Tag: All GI Exclusives
Andrea Shaw Talks Judges Expectations & How To Build Muscle Without Getting Too Big In Women’s Bodybuilding
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Andrea Shaw opens up about the delicate balance of expectations in Women’s Bodybuilding by judges.
Andrea Shaw is the current reigning 2x Ms. Olympia champion. And she has no expectations to slow down anytime soon. Her goal is to break the world record and win 11 Ms. Olympia titles. But how does one master the Women’s Bodybuilding division? How does the judging differ from the Men’s Open category? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Andrea Shaw goes into detail about the delicate balance of building massive size but not growing too large in order to stay in judges good favor.
The classic saying in bodybuilding goes – bigger is better. This is largely in reference to the Men’s Open division. Ever since Dorian Yates started the mass monster era of the sport – it seems every champion tries to out-do the other by getting as massive as possible.
Women’s Bodybuilding is the female counterpoint to Men’s Open. However the same mantra has not always stuck throughout the division’s history. It’s been notoriously known to rattle back and forth between emphasizing femininity while also building massive muscle. This expectation is rather vague – and has led to legendary women’s bodybuilders in the past – such as Bev Francis – to transform her muscle mass back and forth desperately seeking the judges approval.
With the reintroduction of Women’s Bodybuilding to the Olympia weekend – we seem to be in the beginning of a new era of the sport. And Andrea Shaw is the shining light and prime example of what a Women’s Bodybuilding champion should be. It wasn’t easy – and she has been competing since before the Ms. Olympia returned.
During our conversation with Andrea Shaw, she discusses the delicate balance of building the right physique to meet judges expectations and criteria. She breaks down her max lifts and her overall strategy for contest prep.
ABOVE: Andrea Shaw in recent guest posing.
Andrea Shaw grows muscle rather fast. It’s something she’s learned to accommodate for as she trains for the Ms. Olympia. This is especially true due to recent feedback she received from the judges last year. They told her that she no longer needed to build any muscle.
But Andrea Shaw knows she’s capable of getting bigger. This means she needs to be very aware of her diet and training to ensure she can improve – without building more size. While there is no weight limit to the open divisions, this is an example of the different expectation placed on Women’s Bodybuilding.
Not that this is a complaint, Andrea Shaw is taking the advice seriously and changing up her workout routine to focus more on more body fullness, hardness, and conditioning. Rather than bulk up with more size. Much like any other division with a weight limit – Andrea Shaw is using her weight last year as the limit to her size going into the Olympia 2022.
You can watch Andrea Shaw go into detail about Women’s Bodybuilding judging, her training routine, and how she’s balancing out her size in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above! You can also listen to our archive of full GI Exclusive conversations by visiting our Generation Iron Podcast homepage.
PNBA Bodybuilder Tommi Thompson: The All-Natural Way To Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle
PNBA bodybuilder Tommi Thompson is prepping for the World Championships In Florence, Italy… and shares some of his contest prep tips before the big night.
This weekend holds the INBA/PNBA Pro/Am World Championships in Florence, Italy. It’s one of the biggest bodybuilding competitions of the year for the league – and a huge opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Natural Olympia. It’s also a great moment for bodybuilders to represent their country during a varied international event. In our latest GI Exclusive, we sat down with Tommi Thompson to discuss his bodybuilding journey, contest prep breakdown, and how he burns fat without losing muscle the all-natural way.
Tommi Thompson is a Men’s Open bodybuilder in the INBA/PNBA natural bodybuilding league. He’s been a rising star in the sport – with the benefit of being trained by former Natural Olympia champion Philip Ricardo Jr. Thompson is looking to make waves this year – and the upcoming World Championships this weekend is his first big opportunity to take it to the next level.
During our interview we go into detail about Tommi Thompson’s bodybuilding origins, how Philip Ricardo Jr. became his coach, and why he chose to go all-natural and compete in the INBA/PNBA league. You can watch his comments on this and more in the video above. But for now – we wanted to focus on his tips and strategies for cutting fat and keeping muscle while remaining an all-natural athlete.
How to naturally burn fat and maintain muscle
Tommi Thompson will be the first person to tell you that the journey of being a pro bodybuilder is to be an eternal student. Every year and every new competitive season, Thompson is adjusting and reformulating how to improve his physique even further. The same is true for his tactics during contest prep and cutting weight. The goal is to lose weight and get shredded without burning away that hard earned muscle.
With the INBA/PNBA being a tested league, there are less supplemental options to help during the cutting phase of bodybuilding. So what is Thompson’s current strategy for burning fat without losing muscle? He currently focuses on consistently maintaining heavy reps.
Typically, trainers would suggest that reps increase and weight decreases during the cutting phase of contest prep. But Tommi Thompson wants to try and keep his weight heavy so that his muscle maintains the massive size he’s built earlier in the season. He does combine this with cardio in order to get that extra edge on hardening up his physique.
What might be most shocking is that Thompson reveals he does 90 minutes of cardio each day. That’s a lot of cardio compared to the standard in bodybuilding. There are even some pros who avoid cardio completely. Thompson is aware of this – and knows that too much cardio can start cannibalizing muscle. That’s why every week he steps back and reevaluates his body and adjusts accordingly.
Sometimes he may pull back on cardio for the week. Or perhaps another week he will lighten the weight and increase reps. Like a sculpter making a statue – he continues to adjust and mold his approach until he puts together the perfect package.
Wrap Up
Tommi Thompson is a promising young bodybuilder with a lot of momentum behind him. He’ll put his latest training and diet tactics to the test this weekend when he competes at the World Championships in Florence, Italy. Only time will tell what kind of impact he will have on the league and the sport.
Until then, you can watch Tommi Thompson go into detail about his contest prep tactics, as well as many other topics, in our latest GI Exclusive interview above.
Veronica Malloy: How To Ensure Bodybuilding Supplements Pass Drug Tests
PNBA Natural Figure Competitor Veronica Malloy goes into detail about supplements and passing WADA compliant drug tests.
The Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association prides itself on being rigorous on keeping the league completely natural. They apply WADA compliant testing to all athletes who compete – to ensure that the competitions are fair and all-natural. But this dedication goes beyond the “big bad” drugs such as steroids and insulin. WADA has a long list of substances that are considered banned – even if they are legal in the United States and in other countries. So how does an athlete, who wants to be natural, avoid failing a drug test while using legal supplements? In our latest GI Exclusive interview, we talk in-depth with pro natural Figure competitor Veronica Malloy on the best way to find WADA compliant supplements.
Veronica Malloy is not only a PNBA natural competitor – she’s also a team captain who helps work with the league to ensure that it stays fair and drug free. This means that she can work with the league and request testing on athletes that she finds “suspicious” of using banned substances.
So it’s safe to say that Veronica Malloy has a deep knowledge about natural bodybuilding, the INBA/PNBA, and WADA compliant substances for bodybuilding. She’s currently preparing for the INBA/PNBA Pro/Am World Championships in Florence, Italy. It’s one of the largest competitions in the natural bodybuilding season – and one that provides many pros an opportunity to qualify for the Natural Olympia.
That’s why we connected with Veronica just under two weeks before she competes. We wanted to check in on her contest prep, highlight her bodybuilding origins, and discuss the trending topics in natural bodybuilding today.
Banned substances and compliant bodybuilding supplements
One such topic is bodybuilding supplements and passing drug tests. While the INBA/PNBA league focuses on drug tests to prevent substances such as steroids into the sport – it also has a long list of other banned (but legal) substances decided upon by WADA. Drug tests compliant with WADA follow the same strict rigorous rules used by the Olympics. It’s the best of the best when focusing on keeping the sport fair and safe.
The supplement industry is bigger than ever in fitness. But not all bodybuilding supplements use the same ingredients. In fact, there are many supplements that have ingredients that would fail a WADA compliant drug test. This puts more responsibility on the athletes to ensure they stay fully clean when purchasing supplements.
We asked Veronica Malloy how a bodybuilder, who wants to be natural, can ensure the supplements they take are truly all-natural as per WADA’s ruleset. Veronica admits that this responsibility is a part of the work an INBA/PNBA athlete needs to put into their career. It’s the same kind of effort that needs to be focused on as training and overall nutrition.
Unfortunately, WADA does not have a list of compliant supplement brands. So the bodybuilder needs to do research, use the WADA website, and learn what supplements will pass drug tests. When performing at the top level of athletic ability – being natural becomes a key responsibility of the athlete. Veronica mentions past examples of athletes who failed drug tests – not because they wanted to cheat with steroids – but because they were unaware the supplements they took included banned substances in the ingredients
Despite intentions, the INBA/PNBA will not allow an athlete to compete, or retain their title, if they fail a drug test. They also end up on the wall of shame. This is why Veronica Malloy suggests that the best tactic for natural bodybuilders is to do the research, find a supplement they trust, and stick with it. With that experience over time – it becomes easier to know which supplement brands not only pass the drug test but also work best for their physique needs.
Wrap Up
Veronica Malloy talked about many other topics during our nearly half hour interview. She discusses how steroids uniquely affect women competitors in untested leagues and why she decided to stay all-natural. She also discusses the upcoming Pro/Am World Championships in Florence, Italy.
You can watch Veronica Malloy’s full comments in our GI Exclusive interview above. And make sure to stick around this weekend for our coverage of the World Championships event!
PNBA Natural Bodybuilder Kayla Rowling: How To Decide Between Flexible Dieting & A Strict Meal Plan
PNBA Pro Bikini Diva competitor Kayla Rowling on why she chooses natural bodybuilding and how she handles diet plan.
On June 25, 2022 – the INBA/PNBA World Championships is being held in Florence, Italy. It’s one of the larger competitions in the natural bodybuilding league giving amateurs a chance to go pro and also pro athletes a chance to qualify for the Natural Olympia later this year. Pro Bikini Diva competitor Kayla Rowling is one such athlete looking to earn qualification. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Kayla Rowling explains her strict diet plan as she preps for the World Championships.
In just under two weeks, Kayla Rowling will be competing against some of the best in the world for qualification to the Natural Olympia. That’s why we connected via video call to check in on Rowling’s contest prep and look back at her bodybuilding origins and why she chose to go all-natural.
Kayla Rowling started competing in 2018 – but her fitness journey came much sooner. With an initial interest in cheerleading – she would work with a trainer to help improve her routines. She clearly had talent and so her trainer suggested she consider competitive bodybuilding in the Bikini division. Rowling was initially unsure – but she decided to check out a show. Her first thought – she could do this and she could do it better than many she was seeing on stage.
This started Kayla Rowling’s journey into bodybuilding. She went through many trainers to find the perfect one – and eventually landed in the INBA/PNBA natural bodybuilding league. She now looks towards the World Championships in Florence, Italy to push towards qualifying and hopefully winning the Natural Olympia.
Why Kayla Rowling Chose Natural Bodybuilding
But how did Kayla Rowling end up choosing the all-natural tested league path? There are many untested leagues, such as the IFBB, that bring in immense popularity. For Rowling, it was about the longevity of her career and her health.
“I really value longevity. And i could just see myself becoming obsessed but not in a good way if I were to take any enhancements. Because I know that’s not sustainable long term. And I personally don’t want to look like that all of the time.”
Beyond longevity – Kayla brings up an interesting point. As an athlete, she has a competition in her to succeed. She understands enough about her own competitive nature to realize that an untested league would lead her to pushing PEDs too far in order to be on top.
This, of course, matches current discourse in the larger bodybuilding conversation regarding recent untimely deaths in the sport. Many on the inside of the sport are claiming that the doses and power of PEDs are becoming stronger – and that young athletes are taking more PEDs than ever before. Kayla Rowling avoided this issue all together by focusing on a tested league to keep her own ambitions in check.
Strict Dieting vs Flexible Dieting
Kayla Rowling also goes into detail about her diet plan mentality and how she works with her coach to improve year after year. For Rowling, she focuses on an extremely strict daily diet that only changes to accommodate for optimizations to her physique. Essentially, Rowling relies 100% on her coach to give her a meal plan and she sticks to it without deviation. Her meals are rather repetitive. But much like Jay Cutler, she prefers to focus on the results rather than the joy of eating food.
This is in stark contrast to another approach that Rowling calls flexible dieting. In this method, a bodybuilder would focus on always ensuring they hit their macros – but mixing up their meal within those limits. This helps make eating less repetitive. For some, taking the variety out of food makes it harder to stick to a diet. So flexible dieting helps stay on point.
Kayla Rowling, on the other hand, can’t allow herself to be flexible. She prefers regimented meals like military drills. This is what works for her – and she thinks the biggest struggle for new Bikini Diva athletes is figuring out which style of dieting works best for success on a personal basis.
Wrap Up
Kayla Rowling goes into much more detail about he bodybuilding origins, her training and diet routines, and her life as a natural competitor. You can watch her full interview in our GI Exclusive above. You can also make sure to catch our coverage of the INBA/PNBA World Championships on June 25th, 2022. Stay tuned!
Blessing Awodibu Answers: What Is The Fastest Way To Build Lean Muscle Mass?
Blessing Awodibu details the important rules for building mass monster size as efficiently as possible.
If you are an aspiring bodybuilder or perhaps just inspired by the Men’s Open pro bodybuilders of today – you probably want to put on massive size. Gaining weight seems like it would be easier than losing it. But when it comes to building lean muscle mass on a massive level – it can be quite a challenge. That’s why Blessing Awodibu, a pro bodybuilding mass monster that is currently catching attention, shared some key tips on how to effectively build lean muscle as fast as possible. In our latest GI Exclusive, Blessing Awodibu explains the do’s and don’ts for building lean muscle mass big and fast.
Most bodybuilding fans are familiar with the basic cycle of bodybuilding prep. There’s a bulking phase and a cutting phase. During bulking, a bodybuilder tries to put on as much mass as possible. Then closer to the competition, they cut down to sculpt that muscle mass into lean and conditioned mastery.
In today’s day and age of bodybuilding, size means everything. Men’s Open bodybuilders come in at a minimum of 250 pounds with some pushing towards 300 pounds. Needless to say, these guys are truly massive. So if you’re a bodybuilder looking to do the same – how do you build up that much size?
We asked Blessing Awodibu what was the most efficient and fastest way to build muscle mass. The answer might not be the kind of short cut people are looking for – but it’s insightful advice that can help you avoid some serious mistakes. Blessing immediately confirms that there is no “fast” way to build mass. It takes hard work and consistency.
Of course, you can build mass more effectively if you follow some key tips. The most important one being the kind of food you eat. Some bodybuilders pack on junk food into their bulking meal plans. Basically, they’ll eat anything to build up the pounds. But this also brings in lots of fat build up. When the cutting phase comes down the road – this makes for a bigger challenge.
That’s why Blessing Awodibu stresses the importance of eating clean foods. No sugary food. No salty food. No deeply fatty foods. He sticks with the traditional bodybuilder diet of chicken and rice. Sometimes steak and rice. He stays consistent no matter how mind numbing it can become. Building up lean mass as a bodybuilder is part of the job. It’s work. It’s not supposed to be “fun” or “tasty” all of the time.
Blessing Awodibu also shares some tips on how to make sure the mass you are building is muscle and not fat. How do you build mass monster muscle without becoming too soft? Blessing swears by fasted cardio. He says it’s the most important trick to making sure your muscle builds lean and not puffy.
Bodybuilding often de-emphasizes cardio. Doing too much can burn off the muscle you’ve been trying so hard to build. It also is extremely unpleasant to do cardio when you are carrying over 250 pounds of muscle.
Regardless, Blessing Awodibu (among other top tier bodybuilders) stress how important it is to stay on top of not just cardio – but fasted cardio. This brings in the most benefits for your time. It also ensures when you are bulking that it’s mostly muscle and not tubby fat.
You can watch Blessing Awodibu go into more detail about his exact tactics in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Tony Pearson: Bodybuilders Should Stay Natural As Long As Possible Before Turning To Steroids
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Tony Pearson reacts to the current state of steroid use in competitive bodybuilding and compares it to his era of the sport.
The past two years have been challenging in the sport of bodybuilding. Not only due to a pandemic that ground the sport to a temporary halt but also due to a long line of tragic too-soon athlete deaths. While the cause of death for many of these athletes remain unknown – many have started to put deeper focus on drug use in the sport and its affect on health. During our interviews with old school bodybuilding legends – we have been asking their take on modern steroid use compared to their era. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Tony Pearson reflects on steroid use during his time competing – and urges competitors to stay natural for as long as possible before using PEDs.
During our conversation with Tony Pearson, we asked him if he felt that steroids and other PEDs should be removed entirely from the sport of bodybuilding. With such a focus on health and the dangers of PEDs lately – should pro leagues start getting serious about testing?
Tony Pearson believes this could never happen due to how prevalent steroids are in the sport and how necessary they are in the late stage of pro competition. However, he does believe that the culture around steroid and PED use has changed for modern athletes specifically. Namely, now steroids are the first go-to option from the get go. In Tony Pearson’s time – pro athletes would stay natural as long as possible to determine their peak natural limit. Only then would they enhance with PEDs. Even then, it was much less than the doses Pearson hears about today.
Looking back at our first documentary, Generation Iron, great emphasis was placed by both athletes and experts that steroids are not a miracle muscle drug. Behind the enhancements, hard work is still required. Essentially, the drugs do not take away from the work put in by these miraculous athletes.
That still remains true today, but Tony Pearson points out, as many others have as well, that the culture has changed. Modern bodybuilders jump into steroids at a very young age and at an early point in their career. The hard work is still present – but the drugs seem to take center stage ahead of the hard work. A young competitive bodybuilder is more concerned with perfecting a steroid cycle or drug protocol than perfecting their training routine.
Tony Pearson explains that staying natural as long as possible should be the goal. Not simply to stay healthier – but to truly know your limits without the drugs. Only when an athlete reaches 100% all-natural should a competitor move onto PEDs and steroids. Competitors would be amazed at just how much progress can be made before PEDs are needed.
The internet has changed a lot of things across the globe. Information is faster than ever before. This makes competitive bodybuilders more able to learn about and obtain steroids sooner and faster. Perhaps this is the main culprit behind the culture shift in bodybuilding. Or perhaps this is the natural progression as physiques continue to get bigger and bigger inspiring new generations to top it. In either case, Tony Pearson joins a growing chorus of legends warning the new generation to slow down.
You can watch Tony Pearson’s full comments on steroids and PEDs in bodybuilding by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Straight Facts: Pros and Cons Of The Most Popular Bodybuilding Diets
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Jerry Brainum shares the straight facts on the most popular diets in bodybuilding – which is the best?
The benefit of living in a true information era is the vast amount of variety we can access. Today, the average person is able to know so much more about nutrition, health, and diets than ever before – if they choose to. The downside, of course, is that there can be too much information. The boom of diet trends begs the question – which are legit and which are the best? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum uses a combination of vigorous research and personal anecdotes to break down the pros and cons of today’s most popular bodybuilding diet systems.
The common perception is that dieting is easy in theory but hard in practice. The key aspect of losing weight is to consume less calories than your resting metabolic rate. But the hard part is to actually pull it off and not lose your willpower. Even worse, this simplified mentality turns out to be not necessarily true. Modern nutrition science has shown that losing weight can become vastly complicated depending on your genetics. Many struggle to eat well and not give into cravings – but there are also those who diet correctly but seem to still struggle.
In today’s internet era, it’s easier to research and discover a wide variety of diets. Many of them work – but only when done correctly. Others are scams looking to take a dollar out of your wallet. It can be hard to decide what works and what doesn’t. That’s why we turned to Jerry Brainum to break down and rank the most popular diet trends currently in bodybuilding and fitness. Let’s jump into it.
Paleolithic Diet
The Paleolithic diet is a bit of a gimmick named diet plan. The goal is to “eat like the cavemen did.” Jerry Brainum explains that the reasoning behind this diet is that the human race, despite its many evolutionary accomplishments, are still very similar genetically to the cavemen of eras past. So if we go back to the simplicity of a caveman diet – we’ll be healthier and leaner.
Despite the gimmick of it’s name, Jerry Brainum believes that this diet is actually pretty decent in keeping you health and lean. The diet focuses on meat, nuts, and berries. Foraging foods plus hunting foods. No grain. No wheat. No diary. No processed foods.
Jerry Brianum explains that the biggest downside is getting the full spectrum of nutrition for your long term health. Calcium can be hard to come by without dairy, for example.
Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet focuses on only eating protein. No fruits or vegetables. Jerry Brainum points out that the biggest issue with this diet is the lack of dietary fiber from veggies. Fiber is a big part of our microbiome in our stomach. While this was less considered in decades past, modern science has shown that our microbiome plays a massive role in our health and our weight loss/gain.
Jerry Brainum explains that most recent studies have also drawn a direct link between a healthy microbiome and immunity to illness. Healthier stomaches have been proven to show more resiliency against disease and getting sick.
Low Carb/High Fat Diet (Keto Diet)
This diet focuses on cutting carbs from your diet and increasing dietary fat. While this might sound wrong (where do you get your energy? Isn’t fat bad?). Ultimately this is a rather powerful and successful diet.
Jerry Brainum has gone into extreme detail in a previous episode discussing keto diets. Keto diets are an extreme form of a general low card/high fat diet. The key here is that with a lack of carbs in your system, the extra fat is transformed into energy. Thus this is not stored as fat in your body and you lose weight.
Jerry Brainum believes this to be a strong diet – but only in the short term. He does not recommend this kind of diet to be year-long. It can also be a hard diet for bodybuilders looking to bulk up. Rather, this diet is best for bodybuilders in contest prep mode looking to get lean.
Jerry Brainum believes that the keto diet is likely the best diet for losing body fat percentage.
Vegan Diet
Growing extremely in popularity over the past decade, the vegan diet has many positives in terms of ethical food choices and healthy food options. The only problem, as Jerry Brainum explains, is that a vegan diet can be very unhealthy if you don’t do it right. There are many vegan friendly foods that are simply empty of nutrients. So it’s important that a person interested in veganism focuses on doing it the right way.
On top of this, many supplements are needed to further get the full spectrum of nutrients for long term health. Jerry Brainum explains that avoiding all meat with no supplements is ultimately bad for your health.
In addition to this, a vegan diet can be very challenging for bodybuilding. Jerry Brainum does not find it impossible, but it adds a new level of challenge that can put you at a disadvantage against others not on the same diet.
Mediterranean Diet
A mediterranean diet has a focus on extra virgin olive oil in meals and cooking. It also focuses on moderate drinking of red wine. In addition to this – the main food courses are usually fruit and vegetable heavy with only minimal fish and meat.
Jerry Brainum beileves that the mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet you can commit to in the long term. It’s a realistic year-long diet providing a full spectrum of nutrients to keep you health and, if done correctly, you’ll stay lean and heart healthy as well.
The mediterranean diet can also work for bodybuilding if adjusted to include more protein.
Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is what you likely hear a lot about in commercials. It’s the recommended diet by most doctors. Basically, it asks that you ensure you have a healthy dose of each kind of food type to accrue all the necessary nutrients without needing supplementation.
However, Jerry Brainum points out that a balanced diet is so inclusive that it can be hard to stick to. In theory, this diet is perfectly healthy, but it’s rare for a person to regularly fit the entire food pyramid into their daily diet without issue.
Meal Replacement Diet
This last one is a bit extreme, but Jerry Brainum wanted to touch upon it as he also tried this kind of diet when he was younger. A meal replacement diet is when you replace all of your meals with a meal replacement product. This is usually some sort of shake or a diet bar.
Jerry Brainum explains that there are many meal replacements out there that can be scams or crammed with sugar. So research is necessary to find a more formidable healthy option. But on top of this, replacing all of your meals (or even consistently some of your meals) with a product like this is not advised in the long term.
Jerry Brainum explains a product he tried when he was younger which lost him 40 pounds very quickly. It was effective – but to use this as a forever diet is extremely ill advised. Brainum also jokes that the version he took decades ago was likely pumped with an appetite suppressing drug that was not allowed to the larger market.
A meal replacement can be good for short term crash dieting or for moments when you are traveling and need a quick but healthy option for eating on the go. But it should not be seen as a viable diet in the long run.
Wrap Up
The key takeaway here is that no diet is perfect. But most importantly, the biggest error that happens with diets is on the user side. It’s very easy to commit to a diet and not follow it fully. Some even cheat on their diets without realizing it. Jerry Brainum’s breakdown of the biggest diets in bodybuilding today can help you stay more focused and find the right diet that works best for you.
You can watch Jerry Brainum go into full detail in our latest Straight Facts episode above. Make sure to swing by each Wednesday for new episodes every week!
Jim Stoppani: Full Body Vs Full Split Training, Explained
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Jim Stoppani breaks down full body training compared to his hybrid model, full split training. Which is best for your fitness goals?
In 2007, Jim Stoppani suffered an injury that made him reevaluate how he would continue his training. Now in his 50s, Stoppani can no longer train with the exact same high energy that he used to when he was young without facing even more injuries that slow him down in the gym. So he turned to full body training – a method that is great for overall fitness but not exactly ideal for massive muscle growth. This led Stoppani to invent his own hybrid training method – full split training – to focus a bit more on muscle growth while also avoiding further serious injury. In our latest GI Exclusive in collaboration with Barbend, Jim Stoppani compares full body training to full split training and explains which technique is best for your fitness needs.
A typical competitive bodybuilder normally avoids a typical full body training routine. This is due to it’s inability to really grow muscle on a level of a mass monster. However, most do not desire to or are not able to train at that extreme level. That’s why full body training is a great method for those looking to stay in shape, get a bit lean, and remain healthy.
However, even non-competitive bodybuilders might want to pack on a bit more muscle than full body training can provide. That’s why Jim Stoppani invented a hybrid method called full split training – combining the benefits of full body training with a typical bodybuilder split training method. Let’s break it down.
What is full body training?
In simplest terms, full body training is the act of training each body part during one workout each day. Typically this takes the form of doing one exercise per body part – then repeating the next day. Jim Stoppani explains that for the average person, this method is perfectly fine. It helps prevent injuries in the gym and provides benefits both for cardiovascular health and in terms of strength and muscle.
But Jim Stoppani also admits that full body training will rarely help build you into a mass monster – or even a medium sized muscular person. Those looking for the pump and beefing up have to look elsewhere in terms of workout methods.
Ultimately, full body training is a great way to help lose weight while also building muscle and strength. It’s perfect for building a lean and fit body. But Jim Stoppani has been a passionate fan of bodybuilding for most of his life. Typical full body training was not enough to suit his physique goals. That’s why he invented his own hybrid approach.
RELATED: Check out our review guide of the best home gym equipment of 2022 under $100.
What is full split training?
Jim Stoppani’s full split training technique combines a typical full body workout with a typical bodybuilding split training workout. The ultimate goal is to find a way to build more muscle and strength without going so far as to possibly injure yourself. This is a great method for those growing older in age that want to focus on size but can’t go all out like they used to in younger years.
At this moment, we’d like to pause and make something clear. Jim Stoppani doesn’t mince words when he makes this point. For those who are still competitively bodybuilding and holding mass monster size well into their 40s and 50s – if that’s still working there’s no need to pull back on workout intensity. But majority of individuals do not actively compete in bodybuilding. Which is why Stoppani’s full split training is a great middle ground for keeping muscle without pushing the body past its limit.
So how does full split training work? Jim Stoppani explains that you simply do a typical full body workout for the day – but each day of the week you pick one specific body part to additionally focus on. So in action – you do a full body workout of all body parts, but add an extra set of exercises to one body part to ensure that one is being pushed harder.
Then the next day, you pick a different body part to focus on and repeat. By the end of the week, each major body part will have gotten some extra attention – while also maintaining a full body workout style across the week.
Jim Stoppani sees this as meeting half way between the benefits and drawbacks of full body training vs the benefits and drawbacks of split training.
Wrap Up
Jim Stoppani tops off our conversation in this segment discussing injury during workouts and how age affects these kinds of injuries. While consistent fitness throughout an individual’s lifetime will help prevent injuries as we age – we cannot ignore that growing older raises new challenges. We all become more injury prone as we get older.
As Jim Stoppani puts it, “There’s no way around it. As you get older you are degenerating… we were not meant to live this long.”
It’s with that in mind (due to his own personal experiences with injury) that he developed the full split training technique. We must be honest with our aging bodies and do what is best to avoid serious injury – or even worse – irreversible injuries that further keep us out of the gym.
You can watch Jim Stoppani go into full detail about full body training and full split training in our latest GI Exclusive explainer video segment above!
Milos Sarcev: The Biggest Weaknesses Roelly Winklaar Must Improve To Dominate
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Milos Sarcev reflects on Roelly Winklaar’s struggles in 2021 and what he needs to do to dominate on the bodybuilding stage once again.
Roelly Winklaar is a beloved pro bodybuilder and often called the people’s champ by many fans. This is due to Winklaar’s enormous mass monster size that nearly shakes the earth whenever he steps on stage. Though he’s gotten close, the competitor has never earned a Mr. Olympia title. However, he has often been a top 5 competitor that many hoped would rise up to win one day. These hopes were somewhat dashed in 2021, with Roelly Winklaar placing lower than expected and also dropping out of select shows. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Milos Sarcev breaks down Roelly Winklaar’s 2021 physique and explains what needs to improve for success in 2022.
Many fans were shocked when Roelly Winklaar placed 11th at the 2021 Mr. Olympia. It was a large drop down for the elite competitor – who placed 5th in 2019 and 3rd in 2018 at the Mr. Olympia. However, the moment Winklaar stepped on stage last year, it was clear something was off. It wasn’t the people’s champ mass monster physique fans were used to.
That’s why we turned to bodybuilding coach and guru Milos Sarcev to give his thoughts on Roelly Winklaar’s 2021 physique. He pinpointed the two biggest weaknesses Winklaar is facing – and how he needs to improve them to become a dominant force on the stage once again. Milos believes it’s possible and even spoke briefly with Winklaar sharing his advice.
Roelly Winlaar’s biggest weaknesses
Milos Sarcev starts off by stating one big weakness that Roelly Winklaar has always suffered from – his conditioning. Much like Big Ramy, Winklaar is one of the biggest mass monster in the Men’s Open division. And also like Big Ramy, Winklaar often suffers from controlling his stomach and maintaining dry shredded conditioning. This was still evident in 2021, perhaps even slightly worse than in previous years. That lack of conditioning – in combination with another weak lagging body part – was the key element to his lower placing.
So what was that second weakness? Milos Sarcev believes that Roelly Winklaar’s legs were lacking. Of course, bringing up legs is always the hardest body part for most pro Men’s Open competitors. But when you are competing on the elite stage and battling the top five in the world – lacking in the leg department will knock you out of the top 5 or even top 10 at Mr. Olympia. That’s what seemed to happen here.
Milos Sarcev reveals during our interview that Roelly Winklaar spoke to him after his low placing at the Chicago Pro. According to Sarcev, Winklaar was actually worried that his size had gotten too small which is why he was placing low. Sarcev admitted that Winklaar had downsized slightly – but this was not in fact his weakness.
“He asked me what is my opinion and he thought he was much smaller. I said like, yeah. As smaller as he was he was still big enough. That wasn’t the problem. But he needed conditioning and he needed legs. So in other shows that he entered he tried to put size back on and by Prague he was humongous… but still the conditioning was not there.”
– Milos Sarcev
Milos Sarcev went on to say that Roelly Winklaar putting back on more size might have actually hurt him for the rest of his competitive season that year. Sarcev explains that for him to put on so much size so quickly – he lost even more control of his midsection.
Roelly Winklaar may have had a tough year – but we wouldn’t count him out just yet. Yes, he has been competing for quite some time and comes from an older era of the sport. But athletes like Dexter Jackson have proved that age is just a number. And while Big Ramy is somewhat younger – it did take him nearly a decade to become the Mr. Olympia champion. Winklaar is an experienced competitor with a passion for the sport. We are excited to see what he brings to the stage in 2022.
You can watch Milos Sarcev’s full comments on Roelly Winklaar (and some talk abotu Chris Bumstead’s dominance as well) in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
Jim Stoppani On Modern Bodybuilding: “The Sport Is Not Causing Drug Use, The People Are”
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Jim Stoppani reacts to modern bodybuilding, drug use, and respect in the sport today.
Jim Stoppani is an Exercise Physiologist and a passionate fan of bodybuilding. While he never became a career competitive bodybuilder – he did compete in the NPC and continues to track the sport closely to this day. This passion alongside his deep education and research has made him the perfect bridge between the love of bodybuilding and focusing on health. That’s why in our latest GI Exclusive partnered with Barbend, Jim Stoppani reacts to the current state of bodybuilding – including drug use and health dangers. Is it facing a crisis? Has it lost its way?
Competitive bodybuilding as we know it has existed in some form or another for at least 100 years. It exploded in the 60s and 70s during the Golden Era and has continued to break ground ever since. However, the world changes and with it the sport changes as well. With more history behind competitive bodybuilding, more criticism is brought up comparing the present to decades past. Is drug use worse? Are more bodybuilders dying? Are physiques today better or worse? The questions and criticisms are endless.
Much of the criticism is based on gut feelings, personal experience, or mob mentality. That’s why, during our conversation with Jim Stoppani, we asked him to share his reaction to bodybuilding today – combining his personal bodybuilding experience with expert researched knowledge. Cutting the bullsh*t from facts. Does Stoppani see a crisis in modern bodybuilding?
Jim Stoppani: “The Sport Is Not Causing Drug Use, The People Are”
Despite the recent news driving fear for the health of bodybuilding athletes today more than any other time in the history of the sport, Jim Stoppani still finds competitive bodybuilding a respectable sport as it is today. Stoppani does not believe that bodybuilding as a sport drives drug use – it’s the people and athletes behind it who do. But this isn’t just to lay the blame on athletes and call the irresponsible.
In fact, Jim Stoppani believes that the drive behind people to be the best in the world is what brings individuals to dangerous drug use. That’s not just in bodybuilding. That’s in every single sport in the world. Move beyond sports and it can be found in any arena where individuals strive to be elite.
Jim Stoppani, having competed in bodybuilding, understands the rare feeling of doing anything possible, including dangerous risks, to be the best in the world. To build one extra inch of muscle at all costs. It’s this drive that many average people, even bodybuilding fans, don’t really understand. Sadly, experiencing it directly is nearly the only way to truly understand it.
No matter the regulations or laws – people with this sort of drive will always find a way to possibly endanger themselves to be the best in the world. To be bigger and stronger at any cost.
Jim Stoppani Supports Education To Steer The Drive Behind Bodybuilders
So as Jim Stoppani understands it, professional and competitive bodybuilding will always be dangerous. Is it particularly more dangerous today than at any time in history? That cannot be proven without vigorous study. But what can be done, regardless of the current risks, is bring more education behind the strategies known in bodybuilding. We can’t remove the drive or the dark corners of markets to receive drugs – but we can help educate athletes further so they understand the risks.
Jim Stoppani respects bodybuilders. He loves the mass monsters all the way through to the Bikini competitors. He respects their drive despite limited prize money and, in some cases, even respect within their own sport. Jim Stoppani will not disparage the love that bodybuilders have for perfecting their physique. He can only hope to bring more education to help those driven athletes stay safer. It can never be completely safe – but to make it as safe as possible is most important.
Wrap Up
So is modern bodybuilding facing a crisis? Jim Stoppani doesn’t see anything particularly more dangerous now compared to the past. The danger has always been there – but technology has allowed us to see it faster and due to the immediacy of social media. That doesn’t mean that things can’t be improved. All professional sports are dangerous on some level – but their can always be more effort made to make it safer.
You can watch Jim Stoppani’s thoughts on modern bodybuilding and the current state of drug use and health in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!