Typically when I think aboot Canada my first thoughts are freezing cold temperatures, hockey, legal weed, and free health care. But in bodybuilding, O Canada has delivered some of the most charismatic and polarizing bodybuilders the IFBB has ever seen. Ben Pakulski, Frank McGrath, Fouad Abiad, and Antoine Vaillant have all become international bodybuilding superstars hailing from a country whose amateurs receive little exposure compared to their American counterparts. These men aren’t just excellent bodybuilders, but great marketers too.
Frank McGrath, through the help of his longtime sponsor, Universal Nutrition, has made his forearms as iconic in bodybuilding advertisements as Ronnie Coleman’s mutated 23 inch peaked biceps. If there’s a black and white ad with a guy in a hooded sweatshirt, wearing work boots, in a raggedy old dungeon gym, you can bet it’s Frank. Plus, the guy almost died in a car accident a couple years back. Bodybuilding is the ultimate comeback sport and Frank fits the bill perfectly. With all of the ups and downs McGrath has encountered in the past few years I still think his best days on stage are ahead of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a serious contender at the Toronto Pro this weekend.
Antoine Vaillant is arguably the greatest self-made bodybuilding sensations the sport has ever seen. Forget the fact that he’s a genetic freak and throw out that he’s been known to show up at Whole Foods wearing a Thor costume, Antoine puts in work. Since the time he was 20 years old, he has been a sponsored bodybuilder and master of self-promotion. He edits his own videos, conceptualizes interesting footage, and is relentless on social media. When I saw a video of him deadlifting 5 or 6 hundred pounds outdoors that he followed up with a standing backflip, I knew this guy was something special. He reminds me of a cross between Jay Cutler and Zyzz. If this guy can continue to progress and become a real competitive threat on a bodybuilding stage the skies are the limit. His poor showing at the New York Pro might have been the result of his 2013 World Tour that apparently cut into his contest preparation. At just 25 years old, he’ll have plenty of time to grow his brand and his upper body. Like most young guys, learning time management and a balanced lifestyle is hard to master.
Ben Pakulski on the other hand doesn’t resemble the aforementioned bodybuilders much at all. His physique has similarities to that of Branch Warren and his personality is easily as intense. While Ben isn’t the flamboyant personality of Antoine, he’s just as engaging. Pakulski takes a more cerebral approach to his bodybuilding and delivers an equal message when discussing his methodologies to his fans. Unlike most bodybuilders who rely on gurus, Ben might just be the smartest bodybuilder in the sport. He has been doing the international seminar tour making bank much longer than most would believe. He even managed to enter the acronym game to describe his training system, MI-40 or “Mass Intentions” guaranteed results in 40 days in just 40 minute workouts. Take that Hany Rambod and Neil Hill. Ben’s freak factor is something fans go nuts for and with the emergence of super freak Big Ramy, these two could do battle for the next decade. So much for the return of classical physiques; mass will always have its place on the stage.
Remember Greg Kovacs? How could you forget, right? Back in 1996 Kovacs was the original Mutant. He won the overall at the Canadian National Championships and was soon signed on board with a little up and coming supplement brand named MuscleTech. They took a relatively unknown bodybuilder away from the frozen tundra of Canada and slapped his face on every print publication in the industry. According to the ads, Kovacs could incline bench 585lb and barbell curl 315lb for sets of 10 all with the help of his magic potion, Cell Tech. He almost single handedly propelled MuscleTech into the upper stratosphere of the supplement industry. Unfortunately for Kovacs, he never placed higher than 13th at an IFBB show and his structure and lines all but disappeared the older he got. The difference between Greg Kovacs and the guys mentioned above is that they are motivated. Sure, they all get a boost from the brands they endorse, but their business models and fan base would still be strong if they were all suddenly dropped from their contracts.
So who’s next in line to be a success story on and off the bodybuilding stage? My money is on Ron Partlow. Partlow has had more heartbreaks in bodybuilding than just about anyone. His 6 runner-up finishes at Canadian Nationals puts him as the country’s most sympathetic bodybuilder. As much as the fans want to see him finally earn his elusive pro card, nobody wants it more than Ron. From the time he was a kid and first picked up a weight he had wanted to win Canada’s top show. Even more than earning his IFBB pro card, being considered the #1 bodybuilder in his home country was his ultimate goal. Passion like that is something any fan can rally around. And his sponsorship with Mutant has put him on the international scene. The company boasts human 18-wheelers that sport more muscle than any other competitor this side of Zack King Khan. Whether or not Big Ron Partlow can take home the title this year, he is exactly what the sport of bodybuilding always needs. He’s a great communicator with his fans, his articles are actually written by him with excellent content, and, better than anything else, he loves the sport of bodybuilding. There’s no question Partlow’s in this game for the long haul.
I’d like to see some of the top bodybuilders in America follow the lead of their northern combatants. You can say a lot of stuff aboot Canadians, but in bodybuilding, lazy they are not. O Canada!
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