James Berger Will Highlight the Athletes and Leaders Within Wheelchair Bodybuilding.
If you’ve paid attention to the Muscle Insider YouTube channel, you’ve seen Muscle Insider CEO Andrew Bukowsky interviewing some of the elite champions and athletes in the world of bodybuilding. Bukowsky’s most recent interview was a double-header that included both Wheelchair Olympia Champion James Berger and the Chairman of Wheelchair Bodybuilding Nick Scott.
Scott has been a pillar of the division from the beginning, having been one of the top competitors in the world himself, and then transitioning to his current role once the Wheelchair division was added to the Arnold Classic and Olympia events. Scott knows many fans think of Wheelchair as its own category, but he confirmed that they are actually held within the Men’s Open division.
“So, the wheelchair division, what people need to realize, is that it’s Men’s Open bodybuilding – not the 212, not Classic – but Men’s Open bodybuilding, but just judged from the waist up.”
Berger has become the face of the division in 2025 by winning that year’s Wheelchair Olympia title and following it up with a victory at the 2026 Arnold Classic this past March. Aside from being the champion, Berger sees himself as an ambassador and advocates for the division as well. He even helps Scott on the social media side and detailed what all that requires.
“There are photo shoots I got to do, there’s like scripted videos and reels that I got to make, and then I got to be at Destination to be in one of the Athlete’s Meetings. I got to be there every week, and it’s just like things they expect of me, but I still have to look the part and still diet and go for a show and everything. There’s a lot more work involved.”
A New Platform for Wheelchair Bodybuilding
Berger appears to be handling the workload well, and that work will expand. Muscle Insider will be presenting a series of interviews hosted by Bukowsky and Berger that will profile other Wheelchair athletes and partners that help make the division as successful as it is. This series follows the premiere of the State of Women’s Bodybuilding series hosted by six-time Ms. Olympia Andrea Shaw. Both Berger and Scott see this as an opportunity to help give the athletes more exposure, the division more coverage, and can serve to invite more people into their fold, so the division grows at all levels.
“I’m looking forward to interviewing the guys,” Berger said in part. “I’m super excited about it.”
Berger and Scott covered a lot of ground with Bukowsky in this interview, including how the division grew, Scott’s tireless travel around the world, Berger embracing the role as being a leader in the sport, and more. The full interview can be seen on Muscle Insider’s YouTube channel. While you’re there, make sure to subscribe so you can see more interviews to come from this and other divisions.
Further details on future interviews with Berger and Wheelchair athletes will be announced as they are finalized.
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