olympia

After teasing a big announcement on Instagram last week, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay revealed that he’ll be taking the stage at the 2020 Europa Pro Championships in Alicante, Spain this month. It’s a much-anticipated competition for Ramy, who placed third at the 2020 Arnold Classic. He’s...

With this year’s Olympia set to be one like never before, athletes around the world are prepping to show off their best physiques yet come December. Hannah Ranfranz will be taking the stage at the Bikini Olympia for the first time this year, and prepping for one of the IFBB’s most popular...

When you compete in bodybuilding, you need to make sure you’re targeting all of your muscles—yes, even the calves. This muscle has become a meme within the fitness industry, and many on social media will admit to neglecting it during leg day. The calves are, admittedly, one of the hardest parts...

Fresh off a big win at the 2020 IFBB Northern California Pro, Lucia Malavaze is kicking it into high gear ahead of her Bikini Olympia debut. The bikini pro’s turn on the Olympia stage is years in the making, and it hasn’t been without struggle. But come December, she’ll join the best in the...

Hunter Labrada doesn’t cry at weddings, nor can a tear be coaxed from the IFBB Pro League bodybuilder from even the sappiest of rom-coms. However, if the talk involves the sweat, pain, and sometimes tears it takes to make heavy iron move as smoothly as a knife through warm butter, you’ll...

The final phase of a major overhaul of the fitness industry’s most prestigious event has been completed. For the first time in 15 years, all the excitement of Olympia Weekend will be held inside the host hotel, thanks to the new Olympia Fan Pavilion planned at the Planet Hollywood Resort as a...

In the early Mr. Olympia competitions, the lower body didn’t have to be as properly developed as the top half of one’s physique. But as the years went by and the sport evolved, more attention was paid to the how the legs looked, so the athletes had to train them longer and harder. This wasn’t...

With the Olympia fast approaching, athletes around the world are preparing to hit the stage for bodybuilding’s biggest show. And come December, it’ll be time to show off the hard work they’ve put in. IFBB Pro League bikini competitor Lexus Redmond is one of them, and the 2020 Olympia will be her...

Phil Heath’s upcoming return at the 2020 Olympia has been some of the biggest news in the bodybuilding world this year. Fans worldwide have been begging the seven-time Mr. Olympia to return ever since his loss to Shawn Rhoden in 2018, and Heath is finally ready to take care of unfinished...

Hunter Labrada‘s name has drummed up excitement in the bodybuilding world from the very start of his career. His father, Lee Labrada, is an IFBB Pro League Hall of Fame bodybuilder who was runner-up at both the 1989 and 1990 Olympias, so there’s no arguing that Hunter has the genetics to be a...

Nowadays, we’re used to seeing Bob Cicherillo announcing on stage at major bodybuilding events like the Olympia Weekend. He has a big voice, and he’s got a big physique to match. In fact, Bob spent years as a competitive bodybuilder, beginning at the 1981 Natural America, where he placed 4th in...

Seven-time 212 Olympia (2012-2018) champ Flex Lewis took a break from competition last year to improve and get bigger for his full-blown assault on the Open Olympia title this December. In a way, it’s sort of history repeating itself. It’s July 2005, and I’m walking along the Venice boardwalk...

When Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon announced that basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal would be the 2020 Honorary Olympia Ambassador, many people were excited. “For the most part everyone was amped up to have one of the biggest stars in the world with us this year as part of our whole Olympia...

Derek Lunsford placed second at the 212 Olympia in both 2018 and 2019 after an impressive fifth-place debut in 2017. The first time he was runner-up, Lunsford was up against the virtually unbeatable Flex Lewis, who retired from the 212 division that year after seven consecutive wins. In 2019...

Phil Heath’s announcement that he’ll try for his eighth Sandow trophy at this year’s Mr. Olympia shocked the bodybuilding world. Many had the same question: why now? Luckily, Chief Olympia Officer Dan Solomon was able to catch up with the 7-time Mr. Olympia during an Instagram Live session and...

Thanks to Jake Wood and Wings of Strength, the Ms. Olympia Bodybuilding Championship will be returning to the Olympia Weekend in December. It’s an exciting time for the sport of female bodybuilding, and we can expect to see the best pro women in the sport competing on stage together. Except, not...

Flex Lewis made history in the Olympia’s 212 Bodybuilding division, winning seven straight times before his retirement in 2018. He was literally unbeatable, but clearly ready for something more. As the dust settled from his final win and retirement, Lewis confirmed that yes, he’d really retired...

Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota celebrates four revered American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Their 60-foot granite faces are carved into the Mount. If we had an Olympia version, entitled Mount Oympus, confined...

The breaking news that seven-time Sandow winner Phil Heath will enter this year’s Olympia in December, and attempt to win back the crown he lost in 2018, brought to mind my first interaction with the former basketball player back in 2005. SNAP DECISION It was early June 2005 when I saw a...

Seven-time Mr. Olympia winner Phil Heath hasn’t set foot on a bodybuilding stage since his shocking loss at the 2018 Mr. Olympia. Many have wondered when he would return to competition, and some questioned if he would ever do so again. The wait for an answer is now over: Heath confirmed in an...