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East Coast Mecca: Nathan De Asha Hardcore Training To Eat The Competition Alive
EAST COAST MECCA: SEASON 3 – Generation Iron returns to the beast coast with an inside look at the Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym one week before the New York Pro 2018. Known as the East Coast Mecca of bodybuilding, Bev Francis’ gym attracts today’s most elite athletes. Featuring superstars and up and comers such as Regan Grimes, Nathan De Asha, Arash Rahbar, Rich Gaspari, and many more! New episodes air every Thursday!
Nathan De Asha is a competitor who is not afraid to speak his mind. Not only that, but he’s not afraid to ruffle some feathers with intense (and very entertaining) trash talk about his fellow competitors. With just 2 days left before the New York Pro 2018, Nathan headed over to the East Coast Mecca to get some heavy training in and some face time with Steve Weinberger. They discuss how his trash talk has caused problems in the past (he recently got kicked out of his gym because “everyone hates him”) and how he plans to open his own gym and move permanently.
Frida Paulsen Stern and Kim Gutierrez also stop by the East Coast Mecca to hit the weights and also the posing room to get final impressions from the head judge himself, Steve Weinberger. With only 2 days before the big show, final advice from Steve could be vital in how their ultimate performance on stage will play out. Check the full episode out above!
East Coast Mecca: Charles Glass & Bev Francis Talk Old School Bodybuilding & Training Tips
EAST COAST MECCA: SEASON 3 – Generation Iron returns to the beast coast with an inside look at the Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym one week before the New York Pro 2018. Known as the East Coast Mecca of bodybuilding, Bev Francis’ gym attracts today’s most elite athletes. Featuring superstars and up and comers such as Regan Grimes, Nathan De Asha, Arash Rahbar, Rich Gaspari, and many more! New episodes air every Thursday!
While many know Bev Francis as the owner of the East Coast Mecca along with Steve Weinberger – it’s important to also remember that she is one of the most legendary female bodybuilders to ever hit the stage. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her now – but Bev held one of the most impressive female physique only challenged by 10x Ms. Olympia champion Iris Kyle (albeit many years later).
In this episode of East Coast Mecca, Bev Francis gives us an inside look at her training insights as she coaches Liz Montalbano towards Women’s Physique glory. She also runs into Charles Glass – a legendary bodybuilding trainer & guru in his own right. The two of them talk about their favorite bodybuilding memories… but more importantly, talk about what it takes to become a bodybuilding champion. They’ve seen hundreds of competitors come in and out of their wing – and there is one quality they can both agree on that is always held within a champion.
Check out the full episode of East Coast Mecca above!
The Cure For The Flat Butt
Reasons for a Flat Butt and How to Fix It
Ladies, if you’re struggling with the “flat butt syndrome”, this is the article you need to read. A firm and round butt is aesthetically appealing and is within your reach if you’re willing to work for it.
A pear-shaped rear doesn’t only make you stand out, it makes you fitter and healthier. The glutes are composed of three separate but synergetic muscles which make them one of the strongest muscle groups in the body.
The three muscles are primarily the hip extensors. They aid in the external hip rotation, abduction, and even in stabilizing the entire posterior chain when working properly. The gluteus maximus is the strongest and thickest muscle in the body which is capable of burning a surplus of calories when trained efficiently.
Sitting For Too Long
While desk jobs obviously don’t burn a lot of calories, they’re also the reason for flat butts. Prolonged sitting and a lack of physical activity are big factors for causing the anterior pelvic tilts.
Too Much Cardio
For most women, hitting the gym is equivalent to working out on the cardio equipment. Doing too much cardio leads to muscle and fat loss. The excess of cardiovascular training can cause a loss of gluteal muscle mass.
Resisting Resistance Training
Look around in a gym and you’ll hardly find women in the free weights section. It’s a widespread myth that lifting weights will make the girls look masculine. On the contrary, resistance training can help tone and tighten the muscles for women. Women don’t generate enough testosterone naturally to be able to build muscle like men.
Fix for the Flat Butt
Training with weights is arguably the best way to get your glutes in shape. A glute focused workout will help you build the gluteal muscle mass even if you have strong quads which otherwise take over your leg workouts.
Hip Thrusts – 3 Sets 15 Reps
The hip thrusts are a great way to work on your glutes and hamstrings. Make sure you maintain a neutral spine and pause at the top of the movement. With this workout, the goal is to target your glutes and not your entire lower body.
Butt Blaster Machine – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps
Butt blaster machine is an isolation exercise and will set your rear on fire. Feeling and contracting the glutes is the key to a successful butt workout. If you don’t have access to a butt blaster machine at your gym, perform the donkey kickback on a leg extension machine.
Cable Pull-Through – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps
Locking out and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement during the cable pull-throughs will recruit all the three major muscles in your rear. With the glutes workouts, your goal is not to hit PRs or move big weights but to completely annihilate your muscles.
GHD – 3 Sets 15 Reps
Glute Ham hyperextensions (GHD) are great posterior chain builders. Maintain a full range of motion while performing this exercise and hyperextend your back to hit your glutes effectively.
Smith Machine Squats – 3 Sets 15-12-10 Reps
Barbell squats are a compound exercise and for some people, might work their quads and hams more than their glutes. Performing the squats on the smith machine with your feet placed together and in front of you can put more focus on your butt.
Are you suffering from the pancake ass syndrome? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
*Header image courtesy of Envato Elements.
Achieve These Two Vital Things For The Most Satisfying Workout
Probably the most satisfying thing about working out is the pump. It is a clear sign that you achieved a great workout. The evidence of this great workout is right in the mirror. The “pump” is a work of two things in the body. The first is cell volumizing, which increases water inside the cells; the other is increased blood flow to the particular muscle being worked.
And let me be clear about this.
A PUMPED MUSCLE IS AN ANABOLIC MUSCLE!
The best cell volumizing nutrients are creatine, electrolytes, and glycerol. One of the best nutrients to increase blood flow to the muscle is inorganic nitrates. It is well established that inorganic nitrates increase blood flow. Here is just one research study out of dozens.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5789727/
Using inorganic nitrates 2 hours before you workout will guarantee a better pump. Our Tectanic Red gives you 300mg of inorganic nitrates per serving.
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Natural Bodybuilder Ricky Fernandez Utilized Unilateral Training for a Total Body Transformation
Image via @acslater_85
PNBA natural athlete Ricky Fernandez transforms his physique through discipline, effort, consistency, and unilateral training.
We all know that it takes discipline, effort, and consistency to reach any health and fitness endeavor. However, some people want to blame genetics for their poor physiques. And although your body type does play a part in your overall body composition, the principles you follow are the most essential. One effective training style is unilateral training – training one limb at a time—for example, Bulgarian dumbbell split squat, single-arm dumbbell bench press, and single-arm dumbbell rows.
International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) natural athlete Ricky Fernandez showcases how much you can transform your physique when you put in the work and add some unilateral training to your routine.
Ricky Fernandez had a seemingly average physique before going through a total body makeover. On Instagram (IG), Fernandez stated:
“You can do it… yes You! I believe in you! We can all achieve our perspective goals through discipline, effort and consistency. Stay the course my friends”
Below you can see Ricky Fernandez’s complete transformation.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYErzF_F1Vh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Unilateral Training
Of course, to make a physique transformation like Fernandez, you have to incorporate the correct movements into your training plan. On social media, it’s apparent Ricky Fernandez likes to perform unilateral training.
Unilateral training has benefits compared to bilateral exercises – working out both sides of your muscles simultaneously—for example, barbell squat, barbell bench press, and smith machine bench press.
Unilateral Training Benefits
Unilateral movements are best for engaging your core and stabilizing muscles. And bilateral movements are perfect for gaining strength since it enables you to use heavier loads.
Ricky Fernandez’s Workouts
A lower body workout Ricky Fernandez makes sure to include in his program is barbell lunges. And for an isolation exercise for his triceps, he likes single-arm tricep extensions. Fernandez also includes other workouts to add volume to his triceps, such as triceps pulldowns and incline skull crushers. Additionally, to add some volume to his chest, he’ll do as many weighted push-ups as he can for 30 seconds.
Fernandez keeps the volume and intensity high. He performs barbell lunges for six sets until failure. Below, you can view an IG training video of him performing barbell lunges.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ScKXzpKf6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Men’s Physique
After undergoing an astonishing physique transformation, Ricky Fernandez competes in the PNBA Men’s Physique class. In the summer of 2021, Fernandez earned his PNBA pro card at the INBA PNBA Kern County show.
William Long is the reigning champ of the Men’s Physique division at Natural Olympia. The judges score this competition based on an athlete’s symmetry, muscularity, definition (conditioning), and stage presence. Although, legs won’t be a big factor in this class since contenders wear board shorts. And Men’s Physique athletes will hold onto less muscle mass than Men’s Bodybuilding.
Recap
Unilateral movements are an essential aspect of any training plan. They increase your stability and allow you to fix any muscular imbalances. Unilateral training is best when combined with bilateral exercises. For absolute strength (total strength), bilateral movements are better since you’ll be able to use heavier loads.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more inspiration from natural athletes!
Jean-Claude Van Damme Announces Retirement, Reveals Final Movie Role
Jean-Claude Van Damme will retire after his final movie role.
All good things must come to an end. Action superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme has decided to call it a career and will be retiring. He will appear on the big screen one more time before ending a career that has spanned over the course of four decades.
Van Damme’s final moment role in a movie will be playing none other than himself. In the movie entitled What’s My Name?, Van Damme will portray himself waking up from a coma after a car accident. This will cause amnesia leaving everyone unrecognizable. This is where he will begin to find a new identity.
Van Damme discussed this role and his decision to retire with Deadline and believes he has done all that he has wanted in movies.
“I wanted to leave the stage but with a revisit of my career, starting with Bloodsport, the one where I started to become famous. I want this to be a new Bloodsport but on a higher level. In the film, I am on my way down in terms of career, and as I come out of a premiere of another action movie, I am not happy because I’ve been living in hotels the past 30 years, which is actually true. We’re going to bring real elements from my real life and what happened to me.”
Jean-Claude Van Damme quickly became known for his acting skills and good looks on the big screen. He was often seen in action movies, playing some sort of skilled fighter, and was not shy about showing off his chiseled physique. He was one of the pioneers in this genre that paved the way for other fighters and fitness enthusiasts to show themselves off.
Van Damme continued his conversation by discussing his path to Hollywood. Also, he takes the time to go into a bit of detail about his character in the movie. Even though he will portray himself, the role will have plenty of distinct characteristics.
“I came from Belgium, all the way to Hollywood. I succeeded, I failed, I came back. So I’m walking out on the street after the premiere, and boom! — a car hits me because I’m drunk. When I wake up from the impact, I don’t know what’s my name, and no one recognizes me.
I’m canceling everything to get in shape, and after this movie, I’ve bought a small boat. Not a big boat — that’s not for me — but I want to go around the world, and relax. I work all my life, I live all my life in hotels for 30 years.”
The end of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s career marks the end of a legendary one that has made many classic movies. Whether on the big screen or not, the actor will remain an influential voice but there are many that will be upset to see his time as an actor come to an end.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
PJ Braun Sentenced To 4.5 Years In Prison, Guy Cisternino Steps Up At Blackstone Labs
Image via Instagram @pjbraunfitness
After a slight delay, PJ Braun has been sentenced to 54 months in prison and announces increased role of Guy Cisternino at Blackstone Labs during his absence.
On Thursday, February 17, 2022, Blackstone Labs president PJ Braun was officially sentenced to 54 months in prison after a slight delay in the courts. A day after the sentencing, Braun made his last official announcement as president announcing that Guy Cisternino will step up in an increased role at Blackstone Labs. This news comes just under one month after Aaron Singerman’s sentencing.
Both PJ Braun and Aaron Singerman were convicted of selling illegal anabolic steroids and other unlawful controlled substances marketed as dietary supplements. During the case, both defendants pleaded guilty.
In addition to the 54 months in prison, PJ Braun also had to forfeit $3 million alongside Blackstone Labs forfeiting $1.2 million. Despite these events, Braun seems to remain confident that Blackstone Labs will continue to not only stay stable but grow during his absence.
In his last official statement as president posted to Instagram, PJ Braun also announced that Guy Cisternino will be “taking over” during his time in prison. While this does not go into exact detail of what this means – it is clear that Cisternino will take on an increased responsibility within the company. Cisternino is already a sponsored athlete of Blackstone Labs.
PJ Braun also took some time to explain his actions and the court sentencing in the video. He claimed that the two illegal substance Blackstone Labs sold were a pro hormone and SARMs. He also claims that neither he nor Aaron Singerman were aware that they should not be selling them. Despite this, he takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the time he will serve in prison.
You can watch the full video below:
In the lead up to the sentencing, Aaron Singerman made many headlines due to some erratic actions. This included two DUIs – one in a boat and one in a car. PJ Braun’s sentencing was originally set to be the same day as Singerman’s but was postponed. Reports claim that this postponement was due to unspecified medical issues that needed to be reviewed before the final sentencing.
Both PJ Braun and Aaron Singerman had spoken with Generation Iron previously across various digital series we have produced. PJ Braun was featured in our Muscle Moguls series – which had an entire episode dedicated to the original raid of Blackstone Labs.
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Aaron Singerman also spoke with Generation Iron via our GI Exclusive interview series. In one particular segment, Singerman discussed his relationship with PJ Braun and the legal action taken against Blackstone Labs.
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At this time it is unclear if either PJ Braun or Aaron Singerman will serve the full 4.5 year sentence. It’s likely that they will be able to earn reduced sentencing for good behavior among other factors.
Regardless, at this moment PJ Braun seems optimistic that Blackstone Labs will still be flourishing upon his return. With many other employees and athletes involved in the 22 year long running business – hopefully the company will be able to survive the turmoil of the case.
For more updates on all things bodybuilding, fitness, and strength sports – make sure to stay tuned to the Generation Iron Fitness Network!
Bradford Press: What It Is, Muscles Worked, Benefits Of It & More
Work your shoulders, and even triceps, with the Bradford press.
Working our shoulders can be challenging, but with a unique exercise like the Bradford press, you never have to worry about wasting your time again. Named after a well-known American weightlifter, this exercise is one to help with overall shoulder gains, while also seeing those triceps get work done. A cross between two popular exercises you know, by combining into one exercise, you double up on the gains. A movement designed for intensity and results, this is one to consider in your routine.
As vital connecting points to our arms and trunks, our shoulders are incredibly important to keep strong and stable. With the right exercises, we can build better development overall while also affecting strength, size, and shape. The right approach will improve gains and having something like the Bradford press in your routine is a no brainer, especially once we tell you the benefits.
Let’s take a look at the Bradford press and see what makes this exercise so great. From what it is, to those muscles worked, the benefits of it, and how best to perform it, you will walk away from here with a complete guide into just how to see gains with the Bradford press.
What Is The Bradford Press?
The Bradford press is named after an American weightlifter by the name of James Bradford. A world champion, and Olympic champion, Bradford earned the respect of those around him and this exercise was named after him in his honor.
What makes this exercise so interesting is that it is a continuous movement of two common exercises: the military press and behind the neck press. By watching someone perform this exercise, you realize that it is a killer for those delts and is perfect for anyone looking to build those boulder shoulders. A bit of a compound movement, you will find this exercise to be highly effective in helping you see those gains you want most, especially those upper body muscles (1).
Muscles Worked
This exercise is predominantly a shoulder exercise, really working on overall delt development and improving strength, size, and shape. Given that the Bradford press is essentially two shoulder exercises into one, there is no excuse for not seeing real gains to those shoulder muscles. Your triceps also see work done and what you will find is that all three heads may be engaged given the nature of this movement.
Benefits Of The Bradford Press
The benefits of the Bradford are hard to ignore and can benefit you greatly when it comes to muscle growth, but also to other areas you seek to improve as well. Once you hear what this exercise can do, there’s no turning back and it will become a real staple in your routine.
Benefits of the Bradford press include:
Greater shoulder development: With better activation of your delt muscles, you will see an increase to strength and size, while also better overall delt development from movement and range of motion.
Triceps work: Since your triceps are targeted during this exercise, you start to see some growth as well. While it may not be as much as a triceps isolation exercise, it’s still something!
Better stability: By increasing your shoulder development, you start to feel more stable. Stronger, more stable shoulders are exactly what you need to see the best gains (2).
Plenty of variations: What you will find with this exercise is that there are plenty of variations to help you which can lead to even more growth.
How To Perform It
Here the steps for performing the Bradford press. By knowing the proper technique, you better set yourself up to see those gains you want most while doing so safely and effectively.
Set your desired amount of weight onto the barbell. Hold the bar at about shoulder level height, but with your grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
When ready, engage your core and lift the barbell overhead.
Now comes the second portion of this exercise. Lower the bar but this time it will be behind your head.
Lift the bar back overhead and switch to repeat from the beginning, bringing the bar back down but in front of you.
Repeat for your desired number of sets and reps.
Best Bradford Press Variations
Bradford press variations are great for they will offer a variety of exercises to diversify your workouts while also keeping them fun and engaging. The nice part about these is that you can still see growth through muscle confusion thus optimizing the effectiveness of all your workouts.
Bradford press variations include:
Barbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbell Thrusters
Arnold Press
Landmine Press
Military Press
Behind-The-Neck Shoulder Press
Best Exercises To Pair With
As an effective exercise, knowing which exercises pair well with the Bradford press can help you see only the best gains especially when it comes to your shoulder development and triceps growth. Looking to exercises like the front raise or lateral side raise offer the chance to perform simple yet effective exercises. Something like the Viking press will be more unique but can be a game changer as well.
Those triceps deserve some love and your classic triceps kickbacks or triceps pulldowns are awesome for seeing those gains you want most so that horseshoe-shape really starts to take shape. By combining with your shoulders, you get a great workout for those pushing muscles to amplify sport specific or more functional movements for the better.
Wrap Up
The Bradford press is a great exercise to see gains to your shoulder development and triceps growth and is a unique way to challenge your muscles during the workout. With tons of benefits, plenty of variations, and being rather simple to perform, you will find this exercise can be very useful in your routine. Give the Bradford press a try and see what this can do for all your muscle building goals 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)
Williams, M.; et al. (2020). “Activity of Shoulder Stabilizers and Prime Movers During an Unstable Overhead Press”. (source)
Top 8 Tips for a Tip Top Chest for Beginners
Here are some tips on how to build a bigger chest!
If you are new to the gym it can be quite daunting, where do you even start? Well let’s start by looking at the chest muscle, how do you build a monster chest?
Well to really build muscle mass and induce muscle hypertrophy it is all about incorporating multi joint exercises into your chest routine.
The chest is best stimulated, and developed, when it is fully stretched and flexed and targeted through movements designed to maximize development.
For example, the upper chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% incline bench, the middle chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a flat bench and the lower chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% decline bench.
The exercises below will ensure that each part of your chest is targeted.
1. Wide Grip Flat Bench Press (barbell)
Lie back on a flat bench with feet firm on the floor.
Using a wide grip, with your palms facing forward and grip that is approx 3 inches away from shoulder width
Lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked.
The bar will be perpendicular to the torso and the floor
As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles.
Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again.
2. Incline DB Press
Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs.
Ensure that the palms of your hands will be facing each other.
Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder width.
Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you.
Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.
Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight.
3. Heavy Pec Deck
Sit on the machine with your back flat on the pad.
Take hold of the handles.
Your upper arms should be positioned parallel to the floor; adjust the machine accordingly
Push the handles together slowly as you squeeze your chest in the middle.
Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second.
Return back to the starting position slowly as you inhale until your chest muscles are fully stretched.
4. Heavy Dips
For this exercise you will need access to parallel bars.
Get yourself into the starting position, hold your body at arms length above the bars.
While breathing in, lower yourself slowly with your torso leaning forward around 30 degrees or so and your elbows flared out slightly until you feel a slight stretch in the chest.
Once you feel the stretch, use your chest to bring your body back to the starting position as you breathe out.
Make sure you squeeze the chest at the top of the movement for a second.
5. Incline DB Flyes
Lie on an incline bench that is set to an incline angle of no more than 30 degrees
Holding the dumbbells in each hand extend your arms above you with a slight bend at the elbows.
Now rotate the wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing you
Slowly lower the arms to the side while keeping the arms extended and while rotating the wrists until the palms of the hand are facing each other
As you exhale start to bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position by reversing the motion and rotating the hands
6. Decline DB Bench Press
Position yourself into a decline bench press.
Once you are laying down, move the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width.
Ensure the palms of your hands are facing away from you.
Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe out and keep full control of the dumbbells at all times.
As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles.
Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly.
7. Bent Arm DB Pullover
Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench.
Then lie perpendicular to the bench (torso across it as in forming a cross) with only your shoulders lying on the surface.
Hips should be below the bench and legs bent with feet firmly on the floor, your head will be off the bench as well.
Grasp the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest with a bend in your arms.
Both palms should be pressing against the underside of the dumbbell.
While keeping your arms locked in the bent arm position, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head while breathing in until you feel a stretch on the chest.
At that point, bring the dumbbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered and exhale as you perform this movement.
Hold the weight on the initial position for a second
8. Cable crossover
Place the pulleys in a high position (above your head), select the resistance to be used and hold the pulleys in each hand.
Step forward in front of an imaginary straight line between both pulleys while pulling your arms together in front of you.
Your torso should have a small forward bend from the waist.
With a slight bend on your elbows, extend your arms to the side (straight out at both sides) in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest.
Then return your arms back to the starting position as you breathe out.
There you have it, these exercises will get all you beginners on the right road to building a rock solid chest!
So until next time, keep pumping!
Mehmet Edip is a fitness writer, actor, and model who has worked in the industry for over 8 years. He focuses on achieving his physique through an all natural plant-based diet and shares his insight via his workout & nutrition guides.
Victor Martinez: “Fans In Bodybuilding Are The Most Disloyal”
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Victor Martinez reacts to bodybuilding fandom of social media age.
Victor Martinez has always been a pro bodybuilder unafraid to speak his mind in a casual and candid way. So after the past year saw a major backlash against bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger due to his “freedom” comments, Martinez was not afraid to speak his mind on not Schwarzenegger’s comments but rather the fan reaction. In fact, Martinez knows all too well what it’s like when fans that supported you suddenly turn on you due to unforeseen circumstances. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Victor Martinez explains why he thinks bodybuilding fans might be the most disloyal compared to other sports.
Victor Martinez previously commented on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “freedom” comments back when it was making viral headlines across the internet. But in our latest interview segment he goes into an even deeper reaction beyond the Schwarzenegger situation. Martinez sees these kind of hyper-reactionary fan comments as a sign of something bigger in the bodybuilding community.
While not the exact same situation per se, Victor Martinez is familiar with bodybuilding fans suddenly turning their backs on him. Unlike Schwarzenegger, this was less due to his direct comments and more due to something outside of his control. Martinez was incarcerated for some time right when his bodybuilding career was flourishing. This put a screeching halt on his progress. He lost a massive amount of weight. Upon returning to the free world, he faced massive criticism due to the state of his physique as he tried to return to his prime shape in the sport.
It’s this kind of reactionary commenting that turns Victor Martinez off. He quickly learned to treat it as white noise and ignore the comments. It was the only way he could confidently march forward and focus on his career. He ignored most of the comments – but from what he was told by friends and fellow athletes – he was nearly betrayed by the loyal fanbase he once had.
This this kind of mob reactionary mentality that Victor Martinez sees more and more in bodybuilding fandom. It’s something that he believes has been accelerated by social media (this of course is true beyond sports and has affected culture as a whole). But it’s also something that he thinks is particularly bad in pro bodybuilding. Perhaps because of the emphasis on judging the aesthetic of physiques.
“Maybe other sports do have better fans than bodybuilding,” Victor Martinez stated in our interview. He continued to explain:
“That’s what brings me to the now of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Of how the fans in bodybuilding are the most unloyal [sic] fans, you know? They can be with you today but come war tomorrow, they’re gone. They aren’t the most stick by you die-hard fans.”
Victor Martinez goes on to say that bodybuilding fans are more focused on “how great you are now” and can quickly change “how they are going to treat you later. It’s very subjective to where you are.”
It’s this kind of reactionary in the moment thinking that taught Victor Martinez to stop caring what other people think. Instead he only focused on the comments that mattered – the comments of judges scoring his physique. It might also explain why he’s willing to be so candid during interviews. He doesn’t worry about the backlash that may come.
You can watch Victor Martinez talk in detail about the reactionary core of bodybuilding fandom in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.