Muscle Talk with John Livia and Lee Priest! Special guest, Sergio Oliva Jr.

John Livia and Lee Priest are joined by a very special guest, New York Pro Champ and Arnold Classic veteran, Sergio Oliva Jr.  as they discuss all the latest happenings in professional bodybuilding.

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Discount Code: Priest

#bodybuilding #sergioolivajr #leepriest

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

All right, big Lee. This is muscle talk. This is the series. This is a serious one. Yeah, this is the serious one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

It's a projector, and you just plug it into your wall, you connect your phone to it, it comes with apps on it, like that's moving again in my camera. It comes with YouTube apps and stuff. So you project it onto your wall, you get like a huge hundred-inch thing, and you can watch YouTube and like videos for your phone on your wall or something, like a movie project. Really?

SPEAKER_01 0:35

That's actually pretty cool. That's like cool too. Can it does it work outside?

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Because like if you're in the yard or something like that, like if you're outside and you put it on it as nighttime, you can put it on the side of your house or something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

That's actually pretty cool. Yeah. So do you see my uh shirt? Vintage muscle. They sent me a whole bunch of I did, I didn't know. They sent me a whole bunch of shit today.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

One of the things I've been taking their drops, but today I didn't because my guts are oh look at the bag, even. And inside the bag? Did you get those like uh anadroll? Ooh. Wrist wraps.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Look at that.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

Like they think you're gonna go that heavy.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Yeah, I know really.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

Jesus, I just got them in my bag for decoration. What'd they send you?

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Like the they sent me uh oh, they sent me a hat.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

I put it on my little different like uh like anadrol type ones or different ones.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

They sent me uh test, 19 Noor, EQ, the myostatin blocker, I got them, and the your Uranabol, which I think is like a pro hormone D ball or something like that. I gotta look into it.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

And I got like I said, they sent me some Libit Hablets prostate. Why they sent me that for they saying trying to tell me something, sending me prostate tablets?

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Holy shit. I didn't even know they had that stuff. Yeah, so now I gotta I gotta start doing some uh I gotta start doing some videos.

SPEAKER_03 1:56

Uh that time Sid and I took them just for that photo shit we did, and then we went to the gym. We got a great pump because we took so much of fucking everything. I think that I'm like, Fuck, you got a good pump? She's like, Fuck after one set. That's when you did you try any that day.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Actually, yeah, that's you you're right about that.

SPEAKER_03 2:13

Yeah, when I was using it, I think you tried, I think you tried some, didn't you? Yeah, it tastes good.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Big search, what's up, man?

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yo, what's up?

SPEAKER_01 2:20

A long time this year. How you doing, man?

SPEAKER_00 2:22

It's funny, it says my wife's name, I think, because I'm on her laptop. Oh I'm Olivia Aliba.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Sure, it is. Yeah, do you want me to do you want me to uh erase?

SPEAKER_00 2:33

He's transitioning, he's gonna transition. He does the big announcement. Actually, it's actually how most people spell my last name wrong wrong, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So do you want me to uh is it a leva or a leave?

SPEAKER_00 2:44

I I mean I don't care, you can't.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Okay, all right, that's fine. Because some like I used to have a friend that used to come on with me, he used to do the same thing, and he'd say, take my girlfriend's name off. It's always to just be a pub, but it doesn't bother you. That's fine. What's up, man? Haven't seen you. I gotta say, you were one of the first, you it's been like fucking six years.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

You were one of the first things you should just start the show, you just should start recording.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

We did, we did, we did. We already started, yeah. We did, absolutely, we did, we did.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

But yeah, I'm the OG on this show. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yeah, yeah, you were one of the you, Samson, before Samson was like uh an honor classic winner in Mr. Olympia. Yeah, you were like one of the first guys, and I remember you had you had the company. What was the I forgot the name of the supplement company you had, and I bought some products from shit.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Cosmic, yeah, yeah. That's right, cosmic.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

That was actually a pretty good pre-workout. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

No, the supplements were good. I just thought I was I thought I like thought of some like genius plan where I'm like, man, you know what? I should just do is because we get paid for appearances to go to shops. I was like, just do your orders in subs. It's a win-win for me. You're buying subs, you can resell them for more money. And then I realized, oh, this is why no current bodybuilders are still having their own company because you can't do a fucking company and then try and go to the Olympia. So it was cool. I got to do, I got to do my own company, I didn't have to worry about sponsors anymore. And then I did the worst that I ever have on stage.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

It was during COVID that definitely did not help. I tried to run a company, I tried to launch, I launched our company at the Arnold's COVID where they canceled the expo.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Oh jeez, isn't that when you got stuck? Didn't you get stuck in Australia during the COVID?

SPEAKER_00 4:21

It was, yeah. So I did well at that show because it was Bonock, uh, Dexter, Big Rami. It was like it was like five Arnold Classic Champions, two Mr. Olympias, and to me, it was the best I placed, even though it was technically fifth. It's still my best showing. And then I was gonna go to Australia and no one else was going, it was just gonna be me and Josh Nardowitz. Yeah, so I even called them up, and I'm like, bro, it's gonna be me and you for the Arnold. And by the time I fucking landed, Tony's like, there's no more Arnold. I'm like, motherfucker.

SPEAKER_01 4:51

I remember a month, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

And then you're seeing on the Gold Coast beach nearly every day. I mean, look, if I would have been stuck in Melbourne, then I would be complaining. But I left I left just in time, and and then I don't know if you you ever saw this leave, but I was on the news in the Gold Coast.

SPEAKER_03 5:09

Is that when the was that when the police were talking the other day?

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Yes, exactly. And they're like uh uh Gold Coast police are cracking down on people on the beach, and the whole time they were talking to me about Ty Green and Phil Heath, like they never mentioned they never said nothing about getting off the beach. They even left and we stayed.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

It was me and Queensland was a bit more lenient. Melbourne, Melbourne was fucking terrible as far as their like restriction laws went. It was fucking like Gestapo town down there. Fuck.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

No, it's the worst in the world. I think China was the only thing worse than Melbourne.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Evan, it seems like every time you go to a different country, Sergio, you're getting fucking trouble.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

I was gonna ask Sergio that does he feel like he's got a bad luck sometimes. So maybe you get ready for that one show you got sick and then injured and then do bolly was that. I'm thinking sometimes when we've seen you, I was gonna ask, have we seen the best Sergio? I don't think we have because I still every time I see you on stage, I feel like there's just that little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_01 6:05

So you look great when you won the New York Pro. I remember that.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Yeah, but I was still I was still small, you know. Like I just got I just got my pro card. So since I've been like larger, yeah, no, I don't think I've peaked properly for a show except for that Arnold.

SPEAKER_03 6:20

That's that's your bicep now.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, no, it's fine. Like it's okay, yeah. You can't tell.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

Well, what happens to the new thing?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

I should just make up a fucking lie at this point and be like, I was trying to save someone because telling people that it was bowling is the most lackluster.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yeah, oh that sucks.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Yeah, an 11-pound ball did me in, man.

SPEAKER_03 6:45

All my injuries, all my injuries, 41 years in the gym, touch wood, never got injured in the gym. Torn shoulder, torn bicep, all outside doing stupid, just digging a hole, and the shovel got caught under a root. And when I lifted it, I'm like, fuck this.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Bodybuilders are really fragile. Speaking of uh supplements, though, Lee has his own supplement line now. I've gone out on a limb. That's it. And uh the company's Nutrafit, and this is his pre-workout crucifix. But uh, if you take it, it's very, very strong. So I recommend a half a scoop. I took a half a scoop yesterday, and I thought, you know, after I was done working out, I built an addition on my house.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

It's fucking insane. I take it I take it water, and uh actually the intra workout called Holy Water should be out in two weeks.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

Oh, that's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 7:32

Okay, yeah, there's all a biblical theme around it.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

So I was gonna say the naming is pretty is pretty top notch.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

And we're gonna do a training tower like the Shroud of Turin with my image on it, just uh really upset the Catholics.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

I'll be honest, that this the same company, Sergio. I was telling Lee, the same company that put out his line, Nutrafit, has another pre-workout called Kroba. It's spelt like K-R-O-B-A. And I ordered that before I even, you know, before the Lee thing and the crucifixion, and it was fucking great. I was like, it's perfect. It's not like it's um I'm not a huge caffeine dude, right? So all I need is a little bit, and and most of the time it's mental for me, right? It's like, oh, I took my pre-work, I gotta go to the gym now, right? But when with this shit, it's like it's basically it even says on it, it's not revenge, it's punishment. Like it really is fucking strong.

SPEAKER_03 8:23

You took you took three quarters of a scoop. I took in Nashville, you swear it was on fucking crack.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Yeah, it was it's it's if you're a whole hour in the gym. Yeah, I wouldn't shut up. It's unbelievable. But if you're if you're a if you're a caffeine person, then this is good. Anyway, all right. First topic that I want to talk to you guys about is uh uh Dave Palumbo was talking about it. The minimum cash prizes for open bodybuilders now. I mean, it it's at it's at the point where it's ridiculous. Like ten thousand dollars for uh first place is that and that was what uh what was in that's what Bonnet just got, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Right, yeah, Bonnet Bonnet, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

What do you think, Serge?

SPEAKER_00 9:04

But did I see that thing that the what they had as the picture? Did that say that Legion had classic and open, got paid the same? They were both 10 grand. Did it really? I don't know. That's what the in the background, because it said it used to be 25 and then went down to 10. Maybe it went down to 15. Maybe I read it wrong. That would be the only thing that I would have a problem with, is that somehow they're getting paid the same amount.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

But I just 10 grand. I mean, it was 10 grand in leading.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

In the 90s, yeah, it was 10 grand back at the iron. But you think by now it should be a minimum of 25 at least. I know if you're just putting on an open pro show, you gotta mainly get your money from sponsors and shit because a lot of the money comes from amateur divisions, so maybe they just think they're in the defense in the defense of the promoters.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

If as a whole, as the IFBB would make the sanctions cheaper, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:51

I was gonna say, what's their sanction fee now?

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Yeah, I'm sure that goes up every year, regardless. Oh, yeah. So I think once they start fixing that from the core, which I honestly I just think is never gonna happen, because it's already so hard for a promoter to make money. I mean, Chris Chris Mins is one of the best promoters who put on Legion, and I know the last two shows, he's just putting in his own money just to be able to make it uh, you know, make it work because he also does want to put on a good show, he doesn't also want to just half-ass it and then make money. He'd almost rather put on a great show and make no money, but he's a rare person. The majority of the shows are gonna be we're gonna take it from the lighting, we're gonna take it from the live stream, we're gonna take it on stage, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Then you're like, oh man, you look like shit. Yeah, I know I look like shit. I was waiting backstage for eight hours, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Right, right. Uh, from what I understand, a lot of the pro shows now are putting on amateur amateur shows because they make the money there, they don't make the money with the pro shows.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

I think Tony Dodi told me this was going back early 2000, if I remember correctly. I think back then the sanction fee was 20,000 Americans. So in Australian dollars, that's about 35,000. I think I think he said you had to have it months in advance.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Yeah, that's right, that's right. You had to have it like six or uh eight months in advance.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

So already and that was back then, I think. So maybe if it's probably it's probably 20 minimum would probably be 20, I'd reckon for sanctioned fee. And really, what do you get? What do you get for that? Then you've got to pay the judges to come in. That's why I was saying to uh Victor last week when I was on the plane flying home. I wish somebody would come along, non-sanctioned, just some billionaire from Saudi or someone, and just put on contests with no title, no NABA, no IFBV, just put on good shows. If you've got the backing and the money and the good promoter, you could do it, but nobody would probably leave the IFB still. No, at least five or six shows with 100,000 minimum and a top prize of a million, athletes would go, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah, Vince McMahon tried that in the uh in the 80s, remember?

SPEAKER_03 11:51

We'd have destroyed that because we'd have said they're all on steroids, and then they all started coming after the wrestlers and steroids. So Vince McMahon said that's when they went after Hulk Hogan. It's like you brought bad light. It's like, okay, the IFB weren't using steroids. Remember the first show they looked great, then the second WBF show, they fucking Mike Quinn looked like he didn't even die.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah, it's it was ridiculous. But yeah, I don't know how the Manians would uh deal with that today if that happened. But competition does breed excellence, though. It really does.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

I mean, it it I mean look at um look at Chriso. He's a perfect example, Chriso, Andrew Jack, and there's some one other person I forgot, but they were all in other federations, yeah. And they, I mean, they look good. I'm not gonna say that they didn't look good, yeah. They would have never looked like what they did now if they were 100%, yeah. And you know, kudos to them too. Because look, I can tell you something. I mean, Lee, probably happened to you when you went to that other federation, you were immediately the best bodybuilder over there. No matter what, they're gonna treat you better than if you were bottom of the totem pole in the NPC or IFBB, which is which is part of it. You need to be at the bottom. But so it's a big thing that we don't talk about. Is for somebody to be kind of getting their balls licked, and then they decide, I want to actually go to another federation that's harder and get my ass kicked, it's just a rare thing. And I think that's why I don't know if you guys saw Chris Oed to compete against the other guy who was almost like his twin. Uh, but he's like a smaller version. He just announced, I guess, a couple months a month ago, he's coming over and he's been the big dog over there. So once Chriso left, he became the Ronnie Coleman of that industry. So to leave that, you know, we we need to start actually respecting them because I'm sure they're making money, they're not making as much money, but they're making a good amount of living. And look, one thing I learned in bodybuilding too is that a lot of guys have learned if I stay in Wisconsin and I only compete in Wisconsin shows, then I and then I create a Wisconsin physiques team, I'm gonna become way more famous and I'm gonna make way more money off of clients than if I go to a pro show or nationals and I take third call out. It's just it is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

And so that is part of the business part of bodybuilding is understanding like going and trying sometimes. It's weird. Like if you shoot for the stars and end up on the moon in what in depending on what class you're in, that was a mistake.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Where it just depends on what kind of person you are, like me and most every open bodybuilder, we just want to be our best. You're going into the class and there's no weight limits, you get your you get you get slapped in the face until you fill out your body, or you could just kind of like stay local. I mean, I know people back Illinois by Chicago where I grew up, and they for sure 100% have more money than me. But they went to USA's and they got third collar and they never went back. Yeah, and and now they have a whole team, they show up at these NPC shows, they've got 16 bikini girls, 16 Mentor Z guys. Oh, yes, you know, and no matter what, on paper, they are doing better. And I think it's it's a thing that we need to start respecting. The more social media gets get getting bigger. We need to start respecting the guys that you're literally choosing to make less money because you want that, you know, you know, whatever, whatever you want to call it, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

You want the pro card status because I've seen a few amateurs who were top amateurs now getting good money, they took the pro card status, and like you said, they turned pro, and because they didn't do good in the pros, their stock just sort of went like that. Where if they had to stay the top amateur, they would have made a ton more money. So even though you can get the pro card, sometimes it ain't wise to take it. Just stay, like you said, maybe you're a great amateur, a great national guy. That's as far as you'll go, but you can make money from that because once you turn pro and go to the pro stage, like Sergio said, if you're in the fourth call out, fifth call out, and you're not placing, people go, uh, has been. Even you can still be great, but people see you as a loser.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Dave Palombo made a fortune as an amateur, yeah. You know, um, and a guy who comes to not in bodybuilding, but Kimbo Slice was uh a social media icon in the street, not allowed.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Kimbo's my favorite fighter, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

Then he goes to the UFC and he, you know, it just well, that's like even Victor Richards he never competed, he got his pro card because everyone used to say imagine if he did compete. Imagine if he did, imagine if he didn't he got six, that mystique would have gone out the window exactly. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

I think that's why Kai hasn't came back, too, because you make more money where you're the guy who got screwed. You got you you would have. If you would have came back, you would have. But as long as you don't, you stay would have. But if he comes back and gets fifth, then it's like imagine Kai. Imagine Kai losing to like Nick, you know, who Nick is a good bodybuilder, it almost makes it where it's like, holy shit, you know. Yeah, I wasn't that good, which is not true, but that's how now with social media it is, it's the status and where you are. The problem I was gonna say is the problem with those guys that stay local, they're the loudest talking shit about guys who got third place at a pro show. You know, that's the only issue, is that somehow you still have the same voice. If you comment or the people in Australia that have hated Lisa's whole life comment, it's the same comment, it gets the same amount of notice.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Or it's the ones too, when they do that, they're like, Well, why didn't you go pro? And they're like, Well, I just didn't want to do what you have to do to go to that level. Yeah, I just didn't want to I'm thinking, I'm thinking you've you made it to the top amateurs, you were doing what the fucking pros were doing, or probably more. I know more amateurs that take more than the pros, and they go, Oh, I just don't want to do that to my body. I'm like, Yeah, okay, then Sunshine, okay. I don't want to get too big, okay. Your arms are 20, 19, but you don't want 21, 22 inch arms, you're just gonna stop at 20. Fuck off. If you didn't get 22, you're going for 22-inch arms.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

Yeah, nobody wants to go in the gym and look like Spider-Man. I think Fuad said that. Everybody wants to go. I'm just gonna maintain.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

I'm just gonna maintain what I have.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Yeah, yeah. No, I I I fully get it. And if that and and you're right, so if that's the case, then just take what you get and shut up because those the other guys are taking chances, want to go in against the best in the world, like uh like Chris O and uh Andrew Jack, and uh, you know, they're they've become better and better and better.

SPEAKER_03 18:00

So if if you if you were go ahead, look I was gonna say I've been laughing at the comments because I was in Florida what last week. I can't remember where I've been and gone, and I just trained that what's his name, King Tolo, nice guy, and that you know, retired from the service. Now I just put him through an arm workout, the old style that you know Arnold super setting type high volume, and he was throwing up, and then all the comments from the grocery side this doesn't work, this goes into your DOMs, and this is this is counterproductive. I'm like, like it's been true. Arnold used to do the basics high volume. I think your father was high volume into the basic barbell curls. And I'm like, it worked for everybody back then. Even my training partners who used to do six to nine sets, when they started doing 16 to 20, their arms all grew. So it's like any body part you want to do, but even I did um that guy in when I was in Germany at FIBA, that young kid anomaly from Malta. Oh, I put him through. I put him through that like same workout Tom Platt's put me through, same comments. You don't need to go this far, you don't need to push that hard. You I'm thinking have you guys ever fucking trained hard or fucking you know had four streps or anything like this is this is old school? I'm like, yeah, well, old shit still works, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. What what are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Yeah, sometimes you can't overthink it, but that's actually a good topic. Um, how old was that kid? I forgot his name. He was only like 21.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

20, 20, I think 23, but all the comments, he won't see 25, he won't see 26 because of the workout.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yeah, yeah. Sergio, have you noticed that? Like these younger guys coming out of the woodwork that are just monsters, 20, 21, 19. You're like, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Yeah, I just feel like, man, did they not have any kind of like time where they had fun? Like, just think when I decided I wanted to be a bodybuilder, so I was already in the house of a Mr. Olympia. Like, I I grew up in a gym, I went to every Mr. Olympia there was, and I still didn't want to do it. I had no interest in doing bodybuilding at all. I know that I wanted to do it because at some point I just all of a sudden fell in love with working out. I couldn't imagine if I didn't have those times where I was getting in trouble, yeah. Like, you know why I don't want to party anymore? It's because I did it, I don't miss it.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

I'm the opposite. I'm the opposite of you, dude. I from 13 to that's when I started competing at 13. Yeah, I didn't touch, I didn't touch any sort of THC. I never tried coke or alcohol till I was 43. I'm the opposite. Holy shit. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Up until up until I was 42, I probably went to free nightclubs my whole life. All I was training and sleeping and dieting, the whole up until then. I mean, you're not missing anything.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

There's nothing about that life that does anything. It's I think everybody should do it and get it out of your system. I just think what I do it now. I just think what I do. You're still getting it out of your system to this day.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

That's what I mean. A 54 of my sometimes do a bit of a coke, I'm like, Lee, you shouldn't be doing this. I tell John I sit there the next day feeling sorry for myself, going, I bet Jay Cutler doesn't dirty shit, you fucking loser.

SPEAKER_04 21:02

I sit there and go for all the bodybuilders. Look at them, they're on their podcast, all happy. You're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself because you did a bag of coke, you fucking idiot.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

Then I picture Dave, then I picture Dave Palumbo on his next show. We've lost another one. Oh my god. That's what goes through my head the next day. I'm like, fuck this. I should have done it when I was younger and fucking at least you have a good angel on your shoulder.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Some people have two bad angels.

SPEAKER_03 21:28

Well, the thing is, I've never had a personality, so I can do it and then not do it for six months. Even when it came to steroids, it's like, yeah, I used them for contests, but I never had that. You ever run into people where let's go heavy? I can't. Why not? I'm not on anything right now. I'm like, if you have that mentality, you're gonna go nowhere. It's like I used them because you know, dieting and cardio, you need to recover more, but generally off season. I just ate like a pig and did very little, if any at all, off season. So when it came time to diet, I cleaned up my food, did cardio, and added the gear, and the body responded straight away. But now it is. Blasting and cruising where they never come off is just fucking stupid.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Yeah, I have a friend of mine at work, and this is work. He's not a bodybuilder, he doesn't compete. And and we talk about it, and he was like, I haven't come off in four years. And I'm like, Jesus, why? Like you're at you're you're married, you got two kids, and you work in the sewer with me in New York City. Well, some think they're gonna get small.

SPEAKER_03 22:21

Some actually think if they come off and they get small, or you drop that few kilos, whether it'd be waterway or whatever. They're like, I had a friend like that, he'd always go, I'm gonna die. A couple of weeks in, as soon as his t-shirt got loose, you'd fucking lose it and fucking start drinking full cream milk again and just to put the weight back on. It's like you couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

Yeah, I would I just wear a sweatshirt. I make sure that I come off the entire winter, right? And it's not like I'm on a lot of shit. I do test and gh, but I just make sure that I come off from you know September to like January, February, and I wear a sweatshirt to the gym, and that's it. I don't have to look at myself. That's it's that's it.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

You know, for a lot of these guys, this is all they have. This they're them being the biggest guy in the gym or yeah, how their body looks, and then if they if that goes away, they have a whole identity crisis. Whereas if you accomplish things in life, that's why, man, going to live in Spain with Dorian has been the most like beneficial thing for my life. Because how did this guy? I mean, we have to we can agree, he's probably the most hardcore, he's way more hardcore than Ronnie because yeah, Ronnie still was kind of like he's still a normal guy, like he trained heavy, but Dorian was like cutting people off, he won't call someone back. Like, he was like tunnel vision, insane, yeah. And now he is living his best life with no competitions, no, he's not worried about abs, you know.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

Is he still imagery?

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Yeah, yeah. I mean, he's realistically probably beautiful place where he lives. I mean, yeah, I mean, it doesn't hurt to live there, but just him and just him as a person, he's probably more healthy. He does like yoga, Pilates, he probably feels better, but he doesn't go to these expos. And it was something I really noticed with my dad too. Is I'm sure you had it too, Lee. I'm sure everyone who, no matter what, especially back then when there was no social media, they probably blocked streets for you guys to you know enter. And now you're kind of like just regular, and they don't know how to deal with this, like, oh my god, what's my identity? And I really respect Dorian a lot because it was the saddest time is watching my dad go to they did the Olympia reunion where they brought them all back, and my dad's like boo-hooing because he's not over there with Ronnie and Jay, and someone having to explain to him that this isn't his time anymore. It's sad, and I remember thinking, like, man, I never want to be, but at the same point, I can't even imagine my mom told me one time they got up. You remember when um Big Rami won and Hottie won and they closed the airport down?

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Oh, yeah, yeah, in Egypt.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

My mom said some country did that for my dad, and they just walked out into the street, they just walked from the where the planes take off, and no one could do anything until they got him out.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

So I couldn't imagine going from that right to it's gonna be a very difficult transition, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:07

So exactly. Now that I'm older, I can kind of understand what he was going through a little bit more. There's no excuse, but I now really respect people that can deal with going back to a regular life and even paying it forward, because that's what I always say all the time is you have all these people like like Sean Ray is a perfect example. Anyone does anything the wrong way, Sean Ray will tell you it's wrong, you're you're you're whatever, you know.

SPEAKER_03 25:31

If you do it the right way, he'll tell you it's wrong. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

A perfect example, not to get distracted, is he just gave Quentin shit for doing the Olympia. When I when I won New York, I was head over heels with that Australian girl, and I fucking wanted to go to Australia instead. I knew I wasn't gonna place in my first Olympia anyway. I'm like, oh, I'll go later. He wrote a whole article on muscular development. I'm a fucking piece of shit for not going to the Olympia, and then he had to teach everybody the Vince Taylor rule because Vince Taylor is the the epitome of that rule, he passed it up and then he never went back, right? So there is examples for everything, you know. But either way, look how he can say that's a good example, Ali. You do it this way, you complain, you do it the other way, he's also gonna complain.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Yeah, I know does anybody take him serious anymore?

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Because he I used to be Quinton. I like Quentin's reply though, he was pretty good because even Quinton said, I know play us out. I know I'm not gonna probably win or do well, but he goes, I just want to stand on that stage. I want the Olympic experience, and if I've qualified, why not go up there looking your best just to stand on that stage? If to get the Olympia stage is an achievement, so why would you not stand with Dallas? You don't know what's gonna happen next year.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

It's insane.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

To dog any bodybuilder, any open guy that it brings us back to our first point. To dog any open bodybuilder is insane. But the point of why I was using Sean Ray is who's Sean Ray coaching? Who has he trained? You know, because Milos will give you his opinion. Cormir has a whole Olympia show where they give their opinion. They have a list of guys that they've helped, amateurs and pro and Olympians, so they're at least somewhere paying it forward in their life. So who are these old pro that are retired that have not helped one person? Even Rory Ledermeyer is fucking helping people pose. And I don't think he's been to a bodybuilding show in 30 years, right? He still looks good for his age, too. Rory, he's still looking good. Oh no, yeah, but he looks amazing. So there's examples of good examples and bad examples. So there's people that, right, you have such an opinion and you're actually giving back to the sport, or you just literally sit back on your ass and you just complain about everything and you're giving nothing positive. You're 100% right.

SPEAKER_03 27:39

Sean's always Sean's always been for Sean from day one, from day day one. Sean's looked out for Sean, even though back then he would complain about the judging and having the same judges, but that was just because his placings weren't good.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

Yeah, and uh and uh and the sad part is like I'm Sergio, I just turned 50 this year. Okay, yeah, and um he was the guy in when I was in high school that I saw in magazines, and I was like, Oh, I I want to look like that. Obviously, that never happened, but he was the guy that inspired me to get into the gym and work out and you're bold, yeah. Well, I'm bold, yeah, right. But at the time he had the flat top, you know, the flat top. Yeah, he had the flat top. And um, now looking back, it's like you know, you're one of your heroes, and you find out he's a dick, it's like, oh, that sucks.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

You know who that was the most extreme for was Sean Roden. Sean has the same name, and he was getting into bodybuilding. Sean Ray is why Sean Roden got into bodybuilding, and he'll tell everybody the first experience he had with Sean Ray was the worst experience ever. And I think that happens for a lot of people. I think the whole never meet your heroes thing, you know, it is true for certain people. For some people, man, it'll change it where it's even better. I I did I almost didn't do bodybuilding because at that Olympia reunion, long story short, I was having like a whole crazy fight with my dad, and he ended up saying he wasn't gonna let me give me the tickets to the Olympia because he was just so mad. Really, when he was mad that I was telling him that he was being so disrespectful to people, that's really why he was upset. And so now he's not gonna give me the tickets that Sean Paren gave for us to go to the tickets. And just because Sean Paren, people who don't know Sean Paren is he used to run Flex magazine, he's probably like him and Peter McGuff are probably like the best writers and best people ever. And he saw me outside, he's like, Surge, get in here and let's go. He takes me backstage. I'm like, I was just just deciding that I wanted to do bodybuilding, I just moved to Florida, just left Chicago because my dad wasn't letting me bodybuild. And he's like, Oh, have you met Jay? And I'm like, No, and Jay's back there. And bro, Jay has diuretic poisoning. He is fucking throwing up, he is like dying backstage, and he's in the dumpster throwing up, and he's like, Oh, have you met Jay? And I'm like, He looks a little busy, and and he's like, and he's like, No, it's fine. We walk over there, and yeah, I'll never forget this guy just lifts his head up from the dumpster to almost wipe wipes the view, and he's so tight, he's so he's and so Joe's like, This is what I want to do backstage, throwing up. I want to be a bodybuilder, and that's what I'm saying. It's my perfect example where there was nothing pretty, there was no muscle flex, you know, and and I was like, Holy shit, I had such a bad example at the expo with my dad, and now this is just such a good, fresh, you know, um fresh uh air, and I I doubled down on bodybuilding because of that experience, but I don't know how that night would have gone because I was just so like fuck this, you know, this is so horrible, he's so horrible, his body's all broken, but you can do bodybuilding kind of in a different way, and and depending on who you meet, I'm sure people met Sean Ray and they've had a great experience. I mean, he's with mutant, he's we're in the same company.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 30:46

I know people that love Sean, yeah. So it's just like at any given day, I'm sure you meet Lee, and I'm people like, right, it's fucking well.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

That that's what I was about to say, Serge. Let last last two weeks ago we were in Nashville. I I met Lee in Nashville.

SPEAKER_03 30:59

I'm just a fucking idiot in person. I was like, I mean, people go, you're Lee Priest. I'm like, I'm just a fucking idiot.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

They're like, oh and uh it was the uh music fit expo, and they have it every year. And and it was uh Lee had a booth with uh Nutrafit, and then um Jay Cutler was there, Brian Shaw was there, and and Larry Wheels was there. And anytime people came up to Lee, he would spend you know five minutes bullshitting, taking pictures, talking. Same thing with Jay Cutler, same thing with Brian Shaw. He gave everybody their time and whatever and made them feel special. I can't tell you how many people and I don't know the guy from Adam. I can't tell you how many people said they had the worst experience with Larry Wheels because it was just like uh he was just like you know, picture next, shake hands, picture next, shake hands, picture next, shake hands. And I'm like, eh, that sucks because a lot of people fucking probably started powerlifting and bodybuilding and social media wanted to be a social media influencer because of him. You know, now I don't know. Guy could have been having a bad day, right? Exactly. Right guy could have been having a bad day, but that you know, and Lee'll tell you that the that two minutes you take out to talk to people, that five minutes, it means the world to them, you know.

SPEAKER_03 32:14

Sometimes you got to try to talk to them because I'm actually a shying person. When someone says hi to me, I'm like hi, but then if they don't keep talking, I shut up. So sometimes when the fans come up, you can just tell they're nervous, they're like hi, then they don't know what to say. Because I'm shy, sometimes I don't say so. I better break the ice and start talking. And once you start talking, they'll get into conversation. But I think sometimes when people meet someone, they just get so shy they clam up and go, Oh, I don't know what to say now. Then they just leave. So it's like these quick, oh hi, Buck, you're leaving already. Bye. It's like okay.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

And some people are just more personable than others, some people just aren't that personable with with people, you know. And other people could talk like I don't shut the fuck up, like you know, I I this is why I have a podcast. This is why I have two podcasts because I don't shut up. I'm always like talking, but there are other people that it's like pulling teeth, and that's the way that's the way it is, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

Yeah, I know you're just using Larry as an example. Uh I knew Larry in Dubai, he was he's fine, yeah. But but we all can all agree, all three of us have the same similar experiences. A woman can also change your oh your whatever you're dealing with on that given day.

SPEAKER_03 33:21

So it's brought down many empires.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

Women they've destroyed many empires and not like not dogging women, like I'm not making it like that. I'm just saying I know him going through that divorce, pre-divorce, post-divorce. Oh, that I totally forgot about that. Mine was the same thing. I went through depression, and depending on when you would have seen me, I might have just been kind of just like down in the dumps.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Like, yeah, I forgot about that. You're right.

SPEAKER_03 33:47

That may that could be just got off a phone call and a big argument, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

You gotta go stand with people, and you just I I learned when I was with Gat because when I was with Gat, they ended up screwing me over with my contract, but then you have X amount of appearances left, and that's how they get you. And then I I caught myself being at the booth, being in a bad mood, and thinking, none of these people that are waiting for me have anything to do with this company screwing me over. And it and and then I'm able to kind of like knock myself out of it, but then it made me think like my dad or pros that I met when I was young that I had bad experiences with, they didn't have that example to kind of like shock them back into reality. So every time that I want to get mad about some pro that I met that was shitty, I waited in line and then I walked up and they just fucking signed it and slid it over, or as soon as they I walk up, they go to the bathroom, you know. Uh I now am thinking, man, I wonder if that was just kind of like an any given day kind of thing. And it makes me think about it, but they don't really sometimes they don't have it, you know. Like, what was their mentors that they had?

SPEAKER_03 34:53

Well, yeah, John John can probably tell you when he's with me at Nashville. A few people come up from behind. Hey Lee, how are we can have a pick on turn around and go, no, fuck off. And they're like, Oh, oh, I was like, Come on, I'm only joking, but sometimes it's used right when I go, fuck off.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

They're like, Oh one girl just see their face. One girl goes up to Lee, right, Sergio, and she goes, Can you sign something for me? And he goes, he goes, Yeah, no problem. And she gets her knapsack and she goes on her knees to open a knapsack, and Lee goes, While you're down there, oh and she looks up and he goes, tie my shoe. And I was like, Oh, Jesus Christ. But it's like, you know, I'm sure you go through the same thing every 10 feet, you know, somebody's stopping you for a picture and uh but you do, you have to make it fun like that.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

I do the same thing when they're like, Oh, can I take a photo? I'm like, Yeah, of course, it's just 25 bucks. And you will see the ones that are like, oh shit, and then they're like, go for the money, and then you have to be like, Oh my god, man, there's actually people doing this.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's actually people charging for a photo. Yeah, it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03 35:55

I think, like you said, back to the day, I remember when Lee Haney came to Australia. Like, social media is great, but sometimes it's like a double-edged sword. Because, like you said, we're out there, you put yourself out there on social media, see people have more access shoots to have it before, and the amount of hate and comments you get, you're like, fuck me, if you don't like me, don't follow me. It's like, what? Oh, here's Lee on a podcast again. Well, if you saw my name in the title, why did you watch it if you don't like me? There's like tons of things, like I said, as example, I don't like tennis, but I'll watch the finals at Wimbledon or something like that. But I don't go on Nadal's page and go, your backhand sucks, you can't fucking hit the ball, you fucking it's like I'd love to get like one of these haters on a podcast and go, what goes through your mind that you follow all these people and everything is just negative hate. It's like, do you have something better to do? What do you enjoy? What brings you happiness in life? Because I get it.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

I'm nothing on social media. I get it. I get terrible comments, and I am I am nothing on social media. It's unfucking. I can only imagine what you guys go through.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

But before it used to be in the magazines, and that way when you saw someone, there was like a superstar. Like now, like Sergio says, of course, you see him all the time. People see now and they go, Oh yeah, it's like I saw him yesterday on Instagram. Ah, fuck him. It's like you're not special anymore. It's before, if a pro come to town, it was like this like big sell out if they did a seminar and guest posing, but now it's like, oh yeah, seen him yesterday. He was eating fucking porridge and fucking chicken breasts. Fuck him.

SPEAKER_01 37:21

Sergio, I don't know if you remember this. The last time you were on, we talked about this and we talked about the negative comments, and you said that the the best thing to do is the negative comments are maybe 10%. Just try and concentrate on the 90% that's positive. I don't know if you remember that. And no, I did.

SPEAKER_00 37:39

What I was saying is that I have a problem with that, and I think all humans do, and it shows how how fucked up we are that exactly you could have 90 comments positive, and the 10 just stick out.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:51

But I think it's deep down because in the back of our head, we know I worked hard, I went through this, I overcame that. And I I tried to do YouTube a long time ago. I'm gonna restart it up right now, and I did this video and it like sums it up perfectly. It just showed me like I had an injury, I'm at the doctor. Then I went to the gym doing cardio, I'm waking up before the sun rises, and it's just my day, right? It's just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then at home, I'm so tired, I'm just getting out of the car, and then someone drives up the car, and then they throw a cannon, it hits me in the head, and they're like, You'll never be as good as your father. And that's exactly how it is. Is you could you could kill it all day. Yes, and then at the end, someone can be like, You're a fucking bitch. And now I'm so concerned about what this one person said, even though I busted my ass all day. I earned my stars and stripes all day. So it's just, I think it's just how we are as humans.

SPEAKER_03 38:38

We're just I know, I know the feeling. I put up a nice post about America's birthday, then this one guy says, How does Trump come chasing me back?

SPEAKER_00 38:48

I'm like, come on. No, and and Lee, you Lee, you have to know that the only thing that kills people the most is you are like the people's champ. You're probably the closest to a fan who also beat Ronnie Coleman. So it's like you're the closest that we get. When exactly like you said, when we see you in person, it's like, oh my god, like I can't stop talking to this guy. You feel like you're talking to a buddy. So when you stroke off one of the fucking worst politicians ever, it's almost like that's why I do it because it upsets people. That's why it's gonna be as long as that's why you do it.

SPEAKER_04 39:20

That's why once I see how upset people get, they don't do another one. Then that's why I kept going from Homelander and all that.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Yeah, that's the thing. You can't troll Lee because he always gets because he doesn't stop the AI ones that he just continued to do after that.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

People are legitimate, like he said, that they follow him, and every post that he makes that they don't like, they're commenting on, like, exactly. They're they're low. Yeah, but from the American fans, it's just almost like seeing like one of your friends, and it's like, Man, I love Jeffrey Epstein. Like, wait, what? Like, why why does this guy that I like like these fucking criminals? And then, but so if you're posting it as like to to to make people mad, that's amazing because I love shit like that.

SPEAKER_03 40:11

Well, the first one, the UFC one, was just more patriotic because I just like seeing all the ex-servicemen there and all the fireworks.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Oh, but you posted you posted Biden and then you posted Trump.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

And my comment was on the White House one, on the White House one with the that's a different one. That was a different one.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Well, what did I say? I said they're both the same, they both remember.

SPEAKER_01 40:33

Wait, I didn't see that one.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

What was Biden and Trump's uh yeah, the drag queen, and then Trump had the flags and all that on the thing, and but they're all we all don't know the same people okay, okay. When Biden was in the politicians don't even run the country, we know that.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Fuck because I hate I hate the other way too. I hate other people who are like, Oh, Trump did this, Trump did this, but then they're super quiet about their guy, yeah. So I hate that I hate them as well. That's why my comment was neither one of them care about us.

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Like, it's just wait, kidding. Um, I don't I just that's the rough child and the rock fella bastards. There are there are there are there are people that hate you because of the person you voted for, and I'm like, I don't give a shit who you voted. Like, and it's your choice, I don't care. Like, I literally have a friend at work that won't talk to me anymore because I voted for Trump, and I'm like, if you vote for Kamali, you vote for whoever you you know, and I don't even know what nothing's gonna change, really. And Sergio, I never talk politics. I tried taking I tried doing a channel where I was talking current events and politics, and it just wasn't my wheelhouse. I just I just got rid of it. I was like, this is not for me. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. And I went back to interviewing porn stars and mafia guys and and biker guys, and all my views went through the roof again.

SPEAKER_03 41:55

And I'm like, okay, that's that's my politics is politics, is like religion, you're not gonna win no matter what side you're if you agree with a different god or religion, the other side's gonna hate you. Same with politics. Uh yeah, you can point you point out Trump's flaws, you can point out Obama's, Biden's, and like I said, not nothing's gonna change. People hate you no matter what.

SPEAKER_01 42:14

Yeah, it's just so that's like the kind of thing where you really have your you have to have your finger on the pulse like 24-7. And I just I'm just not in love with it.

SPEAKER_00 42:26

Praising politicians is uh for sure something that we can all agree with that there shouldn't be anyone praising politicians, like that's gotta be the craziest thing ever. Like I want to support them, and it's what I do for a living. I love them and I want to support them. I couldn't even imagine buying something for my car or my clothes from a politician, like oh oh yeah, yeah, yeah. You can only even be you can only even be the democratic nominee or republican nominee if you're a piece of shit. You only got there if you did X amount of fucking people over. Right. So even if you're just a candidate, you're already going to hell, you're already going to state the hell. So I promise two of the best candidates, they get no votes, they get they have no money behind them.

SPEAKER_03 43:14

So it's a good to have I didn't like him, but I do have George Bush up there, state of Texas made me on he made me honorary Texan. So I do have the plaque on the wall.

SPEAKER_00 43:25

Do you have the shoe? Do you have the shoe up there that they tried to throw at him?

SPEAKER_03 43:29

Oh, I can't remember that. In the box down here, I have the that was when I was living in Austin, Texas, and last year, Austin, Texas, Capitol. I think it's in this spot.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

Do you remember George? Do you remember George Bush Sr.

SPEAKER_01 43:43

made Arnold the uh Help? Oh, that's right. But yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Yeah, because I don't know if you had the if you were here yet, Lee, or if you were back in Australia, but then every school in America, we had certain things that we had to do for fitness.

SPEAKER_03 43:57

Oh, yeah, yeah, I remember that. And now, because I think Greg Valentin. Said he got some awards signed by the president, some fitness awards. He's like, I got three of these awards signed by the president for fitness or something. Yeah, but that's awesome. I didn't know that. Yeah, they sent me this from Texas a year ago. Like this flag was flown over to state capital in appreciation of your willingness to use your celebrity status and notoriety to events and issues that are important to the great state of Texas. And they sent me the flag that was flying over to Capitol that day. No, that's actually pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

Yeah, that's actually.

SPEAKER_03 44:34

Yeah, I got one here from I got one here from law enforcement. I posted that once. You support the police. Fuck you. Fuck Jesus. You can't support anything in America.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Yeah, it's just there's always going to be something. But I want to get uh because we're like halfway through. I want to get to uh uh bodybuilding a little bit. Yeah, because this is most this is usually when we talk about mostly bodybuilding.

SPEAKER_00 44:57

I guess I guess we should talk about bodybuilding a little bit, huh?

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This weekend coming up, and I I hope he does well because I'm becoming a fan of his. This weekend coming up is uh Italy, and Jordan Hutchinson is going into the going into the show. Sergio, what do you think? Because he's going up against Tabani, Bonack. Yeah, uh he's got some heavy.

SPEAKER_00 45:18

I know. Um one of Cormir's friends, he put he put up a post and it had uh Beirus, uh Bonack, and um what's his name? Edward from Dubai. I actually I actually trained with him when I was when I was there. I'm telling you, him and actually the owner of that gym dungeon, they're probably some of the best uh bodybuilders, like training-wise, I've ever seen in my life.

SPEAKER_01 45:43

Really?

SPEAKER_00 45:44

I remember when I was there and I would see those guys training, and they made me feel like and they're he was an amateur at the time, and I'm thinking, like, holy shit, you know how good you have to be to make someone who's been a pro for 10 years feel like a bitch. Like I should really be training insane. So, either way, they made a poster and they only have those three on there, and I even commented on there, you better give Jordan some respect because they don't even have him on that poster. So I'm gonna go, I'm I'm gonna say though, because I'm a big Jordan fan and I was late, I was late on the bandwagon with him. But the thing that he's beating Quentin on and a couple of the other bodybuilders on is his glutes. And be ruse beats people on his glutes, so I think it's gonna kind of be match for match. I think it's just gonna come down to that Jordan's legs are so fucking big that it's gonna make Beiruz's legs look smaller, yeah. So full circle, it's just gonna come down to Beirus's back, making Jordan's back look like it's amateur because Beiruz's back is really good. So I can tell you they who's gonna be winner right here. It's gonna be are they gonna go for quads or back?

SPEAKER_01 46:48

Um, yeah, I it's gonna be it's it's turning out to be a really good lineup, and you can't be out either.

SPEAKER_03 46:56

Did Beirus have visa issues again for the last show or something? Yeah, the last show.

SPEAKER_00 47:00

I think he's good for Italy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:02

For Italy with Spain for some reason he couldn't get, but in the and I don't, it's it's gonna be hard beating Beirus, man.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

He is a really reason I don't say Bonach is that he's already done, he's qualified. If you don't know Bonach personally, like he's somehow he can go into a show and he's just so nonchalant and he wins, it's incredible. It almost looks like he doesn't even care and he looks amazing.

SPEAKER_03 47:24

So funny, some bodybuilders can do that. Remember back in the day, Flex or Chris could almost turn up 90%, just real relax, walk in and win it. Where if we come in looking like that, we wouldn't make top eight or nine. But some could always turn away. Some could be that little bit off and still win a show or get second. We come in looking like that, you won't get in the third call out.

SPEAKER_00 47:45

Yeah, easily. So so we'll see because I think Bonac he already got his qualification. Yeah, he had twice put his name. Yeah, twice, exactly. Um, so I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go that they're gonna want back over quads, even though Jordan's quads will probably be the best in the show. Yeah, and I'm gonna go Bay Ruse, Jordan, Bonach, Edward.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

Do you think uh giving Bay Ruse the win is gonna be difficult because of the visa issues he's having?

SPEAKER_00 48:16

Well, actually the gym here, uh Cole Finnis, the guy Mike Khan, he's actually the guy who helped. Uh it's the gym that I'm uh I I work with out here in Vegas. He's the one that got him his visa.

SPEAKER_01 48:27

All right, good, good.

SPEAKER_00 48:28

And so he was telling me how hard it actually was. Like they they worked on, they're probably gonna start working on it here pretty soon.

SPEAKER_01 48:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 48:34

He did say though, this was before administrations changed really heavily, that once you get it and you come and you don't cause any problems and you leave, it's not gonna ever be harder. It's not necessarily easier, but it's not harder. So if they did it before last year, I think that they're gonna be able to get it again. I think it's just honestly, I think it's just money. That's all the that the all the government wants. Okay, okay, gotta pay a certain amount of money, got all the guys, you know, on all the paperwork. I just want this for Beirus really bad because I know when Bayreuse was here, that was a really tough loss for him at the Olympia because he had come last minute, he was struggling eating, then he had like some issues. So I I know that when he stepped on the Olympia stage, it wasn't his best. So I know that he really took that. I know after the show he didn't want to talk to anybody, he was kind of by himself. So I want this redemption for him. So but to answer your question, yeah, I think he'll get the visa.

SPEAKER_01 49:26

Yeah, I think so. I think so too. And I think you're right. I think that's why I I think as much as I'm a fan of Jordan, I try to take my emotions out of it. Tabonny, when he's on, he's fucking good, man. He is really fucking good. I mean, like, you know, last year before the Olympia, and that's that's how funny is that? Before the Olympia last year, everybody was talking about how he's gonna throw a monkey wrench into the top five and top six, and then all of a sudden he comes in, he uh doesn't do as well, and like you're completely forgotten about in bodybuilding. Like, nobody's talking about you.

SPEAKER_02 49:58

I know about that.

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Yeah, you can win you can win a show, and then your next show get third, and then you're a loser.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

It's like you're forgotten about. It's like I I I don't know any other sport where um people just forget about you.

SPEAKER_03 50:14

We get here in Australia. We have um, you know, cricket in Australia. Ricky Ponting was one of the best batsmen ever. Like, you know, right up there with Bradman, he was like one of our best. And a couple of times he had just like went out to play, he got out after a couple of runs. The people turned on him, he should fucking retire. He's useless, he's this. I'm like, you don't get these people are uh top athletes in their chosen field. Any given day, guess what? Someone's gonna be better than you. Yes, he's come out to bat, but he's probably having a shit day. But the bowler, it's his day, he's on, everything's in sync. So I was like, the way they just turn on people because they have one or two shit showing. I'm like, fuck me, dude. It's like that's any sport, it's unbelievable, man.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

Yeah, it's hard to take it personal, but it's you understand you can only get better at dealing with it the more you deal with it. Because I know at first I was thinking, like, I remember I got second place, it was my first second place. Trigili did a whole YouTube special about how I suck and I should just retire, and it was second place. And I remember I was just like a pro for two years, and like I tried to pretend like it didn't bother me, but it bothered me. I'm like, what the f you know? And then even this last show that I did last year in Italy, it's for for non-Arnold or Olympia, it's the worst placing I've ever got in my life. The worst, it was fourth. That's the worst I've ever done. I've never been in a second call out of my life. People are like, That's it, retire, give it up, you're done. And and then no matter what, by now, I'm like, it's nothing. I don't I'm not dwelling about it, right?

SPEAKER_03 51:43

Click on the people who say it, click on their photo.

SPEAKER_00 51:46

If they got if their page is open, you look at the people that say it and you go, well, you're already it's never gonna be, it's never gonna be anyone impressive, it's never gonna be anyone, it never is.

SPEAKER_03 51:55

I used to do that too, because then you're trying to find something the thing is too, they'll put you down like you're useless bodybuilder. I'll look at their page, they look like they're going through chemo to begin with. Every every every second picture, they're posing, most musculous, double biceps. So I'm thinking, oh fuck, I could have a field day just commenting on your pictures, but I won't. I'm gonna go.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

See, at least you're better than me. I have literally legitimately said to someone, Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize until I clicked your photo. I didn't realize that you were having chemo therapy.

SPEAKER_03 52:25

You really said that I said that to him. I said either AIDS or chemo, or then I go, if you want when I see John Cena, I can maybe get him to come do a make a wish for you in case it's like I I get in there sometimes, and then people were like, How can you make fun of cancer? Then I get in trouble. How can you make fun of cancer?

SPEAKER_00 52:45

Yeah, I know I go without making fun of people with diseases, he just works like they had a disease. That's what I said.

SPEAKER_03 52:51

I can see why you're so angry. After looking at your pictures, what are you up to now? Stage four, the chemo's not working. It's like, and then if you've got a picture of their child, oh sometimes I'll go after the child, go, look, I understand your kid's got Down syndrome and you're a little bit upset, but you know, that's yours and your wife's fault for having a retarded kid. Well, you're talking about his kid because he's got him into photos, it's fair game.

SPEAKER_00 53:12

No, I'm all about they they go low, you go lower.

SPEAKER_01 53:14

I'm definitely not some out of the three, I'm the one that just ignores it. I mean, I don't get nearly as many as you do, guys, get, but I'm for sure the better of the three of us.

SPEAKER_03 53:26

Just now I'm having a bored day. If I'm having a bored day, then I'll sit. I didn't think I have to catch myself. I said to people all the time, too. It's funny how we give so much time to these people we don't know and shit. And like I'm so guilty. Days go past, I'm like, I haven't fucking called my friend or my mother, I haven't sent my mother a text, but I'm arguing with people right.

SPEAKER_00 53:48

You put it that way, that makes it way worse because you're out of it.

SPEAKER_03 53:51

Yeah, because we always think you always think friends and family are gonna be there forever, and you know, you can lose someone the next day. I'm thinking, how bad would I feel if I didn't text my mom in a couple of days, but you know, I'm arguing with these people. That's what I always say. If you've got friends and family, just every day if you can send a message or just an emoji, a love heart, something.

SPEAKER_00 54:07

But yeah, you're you're not saying don't talk shit, just also send messages to your mom. Yeah, exactly. It's all a balance being getting arsehole.

SPEAKER_04 54:15

Hold on, you fucking prick, hold on, love you, mom.

SPEAKER_01 54:19

Unbelievable. I I literally like uh I did a uh a video on my last on my other channel about this gangster that got uh arrested.

SPEAKER_03 54:28

And argue away from John, get the algorithms up, argue back and forth.

SPEAKER_01 54:32

And one one guy, one guy said uh the guy, the gangster who got uh who got arrested was John A Light. And um one guy commented, does this guy uh buy steroids from John A Light? And then uh because of the sponsors, another guy said, uh uh oh I got the whole the whole uh the whole uh video was uh you plug in your sponsor. And the guy with the sponsor, I wrote back it, it was a it was less than a minute long, and then he literally, the guy literally gave me the timestamps of when I started the sponsor to when I ended it, and it was like all a little bit over a minute.

SPEAKER_03 55:09

And I'm like some people get obsessed. You ever done a podcast, Sergio? Like where you're sitting there or you're sitting there. I've done things like this, not even thinking, and people zoom in on shit. Oh, that thing on the wall, did you see what it says? I'm thinking from here you couldn't really see it. People actually will freeze it and zoom in and see what you fucking have around the room and comment on it. I'm like, Well, I'm gonna sit like a big fucking dildo back here one day and just have all this shit now, or oh, I forgot I left that out. Oh shit, you know.

SPEAKER_01 55:37

I guess you really know you made it when uh when people are doing that, man.

SPEAKER_03 55:41

But I'm like, yeah, yeah, what get a lot of.

SPEAKER_00 55:43

Someone someone told me a long time. I guess I used to put it as a hashtag on all my posts when hashtags mattered, but it does, it simplifies it. Losers don't have haters, and that's exactly it. So if you so if you have haters, you must be doing something because I've never seen a homeless person, and I'm like, hey, you're a fucking loser. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:03

I got a burger. All right, last last topic, and then I'm gonna let you guys go. And uh it's uh it's obviously a bodybuilding.

SPEAKER_03 56:12

We're going for Baroose for the win, are we?

SPEAKER_01 56:14

Um I am, I am, yeah. As much as I would love to see Jordan win, I think Barus is gonna win in Italy. But those are top two, those are top two. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, I think so too.

SPEAKER_03 56:24

And like Sergio said too, I hate that when they only put I used to hate that when they did at the Olympia. To me, it was like just put the O on the poster. Sometimes I just have Phil and Kai. I'm like, there's other 15 guys in the show. Why are you making it a battle of two? So now the judges have their mind focused on these two. Yeah, right, right, right. I said put everyone on the poster or fucking no one. Stop having these battles.

SPEAKER_02 56:46

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 56:46

Yeah, they used to they used to do that with uh Jay and Ronnie, they would have to make it off on the post.

SPEAKER_03 56:50

Yeah, like when you do that straight away, that's where you everyone's talking about it. It's when they come on stage, first call out. It's like, and the other guys could look great, but everyone's just so programmed for these two. It's like everyone or nobody. I hate when they just put a couple of people on a poster.

SPEAKER_01 57:03

It's like yeah, it's unbelievable. All right, last topic. Tampa's coming up in like five weeks, and Holling said he's Hollingshead said he's just throwing his his hat in the ring. How do you think he's gonna do against Joe and Nick?

SPEAKER_03 57:17

That's that's gonna look like I like James. He's got such mass and conditioning, and again, he always just seems to miss it sometimes, you know. So uh from his photos now, he's looking pretty good, like the best I've seen him look. It's just translating that, you know, some guys look grateful and hard when they're not quite contest ready. They come contest day, like, oh shit, did you go too far? Did you not find that? So if he comes in looking good, it's gonna be a good matchup, but I still think Joe and Nick's gonna be a formidable matchup, body-wise, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 57:48

What do you think, Serge?

SPEAKER_00 57:50

Yeah, I just think with any bodybuilding show, sometimes you go off of like like a good example is like having Derek, Nick, a lot of short guys, and then you have like a Samson. Sometimes by throwing in someone who looks completely different, it either is gonna make it where that guy wins or he's fourth. So I wonder how that dynamic is gonna be because exactly Nick and Joe are the same. So I feel like that's that's gonna be one and two regardless. And I think it's just gonna be who's getting third at that point. I think there's no way this close to the Olympia, they're not gonna let Nick qualify for the Olympia, even if he's not as good as Pittsburgh. Because someone I think it was Danny Hester was telling me that bodybuilding should get judged off of that day, which he's right. So judges are human, they they definitely saw you three months ago. And a good example is when Kai Phil never won an Arnold, and it's because the Kai that beat Phil was, I mean, still to this day, it has to be the most conditioned person ever. I think Silvio Samuel was like almost like inside out a couple times, but Kai at that Arnold, it was just unbelievable. And he beat Phil, and then by the time that that Olympia came around, I don't know if you remember, that's when Kai like blew up. It was almost like he gained like 20 pounds.

SPEAKER_01 59:01

Yeah, that's when he went with Farah. He left uh Oscar and they went with Farah. That's what it was and was it a better Kai?

SPEAKER_00 59:08

I think so, but their eyes had just adapted to this guy in March. That there's no way that that Christmas wasn't, you know, gonna be not noticeable. And so, no matter what, every day that you're the old guys are always dogging bodybuilders. If you did a show, you should do another one. Yes, if it's the next week, absolutely do another show, right? But sometimes, like if you won that show and now you have the hype train, not only the hype train from your fans, but also sponsors. It is a smart decision to just ride it out to the Olympia rather than I'm gonna do a show. That's why Bonox balls well, Bonox's so old school. He's gonna do a he's gonna do a show two months later and he might lose, and that loses all that kind of like momentum, but he doesn't care because he's old school. Now a lot of the newer guys are actually making they do, they pick and choose, you're right, right exactly. Look at Nick, he's been getting shit. Why didn't you do Detroit? Why didn't you do the other show? Like, yes, Detroit was right after that easily would have been we don't know what's going on in his life, right? So he's making a business decision for his business, and that's the difference, I think, with old school bodybuilding and new school bodybuilding today. Nick might have had commitments that he he already had, he can't back out on those, so he can't do Detroit. So Joe and Nick doing that show. I don't see how even if Nick looks worse than he did at the Arnold, he's not gonna win that show because Joe's gonna be better than last year. He was just he was just here last week. He looks stupid, he's already gained like 14 pounds or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:31

Dude, he's insane.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

And I'll tell you, when he was doing his offseason photos, I even was about to message him to be like, bro, you better throw a squeam on because that waste is getting out of control, and he even proved me wrong because his waist is somehow fucking dying. Yeah, so so yeah. I mean, some bodybuilders they know what the fuck they're doing, you know, and you just kind of just have to trust them. But there's just no way Nick's not winning the show in Florida, it's his first time doing a Florida show.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:57

That's a very good point. Yeah, that's actually a really good point.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:59

Who else is doing that?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:01

There's some other names in it too, apart from yeah, we don't the official list isn't out yet, but as of right now, all I know of is uh James, Joe, and Nick. But I gotta give James his credit, like he could have did any show and he decided to jump into that one after Joe and Nick were already uh signed up to do it. So I mean he really he was like he could have you know did any show in Europe and you know maybe had a good shot of winning, but in this one he's like, no, I want to go against you know the the the big guns and uh you know you gotta give him his credit. Now, do I think James is I'm a huge fan of James.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:32

Uh he'll have the best quads on stage.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:35

Probably, yeah. Uh yeah, probably. Um am I uh I'm a huge fan of James. I just I think age is kind of starting to catch up with him a little bit. That's all. I think uh maybe you know, you know, eight years, seven, eight, even as many as no, no, five or six years ago, we would have been saying, yeah, he could win this.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:54

Well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you from my own personal experience. I I started to feel like that too because I'm like, man, I'm having the best workouts of my life. If your legs can grow and you're 40, then you're good. That's like a good tell that you're done. So I know what James is doing, but I do also know what it means to fuck up the show. Like I even made a post when I did the Italy show last year. I posted my photos four hours before I stepped on stage. I somehow shit the bed in four hours, and then when I got on stage, I did look old. I looked like it was still like I lost to Quentin and like errors as nobody you know sucks. But my that's not what I looked like. That's not what I looked like for the last 20 weeks. And so I think that's happens a lot with a lot of body roads like James. We have to really use his uh check-in photos that he posts as the more accurate if what his age is. Because if he was posting some kind of loose skin posts at home, then yeah, it's time to kind of maybe you know start figuring out to hop into the Masters Olympia or something like that. But he looks great, and then I know by the time he gets on stage, something's happening with cortisol, diuretics, water, salt, sodium, whatever it is. And I think that's what's now making it where every time he steps on stage, just like me, even though it's still battling for the win, it's still not even close to our best. So I still think James has got some life in him. I just think it's gonna be like me, where you have to find someone who's not just like now coaches either give you what someone else worked for someone else, or they're so old school that they've been doing the same thing for so long that they're not gonna change it up. It's very rare. Like, I even just got with a coach now for the first time who's gonna make a diet and a peak process for my body, not doing anything they've done for anyone else.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:34

Okay, Sergio, I will train you for your next show.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:37

Oh, yeah, just arms, just arms, arms, arms, and calves. That's it. Four arms, that's it. But we have to knock the workout in 40 minutes, or otherwise, the uh I've heard that, I've heard that. Otherwise, you're over.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:52

You can't go an hour and a half anymore.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:54

That's but but but but but but Dorian, but but no sir, but but but yeah, I remember training, I remember training back with Doran when he came to Australia.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:05

We did at least three to four sets every fucking back exercise, from what I recall.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:09

So yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:12

Well, people are under the inception when you hit this like that think you do one warm-up set, like say you squatted seven plates, you warm up with one plate and next set straight to seven. That's what people think. You do one warm-up set, then go to your heaviest weight. I'm like, are you fucking nuts? Good way to tear a muscle, go for it.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:30

Yeah, it's unbelievable. But listen, guys, uh, it's just uh getting a little late, but I'm gonna let you guys go. Uh, first, Serge, thank you very much for coming on, man. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:39

Let's do it again. Let's do a recap after the shows. All right, yeah, well, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:42

You have any show, do you have any shows planned at the moment, Sergio?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:46

It's it's it's funny you asked that. I got a I got a message from Chris Cormier last night asking me the same question. So that's when I played, that's when I looked the best. Was that that Arnold? And if there wasn't fucking five Arnold Classic champs and two Mr. Olympias, I would have been the Arnold Classic champ, you know. That's how easy.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:03

You were getting ready for a show, weren't you? When you tore your boy said, Weren't you starting to get ready?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:06

Yeah, I wanted I wanted to do New York. That I wanted to go back to that show. Yeah, that was that was a tough loss. I know I even called Steve too, and I was like, bro, I'm coming back to New York. So he was the first person I messaged about the bowling, but he's he's the best. You know, he could have told me you're a fucking jagoff, but he's he actually told me it happens a lot. I did it, I didn't actually realize how many fucking bodybuilders have torn their bicep with bowling. I wish I knew, I would have never did it.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:31

But it's just bigger like it sometimes when I was doing boxing for cardio sometimes, just really quick snap like that. I'd be fuck my tricep. It almost felt like I fucking pulled the tricep. Anything real quick, sudden movement. You're like, fuck, I'm not doing anything. So Joe, when you get ready for your next show, just sit on your couch like this and do nothing until it's time to go to the gym.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:51

I'll somehow still fuck it up.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:54

Walking, do a branch warren, walk into the car and there goes the knee or leg or something.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:59

When he fall when he fell off the horse.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:01

Yeah, look, look at Victor. He's he's you know, arguably the biggest upset in bodybuilding. Oh, yeah. And and you can even see his demor uh demeanor after he was done, it was almost like, well, I'll win it next year. Like I got second place, everybody's talking I should have beat Jay, and then he slips out of his car.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:21

I'll I'll I'll I'll end it with this. Victor, if anyone out there is having any kind of issues where you're like, Oh man, I I had this injury or marital disputes, just look up Victor's career because Victor went to jail. First, he went to jail a couple times, yeah, got out. There's a Netflix documentary that you can watch about the murder of his sister. That's right. Yeah, his sister got killed. That was terrible. That was terrible. That wasn't it? That was just a clean one. No, they went into the hotel room and they fucking killed her and left, and they just never saw her leave. So they had to go watch all the footage to see where is this woman because she was like a housekeeper, yeah, yeah. Uh, and then get then then that happens, then his mom dies. Then remember, he goes to Brazil, wins the Arnold, which is his comeback, and then they couldn't come back. Didn't they put him in like court? Not the court. Yeah, they put him in jail. He gets out of the jail, he looks like a cancer victim. He lost all his weight, and then remember his one last comeback, the guy's like, Oh, you want to do an Arnold? Yes, in the Dominican Republic, and he broke his arm, broke his fucking arm, and he still came back. And Victor was at that Arnold that I did with Kormir with all those fucking champs. So no matter what, Victor has got the most comeback stories, and people don't even know.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:35

And they just he just had that. Um, didn't he just have that like in fiction too? Not long ago, remember? Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:41

I'm not even talking about just happened a couple months ago.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:43

That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:44

Yeah, so if it's ever you ever think it's bad, that's what I was even. I told him I saw him because I went to Turkey after I got out of jail in Brazil, I mean out of jail in Dubai. I told him while I was in jail in Dubai, I was I was good because I was telling myself, this guy did this, and sometimes bodybuilders, we need examples of something to get you through something. And Lee, you're a you're a lot for a lot of people, sometimes bad things, but no matter what, like that bad thing happened to Lee and he got through it. I know that I can get through it, so that's kind of like how I'm going.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:15

Look how I turned out, people.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:18

I'm just gonna get one of those uh Jesus. What would Lee Priest do instead? Oh, yeah, right. Options open.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:27

All right, shouldn't we?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:29

What would Lee Priest not do? Then you also that's what you should abide by.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:34

Yeah, hanging out with Lee in Nashville for a weekend. That's definitely the tattoo you should get.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:38

Hey, you you drank and took the gummies. I didn't force you. That's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:42

You did, you did. That's true. There was no, there was nothing. All right, guys. Listen, have a good night. Sergio, thank you very much. Lee, Lee. Later, fellas. Look forward look forward to my next Trump post, Sergio. Later, guys.