2008 Iron Man Blog

Moe, Phil, Silvio, Gustavo. Some surprises!

Not bad. Not sure if he will win though. Depends on how the others come in.

Hey guys,
We’ve currently got 711 photos from the Weigh In/Press Conference, Venice Beach, and The FitExpo from Ron Avidan, Isaac Hinds, Kris Gethin, and Merv from Iron Man Magazine. Check them out here. Here’s a couple of Silvio Samuel, Troy Alves, and Johnny Jackson.

Check them out here:

http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/2812/

"I excited and honored to announce my new endorsement deal with Cytodyne Technologies. Cytodyne has an impressive reputation as one of the best supplement companies in the industry. As of January 1st, 2008, I have been taking their flagship product Xenadrine to get me super shredded and the proof is in the picture. I am 1 week out from the 2008 Ironman Pro and in the best shape of my life…. Wait until I pull my water with TARAXATONE 2 days before the show… Crazy shredded baby!" - King Kamali

What do you think? Will King do any damage? Will he crack the top 10 in this lineup?

"1 week out from the 2008 Ironman Pro @ 264 lbs… KONICHIWA BITCHES!!" - King

These photos are floating around of Rusty Jeffers. If you listened to Kris Gethin’s predictions you heard him profess his deep admiration for Rusty. Rusty is a great poser and will have one of the best routines at the show but he won’t crack the top 10 in this line up. Here’s a preview of what’s to come from Mr. Jeffers.

Here’s a bold prediction. Phil Heath wins the IRONMAN. I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph Phil each week as he prepared for this show. Let me tell ya fans are going to FAAAAHREAAAK when they see how he looks. Simply SIC.

Check out my Predictions Article that was just posted:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2008ironman_prediction.htm

Once battling it out for a top stop in the IRONMAN can Troy reclaim a top spot? Shots of Troy from 3 weeks out surfaced on FLEXonline.com’s forum. Does he stand a chance at placing top five in this show? We’ll find out Saturday…

I received this press release and photos that were taken last week for IRONMAN competitor Paul Baker…

IFBB Paul Baker Joins the Muscleology Team
Muscleology, the maker of Lipoburn tm, Redtest tm, DPXCuts tm, Myofiber tm and Nitro-Pro tm, announced today that IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, Paul Baker has joined their promotional marketing team.  Paul became a professional bodybuilder in 2001 after his win of the Mr. Caribbean and last competed in the 2004 IFBB Ironman.  His training is now focused on representing Muscleology as he competes in the 2008 IFBB Ironman in Los Angeles, California on February 16, 2008. According to Muscleology President, Mush Hussain, “Paul is a great choice to join our team.  He brings years of training and knowledge about sports nutrition, combined with a strong dedication and commitment to helping others achieve their nutrition goals”.  “I want to work with a company that is growing and Muscleology is the right partner” states Paul.  He joins NPC Competitor Mark Alvisi, who is already part of Team Muscleology.

Muscleology earlier this year, launched Nitro-Pro, which is one of the most advanced high performance whey protein matrix on the market today.  Muscleology is on target to the expansion of additional distribution locations and Paul’s involvement is key in accomplishing this strategy.

About Muscleology
Muscleology is a company that is dedicated to providing the most useful information on training, nutrition and cutting-edge supplementation. Their efforts surpass current industry standards and as a result, they remain among the "premier" source on the information highway for athletes of the 21st century. This is achieved through excellent service, continued research, quality products, and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards and dedication of excellence in the industry. For more information contact www.muscleology.com

Can the man with one of the best backs in the biz shake up the top five and potentially earn a spot to the Arnold? He looks to be on track to more than holding his own in the deepest IRONMAN lineup we’ve seen. These photos come courtesy of Getbig.com. The site that is run by Ron "Yogi" Mumbles Magoo Avidan. If you missed Ron’s predictions on the live chat check out the replays. Here’s a sample of what fans will see out of Will Harris. What do you think? Top 5?

These shots appeared on GetBig.com’s message boards. You may recognize Frank from the AnimalPak ads. The photos below are reportedly 3 weeks out. How will Frank fair in the 2008 IRONMAN? This is one of the deepest lineups in the show’s history. Cracking the top 10 in this show will be a challenge for most.

Here is a sneak peak of what fans and fellow pros can expect from Phil Heath at the Ironman Pro next month. See more at Flexonline.com. Will Phil win the IRONMAN? We’ll find out in less than five weeks.

Phil Heath at four weeks and five days out.

Video posted next week on FLEXONLINE. A couple screen captures.

Read more on: http://www.flexonline.com/news/284

I arrived about an hour late into LAX on Thursday, due to weather conditions. When I left Denver I was bundled up and freeze’n my arse off, the temp. was about 20 degrees. The temp. in LA was about 75 when I picked up my rental car. Talk about a refreshing sight - THE SUN! Despite being stuck in traffic for an extended period of time, I didn’t mind, I was happy just to be in the sun and out of the Denver snow.

I saw stopped by DNA Nutrition where Ron Avidan, owner of GETBIG.com and contributor to bodybuilding, works. He gave me the 3 penny tour and I saw how their distrubition works. Hung out with Ron and saw the family side of him, it’s refreshing to have friends in this biz who have a life outside of the industry.

Friday Ron and I took a trip to Venice, "The MECCA" and checked things out. We stopped by Jay Cutler’s Max Muscle to see Dave Brulett but he wasn’t in so we walked down to Gold’s Gym. We checked out the scene and ran into Pastor Mike of the Christian Stronghold Ministries and his friend. Both of them are super nice guys. We left Gold’s and went to the famous Firehouse where Ron enjoy "The Bob Bowl", yes Bodybuilding.com’s own Bob Chic. has his own item on the menu. We filmed our trip and you can see it here shortly.

We made our way up to Pasadena for the press conference emcee’d by Lonnie T. It was Lonnie’s 53 birthday and he was his usual witty self. The press conference started a little late due to the METRX Strongman event but it wasn’t pushed back by much. Only a handful of guys gave the fans a preview of what was to come of the prejudging. The most impressive guy displaying what he had done was Silvio Samuel. This guy will be top 5 today.

Today there is prejudging in a couple hours as well as the NPC Figure prejudging. Here are a few sample photos from Day 1 of the kick-off to the 2007 year…

He isn’t listed on any of the competitors lists, so no one really knows. In the past Frank has entered contests, and then dropped out just before the show due to poor contest prep. So, if he has a solid next few days, we could big Frank on stage this weekend too!

(Thanks to Milos Sarcev for these pics!)