2020 was a year of chaos for athletes all across the world. With events being canceled and gyms forced to close their doors, athletes were obligated to find new ways to train. Some athletes were able to ... Continue Reading
COVID-19 and American Gyms — Revenue Down 15.6%, Memberships Could Fall 40%
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on small businesses and industries — and of them, the fitness space has been hit particularly hard. Gyms across the country started to close in mid-March, forcing ... Continue Reading
World Para Powerlifting & Eleiko to Integrate Digital Barbell Sensors
On Jan. 5, 2020, World Para Powerlifting Organization (WPPO) and strength sports equipment manufacturer Eleiko announced their collaboration to incorporate a new lift analysis technology into the sleeves ... Continue Reading
2008 Mr. Olympia Dexter Jackson Reveals COVID-19 Battle
Famed IFBB Pro League bodybuilder Dexter Jackson revealed that he has COVID-19. On Jan. 4, 2021, Jackson posted a series of videos to his Instagram Stories, stating that he has been dealing with the ... Continue Reading
2021 Static Monsters World Championship Delayed Until Later in Year, Date Unknown
In an Instagram post shared on Jan. 4, 2021, organizers announced that the 2021 Static Monsters World Championships, originally scheduled for July 24, 2021, will no longer take place on that date. No new ... Continue Reading
Powerlifter Julius Maddox Rocks A 710-Pound Bench Press Triple
It should come as no surprise that Julius Maddox is recalibrating what is possible on the bench press. The 33-year-old powerlifter has performed mind-bogglingly heavy bench presses. The biggest highlights ... Continue Reading
Powerlifter Heather Connor Deadlifts 200 Kilograms/440 Pounds At 45.6KG Bodyweight
Back in November, two-time IPF 47 kg World Champion Heather Connor had set a goal of deadlifting 200 kg (440 pounds), which would be a never-before-matched feat among drug-tested women at her bodyweight. ... Continue Reading
Hunter McIntyre, Lauren Weeks Win HYROX World Fitness Championships
Fans of strength sports and fitness were treated to a special event to start 2021. HYROX aired their 2020 HYROX World Championship race on January 1st, 2021 at 12 noon eastern time on their Facebook and ... Continue Reading
Two-Time Women’s Physique Olympia Champion Shanique Grant Announces Her Retirement
On Dec. 31, 2020, two-time Women’s Physique, Olympia Champion Shanique Grant has formally announced her retirement on her YouTube channel. The video was posted on New Year’s Eve. The formal statement from ... Continue Reading
Peter McGough, Renowned Bodybuilding Journalist, Dies At 71 After Lengthy Cancer Battle
Peter McGough, a journalist who was heralded by athletes and fans in the bodybuilding community, passed away after an eight-year-long battle with cancer on Dec. 29, 2020, at 71 years old. His work in the ... Continue Reading
Para Powerlifter Ahmed Shafik — Army Veteran To Paralympian
Ahmed Shafik is a decorated Para Powerlifter and member of Team USA. As a two-time Paralympian, he competed in the 2012 London Paralympic Games in the 82.5-kilogram weight class and the 2016 Rio ... Continue Reading
Strongman Rauno Heinla Deadlifted 1,036 Pounds On Christmas Eve
Strongman Rauno Heinla of Estonia is an absolute monster in the discipline of the deadlift. During his second appearance on the World's Ultimate Strongman (WUS) "Feats of Strength" series, he set a ... Continue Reading
Powerlifter Yangsu Ren Deadlifts 4.6 Times His Bodyweight With 410.5-Kilogram (905-Pound) Pull
What an impressive year of training it has been for Yangsu "Deadlift Panda" Ren. The 32-year-old powerlifter began 2020 with a massive 379-kilogram (835-pound) sumo deadlift with straps using a hook grip. ... Continue Reading
How Bodybuilders Cut Weight While Still Holding Onto Muscle
Bodybuilding, from an outsider’s perspective, may look easy — you eat lots of food and lift tons of weights to get as muscular as possible, right? Well, not exactly. That's the first half of the equation — ... Continue Reading
Disabled Strongman Tobias Anthofer Hits 555.55-Kilogram Seated Deadlift World Record
Disabled strongman Tobias Anthofer aka "Big Sitting Bull" of Germany has set a new world record seated deadlift of an astounding 555 kilograms (1,224.8 pounds). The remarkable lift took place in Luenen, ... Continue Reading
Andrey Sapozhonkov Bench Presses 277kg (611 pounds) at 90kg Bodyweight Raw
On December 17th, Russian powerlifter Andrey Sapozhonkov competed in the Raw division of the 2020 World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) World Championships in Moscow, Russia. He only participated in the ... Continue Reading
The Top Strongwomen to Watch in 2021
The sport of strongwoman gets more exciting every year. It is enjoying steady growth, attracting already established female strength athletes to it, as well as cultivating a deep field of strongwomen who ... Continue Reading
Powerlifter Dmitry Nasonov Deadlifts 405 Kilograms for New ATWR at -83 Kilograms
In December 2020, at the World Raw Powerlifting World Cup in Moscow, Russia, Dmitry Nasonov set a new all-time world record deadlift at -83-kilograms with a 405-kilogram (892-pound) deadlift. He also ... Continue Reading
Report: Russian Weightlifter Tatiana Kashirina Suspended After Doping Suspicion
Five-time world champion weightlifter Tatiana Kashirina has been temporarily suspended due to an alleged doping offense, according to Inside the Games and as originally reported by Russian outlet TASS. If ... Continue Reading
2020 Olympia Saturday Finals Report — Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, Men’s Physique & Bikini
Saturday night at the Olympia on a normal year is exciting and symbolic. Fans are always excited to see the best bodies in fitness competing. For the athletes, it’s symbolic because it’s the culmination of ... Continue Reading
Flex Wheeler Receives Inaugural Olympia Inspiration and Courage Award
The Olympia Weekend promoter announced the introduction of a new award on Dec. 19, 2020, during the Saturday night finals of the 2020 Mr. Olympia. The Olympia Inspiration and Courage Award was introduced ... Continue Reading
Powerlifter Zac Meyers Sets Unofficial All-Time Raw World Record Total of 1,053 kilograms (2,321.4 pounds)
Many powerlifting meets in 2020 were either postponed or canceled, but with all the records being broken as of late — it sure doesn't feel that way. The most recent record-breaker — though unofficial since ... Continue Reading
2020 Olympia Saturday Prejudging Callout Report — Men’s Physique, Bikini, Classic Physique & Wheelchair Bodybuilding Finals
Day two of the Mr. Olympia competition — where the best in bodybuilding present their year-round work — is underway. So far, many have been crowned — with plenty of upsets and dominant performances to keep ... Continue Reading
CONFIRMED: Bodybuilder Iris Kyle Out of 2020 Ms. Olympia Due to Illness
Pre-judging for the Ms. Olympia competition took place on the morning of Dec. 18, 2020, in Orlando, FL. Of the 16 bodybuilders competing in the contest, two of them are previous winners of the Ms. Olympia ... Continue Reading