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Rain, snow or shine, on March 6th, we will be heading to the 2009 IFBB Arnold Classic in downtown Columbus, Ohio.   And as we do every year, many of us like to predict on how will win and who may not be the best at the contest.  Of course this is just for fun, because in reality, none of us know how one is going to look in stage that day, but via rumors, reports and talk from follow competitors, fans and training and diet partners, the hype has begun. So who do I think will place well at the 2009 Arnold Classic. Here it goes, based on the 13 athletes that should be there. 1 – Victor Martinez.  Yes, a knee injury sidelined Victor from competing in the 2008 Mr. Olympia, in which many thought, if he had been healthy, could have been the new king. Instead, Victor now has some doubts from his fans, and others around the globe, on whether Victor will be ready when he gets on that state. Yes, he upper body should look fantastic, but will his legs match his incredible physique??? I think it will, and at the end, Victor will be crowned…

Nutrabolics is on a role, first signing MMA fighter Frank Mir, who will appear at their booth at the 2009 Arnold Classic Weekend, and now also has signed IFBB pro Ben White. Ben White was the 2007 NPC USA Overall champion, and startted his IFBB pro career at the 2008 New York Pro, only to fall short of a qualification to the 2008 IFBB Mr. Olympia by one place.  This year, Ben is going to try again by competing in the 2009 New York Pro bodybuilding contest. In a press release, Ben said “I would like to thank my new sponsor Nutrabolics for helping me to get ready for the 2009 New York Pro Show. I am very happy to be part of such a great time of athletes and I would like to thank all my fans for their contrinuing support. As everyone knows, I took the whole 2008 off to work on impriving and perfecting my physique. I have made great strides and gains, and I look forward to competing in the 2009 IFBB schedule in the best shape of my career.”

Lee Priest is most definitely out of the 2009 Australian Pro, which has disappointed thousands of fans who wanted to see the comeback of one of the most prolific IFBB competitors, who was suspended when he left for a while. Lee is going to have surgery this Wednesday in Australia (that is Tuesday here in the US) on a torn tendon, which needed to be screwed back on to the bone and stitched (Lee’s words). After that, he won’t be able to move the arm for six weeks. We wish Lee a speedy recovery. For all those fans in Australia, Lee is still supposed to be at the 2009 Australian Pro, just not competing on stage, but to greet the Australian fans.

Lee Priest anticipated return to the IFBB pro circuit at the 2009 Australian Pro five weeks away has been talked about for a long time now, and here are a few pictures of Lee Priest. You can see more pics and a discussion of Lee Priest on the Getbig Boards at Lee Priest has new pics

“In light of recent circumstances, I feel it is my responsibility to clear the air and explain one of the many reasons why both Dave Palumbo and John Romano were terminated. Dave was hired two years ago to be Editor-in-Chief of the Muscular Development website. During the first year, he was instrumental in helping to grow it. During this past year, Dave’s interests were focused increasingly on his side businesses of training athletes and launching his supplement line. John was hired by Dave as a paid employee to endorse and promote this supplement line. Because of this, John’s position as Senior Editor was compromised. Together they were using MD and the website as a vehicle to further their own interests, and as a result, less time was being spent on increasing the website’s potential and taking it to the next level. During their employment, Dave and John’s contributions were very much appreciated, and they were well compensated. Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editor are full-time positions and we require those who hold these titles to be willing to give their total focus. This was not the case. Dave and John have not worked onsite in the MD offices for over one year,…

Monday began with a jolt in the small world of bodybuilding, as we learned that Dave Palumbo and John Romano, were both let go by Muscular Development.  Robbie Durand has been appointed the new editor in chief of Muscular Development’s web site. After Romano was fired by MD, he sent the following statement to PBW Radio about the situation.  (John’s statement was read by Dan & Bob on the PBW’s Feburayr 2nd show).    “After 18 years of dedicated service to Muscular Development Magazine, and more recently its website, the relationship that saw me rise from a mere contributor to Senior Editor has come to – as all things inevitably do – an end.  However, the end was not unforeseen. My gradually eroding confidence in the manner in which business was being conducted, and the decisions that were being made, painted a very telling picture of things to come.  Clearly, the direction the magazine and website are now headed counter my beliefs, not to mention those of my radio partner, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Muscular  Development.com, Dave Palumbo.  As you all probably know, Dave’s relationship with MD also ended today.  The manner in which the end unfolded was rather unfortunate,…

The weather is very nice here the week before the 2009 Ironman in Los Angeles.  For the last week, we have had 80 degree weather, and it is going to be that way also until Thursday, the weekend of the contest, where the forecasts call for rain.  Rain, in Los Angeles. Yes, it looks like that we may have a raincloud or two trying to wet itself on the convention center, where the 2009 Ironman and Fit Expo will be held. This is the 20th year at the Ironman Pro Men’s bodybuilding contest, and it looks like the lineup is going to be a good one. Never mind the naysayers, who complain that some big names are not in this show. This lineup is just as good as in past years, and I, for one, am excited to see which names and surprises are going to be thrown at us this year.  You never know, but that does not stop me from making predictions. After all, I am taken away the title from Lonnie Teper from the past two years on making this predictions on the pro show (he will disagree with me, of course), and after a nice relaxing…

Alan Stiles, the former publisher of Mens Fitness and Esquire magazines, has died. He was 54. Mr. Stiles died Jan. 9 after being struck by a commuter train in Boston. The death was confirmed by Marlene Kahan, the executive director of the American Society of Magazine Editors, and Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Pesaturo said the trains 240 passengers were not injured in the Jan. 9 incident. Stiles, of Nashua, N.H., parked his car along the Massachusetts Turnpike, then apparently walked into the path of the oncoming train after it left Bostons South Station. Stiles had a long career in magazines. He helped relaunch Mens Fitness, where he worked as publisher from 2003 to 2004. He also helped launch ESPN The Magazine and served as publisher at Esquire and as a top executive at Vanity Fair and GQ. From http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Alan-Stiles/85011758

Johnnie Jackson also has elected to jump into the 2009 Ironman, and thus we have a great lineup for the first IFBB men’s pro contest of the year.  We last saw Johnnie Jackson on the 2008 Mr. Olympia stage! See you in one week at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the contest.

Running a supplement store is never easy, but Troy Alves is doing quite well in Peoria, Arizona taking care of his customers.  Today, Troy Alves announced that he is also competing at the 2009 Ironman next Saturday, and judging by some of the pictures that we saw, he is going to do just fine!

In the last day, I have heard that Omar Deckard and Tamer El-Shahat both have applied to compete in the 2009 Ironman Pro men’s bodybuilding contest.  The contest is now up to 25 competitors, and I have heard that a few more top bodybuilders are planning to showcase themselves too.  This lineup is getting good, and remeber, at this contest, the top 5 competitors are qualified to compete in the 2009 Olympia in Vegas! 

I have known the main people of Pro Fight for a few years, and congratulations on Pro Fight becoming the title sponsor of the 2009 Ironman. Here is some of the team at the 2008 NPC Excalibur, as we talked about their sponsorship of the Ironman. Except to see Pro Fight everywhere at the contest, near the boxing rings, the powerlifting events, and much more. For more pics, click on the link below Pro Fight Supplement Pics

Monday morning, January 12th, and an updated competitor list came out, as the start of the 2009 IFBB Men’s bodybuilding season will begin 12 days, on January 24th, at the Los Angeles Convention Center Hall. As I have heard, there will be more added to the list as the deadline to enter approaches, but here is who we have competing at the moment. Eddie Abbew (England) Oliver Adzievski (Sweden) Mohammad Bannout (Lebanon) Thomas Bengali (Italy) AD Cherry (USA) Constantinos Demetriou (Australia) Mark Dugdale (USA) Moe El Moussawi (New Zealand) Oleg Emelyanov (Russia) Aiman Faour (Lebanon) DeShaun Grimez (USA) Ahmad Haidar (Lebanon) Marcus Haley (USA) Martin Kjellstrom (Sweden) Marc LaVoie (Canada) Don Long (USA) Daron Lytle (USA) Caesar Mendible (Venezuela) Evgeny Mishin (Russia) Ronny Rockel (Germany) Silvio Samuel (Spain) Daniele Seccarecci (Italy) Hidetada Yamagishi Japan) The biggest name to pull out is Gustavo Badell, who was rumored to have said that he pulled out due to family reasons… but with the Arnold Classic six weeks after the Ironman, will he be ready for that show?

Lonnie Teper always gives us some insight regarding the 2009 IFBB Ironman Pro, and this year, the Swami is at his best, looking into his ‘crystal’ ball and trying to make some predictions on how is going to compete and out do each other at the contest. Here is the link.

Kenny Kassell, part of the NPC team that takes care of all of the national shows, passed away unexpectedly. For many of us who cover the NPC shows, we just saw him at the NPC Nationals, backstage, doing what he loved doing. He will be sorely missed, and he is also the backstage announcer at many of these shows. The cause of death was determined to be Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).  The funeral service will be on Sunday, December 28th, at 10am It is on Sunday at 10 am  at Temple Beth El, 221 Schraalenburgh Road, Closter, New Jersey, 07624  Please call 201-768-5115 for more info. From bodybuilding.com’s profile on Kenny. Kenny Kassel has been involved in the fitness industry for over 25 years and in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. Kenny had been training with weights since he was 14 years old. He was lucky enough to have learned how to properly work out from legendary bodybuilders like Tom Platz, Danny Padilla, Robby Robinson, Leon Brown, and Pete Grymkowski, while visiting California in the 1970s. After starting a gym, he began training many bodybuilders, and specializing with the women, starting around 1981. Kenny also had some of the professional athletes…

With over 400 competitors, here are the top overall winners and the final shot of the night on stage here in Atlanta. Congratulations to Ed Nunn, Erin Stern and Shiela Black.

Congratulations to Ed Nunn for winning the overall NPC National men’s bodybuilding contest.   This photo is just after Ed realized that he was chosen to win the overall and was overwhelmed! It was a great moment at one of the best NPC National events, which had a packed house.

Up and coming NPC Bodybuilder, Tobias Young, joins the ON Athletes team and looks forward to even greater gains – in the gym and on the stage. Optimum Nutrition has joined forces with Tobias Young, who placed an impressive 2nd in the Heavyweight Class at last month’s NPC San Francisco Bodybuilding & Figure Championships. The 33 year old has an extremely impressive physique at 5-feet, 11-inches and 235 pounds. His favorite exercise is dual cable lat pull downs, because of the extra ‘squeeze’ he gets at the bottom of each rep to build his imposing back. Tobias’ inspiration? “When I was about 5 years old, I was a fan of The Incredible Hulk on TV. I’d strut around ripping off my shirt and flexing. Since then, I’ve been working hard to put on muscle. In fact, I’ve been training for 20 years,” he said. After stints as a high school and college football player, Tobias found his calling. “I competed in my first bodybuilding competition at the 2002 NPC Border States show, where I placed 2nd in the Novice Class.” Determined to post an even better performance, he won his class at the 2004 NPC Pacific USA Naturals and followed…

Team BSN has further expanded its already talent-laden roster with the addition of yet another sporting legend – this time from the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), one Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. Much the same way 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is a legend in bodybuilding circles, Nogueira is legend in the MMA brotherhood. Not only is he the current UFC® Interim Heavyweight Champion and the star of the hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter™: Season 8, Nogueira also holds the distinction of being the first Heavyweight Champion of the former Japanese fighting organization PRIDE®, and is the only man in the history of MMA to hold both UFC® and PRIDE® Heavyweight Championship titles. Standing a towering 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing in the neighborhood of 240 pounds, the Brazilian born superstar is a black belt in Judo as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and also possesses some serious striking and submission ability. Nogueira is poised and ready to showcase these world-class skills at UFC® 92: THE ULTIMATE 2008 (December 27th, 2008), where he will face-off against former UFC® heavyweight champ Frank Mir. Currently, both men are opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter™: Season 8, which airs every…

Here is the current NPC National Mens competitor lists for the upcoming 2008 NPC National Bodybuilding contest in Atlanta. See you there. Mens Super Heavyweights Adam Weidel    –    Monroe, GA Eboni Wilson    –    Schererville, IN Edward Nunn    –    Anderson, IN Gabriel Latifi    –    Linden, NJ Grigori Atoyan    –    Sacramento, CA Jeffrey MacConnie    –    Seymour, CT Joe Barker    –    Harmony, NC Kevin Reeves    –    Riverside, CA Kim Williams    –    Myrtle Beach, SC Kirk DeFrancesco    –    West Mifflin, PA Korbie Nitiforo    –    Albuquerque, NM Malcolm Marshall    –    Winston-Salem, NC Malik Ismeal    –    Pleasanton, CA Mario Possemato    –    Hillsborough, NJ Marlon Foots    –    Port Arthur, TX Marvin Harper, Jr.    –    Cincinnati, OH Micah Hooker    –    Fort Worth, TX Mike Eastlake    –    Bellaire, TX Paul DeSimone    –    Danvers, MA Rasheed Oldacre    –    Colorado Springs, CO Rudy Richards    –    Bronx, NY Sean Allan    –    Bethesda, MD Stephen Frazier    –    Grand Prairie, TX Stephen Kuclo    –    Plano, TX Steve Brydges    –    Williamsburg, MI Sven Maldonado    –    Queens, NY Trey Brewer    –    Smyrna, GA Wondell LeFlore    –    Pflugerville, TX Men’s Heavyweights Aaron Boniecki    –    Mokena, IL Anthoneil Champagnie    –    Brooklyn, NY Dan Decker    –    Fountain Valley, CA Dan Newmire    –    Marietta, GA David Fenty    –    Spring Hill,…