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More in Center Stage

From origins to upbringing, everyone has a unique story and circumstances that made them realize the importance of eliminating excuses and taking charge of their lives. With Center Stage, we bring some wildly diverse excerpts from great people in and around our community.

Inside Destination Dallas, if you hear the sound of a bag getting the sh%+ beat out of it, it's most likely our community member Nav.

Nav is currently in the middle of his clinical rotations, and spends whatever free time he has in the gym - like the guy will choose the gym over sleep. Dedicated as hell and quite the social butterfly, we wanted to sit down with Nav to hear his story and his love for MMA.

Center Stage | Navdeep "Nav" Singh

More in Motivation

It's NOT just some cliché BS. It's the truth. Don't try to be anybody else or compare yourself to others. As soon as anyone figures out that being an individual and owning the things that set them apart from others is a strength and instrumental in personal development, a whole other perspective opens up.

Here Johnnie Jackson spews some learning lessons from earlier on in his pro bodybuilding career.

"It was 5 long years that I spent trying to win my first pro bodybuilding contest."

Johnnie did spend years with "the monkey on his back" trying to win a pro contest. The point he is making in this particular video is that he was getting invited to make appearances globally before he even had a title to his name. He was ONLY getting invited and flown all over the globe because of his passion to... be Johnnie (groundbreaking).

Johnnie was Johnnie and gave zero f.cks before it was cool to give zero f.cks.

"Don't let titles, or lack there of, or comparisons define who you are. Be the purest you possible and it'll always be enough."

Be Your Purest YOU - Johnnie Jackson

If one day you found out you only have 5 more summers to enjoy, 100 more weekends to experience the world or your last 52 weeks to fulfill your goals, chances are you would waste one minute of any day.

Ray Lundin was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over 10 years ago. The odds to live past 5 years were stacked against him and the odds beyond that were as slim and as akin to impossible as can be. With all that in mind Ray is alive and well and sits down here with GASP and Better Bodies CEO Michael Johansson to talk about his lifestyle leading up to his diagnosis and his choices that directly effected him NOT only living this long, but living and enjoying life to the fullest.

"I used to be a someday guy. Someday I will get to do this or someday I will experience that. I am no longer a someday guy. If it is sensible and within my budget I go for it."

Get Busy Living - Ray Lundin

Courage Opara focuses on what's important. Sounds simple, but in a time when distractions are buzzing around us all like a disturbed hornets nest, avoiding distractions is near impossible.

Courage won the IFBB Battle of Texas in December 2020 qualifying him for the 2021 Olympia. He did so under the radar (so to speak) without riding a hype wave and without tagging himself in every training session he did or meal that he ate. We aren't talking down on posting what you want on social media, we are just speaking to the fact that Courage doesn't get distracted with things that might take energy that don't really contribute to what makes him happy.

"I will have a year to prepare for the Olympia. That has never happened before. I won't have hype coming into it (being that the contest he won was in December) so I will try out this social media thing."

In this catch up with Courage we get an understanding of why Courage is so "chill" and positive, what he thinks of a classic physique, what he expects from himself and how simple he celebrates big wins in life and on stage.

When asked how he celebrated his big Battle of Texas win he said, "I just prefer to go eat dinner with family and friends and then play video games. My girl friend was a little mad but these things make me happy so yea..."

Courage Opara - Expect To Win

We caught back up with Jon Irizarry during week 4 of his prep to sit down and ask him how he's feeling physically and psychologically during these early stages of his prep.

"I know what's coming, and I know how I'm going to feel. I anticipate it and I'm ready for it, but at the same time that's what makes it harder. That's where you have to really dig deep."

This is not Jon's first rodeo, he's been through numerous amounts of preps, he knows the way his body and mind will be working at week 1 and how it will be moments before stepping on that stage. This veteran experience gives Jon the extra confidence he needs to get through the mid-way part of his prep and be on track every single day. He's feeling strong, confident and dangerous, a place he knows his competitors don't want him to be.

You Got To Be A Little Crazy | Bodybuilding Re-boot with Jon Irizarry

More in Ambassadors

I want to introduce myself to you, since I in the beginning of 2021 I signed as an athlete for GASP and Better Bodies.

My name is Calle and I am 27 years old. I am married, and live in Stockholm. I have a teacher degree, but work full time as a PT / coach (@FlexPT.se on Instagram) and that this year I am opening one of Stockholm's largest and most modern gyms; Flex Fitness Farsta. (@FlexSverige on instagram). I competed in Classic Bodybuilding for the first time in 2012, and since then there have been about 20 competitions. On my list of accomplishments I have 3 gold as a Swedish Champion, 1 Nordic gold + overall, 1 silver from the European Championship and I got to the finals at the World Championships.

In 2020 and now in the 2021, I went all in to win a professional card in Classic Physique and make my debut in Bodybuilding -90 kg. Unfortunately, both competition preps have been canceled due to the current situation in the world. But I keep pushing and see if there will be any opening in the near future, with the eyes on the PRO card!

The passion for this sport and my training drives me forward and I love this lifestyle!

I will put full focus on the gym and the PT bit for a few years to come. I love this lifestyle, the routines, the progression, the people you meet and get to know, that you learn something new and develop every day! I love bodybuilding, and am both fascinated and motivated by people who go all in for what they really want to do. I love my hour in the gym where you can put everything aside and just get to it!

My letter combinations are a strength in life and adversity has made me where I am today.

As a person, I have my letter combinations, which entails an extreme "all-or-nothing" in most things in life. There is no middle ground. Sometimes it can put me in situations that get a little tricky, but most of the time, adversity also breeds success and you have to try, dare to invest and dare to fail in order to succeed even better next time, in my opinion. I have had some setbacks in life, just like everyone else, but clichéd enough I can say that I probably would not be where I am today, if it were not for these setbacks.

 or at the gym Flex Fitness in Stockholm, where you are welcome to come by and run a workout!

Get To Know Calle Bolund

More in Training

"...because of the surgeries, I was forced to give my body what it needed in rest and recovery. Now I am responding better than ever and I am 16 weeks out from Tampa."

Martin Fitzwater touched down in Dallas and hauled ass to Destination to fit in his chest session. We mic'd him up and are delivering everything to you this morning. Being only 24 years old Martin realized very early on that a huge number on his bench press is definitely NOT his goal and fully developed muscle bellies are.

Through the years he, and training partner Brett Wilkin have selected exercises geared toward activating and recruiting muscle fibers early on in the training session and then chose exercises that delivered on what is needed to optimally develop areas needed on most bodybuilders.

Martin goes through his own training cues on how he himself activates his chest the best he can and further explains his routine you see here and the order of exercises.

He explains here what contest he has fixed his focus on and why.

How I Get My Chest To Grow - Martin Fitzwater

Hunter Labrada gives a run down on his expectations and results of the 2020 Mr. Olympia and how he feels going into prep mode for 2021.

Here he is joined by Liv Roth at destination for a weekend of product feedback meetings, training back, arms with Derek Lunsford, legs with Liv Roth and more of living the lifestyle.

Hunter Labrada - Lit A Fire

Luke Miller and Olivia Gravengaard link here in the 5th in-depth instructional installment to their offseason to pre contest series.

As usual Luke really spells out everything from exercise selection to set-up, execution and frequency based on Olivia's and Luke's goals.

Luke himself needs more chest training volume hence that difference between their programs today.

Follow along and ask questions in the comment section.

Shoulder Biceps & Triceps Volume - Luke Miller & Olivia Gravengaard

More in Real and Raw

"Continually strive to beat yourself. If you do that over and over, you start to beat everyone else."

Dustin Kueck has been powerlifting for 18 months and is nearing a 2000lb total which is huge and puts Dustin in the top percentile as far as competitive powerlifting goes. Being that a 2000lb total is Dustin's next goal, the off season is just as important as on season programmed lifting for powerlifters.

Here, Josh Bryant gets Dustin away from the same movement patters of bench, squat and deadlift with this workout.

"If all you do is stay in the bench, squat and deadlift box and never do anything else, what are you going to do when real life hits? This is going to make you more resilient to injury because this training makes your stabilizer muscles stronger and exposes you to different planes of motion which eliminates more limiting factors when lifting more on your bench, squat and deadlift."

Off Season Powerlifting with Dustin Kueck

More in Events

Beano Wallace, the promoter of the NPC Knoxville Classic started as a competitor and competed and won the title of Mr. Knoxville so it is no wonder that the Knox Classic has grown into the premier event of its kind being the epitome of for competitors by competitors.

Shaun Clarida who is 6 weeks out of the 2019 Mr. Olympia is the featured guest poser here and is looking prepared to be a top contender for the title this year.

Knox Classic - 30 Years Of Excellence

How much do you bench? This question is about as annoying to any veteran, noticeably well-trained lifter as asking if creatine is a steroid. Consequently, heavy compound movements like the barbell bench press and incline presses are and have been the bread and butter exercises of greats such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler to name a few. Point being that the barbell bench presses have earned their right to be in the forefront of novice lifters minds and should be a staple in most chest training routines where strength and size are priority.

Here Johnnie "beats the dead horse" reiterating the importance of compound movements and how he uses them more frequently in his chest training nowadays.

Flat Barbell Bench Press: bar alone x 15 reps, 135 x 15 reps, 225 x 10 reps

working sets: 315 x 10 reps, 405 x 2 reps, 315 x 8 reps

Incline Barbell Press: 135 x 10 reps, 225 x 10 reps, 315 x 8 reps

Flat Dumbbell Press: 100 x 10 reps, 120 x 10 reps, 170 x 5 reps, 150 x 10 reps

Stay tuned for more REAL and Raw Training form Johnnie Jackson, Guy Cisternino and Branch Warren and the HUGE Iron World Tour 4 city trek in China!