Getbig Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Forums
Getbig Main Boards => Gossip & Opinions => Topic started by: Danimal77 on March 29, 2018, 07:42:28 PM
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You can't possibly believe that...
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Kovacs was living proof that bigger per se is not better. His arms in particular, despite their apparent size, weren't 10% of the freakiness of a Roelly Winklaar, Lee Priest, or even Phil Heath.
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They were show stoppers at the wake too.
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Kovacs was living proof that bigger per se is not better. His arms in particular, despite their apparent size, weren't 10% of the freakiness of a Roelly Winklaar, Lee Priest, or even Phil Heath.
Very much this x2
Reminded me of an elephant
They are big & also highly unlikely to win a bodybuilding competition.
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Very much this x2
Reminded me of an elephant
They are big & also highly unlikely to win a bodybuilding competition.
Greg looked amazing when he won the super-heavyweight and overall at the 1996 CBBF Nationals in Canada. I think he was something like 296-lb at his height of 6'2. Greg said in the column he had on RXMuscle that because of his performance that year, that he would give Greg an automatic invite to the Mr. Olympia contest, but that Greg was loyal to Paul Gardiner, who also founded the MuscleTech line of supplements [and may still own it. Fortress would know].
Fortress is probably reading this thread thinking "Oh yeah, Greg - I'm reminded of how is "26 inch arms" made MUSCLEMAG become basically one giant ad for MuscleTech." :-X
In hindsight, Greg should have entered that Mr. Olympia contest in 1996, focusing on NOTHING aside from looking the same as he in Nationals. Instead, he decided to add 20-lb of mass, which was supposed to make him around 325-lb for the 1997 Night of Champions - so we can extrapolate backwards and say he was 305-lb in 1996...but the weight of 296-lb was in my mind for some reason. Maybe I just confused the weight with the year of the contest.
Sadly, in 1997, Greg showed up at the Night of Champions with 20-lb of added...synthol. :-\
Nether Animal has likely perused the photos I am speaking about. Consider that Greg still dwarfed massive bodybuilders, synthol or not. Lack of aesthetics or not.
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Next up, Brad Hollibaugh and his peaky biceps ::)
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Next up, Brad Hollibaugh and his peaky biceps ::)
That lying fucker needs his own tribute thread!
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I’d say 23-24” he was a huge guy but no way in hell 26”
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nice gut sticking out further than chest from the side. 2 inches taller than, Arnold but doesnt look near as thick front to back, arms don't look as big or impressive
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On a scale rating of aesthetics I'd give him 2 out of 10
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Unfortunately, he also had een IQ of 26 ;)
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I’m not one to exaggerate, but Greg’s upper arms could very well have taped-out at 26. As one who was often in his company, the guy was quite simply GIGANTIC. Keep in mind I’ve met a majority of the largest and most muscular men to have walked the earth. Kovacs made the biggest look like tiny tits.
I recall squeezing into the staff washroom (two stalls and one urinal) at MuscleMag’s offices with Paul Gardiner and Greg so the latter could preview his physique for an upcoming IFBB contest. He was 385 with abs (despite the sheer girth of his waist) and quite muscular.
At one point during some back shots he started cramping. Paul and I had a moment of terror thinking the spasming giant would crush us. Truly. It was frightening. I recoiled into the stall and Paul wedged between the urinal and the wall by the door.
Greg was essentially a lousy bodybuilder, aesthetically speaking, but his overwhelming mass was genuinely freakish.
One time he visited a warehouse with an industrial scale to get an accurate bodyweight. I recall it reading, like, 408, or something.
Photographs will never do the man’s immensity justice.
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I’m not one to exaggerate, but Greg’s upper arms could very well have taped-out at 26. As one who was often in his company, the guy was quite simply GIGANTIC. Keep in mind I’ve met a majority of the largest and most muscular men to have walked the earth. Kovacs made the biggest look like tiny tits.
I recall squeezing into the staff washroom (two stalls and one urinal) at MuscleMag’s offices with Paul Gardiner and Greg so the latter could preview his physique for an upcoming IFBB contest. He was 385 with abs (despite the sheer girth of his waist) and quite muscular.
At one point during some back shots he started cramping. Paul and I had a moment of terror thinking the spasming giant would crush us. Truly. It was frightening. I recoiled into the stall and Paul wedged between the urinal and the wall by the door.
Greg was essentially a lousy bodybuilder, aesthetically speaking, but his overwhelming mass was genuinely freakish.
One time he visited a warehouse with an industrial scale to get an accurate bodyweight. I recall it reading, like, 408, or something.
Photographs will never do the man’s immensity justice.
How tall was he?
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How tall was he?
I’m six, even, and Greg was easily one or two inches taller. I think 6’2” is fair to say.
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I’m six, even, and Greg was easily one or two inches taller. I think 6’2” is fair to say.
Wow that big at only 6’1-2” I thought he was 6’4 or something.guy was a monster
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In pictures or maybe on a stage, he was soundly beaten. But make no mistake, when Roelly Winklaar walks into a room and most people look down at him, he looks retarded. Kovacs was taller than average and huge. He would have commanded much more respect and admiration than any of the manlet pros in every aspect of life except for the stage schmoe scene.
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They were show stoppers at the wake too.
Lol, we’ll done!
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I’d say 23-24” he was a huge guy but no way in hell 26”
We worked out at the same gym a few times, if not 26" then damn close. His arms were bigger than most guys legs
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Haven't seen him for a long time. How's he doing again?
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Haven't seen him for a long time. How's he doing again?
I just checked--he's resting peacefully.
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Awesome guy was Greg, fucking 500lb inclines for 12!!!
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Next up, Brad Hollibaugh and his peaky biceps ::)
Got a lot of attention at the expos with those things:
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Haven't seen him for a long time. How's he doing again?
Having a pose down with munzer, momo, Dallas, and nassar
All looking shredded to the bone
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Awesome guy was Greg, fucking 500lb inclines for 12!!!
Not a chance.
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Awesome guy was Greg, fucking 500lb inclines for 12!!!
I remember all the pics I saw of him lifting were on the smith machine.
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I remember all the pics I saw of him lifting were on the smith machine.
Yep. And partials. With hands on.
Seriously strong guy, but the tales told by MuscleTech wankers are horseshit.
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Greg looked amazing when he won the super-heavyweight and overall at the 1996 CBBF Nationals in Canada. I think he was something like 296-lb at his height of 6'2. Greg said in the column he had on RXMuscle that because of his performance that year, that he would give Greg an automatic invite to the Mr. Olympia contest, but that Greg was loyal to Paul Gardiner, who also founded the MuscleTech line of supplements [and may still own it. Fortress would know].
Fortress is probably reading this thread thinking "Oh yeah, Greg - I'm reminded of how is "26 inch arms" made MUSCLEMAG become basically one giant ad for MuscleTech." :-X
In hindsight, Greg should have entered that Mr. Olympia contest in 1996, focusing on NOTHING aside from looking the same as he in Nationals. Instead, he decided to add 20-lb of mass, which was supposed to make him around 325-lb for the 1997 Night of Champions - so we can extrapolate backwards and say he was 305-lb in 1996...but the weight of 296-lb was in my mind for some reason. Maybe I just confused the weight with the year of the contest.
Sadly, in 1997, Greg showed up at the Night of Champions with 20-lb of added...synthol. :-\
Nether Animal has likely perused the photos I am speaking about. Consider that Greg still dwarfed massive bodybuilders, synthol or not. Lack of aesthetics or not.
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97 NOC
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37462&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37475&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
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Awesome guy was Greg, fucking 500lb inclines for 12!!!
But godawful aesthetics FUCK!!!!
Certainly wasn't of Germanic stock
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97 NOC
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37462&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37475&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
HATE those pointy syntholed up delts. Who the hell tells them that’s a good look?
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Saw Greg outside Beacon Theater after NOC 1996. Immense. Arm was as big in girth as the torso of the girl he took the picture with.
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97 NOC
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37462&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37475&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
Gunther looking good.
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But godawful aesthetics FUCK!!!!
Certainly wasn't of Germanic stock
No doubt!! Gunter owning him there in that pic
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I’d say 23-24” he was a huge guy but no way in hell 26”
Watch the video. He measures them.
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I’m not one to exaggerate, but Greg’s upper arms could very well have taped-out at 26. As one who was often in his company, the guy was quite simply GIGANTIC. Keep in mind I’ve met a majority of the largest and most muscular men to have walked the earth. Kovacs made the biggest look like tiny tits.
I recall squeezing into the staff washroom (two stalls and one urinal) at MuscleMag’s offices with Paul Gardiner and Greg so the latter could preview his physique for an upcoming IFBB contest. He was 385 with abs (despite the sheer girth of his waist) and quite muscular.
At one point during some back shots he started cramping. Paul and I had a moment of terror thinking the spasming giant would crush us. Truly. It was frightening. I recoiled into the stall and Paul wedged between the urinal and the wall by the door.
Greg was essentially a lousy bodybuilder, aesthetically speaking, but his overwhelming mass was genuinely freakish.
One time he visited a warehouse with an industrial scale to get an accurate bodyweight. I recall it reading, like, 408, or something.
Photographs will never do the man’s immensity justice.
Have you ever met Vic Richards? Who was larger? I know Vic was only 5'9"-5'10" but sheer width wise.
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Have you ever met Vic Richards? Who was larger? I know Vic was only 5'9"-5'10" but sheer width wise.
Do the math if someone is 5’9/5’10 like you said and the other is 6’2 who do you think is larger?
Not talking about aesthetics just pure mass here
Paul dillett and Quincy Taylor are more impressive than Vic “overrated” Richards
Even art Atwood
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Wow that big at only 6’1-2” I thought he was 6’4 or something.guy was a monster
No, he was minimum 6'2" if not 6'3". We've been over this before a couple of years ago where I provided plenty of comparison pics.
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Got a lot of attention at the expos with those things:
;)
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97 NOC
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37462&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
(http://www.muscletime.com/index.php?view=image&format=raw&type=img&id=37475&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=202)
Why post pics of him where he's clearly not even close to his peak?
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No doubt!! Gunter owning him there in that pic
Of course he was. That was not Greg at his best.
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Greg Kovacs with 5'11.5" Nasser El Sonbaty
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Greg with Sean Allan compared to 6'1" Paul Dillet with Sean Allan and 5'10" peak Ronnie Coleman (even though he later got listed at 5'11") with Sean Allan. Greg was at least 6'3".
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LOL!!!
Yeah...remember that New Year's Resolution I had to reduce my post size by 90% on here and on Facebook? In case you thought otherwise, I should let you know that it failed pretty massively. :-X
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Why post pics of him where he's clearly not even close to his peak?
Because Matt brought that show up and mentioned me. Do you pay attention at all?
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Of course he was. That was not Greg at his best.
Haha lol at his legs in the 3rd pic. Horrible.
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Greg Kovacs with 5'11.5" Nasser El Sonbaty
Judging from pics I’d say he is looking 6’2.5” and those arms in that pic look around 24”.
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Have you ever met Vic Richards? Who was larger? I know Vic was only 5'9"-5'10" but sheer width wise.
I did. At his biggest and best. No question Richards was a more impressive “bodybuilder”, and he was massive, no doubt. Better muscle bellies, etc.
But for sheer WTF factor, Greg was the guy.
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Greg Kovacs with 5'11.5" Nasser El Sonbaty
I was standing off to the side when this pic was taken (I’m quite certain). That evening, we ate at a steak house.
(I cannot be sure as the whole timeline around that year is hazy.)
P.S. We lifted that weekend. Nasser stood on the scale in the changeroom. He was a few pounds over 315 and within 20 pounds of stage-type condition.
Beside Kovacs he appeared smallish.
Let that sink in.
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No doubt!! Gunter owning him there in that pic
Just as any Germanic individual would
Christ! His aesthetics suck fucking ass
And what kinda surname is blowvacs??? Must be Slavic :-X
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Kovacs fingers bigger than bj181 arms. :-\
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Kovacs fingers bigger than bj181 arms. :-\
Dj hasn't been around. Sends his best.
(https://images.encyclopediadramatica.rs/d/df/TsimFuckis_superheropose.jpg)
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Needs more deca.
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Kovacs fingers bigger than bj181 arms. :-\
;D ;D ;D
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;D ;D ;D
;)
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Do the math if someone is 5’9/5’10 like you said and the other is 6’2 who do you think is larger?
Not talking about aesthetics just pure mass here
Paul dillett and Quincy Taylor are more impressive than Vic “overrated” Richards
Even art Atwood
Dude, height has nothing to do with overall mass. I know a guy who is 6'4" and weighs like a buck 30 and I know another guy who is 5'5" and 260 pounds. My question still stands. Who was larger? (NOT taller)
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Judging from pics I’d say he is looking 6’2.5” and those arms in that pic look around 24”.
Again, they were measured in the video I posted at around 25 3/4".
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I was standing off to the side when this pic was taken (I’m quite certain). That evening, we ate at a steak house.
(I cannot be sure as the whole timeline around that year is hazy.)
P.S. We lifted that weekend. Nasser stood on the scale in the changeroom. He was a few pounds over 315 and within 20 pounds of stage-type condition.
Beside Kovacs he appeared smallish.
Let that sink in.
No offense but I'll take legit pics of KNOWN bodybuilders standing next to Kovacs of which I provided over your word of your own claimed height and what you're guessing his height to have been based on how you feel he stacked up against you. I don't know you from anywhere and most guys like to make themselves out to be larger and taller than they are by lowering the height of bigger/taller guys. I'll let all the pics I provided of Greg having at least 4" on Nasser, at least 2" on Dillet and being 1-1.5" shorter than 6'4.5" Sean Allan sink it over your eye witness statement, thank you.
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;)
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He's given 2 height listings here of 6'2". One when he was 21 and one when he was 33. If he was only 6'2" then Paul Dillet is NOT 6'1" when you compare them both to Sean Allan. I still say he was closer to 6'3" but just claimed 6'2" flat. Remember he has been also described as 6'4" and 6'5". He TOWERED everybody.
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8)
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:o
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8)
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;)
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8)
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Next up, Brad Hollibaugh and his peaky biceps ::)
Careful, he lurks these boards. Lol.. Fucken loser was the first "pro" I ever argued with on these interwebs on Anabolex back in like '01/02. Gets a little butthurt when you accuse him of site injections
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Again, they were measured in the video I posted at around 25 3/4".
You do realize that most pros fuck with tapes in pictures right?there are what 8” showing on the inside of arm?and that is accounting for curve so add 8” to other side and maybe 3-4” on top and bottom and you have 22-24”,with his height and size I’ll give him 24”.
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Dude, height has nothing to do with overall mass. I know a guy who is 6'4" and weighs like a buck 30 and I know another guy who is 5'5" and 260 pounds. My question still stands. Who was larger? (NOT taller)
We are talking about bbers here..... so it does matter not reg 6’4 guys ::)
Sean allen vs lee priest is a good example
That 5’5 guy you know likely looks hideous at that weight and it’s almost impossible to find someone weighing 130 at 6’4, that’s not NORMAL at all
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(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=644213.0;attach=758735;image)
Damn... Greg with Lou Ferrigno's recent arms :(
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We are talking about bbers here..... so it does matter not reg 6’4 guys ::)
Sean allen vs lee priest is a good example
That 5’5 guy you know likely looks hideous at that weight and it’s almost impossible to find someone weighing 130 at 6’4, that’s not NORMAL at all
Nah the 5'5" guy's a security guard/bouncer and looks like a badass. He could stand to lose a good 20 pounds, but he still does not look out of proportion. He carries the weight well. The 130 pounds 6'4" guy looks awkward.
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Ummm...
Why are we talking about a dead drug addict?
He was an obese drug addict who died prematurely-
Why is he occupying any space between any ones ears?
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Nah the 5'5" guy's a security guard/bouncer and looks like a badass. He could stand to lose a good 20 pounds, but he still does not look out of proportion. He carries the weight well. The 130 pounds 6'4" guy looks awkward.
No one at 5'5 with muscles looks badass LOL
Infact no one at 5'5 without muscles looks badass either ... Im guessing youre short yourself. ;D
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I was standing off to the side when this pic was taken (I’m quite certain). That evening, we ate at a steak house.
(I cannot be sure as the whole timeline around that year is hazy.)
P.S. We lifted that weekend. Nasser stood on the scale in the changeroom. He was a few pounds over 315 and within 20 pounds of stage-type condition.
Beside Kovacs he appeared smallish.
Let that sink in.
What was Kovacs like as a person?
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No offense but I'll take legit pics of KNOWN bodybuilders standing next to Kovacs of which I provided over your word of your own claimed height and what you're guessing his height to have been based on how you feel he stacked up against you. I don't know you from anywhere and most guys like to make themselves out to be larger and taller than they are by lowering the height of bigger/taller guys. I'll let all the pics I provided of Greg having at least 4" on Nasser, at least 2" on Dillet and being 1-1.5" shorter than 6'4.5" Sean Allan sink it over your eye witness statement, thank you.
Huh? I use Nasser as comparison. My post you quote didn’t make any notion of my using my stature to illustrate anything. As far as commenting I was (possibly) there, that was just to illustrate I was, you know, there, and, again, El Sonbaty, who was over 300, appeared small next to Greg.
Slow it down when you’re reading. Better to comprehend.
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What was Kovacs like as a person?
He was always a decent fella with me. He wasn’t charismatic, but he was of an even temperament. I feel badly for his fate, even though it was of his own orchestration.
And no question he was screwed royally by Paul Gardiner/MuscleTech.
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That same year they measured his arms 25 mr olympias where 19-20 (dorians). Its like having a crooked 13 inch dick and cum in 1 second. Total failure!
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Typical Musclemag guy: they ended up dead, in jail, or in gay porn movies ;D
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Typical Musclemag guy: they ended up dead, in jail, or in gay porn movies ;D
That’s not fair. Unfortunately, most just know about the crappy and sad stories.
Robert Kennedy was far from perfect (like all of us), but he was seriously colourful, generous and intelligent. Him and MMI’s editor-in-chief/Bob’s best and oldest friend, “Johnny Fitness”, are possibly the most entertaining and most incredible people I’ll ever know.
The wheels began to fall off when Paul “MuscleTech” Gardiner, then a manager of one of the MuscleMag stores, decided he was going to capitalize on the exploding supplements market.
Integrity and honesty be damned.
Bob had known Paul since he was a young teen, and, being the loyal guy he was, allowed Paul to utilize his entire MMI “platform” to launch MuscleTech (the name taken from a suggestion by Johnny Fitness).
It was one of a few waves that eventually led to MMI’s end.
Those of us who knew Bob, love him. I’d had a period when our friendship was fractured, but in time, Bob and I repaired it, and I’m SO happy about this.
If he liked you, you had yourself a very good friend.
I genuinely miss the man.
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That’s not fair. Unfortunately, most just know about the crappy and sad stories.
Robert Kennedy was far from perfect (like all of us), but he was seriously colourful, generous and intelligent. Him and MMI’s editor-in-chief/Bob’s best and oldest friend, “Johnny Fitness”, are possibly the most entertaining and most incredible people I’ll ever know.
The wheels began to fall off when Paul “MuscleTech” Gardiner, then a manager of one of the MuscleMag stores, decided he was going to capitalize on the exploding supplements market.
Integrity and honesty be damned.
Bob had known Paul since he was a young teen, and, being the loyal guy he was, allowed Paul to utilize his entire MMI “platform” to launch MuscleTech (the name taken from a suggestion by Johnny Fitness).
It was one of a few waves that eventually led to MMI’s end.
Those of us who knew Bob, love him. I’d had a period when our friendship was fractured, but in time, Bob and I repaired it, and I’m SO happy about this.
If he liked you, you had yourself a very good friend.
I genuinely miss the man.
AWESOME MAN,,ALWAYS GOOD POSTS FROM THOSE TIME ,KEEP THEM COMING..
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Rob,
How strong was Kovacs in reality? And how about Nasser? You once told me that you "marvelled" at how he struggled inclining 315.
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Rob,
How strong was Kovacs in reality? And how about Nasser? You once told me that you "marvelled" at how he struggled inclining 315.
Having heard his ridiculous claims that he never backed up
It would be interesting what poundage he did use.
Though as a 330/50lb+ man I doubt they were any thing special
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Having heard his ridiculous claims that he never backed up
It would be interesting what poundage he did use.
Though as a 330/50lb+ man I doubt they were any thing special
Exactly.
I saw some of his Muscletech ad, err, "training video." It showed him pressing four plates on a Smith incline (with some effort, I might add); then the camera cut away, and another plate was put on per side. Then Greg did another set, but the camera zoomed in and we never saw the actual weight he was moving...and on top of that, it was obvious that we were watching him do the very same reps he did with the four plates ::)
I was singularly unimpressed. I did paused reps with three plates weighing 225ish many years back, and my training was very sporadic, low volume stuff. I also wasn't gassed to the fucking gills. How a man 100 lbs. heavier with massive doses, such big joints and such had to rely on cheap camera trickery to display much greater strength is pathetic.
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Typical Musclemag guy: they ended up dead, in jail, or in gay porn movies ;D
Musclemag had a Canadian flavor to it but there was plenty of tragedy associated with the magazine. Kennedy had a lot of balls to leave a secure teaching job and start a magazine which was losing money for a long time. He managed to succeed and did so with much more integrity than Weider. Greg Kovacs wouldn't have made it to 50 regardless. The guy was 400 lbs and looked like he was ready to explode. The whole Bruce Patterson pump up was hilarious. They were comparing him to Arnold and giving him a ton of exposure. Then it comes out that he is gay escorting and in gay porn. Of course it is common knowledge that many bodybuilders do this, but Bruce never attempted to hide it.
Bob himself was a tragic figure. The accident with his son Braden, followed by the suicide of his wife. Watching his son each day for 10+ years in a vegetative state. Dying of lung cancer while living a healthy lifestyle. His top writer Greg Zulak evolved from his beginnings as the average Joe muscle guy, to the sex and drug expert. Unfortunately Greg became a drug expert. A friend at the gym had a picture of himself with Greg. It sure didn't look like Greg unless Greg got really sick.
The biggest evil to come out of Musclemag is Paul Gardiner. He never really added anything to the world of muscle except another protein powder. Unfortunately he had Kennedy and all his contacts helping him. Musclemag went from an interesting magazine to a magazine pushing Paul's company and attacking rival supplement companies. Paul didn't have an honest bone in his body and lied his way to the top.It is never good being around the devil and watching him succeed. It poisons the integrity of all those around. Kennedy had taken a bite out of the forbidden fruit and his life started to turn sour after that.
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That’s not fair. Unfortunately, most just know about the crappy and sad stories.
Robert Kennedy was far from perfect (like all of us), but he was seriously colourful, generous and intelligent. Him and MMI’s editor-in-chief/Bob’s best and oldest friend, “Johnny Fitness”, are possibly the most entertaining and most incredible people I’ll ever know.
The wheels began to fall off when Paul “MuscleTech” Gardiner, then a manager of one of the MuscleMag stores, decided he was going to capitalize on the exploding supplements market.
Integrity and honesty be damned.
Bob had known Paul since he was a young teen, and, being the loyal guy he was, allowed Paul to utilize his entire MMI “platform” to launch MuscleTech (the name taken from a suggestion by Johnny Fitness).
It was one of a few waves that eventually led to MMI’s end.
Those of us who knew Bob, love him. I’d had a period when our friendship was fractured, but in time, Bob and I repaired it, and I’m SO happy about this.
If he liked you, you had yourself a very good friend.
I genuinely miss the man.
Great post, Fortress. I love your MuscleMag stories.
Can you tell me about the collapse of MuscleMag? It seemed to me that the massive reduction in MuscleTech ads was coincidental to the death of Bob...rather than what I initially thought, that Bob's wife Tosca Reno ran the magazine into the ground. Although I wondered if it could be both.
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Typical Musclemag guy: they ended up dead, in jail, or in gay porn movies ;D
;D :-X
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;D :-X
Is that Zulak? I thought he was a bodybuilder.
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Is that Zulak? I thought he was a bodybuilder.
It almost looks like him, but judging by Bruce's age in the pic, there's no way then other fella is Greg. Id guess thats bursitis is uncle
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Is that Zulak? I thought he was a bodybuilder.
Bruce's father
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Was the story Nasser told true about Kovac’s hotel room being littered with shit stained white towels from the elephant turds he used to do?
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Very briefly. Met both Victor Richards and Greg Kovacs in the nineties with both in pretty amazing condition. I'm a legit 6 foot 4 and at the time I met them weighed somewhere around 280 pounds. First off - the thing I remember about Richards was that his upper leg from the side was basically a circle. His hams and quads were so pronounced that when he walked he basically had to waddle. His forearms were insane but also remember that his back really really stood out as a massive weakness - the rest of him was so complete that his back, if judged apart from the rest of him was probably pretty ok, but in regards the whole package it stood out like a sore thumb, it was crap compared to the rest of him. Oh, last thing, Richards is full of BS and basically just talks shit (which I think he actually believes which makes me think he might be nuts, I mean really nuts.
Now, Kovacs: went to his seminar, freakishly massive. I'd guess around 6 foot 2 or 3, hard to tell from basically watching him talk sitting behind a desk for two hours. Remember him having serious breathing issues - sounded like he was a major asthmatic and sweated like a pig. Drank maybe 2 gallons of water whilst just sitting talking over two hours, the whole time sweating like a rapist.
I then met him at my local gym and seizing the opportunity I managed to train with him for an hour or so.
Based on that experience what I can tell you is that he was massive - bigger than Richards by big margin. His biceps were insane when flexed. He did a front thigh pose in front of me and I can tell you now, when his biceps popped when he put his hands behind his head, biggest I've ever seen. One of my training partners at the time had legit 22 inch arms and 33 inch quads at about 5 foot 8 and Kovacs was just way way bigger than that. Seriously I don't have too much trouble believing his arms were close on 25/26 inches. His quads were insanely big as well, and we did good mornings and some weird lunges and he was doing good mornings with 225 on his shoulders like it was absolutely nothing. Again, guy was just suffering all the time with breathing - his heart must have been under massive pressure all the time - didn't look healthy at all and was constantly out of puff even when doing nothing and just standing talking. Seemed like an alright guy, was much better when he wasn't around his annoying wife (seriously she was like a squawking parrrot and basically tried to talk for him all the time at the seminar). Anyways that's the truth, and I've trained and hung about with some seriously huge bodybuilders many moons ago and Kovacs seriously dwarfed them all.
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Very briefly. Met both Victor Richards and Greg Kovacs in the nineties with both in pretty amazing condition. I'm a legit 6 foot 4 and at the time I met them weighed somewhere around 280 pounds. First off - the thing I remember about Richards was that his upper leg from the side was basically a circle. His hams and quads were so pronounced that when he walked he basically had to waddle. His forearms were insane but also remember that his back really really stood out as a massive weakness - the rest of him was so complete that his back, if judged apart from the rest of him was probably pretty ok, but in regards the whole package it stood out like a sore thumb, it was crap compared to the rest of him. Oh, last thing, Richards is full of BS and basically just talks shit (which I think he actually believes which makes me think he might be nuts, I mean really nuts.
Now, Kovacs: went to his seminar, freakishly massive. I'd guess around 6 foot 2 or 3, hard to tell from basically watching him talk sitting behind a desk for two hours. Remember him having serious breathing issues - sounded like he was a major asthmatic and sweated like a pig. Drank maybe 2 gallons of water whilst just sitting talking over two hours, the whole time sweating like a rapist.
I then met him at my local gym and seizing the opportunity I managed to train with him for an hour or so.
Based on that experience what I can tell you is that he was massive - bigger than Richards by big margin. His biceps were insane when flexed. He did a front thigh pose in front of me and I can tell you now, when his biceps popped when he put his hands behind his head, biggest I've ever seen. One of my training partners at the time had legit 22 inch arms and 33 inch quads at about 5 foot 8 and Kovacs was just way way bigger than that. Seriously I don't have too much trouble believing his arms were close on 25/26 inches. His quads were insanely big as well, and we did good mornings and some weird lunges and he was doing good mornings with 225 on his shoulders like it was absolutely nothing. Again, guy was just suffering all the time with breathing - his heart must have been under massive pressure all the time - didn't look healthy at all and was constantly out of puff even when doing nothing and just standing talking. Seemed like an alright guy, was much better when he wasn't around his annoying wife (seriously she was like a squawking parrrot and basically tried to talk for him all the time at the seminar). Anyways that's the truth, and I've trained and hung about with some seriously huge bodybuilders many moons ago and Kovacs seriously dwarfed them all.
good stuff...
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Seemed like an alright guy, was much better when he wasn't around his annoying wife (seriously she was like a squawking parrrot and basically tried to talk for him all the time at the seminar).
I thought his wife came across as odd in the full MuscleTech video. Almost like she was obsessed with Greg and didn't like him talking to anyone apart from her. Can't imagine how paranoid she must have got whenever Greg talked to other women.
It's a shame he didn't do a PL show. It would have been interesting to see how strong he really was. I know a few other posters here who trained with him said he was insanely powerful. IIRC, OneTimeHard said he saw Greg bench +400lbs like it was an empty bar.
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I thought his wife came across as odd in the full MuscleTech video. Almost like she was obsessed with Greg and didn't like him talking to anyone apart from her. Can't imagine how paranoid she must have got whenever Greg talked to other women.
It's a shame he didn't do a PL show. It would have been interesting to see how strong he really was. I know a few other posters here who trained with him said he was insanely powerful. IIRC, OneTimeHard said he saw Greg bench +400lbs like it was an empty bar.
Funny he wasn’t really known for strength,’ for his size he was pretty weak compared to a Coleman, Cormier, or Levrone
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Funny he wasn’t really known for strength,’ for his size he was pretty weak compared to a Coleman, Cormier, or Levrone
The Muscletech people were touting him as the strongest guy around. His video with them didn't show it, but I did hear the tale of him endlessly repping with a weight a fairly strong bencher did for a 1RM at some kind of informal lifting meet. IIRC, the story went that said bencher worked up to 420ish, then Greg came along and did twenty with it :?:
I wish Fortress will shed some light on that. Rob is nothing if not honest.
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;D :-X
Extraterrestrial gaylord haircut. :-X
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The Muscletech people were touting him as the strongest guy around. His video with them didn't show it, but I did hear the tale of him endlessly repping with a weight a fairly strong bencher did for a 1RM at some kind of informal lifting meet. IIRC, the story went that said bencher worked up to 420ish, then Greg came along and did twenty with it :?:
I wish Fortress will shed some light on that. Rob is nothing if not honest.
If he weighed 400lbs & taking a fair amount of PEDs
Benching his body weight for reps not really a big deal is it.
Could he bench or incline bench double + body weight
I’d then give him some credit
As a 400lb man + Whatever PEDs he used I’ve yet to see / read anything
Remotely impressive poundage wise - Just hype & hot air.
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Ferrigno; after 18 years retired and in his 40's
WooSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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He was taller also ;D
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;D
WooSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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First, for Greg to approach a double-bodyweight bench is ludicrous. That’d be closing in on 800 pounds. The all-time raw bench is 738, by a man dedicated to pure strength training. Unlike Kovacs.
Strength output doesn’t simply coincide perfectly with bodyweight increases.
Now, was Kovacs strong? Yes. Would he have performed well in a (high-level) powerlifting meet? Not without very intense and prolonged coaching/focus. His free-bar squat to depth likely wasn’t elite and his absolute deadlift wasn’t honed. As far as benching, he was crazy strong, but likely not a 600-plus presser. With specific training, I’d imagine he could have went well over six/650.
The story of him casually repping a guy’s one-rep max at some event is true. No, I wasn’t there. By all accounts, it was a douche move, in that it upstaged some dude’s moment in the sun. Greg wasn’t a participant. His doing this was bravado.
His wife, with whom I spent time around, was indeed annoying. Pleasant. But annoying. She was dedicated to being Greg’s slave. I remember her holding a battery-operated fan in his face all the bloody time.
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His wife, with whom I spent time around, was indeed annoying. Pleasant. But annoying. She was dedicated to being Greg’s slave. I remember her holding a battery-operated fan in his face all the bloody time.
that would annoy the fuck out of me...
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First, for Greg to approach a double-bodyweight bench is ludicrous. That’d be closing in on 800 pounds. The all-time raw bench is 738, by a man dedicated to pure strength training. Unlike Kovacs.
Strength output doesn’t simply coincide perfectly with bodyweight increases.
Now, was Kovacs strong? Yes. Would he have performed well in a (high-level) powerlifting meet? Not without very intense and prolonged coaching/focus. His free-bar squat to depth likely wasn’t elite and his absolute deadlift wasn’t honed. As far as benching, he was crazy strong, but likely not a 600-plus presser. With specific training, I’d imagine he could have went well over six/650.
The story of him casually repping a guy’s one-rep max at some event is true. No, I wasn’t there. By all accounts, it was a douche move, in that it upstaged some dude’s moment in the sun. Greg wasn’t a participant. His doing this was bravado.
His wife, with whom I spent time around, was indeed annoying. Pleasant. But annoying. She was dedicated to being Greg’s slave. I remember her holding a battery-operated fan in his face all the bloody time.
First, for Greg to approach a double-bodyweight bench is ludicrous. That’d be closing in on 800 pounds. The all-time raw bench is 738, by a man dedicated to pure strength training. Unlike Kovacs
We disagree -
Kaz Benched 661 Raw @ around 330lb body weight
Why didn’t the bloated 400lb Kovacs drop some body weight
& get close to 2x body weight bench - Because he wasn’t really that strong
His inflated body weight allowed him to use weights most half or 2/3 his body weight
Didn’t use.
Kovacs was the one making outlandish claims & couldn’t back them up.
Yes I dislike his strength claims It’s Belittling to the real strength athletes
He should of Put up or Shut up.
I’ve Squated 3.5 x BW
Benched 2.2 xBW
Deadlifted 3.2 x BW - yep a poor dead-lifter
As a Steroid Free lifter ( I was Naive )
And won National champs
Hence I take issue with his claims
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First, for Greg to approach a double-bodyweight bench is ludicrous. That’d be closing in on 800 pounds. The all-time raw bench is 738, by a man dedicated to pure strength training. Unlike Kovacs
We disagree -
Kaz Benched 661 Raw @ around 330lb body weight
Why didn’t the bloated 400lb Kovacs drop some body weight
& get close to 2x body weight bench - Because he wasn’t really that strong
His inflated body weight allowed him to use weights most half or 2/3 his body weight
Didn’t use.
Kovacs was the one making outlandish claims & couldn’t back them up.
Yes I dislike his strength claims It’s Belittling to the real strength athletes
He should of Put up or Shut up.
I’ve Squated 3.5 x BW
Benched 2.2 xBW
Deadlifted 3.2 x BW - yep a poor dead-lifter
As a Steroid Free lifter ( I was Naive )
And won National champs
Hence I take issue with his claims
You are a dickhead, but I gotta give respect for.that strength
PROPS
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First, for Greg to approach a double-bodyweight bench is ludicrous. That’d be closing in on 800 pounds. The all-time raw bench is 738, by a man dedicated to pure strength training. Unlike Kovacs
We disagree -
Kaz Benched 661 Raw @ around 330lb body weight
Why didn’t the bloated 400lb Kovacs drop some body weight
& get close to 2x body weight bench - Because he wasn’t really that strong
His inflated body weight allowed him to use weights most half or 2/3 his body weight
Didn’t use.
Kovacs was the one making outlandish claims & couldn’t back them up.
Yes I dislike his strength claims It’s Belittling to the real strength athletes
He should of Put up or Shut up.
I’ve Squated 3.5 x BW
Benched 2.2 xBW
Deadlifted 3.2 x BW - yep a poor dead-lifter
As a Steroid Free lifter ( I was Naive )
And won National champs
Hence I take issue with his claims
Why didn’t he? The same reason he never pursued offers from the WWE ... He wasn’t interested. Second, the claims weren’t his. People witnessed his considerable feats and then MuscleTech ran with these, but ramped up.
I stood and listened to Kaz and Coan challenge Kovacs to enter a powerlifting meet. Again, he didn’t care. It wasn’t his goal.
I’m not defending his strength nor am I chastising it. I am just telling the tale as reality has it.
P.S. Bill pressing 661 raw in the low 300s says nothing about anything. Him putting on 60 pounds wouldn’t have immediately had him benching an equivalent greater poundage. I know Kaz and have spoken with him at length about these kinds of things.
I am not tearing your knowledge or accomplishments. You’ve obviously achieved a lot and you have my respect. I’m just clearing things up.
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Why didn’t he? The same reason he never pursued offers from the WWE ... He wasn’t interested. Second, the claims weren’t his. People witnessed his considerable feats and then MuscleTech ran with these, but ramped up.
I stood and listened to Kaz and Coan challenge Kovacs to enter a powerlifting meet. Again, he didn’t care. It wasn’t his goal.
I’m not defending his strength nor am I chastising it. I am just telling the tale as reality has it.
P.S. Bill pressing 661 raw in the low 300s says nothing about anything. Him putting on 60 pounds wouldn’t have immediately had him benching an equivalent greater poundage. I know Kaz and have spoken with him at length about these kinds of things.
I am not tearing your knowledge or accomplishments. You’ve obviously achieved a lot and you have my respect. I’m just clearing things up.
We will have to agree to disagree
He didn’t pursue them because he maybe wasn’t interested or was well aware of his own limitations
That’s a powerlifting / strongman great to have as a friend.
Thank you,
I may have achieved more IE a world title if i’d Not been
So Naive about PEDs way back then.
All ifs & buts.
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We will have to agree to disagree
He didn’t pursue them because he maybe wasn’t interested or was well aware of his own limitations
That’s a powerlifting / strongman great to have as a friend.
Thank you,
I may have achieved more IE a world title if i’d Not been
So Naive about PEDs way back then.
All ifs & buts.
No sweat. Like I say, you obviously know your shit.
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No sweat. Like I say, you obviously know your shit.
From what I can recall you’re doing some big numbers in the powerlifts
Natural & raw iirc ?
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Have to agree with Fortress, in the mags everyone knows the supplement company propped up the strebgth and other legend stuff, but even around the gyms of the toronto area any talk of gregg centred around people saying how big and/or strong he was, never any mention of him bragging, it was always other people. I remember the first time I met him I said the "wow you should be a wrestler thing" and he said he was not interested in that.
The biggest "rumour" people would talk about Gregg right around the time he turned pro was how he supposedly had 2 or 3 small heart attacks already ::). He also did look pretty good leading up to and turning pro, especially in comparison to after that.
In this day and age Kovacs would not have to compete, he would have been as popular as Piana. But from what the people here who have met or actually knew the guy have just said, he probably would have done the same thing because he was only interested in standing on the Olypia stage as the biggest bodybuilder ever, or something along those lines.
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Never looked better than when he turned pro.
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=486060.0;attach=527392;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733532;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733533;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733534;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733535;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733537;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733538;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733540;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733539;image)
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Have to agree with Fortress, in the mags everyone knows the supplement company propped up the strebgth and other legend stuff, but even around the gyms of the toronto area any talk of gregg centred around people saying how big and/or strong he was, never any mention of him bragging, it was always other people. I remember the first time I met him I said the "wow you should be a wrestler thing" and he said he was not interested in that.
The biggest "rumour" people would talk about Gregg right around the time he turned pro was how he supposedly had 2 or 3 small heart attacks already ::). He also did look pretty good leading up to and turning pro, especially in comparison to after that.
In this day and age Kovacs would not have to compete, he would have been as popular as Piana. But from what the people here who have met or actually knew the guy have just said, he probably would have done the same thing because he was only interested in standing on the Olypia stage as the biggest bodybuilder ever, or something along those lines.
2 or 3 Heart attack’s :o already by then
The writing was on the wall & he chose to go full bore and ignore it.
If the rumours were correct.
Jeez way to go Greg.
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Never looked better than when he turned pro.
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=486060.0;attach=527392;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733532;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733533;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733534;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733535;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733537;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733538;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733540;image)
(http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=633288.0;attach=733539;image)
Yep agree with you
They are the best pics I’ve seen of him by a long way.
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Good pics. Those rear delts are mind boggling.
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From what I can recall you’re doing some big numbers in the powerlifts
Natural & raw iirc ?
Yeah, I’m doing OK, thanks. Drug-free and raw. I still desire a 700 squat, mid-sevens pull and high-fours bench. Not too far off, but strength is a slow pursuit, as those of us who know, know. Plus, I’m 48, so I now prioritize recuperation, as I don’t want to derail my progress with avoidable injuries.
The funny thing is, I’d have more poundage than I do, but I’m one to absolutely cherish pristine technique and hyper control, so as these attributes become more and more honed and pronounced, the weights lifted become more incrementally advanced.
For example, I’m a diehard Olympic squatter, and I won’t accept an even parallel cut on depth, so only ass-to-ankle will do. And extremely “pretty”.
A few inches of stance width, a few less inches of depth, and more “lean”, and I’d put an instant 50-80 pounds on my training numbers. But I want what I want and HOW I want it to occur.
It’s art. Passion. Standard.
It is downright fun. If not a little vexing.
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Yeah, I’m doing OK, thanks. Drug-free and raw. I still desire a 700 squat, mid-sevens pull and high-fours bench. Not too far off, but strength is a slow pursuit, as those of us who know, know. Plus, I’m 48, so I now prioritize recuperation, as I don’t want to derail my progress with avoidable injuries.
The funny thing is, I’d have more poundage than I do, but I’m one to absolutely cherish pristine technique and hyper control, so as these attributes become more and more honed and pronounced, the weights lifted become more incrementally advanced.
For example, I’m a diehard Olympic squatter, and I won’t accept an even parallel cut on depth, so only ass-to-ankle will do. And extremely “pretty”.
A few inches of stance width, a few less inches of depth, and more “lean”, and I’d put an instant 50-80 pounds on my training numbers. But I want what I want and HOW I want it to occur.
It’s art. Passion. Standard.
It is downright fun. If not a little vexing.
Excellent going !!
Big dead-lifter
What’s your body weight ?
I like that exacting form also
Adds to the pure lift experience
48 just a youngster then.
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Excellent going !!
Big dead-lifter
What’s your body weight ?
I like that exacting form also
Adds to the pure lift experience
48 just a youngster then.
I’m around 275-80.
And thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated.
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2 or 3 Heart attack’s :o already by then
The writing was on the wall & he chose to go full bore and ignore it.
If the rumours were correct.
Jeez way to go Greg.
On December 3rd of 2000, Greg came to my city of Thunder Bay, Canada [which is in the province of Ontario, where Greg was born and raised, and I lived in until his death], and my friend told me that Greg had allegedly suffered, as you quoted, 2-3 heart attacks.
I have no idea if that was true. When he came to Thunder Bay, he was tipping the scales just north of 400-lb. He may have been around 410, something like that.
On Canada's "MUSCLE INSIDER" magazine's website, Greg stated that he was 365-lb in 2012, just under two years before he died. On a radio/podcast interview with Dave Palumbo, Greg also stated that if he had it is way, he would just train for fun, and weigh around 400-lb.
So clearly, he enjoyed being 400-lb at 25% body fat, or whatever percentage he was at, despite the pain that came with it.
Given that Greg died in 2013 and was 365-lb in 2012, I think that it is safe to say that he was likely around 365-lb when he passed away. Here is the MUSCLE INSIDER article where he stated that his max weight was 412-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/columns/average-bodybuilding-diet
In this MUSCLE INSIDER article/interview, Greg states that his max weight was 416-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/features/lost-interview-one-one-greg-kovacs
In other articles - also on MUSCLE INSIDER - Greg stated that he weighed between 410-420, and that fans would be disappointed if he showed up to an appearance weighing 395-lb, rather than 400-lb. That must have played on his Bigorexia a lot. :-\
Tony Doherty - long time promoter of the Australia Pro Show - stated that Greg was quite insecure. The stories were sad.
I think we can most likely state with confidence that Greg weighed over 400-lb between 1995-2005, and that even going back as far as Greg's 19th birthday in December of 1987, he was almost surely around 290-lb and ripped.
Greg was likely over 300-lb from 1986-2013 [aside from early contests that Greg competed in between 1989-1994, where he cut down to as light as 270-lb, literally at the very lightest, and that would have only been in 1989-1990].
Think about that:
Greg spent 27 of his [just under] 45 years of life weighing over 300-lb.
Greg spent around 10 of those 27 years weighing over 400-lb.
The latter fact is probably the most significant one to think about when considering the toll on his cardiovascular system - between 1995-2005, aside from the four contests he competed in [turning pro in 1996, then the 1997 NOC, and both the 1998/2001 Ironman contests, the last of which he dropped out of], Greg was consistently 400-lb or more at 6'2.
For some appearances, he may have weighed a little less, but even at those times, he would have been taxing his body by using cutting agents to lose weight.
All this considered, Greg led a unique, but in my opinion, ultimately sad life. :-\
Here is a video I did showing some rare photos of Greg, posted by his sister on her Facebook page, tagged with Greg's name:
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Well, that is about 10" bigger than mine and yet somehow I am not envious.
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I’m around 275-80.
And thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated.
Your welcome
They are very strong poundages
And that’s impressive
Coupled with Great Form
Is a pleasure to watch big poundages
Being moved in such controlled manner.
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On December 3rd of 2000, Greg came to my city of Thunder Bay, Canada [which is in the province of Ontario, where Greg was born and raised, and I lived in until his death], and my friend told me that Greg had allegedly suffered, as you quoted, 2-3 heart attacks.
I have no idea if that was true. When he came to Thunder Bay, he was tipping the scales just north of 400-lb. He may have been around 410, something like that.
On Canada's "MUSCLE INSIDER" magazine's website, Greg stated that he was 365-lb in 2012, just under two years before he died. On a radio/podcast interview with Dave Palumbo, Greg also stated that if he had it is way, he would just train for fun, and weigh around 400-lb.
So clearly, he enjoyed being 400-lb at 25% body fat, or whatever percentage he was at, despite the pain that came with it.
Given that Greg died in 2013 and was 365-lb in 2012, I think that it is safe to say that he was likely around 365-lb when he passed away. Here is the MUSCLE INSIDER article where he stated that his max weight was 412-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/columns/average-bodybuilding-diet
In this MUSCLE INSIDER article/interview, Greg states that his max weight was 416-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/features/lost-interview-one-one-greg-kovacs
In other articles - also on MUSCLE INSIDER - Greg stated that he weighed between 410-420, and that fans would be disappointed if he showed up to an appearance weighing 395-lb, rather than 400-lb. That must have played on his Bigorexia a lot. :-\
Tony Doherty - long time promoter of the Australia Pro Show - stated that Greg was quite insecure. The stories were sad.
I think we can most likely state with confidence that Greg weighed over 400-lb between 1995-2005, and that even going back as far as Greg's 19th birthday in December of 1987, that Greg was over 300-lb from 1986-2013 [aside from early contests that Greg competed in between 1989-1994].
Think about that:
Greg spent 27 of his [just under] 45 years of life weighing over 300-lb.
Greg spent around 10 of those 27 years weighing over 400-lb.
The latter fact is probably the most significant one to think about when considering the toll on his cardiovascular system - between 1995-2005, aside from the four contests he competed in [turning pro in 1996, then the 1997 NOC, and both the 1998/2001 Ironman contests, the last of which he dropped out of], Greg was consistently 400-lb or more at 6'2.
For some appearances, he may have weighed a little less, but even at those times, he would have been taxing his body by using cutting agents to lose weight.
All this considered, Greg led a unique, but in my opinion, ultimately sad life. :-\
Here is a video I did showing some rare photos of Greg, posted by his sister on YouTube:
Quite sad reading
Weighing an average of approx 360lbs for so long coupled with his PED usage
Though it may of not been overly excessive & if he had heart issues at a young age
Not a good combination for extended healthy heart function.
As much as I’m not at all impressed with his physique
Or Claimed lifting poundages his claims or others
He died a young man
And from the bits I’ve read a decent enough man.
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Quite sad reading
Weighing an average of approx 360lbs for so long coupled with his PED usage
Though it may of not been overly excessive & if he had heart issues at a young age
Not a good combination for extended healthy heart function.
As much as I’m not at all impressed with his physique
Or Claimed lifting poundages his claims or others
He died a young man
And from the bits I’ve read a decent enough man.
Great post, illuminati.
I agree with you - it is sad to think about these things. I sort of looked at Greg as being the alpha of alphas when I first heard about him in 2000, but was that really the case? Perhaps physically, but he was a bit of a teddy bear in terms of personality, and by all rights, a super nice guy. In addition to being a very insecure person, who never thought he was good enough, and used more body weight as a proxy for quality, when he looked amazing when he turned pro. He said that his wife made a comment between prejudging and finals to the effect "The light-heavyweight competitor is shredded - judges like that", which really messed with Greg's mind. Poor guy. Although to be fair, Greg's wife apparently did a lot for him. He brought home the money, and she took care of everything else. Below is a video that discusses whether or not it was the body weight of the PEDs that killed Greg - or some combination of both. Although ultimately, we can only speculate.
PS - your lifts are great. I had no idea how strong you were. My lifts are not close to yours, be it in absolute numbers or as a percentage of my body weight. My most impressive lifts would be presses, but still nothing close to what you have done. If you don't mind my asking, what weight do you compete at?
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Great post, illuminati.
I agree with you - it is sad to think about these things. I sort of looked at Greg as being the alpha of alphas when I first heard about him in 2000, but was that really the case? Perhaps physically, but he was a bit of a teddy bear in terms of personality, and by all rights, a super nice guy. In addition to being a very insecure person, who never thought he was good enough, and used more body weight as a proxy for quality, when he looked amazing when he turned pro. He said that his wife made a comment between prejudging and finals to the effect "The light-heavyweight competitor is shredded - judges like that", which really messed with Greg's mind. Poor guy. Although to be fair, Greg's wife apparently did a lot for him. He brought home the money, and she took care of everything else. Below is a video that discusses whether or not it was the body weight of the PEDs that killed Greg - or some combination of both. Although ultimately, we can only speculate.
PS - your lifts are great. I had no idea how strong you were. My lifts are not close to yours, be it in absolute numbers or as a percentage of my body weight. My most impressive lifts would be presses, but still nothing close to what you have done. If you don't mind my asking, what weight do you compete at?
Clearly Greg had some demons he never got to grips with
He is best look was in those pics posted if he had just
Slowly added & refined that look instead of becoming a strongman
Type physique on & off stage.
Thanks
Like you my pressing movements were all strong I say were
As in a m/b accident tore my left triceps & pec :'(
Pisses me off wish it had damaged my deadlifting instead
As was not to good at that.. Ha
I competed in powerlifting at 75 / 82.5 kg many many yrs ago
Loved it - I Then met and became very good friends with a mr universe
Winner & got into bodybuilding or power building as I call it
Wanting a good physique & being as strong as possible.
Don’t put your lifting accomplishments down you do very well.
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Great post, illuminati.
I agree with you - it is sad to think about these things. I sort of looked at Greg as being the alpha of alphas when I first heard about him in 2000, but was that really the case? Perhaps physically, but he was a bit of a teddy bear in terms of personality, and by all rights, a super nice guy. In addition to being a very insecure person, who never thought he was good enough, and used more body weight as a proxy for quality, when he looked amazing when he turned pro. He said that his wife made a comment between prejudging and finals to the effect "The light-heavyweight competitor is shredded - judges like that", which really messed with Greg's mind. Poor guy. Although to be fair, Greg's wife apparently did a lot for him. He brought home the money, and she took care of everything else. Below is a video that discusses whether or not it was the body weight of the PEDs that killed Greg - or some combination of both. Although ultimately, we can only speculate.
PS - your lifts are great. I had no idea how strong you were. My lifts are not close to yours, be it in absolute numbers or as a percentage of my body weight. My most impressive lifts would be presses, but still nothing close to what you have done. If you don't mind my asking, what weight do you compete at?
I think the irony will be you talking about how you fear for everyone who weighs over 200lbs's health yet you grew up and have literally lived downstream from the polluted waters caused by all the pulp mills in your area.
I fear for your health Matt.
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Horseshit.
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Very briefly. Met both Victor Richards and Greg Kovacs in the nineties with both in pretty amazing condition. I'm a legit 6 foot 4 and at the time I met them weighed somewhere around 280 pounds. First off - the thing I remember about Richards was that his upper leg from the side was basically a circle. His hams and quads were so pronounced that when he walked he basically had to waddle. His forearms were insane but also remember that his back really really stood out as a massive weakness - the rest of him was so complete that his back, if judged apart from the rest of him was probably pretty ok, but in regards the whole package it stood out like a sore thumb, it was crap compared to the rest of him. Oh, last thing, Richards is full of BS and basically just talks shit (which I think he actually believes which makes me think he might be nuts, I mean really nuts.
Now, Kovacs: went to his seminar, freakishly massive. I'd guess around 6 foot 2 or 3, hard to tell from basically watching him talk sitting behind a desk for two hours. Remember him having serious breathing issues - sounded like he was a major asthmatic and sweated like a pig. Drank maybe 2 gallons of water whilst just sitting talking over two hours, the whole time sweating like a rapist.
I then met him at my local gym and seizing the opportunity I managed to train with him for an hour or so.
Based on that experience what I can tell you is that he was massive - bigger than Richards by big margin. His biceps were insane when flexed. He did a front thigh pose in front of me and I can tell you now, when his biceps popped when he put his hands behind his head, biggest I've ever seen. One of my training partners at the time had legit 22 inch arms and 33 inch quads at about 5 foot 8 and Kovacs was just way way bigger than that. Seriously I don't have too much trouble believing his arms were close on 25/26 inches. His quads were insanely big as well, and we did good mornings and some weird lunges and he was doing good mornings with 225 on his shoulders like it was absolutely nothing. Again, guy was just suffering all the time with breathing - his heart must have been under massive pressure all the time - didn't look healthy at all and was constantly out of puff even when doing nothing and just standing talking. Seemed like an alright guy, was much better when he wasn't around his annoying wife (seriously she was like a squawking parrrot and basically tried to talk for him all the time at the seminar). Anyways that's the truth, and I've trained and hung about with some seriously huge bodybuilders many moons ago and Kovacs seriously dwarfed them all.
Sounds about right.
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Indeed he did.
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On December 3rd of 2000, Greg came to my city of Thunder Bay, Canada [which is in the province of Ontario, where Greg was born and raised, and I lived in until his death], and my friend told me that Greg had allegedly suffered, as you quoted, 2-3 heart attacks.
I have no idea if that was true. When he came to Thunder Bay, he was tipping the scales just north of 400-lb. He may have been around 410, something like that.
On Canada's "MUSCLE INSIDER" magazine's website, Greg stated that he was 365-lb in 2012, just under two years before he died. On a radio/podcast interview with Dave Palumbo, Greg also stated that if he had it is way, he would just train for fun, and weigh around 400-lb.
So clearly, he enjoyed being 400-lb at 25% body fat, or whatever percentage he was at, despite the pain that came with it.
Given that Greg died in 2013 and was 365-lb in 2012, I think that it is safe to say that he was likely around 365-lb when he passed away. Here is the MUSCLE INSIDER article where he stated that his max weight was 412-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/columns/average-bodybuilding-diet
In this MUSCLE INSIDER article/interview, Greg states that his max weight was 416-lb:
https://muscleinsider.com/features/lost-interview-one-one-greg-kovacs
In other articles - also on MUSCLE INSIDER - Greg stated that he weighed between 410-420, and that fans would be disappointed if he showed up to an appearance weighing 395-lb, rather than 400-lb. That must have played on his Bigorexia a lot. :-\
Tony Doherty - long time promoter of the Australia Pro Show - stated that Greg was quite insecure. The stories were sad.
I think we can most likely state with confidence that Greg weighed over 400-lb between 1995-2005, and that even going back as far as Greg's 19th birthday in December of 1987, he was almost surely around 290-lb and ripped.
Greg was likely over 300-lb from 1986-2013 [aside from early contests that Greg competed in between 1989-1994, where he cut down to as light as 270-lb, literally at the very lightest, and that would have only been in 1989-1990].
Think about that:
Greg spent 27 of his [just under] 45 years of life weighing over 300-lb.
Greg spent around 10 of those 27 years weighing over 400-lb.
The latter fact is probably the most significant one to think about when considering the toll on his cardiovascular system - between 1995-2005, aside from the four contests he competed in [turning pro in 1996, then the 1997 NOC, and both the 1998/2001 Ironman contests, the last of which he dropped out of], Greg was consistently 400-lb or more at 6'2.
For some appearances, he may have weighed a little less, but even at those times, he would have been taxing his body by using cutting agents to lose weight.
All this considered, Greg led a unique, but in my opinion, ultimately sad life. :-\
Here is a video I did showing some rare photos of Greg, posted by his sister on her Facebook page, tagged with Greg's name:
is it because you have a short person complex you have to downregulate other peoples heights?
He was 6'4, fyi.