Original subtitles

[growling]

♪ Like a ship that's tossed and driven ♪

♪ Hmmm ♪

♪ Battered by an angry sea ♪

[chuckles]

All right.

-[Vlad Yudin] Are we good? -[woman] Yep.

-[Vlad] All right. -[woman] Great.

[Vlad] Now, you know, right now, you're working on television,

you're working in film,

you're working on your graphic novel that's gonna come out soon.

You have a lot of stuff that you're busy with.

But obviously you still look like you're in a bodybuilding shape.

With all the stuff happening in your life right now, I mean,

I know it's... do you find it challenging to still maintain the physique?

[Kai Greene] It's challenging,

and I think it's also very, very clear,

uh, that you can't do that.

-It's not a maintenance thing. -But if you didn't have the physique,

do you think perception of you would be diminished?

Yeah. I used to think it was bodybuilding, you know.

But I've gotten a chance to grow a little bit more,

just, just by way of having more opportunity

to think a little deeper about it and be exposed to a lot.

[man groans]

[chuckles]

[Kai] When it comes to the individual that's looking at you as a bodybuilder,

a lot of times, it may be that bodybuilding becomes the platform

that makes the introduction, but I think the thing that allows them

to resonate well with you is beyond bodybuilding.

The thing that may encourage someone most to want to pay attention

to anything you have to say has more to do with

their ability to identify themselves in you.

That becomes everything.

You know, 'cause without that, then there's just sets and reps

and how much can you bench and how big is your chest versus this guy.

But the things that are unique to your personality,

the struggles that are revealed in, um, who you are,

um, and how that reads on film a lot of times,

is the thing that...

allows people to want to take that journey with you.

♪ I'm on the mission ♪

♪ The strong competition Whoever, whatever ♪

♪ I view it all as opposition ♪

♪ Ain't came to lose I came to win it ♪

♪ So, if you ain't with me You're against me ♪

♪ Listen ♪

♪ I'm a rose that grew From the concrete ♪

♪ Look how I'm grown ♪

♪ See the scratches on my petals Scars on my thorns ♪

♪ I know you see it ♪

♪ It's win or lose, do or die Ain't no in betweens ♪

♪ Ain't no in betweens, y'all ♪

♪ So you can call it what you want ♪

♪ But it's all I ever known ♪

♪ They tell me go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder ♪

♪ Go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder, yeah ♪

♪ Do it, do it or don't No time to cry about it ♪

♪ Either you burn ♪

♪ Or stand firm Willing to die about it ♪

♪ Writing black and white on that wall You truth and lie about it ♪

♪ Struggle and strain against the flame And you fry about it ♪

♪ See a brimstone and fire Gnashing of teeth ♪

♪ For this is hell here ♪

♪ We're merely trying to try to survive But often fell here ♪

♪ No reception in this wild Waiting on God's call ♪

♪ Devil's calling loud, steady Waiting on you to fall ♪

♪ You ever seen the demons Eat an angel? ♪

♪ They get on their knees with bloody teeth like God thank you ♪

♪ I'm a rose that grew from the concrete ♪

♪ Look how I'm grown ♪

♪ See the scratches on my petals Scars on my thorns ♪

♪ I know you see it ♪

♪ It's win or lose, do or die Ain't no in betweens ♪

♪ Ain't no in betweens, y'all ♪

♪ So you can call it what you want But it's all I ever known ♪

-[horns blaring] -♪ Oh, Lord ♪

[jazz band playing]

[Vlad] Fitness, weightlifting, bodybuilding.

All these terms often get confused and mixed up

amongst the general public.

Although gyms are widely available in every city in America,

pro bodybuilding is still a misunderstood art form

and is even looked down upon.

Being involved in this industry for the last few years,

I often ask myself,

do bodybuilding ideals reflect the ideals of the mainstream?

How do you feel about bodybuilding?

Uh, I don't have any thoughts on bodybuilding.

Nothing.

It's not weightlifting, it's actually shaping your body.

It's awesome.

I remember the comic books, when we used to have

the back pages of comic books, Charles Atlas.

I saw one on the train the other day and they're just like bulky and big.

Big guys, hard to make clothes for. I don't know.

You hear about the steroids, you hear about what they eat

and things like that.

[Vlad] I want to show a couple images. Let me know how you feel about these.

I used to be like that. [chuckles]

[man] That's bodybuilding.

-I think of it as body sculpting. -OK.

They look good, they look in shape.

They look like they're a little bit, you know, too lean.

You know, a little too ripped.

That's how you pull the look.

That guy has eight abs. That one has six.

That hasn't gone to the freakish yet.

I mean, his head is smaller than his body, but that's OK.

I mean, if he's happy with it...

A lot of women see that right there, "Ooh-whee."

They'd sit and watch.

No. I... Not to me.

No.

Gross.

It's not really gross, but it's not really like...

attractive either.

To me, it's just gross, you know. It's just...

[Vlad] How about this one?

OK, yeah, that's the bodybuilding I know.

-Wow. -That is a big dude.

That's a big dude.

OK, that's too big. That is too big. Entirely too big.

Oh, boy. [chuckles]

I look at it as an addiction at some point.

It... it's an extreme.

It restricts them in movement and stuff and even physically in other ways

and psychologically in a major way.

[Vlad] Competitive bodybuilding has been an American institution

since its infancy in the sixties.

Though there have been many foreign champions,

almost all of them had relocated to the US to pursue their dreams.

But as technology advances and the world becomes more connected,

are we seeing the beginning of decentralization?

Yeah, I think America, because that's where it was more popular,

it's where the magazines are and that sort of thing,

you get more notice there than anywhere else.

But, like I said, look at some of the people coming out of,

you know, Kuwait and all those sort of places

where you never would have heard of them before,

but now, 'cause they're getting bigger over there, you're starting to see

these names you wouldn't have heard of back in the 1990s or 2000s.

It seems like everyone has to come to the US to be able

to get that publicity and feel like they're at that level.

We're doing the Amateur Olympia in Algeria this year.

We're doing a show in Tunisia.

Obviously we're in Kuwait, we're in Japan, we're in South Korea, China.

Brazil. Brazil's gonna be one of our biggest areas.

Singapore, Vietnam. We just had a show in Vietnam there.

There were 300 competitors in Vietnam.

[woman] You travel to these countries and you do these shows

and it's like you step off the bus to go to the arena

and they swarm you.

They just want to touch you and see you and feel you

because you're real, you're like this celebrity.

It's like, hell, United States, you just go to a show and you do it.

Hi, Kai Greene. Welcome to Xi'an.

-[Greene] Thank you, thank you. -[man] Hello, hello, hello.

Thank you, thank you.

[Jay Cutler] There's a lot more excitement there than you get in the US.

I think people now are getting more excited to compete

and I think the talent pool is just amazing.

You got different cultures competing and you know the physiques.

I mean, genetic makeup of a lot of these cultures,

a lot of these guys are built for this business and they're dedicated.

So they're giving more time to developing their bodies

and becoming their best in the hopes to be able

to either leave there or represent their country better through the business.

[Vlad] Another major factor that led to growth of pro bodybuilding

was the recent introduction of several new divisions by the federations.

These new divisions opened the door to a wider audience

and tailor themselves to specific body types.

[man] Men's Physique is a body you would see almost in GQ

or in a fitness magazine.

A physique that's not overly developed,

but in very good condition with excellent shape.

It would be just enough development

of a body you wouldn't even need weights almost for.

Condition and shape is what we look for.

Classic Physique is, you take a physique body

and a bodybuilder's body and you meet it halfway.

It's a developed body that you need to put in the gym, heavy squats, heavy lifting.

It's a physique that you would see in a bodybuilding magazine

showing you exercises, but not the ultimate.

Men's Open is the ultimate.

That is the male body taken to the ultimate development.

The biggest muscles, the biggest conditioning,

the biggest shape: the guys that have taken it to the limit.

[Vlad] So what division is the best?

Which physique is supreme?

Is there such thing as a perfect physique? Can it ever be achieved?

Or is it simply predetermined for us based on genetic limitation?

To answer at least some of these questions,

we decided to go all around the US and the world

and meet some competitors who live, sleep, and breathe bodybuilding.

Despite being only 25 years old,

many spectators and analysts believe

that Canadian athlete Regan Grimes has the potential

to be a leading Men's Open competitor.

Regan did a few pro shows, but the biggest challenge is yet to come.

In a month, he's gonna step on a stage in New York.

There, he'll be challenged by some of the top bodybuilders

in this industry.

If he ends up placing badly,

this will show that the hype did not live up to the expectations.

[Regan] In order to do well in bodybuilding,

you've got to be a little bit crazy.

Just with the diet and nutrition, it's a whole other level of suffering.

Bodybuilding, I didn't even know it was like a big thing.

I didn't even know about it.

[Vlad] Before becoming a full-time bodybuilder,

Regan lived the dream of motocross.

But after sustaining injuries,

his life now is all about training and eating.

Regan's not the most organized person.

He's good with the training and he can follow the diet.

He just needs someone to like help him with the meals.

Don't tell him I said that.

We were both working at a supplement store

which was at Western University,

and I was attending Western University.

Then we're also both working in a bar.

So he was doing security and I was doing bottle service.

I always thought he was good looking and I liked him, he was a funny guy,

nice, but I never really knew that he had a thing for me or anything,

'cause we were just really friendly, and you know, he's very, he's just chill.

So, he was never really that obvious about it.

Then eventually we just kind of started hanging out

and one thing led to the next, and then here we are, five years later.

How was your day, Otis?

When we met, I hadn't even done my first competition to becoming pro,

so like we kind of went through that whole journey together.

And, you know, she's been there for everything

and pushed me through times I thought I would give up.

-[Victoria] Your waist looks smaller. -[Regan] Yeah, that's coming in tighter.

[Victoria] Go back two. I think you could hit that one better.

[Regan] Yeah, yeah.

And I think this one too, the front I could have hit better, too.

Sometimes I lean back

and I should be leaning forward in my upper body a little bit.

Every morning, for my coach, Chris Aceto, we take photos,

and I send them off to him.

Uh, also, like, right when I wake up, I'll take my weight, too,

so I'll record my weight and then we'll come get the photos

and I'll send them both off to him, and then he'll give me like my plan for...

sometimes he'll switch like today or it will be for tomorrow.

[groaning, grunting]

[sighs]

[groaning, breathing deeply]

[panting]

[exhales sharply]

Let's go, come on.

Come on, two. One more.

-Good. -[man] Is he okay?

Logan just puked everywhere. It was hilarious.

Yeah.

He's puking.

OK. Here we go.

You're not supposed to make eye contact during this...

[laughs]

[Vlad] Over the past few years, bodybuilding began taking shape

in a variety of different countries,

a movement that has been pioneered by individuals across the globe

who have made it their mission to introduce and expand bodybuilding

to a whole new audience.

I sat down with some key members of the industry

to get their take on this everchanging landscape

and learn more about bodybuilding.

You know, America, US, is known as capital of bodybuilding.

Like Venice Beach, it's associated with bodybuilding.

Now, do you think people from different countries all over the world

can potentially take that mecca away from the US

if they invest in bodybuilding and if they grow it?

I don't know, because I feel like Arnold did this.

I feel like Arnold made it like an American thing

because it's almost like, it's like tied into like movies and Hollywood,

at least where he went with it,

and I think people see that in the bodybuilding.

They almost have this dream of maybe they could be part of that

or be somewhere along those lines,

and I think it has to do with L.A. and Hollywood.

When I was first competing, America was way ahead

with the gyms and the restaurants and the food and everything.

So now you can get a good gym anywhere in the world

and the Internet's made the world much smaller.

Generally, in Europe and the Middle East,

they look at it as they would look at basketball players: they're stars.

Kai, Kai Greene is a huge star in the Middle East.

When I went to Iran, I was treated like a rock star.

It's the same all around the Middle East.

Ah, it's amazing. India. China.

Uh, Brazil.

All these emerging markets now where fitness is huge.

Everywhere. We're just trying to expand wherever we can.

[Vlad] After investigating these newly emerging markets,

we traveled to India to meet Sheru Aangrish,

a now-retired bodybuilder who has made it his mission

to transform India into a main hub for fitness.

[Vlad] ...the population, right?

China has the biggest population, obviously.

[Sheru] Yeah. India is number two.

Number two, but the most important thing is, it's a young population.

Yeah, I mean, exactly 63% of population in India is less than 35 years of age.

And if you compare the Indian statistics a few years ago,

the literacy rate was way down, but the younger population is literate,

so obviously when people are literate, they have more knowledge, more sense,

and, uh, the decision making is right, that's the key factor.

What about the income of, you know, like a general income?

-Is it growing in India? -Yeah.

If you see numbers, obviously the Indian economy

is the only economy in the world with a growth rate of 6.927.1, you know?

And I do feel it's the beginning of a new era.

[drums beating]

[Vlad] His ambition is to make bodybuilding bigger than cricket,

India's number one watched sport.

While he tries to engage Bollywood stars to take interest in fitness,

India's only Men's Open pro competitor, Varinder Ghuman,

has made it his mission to do the same, but on an individual level.

He will soon be competing in the San Marino Pro,

a major European competition with top-level athletes.

[Sheru] Varinder Ghuman, you know,

right now the only professional bodybuilder from India.

People call him "He-Man of India."

So he's a pretty known face and working on different ventures.

Now, you're the only Indian

-IBB pro right now? -Yes.

Why do you think you're the only one?

Why do you think there's not a lot more?

I'm unique, man. [chuckles]

I hope there will be more, upcoming years,

India is going to produce many more pro bodybuilders.

[Sheru] A lot of talent coming from India

when we talk about mainstream bodybuilding.

You will see Indian winning Mr. Olympia

when we talk about Classic Physique and Men's Physique.

[Brandon] We're not as big as the Open bodybuilders,

but we have a nice, you know, shape, nice V taper, shoulder-waist ratio.

Me and guys like Andre Ferguson,

we're one of the bigger guys in Men's Physique.

If you look at Men's Physique from 2011, 2012, around that time period,

those weren't really bodybuilders.

It was more like a beach look, with a little bit of muscle.

And the conditioning wasn't even there. It was like more of a softer look.

Like they didn't want you coming in as hard as we come in now.

It became baby bodybuilding; there's no way you're gonna look at Men's Physique--

Baby bodybuilders.

There's no way that's not bodybuilding. The top guys are bodybuilders.

[Brandon] I think it's changing, man, it's changing again.

There might be a new champion this year.

When I was 16, I remember telling my best friend, Keke, in the gym,

after practice, I was like, "I wanna be

a professional bodybuilder one day."

Didn't have the biggest muscles, but I always had a nice shape and abs.

And I've always...

even growing up, I would always be the one in pictures

to like lift my shirt up and show my abs.

So I've always been that kind of like, kind of guy that's just been out there.

And, um, I was kind of confused.

I didn't really know what I wanted to do or where my life was gonna go,

so I ended up going to college and just trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

Got my bachelor's in science at SIU,

and throughout those four years, I really just partied.

I didn't lift, I didn't do anything. I was partying.

I joined a black organization, modeling organization, called Essence,

so I was doing some modeling; it was a blessing in disguise

because, what I've learned, how to use a stage in modeling.

I apply it now to bodybuilding.

Oh, these pants too tight.

Ohh!

Ooh, see, that's the problem when you go shopping with a bodybuilder.

The pants too tight. [chuckles]

[Vlad] After starting his Men's Physique journey in 2012,

Brandon quickly rose to the top and won the Arnold Classic in 2016,

a major accomplishment.

Unable to land a repeat victory the following year,

he now must work his hardest to prove he can do it again.

[grunting]

[Brandon] So, I was backstage,

getting ready to be handed my trophy by Arnold.

He was backstage and he shook my hand and said,

"Man, you look awesome, you look super shredded."

That's the Kindergarten Cop, like, that's my idol.

I started bodybuilding, you know, the motivation was from Arnold, you know.

He paved this way for us. He made the opportunity.

I wouldn't be sitting right here if it wasn't for Arnold,

so he's someone I really look up to in the industry,

and to actually win his own show was a super dream come true.

That was 2016. This is 2018, my man.

[chuckles]

I'm the guy that came second at the Arnold last year.

I won the New York Pro that year.

Got second at the Olympia. I'm no damn underdog. [chuckles]

[Vlad] There is much more on the line beyond his pride.

Brandon relies on sponsors for income,

and without the awards and trophies, sponsors tend to disappear.

São Paolo is one of the most densely populated cities in South America.

It seems that here, fitness is second nature.

And yet, for Men's Open bodybuilder Rafael Brandão,

putting on muscle mass wasn't always easy.

[in Portuguese] I started to train when I was 14 because I was very skinny.

And I always hung around older people and they were always bigger.

They always picked on me, called me skinny.

This bothered me a lot, so I decided to join a gym

so I could build a physique, so I wouldn't be picked on.

Before I was an athlete, I was a normal teenager

who would go out on the weekends, drink a lot.

Since becoming an athlete, I don't have this partying lifestyle anymore.

[Vlad] His sight is set on San Marino Pro Show in Italy.

It's an important stepping stone for many bodybuilders,

especially those who one day want to fight for top awards

and prize money in the six-figure range.

[in Portuguese] This will be a unique moment.

I will only have a single debut as a professional and this is it.

I want to get there in the best shape

and be able to take it all in and have fun,

which will be very good for me.

Hey.

I believe the job of a bodybuilder is not to prepare for three months,

but to live as a bodybuilder.

I at least believe that the successful bodybuilder

lives this style of life all year round, and that's what I do.

My name is Ariel Khadr.

And I'm originally from New York and I'm now living in Miami, Florida.

I'm an IFBB fitness pro.

I was one of the youngest to ever become an IFBB pro at 17.

Fitness, you know, it was something I loved and I wanted to do it,

but, you know, I'm 17, and I was originally recruited for gymnastics,

to Rutgers University, but because of my ankle injuries,

I wasn't able to do college gymnastics.

Since I got my pro card,

it was actually six years until the day I stepped on stage,

and that's where my pro career started.

There's no meaning behind the abstract paintings, they're just...

I didn't want them to come out like flowers. [chuckles]

So, actually this is all, mostly, from the Arnold last year.

And this is Ms. Olympia, Oksana Grishina.

She reminds me a little bit of how I, like, really, really get into the routine.

Um, where you become the routine.

You don't just perform a routine, you're now the routine.

Oksana does that, better than I do.

What's Fitness about? It's just about creativity right now.

It's about highest energy,

strength, and they all come up with different ideas.

Interesting ideas. I can see they're thinking about it.

They're really trying to make Fitness more entertainment.

The Fitness division is judged based off of two rounds.

We have a physique round, which is a two-piece bikini.

It's judged similarly to how figure is judged,

in terms of proportion, muscularity, femininity, leanness.

The physique round, though, is only 30% of our score.

But at the same time, we represent stamina,

highest stamina in performers.

So this is the second round, the routine round.

The routine round is 70% of our score,

and the routine round is based off of creativity, performance,

agility, strength skills, and how you carry yourself,

how you're able to entertain the crowd.

So all these things you've got to represent for two minutes on stage

for the judges.

What many people don't understand is we compete just like every athlete on stage.

We've got to sculpt our physique, but in addition to that, we need to find time

to put together a routine, work on flexibility, work on strength skills,

work on dance, so you have this entire element

that's added to prepping for a show that several other divisions don't have.

To be honest, some people just aren't cut out for it.

[phone rings]

[woman] Good morning.

-Hey, how are ya? -I'm doing great, how are you?

[Whitney] I loved dance, growing up. I was a cheerleader.

And so I had that as a background and thought, well, gosh,

this is an awesome way to kind of parlay what I used to do when I was younger,

but now do it as an adult.

-Hello! -[woman] How are ya?

Good. How are you?

[Vlad] Whitney Jones is a veteran fitness competitor

who has been rising up in the ranks for years.

She's one of many women, along with Ariel,

who will fight for the Arnold Classic title

in the absence of the former champ, Oksana.

After a serious neck injury that almost led to retirement,

Whitney managed to make a recovery in the year since.

Unfortunately, we're only a month away before the competition.

She ruptured her ACL.

Despite of that, she decides to compete.

With the surgery scheduled after the Arnold,

physical therapy is the only option to manage the pain

and keep the injury from worsening.

She has just a few weeks to prepare.

Neck's still doing well. It hasn't, I mean, I...

It hasn't even been a year yet for the neck fusion, and so...

I saw the pictures. I couldn't believe it.

Crazy, isn't it?

I've just got to come up with a one-legged routine.

I got one good leg. I gotta keep this leg healthy.

-Really? -I got to make sure I don't

screw up my neck worse 'cause now I've got to change a lot of the skills,

which, I got to utilize my upper body as much as I can.

So how's your routine going so far?

Um, I'm having to start all over.

I mean, normally you have your routine done four months out.

And so I technically only have three weeks, 'cause travel time.

So I have three weeks to put together...

[chuckles] So, it's a little crazy.

But I feel like I thrive under pressure

and it's gonna force me to think out of the box.

[man] Wow. I like your attitude.

[Vlad] Located in the heart of Central Asia,

Uzbekistan is not commonly known to the Western world.

Rich in history, Islamic tradition and spirit,

the country's only been independent since 1991,

after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Bodybuilding is not very common here,

and the gyms are just becoming popular in the last ten years.

But those who love it dedicate their lives to it.

One such person is Mikhail Volinkin,

or simply Misha.

Born in Russia,

he was brought here by his parents and abandoned at a young age.

Due to this, survival became his way of life.

[in Russian] Misha is a very interesting kid.

What caught my eye is his strong character.

They told me he was from an orphanage,

very goal-oriented.

[man in Russian] You know, there are teenagers

who, like Misha, don't have parents and grow up in an orphanage.

And from an early age they have no motivation.

But Misha is different. He always loved working.

He has discipline.

[speaking Russian]

[indistinct chatter]

[Vlad] In between training and spending time with family,

Misha visits a local orphanage, a place he used to call home.

[boys speaking Russian]

[indistinct conversation]

[sighs]

[in Russian] It was cool. I was the only one training.

And then boxed, we were sparring.

I could do several rounds of 20 reps

and then my hands hurt a lot.

When my palms were abraded, I pulled up on my fingers.

Here we also did flips.

We came over here...

stepped up a bit here...

and did the flips.

[Vlad] After winning all local and regional competitions,

Misha was selected to travel to US

and compete at the Arnold Classic Amateur Show.

It's an honor just to be selected,

as now he finally has a chance to win an IFBB pro card.

But in order to do that, he will have to get a first place in his weight class

and win the overall amongst all competitors.

He remains calm and collected, knowing that in US,

he will compete against the top amateurs in the world.

The African continent often gets overlooked in the world of bodybuilding

in comparison to Europe and the Americas,

perhaps due to the perception of the lack of resources.

In Ghana, the average monthly income is equivalent

to 170 American dollars.

Most gyms are a luxury, only available to a few.

But that doesn't stop

the aspiring bodybuilder Collins Nyarko to pursue his dream.

He wakes up early every morning and trains his clients,

other aspiring fitness crusaders.

This is a sport that comes to you with almost nothing.

You don't even have the gym to begin with.

And when I'm talking about you don't have a gym,

I'm talking you have to make your own gym out of whatever you could find.

Pieces of stones, wood, and any metallic object that you can find around.

And you bring these things together just to form your gym.

In Ghana, I would say it's very difficult.

Difficult in the aspect of where to train,

especially the food aspect.

[Collins] The hardest part about being a bodybuilder to me is nutrition.

[Samuel] I've heard most bodybuilders

eat like 6 to 12 times the limit.

Here, looking at how things are, you cannot afford to eat that.

You go bankrupt, yeah. [chuckles] You can't.

I use it as a motivation.

So I want to use it to motivate others to know that

you don't have to look at where you are.

You don't have to look at the situation you are in.

You can make big things out from something small.

We have such potential, we have such good genetics here in Ghana,

so I believe that we can do great with bodybuilding.

[Samuel] We don't even have

a single IFBB-certified professional bodybuilder in this country.

That tells me that we have a long way to go.

We really, really have a lot to prove.

[Victor] I want, at least, to have an opportunity

to compete against the best in the world,

here on home soil,

and hopefully winning world laurels.

[Vlad] As the infrastructure of the bodybuilding federation

is not very productive here,

Collins decides to take matters into his own hands

and puts together a local bodybuilding competition

for him and his fellow bodybuilders.

We are the difference. We are what they haven't seen before.

And we are what they need to see.

[Jay] I think bodybuilding overseas is bigger.

I think everyone's looking for the opportunity to become recognized.

Iran breeds some amazing bodybuilders, but it's nothing new.

You know, I think because of the advent of social media,

people are seeing it more, but bodybuilding has been big in Iran

for decades, for centuries.

[Vlad] Many consider Iran as the mecca of bodybuilding

in the Middle East.

Even though the country has been largely isolated by the West,

after the Islamic Revolution of 1978,

the bodybuilding talent here is steadily spreading throughout the world.

[King] What do they have?

Do they have clubs? No. Can they drink? No.

So where is the one place they can all go to?

The gym.

[Vlad] Here it's more than a sport. It's honor.

However, participating in the most prestigious shows in the US

is nearly impossible, due to the recently imposed travel ban.

This hurts many of the local competitors.

Hadi Choopan, a fierce 212 bodybuilder from the south of Iran,

is one such competitor.

The Men's 212 division limits all competitors

to weigh no more than 212 pounds.

This division allows for the same level of large muscles and bulk

as the Men's Open but drastically limits the weight.

-[horn honks] -[chuckles]

There's a lot of amazing bodybuilders that I think would do really, really good

competing here in the States, but they can't because of visas.

It's horrible, it's horrible.

I... I feel really, really bad for those guys because...

it's not in their hands. They have nothing to do with this.

This is just pure politics and all that nonsense.

[in Farsi] I am a professional athlete, member of IFBB Pro,

like a newborn baby in the professional family.

That being said, I, as the new member, expect that the head of this family

will support me and solve the visa problem.

so I can freely compete in the required competitions.

We've been trying to get Hadi into the Olympia, but I mean,

with, you know, the... the government.

I mean, that's really out of our hands.

I mean, we've written letters, we've tried.

But that's just really above our calling.

[Jim] I'm the president of the NPC and IFBB,

but I'm not Donald Trump, so I can't change that, you know.

But these guys are going to a lot of our international pro qualifiers

and are winning a lot of them.

[Vlad] Unable to get an entry visa to the US,

Hadi makes a decision to compete in San Marino Pro on the coast of Italy.

However, he will have to move up to Men's Open division,

as many European competitions don't offer 212.

It's a shame, I mean, they can compete in the pro shows in Europe or something,

but I don't know if we'll ever see them here.

Hopefully, the world will change someday that we can.

OK, good news, good news, OK.

Tell everybody, grab somebody's hand.

Everybody grab somebody's hand and make a chain.

[interpreter speaking Chinese]

[Kai] Great things will happen in this circle.

This circle here today.

Touch your neighbor and say, "Great things will happen

here in this circle today."

[interpreter speaking Chinese]

Great things will happen today in this circle.

Great things will happen in this circle.

Great things is gonna happen in this circle.

Ready? It's getting warm. I can feel the warm.

-I feel like a panther. -[interpreter speaking Chinese]

I feel like a panther, I feel like a panther.

All right? Let's get it started. Let's do a set of ten. Let's go.

-[interpreter speaking Chinese] -And one...

Two...

Three... Four...

[interpreter] Four.

-[Kai] Five. -[interpreter] Five.

[Kai] Six. Seven.

[all] Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

All right, so, I want to ask you about genetics.

Do you think people in certain countries have genetic limitations

that will prevent them succeeding in bodybuilding?

Do you believe that that can be the sad truth of it all?

Yeah, you know, I can recall being in India

and it was probably...

I don't know, 700, 800 people, you know, in the same room.

On this platform, somebody posed the same question.

"Do you think genetics will hold us back?

Do you think that our genetics here, you know, collectively,

will hold us back from our ability to achieve larger rewards

in the bodybuilding competition?"

I remember thinking, damn.

But I realized at the time that the person wasn't trying to be funny.

And, as I looked around the room, there were a lot of people that were there

with open eyes, you know, really, really, you know,

expecting you to answer that.

I do believe genetics plays a part.

You know, like Asian bodybuilders, they're not all meant to be

so big, so when you find a big Asian bodybuilder, it's very rare.

You do see them; a lot of them have small bones,

so they have nice structures for like Classic Physique.

You should have really fixed joints.

You're gonna need so much more size to make those joints look smaller.

So if you have very small joints and round muscle bellies,

you might not need that much weight on the scale

to look a certain way.

So, it's just, everybody has to work with the genetics

and it's going to give like very different physiques.

I think every nationality has some people with great genetics,

some people not so great, but I think Persians, Middle Easterners as a whole,

they come from a wrestling and strength-training background.

They're really good mesomorphs.

Really capable of putting on size, good strength.

Some of the strongest Olympic athletes are from Iran,

broken many, many records, so yeah, I think genetically,

Persians are primed for strength training and bodybuilding, yes.

[in Portuguese] Since Brazilians are a mix of different races,

the genetic pool is really big.

So sometimes you see some people walking around who aren't athletes,

but have a beautiful physique just from dieting and working out.

[Samuel] When it comes to Africa, we have the genetics.

You can even see someone who hasn't lifted weights before.

But you see that that person is shredded with the physique.

You see the frame, everything is there.

And even when you look outside the Western world,

most of the good bodybuilders are black.

Then again, you want to look at these genetics

at different parts of a bodybuilder, because there are certain parts

that Africans are not genetically gifted at.

When it comes to these parts, you want to look at the legs.

You want to look at your calves.

Black people, or Africans, naturally do not have big calves.

I remember being a teenager and people telling me in my gym,

you know, "Don't worry about calves and things like that

because you're black and black men don't have calves.

They can't develop calves, so don't worry about it."

-They told you this? -[Kai] Yeah!

The only limitations there would have been the ones in my own mind.

[Whitney] If you want to be in the sport, work hard

and beat 'em.

Beat their natural genetics.

Put in the hard work so that it pays off,

and you can put hard work over genetics.

They still have to work hard, but maybe they're not.

[Jay] I battled Ronnie Coleman, who I thought

was genetically superior to me for sure,

but I overcame genetics -- Branch Warren is a prime example of that also.

We still beat people that were better genetically.

If you have 'em, you've just got a head start.

You got a much better chance at reaching your goals

if you start out with good genetics. It's just that simple.

-Genetics. -I was blessed with genetics.

But, you know, I had to apply the work.

Everything I have now, I had to work for it.

[scraping windows]

I'm so glad, I just came out of Chicago.

I'm one of the maybe three guys that came out of Chicago.

So it was nice to be recognized out of here.

I wasn't given anything.

Everything I have now I had to work for, work real hard for it.

And I started from the bottom, just like, I'm not even supposed to be here.

Like, I wasn't supposed to graduate college.

I'm not supposed to be a successful bodybuilder.

I should be dead right now, from Chicago.

If only these guys knew about the gym, would just get in the gym,

they wouldn't even have to worry about looking cool on the street,

like you can look cool in a gym.

When you look at it as, I came from nothing, you came from nothing.

We're the same people.

No matter where you're from, we're still the same person.

We can still accomplish the same dreams, have the same goals.

Right now, it's Men's Physique.

Winning the Arnold, winning the Olympia.

That's my goal right now.

We might be smaller bodybuilders but we're still bodybuilders

and we still train legs, just getting my legs ready for next year.

Once they're developed and they match my upper body, then yeah,

I'll be competitive in Classic, Classic Physique, but...

Well, now I wanna fill up my board shorts 'cause they just look good. [chuckles]

Board shorts? Good Lord, have mercy. OK, guy.

You know, these categories like Men's... I don't know what it is,

where they wear these long shorts and don't need to train legs.

I've tried so hard to get into the Men's Physique, I just can't do it.

Let's be straight about it. These are quite easy to compete in.

If you're a young person, you're quite lean,

you could train for 12 months maybe, and do a bikini

or a men's fitness or whatever it's called.

[King] The essence of bodybuilding is legs.

OK? It's what separates the men from the boys,

the champs from the chumps, OK? It's legs.

[Brandon] Men's Physique guys got this misconception where...

we don't train legs, but, um... it's... we do.

If you wanna train your legs, you can. If you don't want to, you don't have to.

If you want to train them hard like a bodybuilder, you can do that, too.

But they're not being scored so they don't matter.

Men's Physique gets a lot of shit, but it's not the same sport.

It's completely different, you know. To each their own.

You know those guys are working really hard.

Just being like a low body fat percentage, it hurts,

like it's not easy to maintain.

[in Portuguese] The Men's Open guys probably look at Men's Physique

and think because we wear shorts we don't go through the same struggles as they do.

[King] Those guys worked very hard and it's very difficult to obtain.

But it's a little bit more obtainable, and more relatable, too.

I mean, I wasn't too big for Men's Physique, honestly,

but I liked the idea of being able

to showcase my whole physique, being able to pose.

[King] There's no bodybuilding posing.

It's supposed to be more of a natural, "This is what I look like on the beach."

[Rich] When you're looking at physique, it's just stances, front, side, back.

You're just looking at a body.

[Andre] What our job is to do, it's not posing, it's looking good standing there.

You have to build your aesthetics to a point where

you don't have to pose to look good.

A lot of people don't think that you have to practice posing as a Men's Physique,

but you do; presentation, believe it or not, still comes into big play.

We're looking for the muscularity, the taper, symmetry.

And also it could be why the Open bodybuilders

hate Men's Physique so much because

Men's Physique guys are so much more appealable to girls,

whereas girls don't like people that are bodybuilders,

so maybe there's a little bit of jealousy there.

The boys who are gods are, you know, the pretty boys.

Modeling, and the modeling contracts, sneaky motherfuckers.

[chuckles] They probably won't get that much respect.

Well, if I offended any of you motherfuckers,

fuck y'all. [chuckles]

[in Portuguese] I can do a magazine cover,

an underwear campaign,

I can also look big and shredded.

Those guys are just big and freaky and some people are intimidated

by that kind of muscle and size,

but I mean, if you're in the sport, you understand, like,

that's the top of the food chain.

[Rafael, in Portuguese] When I thought about being an athlete,

I wanted to compete in Men's Physique,

but when I met my first trainer he wanted to see my physique as a whole.

So my trainer told me I could not keep my legs hidden

since they were such a strong point in my physique,

so I should go bodybuilding.

I'm Dr. André Santos.

I'm a physiotherapist who specializes in chiropractic.

For his debut in San Marino

we have been working on the volume of his back.

[groaning]

[groans]

[Rafael in Portuguese] His work is fundamental for my preparation

since we take our body to the extreme every day.

People always say that bodybuilding is a lonely sport,

but I disagree.

Alone we can't do anything or achieve anything.

[percussion band playing]

[percussion riff plays on computer]

It's weird because the beginning of me speaking

is so loud and like unclear and the end is so low.

We could fix the volume...

I always wanted to do an Egyptian-themed routine, it's always been in my head,

because I'm like, I'm Egyptian, I have to do that one day.

I'm so proud of being Egyptian, and my mom's family is Jewish,

and my dad is Muslim, so that gives really an awesome dynamic

in terms of my family goes.

The most important question: can you sacrifice everything

to get on this level, to be better you?

Next time when you compete.

Unfortunately, not everyone can sacrifice.

Sacrifice time with your family,

sacrifice time with your second half.

Sacrifice time with your kids.

So it's hard, you know, for most people.

[Ariel] Like I was living, breathing, sleeping bodybuilding since I'm little

without knowing that I was doing that.

And I'd love to be that person that could win Ms. Olympia a couple of times.

I mean, I do have a life.

I can't see myself winning Ms. Olympia, then trying to do it another ten times.

My body's just not gonna handle it.

Not just that, but I wanna live a normal life one day.

I mean, I've been doing athletics and being a pro athlete my whole life.

I'm 25, and even though I'm young, almost 25 years of that,

you still yearn for like, I wanna be a mom one day.

I got you!

[indistinct shouting]

[Whitney] My kids will always be... always my number one priority.

If anything was ever not OK with them,

if they ever did not support what I did,

if, um, they needed me and I was not available

because I was focused on competing, competing would be put aside.

Obviously. They are my number one priority.

But I'm fortunate, I have two healthy kids.

I have happy kids; I'm able to balance being a single mom

because I've had years to try to figure it out.

I've been able to make it work.

They get to do all the activities that they want to do.

They're playing... major into sports.

Every single day, we have something going on.

But again, it requires me getting up super early

in order to get my cardio in.

I have to have my schedule dialed in to the minute.

Because there's no other way I could do it.

[horn honking]

[Collins] Generally speaking, an African bodybuilder

is much stronger and more endurance simply because

of the hardship that a lot of us are coming from.

You have a kid who has worked about half of his life.

It's just going to be easier for him to do

than somebody who, for his whole life, has not even carried,

let's say a 30-kilo material on his head.

[Vlad] Collins's show is a success.

Not because of any prizes given but because it provides a platform

to inspire other local athletes

as they aim to create their own brand of natural bodybuilding.

[Collins] Being a natural bodybuilder and getting all this attention,

this is what people like me for.

They look at my physique, as natural as it is, and they like it.

That is good inspiration, that is something they can look up to.

That's something they can aspire to.

Most of the times, when people see you being a bodybuilder,

they have the notion that you might be taking steroids or something.

But I think you can do bodybuilding with just food.

-Yeah. -[rooster crows]

You can do it with food, and supplement if you can afford.

When you're a pro bodybuilder,

every single one is on steroids.

Let's make that clear.

Right? You know that, right?

The best of the best, no names mentioned.

I've worked with men who will say, "If you told me that

taking anabolic steroids is going to take 20 years off my life,

I would still do it, because at least I would be big and muscular

in the time I was here."

It's incredible science, so there's hundreds of steroids

that have been produced in the world since the 1940s and '30s.

They're either for human-grade use or animal use.

Equipoise is for horses, dogs and cats.

But these men use all these mixed. They're all mixed.

There's something pathological about that.

That's not a healthy way of thinking because at the end,

it's not about being muscular, it's about being happy,

being confident, being accepted.

The regular dose for a testosterone replacement patient

is about 100 milligrams of ester per week.

Bodybuilders and strength athletes and strongmen

can use upwards of 5 grams a week.

One hundred to 5,000.

It's risk versus benefit ratio.

And I always tell people that, if they want to go down that road,

that's up to them, but when you're 25, you don't give a shit.

You know, when you're 25, you just want to be the best in the world

and be Mr. Olympia.

So when you get older, I think you start thinking about it more.

[Rich] When you see bodybuilders die at a young age, like Dallas McCarver,

I think it's really, really sad.

There was a guy who had

great potential in being a great bodybuilder.

And, you know, his life coming down short,

for whatever reasons, from, you know, whatever he did in bodybuilding.

I always worried about my health, you know.

You know, I think my injury that caused me to retire early

was probably a blessing in disguise because

I would have probably pushed my body to the limits

to try to keep up with the bodybuilders

that were like getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

Even back then, there wasn't much emphasis on steroids.

When I got into it, I was more about the training hard, the eating.

That sort of thing. Steroids is like I heard about it

and knew it was in the sport, but it wasn't like now.

You go on any website today, forums, all people talk about is drugs, steroids.

It just drives me mad.

Social media has a lot of benefits and a lot of pitfalls,

and one of the pitfalls are

it disseminates a lot of unhealthy information

where young people have access to it and now can see

some bodybuilder or someone saying,

"Oh, well, if you do this, this and this, then you could look this big."

Let me put it to you this way, OK, look.

I have a lot of friends in whole different genres of sports.

Football, baseball, basketball, and many of them are professional.

Golfers use steroids, OK?

It's just a thing.

I mean, the kids at the gym, just nobody...

Just recreational, little, you know, Jersey Shore douchebags I see at the gym,

they're all juiced up to the max and what have you.

Everybody does it. Everybody does it.

So why they target bodybuilder?

Because bodybuilders, they take off their clothes.

They're in their shorts or trunks on stage.

Obviously, the field physique is much different than a normal person.

So people don't see hard work and effort that go behind.

You can take enhancers, you can take this and that,

but at the same time, you can't buy the hard work that people put.

[Vlad] With one week before the competition in San Marino,

Varinder trains with his mentor, Sheru, in their home state of Punjab.

There is a certain level of pride in this region.

And a good performance on a European soil

would mean a lot to them.

Yes! Come on, bro.

[indistinct chatter]

Good.

Pro!

Yep. San Marino Pro. Pro.

Come on. Yep.

[Sheru] He's been working much harder since the last six months.

Plus his major challenge, which also I see,

uh, he's a vegetarian.

When I was competing, you know, me being a vegetarian,

things disappointed me.

[Sheru] A beast from India.

-Hold! -Yup!

Good.

[no voice]

[alarm chiming]

[King] Bodybuilding is so mental.

That's what you have to do, you have to sacrifice everything in your life.

If you're not ready here, you know... Bodybuilding is 80% mental.

[Vlad] Before the competition,

bodybuilders go through a cutting phase.

It's a complex process that requires balancing carbs, protein, water,

and sodium intake.

Each body reacts differently to this process.

The adjustments in diet and water intake are done on a daily basis,

all the way up to the competition.

Most bodybuilders don't consume any water the day of the show

to make their bodies look like an anatomy chart.

But dehydration can break down even the most experienced bodybuilder.

[crowd cheering]

[emcee] Ladies and gentlemen, from Brazil, Rafael Brandão.

[cheering and applause]

Hadi Choopan.

[cheering and applause]

Number 20, Varinder Singh Ghuman.

[applause continues]

[Jay] You've got to be in great condition,

you have to be able to pose right, and everything has to flow.

The symmetry has to be like, you know, where you create that V taper

and you have round muscle bellies and, you know, it's defined,

and, you know, whoever poses and shows off their strong points

and hides their weaknesses against the other guys

is usually picked as the winner.

We all have our strong points.

I mean, I was great at hiding the flaws that I had,

and trust me, everyone has some.

And, you know, it took me a long time to overcome a lot of that,

to be able to be the champion and consistently win.

[applause]

[Vlad] Hadi made it to the top two.

He now goes toe to toe

against one of the top Men's Open bodybuilders in the world.

[emcee] Second place,

the silver medal,

take that to competitor number 4, Hadi Choopan!

[Vlad] He came close, but being number two, despite the weight category,

will never be enough for the Persian Wolf.

[King] These guys, if they don't win,

the membership in the gyms come down,

they get blasted in social media,

the haters will come out and they will take away everything they have.

So to them it's life or death for these Iranians.

It's everything to them.

You know, it's everything to them. It's the passion.

It's so strong.

That's why they get upset and they go and they cry

and they do this and they do that.

There's always gonna be controversy no matter who wins.

The only one that's happy is the guy that wins the show

or the female that wins the show.

Everybody else is just always gonna be unhappy from second on down.

So, what can you do?

Tired.

Finished.

[indistinct chatter]

[Vlad] Placing seventh was not the result he wanted.

But Rafael is at peace with a placement.

He achieved his goal and made the pro debut in the world arena.

For Varinder, the result wasn't as expected.

Being a vegetarian puts him at a disadvantage for gaining muscle mass,

and he knows it.

But he's determined to continue his career

and rep his nation around the world.

[Sharu] From front, Varinder is very good.

As good as any other guy in the world right now.

His problem's always in the back.

The hamstring and the back cut-up thing.

Give him like six months or one year,

you will see a new Varinder coming up.

[Vlad] A day before the New York Pro,

Regan pays a visit to Steve Weinberger,

a head IFBB judge.

A visit is a tradition of sorts among the top pros

who want to hear an honest and credible opinion about their progress,

because Steve doesn't sugar-coat.

His opinions are usually sharp and to the point.

However, suddenly Regan has an announcement of his own.

Hey, Steve, there's some big news. I'm doing Classic.

-Really? -Yeah.

[Steve] I thought he was going to be an amazing Open competitor.

Big size, great shape, really good conditioning.

I thought, this is a guy that could be really a top Mr. Olympia contender.

Then he told me that he's doing Classic Physique.

And I was pretty much shocked

'cause I thought he'd be one of the new big stars.

I can't believe he lost that much mass.

If you would have told me the day before he's coming in

and tell me he's not gonna be doing the Open,

and he's gonna be doing Classic and he's gonna win,

I would say you're out of your mind.

I wouldn't think it was gonna happen.

-Gonna be dangerous also. -Yeah. Thank you.

I just think it's...

I think I have a better shot.

-I think... -I agree.

[Regan] Some of these guys, all the power to them,

they look amazing, but some guys, I just don't aspire to look like that.

You know, I don't want to be that big.

Like I don't wanna be 330 or 320.

You're your own person, I guess, and you gotta bring what you like.

You know, so even, I mean, if the judges want me at 300,

I don't know if I'd even go to 300 'cause I just, "A,"

it wouldn't be healthy for me, I wouldn't feel good,

and, "B," that's probably not the physique that I want to be like.

I think it seems like Classic Physique is gonna be the most popular thing.

That's what I see, 'cause you gotta think there's so many...

Like there's so many more people who could be on that level

of like "genetically gifted" and work ethic and everything,

but there's, like the Phil Heath is like the one in like... a billion.

Anyway, the Classic Physique turned out to be

one of our fastest exploding divisions.

I think it's definitely not an easy way out.

It's different, I guess, in many ways.

But I know for a fact, they train with a professional Open bodybuilder

every single day.

We're still all working just as hard and there's sacrifices

that every division is gonna have to make in this, nothing's easy.

If you don't give it 100%, then you won't be successful.

[Jim] There's no easy way out.

That's insulting to the Classic Physique guys.

If you look at the group of Classic Physique guys,

there's nothing easy about winning a pro show anymore.

These guys are for real.

I mean, they train just like the bodybuilders, even harder.

[Stanislas] A Classic Physique is all about balance to me.

Balance and conditioning.

To me, it's a Greek statue.

You want to showcase the physique. It's not just overall pure mass.

When Classic Physique is balanced first.

Classic represents the artsy side.

It is showing you straight-up art in Classic.

It's very cool to watch, but after a while,

if these are the same routines over and over...

Regan's gonna be Mr. Olympia Men's Open at some point.

I think he's a one-and-done guy in this Classic contest he's doing now,

'cause I know he's gonna have trouble bringing the weight down.

There's a lot of potential there to be a Men's Open bodybuilder.

And a lot of bodybuilders don't make it in the Open class,

so they fall down into Classic.

Well, guess what?

The waist isn't small enough,

or the lines aren't good enough and then they're pushed out.

In five years, watch the comeback in the sport of bodybuilding

in the Men's Open side.

-[Victoria] You trying to make it higher? -[man] I just wanna see your legs...

[Victoria laughs]

[Victoria] Imagine that.

[man] I'm telling you right now, It's extremely light.

-[Victoria speaking indistinctly] -Yeah.

[man] Let's see the hamstring from behind.

-You can feel now, I mean... -[Regan] I can feel them.

[indistinct shouting]

-[man 1] Pull straight in. -[man 2] Stay right there.

[man] Thank you.

I know I've worked so hard like for the competition,

and that I'm just, I'm ready, you know.

Like, now it's time to just display what I've worked for.

-[man] Go, Greene! -[woman] Let's go, babe!

[scattered cheering]

[woman] Go, Regan!

[scattered cheering and applause]

Go, Regan!

[cheering and applause]

[man] Yeah, Regan!

[scattered cheering]

[woman] Go, Regan!

Go, Regan! Flex!

[Vlad] A first-place finish proved that switching to Classic

was the right decision for Regan.

But the stakes would only get higher and competition fierce

as he's now part of the fastest-growing division

in the pro league.

[in Russian] When I met my wife, she always supported me.

Now we have one daughter, but we want two more children.

So, I'm working now for their future.

So, family is not an obstacle.

On the contrary, they motivate me and encourage me.

When I was in the orphanage,

I promised myself never to let my own children end up there.

I started preparing.

You know, it's an important competition.

I still have some time.

You can do it, but you need to pay attention to certain areas.

-You know what I'm talking about. -I'm working on it.

You're ready, but you just need to improve on those little details.

What does Timur say about going to America?

Not much, just says to prepare. My motivation is through the roof.

Yeah, it's the next level.

Of course I realize I'll have to work twice as much.

IFBB is an advanced level.

I can't even imagine how it will be if you win the Arnold Classic.

And imagine if you become an overall champion?

[coach] Two-time... Arnold...

Classic... champion...

Brandon... Hendrickson!

-[Brandon straining] -Come on, go.

[Vlad] We return to the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio,

where every year, about a hundred thousand people gather

for the fitness expo and the competitions.

Everything seems familiar.

Crowds of eager fans, cold March winds,

and a lot of excitement as the people gather here

from all over the world.

But for the competitors, there is no time for excitement.

[water running]

[in Russian] When people go to the US for the first time,

they are impressed because people dream of going there,

because everyone says it's an athlete's paradise.

A different life,

compared to the one in Uzbekistan.

We went there to compete.

We went there to win.

To raise our flag. To let people know about us.

-[in Russian] Oh, Misha, hi. -[in Russian] Hi.

-How are you doing? -OK.

-Misha, how are you? -I'm OK.

-Did you get enough sleep? -Yep.

Look, it's started.

The final stage.

The calves this time are good.

Oh, look. Flex it.

-Check it out, it's cutting. -Well done.

You just gotta be calm,

don't freak out.

-Perhaps you'll get a pro card. -Of course I will.

[Vlad] It's finally time.

This is what they have been working for.

Misha and the rest of the amateur bodybuilders

get compared during a tedious prejudging round.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Whitney go through their prejudging,

the physique round.

[Ariel] When I first came out, the judges didn't even look at me.

They were looking down, they were like shuffling papers.

There was only a couple judges that were really looking at me.

But, um, yeah, I mean, that's like not a great feeling

'cause you worked really hard for this.

I'm not really sure what they were expecting from me,

but I think I did the best that I could.

So I just want to go out there in a routine and kind of kill it now.

[chuckles]

[indistinct chatter]

[commentator] Here we are with the Men's Physique 2018.

Big smiles, small waists. That's what it's about, boys.

[Vlad] While the first round of Women's Fitness

may only be worth 30% of their overall score,

prejudging for Men's Physique division is everything.

This is the round where athletes get compared

and continually narrowed down to the best,

until top competitors are next to each other center stage.

-[commentator] But you notice these guys. -[emcee] 5 and 16, switch.

You can see the ones that really train their legs through their shorts.

Right there, number 16, Brandon Hendrickson, being one of them.

Those shorts are tight, his quads are busting through those things.

Respect to that. Gotta balance that body out.

[Vlad] Emotions run high and stress is always present,

as the athletes try to inch their way closer to the judges

in the attempt to make themselves look bigger and more defined.

Everything is on the line with the few minutes they have on this stage.

[emcee] Andre, move up.

I know, myself, I don't focus on people.

Like when I prep.

My focus is on beating everyone, so how am I focusing on Brandon?

I'm here to beat everyone. I'm focusing on me.

[Vlad] The judges narrow it down to the top three physiques

and compare them.

While they know they've placed well,

they have to wait until the awards ceremony

to see who gets the gold.

[speaking indistinctly]

[Ariel] I feel like I'm only competing against myself.

I never go into a show saying, "I have to win

or I have to do this, I have to do that," because, at the end of the day,

if I do the best that I can do, I can't be any happier with that.

If you want to be at the elite level, you go all in.

And you give it everything you've got.

And you attack it every single day.

It takes a very specific person to be at the top.

If you're not cut out for it, don't get in.

The people who are at the top, they don't need to talk about it.

They're not complaining about anything.

They're working, they are grinding.

They are doing everything that is required and that's necessary to get there.

But people aren't willing to do that.

Because it's not easy to be in it. It's not easy to be at the top.

This is a serious thing. There's too many serious athletes.

There's too many people who are so dedicated and want it so bad.

Those are the people who get it, those are the people who deserve it.

You have to be relentless.

You have to be fearless in everything you want.

Those people who want it know it, and there is nothing stopping them.

[applause]

[no voice]

[in Russian] Arnold Schwarzenegger then tells me,

"Where are you from?", I say "Uzbekistan."

He says, "How many years have you been in training?"

Everyone is keeping silent for a moment,

and I say, "I don't speak English."

And the audience went wild.

They were expecting me to say something else, probably.

[indistinct chatter]

[woman] Whoo!

[indistinct announcements over PA]

[scattered applause]

[emcee] And the winner of $1,500 for third place,

Brandon Hendrickson.

This is the end, we've been working for this moment, because I want the titles.

You cannot be champion without difficult times and without losing.

It's experience. It's great experience.

And without this experience, you cannot become a champ.

When you just got trophy very fast for one or two years,

it doesn't make you stronger person.

It doesn't make you real champion with good future.

[no voice]

[Brandon] At first, when I told him that I wanted to pursue bodybuilding,

all my dad was worried about was like,

"What about retirement? What about insurance?"

You know, he's worrying about the stuff that I wasn't thinking about,

and then I started competing and doing well and...

he saw that I was becoming successful in the sport.

And so he was starting to believe in my vision a lot more.

[Vlad] The pursuit of the perfect physique

is what often unites the men and women

who dedicate their lives to the iron.

Their path might be discouraging at times, and even dangerous.

At the end of the day, most know that achieving perfection is not possible.

But that doesn't stop them.

And whether they live in the East or West...

having little or much resource,

that ultimately has little to do with their dream

as they will always find a way.

I heard Lee Haney say this when I was a teenager.

He said, he said, uh, "Great champions don't come back.

They focus and capture their now,

and they move on with their development."

There's many, many more things that you're supposed to do

and accomplish in your lifetime.

So, yeah...

Great champions don't come back, they be back.

♪ I'm on the mission ♪

♪ The strong competition Whoever, whatever ♪

♪ I view it all as opposition ♪

♪ Ain't came to lose I came to win it ♪

♪ So, if you ain't with me You're against me ♪

♪ Listen ♪

♪ I'm a rose that grew From the concrete ♪

♪ Look how I'm grown ♪

♪ See the scratches on my petals Scars on my thorns ♪

♪ I know you see it ♪

♪ It's win or lose, do or die Ain't no in betweens ♪

♪ Ain't no in betweens, y'all ♪

♪ So you can call it what you want ♪

♪ But it's all I ever known ♪

♪ They tell me go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder ♪

♪ Go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder, yeah ♪

♪ I've been beaten, battered and bruised ♪

♪ Look at my heart It's in my wounds ♪

♪ Look deep in my eye ♪

♪ I bet you see that it's consumed ♪

♪ By the eternal winds ♪

♪ Motivated by my pain ♪

♪ Still the man's here with a passion ♪

♪ Nothing to lose, only gain ♪

♪ I've been through it all From the highs to the lows ♪

♪ Stood firm in our cause ♪

♪ No matter how it goes ♪

♪ Yeah-eah-eah ♪

♪ I'm a rose that grew from the concrete ♪

♪ Look how I'm grown ♪

♪ See the scratches on my petals Scars on my thorns ♪

♪ I know you see it ♪

♪ It's win or lose, do or die Ain't no in betweens ♪

♪ Ain't no in betweens, y'all ♪

♪ So you can call it what you want But it's all I ever known ♪

♪ They tell me go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder ♪

♪ Go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder, yeah ♪

♪ Do it, do it or don't No time to cry about it ♪

♪ Either you burn or stand firm Willing to die about it ♪

♪ Writing black and white on that wall You truth and lie about it ♪

♪ Struggle and strain against the flame And you fry about it ♪

♪ See a brimstone and fire Gnashing of teeth ♪

♪ For this is hell here ♪

♪ We're merely trying to try to survive But often fell here ♪

♪ No reception in this wild Waiting on God's call ♪

♪ Devil's calling loud, steady Waiting on you to fall ♪

♪ You ever seen the demons Eat an angel? ♪

♪ They get on their knees with bloody teeth like God thank you ♪

♪ You can write about your life out here ♪

♪ No peace and pity for your kiddies or your wife out here ♪

♪ Talking bling without the Rockefeller ♪

♪ Talking eating cheese Without the mozzarella ♪

♪ Desperation breed a fool wid it ♪

♪ In it to win it What you gonna do wid it? ♪

♪ 'Cause me... ♪

♪ I'm a rose that grew from the concrete ♪

♪ Look how I'm grown ♪

♪ See the scratches on my petals Scars on my thorns ♪

♪ I know you see it ♪

♪ It's win or lose, do or die Ain't no in betweens ♪

♪ Ain't no in betweens, y'all ♪

♪ So you can call it what you want But it's all I ever known ♪

♪ They tell me go hard or go home ♪

♪ So I go hard and go harder ♪

♪ Yeah-eah-eah ♪

♪ Oh, Lord ♪