2010 Iron Man Blog

Most people have no idea of John Balik’s extensive background in the industry. This interview gives an insight to John’s “Renaissance Man” background, how the IRON MAN Pro developed, why and how the FitExpo became a reality, etc.

Shoot, I’ve been working for the guy since he and Michael Neveux bought the mag back in 1986 and I didn’t even know how involved John has been as a magazine publisher, promoter, bodybuilder, powerlifter, photographer, supplement salesman….well, you get the point.  Watch my video interview with John, here:

With 10 days left until the 2007 IronMan weekend festivities begin, those of you who will be making the trip to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium need to get together a plan of attack to maximize you experience. I have never been to the IronMan, but have been to several other IFBB/NPC shows including the past 3 Olympias and 2 SF Pro’s. From my past experiences, this is what I have learned…

For the Official weekend schedule, check out: Schedule of Events

The FitExpo
   This is one of the biggest and best fitness expo’s in the world. It is compared next to the great expo’s such as the Olympia and the Arnold. You will definitely get your money’s worth ($13 daily or $25 for 3 days) if you attend any of the days. Never been to a fitness expo before? Then follow these rules and you should have a good time. You will most likely be feeling overwhelmed when first entering. There are tons of booths, people, models, and athletes. If you don’t have an action plan, you might lose your mind.

   What I like to do is hit up ever aspect of the expo, from every booth to every attraction. First, make sure you take a look at the schedule posted above. You should plan your expo cruising time around the events you want to attend. Most of these events take place in the expo hall, which make it easier for the attendants. Once you start your cruisin’ of the expo, try to start at one far end and work your way up and down each aisle until you have hit every booth in the place. If this takes you all day, or even 2 days, it’s worth it to take your time. These companies are here for your benefit, so use them for everything you can get!

Almost every booth will have free samples of their products, supplement experts taking science behind the product, and athletes who represent them. I like to use all of these to maximize my knowledge and database. Be nice to these people and they will be nice in return with giving you everything from more detailed information about their products to great deals on full size containers. This is true for most of the small companies trying to get their name out, but also true for the bigger companies as well. Remember, they want you as their customer, so they want you to leave their booth happy!

   After making my your to the finish of the expo, it is a good time to sit down, relax, and go through your stuff. By doing this, you will have a chance to reflect on all the booths you have seen that day. It is a good idea to go back to booths you either have more interest in, or maybe was too busy last time you stopped by. Heck, there might even be a different athlete there next time you go back. The second round of cruisin’ is solely for the booth’s that you see as “hot spots” and worthy of a second trip. Don’t be shy, they will give you more samples if you go back. They don’t want to take the stuff back to their company, so they give everything away. This is more true in the later parts of the expo (the last few hours).

The Competition

   The actual competition is truly a great experience for any bodybuilding/fitness fan. If you have been to one before, or this is your first, take it all in. Make sure you buy your tickets early, so you get a good seat. There is nothing worse than buying tickets late (or buying the cheap seats) and trying to watch the show from the boondocks. You need to be close enough to see the same details as the judges see. At this point you can clearly have a good experience at the show. If you are concerned with the distance of your seats from the stage, take you binoculars! There is no shame in doing this, and with the stage lighting, you should have no problems seeing the muscle detail on stage.

   The competition is broken down into 2 parts: the pre-judging and the finals. The pre-judging for the Men’s show starts at 10AM on Saturday and the finals start at 7PM. If you can only attend one, or on a budget, make sure you go to the finals. This is most entertaining show of the weekend and you get to see the winner crowned. There is crowd interaction, an announcer, and the pose down! What more can you ask for!?! Are you a hardcore fan? Then make sure you go to the pre-judging. Although it is not as entertaining to the casual fan, it is exciting to see each competitor step out for the first time and hot all the mandatory poses.

Last year, Ron Avidan (from Getbig.com) and I did a little roving reporting at the FitExpo.

We caught up with fitness model Timea Majorova at the IRONMAN Magazine booth…

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/liftstudios/more.php?section=videos&type=favorite&i=1680#1680

There are a few things you can count on for the 2007 IRONMAN PRO. The best stage lighting of any pro stage, a fun, informative Fit EXPO and for the last three years… rain. If history repeats itself for the 4th year running - pack an umbrella.

Last year, Lee Priest attended one of his last IFBB’s suppers and went pose for pose with fellow vertically challenged competitor David Henry. Priest was victorious and walked away with the IRONMAN PRO title.

The little big man, David Henry, returns to the line up this year but will he be able to flex his way to his first pro title? Unfortunately for David, not this time around. Why? Two words - THE X-MAN!

Visit: http://bodybuilding.com/fun/isaac105.htm for the full preview.

What you you think? Did I get it right or miss the mark with these predictions?

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I entered the 2006 Ironman Figure competition “just for fun”!  At the time, I was in the middle of my first year of studies at Whittier Law School (Costa Mesa, CA).  I had planned to take a year off from competing in order to focus on my law school career.  But before long, I started to wonder if I could train for a competition DURING my first year in law school!  After competing for the first time in 2003, I got “hooked” on the challenges of contest preparation and the sense of fulfillment and achievement that I got from reaching my goals.  (I’m sure those of you who compete can relate to that!)  So, as you can imagine, by October 2005, I was already going through “withdrawals” from the figure competition scene.  I called my trainer/nutritionist, Kim Oddo, and asked him about the Ironman Figure competition.  We decided to give it a shot! I knew that I wanted to compete at nationals in the summer of 2006, so I looked at the Ironman as a “stepping stone” to a successful 2006 season.  I was so anxious to step on the figure stage again that I didn’t care about having to diet through the holidays!!!

The diet and training were not too bad…aside from the fact that I had NO LIFE outside of the gym, the library, and the classroom! LOL!  But it all paid off when I realized that my level of conditioning going into the Ironman was my personal best!!!  Everything just seemed to be going perfect!

When I arrived at the host hotel on Friday evening (before the competition), I was surprisingly relaxed and calm.  I was excited to step on stage, but I also knew that I had already achieved my personal best…so I was happy   The next morning, I had that same calm and confident feeling…which, as any competitor knows, is the absolute best feeling ever!!!  That calm and confidence lasted even up until I stepped on stage!  After the first round of prejudging (1-piece suits), I looked around and realized that my class was by far the largest class in the competition!  There were about 20 women in my class (Class A), while there were about 7 or 8 women in the other 2 classes COMBINED!!!  That’s about when my nerves kicked in!  Going into the 2nd round (2-piece suits), I just tried to maintain that calm feeling and continue to have fun.  When I got the 1st callout in the 2nd round and heard all of my friends and family cheering for me, I got “goosebumps”!  This was the first time in my entire figure career that I had gotten the 1st callout in both rounds! I realized that I actually had a good shot at winning my class! I wasn’t even thinking about the Overall!!!

When I returned to the awards show that night, I tried to remain calm, knowing that the callouts don’t always mean what you think they do   Stepping onto the stage at the Ironman Awards show was surreal…the stage lights, camera flashes and cheers/applause from the audience made me feel like I was dreaming!  When my name was called as the Figure Class A winner, I was so excited! That was my first class win!!!  Then I had to go back on stage for comparisons for the overall award!  I remember hearing people in the audience screaming out my name and my competitor number…it was crazy!!!  Then after it was announced that the judges had reached their decision, there was that infamous pause…….and then they announced me as the Overall winner of the 2006 NPC Ironman Figure competition!  I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, smile, wave, etc!!!  What an experience!

After winning the Ironman, it all seemed like a blur!  My first win definitely catapulted me onto a whole new level of figure competitions…not only did I get a lot of publicity and coverage through photo shoots and magazine appearances, but I also experienced more pressure to win (or at least to place well) at the competitions I entered following the Ironman.  Although I didn’t get my pro card last year, I still feel like my year was a success!  Looking back now, I realize that my overall win at the Ironman opened so many doors and opportunities for me…and I met so many incredible people!  I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without the support of family, friends, and without God giving me the strength to face each day and the new challenges it brought me.

The Ironman is one of my favorite shows!  So…to all those women who are in their last few weeks of prep for the Ironman Figure competition…just remember to go out there and have some fun!!!

You never know who will show up at the IRONMAN PRO Fit Expo. The first year I attended the show, Carmen Electra was there promoting her “Strip Aerobics” video. She is a tiny lil’ thang.

One of the industry’s main men - Lonnie Teper has a variety of duties throughout the weekend. Emcee’n the show, weighing in competitors at the press conference and when he’s not warming up in his hotel room with his travel bands, he’s been known to make a stop by the bodybuilding.com booth. LT shown below doing just that: