How to do it: Stand on the first step of a staircase. With one hand holding onto a railing or wall, edge back until your heels are off the step and hanging in midair. Let your body’s weight press down into the heels.
How many? One minute on each side, allowing your shoulders to drop back and down and your posture to reset.
Reverse Hand Clasp
What it does: This is a good test of your shoulder mobility.
How to do it: Stand with one hand behind your neck and your elbow pointing up. Use your other hand – or your other hand gently pulling a rope or towel held on both ends – to pull your elbow down. You’ll likely find this easier on your dominant side (i.e. right-handed people pointing the left elbow up). Unlike a lot of stretches, you can make fairly quick progress on this one if done daily, to the point where you can forego the towel or rope and gradually grasp hands on both sides.
How many? 2 sets of 10-second holds on each side.
90/90 Stretch
What it does: This opens up your shoulders while stretching the muscles of your middle and upper back, counteracting the effects of sitting all day.
How to do it: Lie on the ground on your left side with legs tucked into the torso at a 90-degree angle. Keep both arms straight parallel to your knees. Keeping the knees together and on the ground, rotate your chest and right arm to the right, putting your back on the ground. Hold for two seconds and return to starting position.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps to each side with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Cat/Cow
What it does: This compound yoga move strengthens and stabilizes the shoulders while also improving flexibility to the lumbar and cervical spine.
How to do it: Start on all fours with hands beneath your shoulders and knees on the ground. Inhale, dropping your chest as you push your hips and shoulder blades back into cow position. Lift your chin and chest and gaze forward. For cat, exhale as you draw your belly button to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling like a cat.
How many? 2 sets of 10 reps of each with 30 sec. rest between sets.
Plank
What it does: Your shoulders are doing much of the work for this familiar exercise that promotes overall core stability.
How to do it: Lie in a prone pushup position with forearms resting on the floor, elbows under shoulders and bent 90 degrees. Push up off the elbows, tucking your chin so your head is in line with your body. Keep head in line with the spine and belly button drawn in. Hold for one minute.
How many? 2 sets of 60 seconds with 60 seconds rest between sets.
Side Plank
What it does: This challenges shoulder stability as well as the obliques.
How to do it: Start on the ground on your left side with your left forearm on the ground and your elbow under your shoulder. Push up off your elbow, creating a straight line from ankle to shoulder. Your hips should be off the ground and only the side of your bottom foot and your elbow should be on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds or do 10 reps of 3 seconds each.
How many? 2 sets of either of the above options.
Child’s Pose
What it does: This yoga resting pose is effective for stretching out the shoulders.
How to do it: From a kneeling position, touch your big toes together and sit on your heels. Separate your knees about hip-width apart and lay your torso down between your thighs. Place your hands on the floor along your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. You should feel the weight of the front of the shoulders pulling the shoulder blades wide across your back.
How many? Hold pose for 30 seconds, rest 10 seconds, repeat.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of several fitness books, including Core Performance.
Tom Stoltman Wins 2022 World’s Strongest Man
Tom Stoltman ends victoriously in 2022 World’s Strongest Man.
It’s official. Tom Stoltman is the 2022 World’s Strongest Man champion. After an exciting and grueling five days, Tom Stoltman was victorious earning the first place prize in strongman. Tom Stoltman is the back-to-back winner after winning WSM in 2021 and is now only the tenth competitor to win the event twice.
After five fierce and competitive days of behemoths battling it out to claim the prize of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man title, it’s come to an end. Tom Stoltman finished first in only one final event–Atlas Stones. Although, he placed in the top three in the rest of the final events, which clinched him a comfortable victory, with more than 10 points between him and the second-place finisher, Martins Licis.
When the first day of the final events ended, it was all Oleksii Novikov who lead the leaderboard to start the final day. It wasn’t until the final two events that Novikov slipped off in the rankings after finishing seventh in the Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs. Tom Stoltman steadily finished in the top three of every final event which gave him an edge heading into the final event–the Atlas Stones. Winning the 2022 WSM came down to the final event, where Stoltman only had a 1.5-point lead over Novikov. Fatigue seem to hit Novikov in the last rounds of the competition, and he ended up getting blown out by Stoltman in their two-person heat.
Here are the full final placings for the five-day competition:
World’s Strongest Man 2022 Points & Placings
No.
Name
Points
1
Tom Stoltman – UK
53.5
2
Martins Licis – USA
43
3
Oleksii Novikov – Ukraine
43
4
Brian Shaw – USA
37.5
5
Maxime Boudreault – Canada
34.5
6
Trey Mitchell – USA
34
7
Luke Stoltman – UK
30.5
8
Mitchell Hooper – Canada
30
9
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – Iceland
13
10
Gabriel Rhéaume – Canda
11
Tom Stoltman, Luke Stoltman, Martins Licis, Oleksii Novikov, & Mitchell Hooper all came out on top with the highest placing scores by the end of the 2022 WSM qualifier rounds. This set up an epic battle between some of the most dominant strongmen competitors in the sport today. This also included Tom Stoltman, the former WSM champion from last year.
Many of the top-scoring athletes just squeaked by – with the ultimate remaining 6 other strongmen who qualified to bring heat to the proceedings. It ensured that the finals would not be a cakewalk for any of the competitors.
By the close of the day one final, Oleksii Novikov was in the lead – but just barely with Tom Stoltman trailing behind by 1.5 points. The two of these competitors were clear ahead of the pack – with the third placing athlete, Martins Licis at just 20 points. Of course, with three more events in the day two finals – anything was possible for a massive shift.
Day two of the WSM final consisted of three events–Bus Pull, Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs, and Atlas Stones. It seemed Novikov was continuing his dominant campaign from the day prior after the first event of the day (Bus Pull) and even set a world record in the Flinstone Barbell with a 246kg (524.3lbs) lift. However, he didn’t perform well in the last two events, giving the reigning champ Tom Stoltman plenty of breathing room to comfortably head into the final event in the first place–Stoltman placed in the top three of each final event from start to finish.
Tom Stoltman is a British Strongman who clinched his consecutive WSM title after today. This makes him one of ten competitors to have won the event twice, and he’s the only strongman to win back-to-back titles since Brian Shaw in 2015-2016. Stoltman competed in this competition with his brother, Luke Stoltman who wound up placing seventh.
You can read our entire breakdown and recap of the World’s Strongest Man 2022 finals right here to get more of a play-by-play of the two-day events.
You can also see a brief recap of Tom Stoltman’s performance in each event below.
2022 WSM Qualifying Stage Day 1
Loading Race
The loading race kicked off the 2022 World’s Strongest Man and lead the way to see which strongman had it in them to make it to the finals. Competitors loaded five objects of different weights onto a platform. Tom Stoltman loaded the five objects in 38.39 seconds to win group 1.
Deadlift Ladder
The deadlift ladder was the next event, where athletes deadlifted five barbells with weight incrementally increasing from 300 kg (660 lbs) to 380 kg (840 lbs). Tom Stoltman lead group 1 again, completing five reps in 51.46 seconds.
2022 WSM Qualifying Stage Day 2
Car Walk
The car walk started the next day of the qualifiers in Sacramento. Athletes needed to lift a hollowed-out car and walk it 25 meters. Tom Stoltman continued his outstanding performance into day two of the qualifiers and finished first place in his group. It took him 14.65 seconds to carry the car 25 meters.
Log Lift
As the name suggests, competitors were asked to lift a log off the ground over their heads as many times as possible. Tom Stoltman savagely claimed the top spot in his group again and lifted the log for eight reps.
2022 WSM Qualifying Stage Day 3
Wrecking Ball Hold
The wrecking ball hold commenced the final day of qualifiers. Athletes had to hold a bar with two wrecking balls on either side (weighing 228kg/500 lbs) for as long as they could. Tom Stoltman chose to sit this one out to rest since he already qualified for the finals over the weekend.
Stone Off
This even closed out the qualifiers. The stone off was a chance for second and third-place finishers to face off to earn a spot in the WSM finals. Of course, Stoltman didn’t have to participate in this event either. Anyhow, the competitors taking part had to see who could survive longer lifting stones over a bar 1.25 meters off the ground.
2022 WSM Finals Stage Day 1
KNAACK Giant’s Medley
The KNAACK Giant’s Medley was the first event of the 2022 WSM finals. Tom Stoltman seized the second place spot after carrying two KNAACK boxes weighing 125kg (275.6lbs), followed by a 455 kg (1,003 lbs) yoke for a length of 10 meters in 24.75 seconds.
Deadlift
Next up was the deadlift, where each competitor deadlifted a car weighing 360 kg (794 lbs) for as many reps as possible within a minute. Tom Stoltman came in second again after deadlifting 794 pounds for 13 reps.
Flinstone Barbell
This event require the strongmen to take turns lifting a barbell loaded with a pair of giant stones on either side, increasing the weight in increments until only one strongman remained. Tom Stoltman continued placing well, earning yet again another second place to win to finish day one of the finals after lifting the Flinstone Barbell weighing 240 kg (529 lbs).
2022 WSM Finals Stage Day 2
Bus Pull
The bus pull was the first event of the WSM finals. The 10 finalists had to pull an 18.5-ton tour bus 30 meters for time. Tom Stoltman finished in his worst position yet, still coming in third place after towing the bus 30 meters in 44.5 seconds.
Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs
This event had competitors lift three 226 kg (498.2 lbs) implements up three stairs (for a total of nine). Stolman yet again came in second place when he completed nine stairs in 41.04 seconds.
Atlas Stones
The prominent final event of the World’s Strongest Man (Atlas Stones) is one of Tom Stoltman’s signature events, so he had no trouble blowing past Novikov to clinch the victory. The Atlas Stones event places five stones in front of athletes who then have to lift the five stones up as fast as possible–in two-person heats. Stoltman lifted all five stones in 25.76 seconds to win first place and secure his 2022 WSM title.
This performance earned Tom Stoltman the title of World’s Strongest Man 2022. You can get more updates and news coverage on all things strongman, strength sports, and bodybuilding right here at the Generation Iron Fitness Network!
IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Paul Poloczek Passes Away At 37 Years Old
Pro bodybuilder Paul Poloczek dead at 37
Tragic news hits the bodybuilding world this weekend with reports that bodybuilder Paul Poloczek has passed away. He was only 37 years old. At the time of this writing, there has been no cause of death announced. Poloczek was an IFBB pro bodybuilder.
News of Paul Poloczek’s passing comes via his partner Katherin DeNev, who posted the news on her Instagram account on May 28, 2022. According to reports, he was last seen at the NPC Worldwide Championships in Baden-Württemberg.
Below is a translation of the post:
“Bodybuilding was your life. You are not forgotten, you live on in our hearts. We will love you forever.”
Remembering Paul Poloczek
Paul Poloczek is a Polish bodybuilder who immigrated to Germany when he was four years old. Paul’s initial passion in athleticism and sports came in the form of soccer. This eventually lead him to discover his love of weightlifting – becoming interested in bodybuilding around the age of 16.
In 2002, Poloczek became a member of the famous Powerhouse Gym franchise – in Oehringen, Germany. He would later become the owner of that very gym. Poloczek later won his first Junior Championship bodybuilding competition at the age of 17.
Later in 2012, Poloczek placed second at the German Championships in the Super-Heavyweight division. He followed this high placing with yet another runner up title at the Arnold Classic Amateur Europe and also the Arnold Amateur Championships in Ohio in 2014.
Paul Poloczek finally earned his pro card in 2017, wher ehe placed first in the Arnold Classic Amateur competition in Ohio. He would later compete in the New York Pro in 2018 – though he did not place.
This lead to Poloczek taking a short hiatus from competing. He expected his comeback to be in 2021 – though ultimately the pandemic prevented him from competing. He would later finally compete again later that year in the Europa Pro. He placed 16th.
Generation Iron would like to send condolences to friends and family of Paul Poloczek during this hard time. This article will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay tuned to the Generation Iron Fitness Network for news and updates on all things bodybuilding, fitness, and strength sports.
2022 World’s Strongest Man: Oleksii Novikov Breaks Flintstone Barbell World Record With 246kg (542.3lb) Lift
Image courtesy of Instagram @theworldsstrongestman
Oleksii Novikov lifts 246kg Flintstone Barbell – setting new world record at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man
Oleksii Novikov breaks the Flintstone Barbell world record at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man with a 246kg (542.3lb) lift. This world record came during the WSM finals along with a truly dominating performance as day one came to a close on Saturday. Oleksii is also a former WSM champion with a win in 2020. The 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals run May 28-29th, 2022.
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.
2022 MID USA Pro Results
Camilo Diaz wins Classic Physique at the MID USA Pro!
The 2022 MID USA Pro was one of the bodybuilding shows that went down on Saturday. A small group of Classic Physique competitors gathered to Albuquerque, New Mexico to see who would gain qualification to the 2022 Olympia. In the end, it was Camilo Diaz who took home the title.
Camilo Diaz appeared in his first show on Saturday after being very busy in 2021. Last year, Diaz appeared on stage six times, highlighted by seventh-place finishes at the California Pro and Indy Pro. Derek Duszynski also entered the competition with hopes of coming out on top. He appeared at the Pittsburgh Pro and Heart of Texas last season.
The full results have been announced from the show. The Classic Physique division was on display from the opening. Checkout the full results from the 2022 MID USA Pro and an official score card.
2022 MID USA Pro Event Breakdown
First Place – Camilo Diaz
Second Place – Kelvin Hinde
Third Place – Derek Duszynski
Fourth Place – Dino Estrada
Fifth Place – Jordan Moore
2022 MID USA Pro Official Score Card
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
2022 California State Pro Results
Charles Griffen wins the 2022 California State Pro!
The 2022 California State Pro took place on Saturday highlighting Men’s Open competitors from all over the world. The field gathered at the Scottish Rite Event Center in San Diego to battle for a trip to the 2022 Olympia. In the end, Charles Griffen reigned supreme and earned a victory at the event.
Coming into the show, there were many names looking to take the next step in 2022. Charles Griffen finished second to Blessing Awodibu at the 2022 Ind Pro just two weeks ago. He was prepared to battle Awodibu once again during the New York Pro last Saturday but decided to pull his name out at the last minute.
Andrea Presti competed at the Olympia in 2021 after a victory during the Mr. Big Evolution Pro. This was the first competition for the bodybuilder out of Italy. Mohamed Shaaban also made his return to the stage after withdrawing from the Arnold Classic earlier in the year. He was a top-10 finisher at last year’s Olympia.
The full results from the show have been announced. Men’s Open highlighted the event and there is now a sense of how it played out in San Diego. Check out the full breakdown of the standings along with an official score card from the California State Pro.
2022 California State Pro Full Results
Men’s Open
First Place – Charles Griffen
Second Place – Mohamed Shaaban
Third Place – Tonio Burton
Fourth Place – Andrea Muzi
Fifth Place – Petar Klancir
2022 California State Pro Official Score Cards
Coming soon!
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the IFBB California State Pro 2022. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
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.
2022 World’s Strongest Man Finals Results (LIVE UPDATES)
A complete breakdown of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals results.
The 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals are well underway after three days of grueling qualifier events. 10 strongman competitors battle to win the title of World’s Strongest Man. There’s no clear winner yet – but results are being updated as each event comes to a close during the finals. Read on for our full recap and breakdown of the finals.
The 2022 World’s Strongest Man runs from May 24-29th in Sacramento, California. After much success last year, this is the second time in seven years that the event has returned to California for the proceedings. Generation Iron has been working with WSM’s team to bring you direct coverage. As to be expected from the best of the best – the strongman competitors have been giving their all throughout the entirety of the event – along with some dramatic close calls, twists, and turns.
During the qualifying rounds, we had a few close calls with injuries and a legitimate drop out due to injury. First Evan Singleton was reportedly out of WSM after the first day of qualifiers – but ultimately was able to make a miraculous 180 and return to the roster within 24 hours. Medical professionals determined that he was still capable of safely competing.
However, strongman Shane Flowers was not so lucky. During the second day of qualifiers at the WSM, Flowers announced that he would be dropping out of the competition due to injury.
There is a lot of seriously powerful talent making it into the top 10 finalists. As predicted, Tom Stoltman strongly secured a finals spot – along with former World’s Strongest Man champions Oleksii Novikov and Brian Shaw. Stoltman’s brother, Luke, also made it into the finals – which will provide us with some truly exciting brother vs brother matches over the weekend.
Photo courtesy of Joe Martinez / World’s Strongest Man
2022 World’s Strongest Man Finalists
Ultimately, only 10 competitors were able to move onto the finals Saturday and Sunday. Below are the ten competitors who are battling it out for the first place spot this weekend.
Tom Stoltman
Mitchell Hooper
Oleksii Novikov
Martins Licis
Luke Stoltman
Gabriel Rhéaume
Brian Shaw
Trey Mitchell
Maxime Boudreault
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted
NOTE: Below is the most recent standings of the day one finals. Points will continue to be updated as live results are announced throughout the day.
World’s Strongest Man 2022 Leaderboard
No.
Name
Points
1
Mitchell Hooper – Canada
10
2
Tom Stoltman – UK
9
3
Oleksii Novikov – Ukraine
8
4
Luke Stoltman – UK
7
5
Martins Licis – USA
6
6
Brian Shaw – USA
5
7
Trey Mitchell – USA
4
8
Gabriel Rheaume – Canada
3
9
Maxime Boudreault – Canada
2
10
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – Iceland
1
World’s Strongest Man 2022 Finals Day One Results
The first day of the World’s Strongest Man 2022 finals held in Sacramento, CA has begun with the top 10 finalists from the qualifying rounds battling it out in three events–KNAACK Giant’s Medley, Deadlift, and Flintsone Barbell. Below Generation Iron will be updating the results as they come through.
World’s Strongest Man 2022 Finals Day 1 Events
KNAACK Giant’s Medley
Deadlift
Flintstone Barbell
KNAACK Giants Medley
The KNAACK Giant’s Medley is very similar to a traditional loading race. The big difference is that the event consists of a box carry and a super yoke. The 10 finalists carried two KNAACK Boxes weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds) boxes, then a 455 kilogram (1,003 pounds) for a length of 10 meters–with a time cap of 75 seconds.
Mitchell Hooper was the one to close out the first event of the World’s Strongest Man finals. The reigning champ, Tom Stoltman, barely scraped by Oleksii Novikov to claim second-placed, beating Novikov by one-tenth of a second.
Mitchell Hooper – 21.96s
Tom Stoltman – 24.75s
Oleksii Novikov – 24.84s
Luke Stoltman – 28.72s
Martins Licis – 30.60s
Brian Shaw – 30.78s
Trey Mitchell – 32.54s
Gabriel Rheaume – 33.87s
Maxime Boudreault – 34.11s
Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted – 37.61s
Deadlift
The second event of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals requires the competitors to deadlift a car weighing 360 kilograms (794 pounds) for as many reps as possible. A time cap of 60 seconds will be in place.
COMING SOON
Flintstone Barbell
In this event, a barbell is loaded with a pair of giant stones on either side. Strongmen then take turns attempting to lift the same weight to advance to the next round. Weight increases with each new round. The rounds continue until only one strongman remains. In essence, this event is a behind-the-neck press for max weight.
COMING SOON
2022 World’s Strongest Man Day 2 Finals
The 2022 World’s Strongest Man finals Day 2 will commence on Sunday, May 29th. This will be the last day of events and end with the awards ceremony announcing the champion. Generation Iron will update the final results as they become available on Sunday.
Below are the scheduled events for the 2022 World’s Strongest Man day two of the finals:
Bus Pull
Reign Total Body Fuel Power Stairs
Atlas Stones
Full WSM 2022 Coverage Recap
Below are the previous days of results, coverage, and recaps from the 2022 World’s Strongest Man.
Continue to tune in to our coverage of the 2022 World’s Strongest Man event for more updates. For more news, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.