Thanks to Arnold…Posing Matters Again!!!

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor Despite his mega success, Arnold Schwarzenegger remains, within his heart, a hardcore bodybuilder.  One of the most famous men in the world, he still remembers his roots and promotes bodybuilding through his magnificent Arnold Sports Festivals each year.  In 2016, there will be six of them, taking place on […]

Visualization. It Works!!!

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor Schwarzenegger already knew “The Secret”.  In that best selling self-help book (published in 2006) it was revealed that the key to happiness and success is telling The Universe what YOU WANT….and it will manifest itself in to reality. Before anyone heard of “The Secret”, bodybuilders like Arnold were touting […]

Batman Was Natural

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor Hey guys. a heartfelt welcome to my NEW blog here on Digital Muscle.  Honored to be a part of this new and rapidly growing media site. Dan and I have known each other for a long time and I’m comfortable to say that we share many of the same […]

The Tijuana Affair: From the New Book by John Hansen

Editor’s Note: This article by John Hansen is from his new book, “Bodybuilding Heroes and Legends”.  John serves as Digital Muscle’s Natural Bodybuilding Editor and is one of the bodybuilding world’s true storytellers.  Please join us in congratulating John on his new book.  We hope you enjoy this excerpt, a classic story of time Sergio Oliva […]

Bodybuilding Reminds Us to Never Settle!

By John Hansen The competitive bodybuilding landscape has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Forty years ago, bodybuilders were motivated to win big titles. During the 70’s, the ultimate title for the amateur bodybuilder was the Mr. America. Each year, bodybuilders would travel from all around the country to try to win the biggest […]

It Started with a Handshake: Arnold Classic History 101

By John Hansen Promoters Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer are gearing up once again for their Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio for the 29th year. Starting in the Spring of 1989, Schwarzenegger and Lorimer began promoting one of the premier bodybuilding events.  After years of promoting the Mr. Olympia, Mr. Universe (World Bodybuilding Championships) […]

John Hansen’s Olympia Top 15 Preview & Prediction

DigitalMuscle.com’s Coverage of the 2016 Mr. Olympia continues with this EXPANDED preview and prediction from bodybuilding insider and former Natural Olympia champ John Hansen.  Be sure to visit our Olympia Section for more reports from the biggest names in the industry! By John Hansen The 2016 IFBB Mr. Olympia contest has more hype surrounding it […]

Classic Physique Competition: Is It Working?

By John Hansen It’s been more than six months since the introduction of Classic Physique, a new competitive division developed as a means of satisfying a growing number of bodybuilders and men’s physique athletes looking to expand their talents. The Classic Physique division is seen by some as a cross between those two divisions, bodybuilding […]

Is Bodybuilding Still a Young Man’s Sport?

By John Hansen One of the most disturbing trends in the world of competitive bodybuilding over the last 20-30 years is an alarming drop off in talented teen bodybuilders. Decades ago, a variety of incredible teenage bodybuilders would battle it out at various national level competitions. Today, the teenage division in bodybuilding is lightly contested […]

New Book: Bodybuilding Heroes & Legends

My friend John Hansen is one of the world’s most devoted students of the iron game. His understanding and respect for the rich history of bodybuilding has led him to write Bodybuilding Heroes and Legends, a book of stories chronicling some of bodybuilding’s most defining moments.  John is a former bodybuilding champion and a true storyteller. I recommend […]

Kevin Levrone: A Comeback for the Ages?

By John Hansen Legendary bodybuilding champion Kevin Levrone made headlines recently when he announced that he will compete this September at the Mr. Olympia contest. At 51 years old, the former bodybuilding superstar hasn’t competed in 13 years! The last time he hopped on stage was all the way back in 2003 when he took 6th […]

Bigger. It’s Not Always Better

By John Hansen I recently interviewed an IFBB professional bodybuilder named Santiago Aragon about a decision he made to switch from the “Under 212lb” bodybuilding division to the new Classic Physique division.  Santi, who earned his pro card at the 2014 NPC Nationals as a Welterweight, had just made his pro debut at the Miami […]

That Killer Instinct (Do you have it?)

At the recent Arnold Classic Australia, 4 Time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler was interviewed by the RxMuscle website.  Jay was asked what advice he would give to runner-up Cedric McMillan, the genetically gifted bodybuilder who seems to have everything needed to win the Mr. Olympia but always seems to miss out on winning the big […]

The Columbus Bodybuilding Report

What a difference a few short years make! Cedric McMillan got no respect from the judging panel at the 2013 Arnold Classic, relegated to sixth behind a host of structurally inferior athletes. Despite his incredible mass, shape, height and proportions, McMillan was severely punished, reportedly for such minor indiscretions as “not enough oil” and “tan […]

1993 Flex Wheeler – The Best Arnold Champ Ever?

As we rapidly approach the 28th edition of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, it’s interesting to ponder the million-dollar question: Who was the best Arnold Classic winner? Comparing champion bodybuilders from different generations always brings an onslaught of heated opinions and passionate debates, especially when it involves a contest history as rich as that of the […]

2016 Arnold Classic Predictions: Will Kai Nail Number Three?

As the 2016 Arnold Classic rapidly approaches, the bodybuilding world is wondering if Kai Greene will win his third Arnold title or if there’s an upset in the works. Here’s some predictions to get Columbus week started as we prepare for one of the most anticipated weekends of the year. 6th place: Maxx Charles—Ultra wide […]

Don’t Train Like a Sissy!

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor I saw a great photo of Clint Eastwood on Facebook the other day with the quote, “I miss the ole days when everybody wasn’t such a pussy”.   Although I’m not quite as old as Clint, I can relate to his brash opinion of the diminishing state of manhood when […]

The Power of Defeat… and the moments that reveal character

By John Hansen, Natural Bodybuilding Editor One of the biggest stories trending this week is the poor attitude that was displayed by Carolina Panthers superstar quarterback Cam Newton after his team lost the Super Bowl. Newton walked out of the postgame press conference after answering a few questions and was roundly criticized by both fans […]