The Arnold Sports Expo was just like any other expo you may have ever been to: Lots of vendors trying to get you to part with your hard-earned cash in return for what they hope you will believe is the best product this side of the Mississippi.

The overwhelming majority (I'd say at least 70 percent) of vendors at the Arnold were supplement manufacturers or companies who sell mostly supplements (GNC, Bodybuilding.com, and the Vitamin Shoppe).

If a superstar bodybuilder like current Mr Olympia Jay Cutler (MuscleTech) couldn't lure you to the booth, then the supplement companies threw scantily-clad "fitness models" at the mostly-male crowd.

So there's obviously a lot riding on getting you to buy their stuff. If the product's benefits don't sell it, then surely a superstar bodybuilder who presumably uses it will; and if that doesn't work, throw some tits and ass your way, and you'll soon lose all of your judgment!

(I'm not kidding about this – there was one booth where the women were wearing pants – very tight, or course – that had small rectangular cut-outs strategically placed such that it made showing butt crack inevitable. I kid you not. Or maybe that was my imagination.)

I've talked about this before: Supplements help. A lot. But you have to take the right ones. All the others are junk at best. And seriously dangerous at worst.

There are some supplements that I will take the rest of my life because I know they work. I've tried a literal TON of supplements over the years (30+) and I know what works. I also have a good idea what doesn't. And I know which ones I'd never take.

You can read all about my take on supplements elsewhere here on the blog and also at the main Muscle-Build.com site. I just wanted to share with you something that really caught my attention.

It's not just the bodybuilding magazines hawking supplements (pick up any popular muscle magazine and I challenge you to find any editorial content within the first 30 pages) – it's Arnold and every other strength-sport competition and event.

Buyer beware. Again, I'm not saying supplements are bad. They're very important. Just know what you're buying before you shove it down your gullet. Otherwise, you're wasting your money and maybe jeopardizing your health.

Check out the photos I posted on Flickr from the Arnold Sports Expo.

Today was Day 2 at the Arnold and I have mixed feelings about it. I'll start off with the bad parts and finish on a good note with the highlights.

It was far too crowded today to be enjoyable. I literally talked to no one today, except for the people I sat next to while watching some of the competitions on the Expo Stage. More on that later.

I think the Expo has gotten too far away from its roots. Obviously, the Arnold started out as a bodybuilding competition. Then, other strength sports were added like weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman.

Now, however, there's martial arts, boxing, fencing, dancing, and gymnastics. Don't get me wrong – those are awesome sports whose participants are as serious as any strength athlete. But the spirit of the Expo has been diluted. There's simply too much going on.

I'd like to see the Expo stripped of the "non-strength" sports and have everything housed within the Convention Center. Currently, some of the cooler competitions are held elsewhere (for an additional fee). Arnold is a shrewd business man and I'm sure he makes a lot more money doing things this way than my way.

But I'm not writing for him

Nevertheless, the overall organization is very good. It's a major undertaking, I'm sure, to coordinate and schedule everything. Arnold's team is to be commended. Of course, some things can be improved upon, but there aren't any showstoppers.
 

Highlights

I met Phil Pfister. Got a photo with him. He's obviously huge.

Sylvester Stallone did make an appearance at the arm wrestling finals. You may remember his movie, Over the Top.

Derek Poundstone looked awesome in the Strongman. They did the "circus dumbbell" and the axle deadlift. Those guys are freaky strong.

The Mighty Mitts is a competition amongst amateur strongmen that seeks to test grip strength. They had to lift today a gigantic 300 pound dumbbell with a 3" diameter (I think that was the size). Nobody was successful in lifting it completely.

The strongmen really put on a good show and they're very good showmen. Derek got the crowd pumped with his awesome overhead press performance, Nick Best really competed hard, Brian Shaw kicked some ass, and Travis Ortmeyer is an intense, fun-loving dude. The other guys rocked, too. Nobody here didn't deserve to compete.

Nobody was outclassed.

I just found out that Derek Poundstone won the overall competition (they held the final event in another location for an additional fee).

I did get a kick out of the arm wrestling. It's a cool strength sport that truly deserves to be at the Arnold. Those guys and gals did a great job!

And I almost got run over by Kurt Angle's entourage. Well, not really. But they were certainly rushing through the crowd at one point. Interestingly, a lot of these strength superstars are short. Or at least shorter than me

All in all, a good time. I'm glad I went. I doubt that I'll go again next year, but not because of anything the show was lacking. Until they change the format, there really is no reason to return.

However, if you're into athletic performance, I sincerely suggest that you go. At least once. It's a spectacle to behold.

Yesterday, I went to the Arnold. You can read about that here. Today is day 2 and it's my last day. I cannot be here tomorrow, due to lots of things, but the most important reason is that both of my kids are sick with what my wife had the last 2 weeks. It's an ugly virus (aka "we have no freaking idea what it is or how to cure it but it will go away…we hope") and my wife needs all the help she can get.

The kids got sick the night after I had already left.

Anyway, today is another day of strongman competition. I'm not sure what they're doing today, but it will be fun. They're also doing the "opening ceremonies" today, a day after the ceremonies opened. Go figure. Only a politician would think this makes sense!

Supposedly, Sylvester Stallone will be in attendance. That will be a zoo I'm staying clear of. Oh, I like Sly; he's one of my boyhood idols. I just will not stand in line to meet anybody. Well, maybe 5 minutes. But not hours like guys were waiting yesterday just to meet Jay Cutler. By the way, Jay seems like a nice guy.

I just won't stand in line to meet him. Not gonna happen.

Arm wrestling takes place today, too. It's the finals. I saw Travis Bagent yesterday and he's one cocky SOB, but in a very endearing way. I mean that. Unless you're his opponent. Then you probably just want to tear off his head, but you know that won't happen.

There's a sports photography workshop that I might wander into today. Photography is a hobby of mine.

Well, it's time to get moving. It's an earlier open today, but at least I've got better directions and know the lay of the land now. So it shouldn't take me nearly as long to get to the convention center.

While I'm thinking about it – the parking lots really need bigger signs. I've purchased parking passes in advance and I'm in a specific lettered lot. But the lots are not marked clearly (if at all) and the attendants stay in their cars, so you don't even see them. I know it's 20 degrees outside, but it's really not so bad that you should not do your job!

Have a great day. I'm going to.

This morning I told you I was going to Day One of the Arnold Sports Expo. This is my report back.

First impressions: Too damned crowded! There is a TON of stuff to do here. But everybody seemed to want to stand in line right where I entered Hall D, which coincidentally is where Bodybuilding.com and MuscleTech is. Jay Cutler spent a good portion of the day at MT so I get that. There was also a big line at Gaspari Nutrition.

Of course, wherever there were tanned women with very little clothing on in a booth, that booth had a bigass line!

I get that, too!
 

Some highlights

I met Frank Zane and even bought one of his courses. He graciously signed it. Zane was the epitome of the symmetrical and cerebral bodybuilder. Meeting him was the highlight of my day.

I also got to shake Magnus ver Magnusson's hand. He is my favorite strongman of all time. He is smaller than when he competed, but he looks fabulous. He hasn't let himself go like Svend Karlson. That guy used to have a great body; he's put on a few pounds in the gut.

The strongman competition was pretty cool, if a little cramped. They did their two events today on the little stage, which was okay because they were just lifting heavy things, not running with them. I think the competition would work better in Hall C, which is where the amateur strongmen competed.

There were a ton of plastic boobs walking around, accompanied by more fake tans than I care to estimate. Don't get me wrong, all of the women are in fantastic shape. I just wish they'd embrace a little more of their natural beauty. It's there. You don't need big breasts to be beautiful. And you shouldn't look like tanned leather, either.

It was fun cruising around the Expo. But the crowded atmosphere really took away from the overall event. Plus, the MC for both the fitness competitions and the strongman competitions (the same dork, I think) is horrible. I'm sure that Arnold and Jim Lorimer can find somebody who is a) polite (this guy is an ass) and b) who knows at least a little about the sport he's talking about.

The guy is a twit. And annoying. I hope one of the strongmen breaks him in half tomorrow.

Oh, before I forget, the USA powerlifting competition was fun to watch too.

Word is that Arnold will be there tomorrow and so might Sylvester Stallone.

It will be a freaking zoo again tomorrow. Only more freaking.