Bodybuilding Down Under

Welcome to Episode 229 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we recap a massive weekend of bodybuilding across the Olympia and natural professional circuit.

We discuss how Nick Walker overcame more genetically gifted opponents to win the Open Olympia, the incredibly fine margins separating the leading Bikini competitors and which physiques impressed us most across Classic, 212 and Men’s Physique.

Closer to home, ...

Welcome to Episode 228 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we reflect on how natural bodybuilding has evolved across Australia, from rising competitive standards and more federations to the growing number of pathways available for athletes wanting to compete internationally.

From there, we discuss whether bodybuilders have become too afraid of fatigue. Should most of your training come from compound movements? Are sq...

Welcome to Episode 227 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

At what point does bodybuilding discipline stop helping and start costing you more than it gives back?

We discuss whether 30 weeks of social isolation actually improves a contest prep, why flexibility is a skill rather than an excuse, and how athletes can tell the difference between being committed and simply being unable to switch off.

We also cover how much flexibilit...

Welcome to Episode 226 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we’re joined by Natural Olympia champion and IFBB Pro Kristy Graham.

Kristy takes us through her rapid rise in bodybuilding, from first stepping onstage in 2021 to winning Natural Olympia and earning her IFBB Pro Card less than two years later.

We discuss the losses that shaped her early competitive career, the...

Welcome to Episode 225 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast! This week, we put listener submissions under the microscope, reviewing your physiques and training clips. We break down how to identify the areas that will make the greatest difference to a physique, whether weak points require more volume or better exercise sequencing, and why posing can change your presentation more than months of additional muscle growth.

We als...

Welcome to Episode 224 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we break down what separates the athletes and clients who get the most from their coaching experience.

We discuss the importance of honest and detailed check-ins, accurate logbooks, high-quality training footage and reflecting on your own performance before immediately looking to your coach for answers.

We explore why effort and communication matter more than...

Welcome to Episode 223 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we return to an old-fashioned listener Q&A, beginning with what first drew each of us into bodybuilding and what has kept us invested in the sport years later.

From there, we discuss what career progression actually looks like after earning a natural pro card, particularly for Australian athletes with limited acc...

Welcome to Episode 222 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, we are joined by Revive Stronger founder, podcast host and WNBF Pro bodybuilder Steve Hall.

Steve reflects on more than two decades of training and how his approach has evolved from rigidly following the scientific literature to balancing research with personal experience, coaching outcomes and the lessons learned fr...

Welcome to Episode 221 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast! This week, we tackle questions spanning contest prep, genetics and performance.

We debate whether practice peak weeks provide useful information or simply introduce variables that cannot replicate the real thing.

The conversation then turns to genetics. How quickly can a coach recognise a world-class physique, and can years of intelligent training overcome an average st...

Welcome to Episode 220 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

After recapping the incredible standard displayed at Australia’s first natural NPC Pro Qualifier, we tackle some of the most uncomfortable questions in competitive bodybuilding.

Are too many athletes arriving on stage underdone? Does being more conditioned automatically make you better? Can...

Welcome to Episode 219 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

The World Cup of Terrible Fitness Trends continues as we work through the quarter-finals, semi-finals and a fiercely contested final.

We debate whether any exercise is inherently good or bad, the risks of going enhanced at a young age, the influence of unqualified health gurus and the widespread damage caused by labelling foods...

Welcome to Episode 218 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week, the boys enter the worst trends in bodybuilding and fitness into a knockout tournament to determine which deserves to be crowned the most diabolical of them all.

Recovery gadgets face off against “shocking the muscle,” peptides take on staying shredded year-round, and going enhanced at a young age compete...

This week, we’re joined by ICN Queensland and ICN India President Jay Acharya for an honest look at where natural bodybuilding within ICN is heading.

We unpack the major changes already being implemented across ICN Queensland, including improved judging feedback, streamlined show formats, clearer category standards and a stronger focus on year-round drug testing.

Jay also takes us behind the scenes of India’s rapidly gr...

Welcome to Episode 216 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast.

This week, the boys put some of the most common contest prep foods on trial.

Some are timeless bodybuilding staples. Others are aggressively marketed “diet foods” that may not deserve the reputation they have earned. From chicken and rice, oats and egg whites to FroPro pizza, Ninja Creamis, Pepsi Max and sugar-free lollies, everything is being ranked from S ...

Welcome to Episode 215 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

We open with an athlete watch, turning the spotlight on a couple of natural competitors who are making some serious noise heading into their upcoming shows. We discuss what's changed in their packages, what's got us excited, and why the s...

Welcome to Episode 214 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week we get into some of the smaller details that actually move the needle. We kick things off with a question around exercise sequencing in prep and whether loading up on isolation work before your compound lifts is a smart strategy...

Welcome to Episode 213 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

This week we are joined by one of Australia's most respected natural bodybuilders and posing artists, Pete Hartwig. A two-time Natural Olympia champion who earned his classic physique IFBB pro card at the Australian Arnold Classic, Pete sits down for a wide ranging chat on a career spanning almost two decades and more than 40 shows.

We trace his journey from an unlikel...

Welcome to Episode 212 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

Before we get stuck into the main event, we take a few minutes to recap the most recent WNBF show in Melbourne, highlighting some standout physiques. 

This week we ar...

Welcome to Episode 211 of the Bodybuilding Down Under Podcast!

With Season A wrapping up across Australia, we take a deep dive into one of the most challenging parts of competing: the post show period. We break down what prep has actually done to your body and mind, why your brain is in survival mode coming off stage, and why the hunger and food noise you're experiencing is your physiology doing exactly what it was designed to do.

...