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June 28, 2023

Shaun Clarida Begins Contest Prep Weighing 206 Pounds 20 Weeks Out from 2023 Olympia

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Clarida appears more than ready for another 212 title.

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Shaun “The Giant Killer” Clarida isn’t shy about what he wants to accomplish as a dynamite bodybuilder. The two-time 212 Olympia winner (2020, 2022) wants to build a dynasty of championships and eventually even surpass James “Flex” Lewis’ all-time record mark of seven titles (2012-2018). While he’s the current clear-cut king of his division, Clarida remains a long way from such an honor. Yet, his training and physique updates give the impression such an achievement could eventually be possible.

On June 26, 2023, Clarida shared a photo on his Instagram where the athlete said he had a body weight of 206 pounds. Per Clarida’s caption, the mass packed onto his 5-foot two-inch stature is a “starting point,” with the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL roughly 20 weeks away at the time of his photo. For any other 212 competitors wishing to unseat Clarida from his throne, that is an intimidating prospect to consider.

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In the caption of his Instagram, Clarida sounded motivated. Several recent dramatic life changes — including the birth of his daughter and a cross-country move from New Jersey to Texas  — have added a lot to his plate after already competing in and training for both the Arnold Classic (AC) and the Olympia in successive years. Note: Lewis plans to have the same AC and Olympia approach in 2023. The athlete finished in fifth place in the Men’s Open class at the 2023 iteration of the AC.

Despite the changes, Clarida gave off the expected air of a champion competitor seeking more greatness before he accelerates his Olympia preparation.

“Despite it being one of the busiest years of my life and career, between doing both the Olympia and the Arnold last season [2022], the birth of my daughter and moving my family from New Jersey to Texas, it’s been one of the most productive,” Clarida wrote. “The new environment, having the fuel and motivation with [his daughter] and always having a supporting cast of friends, family, and sponsors have all kept me grounded and focused on the task and goal come November 3 [the date of the 2023 Olympia contest]. Off to the races we go!”

After Lewis’s run of dominance in the 2010s and a “three-peat” from Kevin English (2009-2011), Clarida stands in third place for the most all-time victories in the 212 Olympia. Should Clarida repeat in November, he will tie English for second place and inch ever closer to Lewis’s mark.

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Even if Clarida doesn’t win another 212 title, his place in bodybuilding history is already secure. He has proven he can thrive at the 212 level and, in moonlight appearances as a Men’s Open competitor, has also fared quite well. Though with every jaw-dropping teaser that Clarida provides from behind the scenes, it seems likely this superstar will be hot on the tail of a legend’s seemingly unattainable record soon enough.

Featured image: @shaunclarida on Instagram

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May 16, 2023

Derek Lunsford and Other Olympia Contenders Display Their Off-Season Mass Guest-Posing at 2023 Pittsburgh Pro

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This year’s Pittsburgh Pro felt like another appropriate preview of the Olympia.

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By now, many in the bodybuilding community understand the annual Pittsburgh Pro to be more than a major qualifying event on the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League calendar. In recent years, some of the most popular Mr. Olympia contenders in the Men’s Open division have appeared at the annual May contest to guest pose and offer a preview of their training progress in anticipation of the flagship Olympia later that fall. The 2023 iteration was no different.

On May 12-13, 2023, while champions like Michael Daboul (Classic Physique) were crowned during the official Pittsburgh Pro, Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, Hunter Labrada, and Shaun Clarida all guest-posed during the contest. The only notable absence, especially in the current Men’s Open pantheon, was defending Mr. Olympia champion Hadi Choopan. With nothing officially on the line for the slate of elite competitors, these six men still appeared on stage to tease how their sterling physiques are coming along for the 2023 Mr. Olympia in Orlando, FL, this early November.

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Amongst the guest posers at the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro, Lunsford might be the presumed biggest contender to Choopan’s title. Lunsford is in the midst of training to improve upon a runner-up result in his first-ever appearance in the Men’s Open division at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. One of Lunsford’s main rivals, Nick Walker, believes the former 212 champion (2021) should be favored to win the 2023 Mr. Olympia. Bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman has also expressed his faith in Lunsford, anointing him as one of the next big things in the sport after a recent collaborative training session.

Walker’s faith in Lunsford is notable, given his status as one of bodybuilding’s top modern stars. Walker finished in third place at the 2022 Mr. Olympia and followed that up with a runner-up result at the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC). If anyone finally seems poised to break through from this field, it might be Walker.

Meanwhile, the 2023 AC victor, Samson Dauda, has started to receive hype as a legitimate Olympia titan. Icons like Jay Cutler have expressed that Dauda could be one of bodybuilding’s next big stars. It’s a label of high expectations that Dauda has not taken lightly. There’s also Elssbiay, who is coming off a disappointing sixth-place result at the 2022 Mr. Olympia after vying for a historic three-peat. The former two-time defending Olympia champion (2021, 2022) had previously skipped guest-posing at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro and now appeared to be trying to build momentum toward another Olympia victory this November.

Labrada is in a similar position to Elssbiay, though he doesn’t have the resume of past Olympia victories to lean on. The athlete has expressed profound disappointment in his 2022 Olympia performance and vowed to have a more streamlined physique in 2023 in hopes of a huge rebound.

To round out this guest-posing group, Clarida, a two-time 212 champion (2020, 2022), will not be competing in the Men’s Open division at the 2023 Olympia. The athlete wishes to eventually break James “Flex” Lewis’s record of seven 212 Olympia titles (2012-2018) and will exclusively focus his efforts on that mission moving forward.

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Discerning the precise favorites for the 2023 Mr. Olympia would likely be impossible off one guest-posing appearance. Nonetheless, some of the top contenders for the tentpole contest made it a point to appear in Pittsburgh and show off what they might bring to the table in November.

With that, one of the unofficial first significant steps en route to this year’s Olympia is now in the rearview mirror.

Featured image: dereklunsford_ on Instagram

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March 24, 2023

Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, And Other Men’s Open Stars Will Guest Pose at 2023 Pittsburgh Pro

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Bodybuilding gets a small taste of this year’s Olympia in early May.

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It’ll be a long wait for the 2023 Mr. Olympia. With this year’s flagship bodybuilding contest not occurring until Nov. 3-5, 2023, in Orlando, FL, there’s a lot of time for the stars of the Men’s Open division to gather themselves. This spring, they’ll be offering a teaser of what might come by appearing together at a relatively smaller scale International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League competition.

On Mar. 23, 2023, the National Physique Committee (NPC) organizers of the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro revealed who will be guest posing during this year’s competition the weekend of May 12-13. Here is an overview of big names who are expected to show off an early spring look at their physique with nothing tangible on the line:

2023 Pittsburgh Pro Guest Posing Athletes

Reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia champion (2019-2022) Chris Bumstead has also been announced to make a special appearance, but he is not expected to guest pose.

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Save for the defending Mr. Olympia, Hadi Choopan, this list of guest posers at the latest Pittsburgh Pro is arguably a laundry list of potential contenders for the next Mr. Olympia title. There could always be an unexpected dark horse making a run out of the blue, but one of these names (with Choopan included) will likely be the 2023 Olympia victor.

Assuredly, there is no shortage of storylines leading into this first look at most of the main 2023 Mr. Olympia slate.

For Lunsford, after successfully transitioning from the 212 division, the athlete will now likely be pulling out all the stops to win his first Mr. Olympia title. Taking home a runner-up in his first Men’s Open try might have only been the start of a fruitful career in the top bodybuilding class. When it comes to Walker, “The Mutant” has submitted relatively disappointing performances of late. Two consecutive podium results at the 2022 Olympia and 2023 AC are nothing to sneeze at, but Walker expected to win. That makes what he brings to the stage in Orlando potentially even more exciting.

Elssbiay returns to guest pose at the Pittsburgh Pro after skipping the 2022 iteration. The former two-time Olympia champion has recently dipped a bit, performance-wise, and could be using the Pittsburgh Pro as a way to build some momentum heading into another Olympia appearance in the fall. Dauda surprised the bodybuilding world with his new AC title, but some established icons don’t think any coming victories will be much of a shock anymore. He’s undoubtedly seemed to establish himself as a household name.

Finally, amongst the main pantheon featured at the Pittsburgh Pro, Clarida will likely just be moonlighting guest posing among Men’s Open contenders as he pushes for a 212 Olympia title record. It doesn’t appear “The Giant Killer” will be slaying any of the athletes on stage in a primary competition any time soon. As for Labrada, after finishing in seventh place at the 2022 Olympia, he didn’t seem to be contending well with the outside noise. The athlete has been planning a streamlined physique in 2023, which he might show a glimpse of in the early stages in May.

At the time of this article’s publication, it is unclear what role Bumstead plans to play at the Pittsburgh Pro given that he isn’t guest posing. However, having another superstar on hand is always welcome by fans.

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From a competitive perspective, nothing meaningful is on the line for any of these dynamos at the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro. They are merely there to partly provide a public update on their training progress while fulfilling IFBB appearance “obligations” of sorts. That said, seeing the current elite mix of Men’s Open bodybuilders is one rousing way to stir up debate and draw attention before they actually duke it out on stage later this year.

Featured image: @npcifbbpropittsburgh on Instagram

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Shaun Clarida Wants To Break Flex Lewis’ 212 Olympia Title Record

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Clarida will stick with the 212 as he begins the ascent of one of bodybuilding’s tallest mountains.

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Reigning 212 Olympia champ Shaun Clarida usually wears his heart on his oversized sleeve. The athlete hasn’t been shy about sharing his bodybuilding goals and his next mission might be the superstar’s loftiest yet.

On Mar. 23, 2023, Clarida appeared on an episode of The Truth podcast with esteemed bodybuilding trainer Hany Rambod. As the pair discussed the two-time 212 Olympia champion’s (2020, 2022) future plans, Clarida didn’t mince his words: he wants to break James “Flex” Lewis’ 212 Olympia record of seven titles (2012-2018). The athlete will be primarily sticking with the 212 division for the foreseeable future in search of this hallowed ambition.

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Clarida’s long-term 212 aspirations might come as a slight surprise, considering he most recently featured in the Men’s Open division at the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC). Despite the athlete being considerably smaller than his more massive peers, the bodybuilder took home a fifth-place finish at the contest.

Moving forward, in an approach that seems both realistic and training-efficient, Clarida didn’t necessarily rule out similar moonlighting Men’s Open appearances. However, he will otherwise keep his focus on the 212 division, as that is where he has shined the most in his career.

“I’m staying in 212 for sure,” Clarida explained. “The goal is to win multiple titles here [in the 212 division]. Of course, I like to dabble in a few smaller [Men’s] Open shows, maybe another Arnold Classic. But me just doing the Arnold Classic and doing well is not enough for me to just leave the 212 … I’m realistic. If I couldn’t win the [2022] Arnold [Classic], then what’s the point of me moving on from there? If I had won maybe it would be a different conversation.”

Clarida is behind Lewis’ dominating streak by five titles, but if anyone can match or eclipse the icon in the current landscape, it’s the 5-foot 2-inch competitor appropriately referred to as “The Giant Killer.” Usually, that’s in reference to Clarida overcoming bigger peers en route to a victory. In this case, Clarida surpassing Lewis would be more like beating a living legend — a metaphorical “giant” of the sport.

Clarida’s teasing his pursuit of the 212 Olympia record makes the years ahead potentially some of the most exciting the division has ever seen.

“212 is my home, it’s in my heart, and I want to walk away as one of the best to ever do it,” Clarida said. “I love Flex Lewis to death but the goal is to beat his record.”

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If Clarida were to unexpectedly hang up his posing trunks today, he’d already be remembered as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. Full stop. However, vying for Lewis’ mark would likely place him amongst an elite handful of names, regardless of division. For someone accustomed to “killing giants,” it’d be quite a sight to see him repeatedly reach that 212 Olympia summit.

Featured image: @shaunclarida on Instagram

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