Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea is pushing forward without his home gym. On April 16, 2026, via YouTube, he reflected on Binous Gym burning down and called out disrespect on social media.
“It’s a tragedy what happened. I don’t want to say too many things because it hurts.”
Andrew Jacked has more momentum than any other competitor in the Men’s Open class. After placing third at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, he wasted no time, re-entered prep, and won the Romania Pro. At Columbus’ 2026 Arnold Classic, Jacked took home gold and secured a massive $750,000 payday.
In his last contest, the Nigerian native claimed another $250,000 courtesy of his crowning performance at the Arnold Classic UK. In a turn of events, his training haven, Binous Gym, burned to the ground due to a suspected electrical issue. Jacked took the time to process the loss and discussed how the tight-knit community has rallied back.
Andrew Jacked Fires Back at Online Reactions to Binous Gym Fire: ‘That Mentality is Just Crazy’
In the Beyond the State TV YouTube video, Jacked called out the online disrespect following the fire.
“Most people, I mean I saw videos, comments, saying blah, blah, some people just need to keep their mouth shut.
One, if you’re a business owner, you’ll understand what it really means to wake up in the morning the next day and your business is gone.”
Jacked couldn’t believe that people seemed more concerned about where he’d train than the Binous Gym’s staff or owner.
“That is not just a business, it’s a community. It’s a different thing, you know what I mean? It’s a different thing entirely. I don’t know… some people, I see some crazy things.
I mean, some people messaging me, oh bro, where will you train now? We don’t have a place to train. I’ll be like, what? You’re talking about training. Where you will train? That mentality is just crazy.”
Looking ahead, the Open star promised Binous Gym would return bigger than ever:
“Some people just don’t understand. I spoke to my brother, I spoke to Aniss, he’s good. His spirit is really good, very strong. Trust me, you guys haven’t seen anything yet. You know when you’re having a Fiat car, yeah? But now, you’re upgrading to a G Wagon. Stay tuned because something bigger, bigger, bigger, will unleash soon,” Andrew Jacked shared.
Fans are looking forward to seeing Andrew Jacked back onstage. He is scheduled to guest pose at the 2026 Pittsburgh Pro, set for May 16-17 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With Derek Lunsford and Samson Dauda also making appearances, it could set the table for an intense showdown at the Mr. Olympia.
It remains to be seen how the Binous Gym fire will affect Jacked’s preparations. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is scheduled for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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