Jackson hasn’t competed shortly. That may change later this yr.
There was a time when International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League member Johnnie Jackson was a fixture on the competitive circuit. Within the 2010s alone, the 52-year-old appeared in almost 20 sanctioned IFBB competitions. Overall, in a virtually two-decade-long profession, Jackson can boast near 60 appearances in bodybuilding contests. His profile spans back to date, he can boast of squaring off against various Mr. Olympia legends like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Phil Heath. Nonetheless, after 2017, while he never formally retired, Jackson stopped appearing on stage — other than a transient return with two contests in 2020.
As an alternative, the winner of the “2009 World’s Strongest Skilled Bodybuilder” title has since shifted away from posing to primarily give attention to strength training — as one glance at his Instagram would indicate. That may change very soon. On Jan. 30, 2023, Jackson appeared in a podcast episode with Muscular Development, where he discussed upcoming plans. Over the course of the looks, the seasoned pro elaborated on making a possible comeback on the 2023 Masters Olympia on Aug. 26-27, 2023, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
More from Breaking Muscle:
Considered one of the fundamental reasons Jackson says he’s considering a comeback at age 52 is that he misses the joys of competition. After spending a lot of his life around high-level bodybuilding, walking away outright doesn’t seem like easy for Jackson.
“I miss the stage a lot,” Jackson explained. “I miss the journey. I miss the posing. I miss the crowds. I miss feeling like I’m significant amongst my peers and fans.”
As for following through with any potential plans, Jackson maintained he hadn’t yet made any formal inquiries into competing on the 2023 Masters Olympia. In the intervening time, the thought of returning is more on the tip of his tongue — even when he has seemingly considered all of the probabilities.
“No one [the Masters Olympia organizers] reached out to me, and I haven’t applied yet,” Jackson clarified. “I’m mulling it over. It’s still within the works. I’m totally fascinated with it. I mean, I miss competing like you’ll miss your left hand if it wasn’t attached to your body anymore … Truthfully, I’m not one in every of those guys who’s like, ‘yeah, I’m blissful in retirement.’”
Judging by Jackson’s tenor and candor inside this tell-all conversation, it could be harder to maintain him away from the stage as time passes.
Sometimes an athlete just has to scratch their competitive itch.
” … I even have to say, since they announced it [the 2023 Masters Olympia], every day increasingly more I’m fascinated with it,” Jackson said. I figure by mid-February, I can be in or out. By mid-February, I even have to say yes or no. Increasingly daily I’m leaning towards yes.”
More from Breaking Muscle:
A pivotal decision in Jackson’s bodybuilding profession awaits him.
He could elect to return and harness that competitive energy he notes he’s been missing. He doesn’t appear to have much to lose. At the identical time, as he enters the thick of his 50s, there may not be an excessive amount of of a rush to shift his life around on a dime again. Whatever lies ahead, he definitely has the present appearance of a person who wants to point out off an elite physique again.
Featured image: @johnnieojackson on Instagram