Stories - Your favorite stories re pros / legends

[onlyme]

Here is the answer to steroids.  First off making them illegal is just stupid because people will find them one way or another,  In regard to use in bodybuilding.  Testing is a WASTE of time and money.  There are as many masking agents out there thean steroids.  Testing doesn't "catch" all steroids.  So eliminate tessting.  The ONLY thing to correct the problem with steroids (in bodybuilding I am talking) is don't award the BB just because he is freakish in size and has unreal muscle size.  Start awarding the BB who has the nicest body in symetry, size, proportion, aestetics (?) all in one package.  Nowadays the judges are giving the award to the guy who comes in the biggest most muscular.  It has always been bodybuilding contests not muscle bodybuilding contests.  The judges have to start getting their shit together.  Along with Weider they have ruined this sport and the image.

[Kevin]

I don;t have too many friends that are not involved in the weight lifting related game in some capacity, but this "friend" was definitely on the border line.

And if you doubt any of this, all you have to do is ask Jeff Everson which may take a few moments of thinking back a bit.

We have/had a mutual friend who was always in the gym doing some crazy thing with the weights.

Over a period of a few years, we all noticed that he wasn't making any gains so we politely asked him where he noticed his improvements.

And he was happy as shit that we asked and lifted his shirt to show us the biggest and roundest gut that any of us had ever seen. It wasn't really that big but it did protrude and made him look that he he just swallowed a bowling ball.

A Big bowling ball!

And he was really proud of that bowling ball gut.

So we politely told him that he should work on other body parts and forget about his gut for a while.

And he thanked us and said that he was going to do just that.

A month of so later we saw him in the gym again and asked him how he was doing with his new routine and he proudly showed up his two to three inch finger nails with an elongated and serious story of his finger nail plans for the future.

It takes all kinds, I guess..

[Kevin]

March 31, 10"32 AM.... Just received a phone call from Only Me (Keith). He is PISSED!!!

He was in the process of drinking a Muscle Milk Protein Shake and dropped it onto his computer and it got soaked.

He immediately turned it off and tipped it upside down and it is still draining ten minutes later.

He has a friend who dixes that kind of stuff so he hopes to be back on line within 48.

Good luck., Keith....    I bet ya end up buying a new one.

[Max_Rep]

That blows!

[Kevin]

Nothing exciting to report right now but the following was given to me by an older family member who was part of this bodybuilding game since the days of the AAU and here is what he had to say .........

"Kevin, I think you know most of this shit already but you might want to pass it on to the GetBig group as a part of your Bodybuilding History posts.

If you want to  send me specific questions of that time period, it may help jar my memory and I'll do my best to answer honestly and without reservation.

But I want to tell ya once again that any input I submit to you is written from my viewpoint and strictly limited by my memory capacity. There are many viewpoints
and better memories out there so don't back me up against the wall if I make any errors or submit my view from the wrong angle.

Plus I want you to recall that I am very very bad with specific dates or years of even generations. I never have been able to recall your mom's birthday and anyone else in the family too.

So let me rely on some of your readers to provide the dates of these specific events.....

OK, this short story is about Pete and Manion and Doc Neely  and Jerome Weise and others whose names I don't recall at persent. I hope your readers can help me fill this out a bit because it is a part of the History that I have never seen put to paper.

So ....... Once upon a time ........... I got a call from Peter asking me to show up in Atlanta(?) to support a group of guys he was supporting to run the new NPC organization. I was short on cash so Pete sent me a round trip ticket and I arrived at the hotel a day or so early and attended a pre meeting meeting, which meant that I met with Pete and others who explained the situation to me.

Here was the situation as it stood at that pre meeting meeting .........

Doc Neely who owned a gym near the vicinity of College Park, Georgia was one of the guys who was up for election as the NPC Chairman. I knew Doc cause I had met him previously at some of the contests and had trained at his gym once or twice. One of his gym members was Dave Rogers and I recall celebrating Dave's birthday in the gym after one of those workouts. Dave was a hell of a great bodybuilder but never did win the nationals back then.

Anyway, Doc was running for the Chairmanship job and Pete and the west coast guys wanted Jim Manion to fill that post, so they asked me to cast my vote for Manion, which I did.

Like any election, there were a lot of whispers going around about this guy and that but it was all bullshit in an attempt to get me to vote for this guy or that.

To make a long story short, Jim won and was vry thankful for Pete's support. I am not sure about this but it is possible that Doc could have won that position if Pete was not there to offer his support to Jim.

I do recall a heavyset guy who appeared to have the brains among the group. His name was Jerome Weise (Spelling?) and if I recall right, he was the guy who took care of all the details and paperwork  in creating a legal NPC organization.  Some of us felt that it could not have happened if he didn't make it happen, but he never did receive any credit for the work he did. Anyone know his story?

If anyone can provide more details on this situation or correct me, it would be appreciated.

I left with the understanding that that Chairmanship would be a four year office, but apparently I was wrong as Jim has been there forever with never a threat of a change as far as I am able to tell.

A few years back at one of the nationals there was some talk about getting new blood but apparently nothing ever came of it.

OK, sorry to bore ya to death but I hope you submit this to the group to see if anything can be added or corrected.

Thanks Kev, XXXXXXX"

submitted with permission of the author

[619Rules]

Kevin-

Was the name of Doc Neeley's gym "Doc's Gym". Because if it was, it was a major BBing gym in the late 70's to mid 80's.

Used to sell all of their clothing in the magazines and they had really cool scoop tank tops-and back then only Gold's and World gym had the cool scoop type tanks, loved to train in those.

Hey, don't feel bad about not being able to check your messeges, it took me 3 months to figure it out-I even had to ask Ron how to do it (never told me either so I had to figure it out on my own)

[Max_Rep]

So keith said you could tell us how Jim Manion came to be president. While the story about the NPC's "birth" may not be a funny as some of the others on this thread I think knowing more would be VERY interesting to many of us.

Please tell us more.

[Bix]

,

[Kevin]

Yep! Thanks, Bix! For those who have not been around for a while, that's Dave Rogers. (Above photo)

Yes, DOc had a decent gym in or near College Park, Georgia. In fact I would not be too surprised if he still had it.

ANd it is the same "DOc" who sold the best pair of posing trunks back then and to the best of my knowlede he still offers them for sale, but now they are on the intenet.

[Bix]

Here he is alittle smaller , I think that's Doc behind him .

[Bix]

More Dave pics here...


http://www.classicbodybuilders.com/classicbodybuilderdaverogers.html

[Kevin]

Yea, I remember Dave. Did not know him real well but had a few occasions to say hello in passing. Doc was a great supporter of his and always backed him in his bid for the national championships.

As I recall Dave ......... he was a real quiet guy who always looked like he wanted to be someplace else - both on stage and off.

Dave was from Georgia and there was another Southern BB back then who was somewhat similar but not related. His name was Marty Gentle and he come to California after his tour in the Marines.

Marty was another quiet guy but he came to life whenever he was in the gym and many of those old time members figured he was running for mayor or something. I think that's the way Pete G described him best.

Marty trained with or beside David and Peter Paul on a number of occasions and really enjoyed those guys.

He was a darn impressive kid and did some work in the Incredible Hulk playing the part of a bodybuilder and appeared in Playboy magazine holding the Playmate of the Month on his shoulders. And he was always in big demand for picture sessions.

He was one of those guys who couldn't cook a hard boiled egg but he was so likeable that someone gave him a job as a cook in one of the restaurants in an old hotel overlooking the old Muscle Beach Area. (Now the biggest luxury hotel in Santa Monica - Lowes).

I stopped by for breakfast one day and to my surprise Marty was the only one working that morning ,,,,,,, cooking, waiting, and throwing out the customers who complained about his meals (and there was always more than one).

I think most people went there to eat to watch this bodybuilder messing up the place.

But he still worked the morning shift and got enough tips to survive and train in Santa Monica for a good number of months.

He was one of those guys who, when he left Gold's, was really missed and every time I go in that place someone eventually says, "What the hell is Marty doing now?!"

ANd I always say, "He's a chef  at the Four Seasons in New York City"!

And cause they remember Marty well, no one ever doubts me. He conned his way into everything

He's actually probably somwhere fat, dumb, and happy with a wife and five kids, but back then he was determined to be the ultra musclehead in the Universe.

He told me more than once,"I want to be so damn unreal that I make people puke!"

If you see David or Paul, ask them if they remember the good looking kid from Alabama by the name of Marty. That'll bring a smile to their faces and possibly a forgotten, funny story or two.

Or if you see someone who makes you puke, go on over and shake his hand!

And ask him where he's working now.

[619Rules]

Kevin-

When you say the "old Muscle Beach area" in Santa Monica-you mean the original muscle beach, right- from mid 30's up to late 50's?

Were you around during that time period?

[Kevin]

Rules, I think my first visit to the "Real Muscle Beach" just a few yards south of the Santa Monica Pier was in the mid-fifties. That first visit I met Doug Strohl who was apparently prepping for a contest. He looked sliced but I never have been able to find a decent photo of how great he looked back then.

Later on I returned but the wt area was gone for a number of reasons. I never did get the 100% factual story why they closed it down and I'd sure like to know why if anyone has the real facts behind it. I've only heard the rumors.

My return must have been around 1962 or so.The old wooden wt lifitng space was taken over by gymnast rings and pull up bars.

 Santa Monica beach was still pretty popular for the small number of bodybuilders who were around back then.  Met a way smaller version of Larry Scott and many others I don't recall right now, but you could count the real bodybuilders in LA back then on the fingers of both hands and have a couple to spare.

I kind of remember one of those small beach homes facing the old Muscle Beach area being offered for sale and I think that the asking price was $24,000 but it never sold while I was there. And I think I'm right when I tell you that that red lemon aid building was there way back then just like it is today.

And I do recall a Muscle Beach Burger that I enjoyed a couple of times in that little business directly facing the Merry Go Round and a place on the Pier called Sinbad's (or that could have been down on the Venice Pier).

There was definitely no lifeguard house or volly ball nets as there is today, but plenty of circus-type folks doing every sort of gymnastics you could concieve of.

And then the rusted weights and benches enclosed in a little wooden fence.

And that was Muscle Beach as far as I can recall.

And you drove your car right there and parked it anywhere there was an open space. And an open space was always available. There was never anyone there telling you to pay a buck to park your car. I think we even drove out onto the Santa Monica Pier back then.

And between Santa Monica Beach and Venice Beach there was Pacific Ocean Park which did their best to copy Disneyland. Their main attraction was the rickitty old wooden roller coaster that everyone seemed to enjoy. It was built on the Pier over the ocean and the timbers ratteled and rolled casue they were so old. But it did add to the excitement.

And then further south was Venice Beach which back then was more of a Jewish Community with Synagogs and beach front apartments along the ocean front.

No one seemed to go to Venice Beach unless you lived there or you were just passing through on the electric  tram that ran along the beach from SM to Venice. One round trip was a quartera  and great ride to see the beach on a sunny day.

But even on sunny days back then, there was seldom a crowd enjoying the beach in that no man's land between Santa Monica and Venice.

But that sort of changed in the Hippy Days when nude sunbathing became popular and lots of people wanted to see lots of lots of people, so that is where they ended up.

I recall running along the high tide mark from SM to Venice and hardly ever seeing anyone until I would run into a WALL of nude bodies around the half way mark .... and then absolute desertedness a bit further south.

Sunny weekends would draw more people but never anything like it is today.

Those were the good old days when ice cream cost a dime and there was no Starbucks coffee cause all you could get for a cup was another misely 10 cents.

Hot dogs were a quarter and a Muscle Burger with all the trimmings was 45.

And if you had to drive home from the beach on a late Sunday afternoon, you'd better have 29 cents in your pocket for a gallon of gas. I can recall many times removing the car seats in search of change and then fill 'er up with our under-the-seat collection of coins. (And while you're at it, check under the hood. And the tires, please! ANd you missed a spot on the window. They actually did that back then!)

And on many occasions when the weather was nice, we'd sleep in the car and wake up to the seagull calls  and have a morning run to Venice and back before they opened the Lenom Aid stand for the day.

And a guy named Joe Gold was welding stuff together just one block off this beach.

[Bix]

.

[Bix]

More,,,,


http://www.musclememory.com/cgi-bin/search?name=Doug+Strohl&gender=M

[619Rules]

That's a cool history of the real muscle beach. The stories I have read were that Santa Monica city council wanted to get rid of Muscle Beach because they felt it was attracting an undesirable crowd. Then a few of the weight lifterss/BB's got caught up in a stautory rape charges with some underage girls-and that was what brougt everything to an end. The stories I have read said they tore out all of the weight equipement in "59". I thought they tore out everything, based on the books I have read, but if you saw the gymnastics equipment in "62" then there was still part of Muscle Beach left. Howard Zinkin's book is pretty good. What I would give to see those 3 and 4 person pyramids they used to build.

Would also have liked to seen George Eifferman, he was a big guy for his day. Playing that trumphet while doing that one handed clean with 145 Lbs.

You have to admit, the Venice weight pen will never compare to the real Muscle Beach. I was born 30 years too late!

[Kevin]

Thanks for the photo, Bix. I recall him being much larger back then but I could be mistaken.

Yea, Rules, that's the story I also heard about the City Council. I wonder what the "undersireable" element was. I understand that some of the problems were caused by the bodybuilders themselves but once again nothing definite.

Something did happen under the Santa Monica Pier that caused a lot of the problems but it was hushed up. For many years they fenced in the area under the Santa Monica Pier and it may be the same today. I didn't notice the last time I was there.

As far as I know, the gymnastic rings, etc were placed on the beach in the 60's or shortly after the weight pit was removed.

And much later you could still see gymnasts doing pyramids and handstands and circus type acts on that little patch of lawn in front of the lifeguard headquarters.

In the past few years, they've changed that location a lot (at least just south of the gymnast gear). All those hotels have gotten high class and expensive and Lowes used to be the location  of a decent place where you could stay on the beach for a cheap price.

I seem to recall that some Hippy religious group(?) owned it until Lowes came in and ultra fancfied it and moved the rates sky-high accordingly.

I do recall staying across the street from Lowes' present location in one of the many motels that used to be there for about $12 a night. That was in the early 60's.

Back in those days, you were upper class if you belonged to one of the many beach clubs in the Santa Monica area. Those members would play some kind of raquet ball on the beach courts and lounge around all day having cocktails or orange juice with soda water. Somehow those clubs were able to extend their facilities right out on the beach half way to the high tide line.

Today there is no evidence of any of those fancy places.

I knew George Eifferman well. He was a great guy. He gave me a silver George Eifferman medallion that he didn't pass out too freely. That was nice but his wife grabbed my arm and said, "That's George's way of thanking you for everything you've done. He really appreciates it!"

We were planning to visit George while he was laid up in some convelescent hospital or home in Las Vegas but for some reason that never happened. But we were told that if we did visit George, we were not to mention Steve Reeves' death as it would upset him too much.

He and Reeves were the good old days of this "sport".

It seemed to have a bit more "class" back then.

[619Rules]

I hear ya, George Eifferman was cool. He moved out to Orange County, and opened a new gym too, a few years before he died. They ran a story on him in one of the local papers. As I recall he was getting married to a long time friend-can you verify any of this?

Steve Reeves had lived in Valley Center in North San Diego County for many years before he died, had a ranch and horses and was into his power walking routine. I never saw Steve myself. I had his address and wanted to send him a pic to sign but never did. Wih I would have.

[Kevin]

Rules, I don't know anything aboujt George's gym in So Cal but I did meet and know his wife. But I forgot her first name. Maybe someone on here can refresh my memory.

Kind of a related stoty here.....

We trained at George's gym in Las Vegas a number of times. It was located in a shopping center on East Sahara a bit east of the Hilton Hotel and one day I got done early and decided to take a walk while the others were doing legs.

So I asked George where the closest casino was and he took me out to the parking lot and pointed over the buildings to the Hilton (the Hilton by the convention center).

It looked pretty close but George kept on insisting that it was further away than it looked and "this desert heat is gonna get ya if you walk that far".

I decided to give it a try anyway and set off asking George to tell my freinds in the gym that I'd be back within the hour.

Well it was hot as hell that day in Las Vegas and I just about turned around at the mid way point, but I needed water and I knew that I could find some at the Hilton so I kept on going.

I finally got to the hotel and had that drink of water and decided to look around and found myself in some long hallway with various stores on both sides.

I was still in my gym gear and feeling kind of grungy when all of a sudden I noticed that I was in the center of a big crowd and lots of people were taking pictures.

I looked behind me and saw about 6 or 8 other guys walking about ten feet to my rear and waving at the spectators who were gathering around when a big burley guy steps in front  of me and holds me up till the other similarly dressed guys catch up.

All of a sudden I'm walking in the center of a big crowd with Mike Tyson and some other fighters who were in town that weekend.

Apparently the big burley security guard thought I was part of the Mike Tyson contingent and wanted to keep me in line so that he and others could do the job that they were getting paid to do. And I noticed we were being hearded towards the elevator. ANd I was now a part of the casual stampede

ALl this time, Tyson kept a running conversation going wth the press and all his boys just nodded in agreement. So I just started to do the same and went along with the program to see where it would take me.

So it took us to the elevator and we all hopped in and headed towards the rootftop. I did a little boxing dance to hide my true identity and it must have gone over  pretty well cause no one ever questioned me with , "Who the hell  are you?"

So i followed Mike (by now I figured I could call him "Mike") and his contingent and the press to the rooftop and to my surprise there was Herb Ritts all set up to shoot some photos.

If you are from So Ca you've heard that name before. I think he has a $10,000 fee up front if you want your drivers' license photo taken.

But the interesting part is that one of Herb's assistants was a very good friend of mine and he was there helping set up the photo gear and saw me immediately.

"Hey! When did you start boxing, Kevin??!"

So I pulled him aside and explined the situation and asked him not to disclose my "true identity".

And he laughed and said that no one would give a damn up here anyway once you get past security and the security guy made me join this group in the first place, so I had no problem being on this rooftop with this illustrious group of pugilists and Hollywood's primo photographer.

And then Tyson walked by and thanked Mark for the work he was doing which surprised us both and gave him one boxing glove which he signed with a big black magic marker.

That impressed the s**t out of me, but I knew I had to get out of here to get back to George's to get my ride back to the hotel so  Mark escorted me to the elevator and down to the lobby getting past the security guards in the lobby with no problem at all.

"I'll call ya about the party tonite, so make sure you come!"

He did call but I never went cause I was heading back to So Cal later on that afternoon.

When I got back to the gym I told George I met Mike Tyson, but that didn't impress him too much. He was just surprised that I made that trek to the Hilton in this desert heat....... and offered me a bottle of water.

Did anyone ever see those Tyson pictures that were shot by Herb Ritts in LV that afternoon? I never did, but I sure would like to.

[Milly]

LOVING THese stories guys

hey did anyone here ever Train at Vince Girondas

If so what was that like?

[Kevin]

Joe Roark........

Joe, I tried to answer ya directly but it would not send off for some unknown reason, so let me answer you here.......

Joe, Don't have too much more to pass on Doug because after seeing him that first time at Muscle Beach, I never did see him again.

But I do remember this which I failed to mention in that Doug Strohl post........

That was my first visit ever to Muscle Beach and Doug was the only Bodybuilder there as it was an early but sunny morning. At first he was sitting on the sand right beside the "pit" and then he picked up a towel and started stretching.

I aksed him if that was all he did to train and he politely told me that he was stretching to get ready for his workout. He did a lot of towel pulling and eventually invited me to stand by and watch (I was a small kid back then) while he worked his arms.

I stayed around for about 20 minutes and said, "Thanks" and headed off to meet my family somewhere further down the beach.

But before I left, I did ask him his name and still remember it to this day.

I might add that he was a hell of a lot better than that cover photo shows.

I have a standing joke with Jeff Everson ..... "Whatever happened to Doug Strohl?" .  and I did not relaize that he passed away so many years ago.

Is Leeroy still alive? Could it be possible that he runs a health food store on Ventura Blvd in the Valley? I drove by there the other day and saw someone looking like Leeroy, but didn't  have the time to stop. Will have to check that out.

Do you recall a bodybuilder around 1961/62 who lived south of Los Angeles (possibly San Diego) who cut his leg badly while operating an electric buzzsaw? We were in contact for a long time but after that accident, he was never heard from again as far as I know.

How about the red headed guy (Ralph Kroeger) who owned the gym along the coast highway south of Oceanside by the racetrack? And Bob Jannis who owned the little gym in Oceanside east of the freeway before Gold's opened up? Bill Pettis? Dave Dupree? Rock Stonewall? Lou Digni? Curt Freeman? Mel  Knoll? And Steve Reeves had a good friend who looked more like a powerlifter, but I dont recall his name.

Did you ever meet Pudgy Stockton and her husband? Or do you have any idea of the address of the old Muscle House that she ran in the days of Reeves, Eifferman, etc?

Asking just in case you may have some idea of whom I am talking about.

OK, Joe, signing off.... Kev

[Kevin]

Milly, I knew Vince well but only trained at his place on Ventura Blvd once. In fact I drove by there a couple of weeks ago to take a photo of the old place but the area has changed so much that I had a difficult time identifying it and the traffic was so bad that I kept on going.

I also stopped off at jerry's Dellicatessan to see if any of the old timers were still sitting in that place eating or drinking coffee but that place has really changed a lot and most of those old timers have passed away and gone to greener pastures.

Vince's place was small and dark and not much to write about. It was the place where the folks associated with the movie business used to train. Stuntmen and actorrs mainly. Bill Smith trained there I believe.

The day I trained there, it was very dark and very quiet and Vince was busy in the back or upstairs someplace. (Did they have an upstairs someplace?)

Vince was definitely set against squatting. He said it gave a bodybuilder wide hips.

The main competitive bodybuilder who trained there back then was Larry Scott whom I wanted to meet and shake his hand but it must have been his day off cause he never did show up.

Must have had a leg workout that day.

I don't recall the equipment being too spectacular but I did manage to use the Scott Curl Bench that was not yet too popular.

As mentioned earlier, I sat with Vince when he was at a contest to support one of his members and he was very enthusiastic that he was gonna win it during the initial lineup but it was evident to most of us that "the guy with legs" at the other end was gonna take it. And sure enough, and dispite Vince's major objections, he did!

[Joe Roark]

Kevin,
I replied at length to your post and then the whole thing dumped without appearing. Gotta run for now.

[Kevin]

Can someone help me out with the following ...............?

A while back, ladies were never seen in the gym unless they were there to pick up their husbands or boyfriends.

And it may seem odd to everyone today, but when Lisa Lyons started training at Gold's with the guys it was a first as far as I can recall.

Ahhhh, there were some ladies who joined up but they spent their work out hours mostly in the back of the gym lifing chrome plated 10 pound dumbells.

If you were a gym rat at all, Lisa Lyon's training with the guys was a major topic of conversation throughout the weightlifting/bodybuilding world.

 If you were a member of Gold's Gym in Santa Monica it was completely acceptable because Lisa trained as hard as any guy in that place. Not as heavy, but just as hard.

I'm  a bit surprised that Lisa hasn't received more credit for what she started in this game.

OK, so here are my questions .........

Were any of you guys around when Lisa started training at Gold's?
Was she accepted by the serious bodybuilders in the gym immediately?
What year was that?
Who did she train with?
What was her motivation?
Was she accepted by eveyone in the gym?
What were some of her best lifts?
Was she consistant?
Did she have a job?
How often did she compete?

Anything you can tell us about Lisa would be appreciated. I was out of the country when she was making "headlines" so I missed that part of BB history and would like to fill in the "blanks".

Thanks, Kevin