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.
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by Christian Duque
He’s back!! The world of bodybuilding and fitness was inundated with posts hailing the return of 7x Mr. Olympia Phil “The Gift” Heath, who is said to be going for his 8th Sandow this December at the 2020 Mr. Olympia. Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon has said all year long to expect big things and like Dominos Pizza, he delivered. The truth is, this is great news for the fans because the most iconic contest in bodybuilding has a new host hotel and a new venue, and it will welcome the return of one of its former champions.
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by Christian Duque
The news spread like wildfire as bodybuilding legacy Hunter Labrada won his pro debut at Tim Gardner’s IFBB Pro League Tampa Pro. Just about a month ago, I wrote an article calling Hunter ‘Future Greatness’ for Iron Magazine. In that article, I predicted that Hunter could quite possibly win this contest, despite the fact he was up against fierce competition. The reason for this is because he’s given 110% on this prep. I first met him, and interviewed, Hunter at the 2018 NPC National Championships in Miami, FL.
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by Matt Weik
2020 has been the ultimate “hold my beer… watch this” kind of year. I wouldn’t think twice about it if all of a sudden, we were told aliens were coming to invade the world and it could mean the end of civilization as we know it. But seriously, this year has been the ultimate cluster, to say the least. Bodybuilding and fitness shows, as well as expos, have been canceled around the globe and the most coveted of them all, the Mr. Olympia, was even pushed back to December.
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by Matt Weik
Protein bars have been under fire for years now and a group called Safefood is claiming protein bars are unhealthy and unnecessary. Being in the industry, not only did I find this funny but somewhat true. While brands have been improving the profile on their protein bars, some are still lacking. But things seem to be trending in the right direction, yet people still want to throw shade at protein bars for some reason.
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by Matt Weik
Is it a bar at the gym or a bar like “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere” type of bar? Honestly, who cares? Either way, this story I’m about to share is the true joke. It just so happens to be between the Fortnite gamer, Turner “Tfue” Tenney, and none other than the very opinionated IFBB pro bodybuilder, Greg Doucette.
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by Christian Duque
The other day I was doing an Instagram Live @StrengthAddicts and someone asked me a very interesting question that got me thinking. Before I clue you into what that was, let me get on my soapbox for a moment when it comes to these Live chats.
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by Matt Weik
It’s been three years now since the industry lost Rich Piana, yet his name continues to come up in a negative light. Most recently, a video surfaced on the Rich Piana YouTube channel that was posted to discredit Rich Gaspari. While I haven’t seen confirmation that it was 5% Nutrition who posted it, whoever is in control of his YouTube channel needs to do several things in my mind.
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by Christian Duque
Social media is the driving force of the fitness industry; it’s the driving force of almost every industry on this planet. Companies strive to have the strongest possible lines of communication with their consumers possible. In the old days, businesses would rely on the efforts of focus groups, paid trials, and invest heavily into commercials (both on television and print).
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by Matt Weik
If you’ve followed my content for any period of time, you’d know my position on steroids and steroid use. For those of you in the back who haven’t heard me the first time I said it, I’ll repeat myself. “I don’t care if you use steroids, how much you use, or what kind you use. Period. The end.” This leads us into the topic at hand which is a Texas bodybuilder being charged for selling anabolics as part of a steroid ring in Northern Texas.
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by Christian Duque
There’s been a huge amount of interest, as of late, in bringing back the Masters Olympia, largely because fans want to see another Kevin Levrone comeback, many would like to see “Sugar” Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo back on stage, as well. The fans are always talking about something on the message boards and the various social media platforms. As a fitness writer, I”m constantly looking at Youtube, Reddit, and all sorts of social media platforms, trying to put my finger on the industry pulse. I mean I’m so committed, I should be committed (get it?). I’ll go to pages most people don’t even think exist anymore. For example, when’s the last time you logged into Myspace? Did you even know it’s still alive and sorta well. I go there from time to time also.
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by Matt Weik
I hate to say I told you so, but I made this prediction back in early April 2019. I mentioned that more and more people are going to be walking down the frozen food aisle and grabbing some frozen food meals and well… I was right. No, I didn’t have any insider knowledge and I’m not Nostradamus, I just had a feeling that there was going to be a resurgence of people who wanted quick, easy to prepare, and convenient meals.
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by Christian Duque
Whenever someone asks if someone is natty or not, I’m to the point where I don’t even look up anymore. It’s just such a stupid question. And yes folks, there are plenty of stupid questions – and stupid people, too. I mean, who cares if someone uses gear or not? Does their use of PED’s (performance enhancement drugs) affect you in any way, shape, or form? No. But what if you compete against someone who’s using, then you have a leg to stand on, right?
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