olympia

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...

Being an elite athlete is a difficult enough job, but IFBB Pro League Bikini competitor Camile Periat stacks it with being a mom and businesswoman. Periat has competed in three Bikini Olympias so far and has already qualified for the 2020 show, so she’s working toward bringing her best physique...

After months of inactivity due to the coronavirus pandemic, the IFBB Pro League was finally back in action with the highly-anticipated 2020 IFBB Tampa Pro show. The show, presented by Wings of Strength, provided an opportunity for competitors to stamp their ticket to this year’s Olympia Weekend...

Jennifer Dorie may not have won a Bikini Olympia title yet, but at just 23 years old she already has two Olympia appearances under her belt. In 2019, she finished fifth — an impressive achievement in one of the competition’s most crowded divisions. The Canadian athlete is set to hit the stage...

To win the Mr. Olympia, as only 15 men have done in the competition’s history, you have to pay attention to every detail of your physique. Not only do you have to make sure the muscles look impressive when posing, but you need to feel confident about them when relaxed. A big pair of triceps is...

There is an old expression that still rings true. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” When it comes to physique development, if you want to achieve results similar to those that are admired, then it would make sense to do what they did. If you want to develop a chest that makes a...

Most of the memorable poses in bodybuilding, at least as far as the general public is concerned, involve showing off the arms or abs. But when it comes to winning the Olympia, you could argue that the show-winning poses for nearly every champion involved the legs — specifically the quads. That...

I’ve known Adela Garcia since she first started competing for the NPC in fitness in 1995. So it’s amazing to realize that she’s been competing as an IFBB Pro League Fitness athlete for 20 years now! Time has flown by. Garcia has made great use of that time, winning, among other titles, the...

At the 2020 Olympia Weekend, taking place on Dec. 17-20 at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, the following three former Olympia champions are making comebacks. Firstly, Adela Garcia, who won eight Fitness Olympia titles, the last one being 2013. Also returning is Oksana Grishina, winner of four...

When it comes to bodybuilding, I find It fairly easy to determine who will or should win in a given lineup. The same is not true in the fitness division. The standards of judging a physique are different and less objective, and it’s impossible to predict how the judges are going to score the...

Competitive bodybuilding, especially at the pro level, is so difficult that very few have the physical genetics and the psychological makeup to create successful careers. And once those who have found success step away from the sport, returning at the same level or better is incredibly...

The fitness industry’s most prestigious event announces a deal with Northern Chill, a rapidly growing manufacturer of their premium and naturally alkaline bottled mineral spring water. As part of a 2-year agreement, the Northern Wisconsin-based company will serve as the official water of Joe...

Arnold Schwarzenegger burst onto the bodybuilding scene in the late 1960’s in Europe, and made the transition from Munich to Venice, CA in 1968. He entered his first Mr. Olympia contest, at 22 years old, on Sept. 13, 1969, fully confident he could defeat defending champion Sergio Oliva, Sr. —...