All language subtitles for Generation.Iron.3.2018.720p.WEB.H264-AMRAP

[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 ♪