Tag: nEWS
Powerlifter Gregory Johnson (93KG) Hits a 371.5-kg (819-lb) IPF Deadlift World Record at 2022 IPF Equipped Worlds
The 2022 IPF World Equipped Open Powerlifting Championships began on November 14th and will conclude on November 20th in Viborg, Denmark. Lasting an entire week, this competition gathered all of the best powerlifters from each division, one of which was Gregory Johnson, who had put on a spectacular performance with his incredible strength and stamina….
William Bonac Shares Full Day of Eating During Contest Prep for 2022 Mr. Olympia
Bodybuilder William Bonac is gearing up for the upcoming 2022 Mr. Olympia, scheduled for Dec. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent YouTube video, Bonac shared his full day of eating in prep several weeks from the Olympia. William Bonac first gained attention in the IFBB Pro League for…
Powerlifter Sonja Stefanie Krüger (76KG) Scores a 280.5-kg (618.4-lb) Squat World Record at 2022 IPF Equipped Worlds
It is rare to see someone as dominant at such a young age as Sonja Stefanie Krüger, considering that this elite powerlifter is just 22-years-old. She has already won World and European championships, but she is still hungry for more. So, Sonja decided to compete at the 2022 IPF World Equipped Open Powerlifting Championships, which…
Coach Dominick Mutascio Opens Up On Split With Nick Walker: ‘I Just Wish Things Were Handled Differently’
Men’s Open division standout Nick Walker is gearing up for the upcoming Olympia 2022, scheduled for Dec. 15-18 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent interview with Dave Palumbo of RxMuscle, coach Dominick Mutascio revealed the reason behind his split from Walker. Walker emerged as one of the most…
2022 Atlantic Coast Pro Results and Recap
In one of the last Mr. Olympia qualifiers for this year, competitors battled for an invitation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the 2022 Atlantic Coast Pro. The November 19 event featured competitors from the Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini and Women’s Physique. Each competitor this weekend shared the same goal of one day becoming an…
Nick Walker Crushes Leg Workout, Shares Peeled Physique Posing 4 Weeks From 2022 Mr. Olympia
With the goal of becoming a Mr. Olympia champion, bodybuilder Nick Walker plans to showcase dramatic improvements when he steps on stage. In a recent YouTube video, Walker shared a brutal leg workout and posing session four weeks from the Olympia contest next month. Fans and veterans of the sport have taken notice of Nick…
Breon Ansley “Embraces the Pain” of Training On Fewer Calories During Olympia Prep
The Speakeasy Gym in Pasadena, CA, was the training outlet for former two-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Breon Ansley on Nov. 10, 2022, for a shoulder and arm workout with six weeks to go before the 2022 Olympia. The grandest competition in the sport is scheduled for Dec. 16-18, 2022, and Ansley will compete as a Classic Physique competitor for the final time before moving up in weight to compete in the 212 division.
The workout at the Speakeasy was unique to Ansley’s prep as it was early in his caloric cut to lean out for the Olympia. Ansley says training on fewer calories (read: less energy) involves “embracing the pain.” Check out his training session in the video below:
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[Related: Men’s Open Olympia Competitor James Hollingshead Cosplays as Kratos from “God of War” Video Game at Comic Con]
Six is nothing to go through some pain, struggle, and exert some grit. That’s what’s going to make us the best in the world.
Pause sets and an emphasis on muscular endurance were the focal points of this session. While running on fewer calories, adaptations in the gym need to be made to prevent injury. Ansley opted not to increase the weight of each set too significantly as his strength is naturally lower while consuming less food.
The first movement was hammer grip dumbbell front raises. Ansley wore his lifting belt to support his bracing. Once he pre-exhausted his delts, he continued the set by switching to lateral raises. He continued his triset by leaning forward while sitting on the weight bench to perform dumbbell rear delt flyes.
The rear delt flyes could be performed by bending over while standing, but performing them seated offers better stability. That additional stability enables Ansley to move more weight without going too heavy, as the energy he would spend to brace himself while standing is removed as a limiting factor. These seem like small changes but can make a significant difference when detailing his physique.
[Related: The 10 Best Neck Stretches to Improve Your Pulls and Overhead Lifts]
Moving away from the dumbbell rack, Ansley hit sets of shirtless dips. He performed them in a more upright position to bias the front delts rather than the pecs and triceps. The trade-off was significantly less range of motion so as to not impinge his shoulders.
Once all the dips were done, Ansley ventured to the cable rack to perform upright rows. Noticeably, his form involved maintaining a decent distance between him and the cable. Typically, this movement is done by rowing the cable near the collarbone. However, Ansley hoisted the cable in front of him, mimicking the movement patterns of front raises.
Once his shoulder training was complete, Ansley continued by training his biceps via EZ-bar curls. He superset them with reverse grip curls to add density to his arms. Hammer curls and triceps pushdowns closed out the session.
Ansley ranked third at the Classic Physique Olympia in 2020 and 2021, behind runner-up Terrence Ruffin and three-time reigning champion Chris Bumstead. If Ansley recaptures the throne in December 2022, he would tie Bumstead for the most Classic Physique Olympia titles of all time.
Featured image: @breonma_ on Instagram
Mat Fraser’s HWPO Will Launch “Lift” Weightlifting Program on Nov. 7, 2022
Mat Fraser is building a coalition. On Nov. 7, 2022, his organization Hard Work Pays Off (HWPO) Training will launch a new branch of its coaching service called “HWPO Lift.”
Lift, a 12-week Olympic lifting-based strength training cycle, is supervised by Team USA Senior International weightlifting coach Aimee Anaya Everett of Catalyst Athletics.
Everett has stated that a primary goal of Lift is to “take the guesswork out of programming” so participants can sharpen their Olympic lifting skills while still keeping up with the varied challenges presented in CrossFit.
Credit: @hwpotraining
HWPO Chief Executive Officer Matt O’Keefe noted in an internal release that Lift is designed to “meet people where they’re at,” stating that the organization recruited Everett to spearhead Lift’s programming due to her vision and expertise as a weightlifting coach.
What Is HWPO Lift?
The pre-registration period for Lift will open on Oct. 30 and close a week later on Nov. 6, 2022. HWPO notes that participants who pre-register will unlock extra perks such as weekly calls with Everett and detailed program review.
Five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Fraser says that, under Everett, Lift will improve your Olympic lifting positional strength, technique, and movement quality; without having to give up your engine along the way.
Here’s what comes with Lift:
12 weeks of weightlifting-specific programming for the snatch, clean & jerk, and their accessories.
Optional conditioning circuits and metcons attached to the end of every training day.
Access to the HWPO Training App and its movement library.
Entry into the members-and-staff only HWPO community forum on the Circle app.
Building two separate athletic qualities in tandem takes both expertise and experience. Lift coach Everett has an extensive resume supervising athletes at the highest levels of both sports.
Who Is Aimee Anaya Everett?
Everett made history at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics as the first female weightlifting coach to attend a Games with Team USA. However, she began her coaching resume long before 2021. Everett coached the first-ever women’s CrossFit Games champion, Jolie Gentry, at the inaugural event in 2007.
Credit: @hwpotraining
[Related: IWF President Speaks on Diversity in Weightlifting and Successes of Tokyo Olympics]
Since then, Everett has stewarded athletes at Regionals and the Games themselves five times each. In recent years, she’s focused more exclusively on working with the best Olympic lifters in America.
Her achievements in competitive weightlifting as a coach include:
15 American Records
2 Pan-American Records
Along with multiple appearances at the World Weightlifting Championships (WWC). Everett personally coaches weightlifter Mattie Rogers, the United States’ most decorated Olympic lifter of the past decade. Rogers and Everett won a silver medal at the 2021 Worlds and are set to compete at the upcoming WWC in Colombia this December.
Hard Work Works
Fraser’s HWPO is rapidly becoming one of the most robust operations in functional fitness. Everett is but the latest pickup in a string of high-profile recruitments.
As the head of Lift, Everett boards HWPO alongside athletes like Amanda Barnhart, Mal O’Brien, and Sam Kwant, as well as strongman Rob Kearney. Kearney, a record-holding competitor in the log lift, oversees HWPO Strong.
Giving Everett the reins to Lift indicates that Fraser knows who the right people are for his people. HWPO Lift takes flight on Nov. 7, 2022.
Featured Image: @hwpotraining
2022 Prague Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview: Michal Križo Makes His Pro Debut
The 2022 Prague Pro bodybuilding event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic, and it’s one of the final shows before the Olympia.
There will be six IFBB Pro League contests held at this event, but none have more hype around them than the Men’s Open bodybuilding showdown. And most — if not all — of that has to do with the fact that this is the IFBB Pro League debut of Michal Križo Križánek, a competitor who former Mr. Olympia winners like Jay Cutler and Samir Bannout believe can make some real noise at this year’s Mr. O if he qualifies.
Here’s the full lineup for Men’s Open as of Oct. 28:
2022 Prague Pro Men’s Open Bodybuilding Roster
Kokeny Bela
Pavel Beran
Lewis Breed
Adolf Burghardt
Pavel Cervinka
Chams-Eddine El-Bey
Enrico Hoffmann
Vladimir Iacovlev
Michal Križo Križánek
Ahmad Mahmoud
Milan Sadek
Marian Sramko
Jan Turek
Favorites to Watch
If you’re looking for a cheat sheet of competitors to keep an eye on, here are three with big-time potential to walk away with a win.
Michal Križo Križánek
After being recognized as the number one bodybuilder for the IFBB Elite Pro for several years, Križánek will make his pro debut less than one month after earning his new pro card. If he wins this contest, he will earn a trip to the 2022 Mr. Olympia, scheduled to take place Dec. 16-18, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV.
Since Krizanek is starting his road to the Olympia so late in the season, he wouldn’t be able to earn enough points to qualify through the Olympia Qualification System. In other words, he must win one of the pro shows between the Prague Pro and the end of the season on November 20 to earn a spot at the O.
Milan Sadek
Milan Sadek is one of the veterans of this lineup, having competed as a pro since 2015. He appeared on the Olympia stage as a 212 competitor in 2017, when he placed sixth. And while he hasn’t won a pro show as an Open competitor, this contest could be an opportunity for him to change that. He will just have to counter Križánek’s size with razor-sharp definition and conditioning.
Marian Sramko
This is also Marian Sramko’s pro debut, and he could easily be the dark horse of the bunch. He won the 2021 NPC Worldwide British champion, thanks to his jaw-dropping legs. And his upper body isn’t too bad, either.
Sramko likes to use classic poses in his individual routine, which could impress the judges and push him up the scorecard. The only question for him will be if he can withstand the intensity and pressure that comes with being on a pro stage with an Olympia qualification on the line.
Olympia Qualification System
The second- through fifth-place finishers in all six divisions will earn Tier 4 points in the Olympia Qualification System, and those points can be valuable. The top three in the standings as of November 20 will also move on to the Olympia. The points per position are below.
2nd – 4 points
3rd – 3 points
4th – 2 points
5th – 1 point
[Related: Kings, Chemists, and Oaks — The 10 Best Bodybuilding Nicknames of All Time]
Other Divisions
The lineups for the other five contests (212, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique, Bikini, and Wellness) are below. In total, more than 70 pros across all six divisions will represent 20 countries. No Americans are in the lineup for this contest.
212 Bodybuilding
Abdulrahman Alkhashti
Steve Benthin
Jamal Changezi
Dawid Cnota
Pasquale D’Angelo
Peter Molnar
Daniel Sticco
Tomas Tabaciar
Jorge Zamorano
Mihoubi Zohir
Classic Physique
George Acheampong
Thomas Baier
Luca Corrado
Petar Duper
Djallel Feidi
Sebastian Guncik
Patrik Herczik
Kelvin Hinde
Jakub Kolinek
Fatih Terzioglu
Andrej Varga
Men’s Physique
Hashem Alfotewi
Omer Bahmed
Tamas Csernoch
Dimitri Desheraud
Furkan Er
Miroslav Juricek
Daniel Leone
Mohamed Magdy
Davide Mazzolari
Andrea Mosti
Abisai Pietersz
Miroslav Priban
Manuel Santalucia
Filip Steflovic
Oskar Tchorzewski
Daniel Tulok
Rafal Zabawa
Bikini
Anastazja Biedka
Andreea Cazaceanu
Martyna Derlat
Valerya Fedorenko
Klaudia Ignasiak
Tatiana Lanovenko
Ottavia Mazza
Zsofia Reka Molnar
Eszter Oczella
Mie Kirstine Rommelhoff
Henrieta Skupekova
Aneta Szoltysek
Allison Testu
Wellness
Aysegul Besli
Mari Carvalho
Leonida Ciobu
Aline Machado Galvao Freitas
Lidia Melero
Anna Mroczkovska
Lexy Oliver
Maria Paulette
Figen Sahin
Clara Sella
Lara Tasharofi
Danai Theodoropoulou
Sabrina Diaz Urdaneta
Michelle Vogelsgesang
Featured Image: KRIZO on YouTube
CrossFitter Chandler Smith Log Pressed 285 Pounds Ahead of 2022 Rogue Invitational
On Oct. 22, 2022, strongman Zach Hadge shared a post on his Instagram page wherein he coaches elite CrossFit athlete Chandler Smith in the log press. While it was curious at the time of the post why Smith was training a maximal lift in a different strength sport, it became clear when seven of the 10 events for the 2022 Rogue Invitational were announced a few days later.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational will feature a one-rep max log lift event titled “Texas Oak” on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Check out Hadge’s post below:
Note: scroll to the left to see Smith’s lifts.
[Related: WWE’s Liv Morgan Takes Fans Through Her Grueling Glute Workout]
Elite CrossFit contests such as the CrossFit Games and the Rogue Invitational have incorporated a lot of strongman-inspired events into their program over the past few seasons. The 2022 Games event titled “Capitol” included a farmer’s carry and Husafell sandbag carry in its final stretch.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational follows that trend, and Smith seems to be preparing to press a potential event-winning weight overhead. Hadge’s caption in his post expressed how impressed he was with how Smith took to the new overhead variation:
This kid is something else. I haven’t been around focus like his in a very long time.
Smith also posted a video of himself from the training session on his Instagram, offering another angle. He wore a lifting belt but eschewed elbow sleeves, wrist wraps, and knee sleeves. Check it out below:
[Related: Strongman Hafþór Björnsson to Compete in Powerlifting Meet In December 2022]
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to work with two world-class strongmen in Rob Kearney and Zach Hadge ahead of the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
Hadge commented on Smith’s post that Smith’s max lift was 285 pounds.
Smith finished eighth overall at the 2021 Rogue Invitational, won by two-time reigning Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros. As of this article’s publication, three of the 10 events have yet to be announced.
We’ll see if Smith’s strongman training in the lead-up to the competition kicking off on Oct. 27, 2022, in Round Rock, TX. He will compete against 19 other elite CrossFitters in the Individual Men’s division for six figures in prize money.
Featured image: @hadge_brothers on Instagram