The self-proclaimed ‘Mona Lisa’ of bodybuilding, Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea paused his preparations to speak with Jay Cutler. During the latest Cutler Cast episode, Cutler explained why Jacked is a ‘Mr. Olympia in the making’ heading into the 2023 Arnold Classic in less than four weeks.
A little over a year ago, Andrew Jacked earned his pro card at the 2022 Arnold Classic Amateur. His beautiful physique, complimented by his structure and aesthetics made him stand out in the sport despite a lack of contest experience.
Andrew prepared for the Texas Pro months later and won his debut IFBB pro competition after an intense battle with runner-up Martin Fitzwater. While this victory guaranteed him passage to last year’s Olympia show, Jacked remained busy at the 2022 Arnold Classic UK, where he proved himself against a lineup including Fitzwater, James Hollingshead, and Patrick Johnson.
In a historic Mr. Olympia debut, Jacked secured eighth place. Weeks after Olympia, organizers for the 2023 Arnold Classic increased the Men’s Open prize money to $300,000 for the winner. The added incentive prompted Jacked and Patrick Moore to enter. In addition, Nick Walker and former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay decided to take part in the event.
Jay Cutler Believes Andrew Jacked’s ‘Detail and Freshness of Muscle’ Will Carry Him to Mr. Olympia Title
Given the qualities of Jacked’s physique, Cutler is confident he’s a “Mr. Olympia in the making.”
“I mean… I have never seen anyone walk out on stage and just stand – and just blast everyone off the stage. You know, you have the width, you have the midsection, you have the legs — listen, guys that are your height don’t usually do as well as – we don’t usually talk about those guys because they have to be so much bigger but it’s all illusion with you.We can see you in clothes like they talked about the Olympia, you heard [Bob] Cicherillo how he dwared everyone with the clothes on. The funny thing is, when you take the clothes off and you have the tie-ins and everything else, it’s a Mr. Olympia in the making. Does that put pressure on you? It doesn’t huh. You realize you can win this thing,” Jay Cutler shared.
“They talk about Samson, he’s a pretty big dude too, right, but it’s both about you guys gathering that condition. It’s about coming in — we’ve said it: when you’re at your best, you beat everyone because of the detail and the freshness of the muscle, which is crazy.”
Andrew Jacked Opens Up on Training with Chris ‘Psycho’ Lewis and Reveals Competition Plans After Arnold Classic
“So far, I’ve been having aches and pains and new stuff that I’ve never experienced before, you know what I mean. It’s different entirely, now I know something is working because these are places where I never felt even a pump ever. That takes someone who is smart and knows exactly what he’s doing, but by myself, I’ve never [trained like this].”
“I’m like, well I don’t have to miss this one because after this I won’t have to qualify [for 2023 Olympia],” Jacked said. “I just have – it depends on who I’m working with [if I compete at another show before next Olympia]. Yeah, I’ve been the captain of my ship for a long time but now, I’m handing over the reins and letting someone steer the wheel not me. Mine, is just to sit back, follow and relax, see how it goes.”
“You’re going to give hope to the taller guys. We’ve always had taller bodybuilders and they didn’t do as well, whereas you’re already winning major contests and making a mark, making top 10 in your first Olympia is insane,” says Cutler.
Greatest Bodybuilder of All Time? Andrew Jacked Says Flex Wheeler
According to Jacked, Flex Wheeler, who helped him with posing lessons, is the greatest bodybuilder of all time.
“I’m a Flex Wheeler fan. Flex Wheeler fan,” says Jacked. “”I was a fan of him and we shared similar characteristics. Yeah, it [working with Flex Wheeler] was good.”“Flex Wheeler yeah. He was unbelievable in hey heyday bro. I walked into Gold’s Gym as a teenager when I was 19 and Flex Wheeler walked in and he had a one piece, what they call a unitard, wrestling tights. That guy… just everything was round,” replied Cutler.
Watch the full video below:
Catch full coverage of the 2023 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final and full results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
Published: 9 February, 2023 | 2:25 PM EDT
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