Craig Golias discusses the tragic death of Odalis Santos Mena, training to failure, and how to maintain a bodybuilding diet while traveling.
Welcome to another episode of Talking Huge – a weekly digital series in which Craig Golias talks in-depth with Vlad Yudin on the latest trending topics in bodybuilding. Raw, honest, and uncut – Craig Golias shares his opinions on all things bodybuilding. In this episode, Craig Golias talks about the tragic and recent passing of Odalis Santos Mena, training to failure, and diet trips for bulking while traveling.
There were a lot of topics to cover in this week’s episode of Talking Huge after a busy week and as the bodybuilding season moves closer and closer to Olympia weekend. The top of the week was met with tragedy in the bodybuilding world. Odalis Santos Mena sadly passed away at just 23 years old due to a botched surgery. Craig and Vlad discuss the situation and open up the conversation to surgeries in bodybuilding as a whole. They also discuss training to failure, how important it is in bodybuilding, and tips to properly train to failure without injury. Other topics include how to stay motivated after taking a break from the gym, the best supplements for bodybuilders, and how to properly diet while traveling without losing gains. There’s a lot to cover so let’s jump right into it.
The Tragic Passing of Odalis Santos Mena
Odalis Santos Mena’s death this past week hit the bodybuilding world hard. Not only is any death sad – but to pass away at such a young age (23 years old) is truly heartbreaking. Additionally, the death was seemingly preventable. Odalis Santos Mena underwent a procedure to stop sweating. A strange, and rare procedure indeed. Unfortunately, it was a procedure she would not survive. Though there has yet to be an official investigation – signs point towards the anesthesia as the main attribution to her death. Was it due to a freak accident, malpractice, or something else? We’re not quite sure at the moment.
Craig Golias and Vlad Yudin send condolences out to friends and family of Odalis Santos Mena. They also talk about how much more sad it feels when a death happens so randomly as this one. All deaths are tragic. But seemingly sudden and simple ones such as this feel heavier on the heart. Of course, the sad truth is that there is always an inherent risk to any procedure or surgery that requires anesthesia.
Craig and Vlad talk about other surgeries that are popular in bodybuilding and the risks involved. Is this kind of surgery culture bad in the big picture? Is the risk, even when minimal, not worth it when an outcome like this could happen? Craig and Vlad break it down.
Craig Golias’ Tips On How To Travel And Stay Huge
Craig Golias is a bodybuilder who values staying huge above all else. He has admitted previously to doing unhealthy things with his diet just to achieve that in the past. More recently, he has become more educated on how to properly bulk with clean meals, stay huge, and keep himself healthier.
But when it comes to traveling – a lot of healthy options get thrown out to of the window. If you have a six hour flight or even longer, how do you maintain the mass amount of clean meals required to keep bulking? Is it okay to take one day off? Or does it throw off everything completely?
Craig Golias breaks down his tips and tricks to staying huge and staying on diet while traveling. The truth of the matter is, sometimes you have to do some things that are less pleasurable when it comes to taste and comfort in your diet. Pre-prepped meals are always the way to go. If you need to eat over 6,000 calories in a day – make sure to bring pre-prepped chicken and rice on your flight.
Craig recounts having to cut up his cooked chicken into small cubes and breaking it down into tiny bags so that it would pass security on check out. He would then scarf down little cubes of chicken on the plan every few hours. It wasn’t glorious. It felt like work in fact – but sometimes that is what is necessary to maintain a bodybuilding diet.
Ultimately, Craig Golias states that anyone who is serious about their bodybuilding lifestyle and diet will see food as a means to an end rather than a pleasurable dining experience. Like Jay Cutler once said, “I don’t eat for taste, I eat for function.” Traveling is not an excuse to break your bodybuilding diet. It’s simply a challenge you’ll have to overcome.
Wrap Up
There are far more topics discussed in this episode than we can cover in this article. You can watch Craig Golias and Vlad Yudin discuss other topics such as training to failure and tips on how to avoid getting injured. They also discuss the best supplements that all bodybuilders should take who are looking to bulk up. You can check it all out in the latest episode of Talking Huge above! Make sure to check out Talking Huge every week on Friday – only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network!