Biographys Of The Most Famous Bodybuilders

[Its_PainFuLL]

NOTE: opps can a mod change biographys to Biographies. please!

if anyone wants to add just add!
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[DaVeYF]

Bill Pearl

1953 Mr. Southern California
1953 Mr. California
1953 AAU Mr. America
1953 NABBA Mr. Universe, Amateur
1956 Mr. USA, Professional
1961 NABBA Mr. Universe, Professional
1967 NABBA Mr. Universe, Professional
1971 NABBA Mr. Universe, Professional
1971 WBBG World's Best Built Man
1978 WBBG Hall Of Fame
1988 Pioneers of Fitness Hall Of Fame
1992 Gold's Gym Hall Of Fame
1994 Guest of Honor of the Association of Old-Time Barbell & Strongmen 12th Annual Reunion
1994 The Joe Weider Hall Of Fame
1995 Heidenstam Foundation Hall Of Fame
1995 AAU Lifetime Achievement
1996 American Powerlifters Federation Hall of Fame
1997 International Chiropractors Association Sports & Fitness Man of the Year
2000 Spirit of Muscle Beach Award
2001 World Gym Lifetime Achievement Award
2001 Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists Lifetime Achievement Award

[Its_PainFuLL]

Bodybuilding as we know it today began some sixty years ago when men like John Grimek and Steve Reeves lifted weights in preparation for the first Mr. America title in the late 30's. The famed Muscle Beach emerged in Santa Monica, California in the 40's. And, as I recollect, it was in the mellow mid-50's when I lifted my first set of barbells. Little did I know the reps and sets, moans and groans that lay before me.

I was just a kid and virtually nobody was doing that sort of thing. Weightlifting and muscle building didn't have wide public appeal or approval and 99 out of 100 athletic coaches gave it the thumbs down. There wasn't a whole bunch of encouragement or inspiration from a society which considered you either stupid or egotistical and probably a sissy. The two guys who inspired me to lift in those days were Anthony Petrowski and Tony Nepeerski, local dock workers with powerful arms from hard work, meat and potatoes and some knarly weightlifting.

I arranged a makeshift set of weights and within a month I was fully hooked on lifting. By the age of twelve, barbells and dumbbells had become very important to me. They were my solid steel friends that I could trust. When the going got tough, when I kept missing the baseball, and when girls were far too cute to talk to, the weights were there and they spoke my language. I loved the resistance they offered and without coaching, gymnasiums or teams of players, I could enjoy a basic oneness of the activity where you were in control of being controlled.

I wrestled with those little monsters for hours on end, pushing and pulling randomly to exhaustion until patterns of exercises formed. Slowly and surely my body took shape and muscle power and size became evident. It's interesting to note here that these things took place almost by accident. I knew of no muscle magazines, looked toward no competitive rewards, idols or flimsy self-gratification. Simply, the play and pleasure of painfully pressing on was my stimulus. And, too, I admit that the exclusiveness and loneness of the adventure had and still has a quality that reaches to the marrow of my bones.

In high school I wrestled a bit, worked on the high bar and swam competitively, but it was the weights that buoyed me up. A job with Weider Barbell Company lured me to Santa Monica, California after winning the Mr. New Jersey title in 1962. There at Muscle Beach, as it faded off into the beautiful California sunset, I met and shared with the last of the true erectors of the bodybuilding foundations - the cornerstones such as Joe Gold, Zabo, George Eifferman, Bill Pearl, Armand Tanny, Clancy Ross and Steve Reeves. A handful of mighty men - heroes - that formed the nucleus of bodybuilding and lived those golden, carefree days gone by.
These men with instincts intact felt their way around the weights and equipment, lifting more and intellectualizing less. And to them I attribute a certain quality of creativity in my training and an appreciation of the fundamentals. The late 60's have been referred to as the "Golden Years of Bodybuilding", when big men pressed on methodically and with great concentration. During those years the various training principles were set down and stand distinctly today - sound, tried and true.

I went on to win the Mr. America title in 1965 and the Mr. Universe in '66. In 1970, after winning the Mr. World in Columbus, Ohio, I sensed a sifting of the gears in bodybuilding and stepped out of competition. The sport took off like a rocket to the moon, soaring into the 80's with ever increasing momentum.

Today bodybuilding has gained amazing popularity worldwide, both as a participant sport and as a spectator sport. At last the image associated with muscles has been appropriately lifted and the respect and appreciation a bodybuilder deserves is clear. Furthermore, big muscles have become big business.

We live in a crowded and intense world where computers spit out information faster that we can use it and the media has us confused as to who we are and what to expect of ourselves. We've arranged a hi-tech world and often find ourselves trailing far behind, frantically trying to keep the pace. And the world of bodybuilding has not escaped this dilemma. We want results and we want them now - lean hard bodies from QuickStop bodybuilding and fast food appetites. And from this hurried attitude the only sure results are stress, injury and frustration.

We are researchers and scientists, a people hungry for information, details and data. And in our quest we have made things far too complicated. In publishing this website, I hope to pass on some thoughts that are basic and simple; thoughts that have occurred to me before, during and after my 40+ years of training sessions.

As Jeff Everson once said to me, "There are no secrets. You simply have basic God-given genetics, body chemistry and bone structure. And provided the attributes of discipline and determination, you apply yourself full bore, and your body potential emerges - slow but sure."

[Its_PainFuLL]

A 1970’s rendition of the Steve Reeves look, Frank Zane was proportioned and defined at under 200 pounds, and had a career that exemplified persistence. His was no meteoric rise to the top. After 10 years of working out, he won the 1968 IFBB Mr. America and IFBB Mr. Universe titles, handing a loss in the Mr. Universe contest to no less a body than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In 1969, Frank captured the IFBB Mr. World title. Zane competed in five IFBB Mr. Olympia’s before winning the sport’s top title in 1977, and then dominated the competition for the next two years.

When the sport experienced a massive expansion in the late ‘70s, he was the perfect spokesman for bodybuilding, his cultured persona and articulate nature a contradiction of the “musclehead” stereotype. He was seriously injured before the 1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia, but showed courage to persevere and gain third place.

His career finale was represented by fourth place at the 1983 IFBB Mr. Olympia, after which he opened Zane Haven in Palm Springs, California, where he still lives with his wife Christine. True to his Renaissance-man image, Frank continues to publish books, his latest - Frank Zane Mind, Body, Spirit, and has released a CD of self-composed blues music, on which he plays a mean harmonica.

Competitive Record
1983 Olympia - IFBB, 4th

1982 Olympia - IFBB, 2nd

1980 Olympia - IFBB, 3rd

1979 Olympia - IFBB, LightWeight, 1st

1979 Olympia - IFBB, Overall Winner

1978 Olympia - IFBB, 1st

1977 Olympia - IFBB, Short, 1st

1977 Olympia - IFBB, 1st

1976 Olympia - IFBB, LightWeight, 2nd

1975 Olympia - IFBB, LightWeight, 4th

1974 Olympia - IFBB, LightWeight, 2nd

1972 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Short, 1st

1972 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner

1972 Olympia - IFBB, 4th

1971 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Short, 1st

1970 Universe - NABBA, Medium, 1st

1970 Universe - NABBA, Overall Winner

1969 Mr World - IFBB, Medium, 1st

1969 Mr World - IFBB, Overall Winner

1968 Universe - IFBB, Short, 1st

1968 Universe - IFBB, 1st

1968 Mr International, Overall Winner

1968 Mr America - IFBB, Medium, 1st

1968 Mr America - IFBB, Overall Winner

1967 Mr America - IFBB, Medium, 1st

1966 Mr America - IFBB, Medium, 1st

1965 Universe - IFBB, Medium, 1st

[Its_PainFuLL]

IFBB Professional, Jay Cutler, is bodybuilding's most recognized and personable athlete. IFFB 2002 & 2003 Arnold Classic Champion and IFBB 2001 Mr. Olympia Runner Up.

Reasonable appearance rates
Always in shape
10 minute posing routines
Informative and educational seminars
Highly publicized in Muscle & Fitness and Flex Magazines



Jay Cutler State:
30 years old, August 3, 1973
5'9"
265 contest weight
310 off season weight
22 ½" arms
31" thighs
20" calves
34" waist
19 ½" neck

Contest History:

1992 Gold Gym Worcester bodybuilding championships, 2nd place Men's Division, Worcester, MA;
1993 NPC Iron Bodies Invitational, 1st place teenage, 1st place Men's heavy weight, Schenecty, NY;

1993 NPC Teen National Bodybuilding Championship, 1st place Teenage heavy weight, Raleigh-Durham, NC;

1995 NPC U.S. Tournament of Champions, 1st place Men's heavy weight and overall, Redondo Beach, CA;

1996 NPC U.S. Men's National Bodybuilding Championship, 1st place Men's heavy weight, Dallas, TX;

1998 Night of Champions, 11th place;

1999 Ironman Pro Invitational, 3rd place;

1999 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, 4th place;

1999 Mr. Olympia, 14th place;

2000 Night of Champions 1st place;

2000 Mr. Olympia, 8th place;

2000 Mr. Olympia Rome, 2nd place;

2000 English Grand Prix, 2nd place;

2001 Mr. Olympia, 2nd place;

2002 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic 1st place;

2003 IronMan Pro Invitational 1st place;

2003 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic 1st place;

2003 San Francisco Pro Invitational 1st place;

I was born August 3, 1973 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Worcester is centrally located in Massachusetts. About 50 miles west of Boston. I grew up in a small town called Sterling, which is a suburb of Worcester County. I was born the youngest of seven, 3 brothers and 3 sisters. My dad was a superintendent of the highway department and my mother worked in finance at a military base.

My childhood was an active one. I enjoyed riding my bike and playing neighborhood games such as kick the can and hide and seek. I rode ATV's and worked on my family's farm which consisted of pigs, goats, chickens, and cows. I worked in my brother's concrete business from early on and developed quite a physique for myself. This physique was the foundation for my bodybuilding career.

In high school I played football. I was extremely popular, especially with the girls! I did the usual high school party routine and really enjoyed my years at Wachusett Regional High School. My high school consisted of 5 towns.

When I graduated high school in 1991, I went to college at Quinsigamond Community College. I completed my Associate Degree in criminal justice. This is where I discovered bodybuilding. I began training actually on my 18th birthday in 1991.

In the beginning, I trained only to look better, but my training quickly led to competition. I competed at the age of 19. My first show was the Teen Nationals in Raleigh, NC. I placed first. This was the start of my bodybuilding career and love for competing.

My girlfriend Kerry and I moved in together in Worcester. I began training for pro status. The years went by quickly. I worked at different jobs, while Kerry was pursuing her nursing degree. In 1994, I met a person who gave me the guidance and support I needed to become the best bodybuilder and business man.

Bruce Vartanian was a local bodybuilder and business owner. Bruce took me under his wing and taught me the ins and outs of the business. He taught me what I needed to do to be the best. We trained together along with my diet mentor, Chris Aceto. We built a physique that would sweep the Nationals in 1996 to gain professional status. I was bombarded with contract offers and eventually signed on with Joe Weider.

I took 1997 off from competition and came back to debut in 1998 at the Night of Champions in NYC. I placed 11th- a little off from my best. I went back to old school dieting and training for the 1999 season. I placed 3rd at the Pro Ironman Invitational and 4th at the Arnold Classic. Later that year, I placed 15th at the Olympia.

On July 9, 1998, I married my girlfriend of seven years, Kerry. We got married in a small private ceremony at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.

In 1999, Kerry and I moved to Aliso Viejo, CA. This was a great business move for both of us. Kerry began a job in nursing at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. I continued to train with the hunger to move up in the bodybuilding ranks.

In May of 2000, I became the Night of Champions Winner, putting myself further ahead in the rankings. Kerry and I purchased our first home in CA in June of 2000. This was a great step for us, as we always wanted to live in CA.

I competed next at the 2000 Olympia placing 8th. The week following the contest, I was runner up to Ronnie Coleman (three time Mr. Olympia) at the English Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix.

In November 2000, I made a crucial business decision and began a new relationship with ISS Research. ISS is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. They approached me with an offer that I could not refuse. ISS Research gave me the opportunity to take a whole year to prepare for the 2001 Mr. Olympia. I did many appearances through 2001 and really focused on preparing to do my best in October 2001. I went on to place a controversial 2nd place to Ronnie Coleman. The publicity launched my career even further and catapulted me to the next level.

After the "O" in 2001, I began preparing for the 2002 Arnold Classic, which I won unanimously over Chris Cormier.

Many journalists have thus far declared 2003 as "The Year of Cutler". It was at the beginning of the year that I won three consecutive contests - the IronMan Pro Invitational, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic and the San Francisco Pro Invitational.

Kerry and I recently sold our home in California and built a new home in Las Vegas. I will continue to train here in Vegas and do all I can do to solidify my position as the #1 bodybuilder in the world.

Train Hard!
Train To Win!
Jay

[Its_PainFuLL]

Prison appealed to Melvin Anthony and his teenage peers. It may have held the dregs of humanity, but it also held the promise of a big bad physique. Melvin confesses, "I'm a product of the city, and where I come from, which is the lower-middle-class neighborhoods of Sacramento and Riverside, California, if a guy was big, he that way in prison. We were told that all they do in there is lift weights, so we naturally assumed that if we wanted to get big, we'd have to go to prison.
"most people to reps until they feel the pump stop. That's ridiculous."

"Having the best body in the neighborhood was important. It gave you bragging rights. Life was very competitive, and everybody, in order to survive, had to have some sort of bragging rights. If you were a better basketball player that the next guy, you got bragging rights. If you were the biggest bad-ass, you got bragging rights. They didn't hate you for it; they just knew that you were the bomb. You could talk smack, but you could back it up too. You had bragging rights.

"That's all we saw, and that's all we thought about. No matter what it took, you had to earn those bragging rights. Lots of my childhood friends are still out there doing their thing, still drinking beer, doing drugs; and lots of others are dead. One of my friends got shot in the head, trying to get his bragging rights."

At 13, Melvin was peering over the abyss into the most dangerous and impressionable period of life, when along came strong, the theophany that altered Melvin's destiny. Melvin didn't know Strong's real name. He only knew that Strong had never been to prison, yet was bigger than most of the guys who had; and strong had an eye for genetics. Spying Melvin, he barked, "Hey, kid, you got a physique, man. You can do it. All you need is the discipline to get yourself into the right gym, eat right and train right."

Throughout high school, weight training kept Melvin in check. If there was a hot party on a Saturday night at six o'clock, he'd be in the gym at two o'clock, then go drink his beer or hand out and have his party. His weight training always came first.

By the he was 18, Melvin was built solidly enough to earn a football scholarship at San Bernardino Valley College, never having played football in his life- not in Pop Warner and not in high school. All he did to earn his scholarship was try out in midterm.

Hs penchant, though, was not football; its physical investment was misappropriated. "I didn't like to take the pounding," he admits, so a kinder and gentler Melvin let his fingers do the walking through other career options and now he proudly flashes his license as a registered manicurist. "I do nails," he says.

Not that he stopped the pounding altogether. As he explains, "I wanted to give the pounding, so I starting doing that to the weights."
1993 Fontana Ironman novice 3rd
1993 Musclemania HW 3rd
1995 NPC Palm Springs HW 1st & Overall
1996 NPC Orange County Muscle Classic HW 1st & Overall
1996 NPC California HW 1st & Overall; 1997 NPC USA HW 3rd
1998 NPC USA SHW 2nd; 1999 NPC USA SHW 1st & Overall
2000 Night of Champions 7th2
2000 2001 Ironman Pro 2nd
2001 San Francisco Pro 3rd
2001 2001 Arnold Classic 7th
2001 2001 European Pro 8th
2001 Grand Prix Australia 7th
2001 Mr. Olympia 11th; 2001 Grand Prix England 6th
2002 Southwest Pro 10th
2002 Night of Champions 8th
2003 Ironman Pro Invitational 2nd
2003 Arnold Classic 8th
2003 San Francisco Pro Invitational 4th

Measurements
Height: 5'8"
Age: 31
Competition weight: 247 lbs
Offseason weight: 280 lbs
Arms: 21"
Chest: 55"
Waist: 27"
Quads: 28"




Melvin's right of passage has been the USA championships. In 1997, he was third in the heavyweight division; in 1998 he lost a tiebreaker in the superheavyweight division to Dennis James, the eventual overall and pro-card winner. Finally, at the 1999 USA, he ascended to the pro ranks when he captured the superheavyweight and overall crowns.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Larry Scott, “The Legend”, established and personified bodybuilding’s beach Adonis image, and duly became the sport’s Golden Boy after winning the IFBB Mr. America title in 1962 and the IFBB Mr. Universe in 1964. He was the first-ever IFBB Mr. Olympia in the contest’s initial two years of life, 1965 and 1966.

Joe Weider’s brainchild of a competition got the perfect first-time winner in Larry. Of all the Hall of Fame inductees, perhaps Scott started with the least raw potential. Told he was too narrow-shouldered – a condition then considered insurmountable – he persevered and packed on prodigious mounds of delt muscle which, coupled with the greatest arms in bodybuilding, enabled him to present front double-biceps shots that worked up a crowd like no other.

Witnesses still say that the audience reaction to his 1966 IFBB Mr. Olympia entrance was the most vociferous and emotional ever seen at a bodybuilding contest. A devout Mormon, Larry lives in Salt Lake City, where he runs his own bodybuilding advisory company.

Competitive Record
1979 Grand Prix Vancouver - IFBB,

1979 Canada Diamond Pro Cup - IFBB, 9th

1966 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1965 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1964 Universe - IFBB, Overall Winner

1962 Mr America - IFBB, Overall Winner

1960 Mr California - AAU, Overall Winner

[Its_PainFuLL]

Name: Dorian Yates

Location: Walmley, Sutton Coldfield, England

Born: April 19, 1962

Height: 5'10"

Off Season Weight: Around 280 lbs.

Competition Weight: Around 260 lbs.

Favorite Exercise: Bent-Over Rows



Competitive Record
1984 Mr. Birmingham novice 1st

1985 Novice West Coast (England) 1st

1985 World Games 7th (London)

1986 EFBB British HW 1st (in London)

1988 British Championships 1st

1990 Night of Champions 2nd

1991 Night of Championships 1st

1991 Mr. Olympia 2nd

1991 English Grand Prix 1st

1992 Mr. Olympia 1st

1993 Mr. Olympia 1st

1994 Grand Prix Germany 1st

1994 Grand Prix Spain 1st

1994 Grand Prix England 1st

1994 Mr. Olympia 1st

1995 Mr. Olympia 1st

1996 Mr. Olympia 1st



Dorian Yates


Dorian has won 5 Mr. Olympia's in a row. He is the biggest of the professional bodybuilders and when beside him makes all other bodybuilders look small. His nickname is the 'Shadow'.

Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates was born April 19, 1962 in England. Dorian was raised in Hurley, in rural Staffordshire. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Birmingham, Britain's second largest city. During these times, Dorian got himself into trouble, and was sentenced to six months at Whatton Youth Detention Centre. It was here that Dorian earned an instant reputation as the strongest and fittest of Whatton's 300 inmates. This gave him new respect for himself. Whatton was the wake up call for Dorian. If he did not do something, he would end up in and out of prison all of his life. Dorian resolved that he would not be back.

In January 1983, Dorian met his future wife Debbie Chin. Their son Lewis, was born in May 1984. Today, Dorian owns the Temple Gym in England. Currently lives in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield, England. He has two boxer dogs names Conan and Samson.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: August 25, 1939

New York, NY, USA



Chris Dickerson’s career spanned 30 years and included approximately 50 contests. Over the decades, he built a dense and symmetrical physique augmented by a dramatic style of posing. Dickerson earned third place at the 1965 Mr. Long Beach (California), his first contest; he placed fourth at the 1994 IFBB Masters Olympia, his last contest.

Two particular achievements stand out in Dickerson’s long career: in 1970, he became the first black AAU Mr. America, and by winning the IFBB Mr. Olympia in 1982, at age 43, he became the most senior winner of the sport’s most prestigious contest.

Aiding Dickerson throughout his career was 1999 Hall of Famer Bill Pearl. In addition to the 1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Dickerson won nine other IFBB pro shows in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, making him one of the most successful competitors of all time.

Something of a Renaissance man, Dickerson studied music and is an accomplished opera singer – no wonder, then, that his posing routines were always pure theater. Dickerson lives in Manhatten, where he has a thriving personal-training business

Competitive Record

1994 Olympia - Masters - IFBB, 4th

1990 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 8th

1984 Olympia - IFBB, 11th

1982 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1981 Professional World Cup - IFBB, 2nd

1981 Olympia - IFBB, 2nd

1981 Night of Champions - IFBB, Winner

1981 Grand Prix World Cup - IFBB, 2nd

1981 Grand Prix Washington - IFBB, Winner

1981 Grand Prix New York - IFBB, Winner

1981 Grand Prix New England - IFBB, 2nd

1981 Grand Prix Louisiana - IFBB, Winner

1981 Grand Prix California - IFBB, Winner

1980 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational - IFBB, 2nd

1980 Olympia - IFBB, 2nd

1980 Night of Champions - IFBB, Winner

1980 Grand Prix New York - IFBB, Winner

1980 Grand Prix Miami - IFBB, Winner

1980 Grand Prix Louisiana - IFBB, 2nd

1980 Grand Prix California - IFBB, Winner

1980 Florida Pro Invitational - IFBB, Winner

1980 Canada Pro Cup - IFBB, Winner

1979 Olympia - IFBB, LightWeight, 4th

1979 Grand Prix Vancouver - IFBB, 2nd

1979 Canada Pro Cup - IFBB, Winner

1979 Canada Diamond Pro Cup - IFBB, 2nd

1976 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Short, 2nd

1976 Universe - Pro - NABBA, 3rd

1976 Olympus - WBBG, 4th

1975 World Championships - WBBG, 2nd

1975 Universe - Pro - PBBA, 2nd

1974 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Short, 1st

1974 Universe - Pro - NABBA, Overall Winner

1973 Universe - NABBA, Short, 1st

1973 Universe - NABBA, Overall Winner

1973 Pro Mr America - WBBG, Winner

1971 Universe - NABBA, Short, 1st

1970 Universe - NABBA, Short, 1st

1970 Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st

1970 Mr America - AAU, Winner

1970 Junior Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st

1970 Junior Mr America - AAU, Winner

1969 Mr America - AAU, 2nd

1969 Junior Mr America - AAU, 2nd

1968 Mr USA - AAU, Most Muscular, 2nd

1968 Mr USA - AAU, Winner

1968 Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 3rd

1968 Mr America - AAU, 3rd

1968 Junior Mr America - AAU, 3rd

1967 Mr California - AAU, Winner

1967 Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 4th

1967 Mr America - AAU, 6th

1967 Junior Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 5th

1967 Junior Mr America - AAU, 4th

1966 Mr North America - AAU, 2nd

1966 Mr New York State - AAU, Overall Winner

1966 Mr Eastern America - AAU, Overall Winner

1966 Mr Atlantic Coast - AAU, Overall Winner

1966 Junior Mr USA - AAU, Most Muscular, 1st

1966 Junior Mr USA - AAU, Winner

[Its_PainFuLL]

Independence Days
The irony that Sergio Oliva was born on the fourth of July, 1941, is lost on no one who knows the man or his reputation. For throughout his six decades Sergio has shown nothing if not a burning desire for his own independence, the very kind the forefathers of America, his adoptive country, proclaimed their right to 165 years earlier. But when Fidel Castro’s opposition movement overthrew Cuba’s Batista government in 1959 Sergio suddenly found his homeland was no longer a place where personal freedoms could be savored.

A prodigiously gifted athlete from childhood, Sergio realized that his involvement in state sponsored sport could be his ticket to, if not freedom itself, then the opportunity to escape the stifling confines of the Cuban working class. Blessed with an almost preternatural combination of strength, speed and flexibility, Sergio wisely decided to channel his efforts into Olympic-style weightlifting.

Not surprisingly, he took to the sport immediately and, by the age of twenty, had already become Cuba’s top lifter and consequently its 198-pound class representative in the 1961 Pan American Games held in Kingston, Jamaica.

For Cuba, his participation signified a lock on yet another weightlifting gold medal. For Sergio Oliva, a man of fiercely independent spirit trapped in a repressive system, it would mean saying goodbye, possibly forever, to the only home he’d ever known.

Havannah talent can get you far
Twenty-year-old world class weightlifter Sergio Oliva knew that the occasion of the 1961 Pan Am Games in Kingston, Jamaica might be his last best chance to escape the confines of Castro-controlled Cuba. With speed of foot nearly on par with his strength Sergio sprinted for the nearby American consulate. He and the entire Cuban weightlifting team, who immediately followed his lead, were granted political asylum, and more significantly, their freedom.

From Jamaica Sergio emigrated to the United States; first to Miami, where he performed odd jobs ranging from TV repair to unloading trucks. Then, in 1963, he made his way north to Chicago.

It was at Chicago’s Duncan YMCA that the weightlifter was introduced to the sport of bodybuilding by top local bodybuilder (and future Mr. America) Bob Gajda. Gajda recognized the young man’s incredible physical potential and took him under his wing. As predicted, Sergio’s muscles ballooned immediately under the unique stresses of a bodybuilding regimen. He took to bodybuilding as an eagle to soaring and by the end of the year had won his first title, Mr. Young Chicagoland.

Within no time Sergio’s physique, and reputation, grew to the point where he was being mentioned in the same breath with names like Scott, Sipes and Pearl by those in the know.

Yet despite the overwhelming physical superiority he brought to the stage in those early years, the uber-Cuban found actually winning titles within the Amateur Athletic Union to be inexplicably difficult. Indeed, it was his inability to take the AAU’s most coveted title, Mr. America, against very un-uber competition, that drove him into the open arms of the IFBB and on a quest to become the greatest bodybuilder of all time.


In a League of His Own
By 1966 Sergio Oliva had had enough of the vicissitudes of the AAU and decided to turn professional by joining the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). In short order he won the 1966 Mr. World and 1967 Mr. Universe titles and finally, with little resistance, the 1967 Mr. Olympia title. Only four years after getting his start in competitive bodybuilding Sergio Oliva was the undisputed king of the walk.

He would go on to defend his title unopposed the following year, even more dominant than before. It wasn’t until 1969 that a challenger to his throne would emerge, in the massive, if yet unshaped, form of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While Sergio handled his teutonic threat to win his third consecutive Olympia, the lessons learned in defeat served the young Schwarzenegger well the following year as he came back to edge out Sergio in one of the closest results in the sport’s history.
Sergio, disappointed but undaunted, redoubled his efforts and returned to the Olympia stage in 1972 bigger than ever, and ready to upset the applecart of the now two-time defending Mr. Olympia Schwarzenegger.

But it was not to be. Whether it was due to politics, as some assert, or Arnold’s uncanny ability to will himself to victory, Sergio, now known as The Myth, would take the runner-up spot that night in Essen, Germany, despite reaching his all-time best condition.

It was a huge blow to the man, one which would ultimately lead him out of the IFBB and into relative bodybuilding obscurity for the next 12 years.

Return of the Conquering Hero
From 1973-1983 Sergio Oliva’s moniker became more trenchant than ever. He seemed more myth than man to a large part of the bodybuilding community. Out of the IFBB, he competed in Europe within the WABBA and WBBG organizations.

But in 1984 a new wave of Sergio Oliva mania would spread through the bodybuilding world as The Myth made his peace with the IFBB and returned to his rightful place on the Olympia stage.

Now a Chicago police officer and new father, the 43-year-old Oliva could only manage an 8th place finish competing against men who grew up idolizing him. Despite the fact that the version of Sergio Oliva seen that November evening on the Madison Square Garden stage was not quite the mythical beast of yore, his presence alone was enough to electrify the sport of bodybuilding in a way not felt since his monumental confrontations with Arnold.

And truthfully, to us, his fans, it didn’t matter whether he took first or last, whether he was in shape or out. What mattered most was that Sergio Oliva, The Myth, had risen from the depths of our collective memories to grace us with his awesome presence one last time.

Even now, 18 years after Sergio’s final competition, that electricity still surges, at shows, in gyms, on bodybuilding message boards– anytime and anywhere his name is invoked by those in the know.

I suspect it always will.


TITLES WON

1965
• AAU Junior Mr America - Most Muscular
• AAU Mr America - Most Muscular

1966
• AAU Junior Mr America
• AAU Junior Mr America - Most Muscular
• AAU Mr America - Most Muscular
• IFBB Mr World

1967
• IFBB Mr. Universe
• IFBB Mr. Olympia

1968
• IFBB Mr. Olympia

1969
• IFBB Mr. Olympia

1972
• WBBG Mr Galaxy

1973
• IFBB Mr International

1974
• WBBG Mr International

1975
• WBBG Mr. Olympus

1976
• WBBG Mr. Olympus

1977
• WABBA World Championships

1978
• WBBG Mr. Olympus

1980
• WABBA Pro World Cup
• WABBA World Championships

1981
• WABBA Pro World Cup

[Its_PainFuLL]

January 21, 1926 to May 1, 2000

Glasgow, Montana, USA



Almost without exception, all references to Steve Reeves append to him the phrases “V taper” and “flawless symmetry”. Those attributes took him to victory at the 1947 AAU Mr. America, 1948 Mr. World, and the first NABBA Mr. Universe in 1950.

Reeves’ matinee-idol looks and physique qualities led him into the movies; audiences were able to enjoy Reeves in the Italian-produced series of Hercules films made in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. In those roles, he was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his era, the most visible and best-known bodybuilder in the world; in fact, Reeves’ Hercules films served as an inspiration to the young Arnold.

Never really known as a gym rat, Steve’s personal philosophy was to train hard, then forget training and be a normal person who happened to have the adjunct of muscle. Nearly 50 years after he last competed, Steve Reeves is a bodybuilding icon whose physique is always presented as “Exhibit A” in any bodybuilding debate concerning aesthetics versus mass. Steve lived on his ranch in Valley Center, California, for many years and passed away on May 1, 2000.

Without a doubt, his legacy lives on in the countless legions of admirers who were inexorably drawn to a healthy and fit lifestyle because of their hero – the only true Hercules.

[Its_PainFuLL]

It started on September 18, 1965. The crowd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music waited at the edge of their seats, screaming in anticipation. They clapped their hands, stomped their feet and yelled as loud as their lungs would allow for the blond superstar from California with arms too big to believe. The man they were waiting for was the legendary Larry Scott, and the reason why they were waiting was because this was the night of Joe Weider's greatest creation. This was the night of the first-ever Mr. Olympia contest.

Larry Scott was the bodybuilding superstar of his day, but by 1963 there were no more worlds to conquer. Scott had already won the Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe titles; there was little left for him to prove.

Besides proving anything, Scott already had a houseful of trophies and plaques and felt that it was time to move on from bodybuilding and make some money.

Joe Weider recognized the need to keep Larry Scott in bodybuilding and the necessity to force the sport to grow. He created the Mr. Olympia contest to keep all the great Mr. Universe champions active in the sport and to give them the opportunity to earn money from competing. Joe could see that for the sport to succeed in the future, the champions would have to be able to make a living from competing in the sport just like other professional athletes.

Larry Scott indeed won the first Mr. Olympia contest that hot September night in 1965 and repeated as Mr. Olympia again in 1966. He then announced his retirement and the 1967 crown was up for grabs.

In 1967, Sergio Oliva (commonly known as "The Myth") won the third Mr. Olympia contest in overpowering fashion. People wondered how much better Sergio could get. But better he was! In fact, he was so much better that he won the 1968 Mr. Olympia unopposed. You know true greatness when no one dares to challenge.

Nevertheless, the greatest challenge to Sergio was waiting in the wings, and 1969 commenced the greatest rivalry in the history of bodybuilding. Oliva was challenged by a young Austrian named Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a close battle, Sergio came out on top in 1969. He was now Mr. Olympia three years in a row, but Arnold promised that Sergio would never defeat him again.

Both men trained hard for the following year and in September of 1970, Arnold edged out Sergio to become the third man to hold the Mr. Olympia title. He said he would hold the title until he retired and that he would never be beaten again.

Arnold took the title unopposed in 1971. For the first time, the show was held outside of New York. The Mr. Olympia contest was held in Paris the same day as the NABBA Universe was held in London. Arnold, with his loyalty 100% behind the IFBB, competed in the Mr. Olympia while other great champions of that year chose to avoid Arnold and compete in the NABBA competition.

In 1972, the Olympia moved to Essen, Germany, where it hosted another epic battle between Sergio and Arnold. Even today, more than 20 years later, people still argue over who should have won. The decision was made by seven judges and, by a four-to-three vote, Arnold held on to his Mr. Olympia title.

In 1973, the contest moved back to New York, and the Big Apple saw Arnold take the title for the fourth consecutive year with a victory over Franco Columbu and Serge Nubret. Most people felt it was an easy win for Arnold, but a huge challenge awaited him for the following year - the emergence of Lou Ferrigno on the pro scene.

Standing 6'5" and weighing 270 pounds, Lou was the largest competitor that Arnold had ever faced. The show was held in New York at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden. Arnold again showed his dominance and won the title for a fifth time, but rumors started to circulate that he was thinking of retiring.

The Mr. Olympia contest moved to South Africa in 1975, forever preserved on film in Pumping Iron. Most people close to Arnold feel the only reason he competed in 1975 was because the contest was being filmed and it could probably aid in kicking off his film career. Arnold won the contest easily and immediately announced his retirement.

In 1976, the contest moved to Columbus, Ohio, with Arnold serving as promoter along with Jim Lorimer. Franco Columbu finally won the Mr. Olympia title after trying for more than five years. It was not an easy victory, for he won by only an eyelash over Frank Zane. After the contest, Columbu announced his retirement while Zane immediately started training for the next year.

The next year, 1977, turned out to be the year of Zane. Frank Zane had promoted himself that way for the 12 months leading up to the contest. He came to Columbus ripped and ready. He felt that no one could match his muscle density and he was right.

Almost like an instant replay, the 1978 show was again held in Columbus and Frank Zane walked away with the title. Frank proved that the Mr. Olympia winner did not necessarily have to be big, as what wins is quality.

In 1979, Zane made it three in a row. Could he go on forever? Would he challenge Arnold's record of six Olympias in a row? Zane seemed unbeatable, but 1980 would prove to be the most controversial Olympia in history.

In 1980, the contest was held in Australia. The field of competitors was the largest to date, but it was the comeback of one that made the story. Many in the sport had seen Arnold training for weeks before the 1980 Mr. Olympia, but most felt it was for a movie. When Arnold boarded the plane for Australia with the other competitors, they thought he was going to do the TV commentary. Even at the contestants meeting, they thought he was there because he was an IFBB promoter and official. It dawned on them that he was there to compete when his name was called, and he selected a competitor number. Arnold won the Mr. Olympia title for a seventh time in 1980, but to this day, many people still wonder why he came back.

In 1981, Arnold switched back to being a promoter with Jim Lorimer and the contest was again held in Columbus. Not to be outdone by his famous friend, Franco Columbu staged a comeback himself and won the 1981 title in a tight contest.

In 1982, London, England, hosted the show for the first time. Chris Dickerson won the title after finishing second the two previous years. After winning, Dickerson announced his retirement while onstage.

The contest returned to Germany in 1983, but this time it was to Munich, where it was won by the Lion of Lebanon, Samir Bannout. He fought off tough challenges from Mohammed Makkawy from Egypt and newcomer Lee Haney from the USA. Samir had what it takes to be a dominant champion, but no one foresaw the determination of Haney.

In 1984, the event moved back to New York City's Felt Forum, where it had the highest attendance for the finals (5,000), the highest attendance for prejudging (4,200) and the largest amount of total prize money ($100,000) for any Olympia up to that time. It also featured the largest Mr. Olympia winner, Lee Haney. Haney won weighing 247 pounds at a height of 5'11". He was big, he was massive and he was cut. Also, he was unbeatable.

[Its_PainFuLL]

In 1985, the show was held in Belgium for the first time. Haney was dominant again, fighting off the challenges of Albert Beckles and Rich Gaspari. It was now two and counting for Lee. Many people felt that the Lee Haney onstage in the 1986 rendition in Columbus might have been the greatest Mr. Olympia ever. Lee took his third straight crown and began setting his sights on Arnold's record.

In 1987, the Mr. Olympia contest moved to Sweden, but the first-place result was the same. Haney was head-and-shoulders above all the others. He had now won four in a row, and Arnold's record was definitely within his reach.

In 1988, Los Angeles was the host city of the Olympia. The Universal Amphitheater was jammed by 6,000 who came to see if Lee Haney could continue in his quest of becoming the greatest Mr. Olympia ever. With prize money at its highest level, $150,000, Haney again won easily making it five straight times. For the third year in a row, Rich Gaspari placed second.

The next year brought the Mr. Olympia to Rimini, Italy, on the beautiful Adriatic coast. This would prove to be Haney's toughest defense, as he had to fight off the challenges of Lee Labrada and Vince Taylor. For the first time, people doubted Haney's dominance and many people said that he was lucky to win. But win he did, and in doing so tied Arnold's record of six consecutive Mr. Olympia victories.

In 1990, 4,400 people packed Chicago's Arie Crown Theatre. Prize money hit $200,000 for the first time ever as Haney tried to make it seven in a row. If 1989 was tough for Haney, 1990 was the year he almost lost. After two rounds, he was behind by two points, but rallied in the posing round and posedown to beat Lee Labrada and Shawn Ray. Haney now had seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.

Orlando, Florida, was the site of the 1991 Mr. Olympia. Haney was going for eight in a row but, for the first time, he was up against a man who was the same height (5'11") and weight in 245-pound Dorian Yates, the Beast of Britain. Four points separated them after two rounds, but Haney pulled away in rounds three and four to seize his eighth championship in a row.

In 1992, the Mr. Olympia contest moved to Helsinki, Finland. A new Mr. Olympia would be crowned that year because Lee Haney had decided to retire after a record-setting eight consecutive victories. The contest was close after the first round between the U.S. National Champion of 1991, Kevin Levrone, and the '91 Mr. Olympia runner-up, Dorian Yates. But after the first round, Yates started pulling away and won in convincing fashion.

A new Mr. Olympia was crowned, but did a new era begin?

Nothing could stop the amazing Yates in 1993 as he rocked the scales at a record 257 pounds in Atlanta. Even runner-up Flex Wheeler called him "untouchable". Yates certainly seemed set for a long reign in the manner of other great Mr. Olympias.

However, the Brit endured a horrendous year in 1994. In early March, he severely damaged his left rotator cuff, and then, later in the month, he tore his left quad. He battled his way through, but with the Olympia less than nine weeks away, he tore his left biceps. Displaying true blood and guts, even that injury could not end Yates' Olympic dream. He duly arrived in Atlanta to take his third Sandow statuette, but questions were raised as to what was previously thought to be his invincibility.

If doubts were raised about Yates's reign, he didn't hear, or heed them. He returned to Atlanta in '95 to score a straight-firsts victory in what many rate his best-ever form. Kevin Levrone hulked into second place and a new threat emerged in this sport in the 270-pound Nasser El Sonbaty. Not that Yates was the only Mr. O on stage that night, as in a unique ceremony, for the first time ever, all nine men who had so far won the Olympia crown assembled onstage to pay homage to the contest's creator, Joe Weider.

In 1996, after a three-year tenure, the Olympia left Atlanta and moved to Chicago. In the Windy City, Yates, more streamlined than we've ever seen him, cruised to victory, closely followed by Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone. It was the Brit's fifth victory, and, as in '94, doubts about his invincibility began to surface.

In 1997, the Mr. Olympia road show arrived in Long Beach to celebrate the 33rd rendition of bodybuilding's ultimate contest. Total prize money was $285,000, first place was worth $110,000, and bodybuilders were recognized as professional athletes in the truest sense of the word. The Mr. Olympia contest, which only Joe Weider had the imagination to create, was firmly established as bodybuilding's show of shows.

Dorian Yates was now going for six Olympia titles in a row. Could he make it six in a row? Would he make a run at Haney's record of eight in a row? It was a hard fought contest. Nasser El Sonbaty came in at his best condition to date and pushed Dorian hard. In the end, Dorian took the title for the sixth time, but there were some that felt Nasser was better. It would set up an interesting confrontation for 1998 since Dorian announced moments after winning the title that he would be coming back to compete for a seventh title.

What most people did not know was that Dorian suffered a torn triceps in training a few months before the show. Being the tough champion that he is, he said nothing and competed. After the contest, he had surgery to repair the muscle tear, but it will prevent him from competing in 1998.

In 1998, the Olympia will move to Madison Square Garden in New York City and will see the crowning of a new Mr. Olympia. Although a new champion will wear the coveted title of the "World's Best Bodybuilder", will he be cast in the shadow of Dorian Yates who may or may not return in 1999?

Editor's Note - Courtesy of Peter McGough, Editor-in-Chief, FLEX

His senses were reeling, battling to come to terms with the scene unfolding around him. He stood next to precontest favorite Flex Wheeler at the top of the ramp erected at The Theater at New York's Madison Square Gardens, gazing out over the seething maelstrom of a sellout crowd of 5,600. They were in an uproar as a chant of "RON-NIE! RON-NIE!" filled the auditorium, as it had throughout the day. He, Wheeler and the 5,600 were waiting to hear IFBB Pro Division Chairman Wayne DeMilia make the second-place announcement at the 1998 Mr. Olympia contest. The man not called would go down in history as the best bodybuilder in the world, the successor to Dorian Yates (retired), Lee Haney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, et al.

Hushing the crowd, DeMilia purred into the microphone: "In second place ...", DeMilia, who makes the Marquis de Sade seem like Mary Poppins on ******, then cruelly paused a full 10 seconds before barking, "... Flex Wheeler!"

The crowd erupted into celebration as the man who was supposed to be the last one standing went the other way, crashing face down to the ground in shock. Could it be that a guy who finished "dead last" in his first Olympia back in 1992, who placed ninth at the 1997 rendition, who had to constantly remind people that he was not the bodybuilder called Ron Coleman, had just entered the ranks of bodybuilding immortality? It could, and the biggest baddest cop in Texas began to sob uncontrollably, as at 10:41 PM on Saturday, October 10, 1998, 34-year old Ronnie Coleman became only the 10th Mr. Olympia in the contest's 33-year existence.

Editor's Note: - Courtesy of Peter McGough, Editor-in-Chief, FLEX

Like Siegfried and Roy, like abs and thighs, Las Vegas and the Mr. Olympia belong together: Both celebrate excess for the sheer excessive sake of it; both foster a larger-than-life philosophy decreeing that its standout attractions keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger; both revel in illusion and promote the fantasy that "life-changing gains can be yours", which in truth only a gifted few can attain. So it really was only a matter of time before Joe Weider made the inspired decision to bring his bodybuilding flagship to the gambling capital of the world.

Staging the Mr. Olympia contest in Las Vegas was a spectacular success, for there has never been a more glamorous setting for the sport's premier contest than the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and there has never been a greater night for bodybuilding than what occurred there on October 23, 1999. A sold-out 5,000 capacity crowd at the hotel's Event Center witnessed a thrilling extravaganza that culminated in Ronnie Coleman outmuscling 15 others on the road to Mandalay and his second consecutive Olympia crown, with the only apparent dissenter to the decision being a hyped-up Flex Wheeler.

Editor's Note: - Courtesy of Jim Schmaltz, Senior Editor, FLEX

How do bring down Ronnie Coleman? Tell him he's won the Mr. Olympia.

Now for the third time in a row, the world's greatest body collapsed like a heaving shuddering rag doll after learning he had won the Mr. O title, thus becoming the biggest structure to implode on the Las Vegas Strip since the demolition of the El Rancho resort a few weeks earlier.

Ronnie's personal annual fall classic, with its sobs of elation and earnest familial embraces, was emblematic of the exposed emotions curdling the atmosphere of the 36th annual Mr. Olympia, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Saturday, October 21.

Among Coleman's competitors, it was a night of repressed rage and quiet smoldering - a gathering of frowning Paul Bunyans who looked as if their favorite ox had just died. If the Mr. O lineup were a rock group, they'd be called the Moody Blues.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Location: Southern California

Born: 06/26/1955

Height: 5' 8"



Competitive Record

1995 Honorary Mr. America - AAU
1987 Detroit Pro Invitational - IFBB, 6th
1986 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 11th
1985 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 7th
1984 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 9th
1982 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 6th
1981 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 3rd
1980 World Pro Championships - IFBB, Mr. Universe
1980 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 8th
1980 Night of Champions - IFBB, 12th
1979 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 8th Place
1978 World Amateur Championships - IFBB Mr. Universe
1978 Mr. America - AAU, Short, 2nd
1977 Mr. Southeastern USA - AAU
1977 Mr. America - AAU, Short, 2nd
1976 Mr. America - AAU, Short, 3rd
1975 Mr. Michigan - AAU
1974 Junior & Senior State Powerlifting Championships - AAU, 220 Class Champ
1974 Teen Mr. America - AAU, 2nd
1973 Mr. Adonis - AAU
1973 Mr. Ironman - AAU


Tom Platz


Tom Platz is one of the most sought after guest speakers in the world of bodybuilding, nutrition and general fitness. He is currently a Professor and Director of Bodybuilding Sciences at ISSA. Tom has a Masters in Fitness Science, Bachelors in Science Physiology and Nutrition from Wayne State University and Michigan State University, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California.

Tom Platz retired from professional bodybuilding competition in 1987 and did a 'Comeback' in 1995 when he was awarded Honorary Mr. America. He still promotes the sport wholeheartedly. Tom says, "I just want to give back to the sport I love which has been really great to me." He is truly a legend in the fitness and bodybuilding industry.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Vic Richards is known to be the worlds largest and most muscular bodybuilder of all time. Vic stands 5'10" at 370 pounds of solid muscle. He has been the only bodybuilder that has risen to the top without believing in conventional bodybuilding competition.

Vic was born 9 of 10 children of a cardiologist father and midwifery mother. Vic started weight training at age fifteen weighing 210 pounds while playing football, wrestling and running track.

Unlike most bodybuilders, Vic did not start weight training in order to become a competitive bodybuilder, training was something that came naturally to him. At age seventeen, Vic started training at Gold's Gym in Venice with his mentors David and Peter Paul-- the "Barbarian Brothers". Vic chose to train with Barbarian because of their unorthodox way of training. Unlike most bodybuilders the Barbarian Brothers incorporated power lifting and weight lifting techniques in order to build ultimate muscle mass and density.

After eight months of training at a bodyweight of 225 pounds, Vic entered his first bodybuilding contest, "The American Cup" held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Vic won the teenage heavyweight class and came in second overall to a nineteen year old veteran teen named Rich Gaspari. At eighteen years of age and weighing 240 pounds Vic competed in teenage Los Angeles winning both the heavyweight and the overall. Then, two weeks later, Vic entered a lesser contest named "The Orange County Muscle Classic". Vic came second to a local teenage contestant who had placed fourth to him two weeks earlier at the Los Angeles Championship. At the Orange County muscle classic young Vic encountered first hand the politics and corruption that plagues the sport of bodybuilding. But politics and ignorance would not stop this young hungry lion from making his statement on stage.

At age nineteen and beefed up to 245 pounds, Vic unexpectedly showed up at the "California Gold Cup". But this time this young lion was ready to do battle with the open class instead of teenagers. By the end of the night Vic walked away with the heavyweight and overall class as he was crowned the California Gold Cup Champion. Upon his arrival to the parking lot his trophy fell apart! Vic was understandably disappointed and from there on he decided that competition should come from within and not from outward displays of hype. This unorthodox philosophy (in a sport where athletes are supposed to be physical and not philosophical) has gained Vic Richards lots of fame, infamy, and popularity around the world among bodybuilders and fitness buffs.

Despite Vic Richards' mythical physical extremes, he is not stereotypical of bodybuilders. Vic Richards attained a Bachelor degree in Psychology and Human Behavioral Science at University of Southern California.

Vic Richards' philosophy on the ultimate balance of the mind, spirit, and body has enabled him to give motivational seminars on fitness, nutrition, and psychology all around the world.

During seminars across the globe, Vic realized there was a common question people asked, and it was about quality nutrition. Most people felt that most major brands and nutrition companies were not delivering what was promised inside the products. After years of looking into this problem, Vic Richards came out with Rebel Nutrition. Vic's aim with Rebel Nutrition is to bring quality supplements to the consumers without the corner-cutting style of major brands that compromise quality and integrity by throwing fillers and preservatives into their products. Vic is one CEO that will not hide behind his label.

Name: Victor Richards

Location: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

Born: 1964

Height: 5'10"

Off Season Weight: 360 lbs

Competition Weight: 330 lbs

Arms: 26"

Waist: 36"

Thighs: 37"

Calves: 24"

Neck: 22 1/2"

Shoulder width: 43"

Chest: 67"



Competitive Record
1992 Nigerian Championships -- 1st and Overall

1989 Mr. Barbados -- 1st

1984 California Gold Cup Classic -- 1st

1983 Teen Los Angeles -- 1st

1982 American Cup -- 2nd



Victor Richards


Victor Richards has an awesome physique and has a true love for Bodybuilding. He believes that you should bodybuild for the love of it, not to win fame or trophies.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born July 6, 1972 in Newcastle, Australia. Height 5'4". Birth name is Lee Andrew McCutcheon, but changed his last name to Priest when his mother remarried (Lee was about eight). Raised in Walls End, New South Wales, Australia. Attended Platsburg Primary School. Has a sister named Kellie who is two years older. Lee's mom (Lynn) also was a bodybuilding competitor, and appeared with Lee on stage posing together once. Father's name is Winston.

Lee got into bodybuilding via his grandfather, Owen Kelly, who was a champion wrestler in the army. He took Lee to gymnastics practice when Lee was 12, where Lee started hanging around the weight room and found out he liked it more than gymnastics. Lee has a Superman tatoo on his arm. He always has liked Superman, and his mom made him a Superman costume when he was a kid, and it stuck. Lee received his pro card (at 20 years old) prior to the 1993 Niagara Falls show when Jim Manion (IFBB President) talked to Paul Grahama (IFBB President Australia) after they did not give him a pro card after winning the Mr. Australia three times because he was too young.

Married Tracie Ganje on 12/31/96, divorced in 1998. Lee had a contract with Weider from 1995-1997. Lee had a contract with Prolab Nutrition (1998-2000), and a contract with Muscletech (2001-2002). Lee has a training tape called 'Blond Myth' (1999) and another Blonde Myth (2000). On July 1st, 2000, Lee Priest married Cathy LeFrancois in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Name: Lee Priest
Location: Venice, California, USA
Born: July 6, 1972
Height: 5'4"
Off Season Weight: 270-285 lbs.
Competition Weight: 200-225 lbs.
Training since age 13
Arms: 20 3/4" (in competition, pumped) to 21 3/4" (off-season, pumped)

2002 Mr. Olympia - 6th

2002 San Francisco Pro Invitational - 1st

2002 SAN FRANCISCO GRAND PRIX - 1st

2002 IFBB Arnold Classic - 4th

2002 IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL - 2nd

2001 Ironman 7th, after bad virus

2000 Mr. Olympia 6th Place

2000 Night of Champions 5th Place Night of Fixes

1999 Ironman 6th Place

1999 Mr. Olympia - IFBB, 9th

1999 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 6th

1998 Olympia - IFBB, 7th

1997 San Jose Pro Invitational - IFBB, 4th

1997 Olympia - IFBB, 6th

1997 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 2nd

1997 Grand Prix Spain - IFBB, 3rd

1997 Grand Prix Russia - IFBB, 9th

1997 Grand Prix Hungary - IFBB, 3rd

1997 Grand Prix Germany - IFBB, 3rd

1997 Grand Prix Finland - IFBB, 9th

1997 Grand Prix England - IFBB, 6th

1997 Grand Prix Czech Republic - IFBB, 5th

1997 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 7th

1996 San Jose Pro Invitational - IFBB, 6th

1996 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 4th

1995 South Beach Pro Invitational - IFBB, 4th

1995 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 3rd

1995 Florida Pro Invitational - IFBB, 4th

1995 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 9th

1994 San Jose Pro Invitational - IFBB, 7th

1994 Night of Champions - IFBB, 12th

1994 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 4th

1994 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 7th

1993 Niagara Falls Pro Invitational - IFBB, 9th

1990 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, LightWeight,4th

1990 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, 4th

1990 Mr Australia - IFBB, Overall Winner

1989 Mr Australia - IFBB, Overall Winner



First Bodybuilding Contest: The 1986 Sydney Bodybuilding Classic

Major Wins: I won the Mr. Australia three times - 1989, '90 d '91.

Highlight of Career: Placing sixth at the 1997 Olympia at the tender age of 25.

Biggest Disappointment of Career: Having to cut out KFC at contest time. As to having my placing changed at the 1997 Mr. O, I don't worry about that stuff, **** happens.

Role Models in Bodybuilding: Dorian Yates, Paul Dillett, and Nasser El Sonbaty, I have a lot for the guys with the freakier physiques and that's what I want to emulate.

Bodybuilders Whose Personalites You Most Admire: Paul Dillett, Mike Matarazzo, Tom Platz.

Least-favourite Exercise: All of them.

Favourite Exercise: I don't have any.

Long-Term Personal Ambition: To live long enough to see a bodybuilding show judged correctly.

Long-Term Bodybuilding Ambition: To do the best I can and to get progressively bigger.

Best Bodypart: My Heart.

Worst: My whole body; that's why I keep training hard to improve.

What You Would Be If Not A Bodybuilder: A mortician. It's steady work, especially in Los Angeles.

Possession You Prize Above All Others: My life.

Idea of a Perfect Vacation: Going to any place with no gym or junk food.

Favourite Car: BMW 850i - the car I drive. Hummers and Lamborghinis are not bad at all.

Favourite Binge-Out Treat: KFC, Chinese Food and Ice-Cream bars.

Favourite Food: Junk Food!

Favourite Musician: I like love songs and ballads. Celine Dion is a good example of a singer who I enjoy listening too.

Favourite Book: Whatever is sitting beside the toilet when I visit.

Favourite City: Metropolis

Favourite Comedian: Adam Sandler is pretty funny. I like comedians who are rude and disgusting.

Favourite TV Programmes: Days of Our Lives and any TV talk show.

Trait you Admire in Yourself: My sense of humour.

Traits you Admire in Others: Honesty, and a good sense of humour.

Lee Priest has been hit with an IFBB fine of nearly $12,000 in response to his withdrawal from the Arnold Classic and comments elsewhere that a bodybuilder has to "sleep with officials" to do well in contests. Agree? Until the fine is paid, the 1998 Mr. 0 Seventh Place finisher will not be allowed to compete in IFBB contests.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Mr. Lee Haney is one of the greatest bodybuilders in history. He has been bodybuilding for 25 years and has won eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, beating Arnold Schwarzenneger's seven-title record. Now retired from bodybuilding, Mr. Haney is an educator and trainer and works with many world-class athletes. He has served as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports since December 1998. Mr. Haney owns two fitness centers in Atlanta and has been recognized by the President's Council on Physical Fitness, the United States Sports Academy and the International Federation of Bodybuilding. In 1994, Mr. Haney established Harvest House, a non-profit retreat facility for children on a forty-acre farm near Atlanta. Harvest House features nature tours, a petting zoo, and an eight-week summer camp for 12-15 year olds. Mr. Haney received a degree in youth counseling from Spartanburg Methodist College.

Name: Lee Haney

Born: Fairburne, Georgia

Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia



Competitive Record
1991 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1990 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1989 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1988 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1987 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1987 Grand Prix Germany (2) - IFBB, Winner

1986 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1985 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1984 Olympia - IFBB, Winner

1983 World Pro Championships - IFBB, 3rd

1983 Olympia - IFBB, 3rd

1983 Night of Champions - IFBB, Winner

1983 Grand Prix Switzerland - IFBB, 3rd

1983 Grand Prix Sweden - IFBB, 2nd

1983 Grand Prix Las Vegas - IFBB, Winner

1983 Grand Prix England - IFBB, 2nd

1982 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st

1982 North American Championships - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st

1982 Nationals - NPC, HeavyWeight, 1st

1982 Nationals - NPC, Overall Winner

1982 Junior Nationals - NPC, HeavyWeight, 1st

1982 Junior Nationals - NPC, Overall Winner

1979 Teen Mr America - AAU, Tall, 1st

1979 Teen Mr America - AAU, Overall Winner

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: November, 9, 1951

As a teenager, Ferrigno trained in his home basement in Brooklyn, New York. Ear infections as a youngster caused Ferrigno to suffer permanent hearing loss, but he continued to hear the call of iron and entered his first contest, the 1970 Mr. New Jersey Open Hercules, which was staged in Trenton. Twenty-one men placed ahead of him, but last place would not last long on Ferrigno’s agenda.


Lou Ferrigno was only 21 when he won his first Mr. Universe title, a Guinness Book record that stands to this day. More incredible, at age 22 he won again - and to this day remains the only person to win consecutive titles! Lou carried the world of bodybuilding to new heights and himself to superstardom with the film documentary, "Pumping Iron," that chronicled the fabled exploits of the youngest and only person to ever become Mr. Universe twice in a row! Exploding onto the film scene, with his place as a body building legend secured, Lou set out to do the same thing in film and television. In less than a year after "Pumping Iron," Lou was again larger than life and created a new cult legend as the title character of the hit show "The Incredible Hulk." The same hard work that crafted his six foot five inch, two hundred eighty five pound frame into a piece of human art, define him as an actor with the uncanny ability to assume characters of mythic proportions that carry a primal humanity.


Undoubtedly the discipline and resiliency that have made Lou into a bodybuilding icon lend themselves to his willingness to train as a serious theatrical actor. Lou worked hard to improve his diction and immersed himself in the actor's theatrical experience with the help of his acting mentors, Milton Katselas, Howard Fine, and "...Hulk" co-star Bill Bixby. The results were great theatrical notices in Texas, Canada, and Chicago (at Drury Lane Theater), for his starring role in "Arsenic and Old Lace," and starring roles in ambitious stage presentations of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "Of Mice and Men" - shows that toured throughout the U.S. and Canada. Lou's passionate pursuit of excellence has brought this Brooklyn born actor more than fame and fortune; it has brought him the joy of fulfilling his life long dreams.

As an infant, Lou developed an ear infection that caused him to lose some of his hearing. But he doesn't look at that as a disadvantage: "As a matter of fact, if I hadn't lost some of my hearing, I wouldn't be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my own potential. I had to be better that the average person to succeed. That's why I chose bodybuilding. If I became the world champion, if I could win admiration from my peers, I could do anything."

Remaining true to his host of fans from the bodybuilding world, Lou starred in the sequel to "Pumping Iron." And, "Stand Tall" is a film that documents Lou's 1994 comeback in the Masters Olympia title and his return to bodybuilding after a seventeen year retirement. Lou has starred in over twenty feature films including "Cage" and "Cage II", "And God Spoke", "All's Fair", "Seven Magnificent Gladiators", and "Godson". In two unforgettable performances in "Hercules" and "The Adventures of Hercules", Lou lived a life long dream by playing the legendary Greek hero.

All this led to an amazingly successful personal training business that includes such star clientele as Mickey Rourke, Michael Jackson, and Chuck Norris, and led him to author the book "Lou Ferrigno's Guide to Personal Power, Bodybuilding and Fitness."

Most recently, Lou can be seen playing "The Slavemaster" in the action/adventure series "Black Scorpion," currently airing Friday nights at eight on the Sci-Fi channel. Lou also provides the voice for the UPN animated series "The Incredible Hulk," with a cast that includes Peter Strauss, Mark Hammill, Kathy Ireland, and Richard Moll.

Currently, Lou has a recurring role as the new neighbor in "The King of Queens," which airs in its third season in September 2002, on CBS, Monday nights at 8:00 P.M.

In the Summer of 2003 Lou will make a special Guest Cameo appearance in what promises to be a blockbuster hit feature film "The Hulk", directed by Ang Lee.

Lou continues his regular study of acting and he works out daily, all with the same passion and vigor that made him a household name and established him as one of the most sought after entertainers in the business.

Born November 9, 1951, Brooklyn

Height 6'5"



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



1971
Pro Mr America - WBBG, Teen, 1st
Teen Mr America - AAU, 4th
Teen Mr America - AAU, Most Muscular, 5th

1972
Mr Universe - NABBA, Tall, 2nd
Pro Mr America - WBBG, 2nd

1973
Mr America - IFBB, Overall Winner
Mr America - IFBB, Tall, 1st
Universe - IFBB, Overall Winner
Universe - IFBB, Tall, 1st

1974
Mr International - IFBB, Overall Winner
Mr International - IFBB, Tall, 1st
Olympia - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 2nd
Universe - IFBB, Overall Winner
Universe - IFBB, Tall, 1st

1975
Olympia - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 3rd

1992
Olympia - IFBB, 12th

1993
Olympia - IFBB, 10th

1994
Olympia - Masters - IFBB, 2nd

[Its_PainFuLL]

Arnold Schwarzenegger started his career in Graz, Austria, with only one thing in view: the Mr. Universe title. The costs to be a member of a sports school were too high, so he equipped his own sports room in the basement of his parent's home. But in 1961 he met Kurt Marnul, the former Mr. Austria. Marnul was impressed of Arnold's body and asked him to train in the Atletic Union in Graz. Arnold began his intense and extensive training.

In 1965 he enlisted in the Austrian army, but to compete in Stuttgart, Arnold had to go A.W.O.L and because of that, he was jailed when he came back. He won the competition in Stuttgart and he was awarded the title Jr. Mr. Europe. By the age of twenty he was named Mr. Germany and Mr. Universe. Later he won many other titles and he decided to try his luck somewhere else. After following some English lessons and after a job as roadworker in Santa Monica, California, he got the offer to play the leading part in the documentary Stay Hungry. The role brought in a Golden Globe Award and meant the start of a spectacular, successful career.

He's married to the American TV-presenter Maria Owings Shriver (in 1986). They have four children: Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger (age 7), Christina Aurelia Schwarzenegger (age 5), Patrick Schwarzenegger (age 3) and Christopher Sergant Schwarzenegger (born: September 27th ,1997). They reside in Pacific Pallasades, California

Some of the vehicles Arnold owns are: Porsche 911 Carrera convertible, Mercedes SL600, El Dorado Biarritz convertible, 4 Hummer Humvees, Harley Davidson motorcycle, Gulfstream III private jet

Arnold owns Oak Productions, Schatzi on Main, World Gym Enterprises, Planet Hollywood, Inc. (major co-owner), and All Star Fitness Products

Some of Arnolds sports and hobbies are: bodybuilding, running, swimming, scuba diving, tennis, skiing, bowling, horseback riding, motorcycle riding, archery, skeet and trapshooting, bicycling, playing pool, traveling, drawing and collecting art.

Some other fun facts about Arnold are:

The name Schwarzenegger means black plowman/ploughman.
His father Gustav was a former military officer who later became a police officer.
Arnold had a one year old other brother, Meinhard, who died in a car accident when he was in his twenties.
Arnold was raised in a very strict catholic home.
Called by the Guiness Book of World Records, "the most perfectly developed man in the history of the world."
He Served as Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness (US) (1990). Noted fan of cigar smoking.


Name: Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger

Nicknames: The Oak, The Austrian Oak, The Olympian, Oak, The King, Champ, Arnie,
Schwazzie, Arnold Strong

Location: Los Angeles, Calafornia USA

Born: July 30, 1947 Graz, Austria.

Height: 6'2"

Arms: 22"

Chest: 57"

Waist: 34"

Thighs: 28.5"

Calves: 20"

Off Season Weight: Around 235 lbs.

Competition Weight: Around 260 lbs.

Favorite Exercise: Bent-Over Rows



Competitive Record
1963 Steirer Hof Competition in Graz, Austria (runner up).

1965 Junior Mr. Europe in Germany

1966 Best-Built Athlete of Europe in Germany

1966 International Powerlifting Championship in Germany

1966 Mr. Europe - amateur in Germany.

1966 NABBA Mr. Universe - amateur in London, England

1967 NABBA Mr. Universe - amateur in London, England

1968 German Powerlifting Championship in Germany

1968 IFBB Mr. International in Tijuana, Mexico

1968 NABBA Mr. Universe - professional in London, England

1968 IFBB Mr. Universe in Miami, Florida (tall class winner)

1969 IFBB Mr. Universe in New York

1969 IFBB Mr. Olympia in New York (2nd place to Sergio Olivia)

1969 NABBA Mr. Universe - professional in London, England

1969 IFBB Mr. Europe - professional in Germany

1970 NABBA Mr. Universe - professional in London, England

1970 AAU Pro Mr. World in Columbus, Ohio

1970 IFBB Mr. Olympia in New York

1971 IFBB Mr. Olympia in Paris, France

1972 IFBB Mr. Olympia in Essen, Germany

1973 IFBB Mr. Olympia in New York

1974 IFBB Mr. Olympia in New York

1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia in Pretoria, South Africa

1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia in Sydney, Australia

[Its_PainFuLL]

Biography
Born: May 13, 1964
Birthplace: Monroe, Louisiana
Education: Bastrop High School 1982; Grambling State University, 1986 (BS in Accounting, Cum Laude)
Children: Jamilleah Daniels
Occupation: Reserve Police Officer for the Arlington Police Department
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 280 lbs. (contest); 315 lbs. (off-season)
Current Residence: Arlington, TX



Ronnie Coleman! The Unbelievable! What can one say about the man who does 800+ pound deadlifts 5 weeks out from the Olympia??!! Ronnie was born Ronald Dean Coleman on May 13, 1964 in Monroe, Louisiana. He currently resides in Arlington, Texas. He graduated from Grambling State College with a degree in accounting. He is currently a reserve police officer for the Arlington Police Department. He has been on the force since 1989.

Ronnie was introduced to competitive bodybuilding by Brian Dobson, the owner of Metro Flex Gym in Arlington. He won the heavyweight and overall title at his first bodybuilding contest, the Mr. Texas in April 1990. And the rest, as they say, is history...Ronnie Coleman is a true Mr. Olympia champion, he was the winner of the Mr. Olympia Competition in2002 , 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998.

Career Highlights Include:
2002 Mr. Olympia - 1st place
2001 New Zealand Grand Prix - 1st place
2001 Mr. Olympia - 1st place
2001 Arnold Classic - 1st place
2000 JOE WEIDER'S WORLD PRO CUP - 1st place
2000 Grand Prix England - 1st place
2000 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 1st place
1999 IFBB Grand Prix England - 1st place
1999 IFBB Joe Weider's Pro World - 1st place
1999 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 1st place
1998 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 1st place
1997 IFBB Arnold Classic - 4th place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Czech Republic - 4th place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix England - 5th place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Finland - 3rd place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Germany - 5th place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Hungary - 6th place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Russia - 1st place
1997 IFBB Grand Prix Spain - 7th place
1997 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational - 3rd place
1997 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 9th place
1997 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational - 6th place
1996 IFBB Grand Prix England - 5th place
1996 IFBB Grand Prix Germany -- 5th place
1996 IFBB Grand Prix Spain - 5th place
1996 IFBB Night of Champions - 2nd place
1996 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 6th place
1995 IFBB Grand Prix France - 4th place
1995 IFBB Grand Prix Russia - 6th place
1995 IFBB Grand Prix Ukraine - 3rd place
1995 IFBB Night of Champions - 3rd place
1995 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 11th place
1994 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 15th place
1993 IFBB Chicago Pro Invitational - 6th place
1993 IFBB Grand Prix France - 4th place
1993 IFBB Grand Prix Germany - 6th place
1993 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational - 6th place
1991 NPC Nationals - 4th place - Heavyweight
1991 IFBB World Amateur Championships - 1st place - Heavyweight
1990 NPC Nationals - 3rd place - Heavyweight
1990 Mr. Texas - 1st place - Heavyweight & Overall

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: October 31, 1930

Prineville, Oregon, USA



Bill Pearl was an outstanding wrestler in the US Navy before he turned his attentions to bodybuilding. He won the AAU Mr. America title in 1953 and, later that year, took top spot at the NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe.

In 1956, Bill won the AAU Mr. USA. Other major wins were the 1961, 1967 and 1971 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe. Bill broke barriers with his combination of proportion and size. For his 1971 Pro Mr. Universe win, where at age 41 he beat Sergio Oliva, Bill weighed 237 pounds, which at that time was astounding for a man who stood less than six feet.

After his contest career ended, Bill became one of the sport’s leading training authorities and was mentor to, among others, 1982 IFBB Mr. Olympia Chris Dickerson. Bill’s first book on bodybuilding, “Keys to the Inner Universe”, quickly became recognized as a seminal work.

Over and above his stage exploits, Bill is renowned as a true gentleman of the sport whose fame has left him unaffected. He resides today in Medford, Oregon, and has co-authorized his latest book - “Getting in Shape”.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: April 16, 1942

Secaucus, New Jersey, USA



In the mid-to-late ‘60s, Dave Draper, “The Blond Bomber”, came to personify the California blond beach boy muscle ideal that holds sway to this day. An overweight teenager, he set about a transformation that progressed to carving a massive, shapely and spectacularly tapered physique.

Draper began working at Weider headquarters in Union City, New Jersey, before moving to the company’s Santa Monica office in 1963. From that base, he began his climb to bodybuilding stardom, in the process annexing the 1965 IFBB Mr. America, 1996 IFBB Mr. Universe, and 1970 IFBB Mr. World titles.

He had a substantial role as an aspiring bodybuilder in the successful movie Don’t Make Waves (1967), which starred Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale and ill-fated Sharon Tate. Known as a free spirit, Draper drifted away from the bodybuilding mainstream in the ‘70s but returned in the ‘80s.

Renowned as one of the sport’s gentlemen, he married wife Laree in 1988 and is now owner of Dave Draper’s World Gym in Santa Cruz, California.

[Its_PainFuLL]

VITAL STATS
Name: Gunter Schlierkamp
Location: Venice, California, USA
Born: February 2, 1970
Height: 6'1"
Off Season Weight: 290-300 lbs.
Competition Weight: 280-285 lbs.

Competitive Record
2002 Mr. Olympia - 5th
2001 British Grand Prix - 10th
2001 Mr. Olympia - 15th
2001 Night of Champions XXIII - 9th
2001 Toronto Pro - 6th
2000 MR OLYMPIA - 12th
2000 Grand Prix England - 4th
2000 JOE WEIDER'S WORLD PRO CUP - 6th
2000 Arnold Classic - IFBB -- 6th
2000 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB -- 4th
1999 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, 5th
1999 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 9th
1998 Toronto Pro Invitational - IFBB, 6th
1998 San Francisco Pro Invitational - IFBB, 9th
1998 Olympia - IFBB,
1998 Night of Champions - IFBB, 10th
1998 Grand Prix Germany - IFBB, 6th
1998 Grand Prix Finland - IFBB, 6th
1997 San Jose Pro Invitational - IFBB, 11th
1997 Night of Champions - IFBB, 9th
1997 Ironman Pro Invitational - IFBB, Disqualified
1997 Canada Pro Cup - IFBB, 6th
1996 San Jose Pro Invitational - IFBB, 9th
1996 Night of Champions - IFBB, 11th
1996 Arnold Classic - IFBB, 11th
1995 Grand Prix Ukraine - IFBB, 10th
1995 Canada Pro Cup - IFBB, 2nd
1994 Olympia - IFBB, 19th
1994 Grand Prix Germany - IFBB, 8th
1994 Grand Prix England - IFBB, 8th
1993 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st
1992 German Championships, HeavyWeight, 1st
1992 European Amateur Championships - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st
1990 German Championships, Junior Tall, 1st
1990 German Championships, Overall Winner

Gunter Schlierkamp



My Childhood I was born on February 2, 1970, in Olfen, Germany, which is close to Düsseldorf. My parents were farmers, and like many children of farmers, I was brought up in a conservative environment. My parents motto was, "Work as soon as possible to earn your own money." Sports were considered unproductive, a waste of time.

From an early age, I had to help out by working on the family farm. To have some pocket money, and to buy new clothes instead of wearing my brothers hand-me-downs, I started working at a neighbor's farm for 50 cents an hour. Of course, at that rate it took forever for me to save enough money to buy new clothes.

That was hard-earned money, and I wasn't always happy about having to work so hard for the things I wanted, but looking back I realize that it taught me some valuable lessons for my life.

I have two older brothers and a younger sister. You may wonder from whom I received my genetics. This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I have my mom to thank for much of my bodybuilding genetics. I actually look very much like her. She is a large-framed, sturdily built German farm woman.
My First Contact with Bodybuilding When I was 13 I saw my first Arnold Schwarzenegger film. I think it was "Pumping Iron." I wanted to have muscles just like him; I wanted to be big and strong. I was amazed to see how a person could sculpt his body through weight training.

It seems like a natural human instinct to admire muscles. Back when people were still running through the woods with cudgels, muscles must have been a sign for health, strength and good genetic stock. This instinct seems to be still alive.

Today, I can see how children -- who seem to show their admiration more freely than adults -- react to my muscles. They see me as some kind of a hero. My little nephews, for example, are very impressed with me. They actually eat better because their parents tell them that they'll get big and strong like me if they eat their meals properly. One of them actually hit a double-biceps pose on the baby's changing table.

It was the same sort of enthusiasm that inspired me to buy dumbbells and start training once I had seen Arnold in "Pumping Iron." I mostly trained my arms, since that was the most important muscle group to me. Sometimes I threw in a couple of push-ups, but that was the extent of my workout. I didn't know anything about training principles or nutrition.

At 16, in 1986, I started to work as a mechanic below the surface. That same year, I began to train in a gym for the first time.

Me, at age 6

The owner of the gym told me he thought I had good genetics. My weight was already 170 pounds, and I wasn't full grown yet. After two years of training I began preparing for my first competition.

During most of my competition preparations as an amateur, I was totally over trained. It took me years to develop the self-confidence to be able to train less frequently with a clear conscience. Back then, one workout lasted three hours. I only had one day off each week. That was crazy! But I was young and ambitious, and I figured the harder I worked, the better I'd get. Like everything in life, it is not through extremes that we reach our goals; it is through optimum balance.

The teaching of Yin and Yang is something I believe strongly in. I am not an expert in Asian philosophy, but as I understand it, Yin and Yang teaches that opposites must be in balance with one another. Just like in bodybuilding -- you need the perfect balance of training and rest.
My First Competition
Competing as a Junior.
In the autumn of 1988 was my first competition. I was competing as a junior ( 16-21 years) in the heavyweight division. This one and the following five competitions were all triumphs. I won every single competition except of the international German Championship, where I placed second with the same score as the winner.

In the spring of 1990 I won the junior German Championship. In the autumn of the same year I achieved the Junior World Champion Title.

A difficult venture laying in front of me was the change to the men heavyweight division. This change is a big step, because the level the men are competing at is much higher than that of the juniors. Some juniors take years until they reach the men's level, or they never reach it because they don't have enough potential left to improve their physique. Bodybuilding is one of the very few sports where you reach your potential usually around your mid thirties. I was working very hard to make a smooth switch to the men's heavyweight division. Indeed, I have to say I was very successful in achieving that.

After two years without competing I won in 1992 at my first attempt the European Championship in the men heavyweight division. In this year the German Championship was held two month after the European Championship.


Despite the fact that the European Title ranks higher than the German Title, I decided to continue my diet after the European Championship in order to win the title of my home country.

This wasn't an easy decision to make -- if I failed to win the German Championship, my European Champion Title wouldn't be worth much of anything. My mentor and later training partner Walter Klock motivated me to stay on my diet for two more month. He said, "You have to be German Champion once in your life."

In May of 1992 I won the German Championship.

Becoming a Professional Bodybuilder
Thus began my life as a professional bodybuilder: no money, lots of work and bad placings! You start at the back of a long line of pro bodybuilders who are desperately trying to gain some recognition from the judges. I had to learn to lose, which is something I wasn't used to at all. There were no more trophies for me; they wouldn't come for quite some time. To get a pro card and to become a real pro are two different things.

I had to think about my financial situation and my future. The truth is, even professionals who place well don't make enough profit to build up a future for themselves. Why is that? Well, bodybuilding is not as popular as many other sports. In my opinion, one reason is the pro bodybuilders themselves. They are often disrespectful to their fans, and many of the promoters and companies don't have a lot of nice things to say about most professionals, either.

I started to understand that I had to be different in order to be successful in this sport.

Moving to Los Angeles
In July 1997, we decided to move to Los Angeles. It was Ed Connors of Gold's Gym Enterprises who advised us to do so. He told me that I had the looks of a movie star, and that I should continue my career in Los Angeles. That same day, two people asked me on the street and asked, "Are you a movie star? Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Ed said: "Why don't you take that as a sign? If people on the street mistake you for a movie star, maybe you are meant to be one." Because I had nothing to lose, I took his advice and moved to Los Angeles.

This move opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I began to go to auditions for TV commercials and films. Whenever I had the time, I took voice and acting lessons. I received a couple of offers, but nothing concrete. Hollywood is very capricious. Today they plan a project, and tomorrow they decide not to go through with it. I will definitely pursue this career opportunity further, but bodybuilding is still my priority. I love my sport, I am very good at it, and it pays my bills.

Mr. Olympia 1998
I gave everything in preparation for this contest. Of course, I wanted to prove that I was worth the special invitation. But before the show had even started, some people told me that athletes who don't qualify the regular way typically don't place very high.

Well, I didn't let that discourage me. I hoped to place in the top 10, but unfortunately I ended up in 15th place.

Even though I didn't reach my goal, I thought this was one of the best, if not the best, Mr. Olympia I had ever seen, and I am proud to have been a part of it. Almost every athlete was in his best shape ever, and it was certainly a very impressive lineup on October 10th, 1998, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

[Its_PainFuLL]

For those of you who are not familiar with me, I would like to take this time to give you a brief history of myself and what steps I took to get where I am today in my career.

I was born on December 27, 1973 in Wisconsin and have lived here all my life. I grew up on competitive sports, mainly football and track. I started training with weights when I was twelve to increase my speed and power. I was very fortunate to have coaches and an older brother who were knowledgeable and committed to intense training. They were my major motivators and taught me the basics of weight training.

After senior year in high school, I focused on college and decided to put more energy into weights. At the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, I met my good friend and "nutritional mentor" Tony Frontier. He told me I had an excellent training program but my calorie intake and nutrition were too weak for the effort I was putting forth. At the same time that Tony had me eating huge quantities of food, he encouraged me to enter the Mr. Wisconsin. I entered the teen division and won the light-heavyweight and overall title, weighing 185lbs at contest time.

After winning the 93’ teen Wisconsin, I didn’t compete again until 99’. During those six years: I managed fitness clubs and nutrition stores, learned all the information that I could about bodybuilding, nutrition, and supplements, and went to UWM for Exercise Kinesiology. I entered the 99’ Wisconsin to qualify for a national level show. I weighed in at 236lbs and won the super heavyweight title.

The year 2000 was an eventful one for me. I warmed up with the Mid-Illinois in Ottawa, Illinois. This was my first "big" show to have over 100 competitors. Jeff and Ann Johnson, were the promoters of this well organized and very popular show. I won the heavyweight and overall title at 237lbs. Two weeks later, I made some refinements and took the Jr. USA super heavyweight and overall title at 234lbs. Eager to keep competing, a few months later, I gave the USA’s a shot and took seventh place. I thought I needed more size to compete at the national level, so I jacked my calories and training up and entered the Nationals at 252 lbs. A disappointing fourteenth place, convinced me to come in super hard like I did at the Jr. USA’s.

The next year, 2001, turned out to be one of the best years of my life. My luck sure did change, especially when I met my beautiful and loving wife, Natasha. With her by my side, I could accomplish anything! I entered the USA's at a ridiculously shredded 234lbs. I placed third, but knew I made a couple mistakes and that I could come in fuller. My wife encouraged me to enter the 2001 Nationals and KABOOM; I earned my coveted Pro Card at a thicker 244lbs. Only winning the Super Heavyweight class and not the overall, told me I still needed to peak properly and make some adjustments.

It now was time to become a "Professional" bodybuilder. I didn't just want to be another Pro taking up space in a lineup. I made a decision to become the best, and with the help of contest magician, Chad Nicholls, I knew I could do it! With Chad's help and my determination, I decided to try a "Pro" show that very next year. I just was curious of what would happen. Coming in at a full, 255 shredded pounds earned me my first Professional title at the Toronto Pro. It sure was a rush to win my very first Professional show! After the Toronto, I made a promise to myself. I told myself that I would improve AT LEAST 10% every time I enter a show, no matter what! Now, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!

Here are the current stats:
Height: 5'11"
Competitive weight: 265 - 275 lbs
Off season weight: 305 - 3205 lbs
Chest: 58 - 59"
Legs: 30 - 33"
Arms: 22 - 23"
Calves: 21"
Current training style: Everything is trained 2x a week!
Contest titles:

1993 Teenage Mr. Wisconsin lightheavyweight and overall winner.
1999 Mr. Wisconsin SuperHeavyweight winner
2000 Mid-Illinois SHW 1st and overall winner
2000 Jr. USA SHW 1st and overall winner
2000 USA SHW 7th
2000 Nationals SHW 14th (overlooked & missed my peak)
2001 USA 3rd place SHW
2001 Nationals Super HeavyWeight winner (earned Pro Card)
2002 Toronto Pro 1st Place! (Pro Debut)
2002 Mr. Olympia 12th place
2002 London Grand Prix 7th place
2002 GNC 12th Place
2003 Night of Champions 7th place
2003 Hungarian Pro 3rd place
2003 Mr. Olympia
2003 Russia Grand Prix
2003 British Grand Prix
2003 Dutch Grand Prix
Several things I have learned over the past 15 years: to perfect the basics of weight training, consistently change your approach until you accomplish your goals, and to absolutely NEVER give up. In addition to the knowledge I have gained, one of the greatest experiences from competing always seems to be the opportunity to meet some incredible and genuine people from all over the country!

Overall, I feel very blessed and fortunate to do what I enjoy the most: train my body to the extreme, encourage others, and help people accomplish their goals.

[Its_PainFuLL]

VITAL STATS
Name: King Kamali

Nickname: The Persian Pearl

Hometown: Washington, DC

Born: 09/11/1971

Height: 5'10"

Off Season Weight: 305 lbs.

Competition Weight: 248 lbs.

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Education: BS Exercise Physiology, George Mason U.

Occupation: President of King Kamali International

Hobbies: Spending all my time with my Queen

Future: Ruling the world with Bethany by my side.


Competitive Record

2002 Mr. Olympia -- 17th

2001 Mr. Olympia -- 10th

2001 Arnold Classic -- 4th

2001 IFBB IRONMAN PRO INVITATIONAL -- 3rd

1999 N.P.C. Men's, Women's, Mixed Pairs, Fitness Nationals Men's Heavyweight -- 1st

1998 N.P.C. Men's, Women's, Mixed Pairs, Fitness Nationals Men's Heavyweight -- 3rd

1997 N.P.C. Men's, Women's, Mixed Pairs, Fitness Nationals Men's Heavyweight -- Tied for 7th

1997 N.P.C Golds' Gym Classic Men's Heavyweight -- 1st

1996 N.P.C. Men's, Women's, Mixed Pairs Nationals Men's Heavyweight -- Tied for 10th

1994 N.P.C. Teens, Masters, Collegiate Nationals Collegiate/Light Heavyweight -- 1st

1991 N.P.C. Virginia Cup Teenage Open -- 1st



King Kamali


King Kamali is new to the bodybuilding world and rising fast. He became a pro in 1999 and placed third, after much debate that he would win first, in his first pro show.

His real name is Shahriar Kamali and has rightfully earned the nicknames "King Kamali" and "The Persian Pearl". Kamali will soon become a household name in the bodybuilding world.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: May 9, 1933





A motorcycle accident in Laconia, New Hampshire, in 1955 ended Colbert’s competitive bodybuilding career just as it was revving up. With four years of competition and a couple of wins – the 1952 Mr. New York City and the 1953 Mr. Eastern America – and a pair of arms often touted as the first to reach 20” circumference, Colbert was hitting stride for a bright future when that terrible accident all but severed his right foot.



After completing high school, native-born New Yorker Colbert began what has become a lifetime association with Joe Weider by working in Weider’s Union City, New Jersey, warehouse. He recalls earning $225 per week there.



Using his warehouse experience, where he helped ship supplements, Colbert decided to enter the health-food industry. After many years in New York City, Colbert moved to the West Coast, where he still has a store in Sherman Oaks.



In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Colbert’s incredible upper-body development often appeared in Weider magazines as a model for exercise articles. His photos in those days were an inspiration to many young trainees, who were awed by how Colbert’s arms were so much larger than those of the other bodybuilders in the same magazine. The young trainees of the day cared not for the titles he won so much as the inspiration those massive arms provided.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: August 7, 1941

Sardinia, Italy



Born in Sardinia, Columbu first engaged in the sport of boxing. He met Arnold Schwarzenegger in Munich in 1965 and was henceforth forever stamped as Schwarzenegger’s sidekick. In 1969, he followed the Oak to California and they became bodybuilding’s main duo, but all friendship ceased whenever they were vying for the same title, although Columbu never beat Schwarzenegger.

Columbu won the 1970 IFBB Mr. Europe and IFBB Mr. Universe titles, the 1971 IFBB Mr. World, and later took the lightweight class at the 1974 and 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia before winning the overall in 1976.

In 1977, Columbu broke his left leg while grappling with a refrigerator during the World’s Strongest Man contest. However, this Sardinian refused to be canned – with phenomenal fortitude, he began a rehab program using his skills as a chiropractor and, after Schwarzenegger’s 1980 IFBB Mr. Olympia comeback victory in Sydney, Columbu made his own comeback by taking the 1981 IFBB Mr. Olympia title.

It would be his final competition. Columbu zoomed fast-forward along the pioneer’s path that Jack Delinger braved for shorter men in the 1940s. Known for his incredible deadlift ability and for the horizontal crease in his pecs, Columbu transferred the knockout punch he perfected in his boxing days in Italy to the dais of muscle and became a bodybuilder who, by anybody’s standards, looked strong.

Columbu has appeared in movies, written some training books, has his own website, and is CEO of Eclipse Entertainment Group Inc.

[Its_PainFuLL]

November 15, 1951 – June 10, 2001

Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA



Mike Mentzer was born in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and was something of a bodybuilding renaissance man. Renowned as much for his vocabulary and propensity to quote the philosophy of Aye Rand as he was for the dimensions of his Herculean physique, Mentzer established himself first as a bodybuilding champion and then as a scholar of the sport. Having placed 10th at the 1971 AAU Mr. America contest, Mentzer came in contact with Arthur Jones, who at that time was promoting his less-is-best training theories along with his Nautilus exercise equipment.

From that grounding, Mentzer eventually evolved his own Heavy Duty training philosophy, which espoused brief intense workout sessions and spawned countless articles, many books and videos. In 1976, Mentzer won the IFBB Mr. America, and in 1978, after relocating to Los Angeles, he won the heavyweight division at the IFBB World Amateur Championships with a perfect score.

The following year, he was second to Frank Zane in the IFBB Mr. Olympia. In 1980, after tying for fourth at the IFBB Mr. Olympia, which Arnold Schwarzenegger won in controversial fashion, Mentzer quit competitive bodybuilding. For years afterward, he would rail against the outcome of that contest and Arnold’s part in it.

In recent years, Mike learned he had serious heart problems, and he and Arnold spoke, patching up their differences. The day after completing the filming of his latest training video, Mike was found dead by his brother Ray at the Los Angeles apartment they shared. Two days later, Ray, who had been undergoing regular kidney dialysis, was found dead at the same apartment.

Competitive Record

1971 Mr America - AAU, 10th

1971 Teen Mr America - AAU, 2nd

1975 Mr America - IFBB, Medium, 3rd

1975 Mr USA - ABBA, Medium, 2nd

1976 Mr America - IFBB, Overall Winner

1976 Mr America - IFBB, Medium, 1st

1976 Universe - IFBB, MiddleWeight, 2nd

1977 North American Championships - IFBB, Overall Winner

1977 North American Championships - IFBB, MiddleWeight, 1st

1977 Universe - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 2nd

1978 USA vs the World - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st

1978 World Amateur Championships - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st

1979 Canada Pro Cup - IFBB, 2nd

1979 Florida Pro Invitational - IFBB, 1st

1979 Night of Champions - IFBB, 3rd

1979 Olympia - IFBB, HeavyWeight, 1st

1979 Pittsburgh Pro Invitational - IFBB, 2nd

1979 Southern Pro Cup - IFBB, 1st

1980 Olympia - IFBB, 5th

Mike Mentzer


Back in the late seventies, Mike Mentzer was it. His impressive frame, combined with his idea that bodybuilders didn't have to train seven days a week for an hour or two at a time, created shock waves in the industry. Muscle builders began to realize that they, too, could have a life outside the gym.

[Its_PainFuLL]

June 17, 1910 - November 20, 1998

Perth Amboy, New Jersey, USA



John Grimek is the only man ever to win the AAU Mr. America title more than once. His wins in 1940 and 1941 were so overwhelming that contest organizers from then on implemented the single-victory rule.

Grimek exhibited a Herculean visage and was as strong as he looked - evidenced when he represented the United States as a weightlifter at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. In 1948, at 38 years of age, Grimek beat the young sensation Steve Reeves at the NABBA Mr. Universe in London.

A year later, in his last contest, the AAU Mr. USA, he beat Reeves again - as well as Clarence Ross, George Eiferman and Armand Tanny - and retired from bodybuilding competition undefeated. Expert at controlling his muscles and agile in acrobatic posing moves, he possessed extreme power; he was still able to squat with over 400 pounds for reps well after retirement age.

With his combination of proportionate bodylines and raw power, John Grimek served as the perfect hybrid between the pre-war "bodybuilder as strongman" genre and the modern "one sport only" bodybuilder.

John passed away on November 20, 1998, and will forever be remembered for his philosophy of life - always keep your focus on good health as the primary motivation for your toil, and build muscle the old fashioned way - earn it by hard work and dedication.

[Its_PainFuLL]

Born: June 7, 1928

Yorkshire, England



Combine John Grimek’s ruggedness with Steve Reeves’ proportions and you would produce a physique like Reg Park’s. Park won the 1949 Mr. Britain, and then subsequently spent six months in the United States.

There, he met up with Joe Weider who began to feature the Englishman prominently in his magazines. Park’s major wins included the 1951 NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe and the 1958 and 1965 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe titles. Between the latter two wins, Reg (like Steve Reeves) made appearances as Hercules in movies filmed in Italy.

Aside from his mighty physique, Park was renowned for his strength – which he often demonstrated in public performances. Reg Park was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding inspiration; the two met in competition at the 1970 NABBA Pro Mr. Universe, where 23-year-old Arnold managed to best 42-year-old Park.

Reg has lived in South Africa since the ‘60s, but is still often seen in attendance at major contests and, in his 70's, still looks great – a testament to the benefits of living a healthy, fit lifestyle.