The Terminator is back! Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed a new series, “Rise of a Champion,” in preparation for the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival that’s going down next month in Columbus, Ohio, on March 3-6th.Schwarzenegger took to his Instagram, where he posted a trailer for this new video series that will feature athletes competing in this year’s event.
Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the series and how and when fans will be able to watch it. Still, you can find a teaser of episode 1 on Fanmio’s Youtube channel, which is also the place where you can purchase pay-per-view to catch all the action from Arnold Sports Festival.
Rise Of A Champion Series
In this first episode, we get a 2-minute glimpse of Cedric McMillan preparing for the competition. McMillan missed the last Arnold Classic due to injuries he suffered while mountain biking. In the 2020 Arnold Classic, McMillan placed 6th, and in 2017 he was the winner.
The series is slated to be 15 episodes that will highlight both bodybuilders and strongmen set to compete next month. Schwarzenegger describes "Rise of a Champion" as a series that will look inside the mindset of the athletes and their dedication, focus, and ambition on the road to becoming a champion of their sport.
2022 Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Lineup & Schedule
The Arnold Classic is an invite-only competition, but any former AC winners earn a lifetime invite to compete at any time. Last year’s winner, Nick Walker, opted to sit this one out as we anticipate he has his sights set for Mr. Olympia later in the year from December 15-18th, 2022, in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada.
Originally there were 14 athletes scheduled to appear in the Men’s Open Division, but three have dropped out, including Rafael Brandao, Nathan De Asha, and Mohamed Shaaban.
Below, listed in alphabetical order are the remaining 11 athletes that will compete. There might be some replacements for the athletes who withdrew but this hasn't been confirmed yet.
- William Bonac (Netherlands)
- Maxx Charles (USA)
- Brandon Curry (USA)
- Samson Dauda (United Kingdom)
- Regan Grimes (Canada)
- Steve Kuclo (USA)
- Cedric McMillan (USA)
- Fabio Giga Rezende (Brasil)
- Justin Rodriguez (USA)
- Brett Wilkin (USA)
- Akim Williams (USA)
2022 Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Schedule & Location
The 2022 Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition will be held at Columbus Convention Center, Battelle Grand. Below is the schedule:
- Prejudging — Friday, March 04, 7-9:30 p.m. (EST)
- Finals — Saturday, March 05 7-10 .p.m. (EST)
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic
Last year we didn’t get to see the Arnold Strongman Classic take place due to Covid-19; therefore, all the athletes competing were invited to compete this year.
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Lineup
- Maxime Boudreault (CAN)
- JF Caron (CAN)
- Rob Kearney (USA)
- Mateusz Kieliszkowski (POL)
- Martins Licis (USA)
- Evgeny Markov (RUS)
- Trey Mitchell (USA)
- Oleksii Novikov (UKR)
- Luke Stoltman (UK)
- Tom Stoltman (UK)
2022 Arnold Strongman Classic Schedule & Events
The 5 strongman events are spread over two days on March 4-5th.
Friday, Mar 04:
Max Barbell Squats: Athletes will attempt three reps of the barbell squat. The person who lifts the heaviest weight will win.
275 lbs Monster Dumbbell Press: Athletes will attempt to get a maximum number of reps with 275lbs (124.7kg) dumbbells within the 90 second time limit. Athletes must lift the dumbbells off the floor and bring them overhead for each rep to count.
Saturday, Mar 05:
Max Austrian Oak Log Press: Athletes are expected to attempt three log lifts off the floor and take it overhead to establish the maximum load. The athlete who lifts the heaviest will win.
Timber Framer Carry: The athletes will carry an 880lbs (399kg) timber frame up a 35-feet (10meter) long ramp with a time limit of 30 seconds. The athlete covering the distance in the fastest time is the winner.
Stone to Shoulder for Reps: Competing athletes will lift the stone off the ground and bring it to a stationary position on the shoulder for as many reps as possible (AMRAP) the time cap is 2.5 minutes.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Things are heating up with the action set to take place in just a few short weeks. This year is filled to the brim with talent from the bodybuilders to the strongmen.
Who do you have your money on walking away as champions?
Kiel DiGiovanni
Author