John Jewett could be in for a big season if he continues his winning ways. In a recent YouTube video, Jewett joined industry head Milos Sarcev for a candid talk about his career and future in the sport.
212 Pro John Jewett just took home the gold trophy at the 2023 Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro Show, securing his ticket to Olympia, but that wasn’t enough for him. Looking to push into the Men’s Open division, he plans to test his mettle in the new category at the nearing Legion Sports Fest Pro in Reno, NV this October 7th-8th.
If Jewett is able to secure a victory at the Legion Sports Fest Pro, he will qualify for Olympia in the Men’s Open along with already being qualified for 212. Clinching this win would force John Jewett to choose which division to take part in at Olympia this November.
In an interview on the IFBB AMA Podcast, Jewett shared,
“If you’re in shape you just go out there right? There’s also this thing like you don’t have anything to lose because you’re the 212 guy.”
John Jewett Shares Dangers Of Bodybuilding Amid Olympia Prep
In preparation for his debut, Jewett discusses if using diuretics is necessary while drying out his body. He shared that most people plan out their use of diuretics without knowing if they will actually need them. This can lead to complications in their prep and peaks.
“So, okay. It’s always…can I be even drier? You know. This is that thing. That’s when things go wrong. Can I be even – I said if you need to be drier… maybe you could consider it [diuretics]. Usually, you don’t need to but you do it anyway” Jewett states.
Along with the use of diuretics, bodybuilders are carb-loading and purposefully dehydrated which can lead to even more health issues.
“You’re carbing up and a lot of people are cutting water at the same time. You need water to keep your TIs moving and functioning,” said John Jewett on the most dangerous aspects of bodybuilding.
John Jewett competed in the Mr. Olympia contest for the first time in 2019 coming in hot with a fourth-place finish in the 212. The following year, Jewett stepped on the Mr. Olympia stage but found himself slipping into 13th place.
Staying dedicated, Jewett kept a busy pace in 2021. He competed in the New York Pro where he took the second place position, then at the Chicago Pro and Tampa Pro, both of which saw him take fourth place. He followed that up at the 2021 Mr. Olympia stage where he walked away with ninth-place honors.
With some lofty ambitions on the table, Jewett mapped out his potential plans for the season. He didn’t state with 100% certainty which Olympia division he would choose assuming he found success and qualifies for both.
“So map that out, I need to kind of reverse-engineer my prep a bit. How fat can I get before I have to diet back down because I don’t want to stay that lean of course. Also, there’s the health recovery aspect to account for too. Initially, what I mapped out was over the next four weeks will be regarding PEDs will just be a low baseline,” said Jewett.
“I’ll bring body weight up. I’ll already probably be around 218-219. I’ll let that drift up to a point where I’m like 12 weeks out and that’s when everything will go full-on prep. Bring the PEDs back, assess where body fat is.”
“For the Olympia, it’s earlier, however, there’s not as much time till the stage. So, there’s not as much time to eat either. Yeah, you could dig down deeper, but you still have more to fill the hole back in with. So, it’s a balancing game around that.”
Jewett has the opportunity to make an enormous splash in either category, assuming he can claim gold in his open debut on the horizon. This is an issue that reigning two-time 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida dealt with last year. His success at the Legion Sports Fest Pro in 2021 qualified him for the Open though he chose to compete in 212 at the last Olympia in first place.
Clarida has even more momentum in 2023 after taking fifth place in the Open at the March Arnold Classic. If Jewett decides to compete in the 212 division he will come face to face with Shaun ‘The Giant Killer’ Clarida on the sport’s biggest stage.
So many opportunities are available for Jewett and during the interview on the IFBB AMA Podcast, John shared his thoughts on what it would be like standing on an Open stage:
“Am I at a point where I can walk out and have that same impact as these other guys [in the Open] without having more time,” said Jewett.
“I think it’s a great idea for you to do that Legion show four weeks out [from Olympia]. Open division and just test yourself,” replied Sarcev.
“I think that timeline made more sense than Chicago, where you actually have time for feeding and coming back down,” said Jewett.
Division-hopping in bodybuilding seems to be a hot trend. Last year, former 212 Olympia Derek Lunsford accepted a special invite to compete in the Open Mr. Olympia. Despite it being his debut in the class, he seized the moment and ended up taking second place to winner Hadi Choopan.
With so many 212 talents eying other divisions, some wonder if the category should be removed. One of which was bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest. Priest recently suggested that the IFBB Pro League should get rid of the 212 class. He believes truly gifted athletes would still succeed in the Open regardless of body type.
RELATED: Lee Priest Responds to Backlash on Urging Removal of 212 & Other Divisions: ‘Shouldn’t Be a Pro’
John Jewett, who has already made a statement in the 212, will aim to cement his standing as an Open threat later this year. Time will tell how he performs in Oct.
Watch the full interview with John Jewett here:
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