Head judge Steve Weinberger appeared in a YouTube video on March 17 to discuss the direction of the sport. He called out ‘incompetent’ bodybuilding media platforms, then offered advice to Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea and Nick Walker for the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
The 2026 Arnold Classic shook up the Men’s Open class. Hadi Choopan was the on-paper favorite, but a surging Andrew Jacked caught him slipping. In the end, Jacked claimed gold and the $750,000 winner’s purse in a tense showdown against runner-up Nick Walker.
Jacked will put his momentum on the line at the upcoming Arnold Classic UK contest. However, his top priority is to one day win the Mr. Olympia title, and the same goes for Walker. With these two mass monsters gaining steam, Weinberger laid out how they can make a bigger impact in Vegas.
Steve Weinberger Calls Out ‘Incompetent’ Bodybuilding Media Platforms, Gives Advice to Jacked and Walker
In the video, Weinberger said some ‘incompetent’ bodybuilding media outlets don’t deserve a microphone.
“I think there are some very good people, and I think there are some people that should not have a podcast or a microphone that are just incompetent and too negative and don’t give people the right respect. There are some platforms that are great and some that should be off, in my opinion.”
He stressed that fans should be left to ‘make up their own mind’ instead of being influenced by subjective reporting.
“You have to give the full report, not your own personal feelings,” he added. “Report it, but it’s not for your opinion to lay on other people. Let them figure it out for themselves. Let them make up their own mind. Don’t try to change their mind or to put them down a certain road.”
Looking at Jacked’s physique, Weinberger pointed out that his outer thighs need improvement.
“I think it was one of his better looks but he still needs to improve. He’s got to work on the outer thighs. The abductors overpower his upper thighs. He can use more hamstring work. Even, you know, his arms, honestly. He looked really good, but there’s room for improvement.”
“I think he can, maybe not huge improvements, but improvements that will help him.”
Walker, meanwhile, needs to work on his posing, he shared.
“It was very close. Nick had the best back double bicep. Nick’s problem, honestly, a lot of the times, in between poses, he lets himself go. He’s not always on. His transitions from one pose to another, he has to hold himself tight. He has to control himself.”
“I think he needs to work on his posing more, honestly. I don’t know what he does. I really have no idea, but he needs to improve his stage presence, he really does.”
Additionally, Weinberger also said he could improve the size of his thighs.
“That, and he still needs to improve on his body, in some body parts. He has really good legs, really good hamstrings… could his thighs be bigger? They could be a little bigger, honestly,” said Weinberger. “He is a very dangerous guy, but when he gets sloppy up there, it hurts him.”
Weinberger isn’t the only one calling attention to Walker’s stage presentation. Shahriar Kamali, better known as King Kamali, urged Walker to improve his posing transitions.
“You know they are going to pick you apart. They are going to take a picture of you relaxed, and they are going to post it, and say bubble gut. You can’t let them. You’re up there for 15 minutes, 15 minutes… suck it up.”
Steve Weinberger continues to watch over the Men’s Open class. From specific improvements to criticizing the media, he hopes to see the sport evolve moving forward.
Watch the full video from the Beyond the Stage TV YouTube channel below:
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