2008 Olympia Blog

It’s time for the presentation of the Top 3 Supplement Awards by Ryan DeLuca.

Best Muscle Building Product:
BSN NO-Explode

Supplement of the Year:
ON 100% Whey Protein

New Supp of the Year:
Muscletech Anabolic Halo

Post by: MarikaJohansson

Labrada Nutrition is offering a free Vegas trip to this year’s Olympia!  Enter the Mr. Olympia Sweepstakes today, and win an all-expense paid trip to the 2007 Mr. Olympia!

Click below to download the PDF file containing the details!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/lab/bb_com_contestpage.pdf (Adobe Reader file, 1.1 MB)

Contest sponsored by Labrada Nutrition.

Post by: BodySpaceAdmin

Expo Review, 2 days in the making…

We caught the shuttle from the hotel over to the convention center. We had gotten some VIP wristbands with our ticket package so we got to avoid the ticket lines and made a beeline for the entrance. Wanting to see the whole expo we decided to start to the right and work our way around. We first noticed the Thermolife booth and their topless girls (their breasts were spray painted with tigers, oh my!). This startled the mom next to us, who was quick to cover her child’s eyes.

Next we were off to see the BSN booth, never to be out done they had some of the hottest booth girls around, on Friday they were in these silver little space-like outfits, I even got Richard’s friend Will to take a pic with them. The girl who we talk to explained what exactly Endorush does and loaded us up with some full size samples; this is heaven for a caffeine addict like me. You couldn’t walk through the expo without seeing the sparkly silver/red bags.

The Promax booth had some wonderful samples and well informed booth girls, nothing turns a consumer off more than asking a question about a product you’re putting into your well tuned body than the person looking at you and saying, “ask the person over there. I bought a box of their cookies and cream bars for my post workout meal. They also were giving out samples of their product Oat-Rageous bars.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/promax/promax.html

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/promax/oat.html

There are 2 kinds of people that attend expos, people who LOVE all the free samples and leave with 2-3 bags full of goodies. Then there are people like me who already push the weight limit on my bags when I fly so I only go for the samples of things I already use or if it interest me as a future product.

One such future product I found not for me but for my fianc©, was New Whey Liquid Protein, it comes in 25 grams and 42 grams servings and with a range of flavors. They are in what looks like shooter tubes and actually taste pretty good. I threw a couple in my purse for the judging that night and when you need to eat every two hours like he does they made going out even easier.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ids/new.html

Who could miss the Women’s prejudging going on in the back of the expo.  They looked awesome and it was great too see how the general public reacted.

Next I had to look for the booth my trainer, Ali McKnight, was working, Ultimate Nutrition. I had to let her know I had just seen her face on the outside of the transfer bus we came over on.  The booth looked great! All of the reps behind the counter were well informed on their products and even showed me a few I have never tried.

I tried to get into the EAS booth “arena as it had been one of my favorite booths at Europa, but that wasn’t happening. Needless to say with the dancing girls on the platform in the back throwing t-shirts it was a fan favorite.

Twinlab came to the rescue with giving me a few new shakers after the evil TSA lady took mine while flying out here. I got the chance to sample their new citrus flavored energy drink, I really liked it. Kind of reminded me of like a Sunkist soda flavor.

The Bodybuilding.com booth was awesome, I got the chance to meet up with Richard and Ian again and take some cool pics. I also got an awesome license plate cover that said ” Kiss my abs this thing is totally going on my new car.  They were also giving out 10% off coupons for their store, anyone who orders knows with their already low prices this is a deal! I got the chance to meet and take some pictures with Bob Cicherillo!

Another product I discovered was Syntrex Nectar “to-go size, basically single serving size. My favorite protein ever is the Fuzzy Navel flavor so the idea of being able to mix it in a simple water bottle really excited me! Needless to say this was a booth I hit both days!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/syn/grab.html

Last but not least on new products, Java Fit. They make a gourmet coffee that also has an additional fat burner and appetite suppressant. After trying a sample I had to have it and bought 3 bags! As a coffee lover, my eyes lit up like Christmas morning at the thought of a super coffee.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/jlu/diet.html

Many people are lactose intolerant so I was really excited about getting the chance to try Vyo-techs new “Oryx Goat Whey, It brags to be 300% greater absorption, 100% lactose free & sugar free, but the important thing was does it taste good, the true test was Bryan who hates all chocolate flavored protein and he actually thought it tasted good, me on the other hand, I have no access to chocolate so I thought it tasted awesome.

I was a little disappointed that they weren’t selling any, the rep told me it should be out in about 3 weeks, I will all over that. To top it off I asked her if she had any of the “GO GOAT shirts I had read about and she had two left and gave them to us. As a matter of fact I am wearing it right now as I type this up!

While I know I missed a lot of booths, give a gal a break, there were what seemed like over a hundred and all were well ran and packed!
  
Something that ran through my head on the shuttle ride back today was how much fun the expo was. All the athletes and booth personal were super nice. Even better was I always ask a salesman who carries their product or the easiest way to get it. 9/10 times I heard, oh you can go on www.bodybuilding.com and get it for a really good price!

Here is a brand that has intrigued me for over the past year. Why? It seems every time I look, I see another top athlete endorsing the product line, which normally doesn’t phase me.

However, with names like Shawn Ray, Melvin Anthony, Bill Wilmore, Mary Lado, Christine Pomponio-Pate, and Mary Jo Cooke, it stands to reason something exceptional might be going on!

Most recently, I became even more interested when my good friend and colleague, Joe Pavlik joined the company. I’ve worked with Joe on many different projects, and know he has the brains to me a major player in our industry.

Vyotech Nutritionals

Booth info:

3 Booths Total:  Vyotech Nutritionals, Muscle Fantasy League, Body Sculpture

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Vince Kandis, CEO
- Spiro Kandis, President
- Tony Vercillo, CFO
- Joe Pavlik, Senior Vice President
- Shawn Ray, Athlete Representative/Spokesperson

Products Featured:

- Oryx Goat Whey: “The World’s Perfect Protein (The industries first whey protein made from the world’s finest goats milk.)
- Body Sculpture for Women:  Fat Loss Breakthrough that works to shape the body while you lose weight.
- Body Sculpture Tightening & Toning Cream, a colorless, odorless non-greasy lotion that works from the outside.

- Nitrobolic Extreme:  Next generation pre-workout NO formula with 4 forms of arginine (including AAK) and the newly discovered arginase inhibitor L-Norvaline.
- Ab-Solution Plus with Aminophylline: Futuristic Topical Fat Loss Lotion with yohimbine & forskolin.

Athletes Featured:

Free autographs from Shawn Ray, the 13-time Olympian Shawn Ray!

Melvin Anthony, IFBB Pro

Bill Wilmore, 2005 NPC Nationals Champion & IFBB Pro

Mary Lado, 2006 Ms. Figure International

Christine Pomponio-Pate, #1 Ranked Figure Competitor in the World

Mary Jo Cooke, New IFBB Figure Pro
Travis Bageant & John Brzenk, World Arm Wrestling Champions
11 of “The Benchwarmer Girls including Shay Izzo, Yvette Nelson, Carrie Stroup, Mary Riley, Lana Kinnear (seen @ Benchwarmers.com)
Richard Sandrack aka “Little Hercules, The World’s Strongest Boy
BodySculpture Spokesmodel Katie Cleary from the TV show “Deal or no Deal

Promotions/Samples:

Live Sampling of:
- Nitrobolic Extreme
- Oryx Goat Whey Chocolate & Vanilla

Brand Sponsored Events (parties or giveaways etc.)

- Free Limited Edition Oryx Goat Whey “GO GOAT T-Shirts
- Free Benchwarmer Girls Collector Cards
- Live Arm Wrestling Challenge with World Champions Travis Bageant & John Brzenk
- Meet Body Sculpture Spokesmodel Katie Cleary at the Body Sculpture Booth

Exclusive Vyotech VIP After Party at the Tangerine Restaurant from 10pm-3am - Wristbands will be given out at the Vyotech booth!

When I first read Testosterone Magazine back in 1998 (when I worked for MET-Rx), I knew the people behind the magazine and the Biotest supplement brand would surely shake things up.

Now, after over eight years in business, I think I was right.  I’ve personally had the opportunity to work with Biotest on several projects, and can say with conviction that when Founder and CEO, Tim Patterson wants to attack a segment of the market he brings in the BIG GUNS. It looks as if one of those ‘attacks’ is about to take place…

This year’s Olympia will become the first ‘live’ introduction of PROJECT SUPERHERO, a key factor in Biotest’s HOT ROX Extreme go-to-market strategy.

PROJECT SUPERHERO is a new approach to body transformation. For this Project, Biotest will completely supervise the diet, exercise and supplement programs of three advanced athletes. The goal of PROJECT SUPERHERO is to prove that even national level athletes need a secret weapon to go beyond their previous best. Come by and check it out.

Key Execs:

- Brandon Masters
- Greg Guss
- Frank Fontanilla
- Pete Ciccone

Featured Products:

This year, Biotest will feature their re-tooled HOT ROX Extreme and SPIKE Shooters, their new Energy Drink.

Featured Athletes:

- IFBB figure pro, Gina Aliotti, who will be making her Olympia debut…
- NPC National level veteran, Stan McQuay
- Jelena Abbou, IFBB Figure Pro
- NPC Los Angeles figure Champion, Meriza Goncalves
- ESPN 2’s Amanda Carrier, Rachel Niggli, Suzanne Reed, Tracy Kay, Dan Abell and Guillermo Escalante
- Luke Andriotti
- T-nation’s own Christian Thibaudeau

And don’t forget, UFC celebrity and extreme shredded, George “Rush” St. Pierre!

Promotion/Samples:

- HOT ROX Extreme Samples
- Ice-cold SPIKE Shooters

Biotest will be also giving away a Brand New Suzuki GSXR Motorcycle!

Combining a unique dual-branding approach to attacking the market, Scivation and Primaforce has created quite a following.

Through key relationships fostered by Marc Lobliner and product innovation by nutrition guru Chuck Rudolph, these two brands have something to offer any athlete who takes fitness seriously.

For innovation, look to the Scivation brand, who has been an early market force in high quality performance products with Xtend and Sesamin, plus super potent herbal anabolic agents, namely Anagen.

If you’re looking for value, the Primaforce brand has excellent quality proteins such as Substance WPI and other well researched compounds at great prices.

This year, both brands will have plenty of samples of their best sellers on hand as giveaways, and if you get a chance you just might get to pick Chuck Rudolph’s brain for some valuable nutritional advice!

Brand Names: Scivation/Primaforce

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Marc Lobliner
- Chuck Rudolph
- Derek “Beast” Charlebois

Products Featured:

- Substance WPI
- Xtend
- Anagen

Model Featured: Jamie Eason

Model Jamie Eason
Photo Courtesy of Walt Ostarly.  May not be used without permission.

Promotions/Samples:

- Substance WPI
- Xtend

Once upon a time, I worked at EAS in product development, marketing and education. The time frame was from 2000-2002, and during my stay I was fortunate to see one of the best-built companies in our industry.

I owe a lot to this company as they gave me the opportunity to write for Muscle Media and the 4th Issue of the Sports Supplement Review. But a lot of things have changed since those days, and now EAS is a wholly owned division of Abbott Labs, the pharmaceutical and nutritional giant.

So, what is different? Well, from what I can see it looks like the EAS division is going back to its roots, dedicating significant product development and educational dollars towards the serious athlete.

This is a smart move, because it represents what made the brand a perennial favorite amongst athletes for over ten years. I expect their product launches to become more focused and driven by consumer needs and the relevant science.

This year, EAS will feature its BIG 3…Muscle Building and Performance products: Myoplex, Muscle Armor, and Phosphagen Elite.

For football fans, you won’t want to miss the lineup of gridiron schwag that EAS will have at their booth! My buddy at EAS, Mike Sitzman, told me that the booth will have a Vegas Vibe with music, a live emcee, and table games where consumers can try their luck at wining autographed footballs and products.

Key Execs:

- Chris Hickey, Marketing Director
- Chris Scoggins, VP Marketing

Featured Products:

- Myoplex
- Muscle Armor
- Phosphagen Elite

Featured Athletes:

- Matt Hasselbeck, Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks
- Vernon Davis, Tight End, San Francisco 49ers
- Carlos Rogers, Cornerback, Washington Redskins
- Ronnie Brown, Running Back, Miami Dolphins
- Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver, Arizona Cardinals

Promotions/Samples:

- 10 people will win $500 in supplements!
- Chance to win Muscle Armor and Phosphagen Elite at Blackjack Tables.
- Chance to win product and autographed NFL footballs at Wheel of Fortune.
- Cool poker chips with EAS product and athletes.
- T-shirts.
- Give away Myoplex, Phos Elite, and bar samples!

When it was conceived in 2002, the performance nutrition brand Nutrabolics set out to provide high-end sports supplements to the Canadian supplement market.

Today, after four years of hard work and dedication, and under the direction of Rodney Dupont, Nutrabolics has successfully expanded into the highly competitive U.S. & other International markets.

This year’s Olympia will mark the introduction for Nutrabolics latest €˜boxed stacks’ - as well as a perfect place to get familiar with the entire brand.

Nutrabolics

Booth Info: Booths # 305 … 307

Website:  www.nutrabolics.com

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Rodney Dupont, President
- Jayson Wyner, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
- Mike Reeves, US National Account Manager

Products Being Featured:

- Skin-Bursting Stack Boxed Kit

Athletes Featured:

Morris Mendez (www.morrismendez.com) … Team Nutrabolics

Jenny Poussin (www.jennypoussin.com) … Team Nutrabolics

Brandi Latimer (www.brandileelatimer.com) … Team Nutrabolics

Alba Nadal … Team Nutrabolics

Promotions/Samples:

- Free Samples
- Free Magazines
- Free T-Shirts

Here’s a question for historians of bodybuilding supplementation:

When did Labrada Nutrition first come to market?

Give up? Well, for those who don’t know, it’s been ten years (1996) since former Mr. Universe and pro bodybuilding legend, Lee Labrada, introduced his own line of sports nutrition products.

This fact, alone, is proof that Labrada Nutrition has built its large consumer following upon loyalty and trust. In all my conversations with Lee, I am reminded of his passion for helping others. You would expect this from a world class bodybuilder, but Lee consistantly goes the extra mile to emphasize that lasting results come through the combination of education and quality products.

According to Lee, this year Labrada Nutrition welcomes you to the Mr. Olympia Expo, where it is launching its New 17oz. Lean Body® RTD Shake.  Visit the booth, meet Lee Labrada and get Lee’s FREE 8 x10 color autographed picture while you are sampling this delicious creamy shake!  Lean Body®  RTD shakes feature 40 grams of protein, zero sugar and half the fat of the other brand!

You’ll love this nutritional powerhouse! It tastes like soft serve ice cream!

Labrada Nutrition

Booths 1530- 1533

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Lee Labrada, President and CEO
- Keith Lessmann, Senior VP of Sales
- Dave Ramirez, VP of Research and Development
- Labrada Field Sales Managers

Websites:

www.labrada.com
www.leanbodycoach.com
www.leanbodypromise.com

Labrada will also be sampling its New and Improved Lean Body® MRPs.  These are the MRPs you’ve come to love and trust, and now they taste better than ever and have an improved nutritional profile.  Get a FREE sample packet!

When you get hungry during the Olympia Expo and want something that really tastes good, stop by for a sample of Labrada’s  “latest and greatest protein bars - including the novel new New Lean Body Fruit Crunch Bars!  They taste like a Rice Krispy Treat and Pop Tart, all rolled into one delicious bar.  It’s not to be missed!

Want to put some whoop-ass into your next workout? Pick up a FREE SuperCharge! pre-workout energy drink mix sample packet while you’re at the Labrada booth.  Once you try it, you’ll never go back to your ordinary NO product.

Labrada will also have T-shirts, shaker cups, and other special surprises: be sure to stop by and chck it out at Booths 1530-1533.

Lee Labrada will be on hand at the Labrada booth to greet everyone!

F.Y.I.:

In 2004,  Lee was inducted into the IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Hall of Fame. Lee is a past winner of numerous bodybuilding titles, including the IFBB Mr. Universe and the IFBB Pro World Cup. He is one of only five men in history to place in the top four at the Mr. Olympia competition for seven consecutive years … a feat he shares with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He has appeared on the covers of more than 100 magazines and has been featured on CNBC, FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and ESPN as a fitness and nutrition expert.

For more information, call Stasia Maroquin, toll-free at 1-800-832-9948, ext. 359.

The company NxLabs (formerly NxCare), burst onto the scene with more than a few interesting products. Last year I had a chance to speak with Scott Welch, who does product research and development for NxLabs, and was very impressed to say the least.

This company is one of the booths I am looking forward to checking out at this year, since they are sure to have a few NEW concepts designed into their products.

Brand Name:  NxLabs

Booth info: 1635 & 1636

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Craig Stevenson
- Mike Buckley
- Scott Welch
- Eric Nussbaum
- Duane Keizs
- Jennifer Van Barneveld
- Domenic Mauro

Products Featured:

Methyl Ripped, Mass System, Ripped System, the Ultimate Muscle Expansion Pack, Anavol, Aminovol, NitroT3, VASO.

Athletes Featured: Marlon John

Promotions/Samples:

Ripped Books, Mass Books, Anavol shirts, Aminovol shirts, NitroT3 shirts, Methyl Ripped shirts.

Another Sneak Peak:

Me!  =)

A relative newcomer, EPIC Nutrition seems poised for growth this year. I spoke to company president Scott Movic (he goes by Scotty Mov), and he told me EPIC will be launching their latest physique building gadgets at this years Olympia, in addition to the flagship product 5-Tetra.

The EPIC products are developed by some industry ‘heavyweights’ in research and development, and are definately worth a look.

Brand Name: Epic Nutrition

Booth info: # 301

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Scott Movic … President
- James Klein … Chief Operating Officer
- Jeff Zwick … Director of Sales

Products Featured:

- 5-TETRA
- 8-BetaAnabol
- 4-NitroTropic

Athletes Featured: Robert Hatch

- #3 Superheavy 2006 USA’s 2006
- 2006 NPC Mr California

Robert Hatch

Promotions/Samples … Special sizes of all products selling for $ 10 ea. Free “Girls of Epic 2007 Calendar with Purchase

EPIC Olympia Promotion

- The Calendar Girls will be there to autograph their photos!

Unless you’ve been under a rock (or don’t train), you’ve certainly heard of, or used an Optimum Nutrition Product. This brand has been around for years and continues to grow in size and notariety, due to its loyal following.

If you’re worried about getting enough protein while you walk the floor, make sure you hit make Optimum Nutrition a regular stop. They’ve got plenty of protein and shwag to keep any bodybuilder happy!

Brand: Optimum Nutrition … Add Some Muscle to Your Sport©

Websites:

- optimumnutrition.com
- wheygoldstandard.com
- morsos.com

Booth Number: 509

Featured Products:
  
Debut of:

- Vassive-NO© … The Ultimate Pre-Workout Performance Tool
- Vassive-CE© … The Ultimate Post-Workout Performance Tool
- Lift Bars© … The Delicious New Hi-Protein Energy Bar with an Ultra-Thin Profile

Other ON Samples:

- MOR’SOs … Gourmet, Bite-sized Protein Pieces
- Whey Gold Meal© … A High-Protein Meal with all of the Benefits of Whey plus 25 Vitamins & Minerals and 5 grams of Dietary Fiber

Athletes/Talent:

- IFBB Pro and Figure Olympia Competitor Jessica Paxson

Jessica Paxson

- Actor, Fitness Model, Personal Trainer Tomm Voss
- NPC Super Heavyweight Champion Justin Harris

Promotions/Give-Aways:

V.I.P. Interactive Workshop on Pre- & Post-Workout Nutrition plus a chance to WIN Hundreds of Dollars in Free Products (By Invitation Only … email optimum@optimumnutrition.com for more details)

2006 ON/Olympia Super-Sac’s (approximate retail value ‰ˆ $35.00) consisting of:

- Limited Edition Olympia T-shirt
- Limited Edition ON Pill-Holder Key Ring
- Full-serving packet of Whey Gold Meal
- Full-sized Lift Bar
- Full-serving packet of Vassive-CE
- Full-serving packet of Vassive-NO
- Signed, Glossy Photo Prints of IFBB Pro’s

First give-away begins around 10:00am; a second about 2:00pm (both days, while supplies last.). Give-away items subject to change. INSIDER TIP: The ON Booth gets really jammed … especially during give-away times … so get there early.