The Item: Career Updates/Highlights

The Scoop: Athlete to Andrew: The May 2008 issue marks the second time the pecs and biceps of Musclemania Pro Morris “Mo” Mendez have emblazoned the cover of Muscle & Fitness Magazine. I hit up Mo for his reaction. “The new cover is hot! I look full, cut and symmetrical. Friends and fans in different countries say it’s a fresh, appealing and obtainable look for the general public. ‘Action hero quality.’ Ha! Show me the money!” The future action hero (with four international covers to his credit) pumps iron at Gold’s Gym in Bloomfield, CT, and earned his pro card at the 2000 Fitness Atlantic/Musclemania in New Haven. His last competition was the 2005 Musclemania Worlds In Hollywood. “If time allows me to train mentally and physically, my next competition will be the Superbody in Miami.” Mo plans to hit Africa and Argentina for appearances. “I like guesting in different countries because they appreciate you more, especially where they find it impossible to look like a Ronnie Coleman or a Jay Cutler. I’m proof you can look just as good with patience, time and dedication.”

The “So What?”: The 198-pound, model-athlete expressed frustration being a big man in a giant man’s world. Even with a rising profile and a marketable physique, Mendez currently has no sponsors. “It’s tough to get a sponsor to pay you what you want for your hard work,” he laments. Then he laughs. “As a natural bodybuilder, your competition is those monsters. They want you to look like that, but I’m a suit-and-tie man. I like to look good in my clothes.”

* Photo courtesy of Muscle & Fitness

The Item: Magazine Contract Signing

The Scoop: Just announced: IFBB Pro Kai Greene inks a multi-year contract with Team MD. This week on “No Bull” Radio, Kai said he signed with Muscular Development over other suitors, because “MD has gone a long way from the beginning to extend a wonderful resource for me to reach out to the fans and tap into a readership that is unparalleled. I deeply appreciated that, particularly at a time when I wasn’t getting a lot of love.” Following his first victory at the 2007 IFBB Colorado Pro Show, Greene packed on 30 pounds of solid muscle and now hits nearly 300 pounds in the off-season. Last month, the flexible and ferocious force I dubbed the “Lion Slayer” in “The Art of War,” my posing and presentation series, placed 3rd at the Arnold Classic. The posing phenom is now keenly focused on slaying competitors in his hometown at the IFBB New York Pro (May 10).

The “So What?”: Kai, who admitted to being moved to tears by his latest MD cover, was in a crew left contract-less when Pinnacle/Kemistry cleaned house and released all of its sponsored athletes at the end of 2007. Recently, day-in-the-life videos posted online showed Kai still surviving on humble means while continuing to chase his pro bodybuilding dreams. With other endorsement deals also looming, has the gravy train finally rolled into his subway station?

* Photo courtesy of Muscular Development

The Item: TV Appearance/Philanthropy

The Scoop: Just Announced: Muscle-heads meet gear-heads when 8-time Mr. Olympia and retired IFBB Pro Ronnie Coleman and Bio-Engineered Supplements and Nutrition Inc. (BSN) make an exclusive appearance on the popular cable TV show American Chopper. The episode will document the building of a custom fabrication, one-of-kind BSN-themed chopper. The show will feature cameo appearances by BSN execs, the girls of BSN, and Team BSN athletes Anthony Presciano and King Coleman (who made his emotional, official exit from the muscle stage at last year’s Mr. O. in Vegas). Tune in to TLC this week (April 24th) to watch father and sons - the Teutuls - and the Orange County Chopper (OCC) crew build the badass BSN muscle bike.

The “So What?”: BSN also commissioned a replica of its bike and will donate 100% of the proceeds from its sales to the Warrior Transition Unit of a New York hospital. “We really wanted to do something to give back to the soldiers who put their lives on the line every day protecting our country,” says BSN Co-Founder and VP Scott James. “We shot the bike’s unveiling at a soldier’s monument in West Point, NY, near the Keller Army Community Hospital and it made us all feel really proud.”

*Photo by Raymond Cassar

The Item: Endorsement Deal/Contest Promotions

The Scoop: Recently Announced: Retired IFBB Pro Kenneth “Flex” Wheeler inked a deal with HeadBlade, Inc. One of the most impressive bodies to grace a muscle stage lends his head as an endorser of the sportily designed skull-scraping razor. He joins a smooth-domed fraternity that includes IFBB Pro Toney Freeman and MMA Top Dog Chuck Liddell. “Flex will help expand our lifestyle brand with his regular training and appearances at various competitions,” says Todd Greene, President of HeadBlade, Inc. The company will be a presenting sponsor at the 2008 Flex Wheeler Classic in July. Wheeler, who now sports tatted-up biceps, runs with the rowdy MD crew and proclaims to be “the Ultimate Natural Freak,” is also a martial artist that wowed the bodybuilding industry for nearly 25 years until 2001, doing full splits on stage at 5′9″and 245 pounds. Wheeler says, “After being introduced to HeadBlade two years ago, I have never considered using any other product to shave my head.”

The “So What?”: “2007 Arnold Classic Champion Victor Martinez has been confirmed to be at [the Flex Wheeler Classic}!” says Flex, who reportedly spoke with Martinez at the Arnold Classic, the site of Wheeler’s deal announcement, and received direct confirmation that “he will not only be able to attend and participate in the Superstar Seminar, but he states that he will be completely rehabbed from his knee injury and will also guest pose at the night finals!”

* Photo by Raymond Cassar

The Item: Career Updates/Highlights

The Scoop: Athlete to Andrew: I scored scoop from IFBB Pro Andy Haman, who appeared at WFC Fight Night at the Denver Coliseum for an autograph signing on Saturday. Next up, guest-posing stops at the Southern Colorado Championships (May 10th) and the Carla Sanchez Fitness Fiesta (Oct 15th). Haman earned his pro card at the 2007 NPC Masters Nationals, winning the Super-Heavyweight Class and the Overall title. “I’m training INSANE!” the ever-energetic muscle manic tells me. “I enjoy my time in the gym more and more as I get older! Still strong with a 625-pound flat bench!” Iron Head Haman plans to bring his iron pecs and quads to the stage at the Houston Pro on July 4th. The spiky-haired beast will then celebrate his 42nd birthday onstage at the Europa on August 16th, followed by the Atlantic City Pro in September. He calls this three-show circuit the “BING-BANG-BOOM!”

The “So What?”: Iron Head is banging his head on the iron door closed by producers of American Gladiators. He’s shocked, as am I, that his recent online campaign to drum up support for his hilarious, electrifying character “Shock!” didn’t get him a slot on the show. “SHOCK! IS STILL ALIVE! Unfortunately, the Gladiators didn’t pick me at the final callback; but, it was a great experience and the casting producer hopes to call in the future. He said no one has run a 40-yard dash at 275 lbs as fast as I did! I ran it in 4.8 seconds. They loved my Shock! character, but I think I was just too muscular and too hardcore for TV. Who knows? Maybe next time.”

* Photo courtesy of Andy Haman

The Item: Career Updates/Highlights

The Scoop: Athlete to Andrew: IFBB Pro Troy Brown hit me up with the latest in his camp. Flexing on the cover of the February 2008 issue of FLEX Magazine (US edition), the UK-born muscleman is featured inside sharing his experiences in the rookie year of his pro career. Last seen at the Ironman in February and currently in his off-season, 250-pound T-Bone tells me, “I’m eating very clean, working on weak points and training hard for the Europa in August and the Atlantic City in September. Also, I have a guest-posing appearance booked for June 28th in Alberta.” Troy has seen his share of TV work and ad spots in the UK, and his latest projects involve more face-time before the camera. “I’m releasing my long-awaited DVD called ‘The Beginning‘ this month, and I’m shooting ‘day-in-the-life-of-a-pro‘ video footage.”

The “So What?”: Troy used to throw iron at Muscle Works, a hardcore gym in East London that produced great champions. He recently made a transition in home bases, hoping the trade brings new prospects. “I am in the process of switching sponsors. I had a sponsor in the UK, but now I live in Canada, so I’m on the verge of signing a new deal with a new company.”

* Photo courtesy of FLEX Magazine

The Item: Career Updates/Projections

The Scoop: Recently reported: Last week, during an “Ask The Pros” Q&A session on the FLEX Magazine website, reigning Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler pulled out his crystal ball and made a career prediction. He announced that he will compete at the 2008 IFBB Mr. Olympia contest and at least one more time in 2009. When asked if he’d call it quits after this year’s Mr. O., resilient 290-pound Cuts vowed, “If I win, I won’t retire. If I lose, I won’t retire. This will not be my last Olympia…I’ll be on the Olympia stage in 2009. Win, lose or draw, I’ll be there.” Cutler’s pre-game top picks for the Big Show this September: “I will win…the remaining five will be Dexter Jackson, Phil Heath, Dennis Wolf, Kai Greene. Victor, I don’t know if he’s competing. He will be in there if he does. Melvin could be there, maybe Silvio.”

The “So What?”: After his first Olympia win in 2006, many speculated that Cutler would hit it two more times and ride off into the Vegas sunset with three Mr. O. titles. His reign has tasted controversy; particularly his 2007 victory over what many considered a better-conditioned Victor Martinez, last year’s runner-up.

* Photos by Raymond Cassar

The Item: Career Updates/Highlights

The Scoop: Athlete to Andrew: IFBB Pro Fouad Abiad adds cover boy to his list of titles. The Canada-based trainer landed a MuscleMag International cover that hit shelves this month. “It’s my first cover, of many hopefully. I am currently weighing in at 296 lbs, and I’m looking forward to the shows later this year,” Fouad tells me. In addition to the cover shot, Fouad informed me that he re-signed with MuscleTech. If the supp. co. contract wasn’t enough, he dropped another bomb. “I am also happy to state that I am now a member of the GASP clothing team.” Being a face (and body) for the athletic-inspired brand has an added benefit for the diesel-built man they call Hoss. “GASP clothes are really the only clothes that fit me properly!” Fouad is furiously training for a Tampa Bay show in August, and then he hopes to qualify for a slot The O. in September.

The “So What?”: Fouad recently celebrated his mag cover at a party at The Boom Boom Room, a Canadian nightclub. The musclehead, who occasionally rocks a Mohawk on the contest stage, is making major moves long-distance, snagging deals from Canada without making the move to Cali, the bodybuilding Mecca…yet.

* Photo courtesy of MuscleMag International

The Item: Magazine Contract Signing

The Scoop: After nearly a decade in the pro game and fresh off a three-strike winning streak, IFBB Pro Dexter Jackson inked an exclusive contract with Weider Publications. Given this long-awaited partnership, The Blade is probably cuttin’ a rug and doing a happy dance. Dex executed a heavy-lifting strategy with his trainer Joe McNeal to get to his current 233 lbs. With his trademark conditioning and newly added mass (7 lbs. since the 2007 Olympia), Dex fended off Phil Health — a popular, and in some circles favored, young gun — for the 2008 Arnold Classic title. After nabbing his third AC victory, The Blade sliced the competition for back-to-back wins in Australia and New Zealand. The top-placings, physical improvements and mag deal paint Jackson as a major contender to snatch the 2008 Olympia crown from Jay Cutler.

The “So What?”: The real question is what took so long for a celebrated vet in the muscle trade to land an exclusive mag contract with AMI/Weider, the biggest game in town? “It’s been a long time coming,” Jackson says. “I really just wanted to be a part of the team. I’ve always wanted to be with Weider. I’m at a good point in my career right now, nearing the end of it. So I wanted to finish [the last few years] off the right way.”

* Photos by Raymond Cassar

The Item: Bodybuilding Contest Results

The Scoop: In the digital age, the bodybuilding contest stage is a computer screen and judges make their marks with keyboard strokes. The 2nd Annual MD Cyber Classic, an online bodybuilding contest, pulled in a pool of surprisingly impressive contestants with remarkable physiques from all around the global cyberspace. These muscled-up upstarts were vying for pre-pro exposure that could jumpstart their future careers in the pro ranks. The Muscular Development Magazine staff selected four finalists: Eduardo Correa, Tarek El Setouhi, Karouani Johan Fehd and Chris Jalali. Fans picked the fifth finalist, Dan Serota, via an online vote.

The showdown went down at the MD booth at the 2008 Arnold Classic Sports Festival Expo. A chiseled combo of mass, symmetry, conditioning and quality muscle, Brazilian Eduardo Correa was awarded first place, $7,000, an MD cover and supplements from Gaspari Nutrition. He also took the middleweight class at the Arnold Amateur. The second-place finisher, Egyptian Tarek El Setouhi ($2000), is a massive athlete who also won the Super-Heavyweight division of the Arnold Amateur and beat out Correa for the Arnold Amateur Overall title.

The “So What?”: Eduardo had previously qualified for pro status with a middleweight-class victory at the 2007 IFBB World Championships, but he elected to retain amateur status. This up-and-comer has landed a highly coveted spot usually reserved for new IFBB noisemakers and seasoned pros – the cover of one of the most widely read muscle mags.

* Photos by Raymond Cassar