This video series concludes with coverage of the Arnold Classic Men’s Bodybuilding Finals. Branch Warren’s physique was incredible, the best I’d ever seen. I expected him to win. His conditioning was truly impressive, surpassing anything I’d seen in photos or videos. Pictures don’t capture the full impact of his impressive physique. Seeing him in person was breathtaking; his conditioning was so intense it almost knocked me out of my seat. I believe photos and videos flatten his overall structure and don’t showcase his conditioning, which likely explains why he consistently places higher in person. The judges have a direct view of his incredible physique just a few feet away.
After the finals, we joined Branch, his teammates, and ESP for dinner and had some unusual nachos. They were called Ohio nachos, which were basically potato chips with sour cream, no cheese. A strange culinary experience.
The following day, Sunday, we returned to Beyond Limits Gym for deadlifts. Lane Norton unexpectedly appeared and offered helpful training tips. It was a great opportunity to train alongside him. The gym wasn’t crowded that day, which was a welcome change. A friend of a Russian powerlifter competing in the USA Pro PL recognized me. He commented, in a thick Russian accent, that I looked more like a bodybuilder than a powerlifter.
I took his observation to heart and focused on my deadlifts, completing sets of 455 for five sets of two. I also worked on hammer curls, trying to discreetly capture Lane Norton in the background. He’s usually not easy to film unnoticed, but we managed to get a shot.
At the end of our workout, we met Matt Ogus. He mentioned he’d been looking forward to meeting me, which was surprising and flattering. I’d been training for four hours, consumed a minimal 300 calories, and felt completely drained. Embarrassingly, I repeated “Nice to meet you, Matt Ogus” three times. I’m a fan of his work, but not overly enthusiastic, yet I came across as starstruck. A funny moment to end the trip. That concluded our Arnold Classic experience.
