2010 Iron Man Blog

(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.

In a stunner to the bodybuilding community, the 2010 IFBB Pro Men’s Bodybuilding contest has been cancelled.  When the 2010 IFBB Schedule came out today, missing from the lineup was this contest, and as the day progressed, it became apparant that this show was not going to happen.  

The IFBB Ironman Pro was one of the longest running contest, 20 years +, and the only men’s pro contest in Southern California. It will be missed. Hopefully, they can bring it back in 2011 or maybe at a later date in 2010.

The Fit Expo will still be taking place, on Saturday and Sunday as planned, with about 200 booths, and other sports events.

The 2010 IFBB Ironman is going to be on January 23, 2010 in Los Angeles. Now the expo will still be at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but the contest will be held at the the Orpheum Theatre, which is about 5 or 6 blocks away. Here is some information about the Orpheum Theatre.

The Orpheum Theatre - one of L.A.’s most venerable landmarks. From a young Judy Garland’s 1933 vaudeville performance to a recent filming of the hit TV show "American Idol", this renowned venue has hosted an array of theatrical productions, religious events, concerts, weddings, film festivals, seminars, private parties, variety shows, awards shows, movie shoots, music video shoots, television show and commercial shoots and much more. Now it is better than ever before…

Moe El Moussawi was second last year, losing to Silvio Samuel, but after speaking with him on Friday night at the IFBB Sacramento Pro’s, Moe told me that he is in training and will be back to win the 2010 IFBB Ironman Pro in Los Angeles.

Moe has been very busy lately, just in the past two weeks, flying from New Zealand to Los Angeles, then to Qatar for the IFBB Worlds back, then back to Sacramento for the IFBB Sacramento Pro contest.  This week, Moe will fly back to New Zealand, and then come back in two weeks to Florida for the NPC Nationals.