Tag: Bodybuilding
2023 Vancouver Island Showdown Pro Results and Scorecards
The 2023 Vancouver Island Show took place this weekend (April 23) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and featured three bodybuilding divisions: Women’s Bodybuilding, Wellness, and Women’s Physique. This show served as a qualifier for the 2023 Mr. Olympia competition.
Unlike last year, there are fewer months to qualify for the Olympia contest. Bodybuilders have until October 9 to earn a respective invite. While the point system was used in 2022, it’s been removed; therefore, athletes must win a pro show for guaranteed passage to the sport’s biggest show of the year.
The top three finishers from last year’s Olympia (2022) in the Women’s Physique, Wellness, and Women’s Bodybuilding divisions are automatically invited back to this year’s edition of the event. Fans have already named a few Women’s Bodybuilding favorites for this weekend. Sherry Priami always brings a shredded physique and if she compliments her look with added size, she has a shot at gold. In addition, fans expect action from contenders Keisha Oliver and Julie Whitesel.
2023 Vancouver Island Show Winners
Women’s Bodybuilding: Sherry Priami
Women’s Physique: Anne-Lorraine Mohn
Wellness: Kassandra Gillis
2023 Vancouver Island Show Results
Women’s Bodybuilding
Winner — Sherry Priami
Second Place — Julia Whitesel
Third Place — Melina Perron
Fourth Place — Keisha Oliver
Fifth Place — Tananarive Efuru Huie
Sixth Place — Andrea Saurer
Seventh Place — Shea Menchaca
Eighth Place — Marcela Venegas Morales
Women’s Physique
Winner — Anne-Lorraine Mohn
Second Place — Emilija Martic
Third Place — Michele Steeves
Fourth Place — Lisa Kudrey
Fifth Place — Alejandra Chacon Velazquez
Wellness
Winner — Kassandra Gillis
Second Place — Jennifer Zollars
Third Place — Nicollette Burns
2023 Vancouver Island Show Scorecards
Fitness Volt congratulates the winners!
Published: 24 April, 2023 | 1:03 PM EDT
Jay Cutler, Milos Sarcev Compare Eras: ‘Dorian Yates/Ronnie Coleman Would Be Super Competitive Today’
Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler still follows the sport closely since retirement in 2013. In a recent Cutler Cast episode, Cutler joined Milos Sarcev to break down how every former Mr. Olympia winner would fare against today’s Open class.
While building a successful career in the IFBB Pro League, Cutler reached the top of the sport in 2006 after dethroning the eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. Inspired by his rival’s training practices, Cutler revealed some of the sacrifices it took to catch up with Coleman. He utilized high-volume training and ate 140 egg whites a day to maintain his Olympia-caliber physique.
Given the recent changes to the Men’s Open division, Cutler believes the category is moving back into an era similar to 90s bodybuilding. He supported the claim by pointing to the success Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked enjoyed at the 35th annual Arnold Classic, where shape and beauty prevailed against mass and size.
In their latest endeavor, Cutler and Sarcev took a closer look at all former Mr. Olympias, and whether or not they would be competitive against today’s crop of Open talent.
Jay Cutler & Milos Sarcev Share Opinions on How Former Mr. Olympias Would Fare Today
Before assessing each Mr. Olympia winner, Sarcev touched on Lou Ferrigno’s chances of success.
“I was there in ’92 [for Lou Ferrigno] and he was just not competitive. And then, they thought maybe in ’93 he was going to do better but he didn’t. Then, finally, in ’94 they told him to do the Masters you know, he had the good enough condition and size but not good enough for the 90s. I doubt [he would do better today]. It’s still – proportionally when you think, width x-frame, conditioning, eh.”
Despite the dominance of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarcev isn’t convinced he’d shine on today’s Olympia stage. However, they both agreed Coleman and Dorian Yates would be ‘super competitive’ if they contended in the current era.
“Well, listen, he [Arnold Schwarzenegger] was so dominant back in the day right, but I think even you mentioned, I watched your Jay Walk the other day and there was a year maybe where Sergio could have beaten him. In 1972 in Germany, yeah,” Milos Sarcev said.
“Arnold, he defended his title against no one at one point right?” says Jay Cutler.
“Sergio Oliva, if he would come in crazy shredded condition that he never probably knew back in the day how to do it, but that physique, shredded and dry would be super competitive in any era including now,” Sarcev explained.
“We know Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman these guys would all be competitive right,” said Cutler.
“After Dorian it was Ronnie, Ronnie at his best, which I think is ’98, but ’98, ’99, 2001 Arnold Classic, 2003 Olympia – yeah he would be super competitive. Yeah [he’d win], okay, yeah,” Sarcev confirms.
Sarcev believes three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva and eight-time champ Lee Haney would have held their own against today’s Open talent as well. Though, he dismissed the chances of Larry Scott, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbo, Frank Zane, Chris Dickerson, and Samir Bannout.
“Sergio Oliva would be, Larry Scott wouldn’t, of course. Sergio Oliva would, Arnold — I don’t think he’d be competitive. Honestly, we all love Arnold he did the most for the sport. Physique-wise, if you don’t know the name and you see his physique, he wouldn’t be in the top. Next was Franco Columbo, after him, he wouldn’t be competitive. Frank Zane, unfortunately, I love Frank, he was my idol, but he was not big enough. He would be very good in Classic Physique of course, but not in the Open.
Then, in 1980, Arnold again, ’81, again Columbo, ’82 was Chris Dickerson, he wouldn’t be available. Then, ’83, Samir Bannout, no, he wouldn’t be – he was great, we love his physique but that was for that era. Then comes Lee Haney, Lee Haney would be competitive. I do believe so. It’s amazing when you actually look at Lee Haney.”
Additionally, Sarcev listed Cutler, Dexter Jackson, and Phil Heath as former Mr. Olympias who could stand their ground against today’s Open lineup.
“I loved your 2001 Olympia, your 2001 Iron Man, I was absolutely blown away. I was sitting next to Chris Aceto, you created the illusion of being 280 pounds full shredded dry,” Sarcev tells Cutler.
“Dexter Jackson, he would be very competitive,” Cutler said. “Phil Heath.”
“Phil Heath would be super competitive, especially,” Sarcev agreed. “You [Cutler] and Phil Heath at your best?”
“We never were at our best, I mean obviously I won the battles at my best, I mean I was never at my best when I competed against him when he came into his own right,” Cutler shared. “If he was here he’d say he wins, If I’m here I’d say I win.”
“Phil Heath at his best could win the title of course,” Sarcev added. “Legs [on Brandon Curry] need to come up. If his legs come up, he was beating Hadi Choopan every time.”
Before ending the discussion, Sarcev and Cutler agreed Brandon Curry and Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay still had the potential for redemption.
“Big Ramy, he came after Brandon.”
“I still think he can come back and be competitive,” says Jay Cutler.
“I think so too. Especially the pictures from Instagram on Saturday at the Arnold Classic, he looked – that was impressive. Friday I didn’t get exactly that impression. He was still not the best Ramy but questionably Saturday, maybe the best Ramy I’ve seen. Okay, minus arms, he had the better arms before and maybe back also.”
The last time a popular bodybuilder compared eras was four-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead. In a recent Full Send Podcast, Cbum was asked how a battle with Arnold Schwarzenegger would play out. If Schwarzenegger faced him at the 2022 Olympia contest, Cbum said he would have defeated the bodybuilding icon.
RELATED: Jay Cutler Talks Mike Mentzer Quitting After losing to Arnold Schwarzenegger at 1980 Mr. Olympia
While they don’t believe every former Mr. Olympia could push into the first call-out, Cutler and Sarcev are confident a handful would likely assert themselves as Olympia title contenders in the modern era.
Watch the full video below:
Published: 24 April, 2023 | 12:05 PM EDT
Comparing Bodybuilding’s Winningest Athletes – Dexter Jackson & Ashley Kaltwasser by Olympia Judge & Chris Cormier
Bodybuilding icon Ashley Kaltwasser trumped over fellow legend Dexter Jackson as the most winningest athlete in the history of the sport. In a recent Prime Time Muscle episode, Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy and bodybuilding Hall of Famer Chris Cormier shared their analysis and comparison of Jackson and Kaltwasser’s careers.
Dexter Jackson first gained attention for his insane muscle mass, detail, and conditioning levels in the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open division. He made a splash in his debut at the 1999 Arnold Classic and placed seventh. He proved to be one of the most consistent and disciplined athletes in the game with regular competitive appearances.
In 2005, Jackson took home the top prize at the Arnold Classic. He successfully defended the title the following year in 2006. Besides the Arnold Classic, he was a mainstay of the Open class at the Olympia contests from 1999 to 2020. Jackson was at the height of his powers between 2002 and 2010, always placing in the top four at Olympias. After placing third at the 2007 event, many counted out Jackson’s chances at the win. However, Jackson came back stronger and dethroned former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler in 2008 to win the coveted Sandow trophy.
‘The Blade’s final appearance came at the 2020 Mr. Olympia, where he placed ninth. He hung up his posing trunks with a record five Arnold Classic titles under his belt.
Dexter Jackson continues to work out regularly. He gave fans a look into a brutal back workout in April 2022. Then, he followed up with a jacked physique update showing off his biceps in an intense training session.
The 53-year-old left the fans in awe of his lean physique in another update last October. Last month, Jackson ignited rumors of a potential return for the Masters Olympia with a ripped workout update.
Olympia judge & Chris Cormier share analysis of Dexter Jackson’s insane career
Dexter Jackson
In a recent YouTube video, Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy, Tim Wilkins, and Chris Cormier lauded Dexter Jackson for his insanely successful career in a comparison with Ashley Kaltwasser.
“Ashley has just surpassed Dexter on the wins,” said Wilkins.
El Guindy: “She currently has 37 pro victories.”
“Now, Dexter was the winningest bodybuilder of all time with the male,” El Guindy said, “Obviously, we can look at it and say possibly male bodybuilding is a little bit of a harder enterprise than Bikini. You gotta come in with striated glutes like Dexter did. You gotta add a lot of muscle and Dexter has done that. But Ashley Kaltwasser has done something that… 37 pro victories.”
Cormier argued Jackson’s run was more impressive due to the nature of the competition he was in combined with a lack of as many shows as now.
Cormier: “If you’re talking Bikini, you’re talking more like the beauty, the aesthetic of the body. It’s not like you’re trying to force a lot of mass, forcing a lot of food down your throat, going through the grueling workouts, the posing rounds, all this stuff. But if you look at Dexter Jackson’s whole cabinet of wins is probably filled with eight Arnold Classics, he’s got Mr. Olympia title under his belt, competing all around the world from Australia to the Iron Man. I don’t know all his wins off the top of my head but I guarantee you he won the shows.”
“It’s a higher degree of difficulty and then even in the later part of his career, he was still beating some of the guys that’s actually competing at high level right now,” said Cormier. “He was beating those guys. I know he thinks he was looking the best but that wasn’t the same Dexter Jackson I was going against. That guy was etched out, that’s when we gave him the name ‘Blade.’ These guys then were still getting beat by Dexter and it wasn’t even the Dexter I went up against. I call him the Jordan of bodybuilding.”
El Guindy: “Dexter Jackson’s first bodybuilding show was in 1992. His last one was in 2020. That’s 28 years of bodybuilding.”
Cormier: “Just depending on how it’s going to play out but I don’t think anyone in this lifetime that we know of is going to be [breaking Dexter’s record].”
Last month, Dexter Jackson confirmed he had no intentions of making a comeback to competition. He reflected on his career and stressed the importance of recovery and machine training for longevity. Then, he crushed a brutal arm workout while teasing a mystery project.
Ashley Kaltwasser has been a force to reckon with in the Women’s Bikini division since conquering the Olympia title in her 2013 debut. She went on a dominant run over the next three years that saw her win the 2014 Arnold Sports Festival, and the 2014 Toronto Supershow, and extend her Olympia reign with two successful title defenses. In 2016, Kaltwasser lost the Olympia title and dropped down to the fourth place.
Having maintained a packed competitive schedule, Kaltwasser took to the sidelines for the 2017 season and returned in 2018. From 2018 to 2020, she slipped down the ranks in Olympia contests but continued to rack up trophies in other shows such as the 2018 Vancouver Pro and 2019 Mile High Pro.
In 2021, Kaltwasser put her foot to the gas as she competed in 14 shows throughout the year, winning eight and never placing out of the top four. Her impressive streak continued last season with another 12 contest participation. She scored gold in seven, including the 2022 Arnold Classic UK.
Kaltwasser opened up about her reasons for staying busy as a competitor last month. While many enjoy taking a longer off-season, she likes to be active to stay motivated for prep and not miss out on any opportunities.
The 34-year-old offered her expertise on improving contest preps a few weeks ago. She went over the common pain points of combating bloating, managing water and sodium intake, and hunger cravings.
Wilkins & Olympia judge says Ashley Kaltwasser can win another 15-20 shows
Wilkins and El Guindy heaped praises on Kaltwasser for her extraordinary track record and believe she could cement her status as the greatest with another dozen or more titles in the next few years.
“This competitor, Ashley Kaltwasser, she’s a track and field star in the state of Ohio,” El Guindy said. “Her ability to maintain the great conditioning weekend after weekend, display incredible physique, and continue to win shows is impressive. She is the winningest bodybuilder of all time. She’s got 37 titles.”
“Ashley Kaltwasser had the ability to do possibly 10 or 15 shows a year and win a lot of them. Dexter had to do it for a long period of time.”
Wilkins: “If she’s got five more years doing 3-4 shows a year plus the O, she’s a lock to win 3 or 4 of those shows. She could end up with another 15 to 20 wins and cement that untouchable.”
Guindy: “I think that’s the goal. I talked to her coach Adam Bonilla and he’s got great athletes but Ashley is the main horse there. His intention with her is to win as many as possible. She’s not slowing down guys. If she won 10 shows last year, she wants to win 15 this year.”
Ashley Kaltwasser offered some of her best tips on maintaining proper nutrition on show days earlier this month. She recommended eating light foods and not consuming too much protein to ensure an empty stomach.
You can watch the full video below.
Published: 24 April, 2023 | 9:01 AM EDT
Dana Linn Bailey Conquers Grueling Back-Building Workout
Dana Linn Bailey is the true embodiment of motivation and gym life. The Women’s Physique pioneer continues to inspire millions around the world with her fitness content and recently subjected herself to a harsh back workout.
Dana Bailey is credited with a win at the first ever Women’s Physique contest held at the 2011 Jr. USA. She also became the inaugural Women’s Physique Olympia champion in 2013 and etched her name with gold in the IFBB Pro League’s history. After retiring from competitive bodybuilding in 2015, DLB has ventured into multiple initiatives.
She started posting fitness related content on her YouTube channel and other social media platforms. Bailey also tried her hand at powerlifting at the 201 Arnold Sports Festival, lifting a total of 877 lbs (396.9 kg). The 39-year-old has become one of the foremost women fitness influencers on the internet with more than 2.6 million followers on YouTube and Instagram combined.
Dana along with her husband Rob Bailey founded the Warhouse Gym. It did well and became a very important part of the couple’s lives. However, they had to shut it down permanently due to financial issues brought in by the global pandemic of 2020. Bailey is going strong on YouTube and routinely posts workout videos, bodybuilding tips and collaborative content to engage a large follower base.
Recently, she tackled a back workout and posted the video on her YouTube channel. So let’s check out the details of the exercises she did to improve her already impressive physique further.
Dana Linn Bailey goes through a back workout
Bailey headed to the Redcon-1 gym for the workout and lauded the place for the state of the art equipment it houses. She did not have a premeditated workout plan ahead of time and went with the flow to experiment with different equipment to train the back.
“I like coming here. A lot of really cool equipment. So I have no plans today. I’d love to tell you what I am about to do. I’m gonna train back but I have no plans. I’m just gonna scoot around, find some really good equipment and then I’ll let you know the sets and reps. So follow along,” Dana Linn Bailey stated.
With that she jumped right into the workout and shared valuable insights and bodybuilding tips in the due course.
Seated High Face Pull and Chest Rows
Bailey wanted to get some rear delts and the upper traps action at the very beginning of the training session. So instead of working with elaborate machines, she favored the simple seated cable rows machine. But instead of doing the standard row, she used the band attachment and performed the seated high face pull to target the traps and rear delts.
“You could do this with the rope as well. The rope would actually work out really well,” DLB advised.
She clubbed this movement with chest rows. However, instead of doing both exercises as a part of superset where a person performs one full set of the first exercise and then follows it up with one full set of the second exercise with a short rest period, Bailey switched between the exercises mid-set. In every set, she did eight to ten reps of high face pull and immediately transitioned to the chest rows for the same number of reps, making it a full set of two exercises. The 39-year-old kept the elbows wide and away from the body to hit the lats as well.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
The former Women’s Physique Olympia champion performed the wide grip lat pulldown on a plate-loaded machine next. This common vertical pulling movement primarily works the latissimus dorsi muscle in the back. It also engages other posterior muscles like teres major, teres minor, infraspinatus and trapezius as well as biceps muscles. The wide grip variation is effective for hitting all angles of the target muscle. Additionally, wide grip lat pulldown is a potent replacement to the pull-up which hits the same group of muscles.
“I’m gonna do this a little bit differently than I would normally go. Instead of just going through the reps, I’m gonna focus on the eccentric,” DLB explained.
She performed the concentric phase (Pulling down of the exercise at a regular speed but extended the time to three to four seconds in the eccentric phase (raising the handle back up).
The intention of the slow eccentric phase was to increase the time under tension. The Women’s Physique pioneer advised against using extremely heavy weights in this case to avoid exhausting the muscles too much.
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Performing this compound movement is an essential part of the process to build strong posterior muscles in the upper body. Bailey shared her experience with this exercise and shed light on some of the most common errors associated with it. She explained:
“I would really like to see this exercise be done better. I think a lot of people go way too heavy and you have a lot of (jerking) motion and your knees are bending.”
“So as I do it, I keep my feet squared in a more athletic stance. The motion instead of pulling (with the arms), it’s going to be pulling from your lats. So there’s more of an arch to it. It shouldn’t just go straight up and straight down.”
DLB further added that lightening the weight a little bit actually helps with the form and proceeded to perform the sets of eight to ten reps each.
Seated Mid Rows
The seated mid-rows on a selectorized machine followed the bent over dumbbell rows and DLB focused more on the eccentric phase again for this one. She executed the eccentric phase of the movement with slow and controlled movement to keep the muscles under tension for a longer duration. Each set of seated mid rows contained eight to ten reps.
Close-Grip Seated Rows
The retired bodybuilder then rounded off the training session by adding the last bit of stimulus to the back muscles with this exercise. The machine used for close-grip seated rows enabled a slight high to low movement during the concentric phase of the movement. Explaining the efficacy of this movement pattern, Bailey opined:
“Most seated cables you’re pulling (horizontally). So this one, you can kind of lean back and pull at an angle so you’re gonna push those shoulder blades down and back, hitting those lats a little bit more!”
She annihilated all the sets of the exercise with furious intensity. Although Bailey would have loved to add another movement to this workout, she had to wrap up reluctantly as it was a busy hour at the gym.
In totality, the back training session encompassed:
Dana Linn Bailey’s content is a potent source of pre-workout motivation for people around the world. What’s impressive is that the 39-year-old has not lost the passion for fitness and bodybuilding after retirement. Not only is she staying in good shape with her training routine, but she is also helping others achieve their fitness goals by motivating them to get up and head over to the gym for lifting some serious weight.
You can watch the full video here, courtesy of Dana Linn Bailey’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 23 April, 2023 | 10:47 PM EDT
Chad Nicholls: ‘If You’re Taking SARMs & Claiming Natty, Fuc**ng Get Real Man’
For decades, bodybuilding coach Chad Nicholls helped create Mr. Olympia champions. In a Desktop Bodybuilding interview, Nicholls discussed athletes pretending to be natural while taking selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). In addition, he explained the utility of cortisol blockers and testosterone.
Guru Chad Nicholls shaped the Men’s Open division, having guided several high-profile names to gold. During the late 1990s and 2000s, an unproven Ronnie Coleman connected with Nicholls following the advice of his rival Flex Wheeler. Within a year of their bodybuilding partnership, Coleman won his first Mr. Olympia title in 1998. Under the tutelage of Nicholls, Coleman tied the all-time Sandow record with Lee Haney at eight.
In addition to working with ‘The King,’ Nicholls started training Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay, who went on to secure a pair of Mr. Olympia titles in 2020 and 2021. While Ramy came up short in fifth place last December, he made a quick turnaround at the recent Arnold Classic in fourth.
Taking a rest from contest preparations, Nicholls took part in a candid podcast to discuss the inner workings of a bodybuilding prep, most notably, the use of SARMs, testosterone, and cortisol blockers.
Chad Nicholls Takes Shot at Athletes Using SARMs Claiming Natural, Says Gear Hasn’t Changed Much Era-to-Era
According to Nicholls, athletes who use SARMs and claim natural aren’t ‘really natty.’ He argued that they might as well ‘jump to the dark side’ instead.
“I think the side effects that come with SARMs are relatively close to the side effects of what you would get from the real thing. I think there are a couple things out there as far as cutting agents that could definitely be added to a protocol as far as leanness and conditioning, but if you’re talking you know serious muscle gain and stuff like that, I know a lot of guys like to say they’re on SARMs and still claim natty or whatever, it’s – fuc**ng get real man. If you’re taking SARMs, I don’t care what you’re taking you’re not natty. You might as well make the jump to the dark side there.”
During the 90s, Nicholls shared that the purity of steroids was higher than it is today. He believes the doses haven’t changed much in the last 30 years, however.
“Pretty close. Pretty close. I mean there’s some things that have changed a little bit. Back in the 90s we’re talking about a lot of American pure gear. So, we’re talking about stuff that’s coming directly out of a hospital or a pharmacy versus now we’re talking about stuff that’s not as quite pure, still – those things all factor in, those things all change a little bit.
Purity, amount, how is everything going to be taken, but overall, when you’re talking about how much you’re going to use, it’s pretty close [from the 90s]. There’s always going to be guys that need a little bit more than others and other guys who don’t need very much. I think the key is finding out what is the least amount to get the biggest results right. It’s simple,” Chad Nicholls said.
Nicholls Says Best PED to Grow Muscle With Is Testosterone, Touches on Cortisol Blockers
Nicholls credits testosterone as the best PED for growing muscle in the shortest amount of time. He also said he’s seen athletes find great success micro-dosing testosterone.
“Testosterone. You know, but here’s the thing about testosterone, everybody thinks it’s this and that or whatever, but everybody is a little bit different. I think the key is, I’m big on using testosterone as a base. But you also have to see how your body responds to it, some people respond really really well to a slow Ester, so it could be Cypionate, but based off of how well your body metabolizes that and utilizes it within the system and how your body basically sets a baseline of testosterone; sometimes guys run better with that and a combination of like propionate, because of how it kind of spikes but then the one keeps it a little bit more steady.
Other people because of that spike, doesn’t respond well. The key is finding out where your body really gets the best benefit from the testosterone and which one of those esters or which combination of esters is best for you.”
“I’ve seen some guys make some really good progress over that way [testosterone] because you’re still stable. You’re using less but you’re taking it more often. The body is much more stable, especially if you’re just starting out like if you’re just getting started and stuff because a lot of the ups and downs can throw that body so far out of whack and the progression even slows down based off where you should be just natural.”
Next, Nicholls discussed the utility of cortisol blockers and mentioned some of his athletes currently use them.
“Ornithine, it was a cortisol blocker. It also blocked estrogen too, so it was utilized as – yeah, it would block estrogen a little bit, it would also block cortisol. The crazy thing about, it would basically it didn’t block it completely but what it did was regulated it. So there was never a high level of cortisol spiking in the system.”
“Some guys have access to it right now. I know, I’ve got some guys that have been using it a little bit and stuff. Again, it makes you feel pretty much like shit. You’re tired as fu**. It’s really hard on the stomach so you have to take it with food. Usually, no longer than four to five weeks, 250-milligram capsule usually, most people don’t go over 500.”
Nicholls says the dosages of steroids haven’t changed much since the 1990s, but there are some bodybuilding veterans from that era who disagree. Rich Gaspari recently took aim at Open Bodybuilding by suggesting that athletes are over-depending on drugs rather than quality training and nutrition.
Bodybuilding is a sport that requires dedication, discipline, and hard work. However, some athletes may utilize performance-enhancing drugs such as SARMs, to gain an edge over their competitors. Nicholls’ experience and knowledge can help aspiring bodybuilders make informed decisions about their respective careers.
You can watch the full video below, courtesy of the Desktop Bodybuilding YouTube channel:
RELATED: DEA Reveals Proposal to Change Telehealth Law, Threatening TRT Accessibility in U.S.
Published: 23 April, 2023 | 10:31 PM EDT
2023 Los Angeles Grand Prix Pro Results — Carlos DeOliveira Wins
The Men’s Physique division headlined the 2023 Los Angeles Grand Prix Pro at the Anaheim Mariott in Anaheim, CA on April 22. Over 20 competitors battled on stage with hopes of earning a coveted invitation to the Mr. Olympia competition.
The bodybuilding calendar will welcome the next Mr. Olympia show from November 2-5, in Orlando, Florida inside the Orange County Convention Center. Athletes have until October 9 to qualify. The top three Men’s Physique finishers from 2022 Olympia are automatically invited back to compete again at this year’s event.
The Men’s Physique winner from this weekend will have a chance to take Olympia gold from Erin Banks – the man who just cemented himself as a two-time Arnold Classic champ.
Heading into SoCal, there were a few names fans expected fireworks from, like Carlos de Oliveira, who recently finished fifth at the 2023 Arnold Classic. In addition, Kevin Brown and Joseph Lee were eager to turn in statement-making performances.
2023 Los Angeles Grand Prix Pro Results
Men’s Physique
Winner — Carlos DeOliveira
Second Place — Joseph Lee
Third Place — Andres Ramos
Fourth Place — Kevin Brown
Fifth Place — Roberto Lima
Sixth Place — Aundre Benson
Seventh Place — Jorge Hernandez
Eighth Place — Damar Turner
Ninth Place — Steven Pham
Tenth Place — Franky Yan
2023 Los Angeles Grand Prix Pro Scorecard
Fitness Volt congratulates the winner!
Published: 23 April, 2023 | 4:03 AM EDT
2023 Charlotte Pro Results and Scorecards
On April 22-23, the 2023 Charlotte Pro was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. This show featured a total of five of the IFBB Pro League divisions, including Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Figure, Bikini, and Wellness.
The five winners of this weekend’s competition will earn an invite to compete at bodybuilding’s most celebrated event of the year, the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest, which takes place in Orlando, Florida inside the Orange County Convention Center from November 2-5.
Currently, athletes have until October 9 to earn an invitation to this year’s Olympia. While there’s excitement about all divisions, fans have highlighted a few Classic Physique threats. Lemar Shaw, who placed outside the top 15 at the 2022 Olympia will be in attendance. Additionally, fans expect battles from Damien Patrick and David E. Kampfe Jr.
2023 Charlotte Pro Winners
Classic Physique: Daniil Famponte
Men’s Physique: Corey Morris
Figure: Madison Dinges
Bikini: Coming Soon
Wellness: Coming Soon
2023 Charlotte Pro Results
Classic Physique
Winner — Daniil Famponte
Second Place — Daniil Famponte
Third Place — Damien Patrick
Fourth Place — Tomas Adame-Hernandez
Fifth Place — Kelvin Ogbebor
Sixth Place — Lamar Shaw
Seventh Place — James “Jay” Yount
Eighth Place — Thomas Allen
Ninth Place — Barry Irving
Tenth Place — Tony A. Harris
Men’s Physique
Winner — Corey Morris
Second Place — Benquil Marigny
Third Place — Christopher Barr
Fourth Place — Dustin Alvis
Fifth Place — Puwanat Putoya
Sixth Place — Brett Mario Jackson
Seventh Place — John Murphy
Eighth Place — Roy Williams
Ninth Place — Brandon Elam
Tenth Place — Joshua Goforth
Figure
Winner — Madison Dinges
Second Place — Ericka Morgan
Third Place — Danielle Rose
Fourth Place — Constance Jones
Fifth Place — Amanda Houston
Sixth Place — Ashley Howells
Seventh Place — Deshane Price
Eighth Place — Sh’Nere Mattise Deas
Ninth Place — Nakeisha Scruggs
Tenth Place — Yukina Betz
Bikini
Coming Soon!
Wellness
Coming Soon!
2023 Charlotte Pro Scorecards
Fitness Volt congratulates the winners, and we look forward to seeing you compete on the Olympia stage.
Published: 23 April, 2023 | 3:29 AM EDT
Bob Cicherillo Wants William Bonac to Retire on Olympia Stage & Explains Samson Dauda’s Rise to the Top
IFBB Pro League athletes’ representative Bob Cicherillo often lends his voice to educating bodybuilding fans on the judging of events and more. In a recent interview with Desktop Bodybuilding, Cicherillo talked about William Bonac’s exit plan from the sport and shared his thoughts on the rise of Samson Dauda. Bodybuilding veteran William Bonac has been…
Chris Bumstead Builds A Beastly Back In Off-Season Training
Chris Bumstead is making the most of his time in the gym to stay ahead in the Classic Physique division. Recently, he annihilated a back training session in the gym with the goal to bring ‘a thick back this year’.
The Canadian IFBB Pro bodybuilder has risen to the status of the greatest active bodybuilders with a string of dominant wins on the grandest stage of bodybuilding – The Olympia. After snatching the Classic Physique Olympia title from rival Breon Ansley at the 2019 Olympia, Bumstead has defended it successfully in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The 28-year-old has been undeterred in the face of adversity and persevered over difficult situations. Fellow Canadian bodybuilder and long-time friend Iain Valliere has coached CBum for the majority of his career. However, the duo mutually decided to end the client-coach relationship before 2022 Olympia so Valliere to focus on his own career in the Men’s Open division.
Even if it was difficult, they swallowed the bitter pill and CBum entered the 2022 Olympia under famed coach Hany Rambod’s guidance. In spite of having suffered a bicep tear, Bumstead managed to bring the Sandows trophy home for the fourth consecutive time.
The champ took his own sweet time after the show and went through the treatment to heal the bicep completely. Having recovered, he is now slowly intensifying the off-season training for the 2023 competitive season.
His recent back training session was a part of this effort and Bumstead tackled it with furious intensity. The video of this session was posted on CBum’s personal YouTube channel. So let’s end the wait and take a look at the exercises he did to build a thick and wide back.
Chris Bumstead goes through a back workout
Bumstead usually prefers to start the training session with cable lat pulldowns or dumbbell exercises to warm up the back muscles before doing the heavy work. However, it was an unusually busy day in the gym and he had to stay away from the cable machine or dumbbell area to save on time. As a result, he started the training session with an unusual warm-up movement.
Hammer Strength Underhand Grip Pulldown
The 28-year-old headed to the machine area. He then went on to do the underhand grip pulldown on the plate loaded machine to warm up the lats before jumping into the heavy movements.
“Avoiding the cable dumbbell area for now. For the first time in my life I’m warming up on something other than cable pulldowns,” Cbum stated.
Bumstead performed multiple warm-up sets of this exercise unilaterally and tackled other heavy movements in the workout as he went along.
Incline Dumbbell Rows
Incline dumbbell rows are among the most effective ways to focus on the muscles and build a thick back. The exercise uses gravity to avoid other muscles from compensating for the back muscles during the lift. Since the chest is supported on the backrest of the bench toward gravity, the back muscles are forced to do all the work required for lifting the dumbbells. Hence, it helps with back development more effectively.
“I’m doing these with 85 (lbs dumbbells) right now given that I am weaker but it’s also lighter… And just squeezing full like deep range of motion like arching my back and pulling back further and pulling my elbows back as far as I can feel good. (The back’s) going to be thick this year…” CBum said.
CBum performed some solid sets of this exercise to get a good pump in the back muscles. He then jumped into the next one.
Machine Rows – 2 variations
Bumstead next performed rows on the Hammer Strength Iso-lateral rows machine. Both weight horns of the machine move independently. This enables removing strength imbalances, if any. CBum pushed through a few sets of the movement using slow and controlled motion. He then took to another variation of machine rows. He performed the exercise on a selectorized machine with a swivel handle and pushed through a few sets of the movement.
Superset – Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown and Bent Over Straight Arm Pulldowns
CBum wrapped up the training session with this superset. He performed the neutral grip lat pulldowns first and superset the movement with bent-over lat pulldowns. Bumstead used a band attachment for doing the bent-over straight-arm pulldowns. Lat pulldowns primarily focus on the latissimus dorsi muscles. On the other hand, straight-arm pulldowns target the latissimus dorsi and the teres minor muscles. Both these muscles are responsible for extending the arm, which happens to be the primary action of this movement.
Chris Bumstead performed all the sets of these exercises in rapid succession with minimal rest periods. Following this, CBum wrapped up the training session and headed back home with exhausted back muscles.
Overall, the workout included:
Chris Bumstead plans to defend the Classic Physique Olympia title a few more times and walk into the sunset. As a result, he is training hard to stay ahead of the curve and fight off hungry, young contenders like Ramon Rocha Queiroz and Urs Kalecinski. If he continues to get better, he can definitely retire as a reigning champion of the world when it is time to walk away.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Chris Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 22 April, 2023 | 9:03 AM EDT
49-yo Hidetada Yamagishi Shares Shredded Physique Update 18 Weeks from 2023 Masters Olympia
Hidetada Yamagishi is quickly finding himself as a frontrunner ahead of the 2023 Masters Olympia contest. In a recent Instagram post, ‘Hide’ posed and showed off his current physique 18 weeks from stepping back on stage.
Yamagishi, known for his balanced proportions and lower body detail, established himself as a force in two divisions during the 2000s. He switched between categories and earned invitations to compete at the Mr. Olympia show in 212 Bodybuilding and the Open.
While he never laid claim to a prestigious Sandow trophy, Yamagishi pushed some of the sport’s best 212 talent. His highest Olympia finish saw him place third, trailing behind Jose Raymond and seven-time 212 mainstay Flex Lewis.
Last year, Yamagishi revealed that he was stepping away from the sport. Even though he’s found success with a growing YouTube channel, the Masters Olympia comeback after 11 years piqued his interest. The official roster has yet to go public, but Hidetada made it clear he’s coming out of retirement for one last show in August.
Hidetada Yamagishi Looks Diced 18 Weeks from 2023 Masters Olympia
With his 50th birthday around the corner, Yamagishi shared a progress video a few months away from his next contest. Given his conditioning levels, proportions, and size, many fans believe Yamagishi could end up fighting for the Masters Olympia title.
“18 weeks out @mastersolympiaofficial” Hidetada Yamagishi wrote.
Another bodybuilding staple from the 2000s, Jay Cutler, teased a possible stage return. His physique went viral online after posing with fitness influencer Lexx Little. Following their collaboration, Cutler explained that he’s transforming his body for a ‘Fit for 50’ challenge, not to make a return at the Masters Olympia in Romania. In a show of honesty, Cutler underlined that he only plans to take testosterone replacement therapy for the transformation while staying away from compounds like Trenbolone.
In a series of Cutler Cast podcasts, the four-time Mr. Olympia shared that he will be in Romania for the Masters Olympia contest but won’t be competing on stage. With the show slated for this Summer, fans have begun brainstorming who might compete. Adding excitement to the weekend, the Olympia organizers announced a total of $229,000 in prize money to be distributed among 10 divisions.
RELATED: Hidetada Yamagishi “Its Getting Out of Control” Shared His Frustration With Judging In Bodybuilding
Cutler shared that the Masters Olympia roster will be revealed on April 25. Former 212 Olympia Kamal Elgargni has expressed interest in the event but left the door open until the ‘prize is right.‘ Regardless of who enters, it appears Hidetada Yamagishi is on track to shake up the competition.
Published: 21 April, 2023 | 3:45 PM EDT