Tag: GI News
Martyn Ford And Iranian Hulk Trade Blows After Heated Exchange During Staredown
The first staredown between Martyn Ford and the Iranian Hulk went as expected.
The anticipation and excitement around the boxing match between Martyn Ford and the Iranian Hulk is beginning to feel real. This was taken to the next level when the two rivals met face-to-face for the first time. The staredown took place in Dubai and was just as heated as expected. Ford and Sajad Gharibi came to blows on two occasions to set the stage for what already is a big-time fight.
The boxing match is scheduled to take place at the O2 Arena in London on April 2. The first staredown took place on Thursday morning about five weeks out of the fight.
During their first encounter, Gharibi attempted to take tackle Martyn Ford and take him to the ground. the two were separated before facing off once again. This is where Ford got even with a shove to the Iranian Hulk that sent him to the floor. Those who were filming the event were forced to help step in and break up the two behemoths.
This fight is scheduled to be a four-round bout which each being two minutes long. It is a Boxstar Celebrity Boxing event that is sanctioned by the Professional Boxing Association. This will be the headline event with 12 fights on the undercard. This makes for a great night of fighting at one of the most famous arenas in London.
When looking at the two fighters square off, you can notice the size differences. Martyn Ford holds a clear height advantage at 6-foot-9 compared to 6-foot-2 of the Iranian Hulk. Gharibi carries plenty of muscle mass and weighs around 390 pounds. This is 90 pounds more than Ford, who also carries great size at his extreme height. It will be interesting to see how this comes into play over the course of the night.
There is expected to be around 20,000 fans in attendance to watch this bout. They will have a chance to see the Iranian Hulk begin his boxing career against Ford, who has some experience in other areas. He has been training with some of the top fighters in the world to prepare. Ford has experience in MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
The plan for this fight was announced back in October. This means both fighters have had months to prepare and to think about their meeting. Both Martyn Ford and the Iranian Hulk are starting to gear up and that can be seen during their first staredown.
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Serena And Venus Williams Say Bodybuilding Could Be Part Of Life After Tennis
Serena and Venus Williams have discussed the possibility of becoming bodybuilders after their tennis careers.
It is not crazy to say that Serena and Venus Williams are the two greatest female tennis players of all-time. They have had great success since becoming prodigies at a young age. While they have dominated tennis for two decades now, the duo might have some other goals to achieve off the court.
The sisters will grace the cover of Harper’s Bazaar’s Legacy Issue. During their time with the publication, both Serena and Venus Williams discussed their future plans. Neither was ready to call it quits on the court but they could use their fitness passion and skill to take on bodybuilding.
“Serena and I say we’re going to become bodybuilders after tennis. It might be extreme. It might not happen exactly like that, but you never know,” Venus Williams said.
“From such a young age, all we’ve done is work. So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free.”
The tennis duo certainly has the freedom to do whatever they want after retiring from the sport that they have played all of their lives. Serena and Venus Williams have combined to win 30 Grand Slam titles as singles players and have won 14 Grand Slam titles as doubles partners. They have also added one Olympia gold medal each as singles players and combined to win three gold medals together as partners. These came in 2000 in Sydney, 2008 in Beijing, and 2012 in London.
The Williams’ sisters are also at the top of the career earnings’ list in terms of female players. They grew a passion for tennis at a young age and were trained hard by their parents. This is where they leaned plenty of lessons.
“My dad always told us to plan ahead. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” Serena Williams said.
“”We never planned to just only play tennis and just only be tennis players. We planned to do more.”
This is not to say that Serena and Venus Williams will take on the challenge of bodybuilding but it is a future plan that they have thought of. It would certainly be interesting to see how their training and overall lifestyle would change if they went from the tennis court to the bodybuilding stage. If there is a duo of athletes that could make the jump, it would be the Williams’ sisters.
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Channing Tatum Almost Rejected ‘Magic Mike 3’ Role After Claiming Training Is ‘Unhealthy’
Channing Tatum was almost not part of the third movie saying he had to “starve himself.”
It has been 10 years since Channing Tatum led a charge that took the world by storm and that charge was ‘Magic Mike.’ A movie full of male strippers quickly turned into a box-office hit and a sequel was made in 2015. Now, the third and final film of the trilogy is in the works but Tatum revealed that he almost had to pull himself out of the film.
Tatum recently appeared on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ and was asked about the new movie. He did not hold back on his feeling of playing Mike Lane in the film because of the training to prepare for the role.
“You have to starve yourself. I don’t think when you’re that lean, it’s actually healthy for you,” Tatum explained.
Channing Tatum continued to explain how it is not as easy to lose weight now than it was when he was younger. At 41 years old, Tatum almost rejected this role but would be willing to revisit the idea way down the line.
“It’s hard even if you do work out to be in that kind of shape.”
“The only one I said I’d actually do — before we decided on this version — was the ‘Grumpy Old Men’ version when we’re like 70. When we’re 70, I want to get the team back together, for sure.”
Channing Tatum is known for his versatility as an actor. He has appeared in movies where he is asked to dance, such as the Magic Mike movies and ‘Step Up.’ Tatum has dabbled in romance in ‘Dear John’ and is also more than capable of comedy, which we saw in the Jump Street films alongside Jonah Hill.
While an agreement was put in place to make ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance,’ this is much longer than Tatum expected the series to go on. In fact, he thought it would be a one and done film.
“In my opinion, we had chewed up all the meat on the bone, story-wise. Pun intended, I guess. They’re essentially movies about guys made for women. We didn’t plan on making a second one.”
“Then all of our ancillary characters were so good and fun that we felt like, ‘Let’s do another movie and give those characters more real estate that we didn’t have before.’”
Channing Tatum has sported a great physique in many roles and this is headlined by Magic Mike. While it is part of his career to stay in shape, it does not make it easy for some roles. There is no release date for the final Magic Mike film but we know it is in the works.
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TikTok Fitness Influencer Shares Strange Voicemail Left By Gym Employee
TikTok influencer @kenyastephh claims a gym employee stole her phone information to leave the voicemail.
Unfortunately, there have been recent stories coming out about female gym goers being approached or harassed by other gym goers or employees. This is something that has come to light again on TikTok. Fitness influencer with the username @kenyastephh shared posts to her TikTok account showing a strange voicemail left by a gym employee on her cell phone.
In December, two news stories went viral where a gym member actually followed a woman home after her workout. Another instance came to light about a creepy gym goer approaching a woman while working out and spotting her without consent. This is not appropriate behavior for the gym and this is why women are beginning to share their stories.
The most recent came from @kenyastephh where she shared another instance to her 17,000 followers on the platform. She claims that her phone information was taken from the database at the gym and used to make a call.
““Hello, this is EOS Fitness… I saw you doing glute spreads,” a man can be heard saying in the video before cutting out.
The fitness influencer continued to explain the incident in her caption and got plenty of positive responses from commenters.
“Friendly reminder to men to please not do things like this. This is very scary, too many weird things happen. I’m sorry for the women and wish this wouldn’t happen. I wasn’t in the room for more than five minutes and I got the call. I always wear a jacket around my waist to avoid this stuff. I was just trying to take some pics before my workout.”
The user @kenyastephh reported the incident to the gym manager asking her name and information to be removed from the database. She shared her location while performing the exercise and expressed how this can be a scary thing for females at the gym.
No one was hurt in this incident but it seems to be something that is happening more frequently. Gym goers are beginning to share their stories and put others on notice. The gym should be a safe place where people go to better themselves, both physically and mentally. It is a good thing for stories to be shared so the proper punishment be handed down.
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Ronnie Coleman On How Often He Has Sex: ‘Every Single Day If I Can”
Ronnie Coleman received an interesting question on his sex life during fan requests.
Ronnie Coleman remains a massive voice in bodybuilding after his retirement. This includes allowing fans to send in questions for him to answer on his YouTube page. This has become a ritual for the bodybuilder because of the response he has gotten. In a recent video, Coleman revealed that he has stayed active, in many ways, to this day.
While many questions are based around weightlifting and gym performance, there are fans that want to hear about the personal life of the eight-time Olympia champion. During this Q&A session, Coleman was asked how many times a week he has sex. The answer was quite simple.
“As many times as possible,” Ronnie Coleman answered.
The bodybuilder kept the answer short and sweet. With some laughter in the background, Coleman continued to say that he tries to have sex once a day if possible. Despite some beliefs, sex does not have any negative impacts on weightlifting ability.
There are some beliefs and rumors that testosterone levels can be impacted by sexual activity. This is not in a negative way. In fact, testosterone levels are one of the primary factors of muscle growth a development. Coleman was a monster in the gym and continues to hit it hard during his days off the stage.
Ronnie Coleman did answer some weightlifting questions and this includes his favorite exercises.
“This is the easiest question ever and I am asked this one a lot. I always say, all of them are my favorite exercise.”
Coleman listed squats, curls, cable crossovers, and deadlifts but made it clear that he likes all of them. He also addressed a question on light weight and he brought up a saying of his, “it’s all lightweight, baby.” This is the content that fans go to Coleman’s YouTube page for.
Ronnie Coleman is tied with Lee Haney for the most Olympia titles of all-time with eight. During his career, he was unbeatable and at the peak of the sport. In retirement, Coleman remains an influential figure and voice. This includes being given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Arnold Classic.
The 2022 season will likely feature Coleman in some aspect. It will be interesting to see the content that comes out over the season.
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Straight Facts: Comparing Old School Vs New School Bodybuilding
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Jerry Brainum dishes out the straight facts comparing old school vs new school bodybuilding tactics throughout the generations.
Technically, bodybuilding has existed as a lifestyle endeavor since the 19th century. So when speaking of old school bodybuilding – it can be referencing various eras in the history of the both the sport and the culture as a whole. Typically, when people discuss old school bodybuilding, they are referencing 60s and 70s bodybuilding. New school, or modern bodybuilding, focuses on the current era. This of course is frequently changing – but can today be labeled as anything post 2000. But what are the actual differences in bodybuilding over the years? In our latest episode of Straight Facts, Jerry Brainum compares old school to new school bodybuilding – tracing its evolution throughout the years.
Understanding of fitness science and overall technology with each passing year has significantly changed fitness as a whole. So of course, this has changed how professional bodybuilding works as well. Jerry Brainum attempts to trace the entire evolution of the sport and the tactics behind building muscle. Ranging from the early 1900s, through the Golden Era of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and into the modern era seemingly defined by social media and increased drug use.
What is the biggest difference between old school and new school bodybuilding?
There is no definitive answer to this question – and the definition of old school and new school will be different for each person. For Jerry Brainum, there is one key difference between these generalized definitions of bodybuilding eras. This comes down to how many times a week a body part is trained. It also comes down to volume and reps.
In the old school days, bodybuilders eventually settled on the standard of training a muscle group twice per week. It was also more common for workouts to consist of heavy volume and lower reps. In modern bodybuilding, it has become standard to train each muscle group once per week. To make up for the lack of a second day, a typical workout session now consists of enough exercises for what was once two days of work.
Modern bodybuilding has also largely moved towards lower volume and higher rep amounts – often training to failure. Of course, this is not solely done by all bodybuilders (there are some like Branch Warren or Guy Cisternino who go more old school hardcore even to this day). But overall, lower volume and higher reps seem to be the more popular standard in new school bodybuilding.
Free Weights Vs Machines
Another big difference between old school and new school bodybuilding is the equipment. Jerry Brainum explains that in older eras of the sport, it was much more common to focus on free weight exercises. This, of course, has led to some to believe that machine exercises are inferior to the old school method.
While there are pros and cons to both – the real reason old school bodybuilders did less machines is because there were far less machines in existence. The technology behind exercise machines has increased rapidly. It’s only natural for more equipment to be used today in comparison to yesteryear.
The question about drug use in bodybuilding across the decades
Another major difference between bodybuilding today and the old school eras is drug use. It’s been commonly assumed that bodybuilders today take more drugs than those in the Golden Era and earlier. Jerry Brainum seems to agree with this sentiment. While there are no deep studies done comparing the two – anecdotally, many athletes and experts, including Brainum, find that the doses are higher and the drugs more powerful.
Not only that, but brand new drugs have entered the arena in modern bodybuilding. Insulin was a drug unused in bodybuilding until the 90s. Milos Sarcev famously claims to have introduced it to the sport. There was also the introduction of SARMs (and their legally grey status) into bodybuilding as well.
In addition to this, technology makes this information easier to get, black markets easier to engage with, and drug distribution that much more plentiful. Jerry Brainum also makes a point to mention site enhancement oils. While these aren’t drugs in a traditional sense – they are used to “fill in” lagging small muscles. This probably didn’t enter pro bodybuilding until the late 70s.
Wrap up
Jerry Brainum spends a full 30 minutes breaking down the details between old school and new school bodybuilding. In fact, he chronicles the evolution of bodybuilding tactics across each decade – providing a quick history lesson on how we got to where we are today. Brainum touches upon training tactics, nutrition plans, drug regimens, and even how technology evolved and affected the sport. It’s a worth while listen for anyone interested in bodybuilding history. You can watch his full comments in our latest Straight Facts episode above.
Phil Heath Joins Cast Of Kai Greene Documentary
Phil Heath, longtime rival of Kai Greene, has joined the cast of the KAI feature film documentary.
7x Mr. Olympia champion Phil Heath has officially joined the cast of the Kai Greene feature film documentary. The documentary, tentatively titled KAI, was first announced in January 2021 with producer of The Last Dance Matt Maxson also involved with the project. The film is currently in production under the direction of Vlad Yudin.
Phil Heath and Kai Greene have a deep history ranging back over a decade. Their rivalry is considered to be one of the most exciting in the history of the sport. Greene was the only bodybuilder to truly threaten Heath throughout his seven-year reign as Olympia champion. Ultimately, Greene retired before having a chance to defeat Heath. Shaun Rhoden ultimately was the competitor to dethrone Heath at the Mr. Olympia in 2018.
But beyond their athletic rivalry, Phil Heath and Kai Greene’s personalities have clashed creating for some truly entertaining spectacle. They were notable for bringing much heat and trading barbs at the Olympia press conferences each year. In what might be their most viral moment – the two athletes nearly came to physical blows on the stage of Olympia stage in 2014.
The film will mark the first time the two titan bodybuilders appeared together in a feature film since the release of the original Generation Iron documentary in 2013.
The Kai Greene documentary will tell the full life story of Greene, ranging from his troubled childhood through his bodybuilding career and into his post-retirement lifestyle. The film promises to be the most uncompromising look into the mysterious past of Kai Greene – and provide unfiltered insight into his perception of the legacy of his bodybuilding career.
Kai Greene grew up in a troubled home in Brooklyn, only to eventually become a ward of the state and an orphan. Struggling to survive, he eventually became incarcerated during his youth. Upon being released from prison, Greene discovered bodybuilding, became a male exotic dancer, and eventually earned his way up into the IFBB pro league.
Phil Heath being interviewed on set of the Kai Greene documentary
Though he may have left his exotic dancing days behind him – he brought a unique brand to the bodybuilding stage. Fusing his skills as a dancer with his intense artistry – Kai Greene was known not only for his impressive physique but also his stellar posing routines. Greene would often wear custom costumes during his guest posings.
Ultimately, Kai Greene unofficially retired in 2016 after winning a string of Arnold Classic competitions. He never achieved the status of Mr. Olympia throughout his career. Many fan to this day believe he may make a surprise comeback. This is due to his physique still being in massive shape nearly six years after his last competition.
After retirement, Kai Greene and Phil Heath maintained a sort of frenemy relationship. The two continue to communicate publicly across social media platforms. The two had also been spotted training together. They both have also teased a potential reunion battle between the two of them on stage – though this has yet to ever materialize.
Phil Heath joining the cast of the Kai Greene documentary promises to provide the most unfiltered look into Heath’s relationship with Greene. It may very well be the most extensive retrospective of their rivalry.
The Kai Greene documentary is currently slated to release in 2022, though no specific date has been announced as of the time of this writing. Generation Iron will continue to provide updates on the project as more information becomes available.
Isaac Ghavidel Has Passed Away At 35 Years Old
Isaac Ghavidel was battling cancer for three years at the time of his death.
Isaac Ghavidel has passed away at 35 years old after a battle with cancer that spanned over three years. In 2018, Ghavidel announced that he was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma cancer. He underwent surgery to remove tumors from his brain along with other operations and treatments.
Ghavidel’s cancer was due to peptide consumption. He was a champion of Iran and professional bodybuilder that displayed incredible size when on stage.
The Iranian bodybuilder made a name for himself in the sport before relocating to Canada to continue his professional career. This came to a peak in 2018 when he was able to compete in the Toronto Pro Supershow.
This was the only IFBB show of Ghavidel’s career. He finished ninth in Men’s Open and had a chance to compete against some of the top names in bodybuilding. The show was won by Juan Morel and also featured Akim Williams, Rafael Brandao, Maxx Charles, and Cedric McMillan. Ghavidel finished top 10 and this was quite an accomplishment.
After his diagnosis, Isaac Ghavidel continued to work hard in and out of the gym. He quickly became an influential voice raising cancer awareness for young people.
This has been a difficult time in bodybuilding with the sport losing some of its top competitors. Unfortunately, Ghavidel contracted a terrible disease at a young age that there is not yet a cure for. Even after Ghavidel’s death, he will remain an influential figure in both bodybuilding in Iran and for cancer awareness.
Generation Iron sends condolences to the family and friends of Isaac Ghavidel during this difficult time.
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Phil Heath Discusses A Possible Return To Bodybuilding
Seven-time Olympia champion Phil Heath recently discussed his future in the sport.
Phil Heath put together a bodybuilding career that has him up there with the best of all-time. The seven-time Olympia champion continues to train and this has sparked conversation on a potential return to the bodybuilding stage. Also, Heath has not officially announced his retirement from the sport but he has not competed since 2020. Recently, Heath discussed the possibility of making more appearances in competition.
Heath joined The Lobliner Lowdown podcast to discuss his future. The main topic of conversation was Heath making a comeback and attempting to add more Olympia titles to his resume. The legendary bodybuilder broke it down even further that it is not about his desire to comeback but the path might be difficult.
It is not out of the ordinary for bodybuilders to deal with different injuries over the course of their careers. For Heath, he had to deal with issues from a very young age. He discussed how he was sent into hernia surgery at the age of 3 and this is something that he has dealt with over the course of his career — including the 2018 Olympia.
“Three weeks out, I was clinching up on my belt and I’m like ‘oh my gosh,’ I feel like something popped,” Heath explained.
“I called up Dr. Grishkin of Ohio and he’s just like, ‘basically you have a floating belly button. You got to figure it out, you got to just deal with it.’ That’s the information we can’t obviously have. When you compete, people are like ‘oh he’s distended.’ And I am like you try holding something that just popped and it erupted, like you have no feeling.”
Following the 2018 Olympia, Heath had to go through surgery to fix the problem. This is the year his streak of seven consecutive victories at the Olympia ended.
“I had to go right back into surgery, which was a much more extensive procedure because now they have to take both left and right side, bring everything together and then the mesh and the staples.”
This was a difficult recovery process for Phil Heath but he was able to make it back on stage in 2020, when he finished third in the Olympia. In 2022, Heath contracted COVID-19 and this caused him to lose weight and muscle mass. This can halt any bodybuilder in his tracks and is especially hard for one that has not competed recently.
Heath explained that the decision to make a comeback would require a large commitment. This is because he would have to get back into championship shape along with some personal decisions that could impact the decision.
“If you think about it, it’s not like, if you’re gonna do it, it has to be a three-year commitment. And what will you be giving up during those three years with business, relationship, family, all of those things? Excuse the pun but is the juice really worth that squeeze?”
Phil Heath does not have anything to prove in bodybuilding. He is already one of the best of all-time and is currently has the second most Olympia victories ever. This could be the motivation to make a comeback as he is just one behind Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney, who are tied with eight a piece.
It remains unlikely that Heath will make a return to the stage but never say never. What we do know is that if there is a future in competitive bodybuilding, it will not be anytime soon for Phil Heath.
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Arnold and Logan Paul Announce Slap Fighting at Arnold Sports Festival
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul are getting into slap fighting.
It appears that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul are getting into a slap fight. Well, not against each other. Schwarzenegger and Paul have agreed to put on a slap fighting competition at the upcoming 2022 Arnold Sports Festival.
Well this is certainly an unlikely turn of events. It appears that bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger has chosen to spice things up for the Arnold Sports Festival. The festival has become well known for bringing all different kinds of sports to the event. With MMA, strongman, and other sports being highlighted, bringing another kind of event to the show isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
But no one could have been prepared for this.
It appears that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul are bringing slap fighting to the Arnold Sports Festival. Both Schwarzenegger and Paul will be producing the event. Paul will even be live streaming the slap fighting competition on his YouTube channel.
Slap Fighting at the Arnold
The trailer for the event looks pretty intense. One thing is certain, they aren’t pulling any punches…or slaps.
Get ready to watch some brutal slaps March 5th in Columbus, Ohio with me and @loganpaul live and free on Logan’s YouTube and on @fanmio.
This is quite an unexpected turn of events. While seeing strength sports at the Arnold Sports Festival is no surprise, to see a slap fighting competition take center stage is a bit of a shock.
With that said there’s no doubt that intrigue is building for this event and how it play out. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Logan Paul working together to bring the masses this event is perhaps more shocking than the competition itself.
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.