The Irish Iron Podcast: Recent Episodes
Eoin Vahey
IRISH IRON.
An indepth discussion on all things Bodybuilding, fitness, nutrition and life in general with the personalities of the Irish bodybuilding scene like never before.
Hop on board and enjoy the ride!
For the 34th episode of the Irish Iron Podcast the guest is James Melville, natural competitive bodybuilder. He has gone on to win many shows in the enhanced and tested side of the sport, with many wins and high placings most notably being : 2014 UKBFF N.I Classic bodybuilding champ. 2015 UKBFF N.I Classic bodybuilding champ. 2016 BNBF N.I lightweight champ. 2017 BNBF N.I middleweight champ and Overall. 2018 BNBF Midlands lightweight champ. 2018 BNBF British champ. 2018 DFAC worlds 2nd place. 2020 2 bros natural light weight champ. 2020 BNBF British champ.
He also owns his own gym "The Compound Room" up in Lisburn N.Ireland and continues to prep himself and others whilst brining a gnarly level of condition.
We talk his journey, his love for the sport, being a fan, his take on dieting, and his opinions on bodybuilding and it makes for a great listen so check it out, subscribe and share.
For the 33rd episode of the Irish Iron Podcast I have none other than RIBBF National U75kg 2019 champion Brian Murphy on.
Brian is a newer face to the scene only having done 3 shows, but has become known for his condition and work ethic, as well as being part of The Gym Monasterevin bodybuilding team along with Conor Magee his training partner.
We talk his start to the sport, the people who have influenced and helped him, the reasons why he chooses the RIBBF as his main bodybuilding focus, politics, international shows, training , diet, and we chat about the upcoming Irish shows as well as the New York Pro 2020.
This was a fun interview so I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
The newest episode features myself and Stephen Harzenburg on the return from the hiatus.
We talk the upcoming Irish shows in the 2021 season, and the competition we think will be in contention.
We preview the New York Pro with the showdown with Blessing Awodibu and Nick Walker, the bungle of the Arnold Classic UK, the politics of Irish bodybuilding before the NPC and IFBB amateur split, prestige of titles, and much more, And to finish off we answer a few listener questions.
For the first of the interviews of the new year, Irish Iron features Paul Morgan, well established coach, competitive bodybuilder amongst the irish scene, with a PCA Irish Open Class 1 win to his name in 2018, he continues to make inprovements.
We talk his journey from playing football to stepping on stage, coaching, his own mistakes and injuries, as well as talking training, dieting and supplement methodology, the irish Junior scene, how it feels to have a client do well in a show, as well as Paul's own experiences with working with a coach currently working with Dusty Hanshaw, and how he deals with his clients.
For anyone aspiring to work with a coach or to have a chat hit Paul up on his instagram @paulmorgan007 for inquiries.
Sponsored by elevateinjuryclinic, for all your needs, deep tissue, dry needling, rehab and physiotherapy, contact the clinic @elevateinjuryclinic on instagram and mention Irish Iron for a discount off your first treatment
For the Irish Iron review of the 2020 Mr Olympia I am once again jopined by Steven Hartzenburg to chat about all the divisions and winners, with a new Mr Olympia leading the charge, amongst the debacle of this year, it was great to finally have a pay per view event to watch the show as it happened.
Anyways, listen and check our analysis of what was the pinnacle of bodybuilding of 2020.
Sponsored by elevateinjuryclinic out of FBT Coolock, for all treatments including cupping, dry needling, electro-needling, and deep tissue and rehab, mention Irish Iron to get a discount off the first treatment.
The Irish Iron Podcast Mr Olympia 2020 preview episode feautures competitive bodybuilder, coach and avid fan of the sport Steven Hartzenburg as we give our run down of the Open, 212 and Classic Bodybuilding divisions, as well as Mens Physique, Figure and Womens Physique to who we think is going to win and place in the show itself.
This Olympia is set to be highly competitive, as well as being a full pay per view event, if you are a fan of the sport or a casual interested viewer, give this episode a listen for the in depth discussion of the best bodybuilding show on the planet.
Sponsored by elevateinjuryclinic based out of FBT Coolock, mention Irish Iron for a discount off your first treatment, for all things physio, deep tissue, cupping, needling and rehab
Stephen Dunne is the featured guest on this episode of the Irish Iron Podcast,
We talk his creation "Dunnes Gym", a homegym, fully equipped with old school bodybuilding vibes with his own personal handpicked equipment as well as expanding into creating a clothing line and a supplement line, Stephen sat down and we talked his motivations to do what he has done and aims to do going ahead post lockdown.
Stephen is only 19 years old, and has a lot of drive and motivation to make a niche for himself and it was an interesting conversation.
Sponsored by Elevateinjuryclinic based out of FBT Coolock, mention "Irish Iron" for a discount off your first treatment of deep tissue, needling, cupping, and physio.
For the 28th episode of the Irish Iron podcast, the featured guest is Navan based petitive bodybuilder, Brian Keighery.
Brian started competing in 2017, after coming from zero weightlifting experience in a football background, and competed through 2018 and 2019, winning the inaugural Irishmusclepower show, top 4 at the NABBA Worlds, and is known in the circuit for moving some heavy weights and despite being old enough to do Masters at the age of 41, he seems to be on a continual rise of improvement.
We talk his journey, his experience with coaches, training partners, the international scene, and the general environment in the covid atmosphere of 2020 Ireland and how it has made him adapt his training.
This was a great episode to film, of course Sponsored by Elevateinjuryclinic based out of FBT Coolock, mention Irish Iron for a discount off your first treatment of deep tissue, physiotherapy, needling and cupping.
The guest on the 27th episode of the Irish Iron Podcast, is IB Sanni IFBB Classic Physique Pro Bodybuilder.
IB won his pro card in 2019 at the Musclecontest Ireland after winning the PCA Irish Overall in 2018, and has most recently tried his hand at powerlifting in 2020 making an impressive debut.
We talk his journey up the ranks, working with coaches, his mindset and what it takes to be a professional bodybuilder, and the determination and drive it took for himself, as well as what he plans to do in the future, as well as his very unique outlooks on bodybuilding and the Irish scene and his respect for the old school crew who came before him, having grown up in in the West coast bodybuilding scene in Ireland.
Sponsored by Elevateinjuryclinic, mention Irish Iron for 20% of your first treatment, for needling, deep tissue, cupping and physio.
The 26th episode of the Irish Iron Podcast features Mark Hodson once again, as we catch up post lockdown now that the gyms have resumed operations and his own business and training is underway at full steam, we see where his mindset is at moving forward working with Patrick Tuor and coming off giving his first seminar. Mark is one of the most driven younger bodybuilders and coaches in the country and he says his views on what it takes to be successful in those fields, as well as his thoughts on what sort of training builds tissue. the mindset needed to be in shape on stage, and his thoughts on shows moving forward. This episode is sponsored by Elevate Injury Clinic, based out of FTB Coolock, and can be contacted @elevateinjuryclinic on Instagram for all needs to do with Physiotherapy, deep tissue, needling, and cupping, mention you listen to the Irish Iron Podcast for 20% off your first treatment
For the 25th episode of the Irish Iron Podcast the guest is none other than Enda Wright.. winner of the NABBA Ireland overall in 2008, the NABBA World's in 2011 and top 3 in the NABBA Universe. Enda won his Ireland overall at age 26 and went on the upward rise, finally taking a break after 2015 for a few years but is looking to make his comeback. We talk about his start in the industry, his journey from football to Bodybuilding, why he stepped away as well as his thoughts on the current climate of shows moving forward. As we had some technical issues this is an audio only Podcast but please give it a share and listen and repost and keep up to date with the newest interviews. Sponsored by Elavate injury Clinic out of FBT Coolock. Mention Irish Iron for 20% off the first treatment.
The 24th Episode of the Irish Iron Podcast features Ian McGarry.
In This episode we have a great conversation about the state of training in the bodybuilding scene and our own thoughts, how to improve and be consistent, the mindset needed to bodybuild, dieting, anabolics and the lack of discipline, politics in bodybuilding, the future of the competition scene in Ireland, as well as the rise of the current Irish stars...and answer some listener questions.
Sponsored by ElavateInuryClinic, 20% off your first treatment when you mention Irish Iron Podcast. He covers all things physio, needling, deep tissue, cupping and injury preventation, based out of FBT Coolock.
The 23rd episode of the Irish Iron Podcast features the 2019 NABBA Ireland Class 1 winner Cathal McConnell.
Cathal is a bodybuilder involved in the scene since 2014, with forays into classic bodybuilding, but mainly sticking to the open, he continues to improve bringing great levels of conditioning as he continues to add muscle.
He is also a type 1 diabetic, so for anyone listening who is a diabetic wishing to try out bodybuilding, Cathal definitely is one to follow.
We talk all things training, diet, anabolics, as well the current crop of competitors, the lack of hardcore bpdybuilding gyms, dilution of bodybuilding with other classes, mentality, and much more.
Sponsored by Elevate Injury Clinic out of Fingal Body Transformations Gym, in Coolock. Listeners get 20% off the first session of physio, needling, cupping and deep tissue work for your needs.
For the 22nd episode of the Irish Iron podcast, the featured guest is none other than "Bajan Strength" Leon Sylvester.
Leon burst out onto the competion scene in the Irish bodybuilding circuit in 2018 with a class win at the NABBA Ireland, an under 90s win at the RIBBF, and then two consecutive second place finishes at the IFBB Pro Qualfiiers in Ireland at the Musclecontest 2019 and the Dennis James Classic in Germany.
Leon was a great guest, and I hope you all enjoy hearing about his start in the sport, his travels from Barbados to the Irish scene, as well as working in the fitness industry.
As always, please subscribe to the channel and give it a share to keep the coverage of the bodybuilding scene going.
Jay Abbey is a current gym owner, the face of Go Gym Greystones, as well as co-owner of the franchises in Limerick and Ashbourne.
During the podcast we cover his journey from stripping, to reality TV stardom and the ins and outs of what it takes to run and own a gym. Jay is very passionate about what he does, and his gyms are well worth the trip out for a session.
Share the podcast, subscribe and keep following for more interviews with the best Ireland has to offer
For the 20th episode of the Irish Iron Podcast, the guest is James Gibson.
James is a Northern Irish bodybuilder, who has won the inaugural PCA Irish Open in 2016. the IBFA Overall in 2016, placed 3rd in the PCA Bodypower 2017. won the overall NABBA NI in 2018... all the while being a type 1 diabetic, and a chartered accountant.
This was a very candid and open interview, we talked everything from being a diabetic, the over reliance on anabolics in the newer crop of bodybuilders, genetics and living up to them, consistency, and different diet methods as well as talking about the current bodybuilding scene.
Anyway, give it a watch (or lsten) and share and subscribe to the channel.
Matt Blaze comes back on to the Irish Iron Podcast for the 3rd time, as we chat the new post lockdown gym scene, competitive shows, breaking into the fitness industry and combining your passion with your work life, as well as training, supplements, anabolics, and diet.
As always, the feedback has been great.
Don Maguire is a gym owner, natural mens physique competitor with an NBFI Class win and a NABBA Class second place, and a personal trainer.
We talk the undertakings of opening a gym just before the lockdown was put in effect, his journey into bodybuilding training and competing, dating a competitor, the ins and outs of different gym set ups, training around injury, and his aims to be a gym sponsor for athletes on the stage.
Don is the owner of DonMaguire Fitness in Ballybofey, Donegal, with a fully equipped commercial gym so be sure to check it out, as he looks to expand his business and fill a niche for bodybuilding gyms up in Donegal.
Bryan Hickey is a multiple NABBA class winner, an overall NABBA Mr Ireland, a coach, supplement company owner, and leads the "Team Red" crew of clients in the competitive scene.
We talk the lockdown, gym ownership, show placings, training, injuries, and much more.
This was one of the most fun podcasts, and Bryan was a great guest, very open and candid and I think you guys will enjoy it.
Billy Bourne is this weeks guest on the Irish Iron Podcast.
Billy has been competing in bodybuilding since his teens bursting onto the scene winning the overall Mr Ulster, and making his way to win the NABBA Ireland, and the NABBA Worlds, being the first Irish man to win the NABBA Pro card, he then went on to compete a few more times in the NABBA Pro Division and the Wayne Demilia organisation "PDI" before taking a break of over ten years and coming back to win the Class 3 NABBA Ireland title.
Billy was a great guest and had some stories to tell,m as well as his takes on dieting, show prep, training, working with a coach as well as looking back on the history of the sport, his own times, and also some insight onto social media and the emergence of more show classes, and much more.
Give it a listen, and subscribe to the channel for more interviews as well as the youtube for the video.
Dave Fox is a former competitive bodybuilder with wins of the NABBA NI, NABBA Ireland, and NABBA Britain, as well as owning Progym Derry, as well as being in a relationship with IFBB Pro Emma Gormley and training current competitors.
Dave is a wealth of knowledge, and we had a great chat about training, competitive bodybuilding, the running of a gym, politics, injuries, PCT, and much more so give it a listen and subscribe to the channel for continued coverage of the Irish bodybuilding scene.
Mark Getty is one of Irelands foremost bodybuilders, having been the only man to win the NABBA Worlds amateur and professional overall titles in 2014, along with wins of the NABBA NI and NABBA Britain Overall titles as well as running a gym, promoting the PCA Irish Open and being a father and family man.
We talk his journey, the emergence of social media, all things bodybuilding, show promotion, the COVID lockdown and the effect on the gym industry as well as some listener questions.
I very much enjoyed doing this, was close to two hours long so sit back and enjoy. Mark can be found @theirishhulk on Instagram.
Matt Blaze "The Enhanced Superman" returns for another episode of the podcast.
Following up on the death of IFBB Professional Bodybuilder Luke Sandoe we reflect on the importance of training for mental health, going to the gym for mindset, the resurgence of womens bodybuilding, new competition dates and the Olympia before Xmas.
This was a fun episode to do, so definitely check it out, and share the word, and subscribe to the channel
Irish Iron features Brian Ward , the most recent PCA Irish Open 2019 winner.
Brian is a steadfast part of the Northern Irish bodybuilding scene, having started his journey in 2013 winning his first outing in the NABBA NI show with his now trade mark condition. Brian was set to have a stellar 2019-20 season with two wins in the NABBA NI Class 2 and PCA Irish Open Overall and finishing with the NABBA Worlds Class 2 4th place finish, but following a freak accident tearing both his patellas off the bone he has rebuilt his legs from rehab to the future 2021 season .
Brian also works as an online coach and can be contacted via his instagram @bwardy1986
We had a great conversation so check it out and share the podcast, and subscribe to the channel.
Darren Farrell is an Irish IFBB Professional bodybuilder who currently resides in Dubai and trains out of O2 Gyms Abu Dhabi , with his coach and fellow IFBB Pro Jamie Do Rego.
Darren won his pro card in 2018 in the New Zealand Pro/Am where he made his debut in the same show.
This was a great podcast, ended up being close to two hours, wherein we discuss his rise from amateur to pro, moving from Ireland to the UK, and eventually Dubai, we talk the impact of mindset and mental strength, offseason and prep, and an inside look at what it is like to train in one of the best gyms in world.
Darren is an online coach and can be contacted through his instagram @darrenfarrell_ifbbpro for business inquires.
For this episode the guest is Irish bodybuilder Connor Magee. Connor has been competing and training for 10 years, known for his work ethic turning 58kg at 5 foot 11 into 117kg at his heavier pushes in the offseason, and has won the RIBBF Junior title, the RIBBF Novice title, and the PCA Ireland Class 1 title as well, and is gunning to improve for the next appearance. In this we talk the development of the junior bodybuilding class over the last decade, the standard of bodybuilding, what changes during preps as you get heavier and older, advice for people looking to get into the sport, consistency and the resulting progress and much more. Connor can be found at @connormagee1 on instagram for online coaching.
Irish Iron Episode 8 features Mark Hodson is a competitive bodybuilder and a personal trainer in Dublin.
Mark is known for his work ethic and consistency in terms of the shape brins to the stage resulting in an RIBBF Spring Classic Junior win in 2016, two 2nd Junior places in 2017 in the RIBBF and NABBA, and finally winning the RIBBF Junior title in 2019. He has also competed abroad in the Arnold Classic Europe and the IFBB Europeans, and the PCA Bodypower shown representing his craft.
As well as this, he brings a knowledge many years ahead for how young he is in regards his training mentality and adaption, his nutrition and his proven track record as a coach. This was a great conversation and hopefully you get some positive information as well as entertainment as we talk competing, the standard of junior level bodybuilding, the growth of the competitive scene, coaches, and much more so enjoy it.
Mark can be found for coaching inquiries at @mark_hodson on Instagram and markhodsontraining@gmail.com
The guest on this episode of Irish Iron is Shane Cullen, an Irish IFBB pro bodybuilder who has competed at a high level within and out of Ireland.
He won the RIBBF Nationals Overall in 2015, The PCA British Finals Class 2 wins in 2017-18, and then winning his IFBB Pro Card in the Dennis James Classic, and aims to compete the end of 2020.
Shane shares his thoughts on his rise to the top of the Irish scene, his coaches, and his experience as a coach himself, the future of the Irish scene and rising competitors to look out for. Shane can be found on instagram for coaching @shane_cullen_ifbbpro
The guest on this episode of the podcast, is IFBB Professional Bodybuilder Vinny Craine.
Vinny has been competing within Ireland and internationally since the mid 2000s, and worked himself steadily up the ranks, eventually winning the overall National RIBBF Overall title and then the u85kg class at the IFBB Europeans, he then proceeded to be the first Irish IFBB pro to compete and placed 9th and 7th in Portual and Spain in classic bodybuilding.
Vinny was a great guest and gives a very in-depth view of his journey and how he originally intended to pursue Wrestling and then ended up a Pro Bodybuilder and to what he hopes to do , as well as his thoughts on the future of the bodybuilding scene and who he thinks will do well moving forward, so please give it a listen, its worth the while if you want some lore on Irish bodybuilding.
Vinny is also a father and is a full time coach out of Silverbacks Gym in Carlow and is available for coaching inquiries at his Instagram account @vinny_craine .
Episode 5 of the Irish Iron Podcast features Jay Farrell, a Dublin based personal trainer working out of Flyefit Stillorgan and has previously worked for a manner of years in Raw Gyms where we first met.
Jay is a father, previously competed in Mens Physique in the Irish bodybuilding circuit and has transitioned into Mixed Martial Arts where he is a novice amateur competitor.
We talk through his journey but focus on using social media as a tool within the fitness industry, being positive through negativity, the journey into self-employment, mental health, and lifestyle changes, as well as myself answering questions from listeners on dealing with stress, and building or maintaining muscle during the lockdown.
Jay is sponsored by ROS nutrition and Facethefear clothing and can be found @creomuncherjay on instagram for coaching inquiries.
On this episode the guest for Irish Iron is Ross Byrne.
Ross has established his name as a personal trainer and online coach, with many client testimonials to back it up, along with 1000s of hours on the gym floor, gathering a lot of practical experience on the way.
Ross has worked and got thought by some of the best names in Ireland and the UK and has established a very interesting training methodology incorporating his knowledge of bio-mechanics along with his high training intensity all the while birding the gap between the old school meathead and the new generation coming up.
Give it listen and you can find Ross at @ross_byrne_coach on instagram, and http://rossbyrnecoaching.com/ for coaching inquiries.
Matt Blaze is a competitive bodybuilder , a successful personal trainer, who has a very interesting story coming from working from Enhanced Athlete as a Sales Representative, who now works as a self employed coach out of FBT Gym in Coolock, as well as running the Enhanced Superman online coaching business.
We talk the start of Matt's journey into fitness, his training, nutrition and social media and business methodology, as well as his competitive career.
This is PART TWO the first part being Matt's podcast which can be listened to here : https://anchor.fm/theenhancedsuperman/episodes/Secrets-of-the-enhanced-superman-episode-6---With-special-guest-Competitive-Bodybuilder-Eoin-Vahey-eclpu2
Episode 2 of the Irish Iron Podcast is with Ian McGarry, who has been competing in the Irish bodybuilding scene since the age of 17, a duration of 12 years, and has consistently moved up the ranks every time, as well as running a very successful gym in Sligo. Ian is a very strong minded individual and we talk coping with the lockdown, the positives that will arise from the aftermath, training and nutrition, the mindset that you need to compete at a high level, who this sport is not suitable for, the bad and good of the influx of social media, as well as needing a coach or a second eye before delving into some listener questions. Ian will be back for a more specific podcast as this one reached storage space at the very end but please listen and enjoy. Irish Iron, shine a light like never before. Ian can be found at @ianmcgarry and @proformireland on Instagram for Personal training and business inquiries.
Irish Iron Podcast Episode 1- Karl O'Sullivan On this episode of I talk with well established PT Karl O'Sullivan, who has also competed since 2009 as a natural bodybuilder in and out of every federation within Ireland. We talk all things training, mental health, nutrition and answer some listener questions as well as talking about Karl and his journey within the competition scene. Give it a listen and subscribe to the channel for more in depth interviews with the Irish Bodybuilding scene like never done before. The Video is also up on youtube at https://youtu.be/58tYNJB3cfs You can find Karl at @dramaticphysiques on Instagram for Personal Training Enquiries.