Getbig Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Forums
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: pellius on January 06, 2016, 12:38:34 AM
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For me, it was in Pumping Iron. In those days we didn't really know much about bbers, at least for me being a young teen, and I never heard of any of those guys and didn't really know what it was all about. I actually thought that they just pumped some air or something and didn't think they really work out hard. That scene with Corney and Arnold changed everything. Also, from the few pics I saw of bbers they all had small flat waist lines but I didn't really know what abs looked liked.
When they first featured Serge Nubret in that film my jaw just dropped. It was just unreal. How each muscle just stood out with clear separation. They did a close up on his abs alternately contracting and relaxing as he breathe. I asked my friend, "What the hell are those cubes on his stomach?" Seems like an odd question today but in those days it was all new.
Upper body wise, as far as just standing relax, which is my favorite "pose", this is as good as it gets.
Anybody have that scene where they first introduce Serge in PI? I don't know how to isolate a particular scene in a movie.
"An unexpected entry in the tall class of the Olympia contest. Serge Nubret, 40 years old. Six feet, 200 pounds.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eS5t5QZb3Kg/hqdefault.jpg)
(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Sd83HLhtQ7E/0.jpg)
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One memory that springs to mind was when we were kids,me and my training partner Ray Harris saw Dave Mastorakis and the Mentzer brothers at a downtown mall.
We had seen Dave before at the local YMCA where we trained but to see both Mike and Ray in person was insane.
The three of them were simply huge .....we followed them from a distance just marvelling at their size (no homo).
needless to say,we trained our balls off for the next two weeks "Weider Wildcat" style! ;)
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(http://i41.tinypic.com/2q85aw9.jpg)
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pellius,I`ve been in a slump lately,your post is gonna` make me pop in PI later today to renew my enthusiasm.
Thanks! ;)
PS-Nubret was awesome.
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Abs a thing of the past
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Seeing Brian flockhart in Blyth asda when I was about 18, had seen pros in flex and plants bloated big but fat local lads but this was first time seeing a top level bodybuilder in person, was wearing a baggy whit tshirt tucked in and his shoulder/back width to waist ratio was so insane it didn't even look real.
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pellius,I`ve been in a slump lately,your post is gonna` make me pop in PI later today to renew my enthusiasm.
Thanks! ;)
PS-Nubret was awesome.
You know, that is the only movie I've seen to this day that inspires, and still inspires me.
The night I first saw the movie I went with three of my friends. The oldest, who was 16 years old and was the only one who could drive, was a real bodybuilding fanatic, which was kind of odd in those days. He worship Arnold and had huge arms. There were only two gyms on the Island, Mit's gym and a gym owned by Tommy Kono. Both were in town so most had home gyms. My 16 year old friend, John Kaiser, had quite a set up for those days. It was kept in a corner of a room IN his house. His mom was single and encouraged his weight lifting because she believed it would keep him away from drugs which is always a huge concern with good parents in Hawaii. Not only did he have a bench and squat rack but he actually had a serious of pulley machines that he made himself so he could do lat pulldowns and cable rows. That was really something in those days. I copied some of his designs for my own home gym.
After the movie, John drove us back to his house to show us his home gym. That was the first time I saw it. He also had a stack of Weider mags and posted a bunch of pics on the wall. I remember, when I became familiar with who they were, he had pics of Arnold, Louie, Franco and Robby. I think there was one of Waller as well. None of Nubret though.
Anyway, all four of us started working out in his gym like crazy. Must have been close to midnight. We all took off our shirts, looked in the mirror, and started doing the poses we saw in the movie making fun of each other. I remember standing in front of the mirror (he put up mirrors on one side of the wall) and said, "An unexpected entry, Pellius." And I started to flex my non existent abs. We measured John's arms and they were over 16 inches. It was a riot.
He didn't live too far from me and would ride my bike to his house to check out his mags and that's how I became familiar with the bbers of the day. I remember an article by Arnold that was titled "Ken, you've got to plug up those holes!" He also mentioned in the the article that Waller had "Fantastic, out of sight, calves!"
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(No homo)
Being a few rows back from the stage at the 2001 NZ grand prix and seeing a prime Ronnie hitting a rear double biceps and rear lat spread, was pretty nuts. literally everyone in the audience was going wtf.
(No homo)
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It was Olympic Lifting for me...Seeing my 10th grade biology teacher in a polo shirt...
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Would also have to say seeing Pumping Iron. Everything about the movie. It changed my life as far as getting into Bodybuilding and training seriously with a routine.
Seeing Sergio Oliva guestpose around 84 or 85.
Seeing Paul Dillett in the gym in S.FL. the first ever before anyone knew who he was.
Seeing Flex Wheeler off-season before the 99 Olympia. He was doing an appearance at a supplement store. He said he was 289, he was cartoonish. His delts and arms were just ridiculous.
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Saw Paul Dillett guest pose at the 98 Ohio about 4 weeks out from the O at 290lbs SHREDDED and hard. If he looked like he did guest posing he would have pushed Ronnie HARD
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Seeing Lee Priest in the parking lot of Golds venice. he was as tall as he was wide.
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You know, that is the only movie I've seen to this day that inspires, and still inspires me.
The night I first saw the movie I went with three of my friends. The oldest, who was 16 years old and was the only one who could drive, was a real bodybuilding fanatic, which was kind of odd in those days. He worship Arnold and had huge arms. There were only two gyms on the Island, Mit's gym and a gym owned by Tommy Kono. Both were in town so most had home gyms. My 16 year old friend, John Kaiser, had quite a set up for those days. It was kept in a corner of a room IN his house. His mom was single and encouraged his weight lifting because she believed it would keep him away from drugs which is always a huge concern with good parents in Hawaii. Not only did he have a bench and squat rack but he actually had a serious of pulley machines that he made himself so he could do lat pulldowns and cable rows. That was really something in those days. I copied some of his designs for my own home gym.
After the movie, John drove us back to his house to show us his home gym. That was the first time I saw it. He also had a stack of Weider mags and posted a bunch of pics on the wall. I remember, when I became familiar with who they were, he had pics of Arnold, Louie, Franco and Robby. I think there was one of Waller as well. None of Nubret though.
Anyway, all four of us started working out in his gym like crazy. Must have been close to midnight. We all took off our shirts, looked in the mirror, and started doing the poses we saw in the movie making fun of each other. I remember standing in front of the mirror (he put up mirrors on one side of the wall) and said, "An unexpected entry, Pellius." And I started to flex my non existent abs. We measured John's arms and they were over 16 inches. It was a riot.
He didn't live too far from me and would ride my bike to his house to check out his mags and that's how I became familiar with the bbers of the day. I remember an article by Arnold that was titled "Ken, you've got to plug up those holes!" He also mentioned in the the article that Waller had "Fantastic, out of sight, calves!"
Cool! ;)
Me and my friend Ray Harris who I mentioned earlier,took a bus all the way to Boston just to see the flick.........was not showing in our city of Springfield,Ma.
Freezing cold,missed the bus back home and had to stay in the "Combat Zone" all night as it was the only place with shops open all night.........sleazy shops I might add! :D
Never saw anything like it up until that time.
The movie still inspires me also, especially the part where I`m in it for all of 20 whopping seconds! LOL :D
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When I first saw this book at the local bookstore.
(http://zacheven-esh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/education_of_a_bodybuilder.jpg)
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I first saw Pumping Iron on my 10" black and white tv. It was on PBS and our 25" color tv would not pick up the station.
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Seeing Brian flockhart in Blyth asda when I was about 18, had seen pros in flex and plants bloated big but fat local lads but this was first time seeing a top level bodybuilder in person, was wearing a baggy whit tshirt tucked in and his shoulder/back width to waist ratio was so insane it didn't even look real.
He looked teeeny last time we seen him on the next table at one of the north Brittons, like his traps had been surgically removed, dunno what he's like now...
I seen Ian Harrison in a seminar when I was around 17, he was fucking huge, down to earth cool dude... Very honest with gear use etc
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You know, that is the only movie I've seen to this day that inspires, and still inspires me.
The night I first saw the movie I went with three of my friends. The oldest, who was 16 years old and was the only one who could drive, was a real bodybuilding fanatic, which was kind of odd in those days. He worship Arnold and had huge arms. There were only two gyms on the Island, Mit's gym and a gym owned by Tommy Kono. Both were in town so most had home gyms. My 16 year old friend, John Kaiser, had quite a set up for those days. It was kept in a corner of a room IN his house. His mom was single and encouraged his weight lifting because she believed it would keep him away from drugs which is always a huge concern with good parents in Hawaii. Not only did he have a bench and squat rack but he actually had a serious of pulley machines that he made himself so he could do lat pulldowns and cable rows. That was really something in those days. I copied some of his designs for my own home gym.
After the movie, John drove us back to his house to show us his home gym. That was the first time I saw it. He also had a stack of Weider mags and posted a bunch of pics on the wall. I remember, when I became familiar with who they were, he had pics of Arnold, Louie, Franco and Robby. I think there was one of Waller as well. None of Nubret though.
Anyway, all four of us started working out in his gym like crazy. Must have been close to midnight. We all took off our shirts, looked in the mirror, and started doing the poses we saw in the movie making fun of each other. I remember standing in front of the mirror (he put up mirrors on one side of the wall) and said, "An unexpected entry, Pellius." And I started to flex my non existent abs. We measured John's arms and they were over 16 inches. It was a riot.
He didn't live too far from me and would ride my bike to his house to check out his mags and that's how I became familiar with the bbers of the day. I remember an article by Arnold that was titled "Ken, you've got to plug up those holes!" He also mentioned in the the article that Waller had "Fantastic, out of sight, calves!"
Reading this makes me imagine some scene... like young kids wandering in their daily life and suddenly, in a barely lit room or some warehouse discovering something they became passionate about. A very good feeling, maybe even the best feeling there is.
It makes me remember when I first entered the gym, I was 15yo, trainer showed me the standart routine, I was doing the movements, but could not understand anything, like a robot, kind of baffled. But after I was finished I left the gym feeling.........light, firm, like my stature changed INSTANTLY, that feeling I can't even describe, it was so powerful I instantly knew that is what I want to do, that's what makes me "tick", that's what became my obsession from that very first workout, that's what is still driving me more than ever, that's what makes me excited about the next workout when I'm only finishing current. That was my "jaw dropping moment".
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I first saw Pumping Iron on my 10" black and white tv. It was on PBS and our 25" color tv would not pick up the station.
Hah! I saw it for the second time also when it came out on PBS on a black and white Philco TV. When that part came where they had Arnold posing during the prejudging and everyone in my family was grossed out, my sister said, "That's how Pellius wants to look like." It was said in a mocking and sarcastic manner. And they all looked at me like a weirdo. One of my brothers looked at me and said, "Really?"
I'm sure my sister doesn't remember this at all but it stuck with me. I was always kind of self-conscious lifting weights because my family always made fun of me. "Wow! Such big muscles", "Are you trying to get sexy legs" (while doing calf raises), "My brother the he-man. LOL!"
I use to hide my weight gain powder in my closet so nobody would see it.
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Seeing Lee Priest in the parking lot of Golds venice. he was as tall as he was wide.
Hardly an achievement. ;D
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Another sight I`ll never forget is Dexter Jackson walking around the Southern States contest in Ft. Lauderdale the year after he won it.........had on no shirt and just a pair of farmers/painters jeans...........looked fucking amazing.
At the same venue a year or two later,I saw Tom Prince with a black hoodie on with black spandex tights........looked like a fucking cartoon charcter.
Then there`s always Jeff King who I saw almost daily.......mind boggling physique especially his quads and calves.
When Jeff walked across the gym floor,you could see almost every muscle fibre in his calves twitching and writhing under his skin.
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I didn't realize serge was 40 years old in pumping iron? Holy crap I thought he was Arnold's age.....I guess black don't crack....for serge....
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Then there`s always Jeff King who I saw almost daily.......mind boggling physique especially his quads and calves.
When Jeff walked across the gym floor,you could see almost every muscle fibre in his calves twitching and writhing under his skin.
I saw Jeff during this era. For a short time he worked at George Turner's Gym in St.Louis. His quads and calves were out of this world!
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I saw Jeff during this era. For a short time he worked at George Turner's Gym in St.Louis. His quads and calves were out of this world!
Yeah,he went from Springfield Mass to St. Louis for a spell.
Knew him since he was a freshman in college........looked great even then.
You could see that he had almost unlimited potential.
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Another jaw dropping moment for me was sitting in the audience during the prejudging at the 93 Olympia. At the beginning of the show all of the contestants came on stage in two rows, on by one. Dorian was the last on stage, turned to the audience, flexed his lats, and it was show over! The entire audience gasp at the size/condition he was in.
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Jesus you guys are too gay. Jaw dropping moment in bodybuilding. Fuck
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Jeff was 22 or 23 at the time I knew him. Crazy development for that age or any age. Also, a very laid back, nice guy.
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Jesus you guys are too gay. Jaw dropping moment in bodybuilding. Fuck
Hey, let us old guys reminisce! ;D
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Ronnie Coleman hitching his thong during the 1998 Mr Olympia
1:05
??? :-X :-\
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Jaw did not drop, but saw Yates guest pose in Boston at 305 pounds. It looked fake.
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(No homo)
Being a few rows back from the stage at the 2001 NZ grand prix and seeing a prime Ronnie hitting a rear double biceps and rear lat spread, was pretty nuts. literally everyone in the audience was going wtf.
(No homo)
nz sounds like a happening place ::)
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More old fart memories. 79 Southern Pro Cup. Robby Robinson looking like black marble losing to Mike Mentzer with a perfect score.
Mike and Ray Mentzer guest posing at Mr. Florida around 1980.
Eddie Robinson wining Teenage Florida and then Mr. Florida.
Seeing loads of guys I trained with and was friends with go on to win the Florida and the Southern States.
Rambling on having a senior moment getting off track.
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(No homo)
Being a few rows back from the stage at the 2001 NZ grand prix and seeing a prime Ronnie hitting a rear double biceps and rear lat spread, was pretty nuts. literally everyone in the audience was going wtf.
(No homo)
Outed.
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Maybe the black & white photos of Yates....they bordered on inhuman.
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First time was at the old Montreal Forum at a WWF show when I was about 15
If you walked through the middles the wrestlers were usually hanging out under the stairs watching the matches. The one side the faces came out of, the other side the heels.
I met Paul Orndorff, Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, Jacques and Raymond Rougeau. Got all their autographs back when that meant something, they were all big fucking dudes but 2 things stood out for me
the amount of scars on Dynamites forehead and his massive yet short frame, had to be 5'6-5'8 max
the shredded mass of Paul Orndorff who was eating a massive chinese take of chicken fried rice lol
The second thing more bodybuilding related was going to the 87 mr Montreal and talking to Victor Richards. Guy was the biggest guy I had seen at that time.
Another guy who's build impressed me when I was still in Montreal was Claude Groulx who ran the gym I worked out at on and off from 93-96. He had just turned pro. Guy had some freaky ass calves and delts. Come to think of it he was the first guy to give me an ephedrine pill because I was there training with a friend and I had a hangover lol.
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Lots of conservative twinks who aren't comfortable with their sexuality in this thread.
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When I lived in Los Angeles for 1 year, Hidetada Yamsgishi walked outside my apartment as I was leaving. I stopped him and we chatted. He lived down the block from me. Knowing he was so close made me feel special.
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Lots of conservative twinks who aren't comfortable with their sexuality in this thread.
Outed.
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When I placed in the top-6 at the Olympia and then became an internet celebrity on Getbig.
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(http://www.gym-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/platz1.jpg)
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Jesus you guys are too gay. Jaw dropping moment in bodybuilding. Fuck
what happened to your pal, 'no one'?
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Vissy making Vince G his wife/bottom bytch.
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Jeff was 22 or 23 at the time I knew him. Crazy development for that age or any age. Also, a very laid back, nice guy.
Yup,one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.
The only time I ever saw him mad was when someone broke into his locker and took his wallet........he looked insane and like he would kill the person if he found him.
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None, all my friends started lifting for sports so I did it myself.
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You know, that is the only movie I've seen to this day that inspires, and still inspires me.
The night I first saw the movie I went with three of my friends. The oldest, who was 16 years old and was the only one who could drive, was a real bodybuilding fanatic, which was kind of odd in those days. He worship Arnold and had huge arms. There were only two gyms on the Island, Mit's gym and a gym owned by Tommy Kono. Both were in town so most had home gyms. My 16 year old friend, John Kaiser, had quite a set up for those days. It was kept in a corner of a room IN his house. His mom was single and encouraged his weight lifting because she believed it would keep him away from drugs which is always a huge concern with good parents in Hawaii. Not only did he have a bench and squat rack but he actually had a serious of pulley machines that he made himself so he could do lat pulldowns and cable rows. That was really something in those days. I copied some of his designs for my own home gym.
After the movie, John drove us back to his house to show us his home gym. That was the first time I saw it. He also had a stack of Weider mags and posted a bunch of pics on the wall. I remember, when I became familiar with who they were, he had pics of Arnold, Louie, Franco and Robby. I think there was one of Waller as well. None of Nubret though.
Anyway, all four of us started working out in his gym like crazy. Must have been close to midnight. We all took off our shirts, looked in the mirror, and started doing the poses we saw in the movie making fun of each other. I remember standing in front of the mirror (he put up mirrors on one side of the wall) and said, "An unexpected entry, Pellius." And I started to flex my non existent abs. We measured John's arms and they were over 16 inches. It was a riot.
He didn't live too far from me and would ride my bike to his house to check out his mags and that's how I became familiar with the bbers of the day. I remember an article by Arnold that was titled "Ken, you've got to plug up those holes!" He also mentioned in the the article that Waller had "Fantastic, out of sight, calves!"
Great story inspired from Pumping Iron !
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when i was a little kid seeing this guy tearing down temples...
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when i was a little kid seeing this guy tearing down temples...
Probably my first memory of ever seeing a bodybuilder on television.
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Probably seeing a near 300lb Dorian Yates walking round Temple Gym back in early 1997.
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Hah! I saw it for the second time also when it came out on PBS on a black and white Philco TV. When that part came where they had Arnold posing during the prejudging and everyone in my family was grossed out, my sister said, "That's how Pellius wants to look like." It was said in a mocking and sarcastic manner. And they all looked at me like a weirdo. One of my brothers looked at me and said, "Really?"
I'm sure my sister doesn't remember this at all but it stuck with me. I was always kind of self-conscious lifting weights because my family always made fun of me. "Wow! Such big muscles", "Are you trying to get sexy legs" (while doing calf raises), "My brother the he-man. LOL!"
I use to hide my weight gain powder in my closet so nobody would see it.
Another great story. I can relate as I used to hide my copy of the old " Muscle Builder and Power" under my books as a high school senior LOL.
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My jaw dropped when this creature somehow won 2 Arnold Classics back to back
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Another pic etched in my mind. Robby Robinson on the cover of Muscle Builder and Power doing a double Bi with the caption "Monster".
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meeting one of the muscle gods from my gym in the steam room.
and how friendly he was. in so many ways.
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the shorts on branch
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Another pic etched in my mind. Robby Robinson on the cover of Muscle Builder and Power doing a double Bi with the caption "Monster".
:o
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PELLIUS, I just got as far as your first post of this subject on the first page and have a correction to offer on your behalf.
ONCE UPON A TIME ....
The gym that you mentioned that was Tommy Kono's was actually owned by my good friend TIMMY LEONG and most likely at that time was across the street from Mits'.
I knew Timmy and Tommy most of my life and have to stat that each of them were among the finest individuals I've had the opportunity to meet.
The same with John Kaiser.
Tommy worked for the Department of Parks and Recreation and trained at the NUUANU YMCA. Timmy's Gym was in two locations over the years and Rex Ravelle had a small 'gym' in the basement of some store in the mall downtown. The name of that mall I have forgotten.
And Donald and Cathy Chang had a small but well equipped place just mauka of the Ala Moana Center.
I've been involved within the business part of the bodybuilding game since long before Arnold (SHIT! Even before Reeves became a household name with a bodybuilder's kitchen) and have met, trained with, or worked with the majority (over 90%) of the individuals who have been named above (plus the major photographers and magazine owners since the days of Perry and Mabel) and have to state that the 'game' was a hell of a lot different way back then.
Back in them good old days it was more of a small, family type atmosphere with minor squabbles between the very few gyms that existed and did heir best to stay in business when lifting heavy things and sweating lots was for the very few.
No such thing as gym chains nor Personal Trainers! You just had to ask for any help you felt you needed and someone would pop up and offer the advise you were looking for.
Or simply jump in and 'spot' for any of the pros dong heavy benches and then do your own while he rested between sets.
I've personally witnessed some bad shit and have personally heard of even 'badder'..... but I honestly doubt that the bodybuilding game/world has been as bad as some GetBiggers seem to wish it was.
And when someone says " ..... they are good for the finishing touch." .... you can be assured that that individual is or was an old-timer who used a substance intelligently and never over did it.
And got that 'finishing touch' which 99% of the worldwide population never knew existed.
I could spend all day long writing this historical bodybuilding stuff (some bad shit but mostly very good shit) .... but other less important stuff/shit requires my attention.
Pellius ... Do you know Allison Brundage? (Kahuku Nurse). Or Paula Suzuki. And numerous others who started this lifting heavy stuff on a remote island in the Pacific way back when.
Peter George, Harold Sakada, Mike Scott, Gary Watanabe, Judy Miller, yada, yada, yada.....?
The memories that I would like to forget but that are somehow still stuck in my mind are the bad occurrences within the bodybuilding world lithe I have personally witnessed or have been remotely associated with.
But they have been few and far between and all is well in Muscle-Town,
But I can't HONESTLY end this with a .. "Happily ever After"
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the shorts on branch
(http://oi66.tinypic.com/330ah4z.jpg)
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RONNIEREP! Did you know or ever compete against Richard Rippetoe?
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Stunt, I never competed against him but saw him compete at the Mr. Florida in the eighties. He was a very good bodybuilder and always placed high. I also remember his brother Greg who was also had an excellent physique.
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RONNIE! Thanks for that swift reply.
Ernie Santiago and I used to train with Rich when his dad was CG at Hickam AFB and we used to drag GREG to the base gym with us.
I think he required babysitting as he was pretty damn young and we tried to get him interested in lifting but he wanted nothing to do with it, but years later I heard that he was doing well within the bodybuilding game.
RICH was another "hell of a great person" that I've had the opportunity to meet within the bodybuilding world.
I have lost contact with him but I believe he was or still is a Teacher of some sort.
Let me know if you know how to contact either one of them
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Stunt, I really didn't know him, just from going to shows and watching him compete. He seemed like a good guy. I haven't heard anything about him since those days.
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Interestingly enough, the mayor of bodybuilding's most memorable moments in bodybuilding involve dropping his jaw and taking loads from musclemen in hotel rooms when he goes to the Arnold every year
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Thanks, REP.
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(http://oi66.tinypic.com/330ah4z.jpg)
ahahahahahahahahhahaahha hahahha
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Stunt, what an absolute treasure you are to this board! It is no exaggeration to say that we are all truly blessed having you here. Not only have you been around, you've been around EVERYWHERE.
You are, of course, right about Timmy and Tommy. I vaguely remember Timmy Leongs ad in the phone book showing, which I assumed was him, holding a barbell. It looked like he was just about to "clean it" in preparation to do the "military" press. Long gone are the days when you'd have to pick up the barbell off the floor to shoulder level so you could do overhead presses -- standing up (I don't know why everyone has to sit down for everything now: laterals, presses, dumb curls, rear laterals, overhead tricep extensions....).
I only trained at Mit's one summer between my sophomore and junior year. I had a part time job and I saved up all year so that I could go to his gym and train (in secret) and come back during my junior year huge and impress all my friends. LOL! Epic fail!
So I would catch bus from Hawaii Kai all the way to Fort Street Mall (that's the mall I think you are thinking of). It was an hour and a half each way on the bus.
I did not know Allison or Paula but I would like to know if we are thinking of the same John Kaiser. John would be about 57 years old now and back then in high school he was what one would term today as a permabulker. He was white as snow with freckles on his face. He always wore either long sleeves and short sleeves cut long so that it extended past the elbow. Still, it didn't hide his massive arms which was his favorite bodypart. He was a dedicated bodybuilder and a devote Christian. As graduation was nearing (he was one grade ahead of me but two years older. I think he started school late) he said he would devote his life to weight lifting and God.
Can you tell me a bit about the "John" you know? How did you come to know him? What high school he went to (my "John" went to Kaiser High)? Is he married with children? What did he end up doing career wise? He was part of the "gang" I hung around with during my high school years. I lived at the time virtually right next to Kaiser High and he live in Kuliouou which was around 4 miles from where I lived.
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RONNIE! Thanks for that swift reply.
Ernie Santiago and I used to train with Rich when his dad was CG at Hickam AFB and we used to drag GREG to the base gym with us.
I think he required babysitting as he was pretty damn young and we tried to get him interested in lifting but he wanted nothing to do with it, but years later I heard that he was doing well within the bodybuilding game.
RICH was another "hell of a great person" that I've had the opportunity to meet within the bodybuilding world.
I have lost contact with him but I believe he was or still is a Teacher of some sort.
Let me know if you know how to contact either one of them
Ernie was the most popular and well known bodybuilder competing at the time in Hawaii (1970s). I only saw him once in person and he was very dry and vascular. It was at a gym above a bank. It was a Nautilus gym which was quite a novelty at the time. I had just graduated from high school and was working as a security guard in a condo, "The Esplanade", where the owner of that Nautilus gym lived. His name was Hank Grundman and we got to talking about training and such and he was the one who introduced me to Arthur Jones. Hank gave me a book, which I still have (tattered and barely holding together), with a series of articles written by Jones. It included the Colorado Experiment and that book changed my life. It completely changed my whole perspective on resistance training. Though some of the applications are obsolete the principles I believe still hold true.
Soon after I read the book, Casey Viator, gave a seminar at the Nautilus gym and I was hooked. Casey was the first world class bodybuilder that I had ever seen. He just wore a polo shirt but his forearms were the biggest I had ever seen.
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PRLLIUS, Thanks for the nice comment and the kick in my head to get my memory banks up and active.
Regarding JOHN KAISER. I'm 90% sure that we both know the same John Kaiser as the John I knew would be close to 60 today and was very active within the weight lifting scene on Oahu.
A great and very humble individual.
And if my memory is still in tact, he was once married to Paula Suzuki who was once considered to be one of the strongest ladies in the world.
And Paula was another great and humble lady.
I have not seen either of them in the past 20 years.
I guess that you already know that Mits and Dot both passed away a few years ago. And the same for my good friend Timmy Leong.
I have been a good friend of Ernie's and his family for many years now and see him and his wife once a year. I worked with Ernie closely when he was winning his national contests ... the USA and the JR USA.
The gym above the bank which used to the Civic Auditorium where the local wrestling events took place (maybe before your time) was Hank and Vallerie Grundman's Nautilus Gym, but it was not the first nautilus gym in Hawaii.
(That's a long story in itself which I hope to tell on this board someday!)
Gotta take a break here to do some interesting research.
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My jaw dropped when this creature somehow won 2 Arnold Classics back to back
LOL
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PELLIUS, I do recall reading a sheet of paper on the Nautilus Gym wall that 8 individuals were signed up to partake in an IronMan Contest. The first of its kind, I believe.
To the best of my knowledge Hank and Val started that event which was originally held on Oahu and later moved to a neighbor island (Maui?) due to traffic problems
And without knowing all the details involved, I believe that Val took over the responsibilities of running the IronMan after her divorce from Hank while Hank ran the Nautilus Gym.
Back in those good old days, it was somewhat rare to meet a bodybuilder who had 100% confidence in using the Nautilus equipment exclusively but various claims were made by non-professional athletes that better results were possible by using Nautilus equipment only.
The validity of the COLORADO EXPERIMENT has been questionable since Day #1 by many of the pro-bodybuilders who chose to discuss it back then. And a lot of discussions were involved which were mostly con.
For some forgotten reason I thought you were a local who lived on the North Shore and I assumed you may have known Reverend Saul (KAHUNA SAUL) who visited us on a few occasions with Hawaiian blessings.
I might be wrong here but wasn't John Kaiser a guard at the Honolulu Prison? And I think Paula was also.
Photo is Paula Suzuki .... another great lady within the lifting world
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Capping this off with Timmy Leong photos
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SORRY, we're getting off-topic here but I gotta add a Ernie shot.
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PELLIUS, I do recall reading a sheet of paper on the Nautilus Gym wall that 8 individuals were signed up to partake in an IronMan Contest. The first of its kind, I believe.
To the best of my knowledge Hank and Val started that event which was originally held on Oahu and later moved to a neighbor island (Maui?) due to traffic problems
And without knowing all the details involved, I believe that Val took over the responsibilities of running the IronMan after her divorce from Hank while Hank ran the Nautilus Gym.
Back in those good old days, it was somewhat rare to meet a bodybuilder who had 100% confidence in using the Nautilus equipment exclusively but various claims were made by non-professional athletes that better results were possible by using Nautilus equipment only.
The validity of the COLORADO EXPERIMENT has been questionable since Day #1 by many of the pro-bodybuilders who chose to discuss it back then. And a lot of discussions were involved which were mostly con.
For some forgotten reason I thought you were a local who lived on the North Shore and I assumed you may have known Reverend Saul (KAHUNA SAUL) who visited us on a few occasions with Hawaiian blessings.
I might be wrong here but wasn't John Kaiser a guard at the Honolulu Prison? And I think Paula was also.
Photo is Paula Suzuki .... another great lady within the lifting world
[/quote
Holy shit, Paula! I'm going to try and look up John Kaiser on google and see what I can find.
I was born and raise in Hawaii but move to So Ca (Torrance/Redondo Beach) to go to UCLA when I was 19 and lived there for over twenty years. That's how I met Keith. He was working as a bouncer at one of the clubs there during my alley catting days. I think it was Tequila Willies. Anyway, I moved back to Hawaii in 2006 and live in Kahaluu which is still considered part of Kaneohe. Kahaluu is maybe about five miles from the Kualoa ranch. I can see China Man's hat from my yard (or maybe I should call it "Asian American Hat".
How are you so familiar with Hawaii. Did you use to live here. If so, what time period? I think when I move back here Keith had just move to Vegas. It's going to be, what?, five years now this Sunday. Hard to believe it's been five years.
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For me, it was in Pumping Iron. In those days we didn't really know much about bbers, at least for me being a young teen, and I never heard of any of those guys and didn't really know what it was all about. I actually thought that they just pumped some air or something and didn't think they really work out hard. That scene with Corney and Arnold changed everything. Also, from the few pics I saw of bbers they all had small flat waist lines but I didn't really know what abs looked liked.
When they first featured Serge Nubret in that film my jaw just dropped. It was just unreal. How each muscle just stood out with clear separation. They did a close up on his abs alternately contracting and relaxing as he breathe. I asked my friend, "What the hell are those cubes on his stomach?" Seems like an odd question today but in those days it was all new.
Upper body wise, as far as just standing relax, which is my favorite "pose", this is as good as it gets.
Anybody have that scene where they first introduce Serge in PI? I don't know how to isolate a particular scene in a movie.
"An unexpected entry in the tall class of the Olympia contest. Serge Nubret, 40 years old. Six feet, 200 pounds.
Same. Specifically, Arnold squeezing out the extra reps on those flyes, and then standing up with his tits just gorged and hanging. Then when he performed concentration curls and flexed his arms after without the dumbbells. His biceps were ridiculous, and the physique simply inhuman, especially to a young kid. Entire experience was surreal.
Second was seeing Dorian on the cover of Flex in '93, six weeks before the O. Those famous black & whites, totally blew me away. Freakiest size I'd ever seen. As did the sneak peek a month before, I think, small color shot of his rear lat spread (maybe eight weeks out?). Couldn't believe the pic was legit.
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When I first saw this book at the local bookstore.
(http://zacheven-esh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/education_of_a_bodybuilder.jpg)
This, too.
Also, saw the Barbarians at a club my brother was bouncing in Pasadena. First time I'd seen pro size in the flesh. Mostly remember how insanely thick their delts were from the side. They were wider front-to-back than my jacked bouncer brother was side-to-side. Just incredible.
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BTW, it was only recently, maybe a year ago when I was talking to one of the old timers about that gym above the bank that he told me it was Hank that brought the Iron Man to Hawaii. That's something. The Hawaii Iron Man is a big, big deal. So you knew Hank personally as well? What was your impression of him? I was very grateful that he always took the time to both introduce me to and clarify the principles of Arthur Jones. I remember him at the time (1979) training this big Haole kid in his early twenties. He reminded me of Big Moose from the Archie Comics. He worked at the gym and was a very intelligent guy.
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the shorts on branch
They're not shorts, their children's pants.
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(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=589731.0;attach=665939;image)
When I think of Ernie, this is the pose I always think of. Not because I ever saw him do it in person but because back in the early 1980s a crazy, intense, out of this world, bodybuilder named Benny Podda started to training at the gym I worked at (Barlow's gym in Torrance, CA). For some reason he left Ray Mentzer's gym (Muscle Mill) in Redondo beach. He really liven things up at Barlows to say the least and I was just in awe of him. Anyway, when he knew I was from Hawaii he asked me if I've heard of Ernie Santiago. Benny said that in one of his early contest when he saw Ernie he appeared so small and even skinny. Then Benny said, "When he put his hands on his hips and flexed he just lit up. Absolutely shredded." He then said despite being a bit shorter and twenty five pounds heavier he knew he didn't have a chance.
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(http://oi66.tinypic.com/330ah4z.jpg)
This made me laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh, I will remember this for days to come and just laugh.
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Same. Specifically, Arnold squeezing out the extra reps on those flyes, and then standing up with his tits just gorged and hanging. Then when he performed concentration curls and flexed his arms after without the dumbbells. His biceps were ridiculous, and the physique simply inhuman, especially to a young kid. Entire experience was surreal.
Second was seeing Dorian on the cover of Flex in '93, six weeks before the O. Those famous black & whites, totally blew me away. Freakiest size I'd ever seen. As did the sneak peek a month before, I think, small color shot of his rear lat spread (maybe eight weeks out?). Couldn't believe the pic was legit.
HAH! Funny you should mention that. One of the reasons I joined Mit's gym that summer was because he had cables and I wanted to do that exact same exercise. When I got to the gym everybody seemed to be doing no doubt due to PI. When I did, Mit yelled at me from his desk saying a scrawny kid like me shouldn't be doing exercises like that. That was more of a "finishing" movement after you get some muscle to "finish". He said to stick with bench and squats and if I start to get some "meat on those bones" then I can consider doing cable flies.
Mit was always yelling at people from his desk. He didn't have a separate office or anything like that but just a desk in the corner of the gym floor which was tiny by today's standards. I could imagine how he'd be with all the kids today on their cells sitting around. He'd be sued and run out of business in no time.
Arnold always had a soft spot for Mit as he always took care of him when he came to Hawaii. While governor Arnold dropped everything and he, along with Franco, flew to Hawaii to honor Mit when he passed away.
(http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/dailypix/2007/Jun/29/FPI706290376V2_b.jpg)
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PeLLIUS, sorry for getting off topic but you inquired and I'm doing my best to answer.
I'm definitely a Kama'aina but I'll go into those details when I send you a personal message as soon as I can get to it.
I don't recall how I met Hank and Val but it was sometime prior to their 'gym' opening and I immediately realized that I was meeting two exceptionally fine individuals.
I was somewhat skeptical about Nautilus and its founder in particular due to the fact that I had some personal discussions with a couple of well respected bodybuilders of that time who encouraged me to not believe in all the hype about this new way of lifting heavy things and about the Colorado Experiment in particular.
So I have to say that I was 'brainwashed' a bit and very skeptical about the claims that were being made concerning Nautilus muscle growth.
And Val and Hank were not the first in Hawaii to bring in Nautilus gear. A friend (DAN CAMP) had a small Nautilus facility on the campus of a private high school behind the University of Hawaii, but that's another long story about a very interesting and decent individual whom I lost contact with long ago.
I think that I was more interested in the design of this new gym equipment and the fact that no one had to pick up all the weight off the floor when it came time to close up shop ... and definitely not about he claims that some individuals were making.
BUT .... I can't speak highly enough when it comes to Hank and Val. They were just two great people who did a lot of good for others in Hawaii and I was a bit disappointed to see them separated.
And I was told that Hank keep the gym (was there more than one?) and Val kept the Iron Man.
Val apparently got the better settlement and I have been told that she is now Valerie SILK.
JOHN KEISER was/is definitely a prison guard ..... which leads to another Hawaii story.
A group of us used to hold powerlifting competitions in the prison. That program went exceptionally well until the prisoners were allowed to enter a PL contest at one of the local high schools.
One of the prison contenders left the high school facility and spend some time with his wife in the school parking lot.
And that was the end of that recuperation program.
About five years later I received a letter of thanks explaining why the program was stopped, with an additional statement that the events we did hold were one of the best programs ever held within the system but further explanation was never mentioned.
Last comment..... I was a friend of Ernie's since day #1 when he decided to be a bodybuilder. His big secret, if there really is a secret, was a diet of raw fish for a good number of weeks before his contest.
You could always find Ernie by following the scent of tuna.
Is the fish market still down across from Ward Warehouse?
Were you in town when Keith was planning on opening a modernized fitness facility in the building where the computer shop was located by ward?
Were you familiar with World Gym on the Ala Wai when Harold Mathews owned it? Some very interesting bodybuilding history started there.
Remind to tell you about the 'doctor' who dislocated joints and cured your ailments.
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One great memory that blew my mind was seeing Boyer Coe guest pose in the early 1970`s in Boston or Worcester Mass.,......can`t quite recall but he looked fucking tiny in his Golds Gym black warmup suit.
Once he took it off after pumping up and hitting the stage,I had never seen anything like it before,or maybe even since..........split biceps peaks,marble columns for thighs,tiny waist,tissue paper thin skin, and insanely perfect posing..........like a work of art that somehow came to life.
This memory has always stuck with me.....he was truly impressive to behold.
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One great memory that blew my mind was seeing Boyer Coe guest pose in the early 1970`s in Boston or Worcester Mass.,......can`t quite recall but he looked fucking tiny in his Golds Gym black warmup suit.
Once he took it off after pumping up and hitting the stage,I had never seen anything like it before,or maybe even since..........split biceps peaks,marble columns for thighs,tiny waist,tissue paper thin skin, and insanely perfect posing..........like a work of art that somehow came to life.
This memory has always stuck with me.....he was truly impressive to behold.
Sounds like you're still hard for Boyer...
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(http://www.gym-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/platz1.jpg)
The pic's been tampered with. Just saying.
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(http://www.gym-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/platz1.jpg)
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Sounds like you're still hard for Boyer...
I forgot to add the obligatory no homo.
NO HOMO :D
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With your ongoing history thread and and replies in this thread I'm just so in awe of you. How you seem to have managed to be everywhere and know everyone.
It was not so much the claims made by Jones that impressed me. Even at a young age I knew hyperbole when I saw it and took it with a grain of salt. It's his training principles and the design of his machines: full range motion, variable resistance (due to the cam design), isolation of the muscle.... that resonated with me.
When I was in the 11th grade (I had already graduated from High School when I met Hank and through him joined his gym) a friend of mine from school, Ron Johnson (who I believe became an attorney in Hawaii), who told me about this new type of equipment and training method that a coach he knew told him about. He wanted to take me to gym and take me through a workout. The "coach" was Dan and the equipment was all Nautilus. As I remember it, it was a long and narrow room with Nautilus equipment of each side position in order of how you were to perform the workout. As I watched, I was instructed that after a brief over all body warm up I am to move from exercise to exercise without stopping. The set is not to terminate until I cannot do another rep which was termed "failure". And you are to make a concerted volitional effort to take yourself to that limit and there will be a coach to make sure you are pushing yourself to that limit.
I was not the least bit intimidated and even motivated watching the other trainees grunting, groaning and moaning in pain. Seeing them dragging themselves outside after their session to get outside for some fresh air made me think that this was my kind of place.
I was put through the paces, was totally spent after only 25 minutes, and joined the others outside gasping for air. I smiled to myself seeing people just sprawled out on the ground heaving for air with one lying on the hood of a car.
After that training session I was sore all over but I then, surprisingly, quickly forgot about my experience there and went back to my old barbell traditional training (six days a week, body part twice a week). I simply wasn't able due to convenience to make the trip consistently to train at that gym. BTW, I didn't consider it as a gym per se but more of a casual training facility because it was so small. It was like a garage type gym similar to what, say, Black Perry, use to have in his yard (I mention names now on the likelihood that you might recognize it).
Oddly, I never made the connection with that gym and the equipment when I was introduced, re-introduced, to Nautilus and Jones by Hank a couple of years later. My 25 minute workout was so brief and I was so caught up in the training session (due in no small part to the vigilant coach pushing me on) that I didn't pay much attention to the equipment I was using or even recognized the equipment when I joined Hank's gym as the one in that little shack on the campus.
I'm sure to the general public a diet of raw fish seems like quite a disciplined one. But sashimi as you know is quite a delicacy and it's a dream to be able to eat sashimi everyday. Things just worked out well for Ernie. Eating a healthy diet that he loves.
I moved back to Hawaii in 2006 and never got to reunite with Keith. I also rarely venture out into town and never checked out any of the other gyms. The only gym in my area is the 24 Fitness in Kaneohe. Not too happy with the gym especially when compare to the mainland. But I understand that shipping equipment across the Pacific is a huge cost so we don't get the most up to date stuff and what we have is so worn and old although they have recently got some new stuff ("Hoist" equipment which I am not impress with).
It's truly a pleasure and an honor reminiscing with you like this.
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One great memory that blew my mind was seeing Boyer Coe guest pose in the early 1970`s in Boston or Worcester Mass.,......can`t quite recall but he looked fucking tiny in his Golds Gym black warmup suit.
Once he took it off after pumping up and hitting the stage,I had never seen anything like it before,or maybe even since..........split biceps peaks,marble columns for thighs,tiny waist,tissue paper thin skin, and insanely perfect posing..........like a work of art that somehow came to life.
This memory has always stuck with me.....he was truly impressive to behold.
When I was training at the Nautilus gym in Hwaii mentioned previously
there was this guy who was a freak and put together perfectly.I was told he was just 19 years old and he looked so much like Boyer Coe. I asked asked the guy at the desk who that person was he told me it was Ken Cole and he had won the Teen America or something like that.
I was sure he was related to Boyer but was too shy to ask him. Decades later when his name came up I noticed it was spelt "Cole" instead of "Coe". But still, the facial resemblance and propensity for muscle mass was quite a coincidence.
(http://www.classicbodybuilders.com/bodybuilder/kencole1.jpg)
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To Stuntmovie,
While living in Hawaii did you ever hear and/or meet Derick Kaneshiro? He was in my grade and to this day I consider the most genetically gifted physical specimen ever. I first saw him shirtless in the 7th grade at Niu Valley Intermediate school in the locker room after PE class. All our jaws dropped. I mean, he had abs, pecs, shoulders -- everything. He looked like a bodybuilder at just 13 years old. Even the coaches and PE teachers commented about him. In the 11th grade at 5'6" 165 lbs 16 years old, I personally witnessed him bench press (with a bridge) 455 lbs. He would do behind the neck presses for reps with 225 lbs. Full squatted over 500 lbs. He was so densely muscles even though just a teenager it was unreal. There is no way today anyone would believe that he would be natural. But in those days nobody knew about steroids let alone how to get them and how to come up with the money to buy them. When you look like a Mr. America (which is what I said when I first saw him) at just 12-13 years old you are looking at a legit genetic freak. I mean, where is a 12 year old going to get steroids, let alone buy them and know how to use them, back in 1972?
Those are the times when I wish we had cell phones back them to take pics and vids showing this freak in action.
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PELLIUS, Yes, I also think that Jones was a genius when he designed his Nautilua equipment but …..
I kind of, sort of recall, that maybe I saw that same cam design many years before Nautilus in an early Gold’s when Joe was building equipment …. or maybe, just maybe, I saw that cam design in Giironda’s gym on Ventura Blvd a short time after.
I agree that Jones was somewhat of a genius but I am still not convinced that you can build a pro physique by using Nautilus gear only which many people claimed when it was first introduced.
I could be wrong here but there may be a resurgence of Nautilus training with he increase in interest of this new Physique competition ... which I honestly believe is going to get very popular over the next couple of years.
So it appears that you did meet DAN CAMP and trained in his facility on that HS campus … the name of which I have forgotten.
Good friend, STEVE DUSSIA, was a strong advocate of DAN’s facility and it’s possible that he may have put you through a few workouts to get you started … but that may have been long before you started training..
ERIK KANESHIRO … There are a hell of a lot of KANESHIROs on the islands and there is a strong possibility that I may have met him at one time or another.
I think he trained at Mike Scott’s and Gary Watanabe’s gym in Pearl City. Is that gym still there?
Black Perry? Do you mean “George”?
KEN COLE ….. Never met Ken but I did know Boyer and from the looks of Ken’s photo (see below) he does look like a very your Boyer.
Did you ever meet or train with BILL STAR? He was the UH strength coach and the author of ONLY THE STRONG WITLL SURVIVE. i helped him a bit and he gave me some credit and thanks when it was published.
How about GREG LEFCOURT? He promoted a contest there for roughly 30 years and pased away last August shortly after his Honolulu Police Department retirement.
The Watanabe family in Hilo? They had a decent gym there long ago.
Memory banks kicking in!
I hope that the other readers of this topic can relate to some of this Hawaii story telling. There is a lot of unknown bodybuilding history among those isles.
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The pic's been tampered with. Just saying.
I didn't know. Do you have a link to the original one?
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I doubt that Platz's legs have been photoshopped.
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PELLIUS, Yes, I also think that Jones was a genius when he designed his Nautilua equipment but …..
I kind of, sort of recall, that maybe I saw that same cam design many years before Nautilus in an early Gold’s when Joe was building equipment …. or maybe, just maybe, I saw that cam design in Giironda’s gym on Ventura Blvd a short time after.
I agree that Jones was somewhat of a genius but I am still not convinced that you can build a pro physique by using Nautilus gear only which many people claimed when it was first introduced.
I could be wrong here but there may be a resurgence of Nautilus training with he increase in interest of this new Physique competition ... which I honestly believe is going to get very popular over the next couple of years.
So it appears that you did meet DAN CAMP and trained in his facility on that HS campus … the name of which I have forgotten.
Good friend, STEVE DUSSIA, was a strong advocate of DAN’s facility and it’s possible that he may have put you through a few workouts to get you started … but that may have been long before you started training..
ERIK KANESHIRO … There are a hell of a lot of KANESHIROs on the islands and there is a strong possibility that I may have met him at one time or another.
I think he trained at Mike Scott’s and Gary Watanabe’s gym in Pearl City. Is that gym still there?
Black Perry? Do you mean “George”?
KEN COLE ….. Never met Ken but I did know Boyer and from the looks of Ken’s photo (see below) he does look like a very your Boyer.
Did you ever meet or train with BILL STAR? He was the UH strength coach and the author of ONLY THE STRONG WITLL SURVIVE. i helped him a bit and he gave me some credit and thanks when it was published.
How about GREG LEFCOURT? He promoted a contest there for roughly 30 years and pased away last August shortly after his Honolulu Police Department retirement.
The Watanabe family in Hilo? They had a decent gym there long ago.
Memory banks kicking in!
I hope that the other readers of this topic can relate to some of this Hawaii story telling. There is a lot of unknown bodybuilding history among those isles.
I did not know there were other cam designs. According to his book he started working on the pullover machine (the first one actually brought to market) in the 1950s rejecting dozens of designs. Too bad Joe Gold or Vince didn't follow through because some of those early machines were horrible. But, yes, Jones' claims were very exaggerated.
Yes, I did mean George Perry. His brother, whom we just knew as "Black", lived across the street from me and I grew up with his sons Dennis and Ricky. If you know George then you probably also knew his son, Bruce. Bruce was maybe about five years old at the time and was already out their in the yard doing dead lifts and other exercises just on his own. He was a tough little guy and I'm sure he became a tough big guy. George Perry had these magnificent dogs that were both awe inspiring and terrifying for this young teen. Dogs I have never seen before and I use to live right next door to a kennels in Palolo and grew up taking care of dogs.
You'd recognize the Derick Kaneshiro I'm talking about because he was just a freak. His extreme musculature would have been a dead give away. I would put him on par with Casey Viator when Casey was a teen but reading about Casey's lifts, Derick was stronger.
I only had one work out at that Nautilus facility and that was probably in 1976.
I don't recognize any of the names of gyms you mentioned. I was away from Hawaii for nearly 26 years so was out of the loop.
Still can't believe you knew my old high school friend, John Keiser. I'm going to try to contact him and maybe I can convince to come with me to Vegas for the Mr. O so I can have the honor of meeting you and Harley in person and you can reunite and reminisce with John. That's something I'd like to sit in on.
Since I was with John for my first PI viewing it would be historic to be with him for my first Mr. O viewing 40 years later.
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Forgot, also saw Victor Richards at a restaurant in Upland, CA (mid 90s, I'd say). Huge, obviously, but no jaw drop. Same with Bob Birdsong years earlier at my gym. Just eh.
Maybe because they were both rather short?
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at the time looking back yeah it was pretty shocking,we were training and a call at the gym from a top npc guy that told the ownerof the gym on the phone gossip confirmed dennis newman had cancer before it hit mags and literally like right after his usa win..
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Disclaimer, this is a negative post. When I was in college in the very late 70's and early 80's bodybuilding exploded. Many of my friends were bouncers I hung out with during that time were drug using competitive bodybuilders. Jaws dropped in the club when they walked into the club wearing their muscle tee shirts. Many cycled drugs for over a decade. They all stopped using due to health, finances or even arrests. My jaw dropping moments happened in how they all look like they never did a push up in their life now. They all seem to carry a dog eared picture of their glory back in the day in their wallet to show people.