When a constellation of some of bodybuilding’s biggest stars align at the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC), most will understand who to point their “telescope” toward. Some of the usual suspects like 2021 AC winner Nick Walker, former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay, and two-time 212 Olympia king (2020, 2022) Shaun Clarida figure to maximize their time in the Columbus, OH, limelight on Mar. 2-5, 2023.
However, some believe reigning 2022 Texas Pro and 2022 Arnold Classic UK champion Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, a.k.a. “Andrew Jacked,” will lay claim to a dominant performance at the 2023 AC. After a recent addition to his training plans by working with Chris “Psycho” Lewis, such an assertion might not be out of the realm of possibility. On Feb. 1, 2023, Jacked’s other primary trainer, Chris Aceto, appeared on a podcast episode with RxMuscle. While updating Jacked’s ongoing work for the 2023 AC, the trainer maintained that the athlete would appear in tip-top form in Central Ohio.
According to Aceto, Jacked is taking well to a new strength regimen that Lewis is putting him through. Lewis appears to have a mission to break Jacked down before building him back up, but the bodybuilder doesn’t sound fazed by such goals.
” … Andrew [Jacked] is pushing back against Chris ‘Psycho’ Lewis,” Aceto explained. “I know Chris. Chris wants to just absolutely crush him and part of it is to see where he’s at mentally. Then, the other part is to see, can he [Jacked] really handle the training Chris wants to put him through? On both of those accounts, I would say Chris would grade him as an ‘A.’ He takes the training and he pushes back. Chris is pushing him as far as Chris thinks he needs to be pushed.”
With the 2023 AC still weeks away, Aceto maintained that Jacked is already in an optimal position to capture his first title at the contest. Though, with so much time left to prepare, the trainer isn’t putting a ceiling on what the bodybuilder could accomplish soon enough.
“I think his [Jacked’s] best is coming up in five weeks [at the 2023 Arnold Classic],” Aceto said. “I think his best look so far was today [the day of the interview]. It is probably the best look. That includes having been on an Olympia stage. I think he’s better now than he was on stage at the Olympia. … If the [2023] Olympia was tomorrow, and he brought this package, I think he’d be a little bit fuller and tighter than he was the day of the show. That’s just everyday training sessions.”
Time will tell how Jacked fares on the 2023 AC stage. The athlete may have simultaneously enlisted the help of two expert trainers in Aceto and Lewis, knowing there’s quite a gauntlet of experienced competitors to overcome. If these hints of Jacked’s ongoing process are to be interpreted correctly, early March should be quite the showcase.
Featured image: @andrewjacked on Instagram
