(November 13, 2009 – Oxnard, California) Iron Man Magazine Publisher John Balik reported today that the Pro Fight Supplements Iron Man Pro bodybuilding contest, originally slated to take place on Saturday, January 23, 2010, is being rescheduled for an as of yet undetermined date. The contest, which celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2009, is one of the longest running IFBB Pro shows in the world.

For the last six years, the Iron Man Pro has been held in conjunction with The Bodybuilding.com Los Angeles Fitness Expo, produced by National Fitness Productions. With over 20,000 attendees, 250 exhibitors, and an incredible line-up of fitness, physique, martial arts and strength contests, it is one of the country’s largest and fastest growing consumer fitness expos.

“The Expo has been a huge success and is growing every year” said Balik. “But when it was held in late February, two weeks before the Arnold Classic to accommodate the Iron Man Pro, some companies just couldn’t exhibit at it. Shipping their booths coast-to-coast and asking their staff to work back-to-back expos was just too much for some of them.”

So when National Fitness Productions elected to move the Expo to the third weekend in January last year, dozens more companies were able to come out from the Midwest and East Coast to exhibit. However, as Balik noted, “for the pro bodybuilders, it meant having to train and diet through the holiday season and then try to peak again six weeks later for the Arnold and other IFBB contests that follow it.”

“And in spite of the huge crowds that attend the Expo and the myriad of sponsors that support it, ticket sales to the Iron Man Pro continue to decline, making it a challenge to produce the contest profitably.”

Balik added, “The quality of the athletes is the cornerstone of any events success. The rich twenty year history of the Iron Man Pro is the direct result of the wonderful IFBB athletes who have supported it. From the first winner, Shawn Ray, to the 20th, Silvio Samuel, and the current Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler, the list of champions is a who’s who of IFBB Pro Bodybuilding.”

Balik went on to say he is investigating alternative dates and venues at which to hold the Iron Man Pro, either in late February just prior to the Arnold Classic, or perhaps in May around the time of the New York Pro Show.

Moving the Contest to either of these time slots would mean the bodybuilders could gear their training and dieting for multiple shows on back-to-back weekends, giving them chances for multiple paydays and Mr. Olympia qualifying finishes. In turn, the deeper line-ups will hopefully draw more fans to the contests which would be good for the promoters, the sponsors and the sport.

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The Pro Fight Supplements Iron Man Pro is produced by Iron Man Magazine and presented by Gaspari Nutrition.

The Bodybuilding.com Los Angeles Fitness Expo, produced by National Fitness Productions and presented by Gaspari Nutrition, will be held Saturday and Sunday, January 23-24, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, South Halls G & H. It will feature the Gaspari Nutrition All-American Strongman Contest, the Con Cret USPF American Cup Powerlifting Meet, Scot Mendelson’s Bench Press Classic, the Champion Nutrition MaxReps Contests, the Gracie National Jiu Jitsu Championships and the Bodyspace Spokesmodel Search. For a complete schedule and ticket information visit www.thefitexpo.com.

The Fit Expo, which is usually in the same expo hall, and weekend, will continue, which has over 150-200 booths, as well as a myriad of other events. But for the pro bodybuilding community, the loss of the beloved Ironman Pro contest will hurt. It would have been my 15th Ironman contest, and not having it start the pro season, in my own hometown, is going to be quite distressing.

There are a lot of rumors and speculation as to why the contest was postponed, but we will wait until the press release comes out.

Kraft Foods will continue to distribute, provide HQ/retail coverage and manage the Balance Bar business for an extended period of time post-closing through a transition services agreement with Brynwood Partners. Kraft Foods will provide these services using either the Kraft Foods sales organization or Acosta Marketing and Sales, as we currently do, to ensure no interruption to the business.

● MEN’S OVERALL WINNER
● WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING OVERALL WINNER
● THE 6 FIGURE HEIGHT CLASS WINNERS
● THE 6 BIKINI HEIGHT CLASS WINNERS

Only The 4 Overall Winners Are To Bring Their Overall Trophies.

The Men’s & Women’s Bodybuilding Overall Winners Are To Bring Their Posing Suit & Posing Oil.

The Bikini, Figure & Fitness Winners Are To Bring Their 2-Piece Competition Suits Along With At Least 1 Other 2-Piece Bikini. (There May Also Be An Opportunity To Do Individual Photo Shoots For The NPC News So The More Bikini’s Brought The Better.)

Tentative Schedule As Follows;

8:30 a.m. – Photograph The NPC News Cover Featuring The 4 Overall Winners Only (Men’s & Women’s Bodybuilding; Bikini & Figure). Immediately Following Will Be Individual Photos Of The Men’s & Women’s Bodybuilding Overall Winners

10 a.m. – Arrival Of All Other Bikini & Figure Class Winners For Group Photos.

* All Women Please Arrive With Hair & Make-up Done*

All Competitors Please Plan Accordingly With Your Travel Plans.

To listen to the show now, click here:

http://probodybuildingweekly.com/olympia-2009-post-show-report.htm

1. Amanda Latona
2. Mary Jarmolawich
3. Tianna Ta
4. Michell Goulet
5. Shannon Rockweiler
6. Tatum Miranda
7. Lauren Rush
8. Natalia Muntean
9. Krissy Richards
10. Fernanda Rocha
11. Katie Barnes
12. Ashley Zito
13. Tiffany Radzwill
14. Lindsay Huber
15. Deborah Cochrell
16. Kelly Willis

With over 100 bikini beauties signed on to compete, the 2009 FLEX Bikini Model Search Championships – presented by Amazon.com and brought to you by Ed Hardy- will undoubtedly be bigger and better than ever. So it seemed only fitting that the Official FLEX Bikini Model Search After Party would  be the biggest and best post-Olympia bash in Sin City!

Located on the 64th floor of the ultra-swanky The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, MIX Lounge will play host to the official FLEX Bikini Model Search after party, presented by promoter extraordinaire Jason Dihr. Hundreds of models, athletes and celebrities in the bodybuilding industry are expected to turn out for this can’t-miss event! Rub elbows with the elite, and – if you’re lucky – you just may have your picture taken with one of our beautiful FLEX Bikini Models and appear in an upcoming issue of FLEX magazine!

But that’s not all! Supplement giant ALR Industries pumps the volume up another decibel by hosting their post-Olympia blowout at MIX Lounge as well.  This is without a doubt one you won’t want to miss, as the FLEX Bikini Models turn the heat up to unbearable levels at MIX Lounge in Las Vegas on Saturday night! A limited number of tickets to this exclusive event will be available. Stop by the FLEX booth at the Olympia Expo for more information.

For the Bodybuilding.com / Ultimate Nutrition After party, this is also an special party at the XS Nightclub at the new hotel called Encoure. Another excellent party to check out.  Check out the Ultimate Nutrition or Bodybuilding.com booth for more information on this after party.

It is nice, for the staff at M&F to see that other’s have noticed the marked improvements in the magazine! Please take a minute to vote for Muscle & Fitness at  http://www.themaggies.co.uk

From: Timothy Welch – Chief Executive Officer, Promax Nutrition Corporation

As I have stated in my prior correspondence dated April 13, 2009, Promax Nutrition Corporation (“PNC”) and Maximuscle, Ltd. have reached a comprehensive, mutually agreeable settlement regarding future rights to the Promax trademark in the European Union.

Consistent with the terms of that settlement, as of December 31, 2009, PNC and its Authorized Distributors will no longer be permitted to sell PNC’s Promax®-branded products (the “Products”) in any European Union country. Furthermore, under no circumstances should any Authorized Distributor sell the Products at any time to customers in the United Kingdom, Ireland or Sweden. Again, all sales of Products by PNC’s Authorized Distributors in the European Union must cease on or before December 31, 2009. Therefore, in order to ensure that sales are discontinued by such date, PNC will not ship any Products to Authorized Distributors in the European Union after November 1, 2009.

Silva, who is held as a top 10 lightweight, knocked out Keith Jardine in 95 seconds on Saturday night during UFC Fight 102. “Thiago is an incredible athlete. He is at the top of his game and is a perfect match for Ultimate Nutrition’s Full Combat product line,” said Brian Rubino, Vice President, Ultimate Nutrition. “Ultimate Nutrition has stood for quality and innovation for 30 years and Thiago will help solidify our position. The signing of Thiago is another great event of our 30th anniversary celebration.”

“I am an avid user of their products and I am excited to be a part of Team Ultimate Nutrition Full Combat,” said Silva “Their new MMA line is in a class of its own within the industry and I love taking the Pre Combat, Post Combat and Protein Combat Powders.”

About Ultimate Nutrition.
Since 1979, Ultimate Nutrition has been fueling bodies with the best nutritional supplements to achieve your goals, whatever they may be. With Ultimate Nutrition being one of the most tenured companies in the industry, we were among the first to have amino acid tablets, carbohydrate powders, fat burners, and whey protein powder. Today, Ultimate Nutrition is among the leading innovators in the supplement industry, with products that can enhance your life no matter what your goals are.

Ultimate Nutrition uses only the purest ingredients to produce nutritional supplements, with quality that never wavers. No matter what the product may be, Ultimate Nutrition promises a consistency other companies can only dream about. You can be sure that what you see on the label is what is in the bottle. That was Ultimate Nutrition’s promise and commitment over 30 years ago, and still remains our promise and commitment to this very day.

http://www.ultimatenutrition.com
http://www.full-combat.com

TO: IFBB PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE ATHLETES & PROMOTERS
NPC NATIONAL PROMOTERSFROM: JIM MANION

SUBJECT: TICKETS TO EVENTS

Please note that, effective immediately, the policy for receiving free tickets to the IFBB Professional League contests and NPC national events is changed as a results of complaints from promoters that, among other things, IFBB professional athletes are demanding free tickets not only for themselves but also for their family and friends; and are requesting these tickets on the day of the contest or event without any consideration for the limited space available at some venues.

IFBB professional athletes will receive one (1) ticket to IFBB professional contests and NPC national events only if the request for such ticket is submitted to the IFBB Professional League or NPC national office before the contest or event. You must provide proof of current membership, which will be verified by the IFBB Professional League or NPC national office.

Additional tickets may be available at the sole discretion of the individual promoters.

Please govern yourself accordingly.

Jim Manion
Chairman
IFBB Professional League

“Since 2001, it has been our privilege to have over 5000 military personnel attend the Olympia events as our special guest and we look forward to continuing this tradition and thanking them for all they do,” said Joe Weider.  “We appreciate the tremendous sacrifices they make on our behalf and to show our respect, admiration and support, we are honored to provide these complimentary tickets,” added AMI Chairman, President and CEO David Pecker and IFBB Professional League Chairman, Jim Manion.

Active duty/retired members of all five branches of the military and the National Guard will be provided complimentary tickets for themselves and one guest. Signs indicating where to pick up the tickets will be located near the ticket center at the Orleans Hotel.

Free tickets are limited and are offered on a first come first served basis until the supply of free tickets is exhausted.

To reserve tickets, please e-mail Vincent and Melissa Mae Jackson at Mr.O_Jackson@live.com to have your name added to the authorization list.

This offer expires 17 September 2009.

Rick Collins — a Long Island-based attorney, popular author and the nation’s foremost legal authority on performance-enhancing substances –  has announced that he is “leaping” into new territory this summer.   In honor of two close friends and a relative stricken with cancer, Collins has created Leap for Life (www.leapforlife.org) – and will be jumping from a plane for the very first time in his life in order to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society … while also making a statement about exercising personal liberties as he flies through the air in his first-ever skydiving venture.

In preparation for this unprecedented Leap for Life, Collins is seeking sponsors to help raise money for this worthy cause – with people encouraged to donate for each foot he falls.  Collins, a partner at Collins, McDonald & Gann, P.C. (www.cmgesq.com) and a popular personality in the bodybuilding, health, fitness and nutrition communities, will be jumping from an altitude of 13,500 feet  – and hopes to raise a total of $1 for each foot he falls, or $13,500, through his jump.

Collins will perform his Leap for Life on August 23rd at noon.  The American Cancer Society has set up a page to secure sponsors for Rick’s exceptional fundraising effort  – encouraging people to visit www.leapforlife.org to donate by the foot.  Every tax-deductible dollar raised will go directly to the American Cancer Society’s mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.  

Leap for Life will take place at Skydive Long Island (www.skydivelongisland.com), which offers the highest altitude for jumping on Long Island and is the only dropzone on L.I. flying to 13,500 feet.  Collins will be taking off and landing at Calverton Enterprise Airpark – a 2900 acre airport and one of the largest landing areas in the U.S. 

“I knew that I wanted to find a way to raise funds in the fight against cancer, and, as I recently celebrated a big birthday, I was also looking for an opportunity to push my limits and challenge myself,” says Collins, whose upcoming book Alpha Male Challenge (www.alphamalechallenge.com) focuses on helping men “re-claim their edge” through an innovative, 10-week transformation program.   “In addition, as an attorney committed to preserving the rights of informed adults to safe dietary supplements, this jump is a great way for me to get people thinking generally about individual American freedoms and what the law says people can and can’t do.  If an adult can lawfully get in an airplane and jump out in mid-air, why does the government seem so quick to ban nutritional supplements that have comparatively higher safety levels?  From a consistency standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense.”

To: All Bodybuilding Press

From: Jim Manion, NPC National Office

Subject: Benjamin Loehrer

Due to age ineligibility Benjamin Loehrer has been declared ineligible as the 2009 NPC Teenage National Light-Heavyweight & Overall winner. Overall runner-up Uriah McGee will be awarded the Overall title & also the trip to Los Angeles for the Flex Magazine featured article & photo shoot. Also, all competitors in the Light-Heavyweight class will now move up a placing.

Jim Manion
NPC President