Tag: nEWS
Following Big Ramy Olympia Win, Egyptian Preacher Forbids Bodybuilding
“I am not saying no to sports, but the rules of the Sharia ought to be respected when doing so… Awrah for men includes the body parts between their navel and knees, and it’s the entire body for women, except for their face and hands,” Rushdy said.
“I advise young men not to practice bodybuilding because of this and women should not participate in any competition that requires them to show parts of their bodies.”
While Abdullah Rushdy’s statements and issued fatwa is a very big deal – it’s not representative of all of Egypt. This is clear in the celebration videos that have gone viral upon Big Ramy returning to Egypt. It is also unclear whether or not Rushdy’s statements will affect Ramy’s personal outlook on bodybuilding. But Rushdy’s statements coming so close to an Egyptian bodybuilders iconic pro bodybuilding win has created a mini storm of attention for the time being.
If anything, this just further proves that Big Ramy’s rise to prominence in pro bodybuilding has had a massive impact for the Egyptian community. While bodybuilding might not be a mainstream sport in the United States – it is a deeply passionate sport across the globe. Ramy has stated that he will continue to reign as Olympia for years to come – it will be interesting to see if this brings more controversial attention in the years ahead.
Mohamed El Emam: Ronnie Coleman’s Best Package Would Easily Win Olympia Today
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Mohamed El Emam believes no bodybuilder currently competing would be able to beat Ronnie Coleman at his best.
Whenever we have a chance to interview a pro bodybuilder for our GI Exclusives, we always ask them for their picks of the best bodybuilders of all time. Each person’s list can reveal some insight into their own goals and careers. At the same time, there is also often a commonality between each list. Certain competitors so impressive that they can’t be ignored. Ronnie Coleman is one of those athletes. For Mohamed El Emam, Ronnie is the absolute best of all time. He goes a step further by claiming that no modern bodybuilder today could defeat Ronnie in his prime. In our latest GI Exclusive, Mohamed El Emam claims Ronnie Coleman would easily win the Mr. Olympia today – including against current champ Big Ramy.
It’s no secret that Ronnie Coleman has the reputation as one of the sport’s best bodybuilders. That’s for good reason. Ronnie solidified the mass monster era and displayed a package so massive and so conditioned – that it seemed almost inhuman. To this day, few have been able to match that kind of shocking physique. It’s for this reason that Mohamed El Emam believes Ronnie is the single greatest bodybuilder of all time.
In fact, Mohamed El Emam believes that Ronnie Coleman’s physique is so impressive – that he would easily win the Mr. Olympia today if he were magically in his prime. That’s an example of how legendary Ronnie’s physique has become in bodybuilding. Some believe he has yet to be matched.
Big Ramy, our current and now two time Mr. Olympia champion, has often been compared to Ronnie Coleman. They both bring mass monster size (even compared to an entire division now packed with mass monsters). Both Ronnie and Big Ramy are unnaturally huge compared to the competition. In recent years, Ramy has also gotten his conditioning under control to look even closer to Ronnie’s impressive package during his prime years.
That being said, Mohamed El Emam cannot but Big Ramy on his list of best bodybuilders just yet. It’s only been a short while that Ramy has been champion – and it remains to be seen if he could maintain the conditioning needed to reign in the long term. El Emam believes that in five more years we can look back and more accurately evaluate Big Ramy.
Even still, Mohamed El Emam is very clear in his statement that Ronnie Coleman could “easily win the Mr. Olympia today.” That includes Big Ramy. So despite Ramy often being compared to Ronnie – El Emam still doesn’t quite put Ramy in the same category. In a way, that’s a major factor that’s been missing from the sport the past few years – a new mind blowing step forward in the form of a competitor.
In some ways, this makes for more exciting competitions. We’ve had more Mr. Olympia champions in the past four years than usual. Big Ramy just earned his repeat victory but before that each year brought us new champions including Shawn Rhoden, Brandon Curry, and most recently Big Ramy. There’s been no knockout champion. Even Ramy’s 2021 physique was a slight notch down from 2020. There were those who thought Brandon Curry would rise for revenge and reclaim his title. That didn’t happen – but the fact that it was close showcases how there is no “Ronnie Coleman level” monsters on the stage currently.
You can watch Mohamed El Emam break down his adoration for Ronnie Coleman in more detail (plus his other top bodybuilder picks) in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
Eddie Hall Challenges Hafthor Bjornsson To $100k Charity Boxing Match
Eddie Hall recently challenged Hafthor Bjornsson to a boxing match to raise money for charity.
The boxing match between Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson has not been able to happen just yet. This was originally scheduled for Sept. 18 of this year but it was forced to be postponed because of an injury that Hall suffered. Now, the strongmen could put a wager on their fight whenever they do step in the ring.
In a recent YouTube video on his page, Hall proposed a deal to make this fight for charity. The loser would have to donate $100,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. Hall continued by calling out promoters to decide on the venue and when the fight would take place.
Hall suffered a torn bicep, which forced his to step away from the September fight. He addressed that his bicep is fully reattached and that the surgery and rehab was a success.
“In two years since we’ve signed the contract, I haven’t seen a single punch from you that’s made me think, ‘oh, that one would hurt.” Eddie Hall said.
“You give this vibe of confidence which I want to call upon. If you’re that confident, let’s do a little wager between ourselves. If you’re that confident, why don’t we do, the winner gets a $100,000 to their choice of charity. So if I win, you pay a $100,000 to my choice of charity. If you win, I pay $100,000 to your choice of charity.”
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The confidence that Eddie Hall showed in this video is based off his opinion that Hafthor Bjornsson’s boxing ability has not progressed since the two originally decided to fight. Bjornsson ended up fighting Devon Larratt and this fight ended in a first-round knockout. This was not a surprising outcome as Larratt is an arm-wrestling competitor and did not have much time to prepare for this fight.
It is not surprising to see Hall as confident as he is. Even during his rehab process, Hall has remained in the gym and has been working on perfecting his skills. While he was doing this, Bjornsson has also continued training and has had the opportunity to go up against live competition in the ring.
There will be no shortage of a storyline when these two eventually link up for what is being promoted as “the heaviest boxing matching history.”
There is no doubt that the two strongmen will step into the ring at some point. They have a history in powerlifting competitions and that will continue in boxing.The question remains, when and where? There is a chance for the two to meet in March of the upcoming year.
If this is the case, it would be interesting to see if there is a wager and how much it is for. Eddie Hall has already made an offer and now it is up to Hafthor Bjornsson to make the next move.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The Rock Shows Off Some Recent Incredible Leg Development
The Rock shares some incredible progress pics of his leg development.
The Rock just fresh off of filming Black Adam is showing off some incredible leg development. The actor and athlete took to social media to showcase just how impressive his physique continues to become.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is no stranger to hard work. The talented pro wrestler turned actor has always done his best to push his limits. That not only means in the entertainment arena, but in entrepreneurship and business. But of course one of the biggest assets that got The Rock to where he is today is his incredible physique.
You could argue that after his career in wrestling, The Rock truly began to find his stride. He’s been able to grow himself into a household name with a number of acting projects. It was when he joined the Fast and The Furious series that his career truly took off. With that move to the popular action series we also saw The Rock produce an incredible physique the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Since then we’ve seen him continue to work on building a quality and functional physical form.
So it should come as no surprise that The Rock has made some incredible improvements to his legs. He’s put an emphasis on his leg development in the past, but his recent training eludes to The Rock turning a corner where his wheels are concerned. A recent post to his Instagram account shows The Rock sporting some pretty incredible legs, ones no doubt forged through the fires of intense training.
Bull mana ?
Completely smashed our leg training last night.
Been very pleased (though not satisfied) with my progress in the gym, constantly fine tuning my diet and especially overlaying a wiser approach to work/life balance and mindfulness. ??♂️??♂️
Shit is hard to do, with a million people & things pulling at you every day – I get it, I live it and I understand.
Do your best to block out the noise and stay focused on the goals and initiatives.
Make your goals a healthy obsession and then apply the strategy of consistent, daily hard work.
Slow and steady always wins the long game race.
Have a productive week.
The Rock continues to impress all the time. He has gone to great lengths to get extra chiseled and jacked for the Black Adam film and it shows. With The Rock just several months shy of his 50th birthday, his continued improvement is truly inspirational.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
Why Was Cedric McMillan Absent During Finals At 2021 Legion Sports Fest?
Cedric McMillan did not appear in the finals on Sunday after being present during prejudging.
The 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro had plenty of storylines over the weekend and Cedric McMillan was a big one coming in. This event took place on Sunday in Reno, NV with the winner taking home an automatic qualification to the 2022 Olympia.
McMillan was set to make his return to the stage to go up against some of the other top competitors. He made an appearance on stage during prejudging but was not there for the finals at night. There has been no official statement made but it is rumored that McMillan missed the finals because of an illness.
Prior to the finals, it appeared that McMillan was not happy about something that happened. It is unknown if this was about his performance or the bad luck sickness that came over him but the statement is pretty self-explanatory. McMillan took to his Instagram story on Sunday afternoon.
Shaun Clarida finished with the gold in Men’s Open. Clarida made the transition from the 212 division to see how he matched up with some of the biggest competitors in the sport. Clarida ended up taking home the prize but made it clear that he was not leaving 212. This was announced prior to the competition. Clarida was coming off a second-place finish at the Olympia.
Cedric McMillan was one of many notable names, along with Regan Grimes and Sergio Oliva Jr. Fans were excited to see him back on stage after being forced to miss some time with an injury.
McMillan was forced to miss the Arnold Classic this year. This is an event that McMillan has had plenty of success in. He appeared on the broadcast, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, but it was not the same impact. McMillan has finished outside of the top five at the Arnold Classic just once and has totaled three top-three finishes. This is highlighted by a second-place finish in 2016.
Cedric McMillan entered the competition as one of the competitors to watch. It remains unclear why McMillan was not present at the finals but fans can continue to look forward to the next time he will step on stage.
This is a story that will continue to update as more information becomes available. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Milos Sarcev Says Regan Grimes can become Mr. Olympia in 3 Years
Milos Sarcev believes Regan Grimes could become Mr. Olympia very soon.
Veteran bodybuilder Milos Sarcev thinks that Regan Grimes could become Mr. Olympia in as little as three years. The bodybuilding legend has always been impressed with the potential of Grimes, but his recent statements just how much faith he has in the young bodybuilder.
This past weekend Regan Grimes took second place at the Legion Sports Fest show. While he may have trailed behind 2020 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida, Grimes already showed some pretty solid improvements since place 15th at the 2021 Olympia.
In just a few weeks after the show, Grimes’ work with Milos Sarcev appears to already be paying off. This show earned him some great points to help push him towards qualifying for the 2022 Olympia next year.
The overall big picture for Regan Grimes is unleashing his full potential. Grimes isn’t content to just compete and deliver good showings. His ultimate goal is to stand on the biggest stage in the world and prove that he’s the best of the best. But with such lofty goals to dominate the bodybuilding world, it will take more than just a few good showings to get him to where he wants to go. It will take pushing past his limits and unlocking the potential buried within.
It will also require some patience if Grimes’ new coach is to be believed.
Milos Sarcev is a bodybuilding veteran with a well respected track record himself. Not only has he competed at the highest levels of the sport, he has helped quite a few bodybuilders achieve greatness of their own. According to Sarcev, Regan Grimes isn’t too far away from achieving the ultimate goal: the coveted title of Mr. Olympia.
Mr. Olympia in 3 Years
A recent video posted to Regan Grimes’ YouTube channel shows he and Milos Sarcev discussing the future. In the video Sarcev specifically states that Grimes is three years away from potentially becoming Mr. Olympia. Sarcev breaks down exactly what he’ll have Grimes doing to improve his physique and performance in the video below.
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It’s always been apparent that Regan Grimes had the potential to become a major figure in bodybuilding. Now that he’s working with Milos Sarcev, Grimes may have just given himself the best shot at attaining a major bodybuilding title in the future.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
Lukas Osladil: “Young Bodybuilders Don’t Care About Their Health”
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Lukas Osladil makes a plea for younger bodybuilders to “stop and think” about their future health.
It’s a natural part of the human condition to be somewhat short sighted. Youth is wasted on the young – as they say. This holds true for health in bodybuilding. Young bodybuilders may feel immortal so they are more willing to push the boundaries of what is healthy in hopes of becoming a legend. Sadly, these actions might not have consequences until much later down the line of life. Lukas Osladil is a bodybuilder who has always tried to balance his health with the risks of Men’s Open bodybuilding. He notices many young bodybuilders are taking bigger risks – and fears for what that might lead to in the future. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Lukas Osladil discusses health in bodybuilding and the different perspectives between young and older competitors.
Lukas Osladil made a pretty memorable statement during our video conversation: “I am always concerned for my health.” It’s a sort of self awareness that you don’t always see in competitive bodybuilders. Men’s Open bodybuilding can be risky – like many other pro sports that test the limits of human potential. Osladil has always made sure to put just as much effort into his health as he does into his training and growth as an athlete.
This is why Lukas Osladil takes larger breaks between competition cycles. He learned the trick from Kevin Levrone, who would often takes three months off from heavy bodybuilding training to reset. This is a tactic he’s recently took on after many years of no breaks. Osladil thinks more bodybuilders should do this. He thinks that living the bodybuilding lifestyle 24/7 is dangerous and will lead to health complications.
Lukas Osladil is also happily being trained by George Farah, who in his later years has emphasized health in bodybuilding more than his past self. Osladil would like to think his outlook helped influence Farah’s training style over the years. He’s not sure if this is true – but in either case, he’s happy with the nice fit they have as bodybuilder and trainer.
Osladil also understands the catch 22 of pro bodybuilding. Namely, that younger bodybuilders will always take greater risks. Unfortunately, those risks don’t show health consequences until years later – when it’s too late to go back. Older bodybuilders understand how their health has been effected – and so take more precaution. But for many it’s too late by that point. Is it possible to overcome the confident cockiness of young athletes?
Lukas Osladil isn’t sure if it can be changed but he wants to use his platform as a pro to urge young bodybuilders to be more careful. He sees bodybuilders dying all around him and worries that it will get worse. He hopes young competitors can get a wake up call and start playing it safer with their health.
You can watch Lukas Osladil’s full comments on bodybuilding and health risks in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
2021 Border States Pro Results
Kyron Holden wins Men’s Physique at the 2021 Border States Pro!
Kyron Holden has been one of the top Men’s Physique competitors and he showed it once again at the 2021 Border States Pro. Holden was able to gain early qualification to next year’s Olympia by winning Men’s Physique on Saturday.
The Border States Pro took place in San Diego over the weekend. This was a show highlighted by the Men’s Physique division with some of the top competitors in the world looking for qualification to the biggest even of the year. This is something that Holden is comfortable with and has done in the past.
Holden entered the weekend coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Olympia. This was his lowers finish since 2018. Holden has solidified himself as one of the three best competitors in Men’s Physique and will have a chance to return to that level at next year’s Olympia.
Holden finished third in back-to-back years at the Olympia Men’s Physique in 2019 and 2020. He has victories at some big events such as the New York Pro and Legion Sports Fest Pro. Holden made his first Olympia appearance in 2017 and quickly rose to an elite competitor in the division. There was some competition at this year’s Border States Pro, such as Reynel Chavez Pelido and Andre Smith.
This was a chance for Holden to show that he is a force and will continue to show progress moving forward. The Men’s Physique division was the big prize at the 2021 Border States Pro. The full results have been announced and a full breakdown can be found below!
2021 Border States Pro: All Division Winners
Men’s Physique: Kyron Holden
2021 Border States Pro Breakdown
First Place – Kyron Holden
Second Place – Reynel Chavez Pulido
Third Place – Andre Smith
Fourth Place – Godfrey Sironda
Fifth Place – Rodney Harvey
Sixth Place – Francisco Rodriguez
Seventh Place – William Walker
Eighth Place – Jabbaar Tobias
Official Score Cards
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the 2021 Border States Pro. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
2021 Poland Pro Supershow Results
Mike Sommerfeld wins Classic Physique at the 2021 Poland Pro Supershow!
Mike Sommerfeld showed up the to 2021 Poland Pro Supershow in top shape and was able to win Classic Physique. This event took place on Sunday in Warsaw, Poland with Classic Physique and Bikini competitors looking for qualification to the 2022 Olympia.
In the end, Sommerfeld came out victorious. He earned a victory back in July at the IFBB Xtreme Bodybuilding & Fitness Pro. This punched his ticket to the biggest event of the year where Sommerfeld went toe-to-toe with the top competitors in the world. Sommerfeld finished seventh at this year’s Olympia but can be viewed as an up-and-comer. He will have a chance to prove this once again at the 2022 show after winning on Sunday.
Wiktoria Gasior was victorious in the Bikini division. Gasior was last on stage in September when she finished second at the IFBB Tsunami Cup Pro. Now, Gasior will join Bikini at the Olympia next season. This was the largest division at the Olympia just three weeks ago. It is as competitive as any other division and will feature some new names next year.
The 2021 Poland Pro Supershow was able to crown a champion in two events and give qualification for the 2022 Olympia. The full results have been announced and they can be seen below!
2021 Poland Pro Supershow: All Division Winners
Classic Physique: Mike Sommerfeld
Bikini: Wiktoria Gasior
2021 Poland Pro Supershow Breakdown
Classic Physique
First Place – Mike Sommerfeld
Second Place – Hubert Kulczynski
Third Place – Hany Saeed
Fourth Place – Ruben Lopez Reyes
Fifth Place – Roberto Martinez Pizana
Sixth Place – Yevhenii Mykhailenko
Seventh Place – Denis Romanov
Eighth Place – Piotr Wojtowicz
Ninth Place – Roman Khaliulin
Tenth Place – Aldin Alijagic
Bikini
First Place – Wiktoria Gasior
Second Place – Ana Maria Vintu
Third Place – Adrianna Kazcmarek
Fourth Place – Noora Mahonen
Fifth Place – Aneta Szoltysek
Sixth Place – Eliana Guzman Reyes
Seventh Place – Kristina Alexandrovna Ivanova
Eighth Place – Klaudia Ignasiak
Ninth Place – Renata Nowak
Official Score Cards
Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the 2021 Border States Pro. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.
2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro Results
Shaun Clarida wins Men’s Open at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro!
The 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro was the next big bodybuilding event and it was headlined by Shaun Clarida taking home the prize in Men’s Open. Some of the top competitors in the world gathered to Reno, NV looking to gain qualification to the 2022 Olympia.
There was plenty of talent on stage on Sunday afternoon. In the Men’s Open division, the most exciting story was Shaun Clarida’s Men’s Open debut. Ultimately and seemingly against all odds – Clarida was victorious despite only weighing just under 175 pounds – much lighter than a typical Men’s Open competitor.
The first hint of Clarida’s path to victory was during the prejudging round – where he was placed center during the final callout – a sign the judges were comparing all competitors to Clarida’s physique. He later brought the victory home in the finals.
Shaun Clarida made his debut in the Men’s Open division on Sunday. He is coming off a second-place finish at the Olympia 212. Clarida won the event back in 2020 before finishing second to Derek Lunsford this year. Clarida displayed a strong physique with his usual mix of size and conditioning.
Clarida has his work cutout for him in this contest going up against the likes of XX and Regan Grimes. After a disappointing outing in the Olympia, Grimes hired a new coach and made immediate changes. This paid off as he displayed an even bigger physique that will only continue to improve. Sergio Oliva Jr. was also present at the event. He has turned into one of the best posers in the world.
Cedric McMillan made his return to action this weekend. McMillan missed time with an injury and was forced to sit out of the Arnold Classic but appeared on the broadcast. Maxx Charles and Patrick Moore added even more star power to the competition. There was plenty of size present on stage on Sunday and the event did not disappoint.
There were six events in total at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro looking for an automatic bid to the Olympia. The full results have been announced and can be found below!
2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro: All Division Winners
Men’s Open: Shaun Clarida
Classic Physique:
Men’s Physique:
Fitness:
Bikini:
Women’s Physique:
2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro Breakdown
Men’s Open
First Place – Shaun Clarida
Second Place – Regan Grimes
Third Place – Sergio Oliva Jr.
Classic Physique
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Fitness
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Bikini
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Women’s Physique
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Generation Iron wishes to congratulate all the great athletes who earned a win at the 2021 Legion Sports Fest Pro. Make sure to check out our full IFBB Pro results page from this year and previous years right here to catch up on any action you may have missed!
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.