Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea has proven himself quickly in the Open class. In a Gye Nyame podcast with William Bonac, Jacked discussed IFBB head judge Steve Weinberger’s first impression of his physique and the results of his recent blood work checkup.
Jacked’s sudden rise in the Men’s Open division has been one of the most exciting storylines in bodybuilding. Last March, the Nigerian native earned his pro card at the 2022 Arnold Classic Amateur. From there, he immediately jumped back into preparations for another three contests. He began his Olympia campaign by picking up gold at the Texas Pro and Arnold Classic UK.
While he qualified for the 2022 Olympia contest last December, Jacked was forced to deal with a 103-degree fever on stage. In spite of the hindrance, he finished eighth in his debut. Instead of taking a break, Jacked promptly entered the 2023 Arnold Classic after the organizers bumped the prize money to $300,000.
Under the guidance of guru Chris Aceto and strength trainer, Chris ‘Psycho’ Lewis, Jacked brought substantial improvements to his back and quads but was unable to stop Samson Dauda and Nick Walker from securing first and second. Looking ahead, Jacked is taking care of his health and eying changes to his physique for November’s Olympia contest.
Andrew Jacked on Steve Weinberger’s First Impression of Him: “He Was Shocked”
According to Jacked, Weinberger was taken aback after seeing Andrew pose for the first time at the Dragon’s Lair.
“When they saw the video that went viral with Steve [Weinberger] when I was posing with Steve. He was shocked. He was like, ‘Wow, this guy.” Yeah because he hadn’t even heard of me like before and it was a really good physique so he was shocked. I thought after I won the Texas Pro, everybody was trying to be friends. It’s crazy man. Honestly.”
Bonac interjected and added that everyone wants to be a bodybuilder’s friend when they are winning.
“When you win, you get friends, when you lose, they disappear man – nobody knows you anymore, then nobody wants to be associated with you,” added William Bonac.
“And now all of them want to be my friends, I’m like, ‘Okay,'” Bonac said. “I can’t blame Steve, the first time I saw you I was impressed.”
Jacked Reveals ‘Amazing’ Blood Work with No Health issues
Even though Jacked was suffering from an illness on the Olympia stage, he said it had no effect on his overall health long-term. Before competing at the Arnold Classic, Jacked shared that his blood work came back better than ever.
“After you convinced me, but I still wasn’t interested. Then, I did my blood work and it came back better than two years before. Because I do my blood work every six months – it was better than even after in Texas, it was better after the Ohio, and nothing happened. So, I told them, it’s because of the medications I had during the Olympia prep. So, it just dissolved everything and fixed me up, you know.
My blood work was amazing and I was happy too with no health issues. I was supposed to go for a vacation at the end of March and then I’m like, ‘Okay, what would I be doing from that time until March?’ Then, I heard the Arnold is the 35th anniversary,” said Jacked. “I’m like okay, I will just use the Arnold to just grow my exposure to expand. I’m still new in the industry; I’m just a year-old. This Arnold marked my 365 days in the bodybuilding industry,” Jacked added.
Bonac said he nudged Andrew to enter the contest. Looking back, Jacked was thrilled with the production of the 2023 Arnold Classic.
“I like giving it [some] thoughts. I read your [Bonac’s] message again and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’ll do the Arnold.’ I texted Lloyd, he said – he was even excited.”
“I loved how everything was done in just two hours,” said Jacked.
Jacked’s coach, Chris Aceto, has opened up about the results of the recent competition. Overall, Aceto agreed with Jacked placing third but was unsure of the judge’s decision to award Samson Dauda the victory over Nick Walker. In addition, Aceto questioned the judges regarding Dauda’s seemingly perfect scores during prejudging and the finals.
RELATED: Understanding How Men’s Open Bodybuilding Competitions are Judged and Scored
The 2023 Arnold Classic sparked debate in the Men’s Open division about the rise of aesthetic physiques. The last official to tackle the subject was Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy, who maintains that shapely bodybuilders are bad news for athletes like Nick Walker who rely on freak factor.
You can watch the full video below:
RELATED: Chris ‘Psycho’ Lewis Focused on Andrew Jacked’s Back, Says He’s Posing in ‘130-Degree Heat’
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