💪 Cedric McMillan Dies At 44

Wednesday is normally our favorite day of the week — it's when the Ripped Report publishes, after all — but things are a bit more somber today. Bodybuilder Cedric McMillan has reportedly died at age 44. Rest in peace, Cedric. 

We're still bringing you the goods on training info and more. Our buddy Dr. Jim Stoppani (see, doctors can be your friend) gives us the low down on how much of a role genetics play in training. We also break down differences — including some unexpected ones — between training for powerlifting and bodybuilding, two sports we've seen a LOT of crossover between in recent years. 

ATHLETES

2017 Arnold Classic Champion Cedric McMillan Dies At 44

On Apr. 12, 2022, 2017 Arnold Classic Champion Cedric McMillan reportedly died. McMillan’s longtime sponsor, Black Skull USA, posted the news on their Instagram account. The Men’s Open bodybuilder was 44 years old. 

As of this writing, there is no word on what caused McMillan’s death, and his family has yet to make a public statement. The news was first reported by Dave Palumbo of RxMuscle. 

Cedric McMillan was born on Aug. 16, 1977, and grew up wanting to build “big muscles.” In addition to his professional bodybuilding career, the South Carolina native worked in the United States Army.

According to Muscle Memory, McMillan’s first bodybuilding show was the 2007 NPC South Carolina State contest, where he placed first overall. He reached his goal of IFBB Pro League status by winning the overall at the 2009 NPC Nationals. That began a run of competition success that lasted over a decade. 

READ: Cedric McMillan's Obituary

BIOLOGY

Maybe They're Born With It...

Dr. Jim Stoppani is a man of many (many) tattoos, with knowledge bombs to match. So when Generation Iron reached out about partnering on an article/video series with the training legend, we just couldn't say no.

Seriously, it felt like an extra serving of chicken breast we can't refuse.

And this week's installment tackles a BIG question: When it comes to training and building muscle, how much success can we attribute to genetics vs. good old fashioned hard work?

In Episode eight of Generation Iron and BarBend‘s interview series with the exercise physiologist, Stoppani and moderator Vlad Yudin discuss the impact of genetics on bodybuilding and reactions to performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

READ: Dr. Jim Stoppani Interview: “Genetics Are A Huge Role In Everything”

TRAINING

Is "Powerbuilding" a Suboptimal Myth?

A lot of folks hit the gym to get bigger AND stronger. And the two generally come hand-in-hand, even at elite levels. In fact, "powerbuilding" has become more and more popular in recent years, with some pros even having crossover success across both sports. 

But can they really work in a beautiful, swole harmony? It might not be a "best of both worlds" situation. 

When it comes to slinging weight and getting huge, bodybuilding and powerlifting are the two training methods at the forefront of every conversation. In order to excel at either goal, putting as many eggs in the same basket as possible to drive you towards the singular purpose of gaining muscle or strength makes the most sense. 

BarBend contributor Eric Bugera gives us a healthy dose of reality.

READ: Bodybuilding Vs. Powerlifting Programs — Understanding The Difference

ATHLETES

Open Meets Classic Physique in a Titanic Battle

It's a back training battle of epic proportions, and we all win.

Bodybuilding fans may have wondered what would happen if a Classic Physique competitor went up against a Men’s Open athlete. On April 11, 2022, they got to see it, albeit in the gym instead of onstage. (One day...)

Three-time Classic Physique Olympia Champion Chris Bumstead shared a back training video on his YouTube channel, where he was joined by Men’s Open competitor Brett Wilkin. Check out their workout together, which starts at the 2:25 mark in the video below.

READ: Bodybuilding Across Divisions: Chris Bumstead And Brett Wilkin Train Back Together

THE DROPSET

Everything Else Around the Web

• Bodybuilder Regan Grimes is upping intensity and dialing back volume when it comes to training legs. You can see a recent session in its brutal glory here.

• Look, we all love deadlifts. Don't pretend you don't. But when's the last time you focused on cleaning up those deadlift cues or *GASP* learning some new ones?

• We got 99 problems, and they're all shoulders. But this dumbbell bench variation could be the key to getting things feeling a bit smoother this week.

We asked for your feedback. It's only fair we share the results. 

A full 88% of you gave us 💪💪💪💪💪. And just 4% of you gave us a paltry 💪.

Here are some of our favorite responses. (And yes, we're cherrypicking.)

Yep, bodybuilding is indeed a thing.

It'd probably be less inspiring if we just shared our personal training videos. 

Well written? My, my, we're blushing.

2 Fresh, 2 Furious.