by Christian Duque

The NPC North American Championships has always been my favorite NPC pro qualifier. Out of the NPC USA Championships, the NPC Nationals, the NPC Universe, the NPC Masters Nationals and the new NPC Masters USA’s, the North Americans are truly an international event. At the North Am’s you have the best of the United States, Canada, and Mexico all descending upon Pittsburgh, vying for coveted IFBB Pro League pro cards.

by Matt Weik

I was listening to a video put out by Gary Vaynerchuk the other day and he said something that immediately made me think about the bodybuilding industry. He said that MLB destroyed their viewership and that Mike Trout could walk into a room and no one would know who he is. Man, that’s super powerful. The best baseball player in the game right now and not a single soul (including me) would know him from anyone else in a room if he walked in. That would never happen with someone like Michael Jordan. Jordan could walk by Stevie Wonder, not say a word, and Stevie would say, “What’s up, Mike?” Why? Because brands marketed the heck out of him and everyone knew him. The NBA had no issue putting his face anywhere and everywhere they could to utilize his personal brand.

by Christian Duque

IronMag TV Episode 3

by Christian Duque

Here’s the deal folks, when you’re a top tier bodybuilder on the level of Big Ramy, competing is what it’s all about. I always half chuckle to myself when pros decide to take entire years off, as if they were ageless. I totally understand and even advocate new pros taking 1-2yrs to put on size and fix flaws, but they’re in a unique category. It makes total sense for a new pro to do that; however, when you’re at the top of your game, you don’t just throw an entire year away.

by Christian Duque

As fans of legendary bodybuilder and wrester Ric Drasin, we’re all praying for our hero’s recovery, as the former Muscle Beach icon is said to be in the hospital after issues arose with a knee surgery he’d had some years ago. Drasin, who was a fixture of the golden era of bodybuilding, has stayed very busy over the years, with his hit program Ric’s Corner, as well as collaborations with industry megastars like Jerry Brainum and his work with major outlets like Generation Iron. Many bodybuilding fans also remember Ric’s short run with Ironmag TV. Drasin, who hosted the series Tips from Ric, was a favorite among many viewers of the network. Viewers enjoyed Ric’s knowledge and passion for the sport.

by Christian Duque

Dexter Jackson will go down in history as the winningest pro in the history of bodybuilding. He’s won pretty much every title imaginable. He’s won the Arnold 9x, he’s won the Olympia, and even won the Masters Olympia. He’s competed throughout the world, worked with the biggest supplement companies, and continues to do very well on stage. Just this year, he took a solid second place to 2x Arnold champion William “The Conqueror” Bonac. There was also some talk of Dexter doing the much talked-about Athleticon event in Atlanta (which has been postponed to 2021) and of course, what’s commanded the most conversation about The Blade all year long, has been the 2020 Mr. Olympia, which is said to be Jackson’s last.

Will Shaun “GK” Clarida upset reigning 212 Olympia Showdown champion, The Lion of Libya, Kamal El Gargani in December in Las Vegas, NV? And will The Egyptian Phenom, BIG RAMY, compete in Spain and qualify for the 2020 Mr. Olympia?

by Matt Weik

Back in 2016, I wrote an article on whether or not Hunter Labrada and Sergio Oliva Jr. could ever outdo their dads. In that article, I mentioned that Hunter Labrada had quite the shoes to fill and would need to put in the work to even get anywhere close to being on the same level as when his father was competing.

by Matt Weik

In case you have been out of the loop, gyms across the nation have slowly been opening up safely and without incident. Yet, for some reason, NY and NJ continue to deem gyms unsafe and are not allowing them to fully reopen – regardless if they are following CDC guidelines or not. That said, the owners of Atilis Gym Bellmawr seem to have an “us versus the world” mentality when it comes to keeping their gym open.